Good morning, everyone. How are you guys doing? Like Ed had mentioned, Sean and I, we had traveled
down to Pennsylvania this weekend to attend our regional assembly of elders, and it was really
such an encouraging time to meet up with other pastors in our region, to be encouraged by them,
to hear how God is working in all the churches along Sovereign Grace in the Northeast. And so
coming back really encouraged by that. Also really tired a little, but we'll make it through.
It's my joy and pleasure to be able to bring God's word to us this morning. If you have your Bibles,
if you would please turn to Ecclesiastes chapter 9, verse 13. If you don't have a Bible, please raise
your hand, and one of our church members or ministry volunteers will be able to pass one over to you
for you to keep as a gift. Our passage this morning, again, comes from Ecclesiastes chapter 9,
verse 13, to all of chapter 10.
Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.
Heavenly Father, we are truly thankful that you give us the opportunity to gather as the body of Christ
every Sunday morning. Lord, we are so grateful for your word, scripture, which aids us in encouraging
one another, in rebuking one another, in teaching and admonishing us, and filling us with hope of the
gospel, Lord. We thank you so much for your son, Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins. And we
thank you so much that you give us so much great wisdom through your word. Lord, we confess that we
are people who succumb time and time again to the follies and foolishness of this world.
We ask, Lord, that you fill us with wisdom that can only come from you, and help us to take hold
of this wisdom that is Jesus, Lord, this morning and for evermore. We thank you so much, Lord. We love
you, and we pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen. If you're willing and able, would you please stand
for the reading of God's holy and authoritative word? Ecclesiastes chapter 9, verse 13 to chapter 10,
verse 20.
I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. There was a little
city with a few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siege
works against it. But there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city.
Yet no one remembered that poor man. But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man's
wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. The words of the wise, heard and quiet, are better
than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys
much good. Dead flies makes the perfumer's ointment give off a stench, so little folly outweighs
wisdom and honor. A wise man's heart inclines him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left.
Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.
If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great
offenses to rest. There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as if as it were an error proceeding
from the ruler. Folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in the low place. I have seen slaves
on horses and princes walking on the ground like slaves. He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a
serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall. He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he who
splits logs is endangered by them. If the iron is blunt and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use
more strength. But wisdom helps one to succeed. If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no
advantage to the charmer. The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume
him. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil
madness. A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be
after him. The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city. Woe to you, O land,
when your king is a child and your princes feast in the morning. Happy are you, O land, when your king
is the son of nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time for strength and not for drunkenness.
Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks. Bread is made for laughter,
and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything. Even in your thoughts do not curse the king, nor in
your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature
tell the matter. This is God's holy and authoritative word. You may be seated.
There are proverbs, wise sayings, and folk wisdoms that are used in our world, in our society,
for very specific occasions and situations. What's interesting, however, is how many of these sayings
tend to contradict each other when put next to one another? Let me give a few examples to this.
There's the saying, the early bird gets the worm. It means that it's good to seize your opportunities
as soon as you can. But then there's also the saying, haste makes waste, meaning a hurried life
makes for more inefficiency. There's the saying, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
You pine after the things and people missing from your life. But then there's also the saying,
out of sight, out of mind. There's the saying, many hands make light work. The more help that you have,
the easier the job will be. But then there's also the saying, too many cooks spoil the broth.
The more help that you have, the worse the end result of the job will be.
And there's another saying that says, when you pay attention to detail, the big picture will take
care of itself. When you're focused on all the minute details that form the entire big idea,
they say that eventually the big idea will form itself. But then there's also this Chinese proverb
that says, when the wise man points to the moon, the fool stares at the finger. It's not good to be
detail-oriented in this case, or else you'll lose sight of the main idea, the main point.
Obviously, common sense will lead us to utilize different proverbs or different scenarios.
And there's certainly a moderate middle ground in between some of these proverbs.
It's good to seize opportunities as soon as you can, but it's also good to step back and consider
whether that opportunity is worth the risk. Or there are instances where having a lot of help
makes a job a lot easier, like setting up and tearing down our church equipment for Sunday service.
Please join our support ministry. But there are also instances where too many
opinions in a single project will result in strife, division, and a haphazardly completed job,
like a class poster project. We've all had one of those, right?
