As we come to this tenth chapter we are still talking about wisdom. Solomon has shown us: 1) Chapter 8 – Wisdom is to obey the law of the land and those God has allowed to hold positions of authority, 2) Chapter 9:1-12 – Wisdom understands the brevity of life and the necessity of being prepared for death, 3) Chapter 9:13-10:1 – Honor wisdom. Hear wisdom. Heed godly wisdom. The issue in this tenth chapter is regarding the respect we show to others, and it deals with the attitude we may have toward them. Solomon is using the example of talking to the king. We are making the application of dealing with other people (whether it is a leader, a boss, a friend, or a fellow church member). Our attitude can go a long way toward determining how people perceive and receive us and the things we have to say to them (our witness). We are talking about the wisdom it takes to positively influence a person or a situation. The wisdom of showing respect is not the trend of this culture today. Instead, the trend is to belittle, complain, and mock. In these verses we find 5 points of wisdom/instruction that will help us in dealing with all people. We see:

  I.  THE COURSE OF WISDOM – VV. 2-4.

 II.  THE CHALLENGE FOR WISDOM – VV. 5-7.

III. THE “CHARM” OF WISDOM – VV. 8-14.

IV.  THE COMPARISON IN WISDOM – VV. 15-19.

V.  THE CAUTION FROM WISDOM – VS. 20.

In chapter 9 Solomon is encouraging and instructing us in the pursuit of godly wisdom. Godly wisdom: 1) Trusts God’s wisdom even when we do not know; 2) Trusts God’s leadership even when we do not understand. It is the wisdom of obedience and submission to God. Godly wisdom says, “Trust and obey God even when things happen that we don’t understand.” But just because wisdom is presented, that does not mean that it will always be accepted. Remember from last week, the fastest should win the race, the strongest should win the battle, the wisest should be the most successful. But 9:11 says, “time and chance (incidents) happeneth to them all.” (The fastest might have an injury; circumstances might prevent the strongest from prevailing; wisdom might be ignored and not accepted.) Understanding this can bring us comfort. Sometimes our godly wisdom may not be followed or accepted, but it is not necessarily our fault. In vs. 13 he is giving us wisdom “under the sun” that is very important. It was BIG to him. This message is a lesson all preachers have learned. If not we become depressed and despondent. I thought, just get up and preach the Word, and people will respond. Not always! In fact, if you have ever tried to share the Gospel with anyone, you have seen it. You can share godly wisdom with the world, but there is not guarantee the world will accept it. (“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”) You can preach, teach, instruct, and witness, but there is no guarantee that anyone will listen. My saying around the house – and here – is “no one listens to me.” In America we are too busy talking, expressing our thoughts, to really listen. Consider the prophets. See what God said to Isaiah in Isaiah 6:8-12. See Jeremiah's reaction in Jeremiah 6:10 ; 20:8-9. Look at God’s instruction to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 3:4-7 ; 33:30-33. God said, "They say, 'Let’s go hear the preacher,' but they aren’t coming to hear a message from God’s Word. Instead, they are coming to see a good performance." Make a note of this: Rejection does not mean that we are wrong or that what we are sharing is bad. (Rejection of godly wisdom is a reflection on the hearer.) Godly wisdom is good, but do not be surprised if it is ignored. In these verses we are going to see why and how godly wisdom is oft times ignored.

  I.  WHEN IT IS NOT HONORED – VV. 14-16.

 II.  WHEN IT IS NOT HEARD – VS. 17.

III.  WHEN IT IS NOT HEEDED – VV. 9:18 – 10:1.

Remember that starting in chapter 7 we entered the second half of this book which focuses on the pursuit of wisdom. Solomon has spent 6 chapters outlining the futile pursuits of life. Now he encourages his readers to obtain true wisdom. In chapter 7 he taught us: 1)   Don’t shy from difficult things because they produce wisdom (learn more at funerals than parties). 2)   Don’t expect that righteous behavior will keep you from suffering. Don’t assume that you can get away with wickedness. (God’s judgment awaits.) God’s governing of the world is incomprehensible; submit anyway. THAT IS WISDOM.! In chapter 8 we see his call to submit to the king, and with chapter 9 we are reminded of the absolute and certain death of every man. Genesis chapters 2-5 present to us the creation of Adam and Eve, their sin against God and, Vv. 8-19, THE CURSE – enmity, pain, labor, death are promised by God. In chapter 4 we see the births of Cain and Abel and the life and sins of a man named Lamech. But the real sting of the curse comes in chapter 5 when we get to Adam’s descendants, and one phrase that rings out over and over and over again, “and he died.” (vv. 4, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, 31). Now, fast forward 3,000 years or so, and the preacher, in Ecclesiastes, is still talking about it. THAT IS THE REALITY WE APPROACH THIS MORNING – There is ONE FATE for all. It is a truth that humanity CANNOT AVOID. It is a truth that humanity CANNOT CONTROL. It is a truth that humanity CANNOT FORGET. There is no avoiding it. IT IS THE CURSE. Hebrews 9:27 – “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment . . . ” Romans 5:12: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned . . . ” And so we see of THE CURSE and of our FATE,

