It's wonderful to know that that is enough. Jesus
has died, His blood has been shed, and nothing
more needs be done to satisfy God for our sins.
Our only need is to receive that gift that God
has provided in His Son. I hope you've done that
this morning. We're going to continue our study
in the book of Proverbs today and think about
God's wisdom for our world and conclude the message
entitled, Playing the Fool. Proverbs 1, 7 says,
the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Professor
Wisdom has a classroom full of students. One
of them is named Fool. It's not that a fool is
mentally deficient. A fool is rather morally
deficient. It's not that a fool cannot fear God,
it is that a fool will not fear God. He has closed
his mind. A fool is one who has no use for moral
values or for God's instruction. And because
of that, he condemns himself to a wasted life.
What is a fool like? Well, in Proverbs we have
a number of pictures presented to us. of a fool.
We've seen a couple of these. In the first place,
we saw a few weeks ago that a fool is like a
student who wastes his opportunity. Chapter 17
and verse 16 in the Moffat translation says,
Why does the fool offer the sage a fee when he
has no mind to learn? In other words, he pays
his tuition in life, but he doesn't learn anything.
He is a student. but he wastes the opportunities
that come to him to learn. We saw, secondly,
that a fool is like a merchant who hawks his
wares. He delights in airing his own opinions.
Like the oriental merchant, he is out in front
of his foolishness, hawking his wares, airing
his opinions, telling what he thinks and doesn't
realize that what he's trying to push out on
people is a bunch of junk. He is a merchant who
hawks his wares. Wisdom. Wisdom requires a quiet
willingness to listen and then a thoughtful response.
A wise person listens more than he speaks. A
wise person does not say everything that comes
to his mind, but he weighs out his words thoughtfully.
A third picture of a fool is found in chapter
15 verse 21 of Proverbs, which says, Folly delights
a man who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding
keeps a straight course. The picture that I see
here of the fool is that he is like a runner
who leaves his race. Do you remember several
years ago when there was a televised race? And
as the runners were coming around the corner,
one of the runners who was in the front actually,
instead of coming on around the bend toward the
finish line, went right out the gate of the stadium.
I have no idea, I never did hear why or what
happened to him, but he did not finish his race.
He was in it, but he left it. Like that runner,
a fool is easily distracted from the commitments
that he makes. He lacks the discipline to stay
at a task until it's finished, until he crosses
that finish line. He lacks judgment or discernment
in his value system, and therefore he follows
the delight or the pleasure at the moment. A
fool is one who is easily distracted and leaves.
what he should be committed to. The story is
told of a hunter who had his gun aimed at a large
bear who was ready to eat him. On the other hand,
the hunter was ready to pull the trigger of his
gun, and just before he did, the bear spoke in
a soft and soothing voice saying, Isn't it better
to talk than to shoot? Why don't we negotiate
the matter? What is it that you want?" Well,
the hunter listened and he took his finger off
the trigger, lowered his rifle, and answered,
Well, I'd like a fur coat. That's good, said
the bear. I think that's something we can talk
about, because all I want is a full stomach.
