Waukesha Bible Church Is a Family of Families Seeking to Live in the Storyline of the Bible
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Greetings: The study that Pastor Pat brings on Sunday mornings is a reflection of the study for that week. It represents a lot of research. Not all of what he has prepared is communicated. In an attempt to continue the learning process, he is making available his study notes to the congregation. These notes are edited, but not “book” ready. To the critical eye, mistakes can possibly be found. Therefore, he asks that you take the material with humility, teach-ability, and charity. Enjoy and if you should have any questions or corrections, please do not hesitate to email him at [email protected] . Date: May 28, 2017 Sermon Title: Learning to Cut a Straight Path Sermon Series: Ecclesiastes Text: Eccl. 4:4-16 Author: Patrick J. Griffiths ©201 Waukesha Bible Church is a family of families seeking to live in the Storyline of the Bible . She is determined by design to have a God-centered , Christ-exalting worship ; a Word-centered teaching focused on personal discipleship through intentional and systematic instruction; a Global-impacting mission that resolves to be a church planting church ; and a Grace-based fellowship where disciples are invited to live under a reigning grace characterized by a Gospel-driven sanctification that celebrates a divine monergism to the Christian life. Date: May 28, 2017 Title: “Learning to Cut a Straight Path” Text: Eccl. 4:4-16 Theme: Learning to live in the balance of loving God and others is the key to resting in conflict. Introduction : “The poems of verses 4-6 and 7-12 both concern the subject of labor, but the perspective is not the same. In the first instance human labor is viewed from the perspective of envy; in the second, from the perspective of solitariness.” 1 “According to Christian tradition the seven deadly sins are: envy, gluttony, greed or avarice, lust, pride, sloth, and wrath.. The early church classified the seven deadly sins as cardinal sins or capital vices and taught that they could not be forgiven.” 2 THE BIG PICTURE : “The Book of Ecclesiastes explores life under the sun, life without God. And it exposes the ultimate bankruptcy of trying to find, meaning and happiness and security, and significance apart from God. This book is depressing. And it is suppose to be. That is why it is here. It is intended to drive us to despair, and to cause us to cry out, “Is this it? Is this really all that there is?” . But Ecclesiastes does not give us answers. The whole book is intended to help us find freedom. By realizing that life without God is meaningless. That if you and I ever, ever hope to find true, long-lasting happiness, real meaning it is going to have to come from above the sun. Outside my experience. Beyond the facilities of this world.”3 Outline: Solomon is not attempting to answer the meaning of life. His desire is to fix what is broken, straighten what is crooked, and fill what is empty. His conclusion? Nothing we do can undo the curse. An area of application is that of achievement, riches, and popularity. His response to such themes is threefold. 1. Choose contentment over achievement (4:4-6). 2. Choose relationships [community] over riches (4:7-12). 3. Choose influence [consistency / clarity] over popularity (4:13-16). A look at the crooked and empty . I. Then I looked again (4:1-6 [the value of contentment ]) 1 • The problem with spite (v. 4) This text suggests we must see work for what it is in the Garden under the curse. • The problem with sloth/sluggishness (v. 5) The Proverb (v. 6 [“One bird in the hand is better than two birds in the bush”]) “’To eat one’s won flesh’ is a Hebrew expression that means that the flesh of the sluggard wastes away because of his laziness or that for lack of food he eats his own flesh; cf. Ps. 27:2.” 4 Work versus lazy (vv. 4-6) Observation (v. 4) “But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun” (Eccl. 4:3). “I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind ” (Eccl. 4:4). Evidence (vv. 5, 6) The Value of Contentment Anything else is a “striving after wind.” “I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind” (Eccl. 4:4). Labor `amal , toil, i.e. wearing effort; hence, worry, whether of body or mind:--grievance(- vousness) Found in 54 verses in OT. Highest concentrations: Job 8x, Pss. 13x, Eccl. 21x • “What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?” (Eccl. 1:3). • “And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour” (Eccl. 2:10). • “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun” (Eccl. 2:11). • “Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me” (Eccl. 2:18). 2 • “And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity” (Eccl. 2:19). • “Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun” (Eccl. 2:20). • “For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil” (Eccl. 2:21). • “For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?” (Eccl. 2:22). • “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God” (Eccl. 2:24). • “And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God” (Eccl. 3:13). • “Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit” (Eccl. 4:4). • “Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit” (Eccl. 4:6). • “There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail” (Eccl. 4:8). • “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour” (Eccl. 4:9). • “As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand” (Eccl. 5:15). • “Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion” (Eccl. 5:18). • “Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God” (Eccl. 5:19). • “All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled” (Eccl. 6:7). • “Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun” (Eccl. 8:15). 3 • “Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun” (Eccl. 9:9). • “The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city” (Eccl. 10:15). “Although industry is better than idleness, yet we ought not to set our heart upon present enjoyment from the successful accomplishment of our worldly enterprises; for prosperity brings in its train envy, opposition, and many other annoyances.”5 “Cain envied Abel, Esau Jacob, and Saul David, and all for their right works. This is downright diabolism.”6 There is balance struck between laziness and inactivity on one hand and restlessness and greed on the other.