WEBVTT

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So we're back in Ecclesiastes, and I am all out

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of segues. I don't have a way to bring into Ecclesiastes

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again. We're just going to continue learning

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from Solomon. Here's the thing. If you've missed.

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The other sermons in this series from Ecclesiastes,

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I would encourage you to go back and listen,

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not just so that you hear my voice. That's not

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the aim. No shameless self -promotion here. The

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goal is that you would dive into God's word and

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understand it more. It's a hard book. So the

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prayer is that this sermon series is helping

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to understand wisdom literature in a way that

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maybe you haven't before or to encourage things

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you've already seen. Now last time we wrapped

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up with chapter 9 and the theme that you all

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remember perfectly was wisdom amidst uncertainty.

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That's a joke. You don't have to remember everything

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perfectly after Christmas and holidays and all

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that. Are we awake? Okay, go Patriots. I got

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you awake too. Okay, there we go. At the end

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of chapter 9, if you have your Bibles open to

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Ecclesiastes chapter 10, he says one sinner destroys

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much good. That is the segue. for Ecclesiastes

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chapter 10. Today, we're going to see wisdom

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clearly contrasted with folly. And I pray that

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you're going to see two portraits today, the

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portrait of the wise person and the portrait

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of the fool. The question is, which will you

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be? So go ahead, if you haven't, turn your Bibles

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to Ecclesiastes chapter 10, and let's go ahead

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and stand for the reading of the word. This chapter

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contains more proverbial sayings than any we've

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been in so far. And it means some will be easy

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to understand. Others will need careful consideration.

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But you can follow along and listen as I read

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all of Ecclesiastes chapter 10. Beginning in

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verse 1. Dead flies make a perfumer's oil stink.

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So a little simple -minded folly is weightier

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than wisdom and honor. A wise man's heart directs

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him toward the right. But the foolish man's heart

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directs him toward the left. Even when the simple

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-minded fool walks along the road, his heart

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lacks wisdom. And he says to all that he's a

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simple -minded fool. If the ruler's temper rises

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against you, do not abandon your position because

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calmness causes great offenses to be abandoned.

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There is an evil I have seen under the sun like

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a mistake which goes forth from the one in power.

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Folly is set in many high exalted places while

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rich men sit in humble places. I have seen slaves

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riding on horses and princes walking like slaves

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on the land. He who digs a pit may fall into

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it and a serpent may bite him who breaks through

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a wall. He who quarries stones may be hurt by

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them and he who splits logs may be endangered

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by them. If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen

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its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom

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has the advantage of giving success. If the serpent

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bites before being charmed, there is no advantage

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for the charmer. Words from the mouth of a wise

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man are gracious, but the lips of a fool swallow

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him up. The beginning of the words of his mouth

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is simple -minded folly and the end of what comes

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from his mouth is evil madness. Yet the simple

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-minded fool multiplies his words. No man knows

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what will happen and who can tell him what will

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come after him. The labor of a fool so wearies

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him that he does not even know how to go to a

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city. Woe to you, O land, whose king is a young

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man and whose princes eat in the morning. Blessed

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are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and

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whose princes eat at the appropriate time for

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might and not for drinking. Through indolence

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the beams sag, and through slack hands the house

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leaks. Men prepare bread for laughter, and wine

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makes life glad, and money is the answer to everything.

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Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse

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a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse

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a rich man. For a bird of the sky will bring

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the sound, and the winged creature will tell

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the matter. Amen. You may be seated. Super easy

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passage today. I know it's a lot. I know it's

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a lot. And it may seem disconnected, but we're

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going to work our way through it. I think there

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is a consistent theme of wisdom versus folly

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that Solomon has here. Let's get our bearings

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straight, though, before we dive into the specifics.

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If you remember, looking at the chapter or the

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book outline here. Got it. It clicked. We are

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in the third section. The Prescription for Living

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with Vanity. And we're in chapter 10 with the

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theme today of wisdom versus folly. So there

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are going to be practical encouragements today

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as we wrestle with his observations. And if you

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think about the argument he's building, right

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before in chapter 9, last time, we dealt with

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the unexpected, the disappointments in life,

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when things don't go the way we want them to.

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And Solomon showed us there's a way to respond

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in humble dependence, recognizing God amidst.

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all the uncertainties of life. Now in chapter

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10, he's bringing us Proverbs, proverbial sayings,

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and he's going to paint these two portraits,

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the wise man and the fool. You may wonder, why

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does he paint a portrait with words? Why is that

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helpful to us? Well, these portraits, they're

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intended to help us look in the mirror of God's

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word, to know ourselves accurately, to know ourselves

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honestly. Such writing like this, it disrobes

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us. We have these veiled attempts at hiding who

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we really are, but God's word exposes us. It's

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uncomfortable because we're prideful, are we

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not? We are often much more like the evil queen.

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We want the mirror, mirror on the wall to tell

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us that we are the fairest of them all, right?

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God's word doesn't function like that. God's

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word doesn't affirm us for being who we are.

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God's word exposes us. God's word calls us toward

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an accurate self -assessment. But God's word

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doesn't just leave us with a broken mess that

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we find. God's word draws us toward Christ. And

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through the sacred writings, we see the Savior,

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not just the one who covers our imperfections,

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but the one who makes our aroma better than any

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perfume that we could imagine. Now, I see the

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passage broken down like this. It's a lot, I

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know. Eight -ish sections there. We're going

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to work through each one. Not very long, but

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we're going to work through each one. So I don't

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need to name them right now. We'll come back

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to them. Now, I know that's a lot. As you keep

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your Bibles open today, I'm going to have several

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passages that reference other parts of Scripture.

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You don't need to go there, not because God's

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Word is important. It is important. I'd say stick

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in Ecclesiastes 10. The Scriptures will be on

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the screen for you. Stick in chapter 10 so this

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theme of wisdom versus folly can be very clear.

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The cross -references will be on the screen.

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And remember, wisdom literature isn't intended

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for you to get everything. Wisdom literature,

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you're going to get bits and pieces, and that's

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okay. It's going to wound you today, and it'll

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wound you tomorrow, and it'll wound you next

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year. The wounds will be there. So don't worry

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about getting all of it. Just allow some of the

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things to stick with you this morning. Come back

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in the passage later this week. Come back and

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listen later. See what else you can glean from

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Solomon. Here's another look at the passage,

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another way you could break it down. Wisdom versus

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folly. It's more simple this way. You see about

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a third of the verses in the chapter deal positively

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with showcasing wisdom, while the other two thirds

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focus on identifying folly. So that's why the

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portrait really is clear here between the fool

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and the wise man. And it's interesting. He spends

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a lot more time talking about the fool than he

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does the wise man. And we'll try to understand

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that by the end. So let's begin first with the

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weight of folly. We're going to see what the

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Lord has to teach us. Now this is directly connected

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with verse 18, previous chapter. He transitions

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from one thought to the next, but it's the same

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connected thought. One sinner destroys much good.

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Now in Solomon's day. perfume was made in these

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stone vases. You see a picture on the screen.

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They put in a bunch of spices and herbs and florals

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and all these lovely smelling things. And even

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they put fat or oil with it to let it permeate.

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All those good smelling things over time, whether

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through a steeping process, sometimes they would

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heat it up as well to get all of the delicious

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smelling things out of there. Over time, it would

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become this wonderful scent, this aroma that

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people wanted because everything was smelly back

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then. It's not like today. Today, everything

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smells good. Back then, things didn't smell good.

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This was a special thing. Now, if it was stored

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correctly, it would be sealed in those smaller

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alabaster flasks. You see a picture of what an

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alabaster flask would look like. And that's so

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it wouldn't go rancid. Because you can imagine

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the fat or the oil could go rancid very quickly

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if left open. So you'd have to seal it. All that

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process, it was slow. It required patience and

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attention to detail. So when Solomon speaks of

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these dead flies making the perfumer's oil stink,

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he's pointing out if you miss something really

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small, I mean, flies aren't that big, right?

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They're not that big. But if you miss small things,

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they could be very destructive to your end product.

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That's what he's pointing out. That's the observation.

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All your work to make something lovely can be

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destroyed by something so small. And so it is

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with wisdom and with honor. A little folly, a

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little foolishness. A little slander, a little

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gossip, the little lies, the innuendos, the verbal

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attacks, all of those things can ruin a person's

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character just a little bit. An Old Testament

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scholar said of this passage, it can take far

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less to ruin something than it takes to create

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it. And wouldn't Solomon have that in mind with

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his father David, the man who is after God's

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own heart? yet had a massive indiscretion, prideful

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sin with Solomon's mother Bathsheba, and that

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brought about great shame for the family, surely

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even the removal of the opportunity to build

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the temple. It took that away from David and

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marred his legacy to a degree. The man who slayed

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a giant was nearly slayed by his own sin. That's

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the reality. A life of so much faithfulness stained

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by egregious sin. So the wise person, needs to

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hear this and take note. Even small bits of folly,

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the little flies of death, can have disastrous

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effects in the life of a seemingly wise person.

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Those little flies can spoil a life of fragrant

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offering to the Lord. A little folly is heavier

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than we think. Now he continues by explaining

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to us the way of folly. Throughout the ancient

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Near East, the right hand, The right hand is

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the place of power and honor, even a blessing

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and salvation, consistently through God's word.

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We're gonna do some rapid fire scriptures here

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so you can see the theme. Matthew 25, the separation

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of the sheep and the goats. The sheep who are

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known to the father, they're placed to the right.

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And the goats are placed to the left. The right

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receive life everlasting, the left do not. The

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right is where you wanna go. Isaiah 41 tells

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us that God will uphold his people with his righteous,

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Right hand. Beyond this, most prominent in the

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New Testament are depictions of where Jesus sits.

