Heavenly Wisdom About Foolish People Message 3 in Heavenly Wisdom For Earthly Living Series from Proverbs Scripture Text: Proverbs 26:1-11 (NKJV)

Transcription

1 Message for THE LORD S DAY EVENING, March 4, 2012 MESSAGE 3: Heavenly Wisdom For Earthly Living Series (A Study of Proverbs) Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister Heavenly Wisdom About Foolish People Message 3 in Heavenly Wisdom For Earthly Living Series from Proverbs Scripture Text: Proverbs 26:1-11 (NKJV) As we continue with our series of messages from the Book of Proverbs, please turn with me in your Bibles to tonight s scripture text in Proverbs 26:1-11 (NKJV). 1 As snow in summer and rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool. 2 Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, So a curse without cause shall not alight. 3 A whip for the horse, A bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the fool s back. 4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes. 6 He who sends a message by the hand of a fool Cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. 7 Like the legs of the lame that hang limp Is a proverb in the mouth of fools. 8 Like one who binds a stone in a sling Is he who gives honor to a fool. 9 Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard Is a proverb in the mouth of fools. 10 The great God who formed everything Gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his wages. 11 As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly. I N T R O D U C T I O N

2 When we hear the word fool certain people immediately come to mind. -If you ever watched any of the old Jerry Lewis movies, that s one name that would certainly come to mind. -Or how about those three guys we came to know as The 3 Stooges: Larry, Moe and Curly? -Or if you have ever seen the movie Dumb and Dumber perhaps the characters played by Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels would come to mind. And let s not forget Tim Conway, Don Knotts, Gomer Pyle and Maxwell Smart. While all of these amused us with their foolish antics it is interesting that none of these men fit the definition of a fool as described in the Book of Proverbs. ***************** Before we go any further, let me remind you of that serious WARNING Christ gave us in Matthew 5:22. (NKJV) 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, Raca! shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, You fool! shall be in danger of hell fire. To declare someone a fool is to declare that person worthless. To call someone a fool is to say the world would be better off without that individual. According to Jesus teachings, to call someone a fool is to stop one step short of actually murdering that individual. While you and I are forbidden from assessing someone to be a fool our all-knowing, all-wise God makes that assessment for us in the scriptures to help us identify those who are fools in His eyes. There are three key thoughts I would like for us to consider in tonight s

3 message: First, we will consider: HOW TO SPOT A FOOL Secondly, we will consider: HOW ONE BECOMES A FOOL And thirdly, we will consider HOW WE ARE TO TREAT A FOOL **************************** First, let s consider.. I. How To Spot A Fool 1. As you will see in the scriptures we are about to look at, it is much easier to identify a fool in terms of what he is not than in terms of what he is. (A) A fool is UNRIGHTEOUS Proverbs 10:23 (NKJV) To do evil is like sport to a fool, But a man of understanding has wisdom. Proverbs 14:9 (NKJV) Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor. God is telling us that the person who hates what is holy and righteous and good, and loves evil is a fool! (B) A fool is UNWISE Proverbs 1:7 (NKJV) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

4 Proverbs 10:21 (NKJV) The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of wisdom. Proverbs 18:2 (NKJV) A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart. God is teaching us that not only is a fool unwise, he hates wisdom and would refuse wisdom even if you handed it to him on a silver platter. How do you spot a fool? A fool is UNRIGHTEOUS. A fool is UNWISE. Next we see. (C) A fool is UNDISCIPLINED 1. A fool is undisciplined with his MONEY Proverbs 14:24 (NKJV) The crown of the wise is their riches, But the foolishness of fools is folly. While a wise man exercises restraint in his spending, a foolish man will spend and spend and spend until he is buried in debt. 2. A fool is also undisciplined with his TEMPER. Proverbs 12:16 (NKJV) A fool s wrath is known at once, But a prudent man covers shame. Proverbs 29:11 (NKJV) A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back. 3. A fool is also undisciplined with his TONGUE. Proverbs 15:2 (NKJV) The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. It has been said, A fool opens his mouth and belches out stupidity and ignorance. A fool is UNRIGHTEOUS, UNWISE, UNDISCIPLINED.. (D) And a fool is UNDEPENDABLE.

