WEBVTT 00:00:01.320 --> 00:00:05.280 It's wonderful to know that that is enough. Jesus 00:00:05.280 --> 00:00:08.759 has died, His blood has been shed, and nothing 00:00:08.759 --> 00:00:12.740 more needs be done to satisfy God for our sins. 00:00:13.640 --> 00:00:16.620 Our only need is to receive that gift that God 00:00:16.620 --> 00:00:18.600 has provided in His Son. I hope you've done that 00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:22.019 this morning. We're going to continue our study 00:00:22.019 --> 00:00:24.039 in the book of Proverbs today and think about 00:00:24.039 --> 00:00:28.600 God's wisdom for our world and conclude the message 00:00:28.600 --> 00:00:33.359 entitled, Playing the Fool. Proverbs 1, 7 says, 00:00:33.539 --> 00:00:37.140 the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, 00:00:37.740 --> 00:00:43.520 but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Professor 00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:49.520 Wisdom has a classroom full of students. One 00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:55.960 of them is named Fool. It's not that a fool is 00:00:55.960 --> 00:00:59.719 mentally deficient. A fool is rather morally 00:00:59.719 --> 00:01:04.280 deficient. It's not that a fool cannot fear God, 00:01:04.359 --> 00:01:09.000 it is that a fool will not fear God. He has closed 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:14.519 his mind. A fool is one who has no use for moral 00:01:14.519 --> 00:01:18.459 values or for God's instruction. And because 00:01:18.459 --> 00:01:21.659 of that, he condemns himself to a wasted life. 00:01:23.060 --> 00:01:27.120 What is a fool like? Well, in Proverbs we have 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:31.930 a number of pictures presented to us. of a fool. 00:01:32.750 --> 00:01:34.950 We've seen a couple of these. In the first place, 00:01:35.670 --> 00:01:37.829 we saw a few weeks ago that a fool is like a 00:01:37.829 --> 00:01:41.530 student who wastes his opportunity. Chapter 17 00:01:41.530 --> 00:01:44.069 and verse 16 in the Moffat translation says, 00:01:44.269 --> 00:01:47.890 Why does the fool offer the sage a fee when he 00:01:47.890 --> 00:01:51.769 has no mind to learn? In other words, he pays 00:01:51.769 --> 00:01:54.150 his tuition in life, but he doesn't learn anything. 00:01:55.969 --> 00:01:59.209 He is a student. but he wastes the opportunities 00:01:59.209 --> 00:02:03.829 that come to him to learn. We saw, secondly, 00:02:03.989 --> 00:02:06.450 that a fool is like a merchant who hawks his 00:02:06.450 --> 00:02:09.770 wares. He delights in airing his own opinions. 00:02:10.889 --> 00:02:13.370 Like the oriental merchant, he is out in front 00:02:13.370 --> 00:02:17.870 of his foolishness, hawking his wares, airing 00:02:17.870 --> 00:02:20.770 his opinions, telling what he thinks and doesn't 00:02:20.770 --> 00:02:23.129 realize that what he's trying to push out on 00:02:23.129 --> 00:02:27.580 people is a bunch of junk. He is a merchant who 00:02:27.580 --> 00:02:34.680 hawks his wares. Wisdom. Wisdom requires a quiet 00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:39.199 willingness to listen and then a thoughtful response. 00:02:39.419 --> 00:02:44.479 A wise person listens more than he speaks. A 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:48.000 wise person does not say everything that comes 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:51.740 to his mind, but he weighs out his words thoughtfully. 00:02:54.699 --> 00:02:58.300 A third picture of a fool is found in chapter 00:02:58.300 --> 00:03:05.620 15 verse 21 of Proverbs, which says, Folly delights 00:03:05.620 --> 00:03:11.139 a man who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding 00:03:11.139 --> 00:03:15.099 keeps a straight course. The picture that I see 00:03:15.099 --> 00:03:17.319 here of the fool is that he is like a runner 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:20.719 who leaves his race. Do you remember several 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:24.129 years ago when there was a televised race? And 00:03:24.129 --> 00:03:26.509 as the runners were coming around the corner, 00:03:26.629 --> 00:03:30.330 one of the runners who was in the front actually, 00:03:31.030 --> 00:03:33.250 instead of coming on around the bend toward the 00:03:33.250 --> 00:03:35.550 finish line, went right out the gate of the stadium. 