Do not be overly righteous.

What does the bible mean when it says, “do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise”. Why do seemingly good people sometimes perish and wicked people live long lives? Does everyone sin? Why? Come join us as we tackle some of the hard passages of Ecclesiastes 7.

Sermon Outline:

I. We are not to be overly righteous nor overly wicked.

a. Take hold of this truth.

II. None are righteous, all sin.

a.The proof you sin

III. Full wisdom is unobtainable.

IV. The scheme of all things

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. What should you do when you encounter cryptic or difficult passages of scripture?

2. How does being overly righteous fail to miss the gospel? Why or how is it sometimes used to wrongly “manipulate” or “force God’s hand”?

3. What is the fear of the Lord. How does a proper understanding of it help us in our Christian life?

4. Why is the Doctrine of Original Sin important in the understanding that everyone sins? What happens when you remove the understanding that people are not morally neutral?

5. What is personification and how is it used throughout the Wisdom Literate in categories such as Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly? How did it apply to our passage on Sunday regarding the temptress?