Kaleo San Diego Church

INTRODUCTION

Though our classifications of people are varied and many, we have seen that Solomon in his wisdom divides humanity into two camps- the wise and the fool.

Wise people have consistency in their life because they live and move to the rhythm of God as they continually remind themselves of God’s thoughts and ways. Since they are in concert with God by considering who He is, what He says, and how they should live in accord to His revealed will, they find themselves thinking God’s thoughts after Him and living as they were created to live, for His glory by delighting in Him above all else.

Acting on this wisdom we see that the whole of our activities under the sun is given meaning so that our work, sleep, meals, tears, laughter, relationships, and even our purchase of things are now viewed from the perspective of being a redeemed people, with redeemed lives going hard after God and His glory which results in our joy in all of life.

As Solomon continues his contrast of those who are wise and those who are fools, he teaches us principles which assist us in acting on wisdom. These principles when wrapped in the ministry of the Holy Spirit results in Godly wisdom which governs our lives.

Solomon graciously demonstrates that failure to pursue wisdom results in a foolish life of profitless, meaningless work which lacks reward and purpose. He likens this foolish living to a logger trying to chop down trees with a dull axe (10:10).

Fools swing harder with their dull axe, while the wise person takes time to sharpen theirs. In this passage, Solomon attempts to sharpen our axe.

Last week we were taught by Solomon how to spot a fool and how not to be one. This week he is going to teach us ways in which we can be wise.

What you will notice in this passage if you are a student of the Bible is a consistent theme which is not limited to Ecclesiastes but is weaved through the totality of Scripture- which is the wealth of principles given to us with very few methods.

You have heard me say on numerous occasions that within Christianity the two errors that are most common are an overemphasis on all things being doctrinal principles, which is usually the case for moralist teachers which place everything in the principle column and are willing to divide and fight over the most trivial of issues. In the other team is an overemphasis of all things as nothing more than methods. This is usually the liberalists that will place essentials of our faith in the methods column and refuse to take a stand on anything- except that everything should be in the method column.

If you are going to be a healthy Christian you need to know the difference between the two and live an ambidextrous, two-handed life. Knowing the difference between the two and living as someone who can discern what to fight for and what to give grace on is something we all need to strive for.

In the Bible, when we come across wisdom principles that are not simply specific to the time of the writer, we should take notice and try to discover what it is that God is teaching us about people through history and how that historical principle is applied to you and I today. With these wisdom principles we should remain consistent, yet with how those principles are lived out as methods, we should be careful not to prescribe the same methods to each and every person, since each person has a unique set of challenges in a unique setting. It is possible for us to live in agreement to the principles without agreeing on how the methods should be applied to each case.

For example: we can agree that it is important that we pray, but for how long and over what we pray for at any given moment is different for each person. We can agree that we should worship God through songs of praise, but what songs we sing and what kind of instruments we use will vary from church to church. We can agree that we need to read our Bible, but how much and when is different for each person. The Bible is somewhat ambiguous on the methods but is emphatic that on the principles. We don’t argue over whether or not we should pray, worship, or read Scripture. What we usually argue over is which method to use, which is why Christian bookstores are full of sure fire methods to get you to do or attain something. It’s really kind of silly.

As we come to the Scriptures this morning, you’re not going to hear how to discipline a child, how to love a spouse, how to create a financial plan, or how to work out. It will give you principles to live by, and then as you are saturated with Godly, biblical principles, you are assisted by the Holy Spirit on how to best apply those principles to your life. This is why we are given the “Spirit of wisdom” (Acts 6:3), so that we can live wisely.

My job this morning is to give you principles to live by and trust that if you are a follower of Jesus, the Spirit of wisdom will teach you how to apply wisdom principles in your life.

Here are Solomon’s principles for making the most of our days with the greatest of efficacy.

STUDY

Before we get into the text in chapter 10, turn with me to chapter 9 in verse 9 for the first principle to think about.

Principle # 1- Figure Out Your Portion

Verse 9:9b- 9b…for this is your reward (Hebrew cheleq - word for portion or lot) in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.

Before you can put together a plan which is specific to your life as you hear these wisdom principles, you need to understand what your portion or lot in life is.

Many of you here this morning have either a very low view of yourself and you underestimate your portion in life, or you have a very high view of yourself and you overestimate your lot, and because of an inaccurate assessment of yourself you live a very frustrated life.

Some of you want to hurry up and get to the principles so that you can work them into methods in your life without ever asking if you have the capacity to know the difference.

Others don’t want to hear anything from anybody because you don’t think they’ll apply to you, or that the principles are sound or feasible to live out.

