OVERCOMING THE FOUR “F”s: FOOLISHNESS
INTRODUCTION:
Anyone ever have an embarrassing moment . . . or two . . . or three . . .? Let me tell you, I am an expert on being a fool. Like everyone else, I have had my share of embarrassing moments.
Costumes
Mullet (slide)
Left-handed wood cutter
Surfing with a 10-foot Shark
Riding the Calvary
and on and on…. But better to get on and hear the Word of God than the stories of Todd!
Yes, I have been a fool, some might even say I still am. We throw that word around so freely and even flippantly, but it truly is a very serious thing. A fool is: “a person who acts unwisely or imprudently, a stupid person, a jester/clown. One who acts in a joking, teasing way.” A spiritual fool is one who can look at all the evidence, scriptural and otherwise, concerning their need for God, His salvation, and/or His direction for their life, and yet chooses to ignore it. This morning we will use God’s Word to explore the realms of fools and learn (1) the problem of foolishness, (2) the alternative, and (3) how and when it IS good to “appear the fool.”’
PRAYER
I.DON’T BE A FOOL . . .
A. Characteristics Of A Fool
But, WHO is a fool? How do we know? Is it you? Is it me? Let us look at characteristics of a fool, as taught in the Bible. While doing so, look inside and see how you (not your neighbor, friend, or spouse) measure up! (I’m going to go through these quickly, your job is to look at each one and honest assess yourself in light of it)
1. Ignores God (Ps. 14:1)
2. Does not understand God’s Greatness (Ps. 92:5-6)
3. Hates Knowledge (Pr. 1:22)
4. Complacent (Pr. 1:32)
5. Easily Led Astray (Pr. 7:22)
6. Disobedient (Pr. 10:8)
7. Slanderous (Pr. 10:18)
8. Delights in Evil (Pr. 10:23)
9. Causes Discord in The Home (Pr. 11:29)
10. Always Believes They Are Right (Pr. 12:15; 26:12)
11. Ill-Tempered (Pr. 14:16-17)
12. Refuses Instruction or Correction (Pr. 15:5; 17:10)
13. A Loose Tongue (Pr. 17:28; 29:11)
14. Perverse Lips (Pr. 19:1)
15. Quarrelsome (Pr. 20:3)
16. Untrustworthy (Pr. 26:6)
17. Repeats Mistakes (Pr. 26:11)
18. Driven By Emotions (Pr. 28:26)
19. Lazy (Ecc. 4:5)
20. Wastes Resources (Pr. 21:20)
(By the way, a great way not to waste resources is to invest in our capital campaign)
21. Hears, But Does Not Do (Mt. 7:26)
22. Does Not Prepare For Jesus (Mt. 25:3)
23. Self-Righteous (Mt. 23)
How do you measure up? If any ONE of these traits is true of you, then you have at least a little bit of fool in you. If several or more of these traits are regularly true of you, then you are – in the eyes of the Bible and the LORD – a full-fledged fool in need of a wake-up call!
B. The Price Of Foolishness
Make no mistake, there is a price for our foolishness and the price for spiritual foolishness (also known as sin) is very steep indeed!
1. No Fear of the LORD = Destruction (Pr. 1:29-33)
2. Caught In A Fatal Trap (Pr. 5:21-23)
3. Led Astray (Pr. 10:17)
4. Turns From God (Pr. 19:1-3)
5. Ruins Family (Pr. 19:13a)
6. Starts Quarrels – lives from quarrel to quarrel (Pr. 20:3)
7. No Legacy, No Eternal Perspective (Ps. 49:10)
II. BE WISE,
If we are to avoid being the fool, we must instead seek to be wise.
A.The Need For Wisdom From God
The problem, and where we often fail, is the reality that our own purported wisdom is NOT sufficient! Remember, depending on oneself, believing you’re always right, and refusing counsel are all marks of the fool! Instead, if we desire genuine wisdom, we must get it from the only perfect and complete source: God Himself as revealed by His Word and elucidated by His Holy Spirit!!!
Job 28:12-13; 23-28
Pr. 14:12; 26:12
B.The Rewards of Wisdom
Pr. 3:13-24
Acts 7:9b-10
Wisdom from God is a precious treasure . . .
