We Don’t know It All

Sermon Text

Ecclesiastes 7:7-14

7 Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason,
And a bribe debases the heart.

8 The end of a thing is better than its beginning;
The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9 Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry,
For anger rests in the bosom of fools.
10 Do not say,
“Why were the former days better than these?”
For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance,
And profitable to those who see the sun.
12 For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense,
But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.

13 Consider the work of God;
For who can make straight what He has made crooked?
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful,
But in the day of adversity consider:
Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other,
So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

• Money joined to power can distort even a wise person’s judgment. Oppression, extortion, and bribery corrupt both individuals and societies.
• The end of a matter is better than its beginning, so Christian faithfulness needs patient endurance and humility rather than proud, short-lived enthusiasm.
• Quick or harbored anger is foolish and destructive. Christians should replace it with patient, kind, truthful love.
• Nostalgia becomes unwise when it romanticizes the past, blinds us to past sins, and turns present opportunities for discipleship into complaints.
• Money can provide limited protection, but applied wisdom is the greater inheritance, and Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God who gives eternal life.
• God appoints both prosperity and adversity. Since we cannot straighten every bend in providence or know tomorrow, we should rejoice, grieve, pray, work, and rest as the present season requires.
• We do not know it all, but we can fear the Lord, know his Word, depend on the Spirit, and find peace in Christ while God directs our path.

• Where could money, comfort, status, or authority be distorting your judgment?
• Who has permission to warn you when your use of power, money, or influence begins to drift?
• What habits would help you finish your calling faithfully rather than merely begin with enthusiasm?
• Are you speaking carefully after anger cools, or silently rehearsing arguments and allowing resentment to grow?
• With whom do you need a patient, loving, and honest conversation instead of another private argument in your imagination?
• Which past era do you tend to romanticize, and what sins or sorrows does that memory overlook?
• How could you invest in a younger believer today instead of simply criticizing the present generation?
• What wisdom are you passing to your family along with whatever material inheritance you may leave?
• Are you trusting money for a protection that only Christ can give?
• What uncontrollable bend in your life do you need to place in God’s hands through prayer?
• Does your present season call for joyful thanksgiving, honest grief, patient work, or quiet waiting?

Oppression

The misuse of power to press down, exploit, or harm people who are under another person’s authority or control.

Extortion

Using threats, intimidation, or harm to force someone to surrender money, property, or another benefit.

Bribery

Offering or accepting a benefit in order to corrupt a judgment, decision, or duty.

Patient in spirit

Having humble, long endurance that remains faithful through a slow process instead of demanding immediate results.

Nostalgia

Warm remembrance of the past, which becomes unwise when it imagines earlier days were morally perfect and neglects present duties.

Biblical wisdom

Knowledge of God and his Word skillfully applied to the actual situation in which God has placed us.

Providence

God’s holy and wise ordering of every season, including both prosperity and adversity and the turns we cannot control.

Abiding in Christ

Living in continuing dependence on and fellowship with Jesus, from whom believers receive life and bear godly fruit.

Mammon

Wealth treated as a master to trust and serve, in competition with loyalty to God.