00:03:37.129 --> 00:03:39.810 I have no idea, I never did hear why or what 00:03:39.810 --> 00:03:42.990 happened to him, but he did not finish his race. 00:03:43.409 --> 00:03:50.469 He was in it, but he left it. Like that runner, 00:03:50.650 --> 00:03:53.569 a fool is easily distracted from the commitments 00:03:53.569 --> 00:03:58.090 that he makes. He lacks the discipline to stay 00:03:58.090 --> 00:04:01.949 at a task until it's finished, until he crosses 00:04:01.949 --> 00:04:07.189 that finish line. He lacks judgment or discernment 00:04:07.189 --> 00:04:11.189 in his value system, and therefore he follows 00:04:11.189 --> 00:04:14.849 the delight or the pleasure at the moment. A 00:04:14.849 --> 00:04:18.410 fool is one who is easily distracted and leaves. 00:04:19.050 --> 00:04:24.949 what he should be committed to. The story is 00:04:24.949 --> 00:04:31.029 told of a hunter who had his gun aimed at a large 00:04:31.029 --> 00:04:38.649 bear who was ready to eat him. On the other hand, 00:04:38.829 --> 00:04:41.170 the hunter was ready to pull the trigger of his 00:04:41.170 --> 00:04:44.610 gun, and just before he did, the bear spoke in 00:04:44.610 --> 00:04:48.550 a soft and soothing voice saying, Isn't it better 00:04:48.550 --> 00:04:52.490 to talk than to shoot? Why don't we negotiate 00:04:52.490 --> 00:04:58.529 the matter? What is it that you want?" Well, 00:04:58.589 --> 00:05:00.949 the hunter listened and he took his finger off 00:05:00.949 --> 00:05:03.889 the trigger, lowered his rifle, and answered, 00:05:05.189 --> 00:05:10.269 Well, I'd like a fur coat. That's good, said 00:05:10.269 --> 00:05:13.209 the bear. I think that's something we can talk 00:05:13.209 --> 00:05:15.370 about, because all I want is a full stomach. 00:05:16.710 --> 00:05:19.610 Maybe we can reach a compromise." And so they 00:05:19.610 --> 00:05:22.870 sat down to talk it over. A little while later, 00:05:22.990 --> 00:05:26.310 the bear walked away all by himself. The negotiations 00:05:26.310 --> 00:05:28.870 had been successful. He had a full stomach and 00:05:28.870 --> 00:05:35.310 the hunter had a fur coat. Thus the danger of 00:05:35.310 --> 00:05:40.149 becoming distracted from what we're about. Wisdom 00:05:40.149 --> 00:05:44.589 brings understanding about life's issues. enabling 00:05:44.589 --> 00:05:48.790 the wise to stay on a straight course and not 00:05:48.790 --> 00:05:53.529 to leave the path of his commitments. A fourth 00:05:53.529 --> 00:05:57.370 picture of a fool is found in chapter 26 of Proverbs 00:05:57.370 --> 00:06:08.769 and verse 11. A rather nasty picture. It says, 00:06:09.089 --> 00:06:14.100 as a dog returns to its vomit, So a fool repeats 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:18.379 his folly." Now, you don't have to be raised 00:06:18.379 --> 00:06:20.339 on a farm to understand what this is saying, 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:27.699 do you? The writer of Proverbs is simply stating 00:06:27.699 --> 00:06:31.360 what is obvious, that the true nature of a beast 00:06:31.360 --> 00:06:38.839 is revealed in his chosen appetites. By the way, 00:06:38.839 --> 00:06:42.500 that's why Peter picks up this verse. as the 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:45.060 Spirit of God inspires him in writing his second 00:06:45.060 --> 00:06:50.259 epistle, as he warns about Christian apostates, 00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:53.500 those who claim to be one thing but who are actually 00:06:53.500 --> 00:06:55.699 another, and he says, it is their actions in 00:06:55.699 --> 00:07:01.139 the end that speak louder than their words. A 00:07:01.139 --> 00:07:05.860 fool, you see, is exposed by his behavior, not 00:07:05.860 --> 00:07:12.060 by his vocabulary, not by his IQ, not by the 00:07:12.060 --> 00:07:14.560 degrees he may have in education, not by his 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:20.459 vocation, but by his actions. Repetition of foolish 00:07:20.459 --> 00:07:24.939 conduct, that is, actions that have no fear of 00:07:24.939 --> 00:07:31.720 God in them, reveals a fool. The writer of Proverbs 00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:35.959 