Psalm 14: Proverbs 14:1-9 Luke 12:13-21
THE THREE FOOLS
(1) THE MENTAL FOOL Ps 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
Here is an intellectual atheist. See how the psalmist describes him ? “ The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.” a theist is someone who believes in one God, a polytheist is someone who believes in many gods, an atheist is someone who does not believe there is a God. Now the word that the psalmist uses for “ fool,” here does not mean “ weakness of intellect,” rather it denotes“ moral perversity.”
(a) His Conceited Claim : The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
‘ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.’ ( Gen 1:1 ) To say there is no God is to belie the plainest evidence which is obstinacy, to oppose the common consent of man which is stupidity, and to stifle consciousness which is madness.
1. CREATION proves there is a God:
One night in Egypt, Napoleon , pointed to the stars and said, “ For no other reason than those lights up there I’m convinced there is a God.” Boy puddles of Australia on beach
2. HISTORY proves there is a God:
God is there controlling, guiding, shaping “ all things after the counsel of His own will.” ( Eph 1:11 ) 1 v.1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ
3. The LORD JESUS proves there is a God:
" He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” ( Jn 14:9 )
(b) His Convenient Creed : I. The Creed of Fools (14:1)
1. The Statement of the Creed (14:1) There is no God
2. The Source of the Creed (14:1) The fool hath said in his heart
II. The Character of Fools (14:2–3)
1. Spiritual Blindness (14:2) The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
2. Moral Bankruptcy (14:3) They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
III. The Condemnation of Fools (14:4–7)
1. They Are Ruthless (14:4) Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread,
2. They Are Godless (14:4) and call not upon the LORD.
3. They Are Soulless (14:6) Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
4. They Are Hopeless (14: 7) Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
For as someone has said, “ If there is no God then I need no longer bother about obeying His will or keeping His commandments.” In (Ps 14:1) that God traces atheism not to an intellectual root, but to a moral root. Its not that a person cannot believe in God. It is that the sceptic does not want to believe in God. The reason ? He does not want to take responsibility for his sin ! So his godless creed leads to his godless conduct !
In the Hebrew, " the fool says, No God,” or " No God for me.”
(2) THE MOCKING FOOL Pr 14:9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.
The English words“fool,” and “folly,” come from the Latin “ follis,” which means “ bellows.” It described a persons puffed up cheeks. Follis indicates that a fool is a windbag.
(a) FOOLS TREAT SIN LIGHTLY:
Many have never felt the burden, nor seen sin for what it really is !
1. Achan did that, in the Moment of Covetousness:
“ When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them and I took them.” ( Joshua 7:21 ) Have you treated the sin of covetous-ness in your life lightly ?
2. David did that, in the Moment of Immorality:
“ He saw a woman washing herself …. and David sent and took her …. and he lay with her.” ( 2 Sam 11:4 )
3. Belshazzar did that, in the Moment of Idolatry:
For they drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, Dan 5:4 What things have you put first in your life before the Lord ?
(b) SIN TREATS FOOLS HARSHLY:
Victor Hugo tells how a man was caught in quicksand. One moment he was walking along in safety, then the sand began to cling to his feet, then he was bogged down to the knees, and then to the waist. Is that not a picture of sin ?
Do you not believe that sin is deadly and dangerous ? Go to the cross. Sin will bring you down physically, spiritually, eternally ? Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death;
(3) THE MATERIAL FOOL Lk 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
Now why did God call him a fool ? He was more concerned with,
(a) THINGS THAN WITH GOD: 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
Is it true of you that you no longer own things, but things own you ? You no longer own the business, the farm, the factory, it owns you ! That’s the tyranny of things !
(b) BODY THAN WITH SOUL:
Lk 12:19 For he said “ Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry.”
The only thing that concerned him was self indulgence and self gratification. He was foolish enough to think that by indulging the flesh, he would satisfy the soul. Matt 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. “ To lose ones wealth is much, To lose ones health is more
To lose ones soul is such a loss, That nothing can restore.”
(c) TIME THAN WITH ETERNITY:
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
What are you living for ? Are you living for self rather than God ? Are you living for the body rather than your soul ? Are you living for time rather than eternity ?
The Three Fools !
The Mental Fool: “ there is no God,”
The Mocking Fool: “ fools make a mock at sin.”
The Material Fool: “ much goods laid up for many years.”
“ Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling
Naked come to Thee for dress, Helpless look to Thee for grace
Foul I to the fountain fly, Wash me Saviour or I die.”