Paul says in Romans 12:3 “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

Don’t overshoot and think too highly and don’t undershoot and think too lowly what you are capable of. We need to first determine what lot we have been given by God so that we can work with that lot in wisdom.

If you can’t keep a beat you’ll probably never become a drummer. If don’t like math, you’re probably never going to be an accountant. If you’re as tall as I am with a 2 inch vertical leap, chances are you’re probably not going to play professional hoops. If you’re not attractive, you’re probably not going to be a supermodel.

We can scream all day that it’s discrimination to say such things. Yes it is. It’s good discrimination. That’s why we don’t give someone a scalpel that has a nervous tick and ask them to perform brain surgery. That’s why we don’t give a drivers license to someone who is blind. That’s why we don’t ask someone who is a Rasta-Farian to work for the DEA. Some discrimination is good discrimination.

There is a lot in life that God has given you and some of you are good at one thing, but not at another. It’s ok, just decide what those things are that God has given to you and be honest about the ones that He has not, so that you work on being effective with the portion He has given.

Assessment is so important because we are not very honest with ourselves. Many of us, because of a lack of wisdom, really do not self-assess very well. This is why there are tryouts for professional teams. This is why there are placement tests before you enter into med school. This is why we have drivers’ tests before we send a 16 year old with rosary beads and a bobble-head Jesus on their dash into rush hour traffic with a stick shift on I-5.

So, by honest assessment from Scripture and through Godly and wise friends, assess what portion God has given you and embrace whatever that lot is as a good gift of God.

Once you have determined what God has given you to do and you begin walking in the right direction, be careful because life is full of potential disasters if we don’t keep our eyes open and watch our steps along the way.

Principle #2- Watch Your Steps

Ecclesiastes 10:8-20

Verses 8-9- 8 He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. 9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them.

You could be the guy that figures out that you have a knack for Koi ponds and so you dig a huge hole, fill it with water and Koi, trip over the hose, smack your head on a rock and become Koi food.

You could be the guy that decides he’s going to start work on that project of expanding his house as he promised his wife 5 years ago, and since he has the know-how, and doesn’t want to be idle with the gifts God has given him he busts through the back wall, reaches down to grab some rubble and gets bit by a rattle snake and dies.

You could be that guy that decides he’s going to finish that retaining wall in his front yard. He gets up early, rushes out to start work and as he lifts the first cinder block, he pulls a muscle and drops the rock on his head, tumbles down his driveway into traffic.

Or, you could be the guy that decides he’s going to stop paying someone to cut, split, and stack his wood for winter. So he gets up early to start stacking, and as he begins to split the wood half of the log pops off his axe and he takes one to the jaw and falls on the axe and dies. It could happen!

With that in mind, you need to be careful. Wise people know that simply being eager Johnny who is in a rush to get stuff done without caution usually results in either sloppy stuff or an injured Johnny.

So don’t just be eager to get stuff done, but rather plan what you’re going to do so that you can maximize your work and demonstrate the advantage of wisdom. Fools rush in, wise people plan first then get to work. What’s the rule in carpentry? Measure twice, cut once!

Once you have figured out the portion God has given you, you need to be careful not to rush out and hurt yourself in relationships, finances, labor, school, ministry, etc. In order to be careful and watch your steps, you need to wisely plan for success in whatever you do.

Principle #3- Plan Wisely

Verse 10- If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success.

There is nothing more foolish than for a big dumb lumberjack to go out in the woods and start chopping down a tree with a dull axe. You can picture him swinging away in frustration as he gets nowhere with all his might and his dull butter knife.

The sad truth is that most of us applaud him because he’s breaking a sweat and working really hard. We ask questions like “did you work hard today?” and what do you think he’s going to say? Yes I did, I worked my hands until they were bloody raw. So we give him a trophy for being the hardest working lumberjack in the woods. He gets up at dawn and works till dusk. But guess what? He’s not chopping down any trees! All that he is doing is working hard, but he’s not working very smart.

We certainly wouldn’t say this to a 10 million dollar a year baseball player if he didn’t get a hit all season but swung really hard! He’s getting paid to hit the ball, to make contact, to advance the team, not to break a sweat swinging at the air.

Many of us live our lives like the lumberjack. Our axe is dull and instead of sharpening it we just keep exerting more energy and time. Some of you throw yourselves into attaining a goal but you haven’t planned how to get there.

“I’ll go get a wife and figure it out as I go.” “I’ll go get a job and figure out as I go.” “I’ll have some kids and figure out as I go.” “I’ll go buy that house and figure it out as I go.” “I’m going to start a ministry and figure it out as I go.” We’re in such a rush to get things done so that we can say we reached our goals that we jump in head first without checking to see how deep the water is and end up having to wear a helmet the rest of our lives.