  I.   IT IS A SINGULAR FATE -- 9:1-2.

 II.  IT IS A SAD FATE – VV. 3-10.

III.  IT IS A SUDDEN FATE – VV. 11-12.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, “A little faith will bring your soul to Heaven; a great faith will bring Heaven to your soul.” When we come to Jesus in salvation God enrolls us in the school of faith. Hebrews 11 teaches us about great people of faith, and much of the chapter is about Abraham. (He is called “the father of the faithful.”) Faith is not accidental. Nor is faith incidental. It doesn’t just happen. We choose to have faith. We choose to trust God or not to trust Him. Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Faith is the mark of a child of God. What term was used to describe followers of Christ before they were called Christians? Believers! In Galatians 3:26 we read, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Hebrews 10:38 says, “Now the just shall live by faith . . . ” We will never succeed in the Christian life without a true faith in God. The supreme evil is the sin of unbelief. People don’t spend eternity in hell because they committed murder, or theft, or some other sin. People are condemned to hell for eternity because they will not believe. John 3:18 says, "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." As we look at the life of Abraham this morning, remember that Abraham started out as a pagan. He was a 75 year old idol worshipper when God called him out of theUr of the Chaldees. (That just proves no one is too evil, and no one is too old to trust Christ and follow Him.) God did not tell Abraham where he was going, how long it would take to get there, how long he would stay there, or what he would do while he was there. God just told him to go, and Abraham obeyed. The things that were written about Abraham were written for our sakes so that we might learn to trust God like Abraham did. So this morning we are going to look at 6 principles from the life of Abraham that will help us to have the kind of faith he had. We see:

  I.  THE VOICE PRINCIPLE: WE MUST HEAR FROM GOD – VS. 8.

 II.  THE VENTURE PRINCIPLE: OBEY WHAT YOU KNOW – VS. 8.

III.  THE VALUE PRINCIPLE: ESTABLISH PRIORITIES – VV. 9-10.

IV.  THE VISION PRINCIPLE: KEEP YOUR FAITH FOCUSED – VS. 10.

V.  THE VIGILANCE PRINCIPLE: GUARD YOUR HEART – VS. 11.

 VI.  THE VICTORY PRINCIPLE: ENJOY THE BLESSINGS – VV. 11-12.

In Ecclesiastes 8, we find the word “vanity” used three times (vv. 10, 14). The Hebrew word for “vanity” literally means “vapor.” A vapor is something that cannot be grasped & held in our hands. There are many things that happen “under the sun” that cannot be grasped, in this case, with our minds. Life is full of mysteries. One big mystery: Why does life seem so unfair? It seems that today the ungodly are exalted while the godly are ridiculed. First of all, we must remember that we live in a fallen world. Things are upside down. To illustrate this, Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts . . . ” The psalmist realized this in Psalm 73 when he said, “My feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. (3) For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked . . . (17) Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.” Recall that in vs. 1 the Preacher had asked, “Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing?” As we look at this “upside down” world that we live in, we need true godly wisdom to understand why “there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked” and “there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous . . . ” (vs. 14). And, as we will see, that wisdom will cause us to realize that there are just some things we humans cannot make sense of but that all things fall under the sovereignty of God. We see:

I. THE INABILITY OF MAN - VV. 7-8.

II. THE INEQUITIES OF LIFE - VV. 9-10.

III. THE IMPUDENCE OF THE WICKED - VV. 11-13.

V. THE IMMENSITY (IMMEASURABILITY) OF GOD - VV. 16-17.

This morning we are going to talk about wisdom and obeying the law and the government. In vs. 1 Solomon continues to talk about wisdom. Notice what he says. Godly wisdom has the right view of life. It understands the proper relation of circumstances, and sees into human affairs and God’s dispensation in the case of nations and individuals. It makes a man’s face to shine. It makes him to be regarded and taken notice of, and gains him respect. It beautifies him in the eyes of his friends. His countenance, if it is severe, will be changed into one that is sweet and obliging. It will add to his courage in maintaining his integrity, not not only when he has an honest cause to plead, but by his wisdom knows how to manage it.  Before we get into a discussion of wisdom in our relationship to government, there are some things we need to consider. A few weeks ago in Sunday School we studied from Romans 13. That chapter is about being good citizens – obeying the law, paying our taxes, and even praying for our elected officials. A question was asked about our Founding Fathers and the American Revolution. Did they, or did they not violate these verses in the Word of God, especially Romans 13:1-7? I have been asked that question a few times before. Since God is the Judge and I am not, I cannot accurately answer that question. So, I have examined and studied this issue, and here are some things I found. During the years before the Revolutionary War the issue of justified rebellion was widely debated. Most of the English preachers (John Wesley among them) urged restraint and pacifism. Most of the Colonial preachers (like John Witherspoon and Jonathan Mayhew) fanned the flames of the Revolution with their preaching. Those who supported the Revolution were deeply religious men who felt they were biblically justified in rebelling against England. I believe the Declaration of Independence clearly states what these men believed. I do believe that the American patriots who fought against the British forces were fully convinced that they had a biblical basis and scriptural justification for their actions. Whether their interpretation of various passages of Scripture were accurate or not, I hesitate to say. However, these acted in good faith and in the name of religious freedom, and God has brought about much good from the freedom that was won. Now, to our text, which itself encourages loyalty to one’s government. We see:

   I. GOVERNMENT AND GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY

 II. GOVERNMENT AND OUR OBLIGATION.

III. GOVERNMENT AND OUR LIVES – VV. 6-8.

There are some things we need to “get” before we learn to live wisely in this absurd world. First, go back to 7:12 – “Wisdom giveth life to them that have it.” It says it is a defense. This is true, godly wisdom. Without godly wisdom we are going to have problems trying to make sense of this absurd world. In vv. 23-26 Solomon describes his search for, not godly wisdom, but wisdom “under the sun.” He’s saying, “I’ve learned this the hard way.” (Many of us may be graduates of the “School of Hard Knocks,” the “School of Life.” ) In vs. 23 we read, “I said, I will be wise.” He lived much of his life in pursuit of this wisdom and knowledge. In vs. 25 he said, “I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom . . . ” He sought to know “the wickedness of folly” (foolishness and madness), vs. 25. In 1:17 we read, “And I gave my heart to know madness and folly.” In 2:3: “I sought to lay hold on folly.” In 2:12: “And I turned myself to behold . . . folly . . . ” Then in 7:26 he tells us about “folly.” He compares it to a woman. This is the woman of Proverbs 9:13-18. She sits at the door of her house and calls to those who pass by. She invites them to come in. In 7:26 he says she (folly) is more bitter than death; her “heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands.” He says, “. . . the sinner shall be taken by her.” Only “ whoso pleaseth God” has the ability to escape her. In Vs. 19 he speaks of a different type of wisdom that “strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.” This is godly wisdom. Vs. 18 is key to our understanding here. Psalm 111:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom . . . ” I like the way one source puts vs. 18: “A person who fears God deals responsibly with all of reality, not just a piece of it." Solomon tried to understand the workings of God by human, “under the sun” wisdom but had to say, it “was far from me. (24) That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?” And in vv. 27-28 his conclusion concerning true wisdom is: “ . . . one man among a thousand” may have it, “but a woman among all these have I not found.” He is not anti-woman. His point is that true wisdom is a rare commodity among men and women. Now he gives us:

I. THE ACCOUNTING OF WISDOM.

II. THE ABSURDITY OF THE WORLD – VS. 15.

III. THE APPLICATION OF WISDOM.

The final verses of Ecclesiastes chapter 6 are connected to chapter 7. In 6:10 Solomon says that man is unable to contend (strive; debate) with God because God is mightier (more powerful) than man. (Job declared that in Job 9:2-4.) Then he asks 3 questions: 1) Vs. 11 – Since there are many things in this life “under the sun” which are vanity, “what (how) is man the better?” 2) Vs. 12a – Who knows what is good for man in this life? 3) Vs. 12b – “. . . who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?” The answer to the last two questions is obvious. Only God truly knows what is good for us in this life. (He shows us in His Word.) And only God knows what our future holds and what will come after us. In part (at least) these verses of our text are the answer to question number one, Vs. 11 – “What (how) is man the better (off)?” Note that word “better” in this verse. In the first 10 verses of chapter 7 “better” is used 8 times. Who knows what is good, even better, for man in this world? God does, and He is about to tell us through Solomon what is “better.” It is important to note that chapters 7 and 8 of Ecclesiastes are in what is called the “Wsdom Section” of the book. The title of this message is “Leaving A Legacy.” A "legacy” is something received from a predecessor. We might also call this message “Leaving Behind A Good Reputation.” Leaving a legacy is what Solomon is talking about in vs. 1 of chapter 7. Remember that Ecclesiastes was probably written during Solomon’s latter years. As we get older we start to think about leaving a legacy, what we are going to leave to our children and our grandchildren. How will we be known once we are gone? We don’t want to end up like the man in 6:3 who didn’t even get a decent burial. I believe most folks would like to be fondly remembered and missed once they leave this life. Solomon, too, may be considering the legacy he will leave. His father, David, had left a good reputation and a wonderful legacy for him. What would he leave for Rehoboam and his other children? In order to leave a legacy that matters there needs to be wisdom cultivated in one’s heart. Verses 1-10 give us 7 things that will help us leave a legacy that matters.

I. THE BENEFIT OF REPUTATION – VS. 1a.

II. THE BLESSING OF “REALITY” – VS. 1b.

III. THE BENEFIT OF (A) REMINDER – VS. 2.

IV. THE BENEFIT OF OUR REFINING – VV. 3-4.

V. THE BENEFIT OF REBUKE – VV. 5-6.

VI. THE BENEFIT OF (END) RESULTS -- VV. 7-9.

VII. THE BENEFIT OF REMEMBERING RIGHTLY – VS. 10.

We don’t know a lot about this man, Agur. This is the only place he is mentioned in the Bible. We are told he was the son of Jakeh, but we are not even told who he was. However, we can learn a lot about him from his prayer. We see in vv. 2-3 that he was an humble man. Vv. 5-6 reveal that he had a love for the Word of God. Vv. 7-9 let us know that he had a relationship with God. And in vs. 8 we see that he was a man of integrity, for he prayed, “Remove far from me vanity and lies . . . ” Verses 7-9 are a prayer Agur prayed out of his desire to make sure that he kept God and money in their proper places in his life. In this brief prayer he gives us an example of the kind of prayer that has power with God and gives us the characteristics of such a prayer. In observing his prayer we see:

I. THE SIMPLICITY OF IT.

II. THE SOUNDNESS OF IT.

III. THE SATISFACTION OF IT.

IV. THE SINCERITY OF IT.

I AM POSTING THIS MESSAGE FOR A GOOD FRIEND WHO RECENTLY SUFFERED A LOSS IN THEIR LIFE.

We know that pain, sickness, and death come to all due to mankind's sin nature. We have examined what death is and what happens when one dies. But does the Bible give us any instruction about hoW we should react when we lose a loved one? I believe it does, and that is what I want to examine in this message today. I hope it will: 1) Remind us that God is always present and, I think, especially at that time of loss and hurt wants to show His great love for us; 2) Give us comfort when we come to that time of loss in our own lives; 3) In some small way help to prepare our hearts to face that time that is coming to all of us. No matter how long one lives, nor how love one's loved ones live, there never seems to be a "right" time to lose someone dear to you to death. May realize that the time has to come, but it always seems way too soon when it does. My mother said when her mom passed away, "No matter how sick they are, you are never ready to give them up." Our text refers to God as "the God of all comfort." "Comfort" is the Greek word "parakaleo" which refers to comfort, encouragement, strength. He is the God Who comes along side us and gives us what we need for the times we face. The guarantee from vs. 4 is that He "comforteth us in all our tribulation . . ." Again, it is my prayer that by this message God's provision of consolation can be recognized in our own lives and can be shared with others in their time of need. (This is the idea expressed in vs. 4.) In order to do this, we must:

I. HOLD A PROPER ATTITUDE TOWARD DEATH.

II. RECEIVE THE COMFORT GIVEN IN GOD'S WORD.

III. EXPECT CERTAIN REACTIONS.

IV. BE WILLING TO GIVE COMFORT TO OTHERS.