says that the fool makes a disgusting mess and 00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:39.139 then compounds the revolting situation by his 00:07:39.139 --> 00:07:42.990 further actions. Earlier in the book the writer 00:07:42.990 --> 00:07:49.350 says a fool finds pleasure in evil conduct. It's 00:07:49.350 --> 00:07:51.670 not just enough that he does what is evil but 00:07:51.670 --> 00:07:55.610 he does it again and he finds pleasure in the 00:07:55.610 --> 00:07:59.810 repetition of it. A dog returns to its vomit 00:07:59.810 --> 00:08:06.500 and so does a fool to his folly. The fool is 00:08:06.500 --> 00:08:09.920 exposed by his actions, and by the way, so is 00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:17.120 a wise person. Behavior exposes both. There's 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:19.180 a third picture of a fool I want to get to in 00:08:19.180 --> 00:08:26.519 chapter 17 in verse 12. Again, we go to the animal 00:08:26.519 --> 00:08:30.250 kingdom. to pick this one up because the writer 00:08:30.250 --> 00:08:33.250 says, better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs 00:08:33.250 --> 00:08:38.929 than a fool in his folly. And so a fool is like 00:08:38.929 --> 00:08:43.110 a bear which is robbed of its cubs. Kidner writes 00:08:43.110 --> 00:08:46.850 in his book, in society the fool is, in a word, 00:08:47.070 --> 00:08:51.730 a menace. At best he wastes your time and he 00:08:51.730 --> 00:08:54.970 may be a more serious nuisance. If he has an 00:08:54.970 --> 00:08:59.980 idea in his head, nothing. will stop him. A fool 00:08:59.980 --> 00:09:07.299 is a stubborn person. And he reacts to situations 00:09:07.299 --> 00:09:11.860 by his instincts. He is not concerned about sorting 00:09:11.860 --> 00:09:15.659 things out according to values. He simply reacts 00:09:15.659 --> 00:09:20.299 by instincts. He will not take into account others' 00:09:21.059 --> 00:09:24.159 perspectives. He will not be turned from his 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:28.029 stubborn purpose. He can be dangerous and bring 00:09:28.029 --> 00:09:34.490 devastation to those around him. Pastor Thoman 00:09:34.490 --> 00:09:38.750 was fishing a few weeks ago out in Montana. He 00:09:38.750 --> 00:09:40.990 told me about one place where he and the party 00:09:40.990 --> 00:09:44.730 went where they had to walk something like three 00:09:44.730 --> 00:09:47.450 or four miles to get to the trout stream. It 00:09:47.450 --> 00:09:52.269 was across a plain and there was grass, yea high, 00:09:53.090 --> 00:09:55.950 three or four feet high. There was a path across 00:09:55.950 --> 00:10:00.690 it, but this area is inhabited by bears. And 00:10:00.690 --> 00:10:02.690 he said, one thing you have to watch out for, 00:10:02.750 --> 00:10:05.269 especially at this time of year, is stumbling 00:10:05.269 --> 00:10:10.970 onto the cubs of a mama bear. Because you see, 00:10:10.990 --> 00:10:13.490 when you do that, the mama bear has only one 00:10:13.490 --> 00:10:16.049 thing in mind, and that is to protect her cubs. 00:10:17.289 --> 00:10:19.929 She doesn't stop to reason, oh, it's a fisherman 00:10:19.929 --> 00:10:24.590 on his way to the river. Nothing to worry about. 00:10:26.250 --> 00:10:28.909 You see, there is only instinct involved and 00:10:28.909 --> 00:10:31.370 immediately that mother bear, as God has created 00:10:31.370 --> 00:10:38.230 her, turns to defend those cubs. A fool reacts 00:10:38.230 --> 00:10:42.809 by instinct as well. Chapter 20 and verse 3 says, 00:10:43.009 --> 00:10:47.190 every fool is quick to quarrel. He doesn't stop 00:10:47.190 --> 00:10:51.190 to think. Just that sets him off and he's ready 00:10:51.190 --> 00:10:55.980 to go. Chapter 29 verse 11, a fool gives full 00:10:55.980 --> 00:10:59.820 vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself 00:10:59.820 --> 00:11:05.100 under control. The wise will temper his actions 00:11:05.100 --> 00:11:08.559 and his reactions by the reality of the situation 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:13.379 that he's in. He looks at the situation through 00:11:13.379 --> 00:11:17.940 his value system before he responds, but not 00:11:17.940 --> 00:11:20.389 so a fool. He doesn't have that value system. 