If you are going to get a wife, get a job, have some kids, buy a house, start a ministry, you’re going to need to put together at least a skeleton of a plan to do so.

If you’re going to get married, do you jump in without a plan or without an idea of what that marriage should look like? No! You should already have settled in your mind what a wise and Godly marriage looks like by reading the Bible, asking those that are already married and love the Lord, and then after you wisely think through what kind of spouse you are going to be and what kind of spouse most honors God, you now have something to go on as you execute that wisdom and become engaged and then married. If you meet a person that is not even close to the principles necessary to have a Godly marriage, you don’t simply jump in and say “I’ll figure it out as we go.”

If you’re going to get a job, and you have no clue what your skills are to get employment, or you have no idea what kind of company you are interested in working for so that you can gain more experience to use later in your career, or you don’t have any transportation to get you to a job, or the only place interested in hiring you is a non-profit organization which wants you to volunteer for free, you don’t simply take the job and say “I’ll figure it out as I go.” You have to know how much you need to make, what jobs will help you pay your bills or give you experience, what job you can get to on time, etc.

It’s the same with kids, a house, or ministry. You should sharpen your axe by planning how to be most effective with what you have and what you believe God has for you.

Some of you don’t like planning anything because you think it isn’t very spiritual, but you don’t like failure either. You’re going to have to choose one or the other. Either you’re going dismiss planning and go by the seat of your pants and expect that failure may be frequent, or you are going to be wise by proving that wisdom has an advantage to giving success and start being more thoughtful in what you do.

Wise people know that if they spend time with their kids, their kids will love them and listen to them. Wise people know that if they plan and spend time with their spouse that they will keep conflict to a minimum. Wise people know that if they put oil in their car the engine will last longer. Wise people know that if you buy an extended warranty on your car that when things fall apart you’ll be covered. Wise people know that if you plan and execute fixing up your house, you will get a better resale value. Wise people know that if you have a plan at work your day will be more productive.

Wise people know who they are and what God has given them, wise people know life is dangerous, wise people know they need to plan wisely, and wise people know they need to execute their plan.

Principle #4- Execute Your Plan

Verse 11- If the serpent bites before being charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.

I love Solomon’s sarcasm. He’s basically saying that planning on being a charmer, knowing all about charming, I got a PhD in snake charming and wrote a book about snake charming doesn’t profit you one bit if you forget to charm the snake!

What happened to you? I got bit by a snake. Why? I didn’t charm the snake. Do you know how to charm the snake? Yes. So why didn’t you do it? I forgot, I’m tired, I was bored, I didn’t like my last review, I don’t feel motivated, I don’t like the people I’m sitting next to. Whatever the reason, the charmer is going to die because even though he had all the necessary knowledge, and even though he had a good plan to profit from snake charming, if he doesn’t charm the snake he’s going to have a short career.

How many of you have a diet that you don’t do? How many of you have a budget that you don’t follow? How many of you have an instrument that you don’t play. How many of you have the desire to know the Scriptures, a plan to study the scriptures, and a bible to read, but you don’t follow your plan?

Often times the difference between the wise person or the fool isn’t in what they want, or the plan they have to get what they want, sometimes the difference between the wise and foolish is the execution of their plan.

It’s not enough to have a diet if you don’t follow it. It’s not enough to have a profound and accurate theology of prayer if you never get on your knees. It’s not enough to understand the importance of giving if you don’t give. It’s not enough to believe that you should love your wife, you have to love her. It’s not enough to agree that the lost need Christ if you never tell them about Him. It’s not enough to know how to be an employee that honors God and respects the company you work for if you don’t actually show up on time and work well.

James 4:17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Most of you in this room have enough instruction to know what it is that you should be doing, you don’t need another class or another book, but the failure comes in the doing.

Just like the snake charmer, life bites you and you get wounded, sometimes deeply. You might even be able to explain to others what happened and why you are in the state you’re in. This is why knowing who you are and what you’re capable of is a good thing. This is why walking carefully is a good thing. This is why planning wisely is a good thing. So that when you find yourself failing to execute, you go back to the beginning and remind yourself what things are most important. You do first things first. You don’t let the things that matter most be at the mercy of the things that matter least. You reboot, start over, and focus on what you wisely planned as most important in this life.

How does a pilot fly when the fog sets it, or its so dark they can’t see 30 feet in front of their airplane? They fly by the instruments. When they can’t see, they trust their gauges. It’s no different for you and I. When you and I are caught in the throws of disappointment or difficulty, when you and I fail to execute our plan and can’t see past our nose, we go back to the gauges and trust them. We go back to what we know is wise, and we begin again.