The point of sharing all of these conflicting proverbs is to show how fickle life and life
circumstances can be. At some point in someone's life, their circumstance made them come up with this
life wisdom that the early bird gets the worm. But the chances are that another person is like,
oh, that sounds like a good wisdom, and tries to apply it into their own life. And they realize
instead that haste makes waste. The irony of these folk proverbs and wise sayings to live by in this world
is that they shed light all the more on how transient worldly wisdom can be. Because everything in this life
is up to time and chance. It's futility, it's vanity, hevel, a striving after wind, breath,
to rely fully on the wisdom of this world to sustain us, to grant us success, and to give meaning to our lives.
Church, earthly wisdom is not going to save our souls.
And so this is our main idea for our passage this morning. Knowing that the wisdom of this world is
fleeting, trust in the God-given humble wisdom that is Jesus Christ. I'm going to touch on three points
this morning. The value of wisdom, the fragility of wisdom, and Christ, our greater wisdom.
First, the value of wisdom. Right before our passage in Ecclesiastes chapter 9, verse 11 and 12,
the preacher observes the futility of life, and the futility of trying to take control of life.
It's like trying to chase after wind or breath, hevel. Like fish that are caught in a fishing net,
or birds that are caught in a snare, we humans, whether we're wise or we're foolish,
will all succumb to time and chance. There is no set formula in this life. The fast will not always
win the race. The strong won't always win the battle. The wise won't always bring bread to the table,
nor will the intelligence always gain riches. Everything in this life is up to time and chance.
And so it's a vanity for us to try to take control of life.
In chapter 9, verse 13, our passage this morning, the preacher, he brings forth another example of the
uncertain circumstances of life. With the story of a little city that was besieged by a great king.
The invading king built powerful siege works, forts, catapults, all sorts of weapons that can destroy
the walls of the city in order to capture this small city. But the king's plans are thwarted by
the wisdom of a poor, wise man. The city was preserved thanks to the wisdom of this poor man.
We'd expect this man to be commended and commemorated for saving the city,
and yet the poor, wise man was forgotten. And he became irrelevant in his words and wisdom to others.
Verse 15, yet no one remembered that poor man. He doesn't get the reward that we expect him to
receive. And instead, his wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. Church, life circumstances can
and will go against our expectations because everything is up to time and chance. There is no
perfect formula to life. C'est la vie. That's just how it is.
But this isn't to say that wisdom has no place in this life. That wisdom is pointless to pursue,
that we should instead settle for a life of folly. The preacher, he makes the point to emphasize the
value of wisdom, even amidst the vanity, the hevel of life.
As a note, the wisdom that the preacher is referring to throughout this passage is earthly wisdom.
This is the ability to make good decisions and judgments based on the knowledge that you have
in order to be successful in life, in order to get through life. This differs from godly wisdom,
which is focused on the moral characteristics of fearing the Lord and obeying his commands,
in order to give God the maximal glory. Earthly wisdom and godly wisdom can coincide.
Proverbs chapter 14, verse 29 says, whoever is slow to anger has great understanding.
This is godly wisdom, but it's also very practical wisdom in this world.
If we're slow to anger, if we're able to slow down and ask more questions and not be instantly enraged
at what people say or do to us, there's a lot more wisdom in doing that than immediately exploding on anyone.
But the key difference between earthly wisdom and godly wisdom is our end goal.
Is it to be more successful? Is it to be better in this life? Or is it to give God the glory and to live a life that is pleasing to him?
And so the preacher in this passage is seeing the great value of exercising earthly wisdom
as opposed to following after earthly folly and foolishness.
The preacher continues in verse 16,
Even though the speaker of wisdom will be forgotten,
wisdom itself will prevail over might.
When wise words are spoken to those who quietly listen and heed the words,
it's far better than a mighty ruler who loudly and recklessly speaks into an echo chamber of fools.
These fools who, like parrots, will only repeat back what he says,
whether he's right or wrong.
Though wisdom is presented in this scenario in a very humble circumstance,
it has great impact and value over displays of strength and might.
The preacher values the quiet humility of wisdom over the boisterous pride of might.
Even in our context today,
our world still relishes wisdom over might.
We relish those stories of the underdog who uses their wits and their wisdom,
their cleverness to overcome the odds against a larger or mightier foe.
Let me give a modern, maybe not so modern,
a kind of modern example of this.
In the movie Star Wars Episode 5,
The Empire Strikes Back.
Wow, that is not modern.