00:11:20.450 --> 00:11:22.950 There's no fear of God in his eyes. And so he 00:11:22.950 --> 00:11:27.889 simply reacts like an animal reacting on instinct. 00:11:30.789 --> 00:11:33.070 There was a fellow who went to a church fellowship 00:11:33.070 --> 00:11:38.350 with both of his ears bright red. So a friend 00:11:38.350 --> 00:11:41.830 of his said, what happened to your ears? A terrible 00:11:41.830 --> 00:11:44.990 thing, said the fellow. While I was ironing my 00:11:44.990 --> 00:11:48.000 shirt to come tonight, the phone rang. And well, 00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:50.120 I picked up the iron instead of the telephone. 00:11:53.240 --> 00:11:55.179 Well, that's awful, his friend said, but what 00:11:55.179 --> 00:11:57.539 happened to your other ear? Well, he said the 00:11:57.539 --> 00:12:02.159 same guy called back. You see, that's reacting 00:12:02.159 --> 00:12:06.000 by instinct. And I'll tell you what, you can 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:11.820 get more than your ears burned doing that. Foolishness 00:12:11.820 --> 00:12:16.460 as a character trait must be corrected in childhood. 00:12:17.769 --> 00:12:21.210 where it may well persist through one's life. 00:12:23.629 --> 00:12:27.889 Now all of us can be foolish and have been foolish 00:12:27.889 --> 00:12:31.269 and are foolish and will continue to be foolish. 00:12:33.309 --> 00:12:36.490 But what I'm talking about here is one whose 00:12:36.490 --> 00:12:40.529 whole character is bent that direction. Not the 00:12:40.529 --> 00:12:43.730 incident that happens here or the reaction that's 00:12:43.730 --> 00:12:47.710 wrong there. I'm talking about the person whose 00:12:47.710 --> 00:12:54.389 life is folly or foolishness. Turn to chapter 00:12:54.389 --> 00:13:00.070 22 of Proverbs in verse 15. We see a verse that's 00:13:00.070 --> 00:13:03.289 not going to go over well with those who worship 00:13:03.289 --> 00:13:10.840 at the altar of psychology. Proverbs 22 .15 says, 00:13:11.159 --> 00:13:13.460 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but 00:13:13.460 --> 00:13:16.059 the rod of discipline will drive it far from 00:13:16.059 --> 00:13:21.480 him. And we need to understand that the writer 00:13:21.480 --> 00:13:23.899 of Proverbs is not suggesting child beating. 00:13:27.100 --> 00:13:29.720 This verse is not addressing child abuse, which 00:13:29.720 --> 00:13:34.820 is wrong and sinful. That is not the issue. But 00:13:34.820 --> 00:13:37.480 the issue is that there is a place for corporal 00:13:37.480 --> 00:13:43.120 punishment. for discipline using the means of 00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:48.519 a spanking. There is a place for that. And in 00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:52.080 fact, the writer says that unless we use the 00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:58.039 rod of discipline correctly, with self -control, 00:13:59.720 --> 00:14:04.200 in a godly manner, unless we use it, our children 00:14:04.200 --> 00:14:07.679 may well grow up with foolishness being unleashed 00:14:07.679 --> 00:14:11.450 in their lives. because very naturally it is 00:14:11.450 --> 00:14:13.950 bound up in the heart of a child and as a child 00:14:13.950 --> 00:14:17.129 grows it continues to be unleashed unless it's 00:14:17.129 --> 00:14:22.789 dealt with. There is a time to spank a child. 00:14:25.409 --> 00:14:29.549 There is a time to spank a child. I did not say 00:14:29.549 --> 00:14:33.450 a baby, an infant, but there comes a time when 00:14:33.450 --> 00:14:36.690 a spanking is appropriate. Can you spank a teenager? 00:14:38.860 --> 00:14:44.700 If you're big enough, and most parents aren't, 00:14:44.919 --> 00:14:47.000 there comes a time when a spanking is no longer 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:49.139 appropriate. There are other kinds of discipline. 