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Where does Jesus sit? At the right hand of the

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Father. Hebrews 1 tells us that Christ, the Son

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of God, the exact imprint and representation

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of the nature of God, after he accomplished the

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work of the cross, sat down at the right hand

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of the Most High. 1 Peter tells us that Christ

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is at the right hand of God. Ephesians 1, Christ

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was raised to glory by God himself and seated

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at his right hand. Now there are more. There

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are more than that. But I wanted to show you

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that scripture makes this the norm. That the

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right, it's right. It's the right way. Doesn't

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that make it easier? It's not confusing. The

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right is right. Now to be fair, if you're left

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-handed, it's not evil. I don't think it's evil.

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You should know, though, that the English word

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for sinister comes from the Latin word for left

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hand. Take it or leave it. Take it or leave it.

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All right. All of that, all of that serves to

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underline a point. It was commonly understood

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in Solomon's day. The right hand goes towards

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strength. It goes towards blessing. It goes towards

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honor. And it even goes towards. So the way of

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the right, it evidences skill and strength and

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determination and hopefulness. That's the way

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of the right. The way of the left, it signifies

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a lack of skill, an inclination towards opposite

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things like weakness and slothfulness, and it

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ends in damnation, not salvation. That's what

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scripture shows us. And so the fool is not inclined

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to goodness. He's not inclined towards the way

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of the right, and his whole life shows it. That

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doesn't mean the wise man never encounters difficulty.

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Solomon's already covered that. When he goes

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to the right, you're not guaranteed. Everything

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goes perfect. But the manner in which the wise

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man approaches life under the sun, it is drastically

00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:56.600
different than the fool. It's as obvious as how

00:13:56.600 --> 00:14:02.019
somebody walks that they are a fool. Like a peacock

00:14:02.019 --> 00:14:08.539
strut. Like a gangster lean. I went there. Like

00:14:08.539 --> 00:14:11.919
a runway model and their self -obsession. See,

00:14:11.980 --> 00:14:16.480
I cover everyone. The fool practically proclaims

00:14:16.480 --> 00:14:20.200
to everyone that they're foolish by their actions

00:14:20.200 --> 00:14:25.120
and by their words. Folly is a heart problem,

00:14:25.240 --> 00:14:29.559
not a practical one. Now the LSB, it says here

00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:32.159
in verse three, the fool's heart is lacking wisdom.

00:14:32.279 --> 00:14:34.440
Not all your translations may say that, but I

00:14:34.440 --> 00:14:36.220
think that translation is helpful because in

00:14:36.220 --> 00:14:38.820
the original Hebrew, it reads just that the fool's

00:14:38.820 --> 00:14:41.679
heart lacks. That's what the original Hebrew

00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:44.120
says. He lacks, his heart lacks. But I think

00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:46.360
the context gives us clarity because some of

00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:48.519
your translations may say he lacks sense. I don't

00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:52.159
think he just lacks sense. He lacks knowing God.

00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:54.720
So yes, he does lack any good sense, but his

00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:58.850
main problem is foolishness. Foolishness. So

00:14:58.850 --> 00:15:01.669
what he lacks and what he needs is a heart of

00:15:01.669 --> 00:15:05.809
wisdom. The fool can't rightly prioritize godly

00:15:05.809 --> 00:15:08.690
things. He can't pursue good convictions to inform

00:15:08.690 --> 00:15:11.850
his decisions. He's desperate, but he doesn't

00:15:11.850 --> 00:15:14.950
even know it. He's ignorant of the destruction

00:15:14.950 --> 00:15:17.730
that he brings into his life and to the life

00:15:17.730 --> 00:15:22.710
of others. The way of folly flows from the heart.

00:15:23.690 --> 00:15:25.830
All right, now we've covered two themes already.

00:15:26.449 --> 00:15:29.549
See, we're moving. We can do it. Hang in there.

00:15:29.610 --> 00:15:31.730
We have some more wisdom. Now, Solomon's going

00:15:31.730 --> 00:15:34.250
to seem to pivot. If you're reading, you may

00:15:34.250 --> 00:15:36.149
think he's pivoting here, but trust me, he's

00:15:36.149 --> 00:15:39.429
not. It's more of the same, but just from a unique

00:15:39.429 --> 00:15:42.370
vantage point. Remember, Solomon was a king,

00:15:42.409 --> 00:15:44.730
and as a king, he knew what it took to govern,

00:15:44.850 --> 00:15:48.970
what it took to be wise. He would discern between

00:15:48.970 --> 00:15:50.889
good leaders and bad ones, and not all of the

00:15:50.889 --> 00:15:53.360
leaders he worked with were great. He knew how

00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:56.100
to navigate tricky situations with leaders. And

00:15:56.100 --> 00:15:58.940
in verse 4, he presents a situation where this

00:15:58.940 --> 00:16:01.500
ruler is upset with a person. Now, we've been

00:16:01.500 --> 00:16:03.759
in situations like that, have we not? You've

00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:05.820
been in trouble with an authority. And when you're

00:16:05.820 --> 00:16:08.340
a kid and you break something, you hear the crash

00:16:08.340 --> 00:16:12.039
like, oh, I don't want them to find out, right?

00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:15.419
Been in trouble with the teacher, even if it

00:16:15.419 --> 00:16:17.340
was another student talking, you know, they just

00:16:17.340 --> 00:16:18.779
catch you when you're talking. Like, why? Why

00:16:18.779 --> 00:16:21.649
do those catch me? I never catch them. What about

00:16:21.649 --> 00:16:24.049
being in trouble with a boss? Work isn't done

00:16:24.049 --> 00:16:25.750
according to the standard. I mean, you name it.

00:16:25.769 --> 00:16:28.669
We know what it's like to live under authority.

00:16:29.009 --> 00:16:31.370
The psalm is giving us wisdom to navigate such

00:16:31.370 --> 00:16:33.669
situations, but there are some presuppositions

00:16:33.669 --> 00:16:36.769
here we'll get to. He says generally, rather

00:16:36.769 --> 00:16:39.210
than running away from the conflict or getting

00:16:39.210 --> 00:16:43.669
defensive, he cautions us towards calmness. In

00:16:43.669 --> 00:16:46.090
this scenario, though, here's some of the presupposition.

00:16:46.190 --> 00:16:48.269
The person is supposed to be going towards the

00:16:48.269 --> 00:16:50.809
right. So this is not advice if you're being

00:16:50.809 --> 00:16:53.570
foolish. This is advice if you're going a good

00:16:53.570 --> 00:16:57.990
way, the way of wisdom. The advice is somebody's

00:16:57.990 --> 00:17:00.389
pursuing something good, but the person in authority,

00:17:00.509 --> 00:17:03.470
they don't see it. So if you are going a good

00:17:03.470 --> 00:17:05.269
way and the person in authority is angry at you,

00:17:05.289 --> 00:17:07.170
they don't see it. That's the advice here in

00:17:07.170 --> 00:17:09.410
this situation. Solomon says, if you find yourself

00:17:09.410 --> 00:17:12.109
in that situation, do not be quick to leave your

00:17:12.109 --> 00:17:14.329
position because you're pursuing something good.

00:17:14.690 --> 00:17:18.380
So don't abandon it. Instead, be calm, be healing

00:17:18.380 --> 00:17:21.039
with your disposition. Didn't we see a version

00:17:21.039 --> 00:17:23.960
of this with Esther and with Mordecai? They didn't

00:17:23.960 --> 00:17:26.559
jump to fear and to chaos when they heard of

00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:31.460
the wicked Haman's plot. Boo, hiss. Rather, with

00:17:31.460 --> 00:17:34.259
measured calmness, yes, with resolute trust,

00:17:34.460 --> 00:17:39.059
surely with some fear, Esther sought to entreat

00:17:39.059 --> 00:17:42.059
the king to a favorable position for God's people.

00:17:44.170 --> 00:17:47.950
Wisdom is not a yes man in the face of evil or

00:17:47.950 --> 00:17:51.470
of error. Even if authorities are wickedly upset

00:17:51.470 --> 00:17:53.450
at your position, which is good, if you're holding

00:17:53.450 --> 00:17:55.630
on to something good, don't abandon it just so

00:17:55.630 --> 00:17:58.630
that you can get treated well. Believers don't

00:17:58.630 --> 00:18:01.250
fear man, they please God. We hold on to goodness

00:18:01.250 --> 00:18:05.049
with composure and integrity. You think of this

00:18:05.049 --> 00:18:07.950
principle out of Proverbs 25. When one is slow

00:18:07.950 --> 00:18:12.990
to anger, a ruler may be persuaded. A soft tongue

00:18:12.990 --> 00:18:17.670
breaks bone. Kind of messes with your mind. Think

00:18:17.670 --> 00:18:20.309
of Daniel. He served in a corrupt government.

00:18:20.569 --> 00:18:23.869
He was under constant threat. Yet he held to

00:18:23.869 --> 00:18:27.210
truth and dignity even under his perceived offenses.

00:18:28.730 --> 00:18:31.210
Such a disposition might even grant us opportunities

00:18:31.210 --> 00:18:36.349
to be reconciled with foolish rulers. The reign

00:18:36.349 --> 00:18:39.430
of folly continues as you look down in verse

00:18:39.430 --> 00:18:45.269
6. Look at verse 6 in your Bible. Is it true?

00:18:45.910 --> 00:18:49.849
Have you seen it? Haven't you seen that incompetence

00:18:49.849 --> 00:18:53.170
sometimes seems like a prerequisite for positions

00:18:53.170 --> 00:18:56.289
of power and authority? Didn't know that was

00:18:56.289 --> 00:18:59.690
on the job description. But it's part of the

00:18:59.690 --> 00:19:02.690
fall. Don't be surprised that people in authority

00:19:02.690 --> 00:19:07.410
are incompetent. Foolish people love yes men.