Star Wars Episode 5, The Empire Strikes Back.
Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, the Empire,
they sent out these giant four-legged tanks of destruction called AT-ATs.
And they called on these AT-ATs to attack and destroy the rebel base.
And so to defend their base, Luke Skywalker and the rebel alliance,
they flew out these ships about 20 times smaller than these AT-ATs.
They literally looked like little ants compared to these giant tanks.
And they used their wits to circle about the AT-ATs with cables
in order to wrap the tank's legs and trip it.
And so that it trips over, it falls over, and it explodes.
The rebels' clever use of their humble vehicles
was enough to triumph over the Empire's behemoths of destruction,
the Empire's siege works.
That's an example of earthly wisdom.
Another example, in Judges chapter 7,
Gideon, he follows God's instructions
and reduced his army of 32,000 to a mere 300 men.
These 300 men, they snuck onto the enemy Midianite territory
in the middle of the night,
and they suddenly blew their trumpets and smashed their jars to alarm
and confuse the Midianites.
And the Midianites, they fled from their camp,
abandoning their stations.
Gideon and his humble band of 300 men
defeated an army of 135,000
because the Israelites trusted in God
and the wisdom that he gave them.
The wisdom of the Lord manifested in the humble 300-man army of Gideon
prevailed over the massive might of the Midianites.
And so the preacher says,
Wisdom is better than might,
even when the words of wisdom may be despised,
not heard, or small.
Jumping ahead to chapter 10,
the preacher again emphasizes the value of wisdom
with a series of examples.
In verses 2 and 3,
the preacher points out
that while a wise man's heart inclines him to the right,
a fool's heart will go to the left,
where the right stands for righteousness
and the left stands for wickedness.
The fool's heart will veer him to the left
over and over again
to the point that when he walks on the road,
his leftward inclination
is going to be a clear indication to everyone
that he is a fool.
Whether he's verbally communicating that himself or not,
whether he's proclaiming to everyone,
I'm a fool or not,
he doesn't even have to say that.
The way he just keeps leaning over to the left,
the path of destruction,
will indicate to everyone else,
oh, this guy is a fool.
His very action speaks for himself.
Jumping to chapter 10, verse 10,
the preacher concludes that wisdom would teach a man
to sharpen his iron blade
in order to maximize efficiency
in cutting or chopping things.
We see that wisdom would teach a snake charmer
to make sure that the snake is indeed charmed,
else the serpent may bite the charmer.
A snake charmer who forgets to charm his snake
may want to wisely consider a career change.
And finally, the preacher observes in verses 12 and 13
that while the words of a wise man's mouth
gain him favor,
the lips of a fool lead to his own destruction.
From start to end,
the words of a fool's mouth are of nonsense
and evil madness, wicked delusion,
and he does nothing but spout out more foolishness
out of his own ignorance.
A fool multiplies words, verse 14,
a fool multiplies words,
though no man knows what is to be
and who can tell him what will be after him.
The fool continues to blabber and yap
and perhaps even talks about the future,
about his own grand schemes,
his plans and aspirations.
But here we have the preacher saying,
no man knows what is to be
and who can tell him what will be after him.
No one knows what's going to happen in the future.
And so we can't say with absolute certainty
what is in store for us ahead.
It would be considered foolish to do that.
We have many church members at Trinity
who have big dreams and goals for their future.
Some aspire to become aerospace engineers.
Others want to go work in the highest political sectors
of the United States.
We have aspiring dentists,
nuclear physicists,
PhD candidates,
and many more who love to talk about
what they're striving toward in the future.
What sets many of our brothers and sisters apart
from the fool in verse 14, however,
is that they don't multiply their words.
They don't double down and say with certainty,
I know for sure,
I swear,
I will become that dentist.
I will gain that position in this political sector.
I will solve all of nuclear physics.
Or may lightning strike me down.
While those with wisdom
will share their aspirations and their dreams,
while remaining humble
amidst the unknowability
and uncertainty of life,
the fool will speak as if he knows for sure
the future outcome of his life.
Church, we're really blessed
with intelligent and talented folks in our church.
And that's all the more reason
we need to be humble
in the face of the unknown of the future.
It's wise to speak in humility
even about our own hopes and dreams and goals.
Proverbs chapter 21 verse 1 says,
Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.
No one knows what the future will bring,
whether that's a year from now,
whether that's a week from now,
or even within the next 30 minutes.