00:14:51.379 --> 00:14:54.080 The point the writer of Proverbs is making is 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:59.019 that we parents have a responsibility. We cannot 00:14:59.019 --> 00:15:01.600 guarantee beyond any doubt that our children 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:05.840 will not grow up to be fools because we can't 00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:10.409 get in their hearts and change them. They hold 00:15:10.409 --> 00:15:16.929 the key. But what we can do is discipline them 00:15:16.929 --> 00:15:19.610 consistently in such a way that as they grow 00:15:19.610 --> 00:15:25.389 up, it is likely that foolishness will be properly 00:15:25.389 --> 00:15:31.210 dealt with. And it involves discipline. Chapter 00:15:31.210 --> 00:15:35.529 23, verses 13 and 14 says, Do not withhold discipline 00:15:35.529 --> 00:15:39.490 from a child. If you punish him with a rod, he 00:15:39.490 --> 00:15:43.110 will not die. Punish him with the rod and save 00:15:43.110 --> 00:15:46.870 his soul from sheol, from death, from the realm 00:15:46.870 --> 00:15:51.929 of the departed. You see, as we saw earlier in 00:15:51.929 --> 00:15:54.830 our study of Proverbs, to grow up to be a fool 00:15:54.830 --> 00:15:59.009 means that likely one will have a shortened life 00:15:59.009 --> 00:16:03.070 because of foolishness. And so if we love our 00:16:03.070 --> 00:16:05.470 children, we want to have them to enjoy a long 00:16:05.470 --> 00:16:08.620 life. And that involves preparing them for life 00:16:08.620 --> 00:16:13.220 by discipline. We're not to withhold a proper, 00:16:14.539 --> 00:16:17.120 properly administered spanking or other kinds 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:19.779 of discipline for our children that is appropriate 00:16:19.779 --> 00:16:26.320 for their age. The best time to teach values, 00:16:26.980 --> 00:16:30.039 the best time to teach the fear of the Lord is 00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:35.159 in the childhood years. You say, well, what years 00:16:35.159 --> 00:16:38.240 are those? Well, from the very youngest days 00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:42.720 until a child has left home. I don't think it 00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:45.379 means to stop at adolescence. It means to continue 00:16:45.379 --> 00:16:47.759 right on until that child is out of the nest. 00:16:49.340 --> 00:16:52.679 We have those years to teach values to our children. 00:16:52.779 --> 00:16:55.500 Will they test those values? Yes, of course. 00:16:56.200 --> 00:16:58.200 That's part of growing up. It's good that they 00:16:58.200 --> 00:17:01.490 do test them. They need to make them their own 00:17:01.490 --> 00:17:04.269 and not merely adopt them. Children will test 00:17:04.269 --> 00:17:07.950 our values. And sometimes that will be alarming 00:17:07.950 --> 00:17:12.630 and frustrating to parents. We're nonetheless 00:17:12.630 --> 00:17:17.069 to seek to continue to teach them the ways of 00:17:17.069 --> 00:17:21.349 God, the fear of the Lord. When we do that, in 00:17:21.349 --> 00:17:26.390 the end, not always in the process, I wish it 00:17:26.390 --> 00:17:28.650 were so, but at least in the end it will bring 00:17:28.650 --> 00:17:34.349 respect for parents and for others, especially 00:17:34.349 --> 00:17:39.769 including God in their lives. February is going 00:17:39.769 --> 00:17:42.029 to be the month of the family here at Grace Church, 00:17:42.069 --> 00:17:44.750 and we're going to talk more about child discipline 00:17:44.750 --> 00:17:47.029 and family issues when we get to that month. 00:17:48.210 --> 00:17:50.210 So I'm going to leave it at that point and say 00:17:50.210 --> 00:17:55.339 this, that those who grow up to be confirmed 00:17:55.339 --> 00:18:01.240 fools have three things in common. You can just 00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:03.220 write it down, in fact you may write it down 00:18:03.220 --> 00:18:05.619 in your notes, but you can write it down in your 00:18:05.619 --> 00:18:08.579 mind as well that there are three things that 00:18:08.579 --> 00:18:13.880 fools, confirmed fools, have in common. One is 00:18:13.880 --> 00:18:18.200 an unwillingness to learn. An unwillingness to 00:18:18.200 --> 00:18:23.170 learn. Chapter 12 and verse 15. The way of a 00:18:23.170 --> 00:18:27.450 fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens 00:18:27.450 --> 00:18:32.250 to advice. A fool will not listen to counsel. 00:18:34.910 --> 00:18:37.509 Though you give him counsel, he will not listen 00:18:37.509 --> 00:18:42.450 to it. He will not heed it. It will roll off 00:18:42.450 --> 00:18:47.559 of him. A wise man, though, cocks his ear to 00:18:47.559 --> 00:18:49.980 listen carefully to the advice given to him. 