Maybe we can reach a compromise." And so they
sat down to talk it over. A little while later,
the bear walked away all by himself. The negotiations
had been successful. He had a full stomach and
the hunter had a fur coat. Thus the danger of
becoming distracted from what we're about. Wisdom
brings understanding about life's issues. enabling
the wise to stay on a straight course and not
to leave the path of his commitments. A fourth
picture of a fool is found in chapter 26 of Proverbs
and verse 11. A rather nasty picture. It says,
as a dog returns to its vomit, So a fool repeats
his folly." Now, you don't have to be raised
on a farm to understand what this is saying,
do you? The writer of Proverbs is simply stating
what is obvious, that the true nature of a beast
is revealed in his chosen appetites. By the way,
that's why Peter picks up this verse. as the
Spirit of God inspires him in writing his second
epistle, as he warns about Christian apostates,
those who claim to be one thing but who are actually
another, and he says, it is their actions in
the end that speak louder than their words. A
fool, you see, is exposed by his behavior, not
by his vocabulary, not by his IQ, not by the
degrees he may have in education, not by his
vocation, but by his actions. Repetition of foolish
conduct, that is, actions that have no fear of
God in them, reveals a fool. The writer of Proverbs
says that the fool makes a disgusting mess and
then compounds the revolting situation by his
further actions. Earlier in the book the writer
says a fool finds pleasure in evil conduct. It's
not just enough that he does what is evil but
he does it again and he finds pleasure in the
repetition of it. A dog returns to its vomit
and so does a fool to his folly. The fool is
exposed by his actions, and by the way, so is
a wise person. Behavior exposes both. There's
a third picture of a fool I want to get to in
chapter 17 in verse 12. Again, we go to the animal
kingdom. to pick this one up because the writer
says, better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool in his folly. And so a fool is like
a bear which is robbed of its cubs. Kidner writes
in his book, in society the fool is, in a word,
a menace. At best he wastes your time and he
may be a more serious nuisance. If he has an
idea in his head, nothing. will stop him. A fool
is a stubborn person. And he reacts to situations
by his instincts. He is not concerned about sorting
things out according to values. He simply reacts
by instincts. He will not take into account others'
perspectives. He will not be turned from his
stubborn purpose. He can be dangerous and bring
devastation to those around him. Pastor Thoman
was fishing a few weeks ago out in Montana. He
told me about one place where he and the party
went where they had to walk something like three
or four miles to get to the trout stream. It
was across a plain and there was grass, yea high,
three or four feet high. There was a path across
it, but this area is inhabited by bears. And
he said, one thing you have to watch out for,
especially at this time of year, is stumbling
onto the cubs of a mama bear. Because you see,
when you do that, the mama bear has only one
thing in mind, and that is to protect her cubs.
She doesn't stop to reason, oh, it's a fisherman
on his way to the river. Nothing to worry about.
You see, there is only instinct involved and
immediately that mother bear, as God has created
her, turns to defend those cubs. A fool reacts
by instinct as well. Chapter 20 and verse 3 says,
every fool is quick to quarrel. He doesn't stop
to think. Just that sets him off and he's ready
to go. Chapter 29 verse 11, a fool gives full
vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself
under control. The wise will temper his actions
and his reactions by the reality of the situation
that he's in. He looks at the situation through
his value system before he responds, but not
so a fool. He doesn't have that value system.
There's no fear of God in his eyes. And so he
simply reacts like an animal reacting on instinct.
There was a fellow who went to a church fellowship
with both of his ears bright red. So a friend
of his said, what happened to your ears? A terrible
thing, said the fellow. While I was ironing my
shirt to come tonight, the phone rang. And well,
I picked up the iron instead of the telephone.
Well, that's awful, his friend said, but what
happened to your other ear? Well, he said the
same guy called back. You see, that's reacting
by instinct. And I'll tell you what, you can
get more than your ears burned doing that. Foolishness
as a character trait must be corrected in childhood.
where it may well persist through one's life.
Now all of us can be foolish and have been foolish
and are foolish and will continue to be foolish.
But what I'm talking about here is one whose
whole character is bent that direction. Not the
incident that happens here or the reaction that's
wrong there. I'm talking about the person whose
life is folly or foolishness. Turn to chapter
22 of Proverbs in verse 15. We see a verse that's
not going to go over well with those who worship
at the altar of psychology. Proverbs 22 .15 says,
Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but
the rod of discipline will drive it far from
him. And we need to understand that the writer
of Proverbs is not suggesting child beating.
This verse is not addressing child abuse, which
is wrong and sinful. That is not the issue. But
the issue is that there is a place for corporal
punishment. for discipline using the means of
a spanking. There is a place for that. And in
fact, the writer says that unless we use the
rod of discipline correctly, with self -control,
in a godly manner, unless we use it, our children
may well grow up with foolishness being unleashed
in their lives. because very naturally it is
bound up in the heart of a child and as a child
grows it continues to be unleashed unless it's
dealt with. There is a time to spank a child.
There is a time to spank a child. I did not say
a baby, an infant, but there comes a time when
a spanking is appropriate. Can you spank a teenager?
If you're big enough, and most parents aren't,
there comes a time when a spanking is no longer
appropriate. There are other kinds of discipline.