Our church, we're like unable to figure out
what we're going to have for lunch after service.
We don't know what's going to happen in the future.
It would be wiser to speak,
to not speak so surely about our future plans,
knowing that we don't have absolute security
and control of our future.
Nevertheless, the fool speaks of things
that he doesn't know about,
the things that he doesn't even have security about.
And as a result, he bumbles about,
not even sure about how to get to his goal,
to his destination,
even to a city,
which is supposed to be his destination
that the preacher speaks of in verse 15.
Wisdom has value.
And the preacher shows that there's great merit
to pursuing wisdom and being wise in this life.
Wisdom helps to preserve us,
keep us alive.
Applying wisdom helps us to succeed
in our work and our toil.
Wisdom helps us not to boast
and to speak instead out of thoughtfulness and humility.
And wisdom helps to gain favor from those around us
because they find what we say
to be trustworthy and helpful.
God gives us the common grace,
the common grace gift of earthly wisdom in this life,
knowing that it's a blessing
that allows for humans to flourish in this world.
Even today, this wisdom is of good value to our own lives
rather than living recklessly,
recklessly living out our lives without prudence.
It's considered wise to set daily schedules
and boundaries for your health,
that you sleep at a reasonable hour,
that you eat a healthy diet,
that you exercise regularly
so that you overall feel good.
It's considered wise to set aside money
for a rainy day
in case accidents or hard times fall upon us.
It's considered wise to practice
a certain skill set in advance
so that you're comfortable with it
when your next project,
your next performance,
your next competition approaches.
Practice makes perfect.
There's value in wisdom,
and so there is value in pursuing wisdom
in our lives in this world.
However,
wisdom is not the panacea
to all of life's problems.
It's not going to solve everything in this life.
Wisdom, too,
will fail in this life of vanity
because we live in a fallen world.
Wisdom in this life
still has its limitations and shortcomings.
While it offers great benefits
to those who seek it in life,
wisdom is also very fragile.
The preacher first makes this observation
in the final verse of chapter 9,
verse 18.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner,
one sinner,
destroys much good.
Wisdom is fragile
because it's easily overshadowed
by folly.
When a sinner commits a foolish act,
wisdom goes flying out the window,
and what is meant for good
becomes swiftly ruined.
The preacher makes a comparison
of this fact
at the start of chapter 10,
verse 1.
Dead flies make the perfumer's ointment
give off a stench.
So a little folly
outweighs wisdom and honor.
When flies smell
the sweet scent of perfume,
they fly towards the jar,
they land in its oil
only to get stuck and trapped,
and they die,
and they begin to rot.
Such a tiny thing like a fly
can ruin an entire jar
of that sweet,
aromatic perfume
instead with a foul stench.
Folly can easily ruin wisdom.
I remember when I was in second grade,
our teacher promised
my class of 20 kids
a pizza party,
a pizza and movie party on Friday
if we behaved well
throughout the week.
We were like saints
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
Our behavior was so good
that even other teachers
from other classes
were complimenting us,
being like,
oh, these kids are so well behaved.
But then,
during a fateful Thursday
fire drill exercise,
our class got a little too goofy.
We got a little too talkative
when we should have been
quiet and attentive,
and we were reprimanded.
Our teacher was greatly disappointed,
and she canceled
our pizza party.
No pizza,
no movies.
I'm pretty sure it was
High School Musical
when it first came out.
No High School Musical.
I'm not mad about that.
But we would have to try
to earn that good thing later.
In that one moment,
a little bit of childish tomfoolery
completely overshadowed
all of our hard work
to behave well,
and our chance for a fun Friday,
a good thing,
was ruined.
Wisdom is fragile
because a little folly
outweighs wisdom.
Just as it's quicker
to destroy something
than it is to build it,
it's easier to ruin
a good thing with folly
than to build it up
with wisdom.
Wisdom is also fragile
because of the vanity
and the futility
of life
in this fallen world.
As the preacher
had said earlier,
there is vanity in life,
and there's futility
in trying to take control
of life
because everything
is up to time
and chance.
Just because you plug in A
doesn't mean you will
always generate B
as a result.
There is no formula
that will give us
the exact life circumstances,
and wisdom
is no exception to this.
There will be moments
when wisdom
is sought out
and exercised
and will still encounter
unexpected circumstances,
disappointments.