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:53.240 He may not always agree, always accept it, but 00:18:53.240 --> 00:18:58.220 he will listen to it. But not so a fool. There 00:18:58.220 --> 00:19:04.400 is an unwillingness to listen and to learn. The 00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:07.220 second characteristic of a fool is a lack of 00:19:07.220 --> 00:19:12.319 self -control. Chapter 12, we're close to that, 00:19:12.359 --> 00:19:16.920 so look at verse 16. Which says a fool shows 00:19:16.920 --> 00:19:20.539 his annoyance at once but a prudent man overlooks 00:19:20.539 --> 00:19:25.720 an insult When a fool is corrected he is annoyed 00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:32.720 immediately He flashes with temper But a prudent 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:38.559 man can even overlook an insult Turn over to 00:19:38.559 --> 00:19:41.059 chapter 14 verse 16 where a similar thing is 00:19:41.059 --> 00:19:44.910 said a wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, 00:19:44.950 --> 00:19:50.710 but a fool is hot -headed and reckless. He does 00:19:50.710 --> 00:19:54.549 not have self -control. He's hot -headed. And 00:19:54.549 --> 00:19:58.930 we see it also in his words, chapter 18, verse 00:19:58.930 --> 00:20:02.849 6. A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth 00:20:02.849 --> 00:20:09.210 invites a beating. As he is speaking, what he's 00:20:09.210 --> 00:20:14.960 getting across is, please hit me. Please punch 00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:18.859 me in the mouth Why because of his his response 00:20:18.859 --> 00:20:23.839 his lack of self -control Verse 7 a fool's mouth 00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:27.559 is his undoing and his lips are a snare to his 00:20:27.559 --> 00:20:33.099 soul All fools have in common a lack of self 00:20:33.099 --> 00:20:35.720 -control whether it be in actions and reactions 00:20:35.720 --> 00:20:41.720 or in the words that they use And which of us 00:20:41.720 --> 00:20:44.200 has not at some time played the fool in this 00:20:44.200 --> 00:20:49.140 regard. We're talking now about the one whose 00:20:49.140 --> 00:20:53.519 life is bent in this direction. But there is 00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:56.240 a third very sad thing that all fools share in 00:20:56.240 --> 00:21:01.940 common, chapter 10 and verse 8, where it says, 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:05.940 the wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering 00:21:05.940 --> 00:21:13.240 fool comes to ruin. The chattering fool, the 00:21:13.240 --> 00:21:16.420 lack of self -control seen in that description, 00:21:17.339 --> 00:21:21.119 comes to ruin. In other words, his life falls 00:21:21.119 --> 00:21:25.640 apart. There was an inscription on a monument 00:21:25.640 --> 00:21:29.740 to an army mule that said this, in memory of 00:21:29.740 --> 00:21:33.920 Kate, who in her time kicked a colonel, three 00:21:33.920 --> 00:21:37.740 majors, eight captains, 12 lieutenants, 21 sergeants, 00:21:38.380 --> 00:21:44.819 230 others and one bomb. And so it is with the 00:21:44.819 --> 00:21:48.420 fool. Ultimately, the kick is against the bomb 00:21:48.420 --> 00:21:53.579 and ruin comes. The bitter fruit of foolishness 00:21:53.579 --> 00:21:55.440 should make all of us attentive to the warnings 00:21:55.440 --> 00:21:59.680 of God about playing the fool. He says that a 00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:02.420 fool brings grief and sorrow, especially to his 00:22:02.420 --> 00:22:08.730 parents, chapter 17, verse 21. Verse 25. The 00:22:08.730 --> 00:22:12.750 mother and father of a fool weep because of the 00:22:12.750 --> 00:22:19.190 child. Now become an adult who lives foolishly. 00:22:20.349 --> 00:22:23.029 Chapter 10 and verse 10 repeats the possibility 00:22:23.029 --> 00:22:25.730 of ruin when it says, He who winks maliciously 00:22:25.730 --> 00:22:29.029 causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to 00:22:29.029 --> 00:22:35.130 ruin. A fool ruins his own life. He wastes it. 00:22:36.029 --> 00:22:39.329 Chapter 14 in verse 1 says that the fruit of 00:22:39.329 --> 00:22:41.970 being a fool is to tear down one's own house. 