00:19:08.130 --> 00:19:10.970
They love them. And they often appoint people

00:19:10.970 --> 00:19:13.329
like that to positions of authority, even though

00:19:13.329 --> 00:19:15.990
it has disastrous effects on a large group of

00:19:15.990 --> 00:19:20.190
people. And don't miss verse 7, his commentary

00:19:20.190 --> 00:19:22.690
about slaves riding on horseback. That's a position

00:19:22.690 --> 00:19:24.910
of power and authority. Remember, Haman wanted

00:19:24.910 --> 00:19:28.089
to ride out on horseback, on the king's horse.

00:19:29.029 --> 00:19:30.890
Now, this is more biting than it seems. Sometimes

00:19:30.890 --> 00:19:33.410
people think in their authority that they're

00:19:33.410 --> 00:19:36.970
actually high and lofty. This is wisdom here.

00:19:37.829 --> 00:19:41.769
They don't realize that they are a slave to the

00:19:41.769 --> 00:19:46.230
authority who put them in such a place. That's

00:19:46.230 --> 00:19:48.910
the plight of the yes man. They have to agree

00:19:48.910 --> 00:19:52.049
even when they know it's wrong or foolish because

00:19:52.049 --> 00:19:55.410
they are a slave to their own desire for people's

00:19:55.410 --> 00:20:00.210
affection, their approval, their honor. Meanwhile,

00:20:00.250 --> 00:20:04.309
true nobility, those who wisely seek to honor

00:20:04.309 --> 00:20:08.130
the Lord, they don't esteem themselves. They

00:20:08.130 --> 00:20:10.150
sit in humble places and they appear to others

00:20:10.150 --> 00:20:13.369
in a meager estate. People don't often look at

00:20:13.369 --> 00:20:15.470
the humble and faithful, we'll call them pastors

00:20:15.470 --> 00:20:17.309
and elders, for example, be a little self -serving

00:20:17.309 --> 00:20:19.190
for a moment, and think, man, I want to live

00:20:19.190 --> 00:20:22.210
like that. I want to go serve people. No, they

00:20:22.210 --> 00:20:25.410
often don't look at the simple life of a Christ

00:20:25.410 --> 00:20:27.470
follower and think, I want humility, and that

00:20:27.470 --> 00:20:29.349
just sounds lovely, just serving other people.

00:20:29.549 --> 00:20:33.029
They don't look at the son of a carpenter and

00:20:33.029 --> 00:20:38.250
think, surely that's the son of God. The true

00:20:38.250 --> 00:20:41.630
king wasn't honored as such. People, we know

00:20:41.630 --> 00:20:45.170
this, often look at the celebrities, the influencers,

00:20:45.470 --> 00:20:48.730
the rich, and they think, I wish my life could

00:20:48.730 --> 00:20:52.950
be something like that. They don't realize that

00:20:52.950 --> 00:20:54.869
true freedom, it doesn't come with these public

00:20:54.869 --> 00:20:59.069
accolades. True freedom comes with an inward

00:20:59.069 --> 00:21:02.750
renewal from the Lord. That's where freedom is.

00:21:03.369 --> 00:21:05.529
Now, all governments, they're full of fools.

00:21:05.789 --> 00:21:09.160
I said it out loud. All governments, not just

00:21:09.160 --> 00:21:13.079
ours, all of them, and all means all in the Greek.

00:21:15.299 --> 00:21:19.539
Governments, they don't know wisdom. Believers

00:21:19.539 --> 00:21:24.779
do. They don't know history or a proper sense

00:21:24.779 --> 00:21:27.819
of duty which ought to be pursued in such roles.

00:21:28.980 --> 00:21:33.799
But Solomon's saying that's reality. We know

00:21:33.799 --> 00:21:36.539
that wisdom doesn't demand lofty positions. Even

00:21:36.539 --> 00:21:38.359
though it's often disregarded by people, people

00:21:38.359 --> 00:21:43.660
don't chase wisdom. So folly reigns. Folly reigns

00:21:43.660 --> 00:21:46.380
in high places, among rulers and authorities.

00:21:46.519 --> 00:21:52.740
It's everywhere. So be watchful. Wisdom is immensely

00:21:52.740 --> 00:21:55.839
practical, though, even in daily life, from the

00:21:55.839 --> 00:21:58.380
very tippy top of government all the way down

00:21:58.380 --> 00:22:03.390
to how you work in your daily life. So here's

00:22:03.390 --> 00:22:05.529
some more Proverbs about serpents and stones

00:22:05.529 --> 00:22:09.269
and success. The contrast of wisdom and folly

00:22:09.269 --> 00:22:12.230
is seen when somebody considers risk. When you

00:22:12.230 --> 00:22:15.910
consider risk and you count the cost, you pursue

00:22:15.910 --> 00:22:18.990
something towards success, even though you might

00:22:18.990 --> 00:22:22.130
fail. Now, wisdom is not armchair knowledge.

00:22:23.670 --> 00:22:28.549
Wisdom preserves and it pursues safety in practical

00:22:28.549 --> 00:22:31.750
matters. We are to apply wisdom in daily tasks

00:22:31.750 --> 00:22:33.609
so that it might go well for us, that we may

00:22:33.609 --> 00:22:36.190
live longer and enjoy what God has for us under

00:22:36.190 --> 00:22:39.769
the sun. So here, if you dig a pit, you might

00:22:39.769 --> 00:22:45.950
fall in it. Guys, it sounds silly, right? It's

00:22:45.950 --> 00:22:50.809
supposed to. He's saying, look, the fool can

00:22:50.809 --> 00:22:53.190
bring calamity on his head even doing a normal

00:22:53.190 --> 00:22:56.029
thing because they don't count the cost. They

00:22:56.029 --> 00:23:00.140
don't treat things wisely. They can't even dig

00:23:00.140 --> 00:23:03.759
a pit without falling into it. Breaking through

00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:05.740
a wall, that may be a little less common for

00:23:05.740 --> 00:23:08.160
us, but it was very common in the day. Demolition

00:23:08.160 --> 00:23:09.740
was common, common in the ancient Near East.

00:23:09.779 --> 00:23:11.380
That's why there's so many tells. You can get

00:23:11.380 --> 00:23:13.039
nerdy with Jeff about that, why cities built

00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:15.759
upon cities. Here's what the fool does, or really

00:23:15.759 --> 00:23:17.859
doesn't do. The fool doesn't check. He doesn't

00:23:17.859 --> 00:23:20.940
check. The fool isn't cautious. He just rushes

00:23:20.940 --> 00:23:24.200
headfirst into situations without any consideration

00:23:24.200 --> 00:23:27.789
of the potential impact of their choice. They

00:23:27.789 --> 00:23:30.009
don't want to be slowed down. That might be weak

00:23:30.009 --> 00:23:32.349
or they might be seen as ineffective. So they

00:23:32.349 --> 00:23:35.569
bulldoze their way through life. Wisdom approaches

00:23:35.569 --> 00:23:38.569
life differently. Wisdom considers the dangers

00:23:38.569 --> 00:23:41.910
and the pitfalls that life brings. Wisdom doesn't

00:23:41.910 --> 00:23:45.789
see himself as invincible, nor as ineffective,

00:23:46.089 --> 00:23:51.089
but as limited. Mankind is limited, are we not?

00:23:51.609 --> 00:23:55.769
Are we all powerful? Are we all knowing? No.

00:23:56.329 --> 00:23:59.690
We're not. God is. The wise man knows that. He

00:23:59.690 --> 00:24:02.569
knows that risk is involved with certain activities

00:24:02.569 --> 00:24:06.430
like quarrying stones or splitting logs. It doesn't

00:24:06.430 --> 00:24:09.049
mean that he can't do or shouldn't do such normative

00:24:09.049 --> 00:24:12.349
things, just that there's danger involved. He

00:24:12.349 --> 00:24:16.150
should be careful. Many of you know gun safety

00:24:16.150 --> 00:24:19.390
in here. You know that whether a gun is loaded

00:24:19.390 --> 00:24:22.890
or not, has a safety on or not, that we don't

00:24:22.890 --> 00:24:26.109
point firearms at people unless there is an intent

00:24:26.109 --> 00:24:28.930
to use it. Think about self -defense and law

00:24:28.930 --> 00:24:31.450
enforcement and military. And the wise person

00:24:31.450 --> 00:24:34.769
knows it's not the lack of ammunition or the

00:24:34.769 --> 00:24:39.509
safety mechanism that makes a firearm safe. It's

00:24:39.509 --> 00:24:41.990
the person wielding it and their capacity to

00:24:41.990 --> 00:24:44.549
adhere to good principles that makes the situation

00:24:44.549 --> 00:24:49.210
safe. Some activities, they bring inherent risk.

00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:53.180
The wise person considers that and responds with

00:24:53.180 --> 00:24:56.460
principles to pursue the good of all people.

00:24:57.480 --> 00:24:59.920
Verse 10, it's an obvious, obvious principle

00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:02.279
here. The dull axe requires more strength or

00:25:02.279 --> 00:25:03.880
force to do his job. You kind of go like, duh.

00:25:04.539 --> 00:25:08.160
Tell me something I didn't know. Foolishness,

00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:10.359
though, seeks to press forward with personal

00:25:10.359 --> 00:25:14.420
strength, to strike harder and harder, believing

00:25:14.420 --> 00:25:17.299
that pausing to sharpen the axe is not necessary.

00:25:18.569 --> 00:25:20.750
The fool doesn't use the tools the way they're

00:25:20.750 --> 00:25:24.450
intended. The wise person uses tools in a proper

00:25:24.450 --> 00:25:27.789
manner. The wise person isn't fearful of the

00:25:27.789 --> 00:25:30.450
opinions of others if he pauses to sharpen the

00:25:30.450 --> 00:25:33.049
ax because he knows the result of that work is

00:25:33.049 --> 00:25:36.269
less burdensome, more efficient, and probably

00:25:36.269 --> 00:25:40.490
has less risk of injury. The fool doesn't know

00:25:40.490 --> 00:25:42.450
how to manage himself, doesn't know how to manage

00:25:42.450 --> 00:25:44.490
others, and doesn't know the tools of the trade.

