Ecclesiastes 10:1-20 INTRO. The apostle Paul wrote in

"Dead Flies In The Ointment!" Ecclesiastes 10:1-20

INTRO.

The apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 5:9, "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." It is not the great sins which creep in and slowly take control of our lives that destroy our growth and productivity as Christians, but it is the little things that finally, if not confessed to God and brought under the control of the Holy Spirit, that will destroy us. The BIBLE says in James 1:14-15, "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

I want to title the message, "Dead Flies In The Ointment!" Many great men of God who have fallen, didn't begin their fall with a great sin, but with a subtle temptation that when conceived grew into a great sin. David's Great sin with Bathsheba didn't begin out as a great transgression, but as a subtle temptation. David arose off his bed, walked upon the roof of his house; and from the roof saw Bathsheba bathing herself. David was tempted because she was very beautiful to look upon. David's temptation wasn't sin, for all of us are tempted, even Our LORD Jesus was tempted.

David's downfall is found in 2 Samuel 11:3, "And David sent and enquired after the woman...". This was the beginning of his downfall which led to adultery and murder. It is not always the "great sins" which put a stumbling block in our path, but many times it is the little things that we fail to see as a hindrance or concern! All Christians are susceptible, for the SCRIPTURE says, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12).

In Ecclesiastes 10 Solomon gives us ten things to watch for. Things that if they creep into our lives, as Christians, will cause our spiritual lives to fizzle, instead of sizzle! In V1 we read, "Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor." Or we might say "Dead flies cause the oil of the perfume to send forth a stinking savor: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor." The apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:14-15, "Now thanks be unto God, which causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet-smelling savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish."

We are to be a sweet-smelling savor in the nostrils of God, not a stinking savor! Solomon in Ecclesiastes 10:1-20 gives us ten "little" things to watch for!

DEAD FLIES:

(1) LACK OF PRUDENCE Text: Ecclesiastes 10:2-3--"A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool."

A. THE DEFINITION OF PRUDENCE. The word "prudence" means "to exercise sound judgment, use wisdom, and be cautious." There is a GREAT DIFFERENCE between knowledge and wisdom! Of what use is knowledge if we don't possess the wisdom to use what we know? Proverbs 1:7 tells us, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." This verse is telling us that until we possess a fear of the Lord we cannot be prudent! "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge...", the foundation without which all other knowledge is vain. (John Wesley's Explanatory Notes). Solomon said in Proverbs 4:7 --"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get

understanding." We live in a world today in which Knowledge is power, but as 2 Timothy 3:7 tells us, our generation is "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." The sad thing is that we have many Christians today who have a head full of knowledge concerning God's Word but lack the wisdom to put to practice what they know!

B. THE DEMANDS OF PRUDENCE. The turning point in our lives is when we stop seeking the God we want and start seeking the God who is. -- Patrick Morley in The Seasons of a Man's Life. Leadership, Vol. 17, no. 3 2 Peter 3:18 commands believers to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...". Friend, this is where true wisdom is found! As a child of God, you need to be prudent. You cannot simply walk around in this world as if nothing and no one can harm you. You remain extremely vulnerable. The same passions that make you love God may be used by the powers of evil. ? Henri J. M. Nouwen in The Inner Voice of Love. Christianity Today, Vol. 40, no. 11.

ILLUS: At the beginning of his reign, King Solomon prayed one superior gift from God. Not wealth, not long life, but something far more valuable--he asked for "an understanding heart," which translated, a hearing heart. He asked, we say, for wisdom. But the genius of wisdom ... is the ability to open a room in one's heart for the talk--and so for the presence--of another. Wisdom is none other than the ability to listen. ? Walter Wangerin, Jr., in As for Me and My House. Christianity Today, Vol. 34, no. 2.

There are two things which prudence demands:

? A Hearing Heart (James 1:18-20). ? A Humble Mind (Psalm 86:11). Socrates said, "The wisest man is he who

knows his own ignorance.

ILLUS: There are those who desire to acquire knowledge for its own value--and this is a base vanity. But there are others who desire to have it to edify others--and this is charity. And there are others who desire it so that they may be edified--and this is wisdom. -- Bernard of Clairvaux, The Song of Solomon. Christianity Today, Vol. 30, no. 8.

(2) LACK OF PERSEVERANCE Text: Ecclesiastes 10:4--"If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offenses."

A. AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO PERSISTENCE. This verse tells us, "If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place...". We MUST NOT "leave our place," but continue in the diligent and faithful discharge of our duty. So many times when "the spirit of the ruler" rises up against us we become weary and want to give up. Galatians 6:9 encourages us, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." We must remember that "Today's mighty oak is yesterday's little nut that held its ground." We will never be a success for God without perseverance. William Carey, when asked the reason for his success as a missionary replied, "I can plod." The word "plod" means "to walk along heavily and laboriously." That's what we must do. Why? Why keep going? Why be persistent

and persevere? Because Galatians 6:9 tells us, "in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." So often God's people quit too soon. We give up and we give in. The only fight which is lost is that which we give up. -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Christian History, no. 32.

B. AN EXAMPLE OF PERSISTENCE. Solomon said in Proverbs 6:6-8-- "Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest." We, like the ant, must persevere in our duty. We must not quit! We must not give up! We must not give in! Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:57-58--"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." I love what Woodrow Wilson said, "I would rather fail in a cause that someday will triumph than to win in a cause that I know someday will fail. -- Woodrow Wilson, Preaching Today.