00:22:42.789 --> 00:22:46.170 The wise woman builds her house, but with her 00:22:46.170 --> 00:22:53.049 own hands the foolish one tears hers down. The 00:22:53.049 --> 00:22:57.009 foolish person brings down his house around himself. 00:22:59.069 --> 00:23:04.759 In chapter 11 verse 29 we're told, He who brings 00:23:04.759 --> 00:23:07.720 trouble on his family will inherit only wind 00:23:07.720 --> 00:23:13.279 and the fool will be a servant to the wise. A 00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:17.640 fool has no inheritance to give except foolishness, 00:23:17.700 --> 00:23:23.480 except the wind, and he himself becomes an indentured 00:23:23.480 --> 00:23:29.859 servant, a servant to those who are wise, the 00:23:29.859 --> 00:23:36.599 bitter fruit of a life of foolishness. Jesus 00:23:36.599 --> 00:23:43.099 told the story of a man who built his house upon 00:23:43.099 --> 00:23:49.519 a rock and when the storms came against that 00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:54.059 house it beat and it blew but it did not collapse 00:23:54.059 --> 00:23:56.720 because it was built upon a rock but Jesus said 00:23:56.720 --> 00:24:02.859 the foolish man built his house upon the sand, 00:24:02.880 --> 00:24:06.440 and when the storms came it undermined the house 00:24:06.440 --> 00:24:11.579 and it all collapsed. That is the ruin that awaits 00:24:11.579 --> 00:24:16.180 every fool. You say, but I know fools who are 00:24:16.180 --> 00:24:22.900 wealthy. You see a man who's in the process of 00:24:22.900 --> 00:24:27.119 becoming poor. You say, but I know a fool who 00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:31.160 is successful. you see a fool who is soon going 00:24:31.160 --> 00:24:36.460 to be a failure because inevitably at the end 00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:42.460 the fool loses it all as God said to the fool 00:24:42.460 --> 00:24:46.519 who was a farmer that Jesus told us about you 00:24:46.519 --> 00:24:50.240 fool tonight your soul is required of you and 00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:53.859 now whose will all of those things be that you've 00:24:53.859 --> 00:24:57.869 gathered together In the end, the fool loses 00:24:57.869 --> 00:25:03.130 it all. He's brought to ruin. Well, you say, 00:25:03.289 --> 00:25:07.849 is there any hope for a confirmed and persistent 00:25:07.849 --> 00:25:12.750 fool? Is there any hope for him? The answer to 00:25:12.750 --> 00:25:22.609 that is, not much. Not much. According to the 00:25:22.609 --> 00:25:27.960 book of Proverbs. I would say that there is a 00:25:27.960 --> 00:25:31.420 window that is slightly open of an opportunity 00:25:31.420 --> 00:25:35.400 for a person who grows up to be a fool to avoid 00:25:35.400 --> 00:25:39.279 the disaster that's awaiting him. He himself 00:25:39.279 --> 00:25:43.980 holds the key as to whether he will leave his 00:25:43.980 --> 00:25:47.900 foolishness behind and escape his destiny. You 00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:50.759 say, well, what is the key that the fool holds 00:25:50.759 --> 00:25:56.609 in his hand? It is the opportunity yet To repent 00:25:56.609 --> 00:26:04.309 to humble himself and to fear the Lord If he 00:26:04.309 --> 00:26:14.109 will not do that there is no hope for him You 00:26:14.109 --> 00:26:16.309 say well, I I don't know whether I'm the fool 00:26:16.309 --> 00:26:19.430 or not, but I've sure made some mistakes in life 00:26:19.430 --> 00:26:26.740 Well all of us have friend all of us have And 00:26:26.740 --> 00:26:29.500 many of us bear scars from mistakes of our lives. 00:26:29.799 --> 00:26:32.240 The thing is not that we make mistakes. The thing 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:34.859 is what do we learn from our mistakes? What do 00:26:34.859 --> 00:26:38.700 we do with our mistakes? That's the difference 00:26:38.700 --> 00:26:43.240 there between a fool and a wise person. A fool 00:26:43.240 --> 00:26:49.079 will not learn. A wise person does. And today 00:26:49.079 --> 00:26:51.160 you can respond in the right way. If you've made 00:26:51.160 --> 00:26:55.460 a mess of your life, you can come to Jesus Christ. 