00:25:44.710 --> 00:25:47.450
That's the fool. You've heard sayings like this.

00:25:47.849 --> 00:25:52.170
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Measure twice,

00:25:52.329 --> 00:25:57.210
cut once. I got more for you here. Haste makes

00:25:57.210 --> 00:26:00.250
waste. That was a new one for me. I didn't know

00:26:00.250 --> 00:26:03.049
that one. Here's one for those of you who grew

00:26:03.049 --> 00:26:06.529
up with martial arts. Precision beats power and

00:26:06.529 --> 00:26:13.730
timing beats speed. Commonly taught. The shortest

00:26:13.730 --> 00:26:17.089
way is often the longest way around. Shortcuts

00:26:17.089 --> 00:26:19.319
don't work. The man who moves a mountain begins

00:26:19.319 --> 00:26:24.380
by carrying away small stones. Better a diamond

00:26:24.380 --> 00:26:31.599
with a flaw than a pebble without. Sounds fun.

00:26:33.140 --> 00:26:36.420
Wisdom isn't looking for a shortcut. Wisdom isn't

00:26:36.420 --> 00:26:39.920
looking for self -exaltation. Wisdom is looking

00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:42.720
for good completion, for efficiency, for safety,

00:26:42.819 --> 00:26:45.099
for accuracy, for replication, for endurance.

00:26:45.789 --> 00:26:48.329
That's what wisdom pursues. Wisdom knows that

00:26:48.329 --> 00:26:51.490
folly makes things harder in the long run, even

00:26:51.490 --> 00:26:54.869
if you have the strength to wield the axe. It's

00:26:54.869 --> 00:26:56.970
not about working harder, but smarter, really

00:26:56.970 --> 00:27:01.829
we should say, wiser. The snake charmer has one

00:27:01.829 --> 00:27:04.730
purpose, to keep the snake from striking and

00:27:04.730 --> 00:27:08.630
biting, right? So if the snake bites the charmer

00:27:08.630 --> 00:27:11.309
before he does the job, there's no advantage,

00:27:11.390 --> 00:27:13.710
there's no blessing for him. He failed before

00:27:13.710 --> 00:27:16.259
it even started. Now, the charmer may look the

00:27:16.259 --> 00:27:17.900
part, right? He's dressed in the garb. You've

00:27:17.900 --> 00:27:20.420
all seen the movies, right? Or Aladdin. I think

00:27:20.420 --> 00:27:23.240
it's in there. They dress fancy. They may act

00:27:23.240 --> 00:27:25.759
like they can do this great thing. But if they

00:27:25.759 --> 00:27:27.839
get bitten before they even begin the charming,

00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:30.980
he looks the fool, does he not? He doesn't know

00:27:30.980 --> 00:27:32.559
what he's doing. He can't even charm. Isn't he

00:27:32.559 --> 00:27:35.079
supposed to be a snake charmer? It also may be

00:27:35.079 --> 00:27:38.339
an indictment against snake charming. Have you

00:27:38.339 --> 00:27:40.660
heard the saying, play stupid games, get stupid

00:27:40.660 --> 00:27:46.259
prizes? There are some activities that are normative.

00:27:46.940 --> 00:27:49.799
Others may be unnecessary. I'll let you figure

00:27:49.799 --> 00:27:53.900
out where snake charming fits. If serious risk

00:27:53.900 --> 00:27:56.880
is involved in the unnecessary task, don't do

00:27:56.880 --> 00:27:59.819
it. There's a wise way to work. And foolish people

00:27:59.819 --> 00:28:03.279
make it known even in what they do that they

00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:07.079
are fools. But like any good clickbait, there's

00:28:07.079 --> 00:28:09.880
more beyond the actions of the fool. Foolish

00:28:09.880 --> 00:28:14.289
toil. Now there are so many scriptures throughout

00:28:14.289 --> 00:28:17.250
God's word that encourage us about our words.

00:28:18.210 --> 00:28:20.150
Lips of the righteous know what is acceptable.

00:28:20.250 --> 00:28:23.250
The mouth of the wicked, what is perverse. There's

00:28:23.250 --> 00:28:25.410
one who speaks rashly like the thrust of a sword.

00:28:25.730 --> 00:28:28.650
The tongue of the wise brings healing. Gentle

00:28:28.650 --> 00:28:31.589
answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs

00:28:31.589 --> 00:28:34.430
up anger. A tongue that brings healing is a tree

00:28:34.430 --> 00:28:37.190
of life. Perversion in it breaks the spirit.

00:28:38.009 --> 00:28:40.349
Pleasant words are a honeycomb sweet to the soul.

00:28:40.809 --> 00:28:44.109
and healing to the bones. My favorite explanation

00:28:44.109 --> 00:28:47.230
from Christ himself, for the mouth speaks out

00:28:47.230 --> 00:28:51.369
of that which fills the heart. We talked about

00:28:51.369 --> 00:28:54.089
actions, now we're talking about words. Words

00:28:54.089 --> 00:28:56.410
do matter, mostly because of where they come

00:28:56.410 --> 00:28:57.990
from, and that's what Jesus emphasized in Matthew

00:28:57.990 --> 00:29:00.269
chapter 12. Beyond where they come from, words

00:29:00.269 --> 00:29:02.730
can produce all kinds of things. They can be

00:29:02.730 --> 00:29:04.930
used to bring healing. They can be used to give

00:29:04.930 --> 00:29:08.069
life, to turn away wrath. They can be used to

00:29:08.069 --> 00:29:11.150
tear down. to stir up strife, to wound, and even

00:29:11.150 --> 00:29:16.569
to kill. Now the wise man's words out of Ecclesiastes

00:29:16.569 --> 00:29:21.569
10 are first, gracious. Gracious. Literally,

00:29:21.589 --> 00:29:25.130
they give grace to the hearer. So saying whatever

00:29:25.130 --> 00:29:28.210
is on your mind, that's neither gracious, I definitely

00:29:28.210 --> 00:29:32.069
guarantee it's not wise. Wisdom encourages restraint

00:29:32.069 --> 00:29:35.990
and good judgment for the timing, the tone, the

00:29:35.990 --> 00:29:39.730
message of our words. but the fool is consumed

00:29:39.730 --> 00:29:43.289
by their words. Not just destructive in nature,

00:29:43.349 --> 00:29:46.289
but look at verse 12, the second half, self -destructive.

00:29:47.250 --> 00:29:50.730
Self -destructive. The fool's words hurt others,

00:29:50.769 --> 00:29:53.569
but he hurts himself and gets himself into trouble.

00:29:53.769 --> 00:29:55.769
The words of the fool are fallier. Literally,

00:29:55.829 --> 00:29:58.349
it means stupid. We're not even allowed to say

00:29:58.349 --> 00:30:02.069
that in our house. But it means stupid, of no

00:30:02.069 --> 00:30:07.400
worth, of no merit. It's pointless. As they continue,

00:30:07.420 --> 00:30:09.519
those words, though, become something else. They

00:30:09.519 --> 00:30:13.740
become evil madness or wicked insanity, evil

00:30:13.740 --> 00:30:18.160
craziness. Now, words should not be a substitute

00:30:18.160 --> 00:30:22.279
for thinking. The fool loves the sound of their

00:30:22.279 --> 00:30:25.099
voice, not the wisdom of the Lord applied in

00:30:25.099 --> 00:30:27.619
their life. They have opinions on everything,

00:30:27.859 --> 00:30:31.680
and they want others to know all of their opinions.

00:30:33.339 --> 00:30:36.960
As the fool spouts what he does not know, He

00:30:36.960 --> 00:30:40.859
spews lies about things he cannot know. Verse

00:30:40.859 --> 00:30:44.579
14 shows the endless multiplication of the fool's

00:30:44.579 --> 00:30:49.940
words bring him to the height of his folly. Think

00:30:49.940 --> 00:30:53.079
about it. Can anyone claim to know the future?

00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:56.900
You have people betting today, right? Who's going

00:30:56.900 --> 00:30:59.779
to win, over, under, all that, sure. We can talk

00:30:59.779 --> 00:31:03.099
about gambling for another time. But you know

00:31:03.099 --> 00:31:04.519
that there are people who think they can predict

00:31:04.519 --> 00:31:07.759
the future. That's the height of folly. That's

00:31:07.759 --> 00:31:10.200
what God's word says. Because no one knows what

00:31:10.200 --> 00:31:14.059
is to come except who? The Lord God. The Lord

00:31:14.059 --> 00:31:16.960
God Almighty. And the fool brings him to that

00:31:16.960 --> 00:31:20.200
end. In all his words, though, he wearies himself.

00:31:20.400 --> 00:31:22.500
Proverbs 10, 19. It's not on the screen, but

00:31:22.500 --> 00:31:24.839
you should know it. Where there are many words,

00:31:25.059 --> 00:31:28.259
transgression is unavoidable. That's the reality.

00:31:29.019 --> 00:31:32.400
The wise man holds back his lips. You've heard

00:31:32.400 --> 00:31:34.619
this saying, maybe? the fool could get lost in

00:31:34.619 --> 00:31:39.079
an escalator? Think about that. Escalator only

00:31:39.079 --> 00:31:41.960
goes one way. How do you get lost on that? It

00:31:41.960 --> 00:31:44.579
moves for you, you know? Think about it, though.

00:31:44.599 --> 00:31:47.160
God's word says the fool can't even find his

00:31:47.160 --> 00:31:48.839
way to the town. He can't give simple directions

00:31:48.839 --> 00:31:50.900
to things that are plainly obvious. Look, the

00:31:50.900 --> 00:31:53.039
town, it's right there. But he gets lost. Oh,

00:31:53.079 --> 00:31:54.700
that reminds me, you know, this thing over here.