We unfortunately live in a culture that does not welcome this kind of forethought and planning. Our culture pushes an agenda of impulse to the point of catastrophe. This is why we get into financial troubles. We keep getting calls with offers for lower interest credit cards. We get the cards to pay off another, then after we pay it off we charge the one we paid off right back up to its limit and now have two cards maxed out instead of one and now we have to give our stuff back. We eat fast food because it’s fast and we are limited on time, then we find ourselves in the hospital with clogged arteries in need of bypass, or we are sold liposuction to cut the fat away. We don’t spend time with one another because we’re too busy working, and now we need emergency counseling to fix our problem. We didn’t discipline our kids or pay any attention to them, and now we need to send them off to military school, or kick them out to fix the problem.

Everyone wants a fast solution to their massive problem in their time of crisis. The point of this passage is that we aren’t fools, but instead act wisely so that instead of repairing the wreck, we can avoid it.

A wise person starts early trying to figure out how to prevent these catastrophic events, plans wisely, executes, and misses them.

Principle #5- Pursue Wise Counsel

Verses 12-14- 12 Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him; 13 the beginning of his talking is folly and the end of it is wicked madness. 14 Yet the fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after him?

Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.

There are plenty of people that are willing to tell you who you are, what you can become, what you should plan, how you should execute, and who you should look out for, but their fools!

Just because someone says they are a Christian doesn’t mean they are wise. We need to have selective hearing because this world is full of fools who start off sounding foolish and end up sounding insane.

If you have read more than a couple of philosophers then traced their life to their grave, you will find that many of those who had the forum to pontificate were not only idiots, they were insane.

If you want to sin and are looking for an excuse to do so, you can find a number of PhD’s who will encourage you.

How we choose our friends, and who we allow to have sway in our lives when it comes to wisdom principles, should be wise themselves.

Someone that wants to give you marital counsel who has been divorced 4 times and has it all figured out, is probably not the best person to listen to.

Someone who has children that are the demon spawn of Chucky, are probably not the best people to get advice in parenting your children.

Someone who can’t hold down a job is probably not very qualified to tell you how to get a promotion.

Someone that is 40 years old and has never been married is probably not the best cat to put in charge of the singles ministry unless you want to be single till your 40.

Because of the number of fools with their multitude of words, some of you have chosen not to seek counsel from anyone because your afraid they are fools. It’s good to be cautious, but if in your caution you can’t find one wise person who loves the Lord and knows their Bible and lives out what they know, you might want to find some new friends.

Many of you in this church have wisdom in areas that are helpful to those that need it but those that need it might be a little skeptical. Don’t give up, just be patient and when they see your life, hopefully they’ll be wise enough to ask.

If you have set in your mind that nobody’s going to tell you how to love your wife, or how to work your job, or how to spend your money, or how to study your bible, or anything else because you only see foolish people, chances are you may be one of them.

Wise people seek out other wise people to learn from. That wisdom can come in a variety of forms. From theology to swinging a hammer there are plenty of people in this church that are wise and can help in a variety areas. You have to let them know you need advice or simply need to think out loud.

We do need to be careful who listen to, but we still need to seek counsel and listen. If we are trying to find wisdom in pop culture with Dr. Phil or some other talk show or radio personality, were probably going to be disappointed. Most of the time the wise are right next to you and you were simply not wise enough to see it. When your standard of wisdom changes, so does your opinion of who is wise and who is not.

At the end of verse 14 we see that even in the best of planning, execution, cautious, and counsel, we are not able to see the future and do not know what is coming our way tomorrow, so we need to remain flexible with our methods and committed to our principles. You may have to change your methods in the middle of your plan.

The next things Solomon tells us is to keep our bearings so that we don’t end up like the fool who is lost and has no idea where he’s going or directions to get there.

Know your portion, guard your steps, plan ahead, work your plan, seek wise counsel, and stay focused on your destination.

Principle #6- Stay Focused On Your Destination

Verse 15- The toil of a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city.

A guy in this day that was so foolish that he set off to the city without directions and without planning for the trip, ended up as vulture chow.

Fools are tired about nothing. They’re so steeped in folly that their tired from it. This is like that lumberjack with the dull axe. If you’re a fool, your folly will tire you and make you weary.

I have known people in my life that are tired from doing nothing. Sleep till 12, wake up and eat ham sandwich, go back to bed till Jerry Springer comes on at 7. They’re so tired from doing nothing.

So where are you heading? I don’t know. Where did you come from? I can’t remember. How long have you been walking? I don’t have a watch. Do you know where you want to go? Yes, to the city. How are you going to get there? Eventually I’ll hit it.