The preacher
seems to be cognizant
of this fact as well
based on his observations
of a wrongdoing ruler
in chapter 10, verse 4.
The preacher,
he first exercises
a word of caution
and wisdom
telling us
to appease
an angry ruler
with calmness
in order to lay
offenses to rest.
The preacher
sheds light
on why he gives
this advice of wisdom
in verse 5.
He's seen
an evil
under the sun
as it were
an error
proceeding
from the ruler.
The ruler
has done something
wicked
that has resulted
in error,
and his offenses
have revealed
the waywardness
of wisdom
in a fallen society.
under that king's rule.
The preacher
observes in verse 6
that folly
is set in high places
and the rich
sit in the low place.
The rich here
are considered
the wise
as they've gained wealth
through their wisdom.
And so we'd expect
that the wise
and the rich
would be able to sit
in the high places
while the fools
sit in the low places.
But in this fallen
and vain society,
the rules are reversed
and what we expect
is all backwards.
We'd expect princes
to be on horses
while the slaves
walked on the ground
guiding those horses.
But here again,
we have the rules reversed.
The princes walk
on the ground
while the slaves
ride the horses.
Our traditional wisdom
has gone out the window
because of the vanity
and futility of life
in this broken world.
all the more exacerbated
by the ruler's evil errors.
This is the reality
that we live in today
as well.
There are rulers,
there are principalities
of evil in this world
that have turned wisdom
that is supposed
to be good
upside down,
inside out,
in a way that
doesn't make sense for us.
We expect wisdom
to bring us good,
but there are so many instances
where instead
the folly of this world
takes over
and we're instead met
with negative circumstances,
disappointments,
hurt in our lives.
The preacher gives us
four more instances
in which he has seen
those circumstances
not go as expected
as a result
of the unknowability
and the uncertainty
of life and wisdom.
Verses eight and nine,
we see that there are
four men
who are doing
their regular
day-to-day jobs.
one man
who's digging pits,
presumably for hunting traps,
one man
who breaks down walls,
probably for construction,
another man
who queries stones,
also for building,
and one man
who splits logs
for wood.
What each man does
should be nothing
out of the ordinary
as they're simply
performing
their usual duties
in life.
But what we see next
is an ironic twist
to their life circumstances
where folly
takes a hold
of their wisdom,
of their skill,
and their jobs.
The man who digs a pit
is going to fall
into his own pit.
The man who breaks
through a wall
will be bitten
by a snake
that's hiding in the wall.
The man who quarries stones
will injure himself
with his own stone,
and the man
who splits wood
will be endangered
by his own logs.
These scenarios
feel very much
like some sort of
Looney Tunes,
Tom and Jerry
sort of slapstick comedy.
Just like dynamite
blows up in
Wally Coyote's face,
or just like Tom
accidentally shaving
his own tail,
the schemes of man
fall into circumstances
of folly,
ridiculousness.
Not necessarily
because people
have done wrong,
but because random
and uncertain things
happen in this
fallen world.
Life,
and the control
of life
is vanity
and futility,
and fully trusting
in wisdom
in this vain
and futile world
will lead us
to destruction as well,
for even wisdom
will fail.
Chapter 10
ends by once again
reflecting on the ruler.
From verse 16,
the preacher points out
how valuable it is
to have a mature
and a wise ruler.
A ruler who feasts
and drinks
at the appropriate time
for strength
and not for the sake
of drunkenness.
A foolhardy
and immature king
like a child
will laze around
and not care
for his kingdom
to the point
that the roof
sinks in
and the house leaks.
To the foolish king,
bread and wine
are meant
solely for pleasure
and not for energy
to exercise
great wisdom
in his rule.
And money
is simply a means
to have more access
to that pleasure.
The preacher
laments
of the folly
that this king
indulges in
when there's so much value
and opportunity
for wisdom
to bring the kingdom
back into order.
And yet,
the preacher
still advises
not to criticize
or curse
the ruler,
the king,
and to instead
offer calm silence
lest any criticism
reach the king's ears.
Once again,
there is vanity
in valuing wisdom
because bringing up
what is considered
to be wise
will only enrage
the king
and cause
even more
folly
and strife.
Church,
while wisdom
has great value,
it's also
very fragile
because we live
in this broken
and folly-filled world.
Nothing is certain
in this life
and even our efforts
to be wise
won't always bring us
the positive results
that we want.