5 1. For one thing, a fool is undependable in his WORK. Proverbs 26:10 (New American Standard) Like an archer who wounds everyone, so is he who hires a fool or who hires those who pass by. 2. A fool is also undependable in his WORD. Proverbs 19:1 (NKJV) is the poor who walks in his integrity Than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. A fool is UNRIGHTEOUS, UNWISE, UNDISCIPLINED, and UNDEPENDABLE. Next we see.. (E) A fool is UN-TEACHABLE Remember that verse we read earlier from Proverbs 1:7? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. And then here in our scripture text from Proverbs 26.. Proverbs 26:11 (NKJV) As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly. What that is saying is the fool is the one who makes the same mistakes over and over again and never listens to anyone else s advice. A fool is UNRIGHTEOUS, UNWISE, UNDISCIPLINED, UNDEPENDABLE, and UN-TEACHABLE. But wait, there s one more. (F) A fool is UN-LIKED Proverbs 18:6,7 (NKJV) A fool s lips enter into contention, And his mouth calls for blows. A fool s mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul. I can t help but chuckle when I read that part of verse 6 that says, and his mouth calls for blows. What that is saying is the fool is one of those guys (or gals maybe) that you just want to pop right in the kisser. Every where they go they stir up trouble. A fool is a smart

6 mouth and smart-aleck. How do you and I spot a fool? A fool is UNRIGHTEOUS, UNWISE, UNDISCIPLINED, UNDEPENDABLE, UN-TEACHABLE and UN-LIKED. The second thing we want to consider is.. II. How Does One Become A Fool? 1. Have you ever thought about that? I mean. -Are people born fools? -Is foolishness hereditary? -Do they go to school and earn a Doctorate in Foolishness? (don t answer that!) 2. The LORD teaches us in Proverbs that one becomes a fool by making two very critical choices: Choice #1: Don t TRUST God. Choice #2: TRUST self. 3. Let s look at several of the proverbs that show us these two critical choices in the life of a fool. First, let s look at the fool s choice NOT to TRUST GOD. Proverbs 1:20-25, 29 (NKJV) 20 Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares. 21 She cries out in the chief concourses At the openings of the gates in the city She speaks her words: 22 How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge. 23 Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;

7 I will make my words known to you. 24 Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, 25 Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, Then verse 29. Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord, What these verses are telling us is the fool isn t just neutral toward the ways of the LORD, he hates it, he despises it, he completely rejects it. 4. But coupled with that choice NOT to trust God, is the fool s choice to trust in himself. Proverbs 12:15 (NKJV) The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise. Proverbs 28:26 (NKJV) He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered. 5. How does one become a fool? By choice! A man literally makes a fool out of himself by NOT trusting in the LORD and trusting in himself. ****************************** The third thought we want to consider is III. How Are We To Treat A Fool? (A) First of all, we should not ASSOCIATE with a fool. Proverbs 14:7 (NKJV) Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge. To some degree foolishness is contagious and regular association with a fool diminishes our ability to discern truth from error. (B) Secondly, we should not waste our BREATH trying to

8 TEACH a fool. Proverbs 23:9 (NKJV) Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words. Jesus said it this way in Matthew 7:6 Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. (C) Thirdly, we should not let a fool drag us down to his LEVEL. Proverbs 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him. My dad used to say, Never get into a battle of wits with an un-armed man. You see, a fool loves to argue. They want you to argue with them. They live to argue. And when you don t argue it steals their thunder and magnifies their foolishness! (D) Fourthly, we should not CORRECT a fool. Proverbs 9:7,8 (NKJV) He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Just like food won t stick to a TEFLON skillet, correction won t stick to a fool. Remember a fool is one who thinks he knows more than God. How do you correct someone who is that foolish? 1. Now if we shouldn t associate with a fool..or waste our breath trying to teach a fool.or get into an argument with a fool.. or try to correct a fool, does that mean a fool is utterly hopeless and beyond recovery? 2. Absolutely not. In life, there are those who learn from wisdom and instruction. And there are those who have to learn the hard way. Fools fall into the latter category. 3. While you and I cannot REFORM a fool, God can miraculously

9 TRANSFORM a fool. In order for that to happen a fool must reverse those two choices I mentioned earlier. He must STOP trusting in himself and start TRUSTING in the LORD. 4. Think of people you know who rejected Jesus Christ for many, many years, then came to accept Him as their LORD and SAVIOR. Those years they rejected Christ can only be described as Years of Foolishness. But in time they allowed the LORD to open their BLINDED EYES and their HARDENED HEART and they came to realize their need for a Savior. And the moment they accepted Jesus Christ, the LORD transformed them from A FOOL into a WISE MAN. ************************************************************************************** C O N C L U S I O N As we close, I want you to consider something perhaps you have never thought about before. In the eyes of someone, everybody is a FOOL. -The one who is wise in his own eyes and walks in the ways of the world is a fool in the eyes of the LORD. -The one who trusts in God and walks in the way of wisdom is a fool in the eyes of the world. (I Corinthians 1:18-25) I think we would all agree that it is better to be thought a fool for following Christ than to be a fool for rejecting Him. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but FOOLS despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7 NKJV)

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