The Balance and Behavior of Wisdom

Is it any wonder. By the way that Solomon will say wisdom is the most important thing you can ever wisdom draws you to the creator of wisdom draws you to word of wisdom that draws you to walk in wisdom.

It gives you the joy of having the gospel of wisdom.

Jesus took all of that dishonor upon itself.

Jesus will for your suits and welcome to wisdom for the heart. Stephen the very first in getting true wisdom is actually wanting the right kind of wisdom you need to want to get the wisdom of God and by the way, it's a matter of life and death left to ourselves will pursue perfectionism or maybe some of the world's wisdom will become paralyzed when we face dishonor and criticism will become proud in our knowledge today will discover that pursuing wisdom will draw you to the creator of wisdom and the giver of wisdom and the word of God's wisdom which points to the gospel of wisdom here Stephen with today's message you on Sebastian Bach, composed a wonderful music for the church for the world for that battery decomposed over 200 cantatas for the church choral works for the church on the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus composed songs for his 20 children teaching the biblical truth. He lived from 1685 to 1750 and as you can imagine a large number of original documents were preserved and have been over the years. Most of them are his original musical compositions, but only one document has survived all these years wasn't discovered until about 80 years ago that he never intended to publish. These were the notes that he made in his Bible more than likely seen by his wife Anna and his children.

These notes were written in the three volume German Bible we would call it today. A study Bible. What I found interesting.

An article I read on the subject is the fact that the book of Ecclesiastes was evidently his favorite book of the Bible is the most marked up book box Bible and Ecclesiastes chapter 7 where we are today has more versus underlined than any other chapter in his Bible box with often compose a piece of music and for those of you musicians you probably know this, he would often write on the front of that composition. The words solely Dale Gloria, to the glory of God alone that mattered most. Versus two and three of chapter 7 statement.

Sorrow is a better teacher than the laughter or the end of life is better than the beginning of life all the way to verse 13, Lord God knows God alone knows my life has so many twists and turns. Bach was evidently deeply consoled by this marked it up. More than likely because he buried 10 of his 20 children before they reached adulthood life depended on trusting in the sovereign plan of God for life. There were there were times by now it was interesting.

Went back without difficulty writing a piece of music and he would write in the margin.

The EAC you file Jesus, help me be a great caption. By the way for life as a believer is to write those in the margins of your life.

Solely Dale Gloria think God alone be the glory for whatever we do is Gloria along the way she uses get any better than more in this chapter.

Evidently a favor box after almost 70 years now Solomon is come to define life along the same lines for much of his life. As you know you live for his own glory and the a lot of it, you never thought he needed God's help, but out here in chapter 7, he begins to transition and bring God clearly back into the picture word verse 15 now and say something. By the way, is already set 10 times. This is the 11th time in my vain fleeting life I have seen everything I've been there. I've done I've seen it all. And with that is a lot to do another series of observations in Proverbs take us all away to chapter 8 and verse one, which I believe concludes the series. These are difficult passages to preach or teach for those of you tea store because they seem so random. However, on closer inspection, and just kinda reading over and over and over again it strikes me this common theme occurs. It is the theme of wisdom.

Solomon is saying I've seen everything, but boy did we ever needed wisdom, especially when what we see doesn't make any sense. Notice again, there is the righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing as I don't get it. I don't get this godly people die and ungodly people live a long time. Sometimes life doesn't play by the rules. Solomon is essentially saying that without an understanding of God's sovereignty designs life from beginning to end designs our lives. You might end up with the wrong conclusion that it doesn't matter.

Solomon goes on here to mention two extreme ways of approaching life. This is, perhaps, finally, one of my misunderstood passages in the book of Ecclesiastes verse 16 it says here you not overly righteous. Do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself. Be not overly wicked neither be a fool, why should you die before your time is good that you should take hold of this and from that with hold out your hand for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.1st glance it might appear that Solomon is telling you not to get too carried away with trying to live a holy life or a wicked life by the way, that happens to be the plan of salvation for a lot of people. I talked to out there over the years. You probably heard the same thing that all that perfect, but I'm not all that bad. I found the road. I think that you let me in that plan of salvation finally has nothing to do with Jesus and his everything to do with them. It also has nothing to do with walking and wisdom God is suggesting here that that Solomon doesn't try to be too good or too bad that in the Hebrew text, the verbs in verse 16 carry the idea of reflexive action. Both extremes are descriptions of self-centeredness. So verse 16 could be understood to read don't go around claiming to be so righteous. Don't go around trying to be to make yourself out to be so wise always doing is describing someone who wants to appear to be righteous. Don't go around making yourself out to be perfect. Solomon is essentially telling us here that a wise person doesn't present themselves to other people as having spiritually arrived. Did you notice the danger the end of her 16 you're not going to build anything out. A tear everything down your neck and I would encourage anybody that way is also telling us it's dangerous to try to make a name for being entirely when did that I bumped into those people to tell you what I've done now, Solomon says don't be a fool.