The reality
that wisdom
is fragile
can be
very discouraging
for many of us.
We live
in a community
in East Cambridge
and greater Boston
where we really
take pride
in our wisdom,
in our intellect,
in our intelligence.
And so to hear
that
moments when we
apply wisdom,
moments where we
apply our wits
and our intelligence,
it will fail us
can be deeply
discouraging.
No matter how much
we try to pursue
wisdom
and exercise wisdom
in our lives,
we can't entirely
trust in wisdom
to consistently
come through
for our benefit.
Wisdom
will fail.
And that's because
there's sin in this world
and sin brings forth
folly,
disaster,
and unforeseen
hardships.
Whether that's a result
of our own error
or not,
this is because
we
who pursue wisdom
are also sinful.
We may think
we are exercising
good wisdom,
but the heart
is deceitful
above all things.
We are broken
and sinful people
operating in a broken
and sinful world.
And so even
our best of intentions
can lead
to folly
and destruction.
There are probably
many of us here
who have experienced
the failure
of wisdom
and the folly
of this world
in disappointing ways,
deeply disappointing ways.
You may have taken
all the necessary measures
to be qualified
for a job
or an academic program
only for your application
to be
utterly,
brutally rejected.
You've saved up
your money
for years and years
wanting to save
for a good thing
like a home,
a car,
only to have to spend
it all in order
to make repairs
for a sudden accident
in life.
You've spent
so much time
trying to make sure
that you're healthy
and you're well
only to be diagnosed
with an illness
or unforeseen condition.
Or you've worked
so hard
to try to build
your community,
your friendships,
and your relationships
only to suddenly
be relocated
to another city
or state
or nation.
There are so many
unexpected
and difficult
misfortunes
and disappointments
in life
that are worth
grieving over.
And these things
will show us
that the wisdom
of this world
will fail us
in innumerable ways.
But while the wisdom
of this world
is fleeting,
the wisdom
of our God
is not.
God's wisdom
will never fail
those who trust
in him.
The apostle Paul
writes in Romans
chapter 8,
verse 28,
we know that
for those
who love God
all things
work together
for good.
For those
who are called
according to his purpose.
God is working
all things
for our good.
Even the things
that seem like
folly,
foolishness to us.
Though we may not
understand how God
is using our hardships
or the foolish things
of the world
for our good,
we're called
to trust in him
and his word,
which clearly says
that he will work
for our good,
for his purpose
and his glory.
While we can't trust
in our own wisdom
to sustain us
in this world,
we can submit to
and trust
in God's word
and his wisdom,
which will carry us
and sustain us
in joy
and in hope
until the ends
of our days.
even when
the folly
of this world
seems overwhelmingly
perplexing
and discouraging,
godly wisdom
teaches us
to trust
in God's
redemptive work
of a better future.
Though we may not
know the future
of our lives,
though we may not
know what happens
a year from now,
a week from now,
30 minutes from now,
we continue to hope
in God's
redemptive work
in our lives.
That one day,
all the folly
and evil of this world
will be undone
and God's goodness
will pervade
across all the world.
God's wisdom
will pervade
across all the world
and those who believe
in the gospel
of Jesus Christ
will be in eternal
fellowship
with him forever.
We have assurance
of God's perfect wisdom
and his sovereignty
over us
through the crucifixion,
death,
and resurrection
of his son,
Jesus.
We had read this
as our assurance
of pardon earlier,
but Paul writes
in 1 Corinthians 1,
verse 18 to 25,
for the word
of the cross
is folly
to those
who are perishing,
but to us
who are being saved,
it is the power
of God,
for it is written,
I will destroy
the wisdom
of the wise
and the discernment
of the discerning
I will thwart.
Where is the one
who is wise?
Where is the scribe?
Where is the debater
of this age?
Has not God
made foolish
the wisdom
of the world?
For since
in the wisdom
of God
the world
did not know
God through wisdom,
it pleased God
through the folly
of what we preach
to save those
who believe.
For Jews
demand signs
and Greeks
seek wisdom,
but we preach
Christ crucified,
a stumbling block
to the Jews
and folly
to Gentiles,
but to those
who are called
both Jews
and Greeks,
Christ the power
of God
and Christ
the wisdom
of God.
For the foolishness
of God
is wiser
than men
and the weakness
of God
is stronger
than men.