00:31:54.880 --> 00:31:56.759
Have I ever told you the story about how I got

00:31:56.759 --> 00:31:59.980
lost at other times? It's clear his abundant

00:31:59.980 --> 00:32:04.000
words lead towards transgression. A folly claims

00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:08.180
to know all kinds of things. Wisdom pursues the

00:32:08.180 --> 00:32:11.640
explanation of certain things and humility with

00:32:11.640 --> 00:32:17.220
many things. Okay, take a breath. Two -thirds

00:32:17.220 --> 00:32:19.200
of the way. We're going to get there. See, we're

00:32:19.200 --> 00:32:22.019
doing okay on time. Are you seeing the contrast

00:32:22.019 --> 00:32:25.180
of wisdom and folly? Are you seeing the portrait

00:32:25.180 --> 00:32:28.200
being painted? Have you been stung by anything

00:32:28.200 --> 00:32:31.250
so far? Do you see yourself? Or has something

00:32:31.250 --> 00:32:35.210
been made more clear for you? I hope so. I hope

00:32:35.210 --> 00:32:37.430
you're thinking about this for you. Not just

00:32:37.430 --> 00:32:39.890
thinking about it for somebody else. Not somebody

00:32:39.890 --> 00:32:41.710
in your mind that you think is acting foolish.

00:32:42.230 --> 00:32:44.750
But think about yourself. Are you seeing the

00:32:44.750 --> 00:32:47.750
portraits? Do you find yourself there? There

00:32:47.750 --> 00:32:49.690
are just three more vignettes to see them. So

00:32:49.690 --> 00:32:51.910
let's continue. Here we go. Earlier in chapter

00:32:51.910 --> 00:32:54.730
10, Solomon addressed wisdom and folly with regard

00:32:54.730 --> 00:32:57.130
to foolish leaders. How to respond when you're

00:32:57.130 --> 00:32:59.309
going a good way and the leader may not see that.

00:32:59.710 --> 00:33:02.769
Now he's going to display some wisdom for and

00:33:02.769 --> 00:33:06.990
about leaders. So here in verses 16 and 17, he's

00:33:06.990 --> 00:33:10.029
going to provide the contrast of two lands. One

00:33:10.029 --> 00:33:13.329
receives a woe or a pity, and the other receives

00:33:13.329 --> 00:33:17.390
a blessing. So verse 16 shows the woe. The king

00:33:17.390 --> 00:33:20.470
is a young man. Now, youthfulness, it's not always

00:33:20.470 --> 00:33:23.109
a curse. For example, you might think of King

00:33:23.109 --> 00:33:26.309
Josiah. He served honorably from the age of eight.

00:33:26.750 --> 00:33:31.140
That's commendable. But childishness in leadership

00:33:31.140 --> 00:33:34.599
is not helpful. You can have a young person who

00:33:34.599 --> 00:33:37.420
serves beyond their years, but acting like a

00:33:37.420 --> 00:33:40.680
child as a leader, that's not good. Very few

00:33:40.680 --> 00:33:44.339
young men can lead well. Listen to that. We have

00:33:44.339 --> 00:33:45.980
a lot of young men here. I don't see that to

00:33:45.980 --> 00:33:48.740
be rude. As a young man who is leading myself,

00:33:48.920 --> 00:33:53.319
I say that accurately. It's hard. We should take

00:33:53.319 --> 00:33:55.759
it seriously, though. Young men who are here,

00:33:55.900 --> 00:33:58.910
the call is still to lead. Just because it's

00:33:58.910 --> 00:34:01.150
hard doesn't mean we don't do it. We should look

00:34:01.150 --> 00:34:03.069
at the world and recognize not many want to be

00:34:03.069 --> 00:34:05.690
leaders. Not many want to be an example. Not

00:34:05.690 --> 00:34:08.789
many are willing to be a sacrifice so that others

00:34:08.789 --> 00:34:11.469
can draw near to Christ. But all the men in here,

00:34:11.550 --> 00:34:14.750
if you call upon the name of Christ, should be

00:34:14.750 --> 00:34:18.469
pursuing that kind of life, to be a leader. God's

00:34:18.469 --> 00:34:21.210
men are leaders. That's not in my notes. That

00:34:21.210 --> 00:34:25.780
was just for you. Take it. People who lead in

00:34:25.780 --> 00:34:27.300
childish and self -centered ways, they're not

00:34:27.300 --> 00:34:30.059
a blessing. That's the truth. It's a curse on

00:34:30.059 --> 00:34:32.739
the land who is governed by such people. Now,

00:34:32.760 --> 00:34:36.039
King Solomon, he's not prideful about this. He

00:34:36.039 --> 00:34:39.139
knows what it was like to be young, to struggle.

00:34:39.659 --> 00:34:41.480
He said before he took the throne that he was

00:34:41.480 --> 00:34:46.440
but a child. 1 Kings 3, 7. Now, Yahweh, my God,

00:34:46.480 --> 00:34:48.039
you have made your slave a king and placed my

00:34:48.039 --> 00:34:51.119
father David, yet I am but a little child. I

00:34:51.119 --> 00:34:55.529
don't even know how to go out or come in. He

00:34:55.529 --> 00:34:57.769
acknowledges the plight of youthfulness, the

00:34:57.769 --> 00:35:00.309
difficulty, specifically that it lacks direction,

00:35:00.590 --> 00:35:02.369
doesn't know how to go out or come in, doesn't

00:35:02.369 --> 00:35:06.769
know where the city is. And he recognizes that's

00:35:06.769 --> 00:35:10.190
the struggle. As for the princes eating in the

00:35:10.190 --> 00:35:12.550
morning, that's a reference to those who spend

00:35:12.550 --> 00:35:15.550
their time foolishly, the all -day partiers,

00:35:15.710 --> 00:35:18.590
like the king of Babylon. Remember how long he

00:35:18.590 --> 00:35:22.769
partied? For months, months with those princes

00:35:22.769 --> 00:35:27.199
in Esther chapter one. Isaiah 5 says this, Woe

00:35:27.199 --> 00:35:29.360
to those who rise early in the morning that they

00:35:29.360 --> 00:35:31.699
may pursue strong drink, who stay up late in

00:35:31.699 --> 00:35:34.820
the evening that wine may inflame them. This

00:35:34.820 --> 00:35:37.340
indictment, it's against those who use their

00:35:37.340 --> 00:35:40.039
position and their power for personal pleasure

00:35:40.039 --> 00:35:43.360
and gluttony. It's an indictment. Woe to the

00:35:43.360 --> 00:35:45.059
land and the people who have to put up with leaders

00:35:45.059 --> 00:35:48.360
who get drunk anytime, but especially those who

00:35:48.360 --> 00:35:49.980
get drunk early in the morning and all the way

00:35:49.980 --> 00:35:54.599
until night. That's not going to end well. Now,

00:35:54.619 --> 00:35:57.480
in contrast, the land and the people are blessed

00:35:57.480 --> 00:36:01.960
when the king is noble. Noble. Not only because

00:36:01.960 --> 00:36:03.920
of his lineage, but because he's been raised

00:36:03.920 --> 00:36:07.639
with a sense of duty, a sense of responsibility.

00:36:08.920 --> 00:36:13.179
This, again, is for the men in here. I think

00:36:13.179 --> 00:36:15.579
it's for families, too, actually. You know, sometimes

00:36:15.579 --> 00:36:18.679
we look down upon traditions. We struggle with

00:36:18.679 --> 00:36:21.480
that sometimes. Sometimes the old ways, we don't

00:36:21.480 --> 00:36:24.769
see the goodness that they instill. Sometimes

00:36:24.769 --> 00:36:27.550
we don't see the patterns of behavior that those

00:36:27.550 --> 00:36:30.949
old traditions encourage or the evil that they

00:36:30.949 --> 00:36:34.170
help to restrain. Sometimes the old ways, they

00:36:34.170 --> 00:36:37.190
did establish a proper understanding of one's

00:36:37.190 --> 00:36:40.789
position, their responsibilities amidst a larger

00:36:40.789 --> 00:36:44.849
community. Because today, our society, our culture

00:36:44.849 --> 00:36:49.429
constantly teaches and focuses on self, personal

00:36:49.429 --> 00:36:53.539
pleasure. personal exaltation, personal goals,

00:36:53.639 --> 00:36:57.039
personal aims. You think about it. When you want

00:36:57.039 --> 00:36:58.599
to go to college, they say, what do you want

00:36:58.599 --> 00:37:03.579
to do? Everything's about you. God's word doesn't

00:37:03.579 --> 00:37:06.380
say that. God's word says you were bought for

00:37:06.380 --> 00:37:11.519
a price. You are not your own. That's what God's

00:37:11.519 --> 00:37:14.820
word says. It's not that every tradition or every

00:37:14.820 --> 00:37:18.159
old thing is wonderful and awesome, but we shouldn't

00:37:18.159 --> 00:37:20.590
throw out everything. There was some goodness

00:37:20.590 --> 00:37:23.849
to nobility. We should remember that as we're

00:37:23.849 --> 00:37:25.989
forming our own families and our own traditions.

00:37:27.389 --> 00:37:30.170
So princes, eating at the appropriate time, it

00:37:30.170 --> 00:37:33.309
showcases working during the day. Eating or celebrating

00:37:33.309 --> 00:37:35.670
at night, that's when it's appropriate. And their

00:37:35.670 --> 00:37:37.690
purpose in doing so, eating and drinking and

00:37:37.690 --> 00:37:40.489
celebrating, is not for drunkenness. It's for

00:37:40.489 --> 00:37:43.929
strength. The land does well when their leader

00:37:43.929 --> 00:37:45.570
is committed to good things, and Solomon said

00:37:45.570 --> 00:37:49.289
that earlier. Don't mistake... That statement,

00:37:49.289 --> 00:37:52.150
that the land does well, as a biblical endorsement

00:37:52.150 --> 00:37:57.789
for any political alignment. You commend what's

00:37:57.789 --> 00:38:01.170
commendable. We condemn the despicable, and we

00:38:01.170 --> 00:38:04.929
do that all according to God's word. We don't

00:38:04.929 --> 00:38:08.769
look for salvation in human leaders. Now, it

00:38:08.769 --> 00:38:12.269
is good for everyone when all leaders rule well,

00:38:12.429 --> 00:38:16.309
but the hope for all nations is not any government.