00:26:56.259 --> 00:26:59.920 and humble yourself before Him and receive forgiveness 00:26:59.920 --> 00:27:04.660 for the sins and receive wisdom to know how to 00:27:04.660 --> 00:27:08.819 begin putting your life back together. You can 00:27:08.819 --> 00:27:12.440 do that if you will. And I hope you will today 00:27:12.440 --> 00:27:16.200 because Jesus delights in doing that. He delights 00:27:16.200 --> 00:27:22.740 in it. God takes no delight in a fool. God does 00:27:22.740 --> 00:27:27.119 take delight in the fool who repents. comes to 00:27:27.119 --> 00:27:30.900 Him, who comes to Him with the brokenness, who 00:27:30.900 --> 00:27:35.880 comes to Him with humility, who comes to Him 00:27:35.880 --> 00:27:39.539 in reverence and trust. Will you do that today? 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:43.200 Will you turn around? Will you have a new beginning, 00:27:43.319 --> 00:27:48.259 a new start, and begin living wisely and building 00:27:48.259 --> 00:27:56.730 your house upon a rock? Let's pray. Our heads 00:27:56.730 --> 00:28:00.470 bowed, our eyes closed, and it's the Spirit of 00:28:00.470 --> 00:28:09.349 God presses home to our hearts the message. Perhaps 00:28:09.349 --> 00:28:14.710 there are a number of us who feel some conviction 00:28:14.710 --> 00:28:20.910 today because we've acted foolishly in recent 00:28:20.910 --> 00:28:25.920 days or hours perhaps. Our lives have given evidence 00:28:25.920 --> 00:28:30.200 of foolishness. We need to acknowledge that to 00:28:30.200 --> 00:28:34.480 God. To ask Him forgiveness for any sin involved. 00:28:35.900 --> 00:28:40.200 To make it right with others. Determine in our 00:28:40.200 --> 00:28:44.160 hearts to seek God's wisdom reverently and humbly. 00:28:47.079 --> 00:28:49.339 If you're one today who's been walking away from 00:28:49.339 --> 00:28:52.539 God and And more than just an incident or two, 00:28:52.759 --> 00:28:57.200 there's been a whole line, a whole train of foolishness. 00:28:58.099 --> 00:29:00.980 Your life is bent and warped in that direction. 00:29:02.420 --> 00:29:06.359 My friend Jesus Christ offers you an opportunity 00:29:06.359 --> 00:29:10.559 to turn around today. Will you take him up on 00:29:10.559 --> 00:29:14.140 it? Just open your heart right where you're seated. 00:29:14.200 --> 00:29:16.359 You don't have to do anything, but deal with 00:29:16.359 --> 00:29:20.339 God. and say, Lord, I acknowledge the foolishness 00:29:20.339 --> 00:29:24.380 of sin in my life and I repent of it. I turn 00:29:24.380 --> 00:29:30.400 from it, Lord. I humble myself before you and 00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:33.859 I come to you to receive what I need, forgiveness 00:29:33.859 --> 00:29:40.519 and life and wisdom. He will give it to you, 00:29:40.519 --> 00:29:45.319 friend. He will meet you and give you a new life. 00:29:46.220 --> 00:29:52.940 You can start all over again. Father, may there 00:29:52.940 --> 00:29:55.400 be someone here today who would make that exact 00:29:55.400 --> 00:30:03.940 decision in Jesus' name. Amen. And if today that 00:30:03.940 --> 00:30:08.019 is your decision, or you're not quite at that 00:30:08.019 --> 00:30:10.059 point yet, but you need to talk to someone about 00:30:10.059 --> 00:30:15.009 your life, then I want to invite you Come up 00:30:15.009 --> 00:30:17.390 after the service and meet me here I'm going 00:30:17.390 --> 00:30:20.009 to ask some elders or staff present in the service 00:30:20.009 --> 00:30:22.289 to come just wait for a few minutes in the front 00:30:22.289 --> 00:30:25.410 We have those who had loved is take you aside 00:30:25.410 --> 00:30:27.829 and pray with you at the moment And then we can 00:30:27.829 --> 00:30:30.650 set up something later if that's deemed necessary 00:30:30.650 --> 00:30:36.970 in your life But please don't go away today Unless 00:30:36.970 --> 00:30:40.170 you know that your heart is right with God and 00:30:40.170 --> 00:30:45.369 you're walking in the fear of the Lord But we'd 00:30:45.369 --> 00:30:46.890 like to give the right hand of fellowship this 00:30:46.890 --> 00:30:49.390 morning to some who've come into our church in 00:30:49.390 --> 00:30:52.750 recent weeks, and I'm going to ask those in this 00:30:52.750 --> 00:30:53.990 service to quickly come.