The point the writer of Proverbs is making is
that we parents have a responsibility. We cannot
guarantee beyond any doubt that our children
will not grow up to be fools because we can't
get in their hearts and change them. They hold
the key. But what we can do is discipline them
consistently in such a way that as they grow
up, it is likely that foolishness will be properly
dealt with. And it involves discipline. Chapter
23, verses 13 and 14 says, Do not withhold discipline
from a child. If you punish him with a rod, he
will not die. Punish him with the rod and save
his soul from sheol, from death, from the realm
of the departed. You see, as we saw earlier in
our study of Proverbs, to grow up to be a fool
means that likely one will have a shortened life
because of foolishness. And so if we love our
children, we want to have them to enjoy a long
life. And that involves preparing them for life
by discipline. We're not to withhold a proper,
properly administered spanking or other kinds
of discipline for our children that is appropriate
for their age. The best time to teach values,
the best time to teach the fear of the Lord is
in the childhood years. You say, well, what years
are those? Well, from the very youngest days
until a child has left home. I don't think it
means to stop at adolescence. It means to continue
right on until that child is out of the nest.
We have those years to teach values to our children.
Will they test those values? Yes, of course.
That's part of growing up. It's good that they
do test them. They need to make them their own
and not merely adopt them. Children will test
our values. And sometimes that will be alarming
and frustrating to parents. We're nonetheless
to seek to continue to teach them the ways of
God, the fear of the Lord. When we do that, in
the end, not always in the process, I wish it
were so, but at least in the end it will bring
respect for parents and for others, especially
including God in their lives. February is going
to be the month of the family here at Grace Church,
and we're going to talk more about child discipline
and family issues when we get to that month.
So I'm going to leave it at that point and say
this, that those who grow up to be confirmed
fools have three things in common. You can just
write it down, in fact you may write it down
in your notes, but you can write it down in your
mind as well that there are three things that
fools, confirmed fools, have in common. One is
an unwillingness to learn. An unwillingness to
learn. Chapter 12 and verse 15. The way of a
fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens
to advice. A fool will not listen to counsel.
Though you give him counsel, he will not listen
to it. He will not heed it. It will roll off
of him. A wise man, though, cocks his ear to
listen carefully to the advice given to him.
He may not always agree, always accept it, but
he will listen to it. But not so a fool. There
is an unwillingness to listen and to learn. The
second characteristic of a fool is a lack of
self -control. Chapter 12, we're close to that,
so look at verse 16. Which says a fool shows
his annoyance at once but a prudent man overlooks
an insult When a fool is corrected he is annoyed
immediately He flashes with temper But a prudent
man can even overlook an insult Turn over to
chapter 14 verse 16 where a similar thing is
said a wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil,
but a fool is hot -headed and reckless. He does
not have self -control. He's hot -headed. And
we see it also in his words, chapter 18, verse
6. A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth
invites a beating. As he is speaking, what he's
getting across is, please hit me. Please punch
me in the mouth Why because of his his response
his lack of self -control Verse 7 a fool's mouth
is his undoing and his lips are a snare to his
soul All fools have in common a lack of self
-control whether it be in actions and reactions
or in the words that they use And which of us
has not at some time played the fool in this
regard. We're talking now about the one whose
life is bent in this direction. But there is
a third very sad thing that all fools share in
common, chapter 10 and verse 8, where it says,
the wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering
fool comes to ruin. The chattering fool, the
lack of self -control seen in that description,
comes to ruin. In other words, his life falls
apart. There was an inscription on a monument
to an army mule that said this, in memory of
Kate, who in her time kicked a colonel, three
majors, eight captains, 12 lieutenants, 21 sergeants,
230 others and one bomb. And so it is with the
fool. Ultimately, the kick is against the bomb
and ruin comes. The bitter fruit of foolishness
should make all of us attentive to the warnings
of God about playing the fool. He says that a
fool brings grief and sorrow, especially to his
parents, chapter 17, verse 21. Verse 25. The
mother and father of a fool weep because of the
child. Now become an adult who lives foolishly.
Chapter 10 and verse 10 repeats the possibility
of ruin when it says, He who winks maliciously
causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to
ruin. A fool ruins his own life. He wastes it.
Chapter 14 in verse 1 says that the fruit of
being a fool is to tear down one's own house.