00:38:16.860 --> 00:38:20.000
It's the true king, not any political party.

00:38:20.760 --> 00:38:23.280
This side of glory until the true king, when

00:38:23.280 --> 00:38:25.840
he reigns finally and fully, it's grace. It's

00:38:25.840 --> 00:38:29.960
a grace when leaders have self -control. Don't

00:38:29.960 --> 00:38:32.980
expect it. It's a grace. It's a grace when they

00:38:32.980 --> 00:38:34.440
have discipline. It's a grace when they have

00:38:34.440 --> 00:38:35.860
a commitment to their role for the good of the

00:38:35.860 --> 00:38:39.219
people. It's a grace. Can I say that anymore?

00:38:39.420 --> 00:38:43.079
It's not a right. Sometimes we act like it's

00:38:43.079 --> 00:38:46.690
a right. What do we deserve? A broken, fallen

00:38:46.690 --> 00:38:51.610
world. Anything beyond that is a grace. Let us

00:38:51.610 --> 00:38:55.690
teach ourselves. It's a grace when leaders don't

00:38:55.690 --> 00:38:57.969
pursue immaturity and don't pursue self -indulgence

00:38:57.969 --> 00:39:03.909
and don't pursue drunkenness. It's a grace. We're

00:39:03.909 --> 00:39:12.289
moving on. Foolish sloths, wisdom applied. This

00:39:12.289 --> 00:39:15.280
part really applies as much to the, leader as

00:39:15.280 --> 00:39:18.420
it does the regular person. You think about it,

00:39:18.420 --> 00:39:22.079
laziness or slothfulness or indolence, as the

00:39:22.079 --> 00:39:25.840
LSB renders it, I think the NAS as well. It's

00:39:25.840 --> 00:39:27.900
another word for slothfulness. It always leads

00:39:27.900 --> 00:39:30.340
to difficulty. As some of you may have thought

00:39:30.340 --> 00:39:33.860
or may remember, Proverbs 24. There's a depiction

00:39:33.860 --> 00:39:35.940
of a man in Proverbs 24. I'll put it on the screen

00:39:35.940 --> 00:39:39.739
so you can see. His garden is unkept. His property

00:39:39.739 --> 00:39:42.099
is falling apart. I'm not going to read the whole

00:39:42.099 --> 00:39:44.599
thing. It's on the screen, but I underlined the

00:39:44.599 --> 00:39:48.139
comparative statements for you. If you're not

00:39:48.139 --> 00:39:51.619
careful, your roof will cave in on your head.

00:39:52.940 --> 00:39:55.199
As burdensome as home maintenance is, and it

00:39:55.199 --> 00:39:57.579
is sometimes, you know, the leaky pipes. And

00:39:57.579 --> 00:40:00.059
yes, sometimes a roof literally does cave in,

00:40:00.079 --> 00:40:01.400
right? We've talked about that with some of you

00:40:01.400 --> 00:40:04.280
members recently. It's a metaphor for life, is

00:40:04.280 --> 00:40:07.860
it not? You need to take care of things. Things

00:40:07.860 --> 00:40:09.500
need to be maintained. If you don't change your

00:40:09.500 --> 00:40:13.500
oil, if you don't get new tires, if you don't

00:40:13.500 --> 00:40:18.079
clear the dryer vent sometime, if you don't water

00:40:18.079 --> 00:40:20.539
your plants, Jeff knows this. He's the gardener.

00:40:21.800 --> 00:40:25.559
You get the picture. Slothfulness is a form of

00:40:25.559 --> 00:40:28.559
foolishness where a person does, they just don't

00:40:28.559 --> 00:40:30.119
understand their own personal responsibility.

00:40:30.699 --> 00:40:33.260
That's foolishness. And if you're able to care

00:40:33.260 --> 00:40:35.679
for yourself, if you're able to care for you

00:40:35.679 --> 00:40:39.619
and those around you, you should do so. Don't

00:40:39.619 --> 00:40:42.300
expect others to do it for you. Otherwise, you're

00:40:42.300 --> 00:40:44.300
going to experience the decay of everything around

00:40:44.300 --> 00:40:49.219
you. Now, verse 19 in Ecclesiastes 10 is probably,

00:40:49.280 --> 00:40:51.960
in my opinion, the most difficult verse in the

00:40:51.960 --> 00:40:54.619
whole chapter because Solomon applies wisdom

00:40:54.619 --> 00:40:57.880
without as much explanation here. But we need

00:40:57.880 --> 00:41:00.539
to test it to affirm his veracity. He speaks

00:41:00.539 --> 00:41:03.289
of bread and laughter. and wine, and they make

00:41:03.289 --> 00:41:06.750
a glad life, and he says money is a solution.

00:41:08.449 --> 00:41:11.610
That's the hard part. Now, overall, he's giving

00:41:11.610 --> 00:41:14.809
us a better way forward than slothfulness. Slothfulness

00:41:14.809 --> 00:41:17.690
is not the way forward. This is the way forward.

00:41:17.710 --> 00:41:20.750
This is better. So it seems to really provide

00:41:20.750 --> 00:41:23.210
a summary. Think of it like this. Work hard.

00:41:24.190 --> 00:41:27.199
Provide bread and wine to your home. It will

00:41:27.199 --> 00:41:29.059
nourish. It will bring gladness and celebrate.

00:41:29.340 --> 00:41:31.639
And money is going to help you with many matters

00:41:31.639 --> 00:41:37.139
in life. That's my summary. Let's test it. He

00:41:37.139 --> 00:41:39.440
qualitatively teaches us that every one of those

00:41:39.440 --> 00:41:43.139
things is good. Bread, wine, and even money in

00:41:43.139 --> 00:41:46.159
this book. The first two, he said, are consistently

00:41:46.159 --> 00:41:48.219
good throughout the letter. Just take a look

00:41:48.219 --> 00:41:50.840
at how many times Solomon has said it is good

00:41:50.840 --> 00:41:53.260
to eat and drink. Nothing better for a man than

00:41:53.260 --> 00:41:57.030
to eat and drink. It is from God. Every man who

00:41:57.030 --> 00:41:59.869
eats and drinks, it is the gift of God. Here

00:41:59.869 --> 00:42:01.309
is what I've seen to be good, which is beautiful,

00:42:01.409 --> 00:42:04.889
to eat, to drink, which has been given him, to

00:42:04.889 --> 00:42:07.730
eat and to drink and to be merry, which God has

00:42:07.730 --> 00:42:11.349
given him these things. Eat your bread in gladness.

00:42:11.489 --> 00:42:14.829
Drink your wine with a merry heart. God has already

00:42:14.829 --> 00:42:18.750
accepted your works. Throughout this letter,

00:42:18.809 --> 00:42:21.289
he consistently references such things as eating

00:42:21.289 --> 00:42:25.550
and drinking appropriately. Not for drunkenness,

00:42:25.650 --> 00:42:30.150
but for gladness and thankfulness. And several

00:42:30.150 --> 00:42:32.550
times he makes references to this qualitative

00:42:32.550 --> 00:42:36.949
goodness of enjoying food and drink. I don't

00:42:36.949 --> 00:42:39.030
think he's mocking a hedonistic lifestyle. Some

00:42:39.030 --> 00:42:41.409
commentators do. Some have said that Solomon

00:42:41.409 --> 00:42:43.690
is making the statement here in verse 10, 19,

00:42:43.889 --> 00:42:48.849
tongue in cheek, that he's being sarcastic. Oh,

00:42:48.909 --> 00:42:50.510
money's the answer to everything. Ha, ha, ha.

00:42:51.070 --> 00:42:53.639
Do you? Do you think that Solomon's really like

00:42:53.639 --> 00:42:55.380
that? Like, have you gotten that picture of him

00:42:55.380 --> 00:42:57.380
throughout this whole time? That he just throws

00:42:57.380 --> 00:43:01.960
something like, ha, ha, ha. I don't think so.

00:43:02.539 --> 00:43:05.780
We have to read in context. Why would he, think

00:43:05.780 --> 00:43:08.159
about it logically for a second. Why would he

00:43:08.159 --> 00:43:11.360
affirm so many other times throughout the same

00:43:11.360 --> 00:43:13.559
letter that these things are good and a gift

00:43:13.559 --> 00:43:15.719
from God only to right now throw it all away?

00:43:16.800 --> 00:43:21.199
Why? That's, can I say stupid? That's stupid.

00:43:21.900 --> 00:43:25.500
That's bad exegesis. That's bad study. Because

00:43:25.500 --> 00:43:27.619
you've got to use the author, not your opinion.

00:43:28.000 --> 00:43:30.559
I know it's hard. I know it's hard to say that

00:43:30.559 --> 00:43:31.960
money is the answer to everything. We're going

00:43:31.960 --> 00:43:34.599
to have to unpack that. But it's not consistent

00:43:34.599 --> 00:43:39.139
to just throw that out. It's not. I think Solomon

00:43:39.139 --> 00:43:41.320
is giving us a very pointed statement, and it's

00:43:41.320 --> 00:43:43.760
in the theme of Proverbs. That's what all these

00:43:43.760 --> 00:43:46.179
sayings are. They're proverbial. They're truisms.