(3) LACK OF POSITION Text: Ecclesiastes 10:7--" I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth."

A. A NEW POSITION. As believers, We have a NEW POSITION in Christ Jesus! Ephesians 2:4-7--"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by (grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." Paul said in Colossians 3:1-3--"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Solomon in v7 is speaking of an unusual situation: the worthless exalted to dignity and those of dignity degraded to worthlessness. It's surely a sad situation when the God's people act like they did before God saved them and walk not worthy of God's call. Paul said in Ephesians 4:17-20--"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ." Friends, the Christian has a NEW POSITION! Christ "hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," and "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." Our duty as believers is to live worthy of the NEW POSITION we enjoy in Jesus Christ! Paul prayed in 1 Thessalonians 2:12--"That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory."

ILLUS: Have we recognized that our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost? If so, we must be careful to keep it undefiled for Him. We have to remember that conscious life, though it is only a tiny bit of our personality, is to be regarded by us as a shrine of the Holy Ghost. He will look after the unconscious part that we know nothing of; but we must see that we guard the

conscious part for which we are responsible.-- Oswald Chambers, from _My Utmost For His Highest_, November 8th, "The Unrivalled Power of Prayer"

B. A NEW PURPOSE. Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Friend, I want you to realize something: If you are saved, you are saved for a purpose! V10 says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." ALL BELIEVERS have a purpose! What is that purpose? It consists of three things:

? SEEK HEAVENLY THINGS (COLOSSIANS 3:1-2). ? SHOW FORTH GOD'S GLORY (EPHESIANS 1:12; PHILIPPIANS

2:15-16). ? SHOW OTHERS THE WAY OF SALVATION (PSALM 107:2; 2

CORINTHIANS 5:18-20).

(4) LACK OF PERCEPTION Text: Ecclesiastes 10:8-9--"He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him. Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby."

A. THE DEFINITION OF PERCEPTION. One of the definitions of "perception" is "any insight or knowledge arrived at by seeing or vision." George Barna defined a vision as "a clear mental picture of a preferable future, imparted by God to His chosen servants, based on an accurate understanding of God, self, and circumstances." --George Barna, Without a Vision, the People Perish, (Glendake, CA: Barna Research Group, Ltd, 1991), 28. Someone has said, "Tomorrow is a vision just waiting to be captured."

B. THE DEMANDS OF PERCEPTION. Solomon describes for us in these verses the consequences of not seeing or perceiving the danger around us. It wasn't that the ones described didn't see the surroundings but that they failed to see the danger that could follow. Proverbs 29:18 tells us, "Where there is no vision, the people perish...". Friend, let me share something with you, it is not enough just to see lost people. Our vision must also see the danger they are in and the destiny that is theirs if they remain without Christ. This vision should spur us on to share Christ with them! Perception demands that We MUST have a vision of:

? The LORD (Hebrews 12:1-2). Lest we grow weary. ? The Lost (Psalm 126:5-6). Lest we fail to win them. ? The Promised Land (Revelation 22:1-5). Lest we feel too at home in this

world.

(5) LACK OF PREPARATION Text: Ecclesiastes 10:10-11--"If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better."

A. THE REALITY. Solomon pictures for us a man who goes out to cut wood but who does not first sharpen his axe. The person who does so must exert more effort. Friend,

why would any Christian attempt to serve God or resist the devil without first "sharpening his axe"? The sad reality is that many do. Henry Ford said, "Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success." Proverbs 23:12 instructs us to, "Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge."

B. THE REQUIREMENT. 2 Timothy 2:15 commands us to, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

ILLUS: If a farmer doesn't plant seeds, he will never harvest a crop. It doesn't matter how weed-free his ground is; he must also plant and cultivate good seed. In the same way, we can only reap a harvest of purity and integrity by planting the good seed of God's Word into our lives. I'm not talking about merely reading the Bible. I'm talking about allowing the Holy Spirit to plant the truths of Scripture deep into our hearts and minds through consistent Bible reading and memorization, meditation and prayer. To be effective, and to remain pure, truth must be planted in our hearts daily. -- Gary Oliver, clinical director of Southwest Counseling Associates in Denver. Men of Integrity, Vol. 1, no. 1.

(6) LACK OF PERSUASION (GODLY) Text: Ecclesiastes 10:12-15--"The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him? The labor of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city."

A. THE INFLUENCE OF THE GODLY. Ecclesiastes 10:12 says, "The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious...". The word "gracious" here means "full of grace." Proverbs 10:20-21 tells us, "The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth. The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom." Colossians 4:6 instructs us, "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." All of us influence others. Someone has said, "Let no man think he has no influence." That is why it is so important that we live holy lives at all times. That when we speak we speak with grace. That when we act we act worthy of God's high calling! As Philippians 1:27a tells us, "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ...". The word "conversation" used there speak of our "manner of life." As John Gill puts it we are to "behave as citizens worthy of the Gospel" (John Gill's Exposition of The Entire Bible).

ILLUS: If we work on marble it will perish. If we work on brass, time will efface it. If we rear temples, they will crumble to dust. But if we work on men's immortal minds, if we imbue them with high principles, with just fear of God and love of their fellowmen, we engrave on those tablets something which time cannot efface, and which will brighten and brighten to all eternity. ? Daniel Webster (The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, Swanlake@jam. September 29, 2003)

ILLUS: When Romanian pastor Richard Wurmbrandt and his wife were thrown into prison by the Communists, their 9-year-old son was hauled off to a

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