Crossroads Community Church

January 15, 2016 · 0 Comments

Pastor Don opened our service this morning praising God for the wisdom He has given us. God is our ultimate source of wisdom regardless of our current resources. During the 10th century Abdul Kassam Ismael, a wealthy and educated man, had a library containing 117,000 scrolls. In comparison, there are 30,000 books in the Shelburne Library. Regardless of the century, there is much knowledge and wisdom within the written pages. We are studying the Book of Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon. Knowledge and wisdom have always been highly prized by man. King Solomon was credited as being the wisest man of all time; but also a man who made mistakes. 1Kings 3:10-121
In 1 Kings 11:9-102, the Lord was angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from Him. God had warned Solomon specifically about worshipping other gods. Although God had blessed Solomon with a wise and understanding heart, it was up to Solomon to apply the wisdom to all areas of his life; unfortunately Solomon did not listen.
The definition of wisdom is “wisdom is the convergence of knowledge and skill which enables a person to make right choices that honour God.” True wisdom, according to scripture, begins with God. Proverbs 1:73 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge. In our information age, knowledge is plentiful, but wisdom is scarce. From a biblical perspective, if a person does not know God; the creator of all things, and one who established absolute values, then we cannot be truly wise. Wisdom begins with the reverent relationship of knowing God.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-24 portrays the words of Solomon, King David’s son. After many pursuits and personal trial and error Solomon wrote, “everything is meaningless”. King Solomon had more money, power, material possessions and accomplishments than he could ever exercise. King Solomon had more wisdom than any before or after him. He spoke with authority on matters of wisdom and yet he said it was all completely meaningless and worthless. We all could name something we think could make our lives better and yet Solomon had it all and still his life was empty. Without God we have nothing. Ecclesiastes 1:8-115 Solomon is testing our faith; challenging us to find true and lasting meaning in God alone. Take a look at your life, as Solomon did, do you see the importance of serving God? God asks Solomon to rethink his purpose and direction in Ecclesiastes. It doesn’t mean everyone is called into full-time ministry but it does mean to make God a priority in your life. Ecclesiastes 1:16-186
As we continue with this scripture, Solomon highlights 2 kinds of wisdom in the book of Ecclesiastes: Human knowledge and the wisdom that comes from God. Ignoring God, highlights earthly problems which can’t be solved without God’s perspective. In the following verses Solomon speaks on human knowledge. Solomon tried to find meaning to life through his own wisdom by pleasure. Ecclesiastes 2:1-27 Human achievement. Ecclesiastes 2:4-58 Money and women. Ecclesiastes 2:89 In Ecclesiastes 2:1110 Solomon again reiterates that there is nothing worthwhile anywhere. Committing your life to God, does not promise a smooth road, but you will never again feel alone. Ecclesiastes 2:24-2511
Solomon tells us to take pleasure in what we are doing now because it comes from God’s hand. If we follow guidelines set out by God, we will experience true enjoyment. We are to take each day as a gift; thanking and serving Him. Solomon wrote most of the book of Proverbs of which the purpose was to provide us with divine wisdom and moral instruction. He writes in Proverbs 4:5-812, getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do. If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her and she will honour you.
Finding Godly wisdom is a daily process of choosing God’s ways. Many times throughout the first two chapters of Solomon, life is described as an unending pursuit of nothing. However, in the midst of this God has assigned us the task of figuring out life. Ecclesiastes 3:9-1013 Our ability to find satisfaction in life and our work depends on our attitude. God has placed this burden on everyone. Starting and living each day with a good attitude is far more beneficial than with a negative attitude. Everything we do should be done as a way to serve God. Ecclesiastes 3:1114 states how God makes everything beautiful, in His time. Eternity has been planted in the human heart, yet only God sees His plan for us from the beginning to the end. This means humans can never be completely satisfied with earthly pleasures and pursuits. We are created in God’s image therefore we yearn to saturate our eternal thirst that which can only be found under God’s perfect rule. God has a plan for your life even though we cannot see our entire future or even comprehend the magnitude of it; we must trust in God. Jeremiah 29:11-1315 Without God, the joy in your life will always be in your next conquest. The past is gone, the future is unknown, all God has given us is right now; the present.
A.W. Tozer once wrote: “Anything God has ever done, He can do now. Anything God has ever done anywhere He can do here. Anything God has ever done for anyone He can do for you.” We must seek God’s wisdom and direction in everything we do. 1 Corinthians 10:3116. So whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Our actions must be motivated by God’s love. A guiding principle is asking yourself, “Is this action glorifying and honouring God? Am I using Godly wisdom in this circumstance?” We must always be aware because human wisdom has a much lower standard than God’s standards. Isaiah 55:917 No amount of earthly wisdom can stop the world from being cruel and unfair. Our advantage as Christians is the wisdom of God our Lord and Saviour. May the Holy Spirit rain down and anoint these words. Amen