00:43:46.940 --> 00:43:49.380
If you remember on the very front end, we discussed

00:43:49.380 --> 00:43:52.179
the difference between proverb sayings and wisdom

00:43:52.179 --> 00:43:54.840
literature overall, and that Ecclesiastes was

00:43:54.840 --> 00:43:56.820
distinct because it dealt with the exceptions,

00:43:57.000 --> 00:43:59.400
not with the rules, not with the norms. However,

00:43:59.539 --> 00:44:03.860
here he is talking about the norms. It's not

00:44:03.860 --> 00:44:06.519
a promise. You shouldn't make it an expectation

00:44:06.519 --> 00:44:10.559
or even a rule, but it is a norm. So let's review

00:44:10.559 --> 00:44:12.699
a couple things real quick that he said about

00:44:12.699 --> 00:44:16.170
money. You may remember. In chapter 7, verse

00:44:16.170 --> 00:44:19.570
12, he said, money is a shadow of protection

00:44:19.570 --> 00:44:23.369
like wisdom. We covered that principle in the

00:44:23.369 --> 00:44:26.269
sermon. You can go back and listen to it. Wisdom

00:44:26.269 --> 00:44:27.789
is a shadow of protection. Money is a shadow

00:44:27.789 --> 00:44:30.530
of protection. I think that's what he's referencing

00:44:30.530 --> 00:44:33.469
here in Ecclesiastes 10. The way it reads in

00:44:33.469 --> 00:44:37.150
Hebrew isn't that money is the answer, as in

00:44:37.150 --> 00:44:41.449
the only answer, but that money answers all things,

00:44:41.530 --> 00:44:45.579
all kinds of things. Think about that. When you're

00:44:45.579 --> 00:44:53.519
hungry, does money help? When you need gas, do

00:44:53.519 --> 00:44:58.380
you just get it with a smile? Not in California,

00:44:58.619 --> 00:45:04.420
that's right. Are you housed right now? Do you

00:45:04.420 --> 00:45:07.800
have a roof over your head? If you do, did you

00:45:07.800 --> 00:45:12.199
or somebody use money to obtain that housing?

00:45:14.349 --> 00:45:20.289
Can you go on a vacation without money? Does

00:45:20.289 --> 00:45:25.429
helping others often require money? Here's the

00:45:25.429 --> 00:45:29.849
thing. You can be content in poverty. I've seen

00:45:29.849 --> 00:45:33.349
it. I know that we can do all things through

00:45:33.349 --> 00:45:36.769
Christ who strengthens us to be rich or to be

00:45:36.769 --> 00:45:39.989
poor. Solomon has pointed out actually in Ecclesiastes

00:45:39.989 --> 00:45:42.389
5, it's on the screen, verse 10, you can have

00:45:42.389 --> 00:45:46.719
money and be miserable. You can have wealth and

00:45:46.719 --> 00:45:52.699
be awful because money doesn't satisfy. The goal

00:45:52.699 --> 00:45:56.320
of money isn't to satisfy. But you have to realize

00:45:56.320 --> 00:45:59.559
money is not the root of all evil. If you've

00:45:59.559 --> 00:46:01.079
ever heard that preach, they lied to you. They

00:46:01.079 --> 00:46:03.059
didn't preach the word of God. It's the root

00:46:03.059 --> 00:46:07.500
of all kinds of evil. The root of all evil is

00:46:07.500 --> 00:46:11.280
the prideful human heart. That's the root of

00:46:11.280 --> 00:46:16.360
all evil. Money isn't salvation. But if you have

00:46:16.360 --> 00:46:18.940
a choice between having money or not having money,

00:46:19.059 --> 00:46:24.579
isn't the choice obvious? If you're honorable,

00:46:24.800 --> 00:46:28.659
you obtain money through labor. You obtain money

00:46:28.659 --> 00:46:31.360
through business. You obtain money through working

00:46:31.360 --> 00:46:33.360
with your hands, not taking advantage of others,

00:46:33.500 --> 00:46:36.340
not pursuing money at the expense of others,

00:46:36.480 --> 00:46:39.639
but through faithful labor. And the wise man

00:46:39.639 --> 00:46:43.900
pursues that as opposed to slothfulness. Because

00:46:43.900 --> 00:46:48.179
slothfulness can lead to unnecessary abject poverty.

00:46:49.219 --> 00:46:51.760
That's the lesson Solomon is teaching. Now, I've

00:46:51.760 --> 00:46:54.280
seen very industrious people live in poverty

00:46:54.280 --> 00:46:57.300
all around the world. I've seen it. The disposition

00:46:57.300 --> 00:46:59.519
of wisdom is a blessing, though, whether you

00:46:59.519 --> 00:47:02.760
earn much or little. The disposition of wisdom

00:47:02.760 --> 00:47:07.780
is a blessing. We are called to pursue work faithfully.

00:47:07.920 --> 00:47:10.579
And we are to receive whatever blessings come

00:47:10.579 --> 00:47:13.599
with that work. And it seems to be indicative

00:47:13.599 --> 00:47:16.059
of going to the right towards wisdom that God

00:47:16.059 --> 00:47:21.420
may bless with finances. Not a promise, but a

00:47:21.420 --> 00:47:25.260
norm. We come to the final verse of chapter 10.

00:47:26.019 --> 00:47:29.019
Wise restraint. Or as another commentary called,

00:47:29.199 --> 00:47:34.400
how Twitter began. Here, Solomon cautions a listener

00:47:34.400 --> 00:47:35.980
about their own heart. You'll see it in a second.

00:47:37.059 --> 00:47:39.119
Don't curse the king, don't curse the ruler,

00:47:39.219 --> 00:47:41.320
don't curse the rich man or even your boss, even

00:47:41.320 --> 00:47:43.219
quietly in private, even in your own thoughts.

00:47:44.059 --> 00:47:45.980
Solomon gives the warning with some fanciful

00:47:45.980 --> 00:47:48.639
thinking that a bird or a winged creature will

00:47:48.639 --> 00:47:51.000
share the information because you know the previous

00:47:51.000 --> 00:47:55.639
logo for Twitter as a little bird. That's not

00:47:55.639 --> 00:47:57.280
on accident. Yeah, some of you know the sound.

00:47:58.340 --> 00:48:03.219
Before it became X, whatever that means, it was

00:48:03.219 --> 00:48:07.699
a blue little bird. And that platform and other

00:48:07.699 --> 00:48:12.519
forms of social media have become cesspools of

00:48:12.519 --> 00:48:16.440
vile thoughts against various rulers and rich

00:48:16.440 --> 00:48:22.960
people of our day. Now, calling out imprudent

00:48:22.960 --> 00:48:26.719
language, unkind words on social media, it doesn't

00:48:26.719 --> 00:48:29.079
condone the lives of the people who are being

00:48:29.079 --> 00:48:33.579
criticized. Not condoning it. But we need to

00:48:33.579 --> 00:48:36.480
address the sinful heart. of complaining, the

00:48:36.480 --> 00:48:40.800
sinful heart of ridicule, the hypocritical condemnation

00:48:40.800 --> 00:48:44.539
often at times. And none of that means that the

00:48:44.539 --> 00:48:45.880
person they're complaining about or speaking

00:48:45.880 --> 00:48:49.820
about is inherently righteous. But can you argue

00:48:49.820 --> 00:48:51.659
with what Jesus said? You don't have to argue

00:48:51.659 --> 00:48:55.099
with me. Jesus said, it's not what comes out

00:48:55.099 --> 00:48:57.099
of your mouth that's defiled, but that your heart,

00:48:57.300 --> 00:49:00.860
your inner person, this is where evil thoughts

00:49:00.860 --> 00:49:03.710
come from. But the things that proceed out of

00:49:03.710 --> 00:49:05.289
the mouth come from the heart, Jesus says, and

00:49:05.289 --> 00:49:07.730
those defile the man. For out of the heart come

00:49:07.730 --> 00:49:10.550
evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities,

00:49:10.590 --> 00:49:13.690
thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the

00:49:13.690 --> 00:49:19.929
things which defile a man. Friends, watch your

00:49:19.929 --> 00:49:25.050
words. Watch your thoughts. Don't think that

00:49:25.050 --> 00:49:26.989
sin done in private is going to remain there.

00:49:27.880 --> 00:49:31.900
Too many supposed pastors and shepherds and Christian

00:49:31.900 --> 00:49:35.559
leaders, they've fallen publicly. Other ones,

00:49:35.559 --> 00:49:37.940
they think it's their responsibility to police

00:49:37.940 --> 00:49:40.699
the behavior of those in authority. Like it's

00:49:40.699 --> 00:49:44.699
their job because God's not doing it. Solomon

00:49:44.699 --> 00:49:48.719
knew better. Jesus commanded better. And we need

00:49:48.719 --> 00:49:53.280
to listen better. Who among us hasn't seen those

00:49:53.280 --> 00:49:55.599
difficulties arise when you've shared something

00:49:55.599 --> 00:49:57.199
in private and you only watch that thing get

00:49:57.199 --> 00:49:59.059
shared with a person you didn't want to get shared

00:49:59.059 --> 00:50:03.280
with? Doesn't that happen? That's called foolishness.

00:50:04.199 --> 00:50:07.340
It does happen. You know, things said unkindly

00:50:07.340 --> 00:50:09.039
in secret, they have a way of becoming not so

00:50:09.039 --> 00:50:13.420
secret. That's the truth. It's interesting, though.

00:50:13.539 --> 00:50:18.030
The opposite isn't nearly as true. How come words

00:50:18.030 --> 00:50:20.690
said privately in righteousness about others

00:50:20.690 --> 00:50:24.429
don't have a way of getting out? The curses we

00:50:24.429 --> 00:50:26.389
speak in private have a way of ruining relationships.