Christ
is the power
of God
and Christ
is the wisdom
of God
and Christ
displays the power
of God
and the wisdom
of God
by dying
on the cross
for our sins.
Talk about something
so unfathomable,
so wondrous,
so unimaginable
that God
would send
his only son
to die
for us.
How can we
fathom
Jesus dying
for us?
We're people
who can't even
fathom
when others
do favors
for us.
We're people
who can't even
fathom
when others
offer to buy
a meal
for us.
We say,
oh,
why are you
doing this?
You don't need
to do this.
I don't deserve
this.
But this Jesus,
the son
of the living
God,
willingly
gave his
life for our
sins
by dying
the most
humiliating
death on the
cross so that
we sinful
beings can be
in right
relationship
with God
so that we
can behold
his glorious
power and
wisdom and
share an
eternal life
with him.
To this
foolish world
full of folly,
they see the
gospel as
folly.
I remember
when I first
encountered the
love of God.
in high school
and I just
began to
fathom the
gravity of
Jesus dying
for my sins.
I was a
mess.
Weeping at
my bed,
I asked God,
why?
Why would
you die for
me?
It's so
ridiculous that
such a big
God would
die for such
a small
being like
me.
Why have
you chosen
me?
I don't
deserve this.
You didn't
have to do
this.
To our
foolish world's
understanding of
wisdom,
this is the
most reckless,
nonsensical,
unwise thing
that God
would do for
us.
Paul even
says so in
1 Corinthians
1.
The word of
the cross,
the gospel,
is folly to
those who are
perishing.
the difference
for us
believers,
however,
is this.
We recognize
and accept
the miraculous
salvation that
we've received
from Jesus
on the cross
as a gift
of grace.
Yes,
we don't
deserve this
salvation.
Yes,
the salvation
that we
receive through
Jesus'
sacrifice does
not make
sense.
Why would
such a holy
and mighty
God give
his son
for us?
It doesn't
make sense.
But God,
being infinitely
gracious and
loving toward
us,
gave us
his only
son,
Jesus,
as the
atonement
for our
sins,
to give
us the
opportunity
to accept
this gracious
gift of
salvation,
to be in
right and
eternal
relationship
with him.
Jesus,
who is
the great
word,
the logos
of God,
and the
wisdom of
God,
became our
righteousness,
our
sanctification,
and our
redemption,
so that putting
our faith in
him will be
the greatest
wisdom we
could ever
receive.
Through the
cross and the
resurrection,
Jesus is
magnified as
the power and
the wisdom of
God.
And when Jesus
comes again,
he'll bring to
completion the
good work that
he began in
us.
And we'll be
able to see
clearer than
ever and
understand better
than ever God's
infinite wisdom
in our lives
manifested through
his son,
Jesus.
Church,
earthly wisdom
will bring some
level of benefit
and success to
our lives in
this life and
in this world,
but it's also
going to surely
fail us and
disappoint us
sooner than
later.
Earthly wisdom
will not be what
saves us,
for that's what
only godly
wisdom,
the logos,
the wisdom
that is Jesus
can do.
And so amidst
the fragility,
the futility of
earthly wisdom,
let us trust in
God and his
eternal word,
who is Jesus
Christ,
our greater
and more
perfect wisdom.
Let's pray.
Lord, we
confess that
time and time
again, we're just
so enamored by
the wisdom of
this world,
which is actually
foolish folly,
Lord.
Lord, we confess
that we often
try to take our
life into our own
hands, that we
try to take control,
that we try to
trust fully in our
own wisdom, the
wisdom of this
world, to make
much of our own
lives.
Lord, we confess
that that is
idolatry.
Because if we
don't trust in
you, we don't
put you in the
first place,
Lord.
Lord, help us to
be a church.
Help us to be a
people who look
to Christ as our
greater wisdom.
Lord, help us to
be a people when
we're faced with
the folly, the
foolishness, the
hardships, and the
disappointments of
this life.
Help us to look to
you when our
wisdom disappoints us
and fails us,
knowing that you
are our greater
wisdom, that you
are our perfect
wisdom manifest in
your son, Jesus.
Thank you for being
our greater wisdom
and filling us with
hope of a greater
future because you
are our wisdom.
You are our
eternal word,
Lord.
We thank you,
Lord.
We love you, and
we pray all this in
Jesus' name.
Amen.