Topical Sermons - Executable Outlines

Mark A. Copeland
- cf. Lk 12:15
2. If we don’t learn this while young, we will waste much of our life pursuing the wrong things,
and hate ourselves for it when we face death’s door
a. Solomon came to this realization - Ecc 2:17-23
b. Rosseau, the French philosopher, saw the ungraceful way many old people live out
their later years as the result of learning this truth too late: “Old men grasp more at life
than babies, and leave it with a much worse grace than young people. It is because all
their labors having been for this life, they perceive at last their trouble lost.”
3. There is more to life than material things; to grow old gracefully we must realize this and
find that which makes life full and abundant!
a. Fortunately, Jesus came to help us - Jn 10:10
b. He is the true and living Way! - Jn 14:6
c. And it is the Word of God that shows us the way to Christ - Jn 5:39
1) This illustrates the truth of Mt 4:4
2) The Word of God reveals Christ to us, who in turn shows us how to really life, for
He is the Life!
4. What a shame to go through life, only to find at last our labors were of no lasting value - cf.
Lk 9:25; 12:15-21
C. “BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO FINDS WISDOM...”
1. The word blessed means “happy, rich”
2. Wisdom is insight, understanding, which enables one to make the best use of his or her
talents and circumstances, avoiding the mistakes and pitfalls of life
3. The value of wisdom is:
a. Beautifully proclaimed in Pro 3:13-18
b. Illustrated in Ep 5:15-16
1) The days are evil (the time is short) - cf. Ja 4:13-14
2) Wisdom helps one to utilize to the fullest what little time we have, instead of
wasting
our precious time
4. Wisdom can be acquired in two ways:
a. Personal experience
1) Which can be very wasteful and time-consuming
2) You can spend much of your life in trial and error, repeating the same mistakes
made by others
3) While you may finally gain wisdom...
a) You have not only wasted much time in the trials
b) You have to bear the consequence of your errors ( you reap what you sow)
b. God and His Word - Pro 2:6
1) What better source, than from He who by wisdom created the universe - Pro 3:
19-20
2) With such wisdom, especially at an early age...
a) Our journey through life will more pleasant and graceful - Pro 3:21-26
b) We can get a head start and soon pass those who learn only through trial and
error - cf. Psa 119:97-100
[With the wisdom found in God’s Word, it is possible to grow old gracefully. For in it we learn:
Topical Sermons 181