The wise woman builds her house, but with her
own hands the foolish one tears hers down. The
foolish person brings down his house around himself.
In chapter 11 verse 29 we're told, He who brings
trouble on his family will inherit only wind
and the fool will be a servant to the wise. A
fool has no inheritance to give except foolishness,
except the wind, and he himself becomes an indentured
servant, a servant to those who are wise, the
bitter fruit of a life of foolishness. Jesus
told the story of a man who built his house upon
a rock and when the storms came against that
house it beat and it blew but it did not collapse
because it was built upon a rock but Jesus said
the foolish man built his house upon the sand,
and when the storms came it undermined the house
and it all collapsed. That is the ruin that awaits
every fool. You say, but I know fools who are
wealthy. You see a man who's in the process of
becoming poor. You say, but I know a fool who
is successful. you see a fool who is soon going
to be a failure because inevitably at the end
the fool loses it all as God said to the fool
who was a farmer that Jesus told us about you
fool tonight your soul is required of you and
now whose will all of those things be that you've
gathered together In the end, the fool loses
it all. He's brought to ruin. Well, you say,
is there any hope for a confirmed and persistent
fool? Is there any hope for him? The answer to
that is, not much. Not much. According to the
book of Proverbs. I would say that there is a
window that is slightly open of an opportunity
for a person who grows up to be a fool to avoid
the disaster that's awaiting him. He himself
holds the key as to whether he will leave his
foolishness behind and escape his destiny. You
say, well, what is the key that the fool holds
in his hand? It is the opportunity yet To repent
to humble himself and to fear the Lord If he
will not do that there is no hope for him You
say well, I I don't know whether I'm the fool
or not, but I've sure made some mistakes in life
Well all of us have friend all of us have And
many of us bear scars from mistakes of our lives.
The thing is not that we make mistakes. The thing
is what do we learn from our mistakes? What do
we do with our mistakes? That's the difference
there between a fool and a wise person. A fool
will not learn. A wise person does. And today
you can respond in the right way. If you've made
a mess of your life, you can come to Jesus Christ.
and humble yourself before Him and receive forgiveness
for the sins and receive wisdom to know how to
begin putting your life back together. You can
do that if you will. And I hope you will today
because Jesus delights in doing that. He delights
in it. God takes no delight in a fool. God does
take delight in the fool who repents. comes to
Him, who comes to Him with the brokenness, who
comes to Him with humility, who comes to Him
in reverence and trust. Will you do that today?
Will you turn around? Will you have a new beginning,
a new start, and begin living wisely and building
your house upon a rock? Let's pray. Our heads
bowed, our eyes closed, and it's the Spirit of
God presses home to our hearts the message. Perhaps
there are a number of us who feel some conviction
today because we've acted foolishly in recent
days or hours perhaps. Our lives have given evidence
of foolishness. We need to acknowledge that to
God. To ask Him forgiveness for any sin involved.
To make it right with others. Determine in our
hearts to seek God's wisdom reverently and humbly.
If you're one today who's been walking away from
God and And more than just an incident or two,
there's been a whole line, a whole train of foolishness.
Your life is bent and warped in that direction.
My friend Jesus Christ offers you an opportunity
to turn around today. Will you take him up on
it? Just open your heart right where you're seated.
You don't have to do anything, but deal with
God. and say, Lord, I acknowledge the foolishness
of sin in my life and I repent of it. I turn
from it, Lord. I humble myself before you and
I come to you to receive what I need, forgiveness
and life and wisdom. He will give it to you,
friend. He will meet you and give you a new life.
You can start all over again. Father, may there
be someone here today who would make that exact
decision in Jesus' name. Amen. And if today that
is your decision, or you're not quite at that
point yet, but you need to talk to someone about
your life, then I want to invite you Come up
after the service and meet me here I'm going
to ask some elders or staff present in the service
to come just wait for a few minutes in the front
We have those who had loved is take you aside
and pray with you at the moment And then we can
set up something later if that's deemed necessary
in your life But please don't go away today Unless
you know that your heart is right with God and
you're walking in the fear of the Lord But we'd
like to give the right hand of fellowship this
morning to some who've come into our church in
recent weeks, and I'm going to ask those in this
service to quickly come.