It is this kind of knowledge and wisdom that runs a country
Leads to greatness
Produces riches
Results in power & influence
Gains respect
C.Characteristics Of A Wise Person
1.Loves to learn & improve in any way (Pr. 9:8b-9)
2.Continually seeks for more wisdom from God (Pr. 18:15)
3.Passionately thirsts after God – even with his/her mind! (Mk. 12:29-30)
III. EVEN WHILE APPEARING FOOLISH FOR CHRIST
Now that we have quite thoroughly (if not exhaustively) examined why it is so important that we reject foolishness for God’s wisdom, it is important that we distinguish between what is genuine foolishness before God and what simply appears foolish to the world. Confused yet? Stay with me. Just like most anybody you talk to will have at least a slightly (and in some cases significantly) different view of what is or is not “modest,” so everyone seems to have their own ideas about what is or is not foolish. For example, who’s the real fool: the evolutionist or the creationist? Depending on who you ask, you’ll get very different responses (and emotions).
The reason I bring all of this up is because it is very important that, even while we should desperately seek to forgo genuine foolishness and live according to God’s wisdom, we cannot let that pursuit be stunted by fear of appearing foolish to those who are ignorant of or choose to reject God’s truth!
Think about it, how often have you shied away from witnessing, boasting of God’s goodness, worshiping freely and exuberantly, reading the Bible or praying in public, even going to church or a church event, or resisting vulgarity or drink for the sake of personal holiness, simply because -deep down – you were afraid of being perceived by another as foolish? Come on, now, be honest!
Think about it. Last Sunday we talked extensively about overcoming fear. Do you know what, in poll after poll, are repeatedly mentioned as people’s two greatest fears? The #1 fear is speaking in public, and the #2 fear is death! In other words, the vast majority of people feel that they would rather die than speak in public. Why? What does this really mean? It means that our real #1 fear is the fear of looking foolish. Sometimes, this can be a great thing and sometimes it can be a terrible thing. It all depends on how we (or who we let) define “foolishness.”
Just as the fear of appearing foolish is what so often keeps us from learning and getting ahead in life, because we don’t want to ask questions or take any risks, so the fear of appearing foolish will and does keep us from worshiping and serving God as we could and should!!!
Do you realize that the great deeds of the Bible were those that were mocked and perceived as foolish by the world, but accomplished anyway through faith in God’s Wisdom, NOT man’s! Consider:
What could be more absurd or seem more foolish than an old man building an ark in the middle of the desert, or a ninety-year-old woman buying maternity clothes, taking your only son to sacrifice him on the altar because “God told you to,” conquering a greatly fortified city by parading around it seven times while blowing trumpets, a young shepherd boy with nothing but a slingshot taking on a fully armored and experienced 9-foot-tall tall warrior, stepping out of a boat (without a life jacket) in the middle of the lake because a fuzzy figure off in the fog said it was Jesus, or how about choosing to allow yourself to be mocked, beaten, and hanged half-naked on a cross to save those who abandoned you?
Fools, all of them? They certainly would appear so to the average person, but let’s look at the results: Noah (and the future of humanity) was saved from God’s judgment in that ark, Sarah gave birth to Isaac, Isaac was not sacrificed because of Abraham’s faith and God’s provision, the walls of Jericho came a-tumblin’ down, David defeated Goliath, Peter walked on water (at least until he started to feel foolish), and Jesus died for our sins and rose from the grave!
Do you know why some of us have never accomplished anything significant for the Kingdom? Never slayed a giant or walked on water? Never seem to get ahead or grow spiritually? Are hesitant to invest the finances the Lord has given us in His church rather than spend it all on upgrades, stocks and pensions? Have never been used of the Spirit to lead another into new life in Christ? It’s because we’re more afraid of appearing foolish to the world than we are of being a fool before the LORD God Almighty!!! Think about it.
Romans 1:18,22
1 Cor. 1:18-27
CONCLUSION:
In the Bible, there are a number of different Hebrew words that are used to refer to worship in reference to God. One of them, “hallal,” loosely translated means to be “clamorously foolish.” In context, it is used to refer to worship that so recognized God’s greatness and is so excited about His goodness that the worshiper is more concerned with expressing their love to God than he or she is how they look or sound.
Sometimes, my friends, we need to be more dignified and less foolish in our attitudes, behavior and even dress. But, sometimes, we would do well to be less concerned with human dignity and unabashedly willing to appear foolish in our worship of and service to Jesus! The difference lies in who we consider the judge. If we are steadfast in acknowledging that God is our only Judge and committed to knowing and meditating upon His Word, then we can fearlessly worship and serve Him regardless of appearing foolish to anyone else and confident that we are living wise in His eyes!
In the end, it all comes back to being uncompromisingly committed to His Word (the Bible) and becoming more “God-conscious” than “self-” or “other-conscious.”! What now will you choose?!
