Chasing The Wind - Wisdom Series

1. When we are faced with a life and death situation it becomes amazing how priorities change. Death and its entrance into life caused wisdom to rise up and that challenges us to re-evaluate our priorities in life.

ii. Sure laughter has its place but life is not all about acting like a clown and laughing without ever facing the reality of our death and where we are going at our death.

iii. Solomon also adds this thought “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.”

1. I don’t know about you but it's the hard times in life which grow us the most. Would you agree with me on this thought?

2. Listen to James 1:2-5:

a. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you ever face the trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given him.

iv. So many people run to the house of pleasure today but they never contemplate their eternal destiny they think if they laugh enough and have a good time enough then they will never have to deal with their imminent death.

1. Many people live in denial and this not wisdom!

2. Wisdom says, “Live today and enjoy life with God now and you will have the last laugh in the end.”

e. Wisdom says, “It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.”

i. He also adds, “6 Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools.”

1. I took the time this week to google videos of drunken fools singing – wow I never knew there were so many on video making Solomon’s thought hear so relevant to today.

ii. I have been in bars, wedding receptions and family parties and observed my family and others get wasted and I listen to their meaningless laughter over stupid things and I can relate to what Solomon is saying here. How about you?

1. What good is it to laugh at stupid stuff and never listen to sound wise advice from God?

a. How many times have the same people gotten wasted went out and drove drunk, this was and is not funny, and how many times has the judge tried to speak wise counsel to them only to be ignored because the next night there at the bar again laughing it up and getting into a car to drive drunk again.

b. I read about a guy being wasted on a plane as they were carrying him off the plane he was singing an Irish bar song – I can relate to Solomon’s thought here!

iii. Solomon says we need to listen to a wise man’s rebuke and quit listening to the fool’s songs!

1. He is thinking of his own life and his own rebuke from God and it has awoken the gift of wisdom in Him.

iv. So who are the wise people out there:

1. It could be your boss

2. It could be you pastor

3. It could be your spouse

4. It could be the police officer

5. It could be the judge

6. It could be the Doctor

7. It could be a therapist

a. The truth is we must all be open and willing to learn from the rebukes of the wise because they are trying to help. We need to listen to them when they say, “If you keep doing this it will cost you and may even kill you!”