Some of you are trying to live life that way. Where are you going? I don’t know. How are you going to get there? I have no idea. How’s it going so far? I’m tired! Really?

These people have no plan, they just wander through life without a clue and can’t figure out why life is so tiring. They waste time, energy, and if they drive on the freeway, space.

This apathetic and directionless attitude is a mark of our culture today. It’s applauded by many that celebrate their folly with them.

Principle #7- Don’t Expect Everyone To Be Equal

Verses 16-17- Woe to you, O land, whose king is a lad and whose princes feast in the morning. 17 Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time--for strength and not for drunkenness.

Woe to you who are under leaders that are less wise and less mature than you are. Only a fool wants a ruler who is just as foolish as they are. Only a fool thinks everyone is equal and no one has more or less wisdom than another.

Usually the fool complains because they think they can do a better job than their current leader (3 guys in a boat drinking beer).

The wise know who is wise and respect those in positions of decision making, and the wise know when to work.

Principle #8- Know When To Work

Verse 18- Through indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks.

The fool sees everything falling apart and around them and they go back to sleep. As men, our curse is marketplace or work, so we have to battle laziness. We need to know when to work. Waking up at 11:30 am every day will probably not get much done. A wise person knows that part of their plan requires the day to day stuff that needs to get done.

If you own a home and have never been to Home Depot, you need to repent!

Principle #9- Know When To Play

Verse 19- Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and wine makes life merry, and money is the answer to everything.

Not only do the wise know when to work, they know when to play. How many of you know when to play? Some of you are very good at working, but you are terrible at enjoying what it is that you are working for.

Some of you also have been told a poverty theology or a prosperity theology. Neither are the biblical model. In the Bible there are righteous rich and unrighteous rich, there are righteous poor and unrighteous poor. The issue is not rich or poor, the issue is righteousness or unrighteousness.

Money can help you attain the goals you have set if you want to get married, buy a house, put your kids through college, and know when to throw a party and enjoy your friends. Wise people know that money without wisdom is dangerous and deadly. Wise people know how to make and how to spend their money.

Sometimes we are so focused on our financial planning though that we can’t enjoy a meal out or a vacation away because all we think about is the money.

Principle #10- Guard Your Tongue

Verse 20- Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.

Wise people know that gossiping is foolish and destructive. Even when we think that we have whispered something under our breath, we find out that our whispers are often heard and our gossip is often found out.

Wise people know how to guard their tongue. They know when to keep their lip zipped and not mention what they could. Biting your lip is an art that is rarely seen. Most people just blabber on about each other and stir the pot of dissention until relationships are destroyed and friendships are ruined.

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

Principle #11- Give To Those In Need

Verses 1-3- Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days. 2 Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.

3 If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies.

Something else that money can does is allow you to give to others that don’t have much of it. Whatever you own has been given to you by God. It is gracious that He lavishes you with all you have in comparison to the rest of the world. We often forget what we have because we are too busy thinking about what we don’t have and we forget about those who have much, much less.

If our pockets are full like the clouds, we should pour out generosity. Why? Because one day we are going to be like the tree and we will fall. No matter where we fall, we should consider that when we die, we will no longer be able to do what we were able to when we were alive.

Wise people are generous people because they realize they are not immune from disaster, and they are blessed so they can in turn bless.

Principle #12- Be Willing To Take Risks And Trust God

Verses 4-6- 4 He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. 5 Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things. 6 Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.

Are you willing to take risks for the furtherance of the Kingdom? Many are not. Many speak about how they agree that the Gospel should progress and the Kingdom should expand, but few are willing to take the risk.

The fool sits around and watches the wind and looks at the clouds and sees a storm coming, but since he didn’t sow he won’t be able to reap. The wise person refuses to sit on the sidelines and play armchair Christian. A follower of Jesus, follows Jesus, even when they see the cross being readied for them.

We need to know our lot, guard our steps, plan wisely, execute our plan, pursue wise counsel, stay focused, we don’t expect equality, know when to work, know when to play, guard our tongues, give to those in need, and yet in all of this the wise is willing to risk all in faith to God, knowing He is sovereign and that as long as we are here we are to be about His business.

A fool is always looking for excuses. Some of you have justified why you don’t evangelize, why you don’t give, why you don’t plan, why you don’t study your bible, why you don’t pray, why you don’t love your spouse, etc. Fools excuse, the wise do. Stop creating airtight defense strategies for your folly. Just bring your folly to Jesus and ask Him to nail it to the cross so that you can be free and dangerous for His Kingdom as you live out the portion and do the work He has set before you to do.

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