That's destructive as well.

Verse 70 in verse 18. He says essentially walk with God. Godly wisdom will keep you not walking down the middle, but godly wisdom will help you avoid both extreme is the idea wisdom enables you beloved the walk in godly balance, avoiding both as if Solomon says now in verse 19.

I've seen it all and he let me show you the value of wisdom. Notice verse 19. Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than 10 rulers who are in the city. We break that down quickly and I was one wise person in town is worth more than 10 rulers, political leaders, one paraphrase our red interpreted 10 mayors you could paraphrase this to read one wise person is more valuable in their community than 10 unwise politicians what Solomon does next is launch into rapidfire Proverbs in principles and in essentially shows this, but just the balance of wisdom, but the behavioral patterns of wisdom, let me give you four of them number one wisdom rejects the pursuit of perfectionism. Verse 20.

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sin. Solomon is being cynical. The firm for being or doing good means continually without interruption.

No one ever continually does no one lives a life that is never interrupted by sin.

Solomon warns us to avoid the extremes of selfish wickedness send up self-righteousness and you might think. Well, maybe I could arrive at sinless perfection actually met people who think they did remember a guy telling what time he didn't sit anymore. I really want to talk to his wife get the real story.

No one even among those following after God will arrive in this lifetime at sinless perfection. That's why the gospel is such good news. Jesus Christ is the perfect sinless son of God died about half of the fact that you can't get through one day without sinning and neither can I try the blood of Jesus. John writes the tenses continually constantly never legally cleanses you from all sin. You enter that bath, as it were, as a believer and the faucet is never turned off if we can ever make it to a state of sinless perfection. Jesus would die. Wisdom is when you understand your sinfulness in light of Christ's forgiveness perfection in a holiness, by the way is he going to be achieved in this lifetime, but it is your future glory its arc go. It's the direction we have our toes pointing we agonize when we sin, we run quickly to the cross, but it is our future glory when we are one day perfect in the likeness of how great is this another behavioral pattern wisdom takes care of number two wisdom refuses to be paralyzed by painful criticism is verse 21.

Do not take to heart all the things that people say implied about you, lest you hear your servant cursing you in your heart knows that many times you yourself cursed. Others were different cursed means slighted. They can mean to dishonor and hurt the garden anybody in this auditorium that experience the staying of those words might've been critical all are condescending and might've intruded cruel so this is all take it to heart, one author wrote what he said that the key to being a good leader is keeping people who don't like you away from all those who are still undecided know it's interesting here is that Solomon doesn't say if you hear somebody sliding you. Don't worry because is not true.

Take another closer look at verse do not take the heart notice. All the things that people say are some of my future might be limitation for God to repent.

It might be change.

It might be a step of real growth to come to terms with that. It might be to go to God and simply say God is true, repented, and then say that would you help me to walk wisely so that I can prove it in the future to be untrue. Take criticism with a grain of salt. And while you're at it.

Remember your own fall. That'll keep your feet on the ground walking with balance and wisdom allows you to work through these issues.

Wisdom rejects the pursuit of perfectionism, wisdom refuses to be paralyzed by painful criticism now. Thirdly, wisdom recognizes the limitations of intellectualism. Verse 23 all this I tested by wisdom, I said I will be wise, but it was far from me, that which is been far off very, very deep, who can find you get up in the morning and decide I shall be wise it emanates from a relationship with the Lord. Notice verse 25 elaborates.

I turn my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom in the scheme or explanation of things and another wickedness of folly and foolishness.

It is madness. Another was I set my heart and my mind on figuring out the human conviction and track it down.

I went to figure out the world around me, and I nail it down. I didn't get very far often think of Isaac Newton, the brilliant physicist for 200 years. His mathematical formulas and equations controlled scientific thought be the first scientist knighted by the Crown sky was, there is a committed believer in his later years he wrote and I quote, I have only discovered the edges of dogs way. There is a great ocean of knowledge and I have but paddling in the shallows if he's been paddling in the shallows 30 miles inland. Wisdom recognizes the limitations of even our greatest intellectual achievements. One more. Fourthly, wisdom resists the invitations of hedonism that hedonism is a worldview hedonism is a way of life. Hedonism says the pursuit of pleasure is the best pursuit in life that's you know the mantra is get all you can, you're only going around wants that that's the idea hedonism, but why would you happen to live in a world totally convinced that hedonism is the way to live. Notice verse 26 I find something more bitter than death. The woman whose heart is snares and nets. His hands are fetters.

He pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by Harry focuses on one aspect of the hedonistic lifestyle the invitation to Alyssa sexual activity will hold your right. This is what I found says the preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme or explanation of things which my soul is sought repeatedly, but I found one man among a thousand. I found a woman among all these I have not found see this alone. I found that God made man up right but they have sought out many schemes. This is not a passage you're going to put on your wedding invitation. Don't misunderstand, Solomon did making a universal rule that rates women as less trustworthy than men because he couldn't find one woman among a thousand. One man he could trust you read his writings, Solomon speaks highly of women in the book of Proverbs. In fact, even personifies wisdom in the form of a woman in chapter 1, Chapter 8 and chapter 9 there is some discussion as to whether or not Solomon is referring to a prostitute. It seems to fit.

Proverbs chapter 7, but more than likely I would throw my head on the ring with this particular interpretation of what he's saying is that he is gone looking for love, he's gone looking for pleasure.

He's gone looking for something lasting he's wanting companionship that one friend among men. He tried a thousand women and couldn't find one among them you need to understand in order understand this text, the context of first Kings 11, number 1000 is not just a random number you're older and the fading of understand a little bit of his biography. He had either married or had concubines totaling 1000 women first Kings 11 108 and 1000 women in his palace and all he did was turn his heart away from God. He walked in with his eyes wide open to now here is a 70-year-old man and he comes to the conclusion that there wasn't one woman whom he could trust. In fact, pursuing pleasure robbed him of genuine pleasure relationship with the wife he never had. But he will describe in Proverbs 31. In fact, he will say of her in verse 11 in her the heart of his. The heart of her husband does safely trust doesn't get any better than that Solomon is looking at all the wrong places where you looking where you looking. Hedonism is going to be dead.

Solomon wraps up his comments. Now he's given us the balance of wisdom, the behavior of wisdom and now there are three added benefits of wisdom chapter 8 and verse one I think finishes off this theme who is like the wise, and who knows the interpretation of an issue of matter or thing a man's wisdom makes his face shine in the hardness of his face is changed maybe three added benefits quickly number one wisdom will help you live uniquely go back to verse one just the first is like the wise it's another way of saying where can I find a wise person and I tell you something when you walk wisely you have no idea how rare you are, no idea how unique you are walking in wisdom you hear that rare family member you're that rare student here that rare neighbor how rare you are when you walk with the balance of behavior wisdom. Secondly, wisdom will help you make decisions correctly, you can add the word many because we will make all of them correctly. Verse one. The middle part.

Who knows the interpretation of an issue. The word for interpretation can be translated solution who can come up with a solution to the problem who's got some discernment. Life is filled with originals with questions with difficulties with dilemmas wise person will think through it biblically will will pray through it carefully, then entrust themselves to God and be thankful.

Even when every decision is correct. Number three wisdom will help you live more graciously a man's wisdom makes his face shine in the hardness of his face is changed.

That means that means that wisdom is going to show up on your face. It's gonna show up in your personality going to improve your relationships be displayed in your attitude. He has a way of saying in here that means it it's going to soften the hardness of your heart. Anybody here recognize that their hearts is hard. If you do your you're probably pursuing wisdom and that show up eventually in your temperament and disposition and is it any wonder. By the way that Solomon will say wisdom is the most important thing you can ever get wisdom draws you to the creator of wisdom, it draws you to the word of wisdom that draws you to walk in wisdom it it it it gives you the joy of having the gospel of wisdom, which is that Jesus alone is perfect, which is Jesus took all of that dishonor upon himself, which is Jesus is all knowing. He is omniscient God the son, which is Jesus will for give your empty pursuits and will fill your life with purpose and meaning. As an old man nearing his death, Johan Sebastian Bach was totally blind entirely dependent on his family to write anything as he neared the end of his life.

The very last song he proposed we call in chorus. Short lyrical statements of his greatest desire, it reads before your throne.

I now turn out your gracious face from sin conferred on me this blessed and Lord, that I may see. I hope this time in God's word has spurred you on your pursuit of true wisdom. Our message today is called the balance in behavior of wisdom and it's part of the series from Ecclesiastes entitled pursuing wisdom under the sun. I'm glad you joined us today here on wisdom for the hearts you can hear more of Stephen Davies Bible teaching@ourwebsitewisdomonline.org. In fact, for this series pursuing wisdom under the sun.

You can watch the full-length videos from when Stephen first taught this series to the church he pastors just navigate to Ecclesiastes in our teaching archive and you'll find this series there again it's wisdom online.will continue this series so join us here on wisdom