Rev. David Holwick E Ecclesiastes Series
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
February 2, 1997
Ecclesiastes 7:13-20
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I. Does religion "work"? 7:14
A. Most come to God because they are looking for a change.
1) In themselves, or in their situation.
2) Divorce, sickness and jail are great spiritual motivators.
B. We assume God wants us happy.
1) Joey Earl Horstman wrote back in 1994:
"Religion, it seems, is no longer a search for meaning or
truth nor a way to find salvation or forgiveness.
It is a means to be happy, to improve your self-image....
I am skeptical of formulas that equate God's goodness or
power or existence with my level of happiness....
I'm not saying God doesn't want us to be happy.
I'm saying that, in the biblical record at least, nearness
to God rarely looks like what we would consider happiness.
Christ seems less concerned that we are happy than that we
are His."
#2844
2) God sends both good and bad times to us.
a) We have to assume there's a reason for them.
b) We can't pick and choose, just take life as it comes.
C. Experience shows that religion doesn't always work.
1) Good can die young.
2) Wicked can do just fine.
3) People go to two extremes to try to get around this.
II. Two dead-ends. 7:15
A. Don't be "overrighteous." 7:16
1) Humorous applications:
a) Don't go to church too much.
b) Don't put too much in offering plate...
2) Two possible meanings:
a) Trusting in your religion, or smarts, falsely.
1> Self-righteousness that was condemned by Jesus.
b) Trying to use super-religion (legalism) to succeed.
1> (Luther and confessions)
2> David Koresh and fundamentalism.
3) Dangers of religious extremism.
a) It is futile. (doesn't work)
b) It is arrogant.
c) It is miserable.
B. Since no guarantees, should we throw away restraint? 7:17
1) Lawlessness just as bad.
a) He is NOT saying, "Go ahead and sin a little."
b) All are sinners, but embracing it leads to destruction.
2) "Law of harvest," shorten life. 7:17
C. Avoid all extremes. 7:18
1) Holding on to both.
a) Must refer to 7:16-17, balanced religion and morality.
2) God is in charge, so we don't have to be extreme.
III. All have sinned. 7:20
A. No one is perfectly religious.
1) (Wisdom is powerful, but who can claim it?) 7:19
B. Sin touches everything you do, and are.
1) Goes against grain of our society.
2) "I'm OK, you're OK."
a) God says we're not OK unless are sins are erased.
b) Only Jesus can do this.
3) Spiritually sensitive people realize they sin (gossip)
like everyone else. 7:21
IV. What can we attain? 7:24
A. How close is true wisdom?
1) Two possible views.
B. It is unattainable.
1) Ecclesiastes (from world-only perspective). 7:23
a) He searches human wisdom and comes up empty.
b) (remark on women is not God's view, but Solomon's) 7:28
There is a story about three men walking down a beach who
came across a lamp buried in the sand.
They picked it up and began wiping it off.
A genie popped out and told them, "I'll grant each of you
one wish."
The first man rubbed the lamp and whispered, "I wish I were
ten times smarter."
"You are now ten times smarter," announced the genie.
The second guy took the lamp and rubbed it and murmured,
"I wish I were a hundred times smarter."
"You are now a hundred times smarter," the genie mandated.
The third man rubbed the lamp and said, "I wish I were a
thousand times smarter."
The genie pointed at him and declared, "You are now a woman."
#1947
2) Conclusion - no one is wise. All of us wander. 7:29
C. Wisdom can be revealed to us.
1) Deuteronomy 30:9-16.
a) God's way is not too difficult.
b) We don't have to climb mountains, live in caves.
c) It is in our mouths - faith.
2) Romans 10:5-11.
a) The way of faith, vs. works.
b) Faith is only way to be saved.
c) Confess Jesus and really believe it.
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