00:50:27.090 --> 00:50:29.650
Solomon calls us to think better, to speak better,

00:50:29.750 --> 00:50:32.210
to think in blessed ways about others. It doesn't

00:50:32.210 --> 00:50:34.110
fracture relationships. You're not doing harm

00:50:34.110 --> 00:50:36.650
by doing that. It doesn't harm your testimony

00:50:36.650 --> 00:50:44.929
to think well of others. 20 verses. A lot. What

00:50:44.929 --> 00:50:48.599
a chapter. I hope that you see clearly the contrast

00:50:48.599 --> 00:50:52.280
between those two portraits, the wise man and

00:50:52.280 --> 00:50:55.119
the fool. You know, the fool, he chases his own

00:50:55.119 --> 00:50:58.659
tail, vapidly seeking self -promotion, his own

00:50:58.659 --> 00:51:01.480
words, toiling in vain, thinking he's accomplishing

00:51:01.480 --> 00:51:04.460
something but not. And the wise man is steady,

00:51:04.619 --> 00:51:08.300
pursuing good things, even in the face of difficulty

00:51:08.300 --> 00:51:10.980
from authorities. And he applies wisdom for greater

00:51:10.980 --> 00:51:14.559
success in anything he puts his hand to. Such

00:51:14.559 --> 00:51:16.320
a distinction between wisdom and folly, though,

00:51:16.380 --> 00:51:19.760
it's not to make an intellectual exercise. Wisdom

00:51:19.760 --> 00:51:22.500
is not the same as intelligence. It's not the

00:51:22.500 --> 00:51:26.639
same as understanding. Wisdom is who you know

00:51:26.639 --> 00:51:32.679
impacting how you live. Think about that. Wisdom,

00:51:32.739 --> 00:51:38.000
it's who you know impacting how you live. You

00:51:38.000 --> 00:51:40.780
can't be wise if you don't know God. That's the

00:51:40.780 --> 00:51:43.579
truth. You can't live well. If you don't know

00:51:43.579 --> 00:51:46.960
God. Wisdom and folly, they're matters of life

00:51:46.960 --> 00:51:50.059
and death. They are that important. The foolish

00:51:50.059 --> 00:51:52.119
person, think about the end of it. The foolish

00:51:52.119 --> 00:51:55.559
person only becomes more steadfast in their foolishness.

00:51:56.559 --> 00:51:58.699
They ultimately become what scripture calls a

00:51:58.699 --> 00:52:02.280
scoffer. One who mocks the wisdom of the Lord.

00:52:03.380 --> 00:52:06.159
It is rare for a scoffer to be rescued. I'll

00:52:06.159 --> 00:52:08.619
say that. Because they're too wise in their own

00:52:08.619 --> 00:52:12.239
eyes. They believe their own wisdom to be sufficient.

00:52:12.750 --> 00:52:16.409
for themselves. But friends, we don't need personal

00:52:16.409 --> 00:52:21.889
wisdom. We need wisdom personified. As you think

00:52:21.889 --> 00:52:23.829
about everything you heard today, I pray you

00:52:23.829 --> 00:52:26.070
don't just think you need more knowledge to learn

00:52:26.070 --> 00:52:28.230
more things. I pray that you'll think about the

00:52:28.230 --> 00:52:32.010
one who offers wisdom unto eternity without price.

00:52:33.969 --> 00:52:36.210
I pray that you think about the sacrifice of

00:52:36.210 --> 00:52:39.230
Christ for sinners. That's what we should be

00:52:39.230 --> 00:52:41.690
drawn to. When you consider a life well lived,

00:52:41.769 --> 00:52:44.690
it's for his glory. In light of what he's done

00:52:44.690 --> 00:52:50.070
to rescue, to redeem, to save. I'm going to put

00:52:50.070 --> 00:52:52.469
two New Testament passages on the screen as we

00:52:52.469 --> 00:52:55.190
close here. The first is out of Ephesians 5.

00:52:56.309 --> 00:52:58.289
Paul says, therefore, look carefully how you

00:52:58.289 --> 00:53:02.670
walk, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the

00:53:02.670 --> 00:53:05.170
time because the days are evil. On account of

00:53:05.170 --> 00:53:08.389
this, do not be foolish, but understand what

00:53:08.389 --> 00:53:12.139
the will. of the Lord is. Believers are to walk

00:53:12.139 --> 00:53:14.039
wisely. That's what we're called to, to not be

00:53:14.039 --> 00:53:17.579
foolish. This is the briefest New Testament summary

00:53:17.579 --> 00:53:22.079
of Ecclesiastes chapter 10. The next verses there,

00:53:22.179 --> 00:53:24.579
they're select verses from a larger unit of thought

00:53:24.579 --> 00:53:27.019
out of 1 Corinthians chapter 1, which just so

00:53:27.019 --> 00:53:29.860
happens to be where we're going to be. I want

00:53:29.860 --> 00:53:31.500
you to hear the consistent melody of Christ.

00:53:32.940 --> 00:53:35.340
He is God's perfect wisdom. For the word of the

00:53:35.340 --> 00:53:37.900
cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.

00:53:38.460 --> 00:53:41.199
But to us who are being saved, it is the power

00:53:41.199 --> 00:53:45.820
of God. Has not God made the foolish the wisdom

00:53:45.820 --> 00:53:48.960
of the world? For indeed, Jews ask for signs,

00:53:49.059 --> 00:53:52.380
Greeks for wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified.

00:53:52.739 --> 00:53:55.900
To Jews, a stumbling block. To Gentiles, foolishness.

00:53:56.059 --> 00:53:58.159
But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks,

00:53:58.320 --> 00:54:03.139
Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.

00:54:03.960 --> 00:54:05.920
But God has chosen the foolish things of the

00:54:05.920 --> 00:54:08.719
world to shame the wise. that no flesh may boast

00:54:08.719 --> 00:54:12.559
before God, but by his doing, you are in Christ

00:54:12.559 --> 00:54:16.519
Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness

00:54:16.519 --> 00:54:20.000
and sanctification and redemption. Friends, I

00:54:20.000 --> 00:54:22.639
pray you don't miss that, that Christ is the

00:54:22.639 --> 00:54:25.559
power of God, that Christ is the wisdom of God,

00:54:25.619 --> 00:54:27.880
righteousness that's not our own, and redemption

00:54:27.880 --> 00:54:31.480
paid for at the cross. These two portraits have

00:54:31.480 --> 00:54:34.159
been painted, the wise and the foolish. Do you

00:54:34.159 --> 00:54:39.289
see yourself? Do you see your shortcomings? Do

00:54:39.289 --> 00:54:42.909
you see wisdom? And most importantly, do you

00:54:42.909 --> 00:54:49.409
see Christ? Let's pray. Father, as we finish

00:54:49.409 --> 00:54:51.849
the sermon this morning, we consider your word.

00:54:52.050 --> 00:54:54.269
We recognize that wisdom literature doesn't always

00:54:54.269 --> 00:54:57.869
leave us with the perfect point. We don't always

00:54:57.869 --> 00:55:00.110
get to land the plane, but we recognize that

00:55:00.110 --> 00:55:03.869
wisdom literature is from you. As much as we

00:55:03.869 --> 00:55:05.829
may want the cookies on the low shelf, sometimes

00:55:05.829 --> 00:55:08.989
you place them very high and you stretch us.

00:55:11.369 --> 00:55:15.250
Sometimes you wound us, but we know that you're

00:55:15.250 --> 00:55:20.449
helping us. Considering these things today, it

00:55:20.449 --> 00:55:23.130
might be too much, but I pray there are some

00:55:23.130 --> 00:55:28.130
things, some things that can stick with us. At

00:55:28.130 --> 00:55:30.110
least would we consider the dead flies that stink

00:55:30.110 --> 00:55:33.210
up our lives? The little bits of folly that maybe

00:55:33.210 --> 00:55:36.170
we were blind to before this morning that we've

00:55:36.170 --> 00:55:39.929
been convicted of today. The folly that robs

00:55:39.929 --> 00:55:45.789
us of a relationship with you, with others. God,

00:55:45.809 --> 00:55:47.469
we pray that you would help us understand wisdom

00:55:47.469 --> 00:55:50.710
is more than knowledge. That wisdom is more than

00:55:50.710 --> 00:55:56.070
intelligence. We do pray that we would see wisdom

00:55:56.070 --> 00:56:00.889
as the personification of Christ. That's a hard

00:56:00.889 --> 00:56:05.389
concept for us. But you say, you say in your

00:56:05.389 --> 00:56:09.710
word, Christ became wisdom, perfect wisdom. Help

00:56:09.710 --> 00:56:12.369
us understand what that means. That means it

00:56:12.369 --> 00:56:15.250
must be good and a blessed thing to go his way,

00:56:15.369 --> 00:56:19.610
to trust him, to obey him, to believe him. So

00:56:19.610 --> 00:56:23.289
help us. Help us to pursue not just wisdom, but

00:56:23.289 --> 00:56:28.309
to pursue Christ. We need your help. Help us

00:56:28.309 --> 00:56:32.050
to walk carefully in this world. Help us to pursue

00:56:32.050 --> 00:56:35.710
good for others, not just ourselves. Father,

00:56:35.849 --> 00:56:37.909
we thank you for your infinite wisdom displayed

00:56:37.909 --> 00:56:42.650
fully in Christ. We ask, help us know him better.

00:56:43.010 --> 00:56:45.449
Help us know the Lamb of God, slain for sinners,

00:56:45.550 --> 00:56:49.769
risen in glory, seated at the right hand, interceding.

00:56:51.110 --> 00:56:53.570
Give us hearts to know you. Give us hearts to

00:56:53.570 --> 00:56:57.650
follow your ways. We pray now. As we sing and

00:56:57.650 --> 00:56:59.969
lift our voices to praise Christ, that we would

00:56:59.969 --> 00:57:04.230
exalt his name for great things that he has done.

00:57:04.829 --> 00:57:08.610
He has perfectly displayed you to us. May we

00:57:08.610 --> 00:57:13.369
worship him now and forevermore. We pray this

00:57:13.369 --> 00:57:15.030
in his name. Amen.