AMC 01.04.2024
Text: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Theme: April fool.
Greetings: The Lord is good and his love endures forever.
Happy April fool’s day!
Introduction:
April Fool’s day has an interesting history. France switched to Gregorian calendar from the Julian calendar as decided by the Council of Trent in 1563. And through an official Edict of Roussillon (promulgated in August 1564) by King Charles IX decreed that the new year would no longer begin on Easter as had been common throughout Christendom, but rather on January 1.
Easter was a lunar and a moveable date, those who clung to the old ways were the “April Fools.” Following the new calendar moved the start of the New Year to January 1.
In many countries newspapers and the other media participate—for example, with false headlines or news stories. In France a fooled person is called a Poisson d'avril, or “April fish.”
Some interesting story was added to this: The mistake of Noah sending the raven out of the ark before the water had abated, and it never came to him. He was fooled by his intuition. It was on the first day of April (Genesis 9:6-12).
1. BE A FOOL FOR GOD
Paul talks about GOD’S FOOLISHNESS AND GOD’S WEAKNESS in 1 Corinthians 1:25. God chose the foolish, low and despised to proclaim the Good news (1 Corinthians 1:27). God chose the weak, God chose the ignoble, and God choose the foolish in the world (1 Corinthians 1:27). Foolishness of the proclamation (1 Corinthians 1:21). “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”(1 Corinthians 1:18).
He says in 1 Corinthians 4:10: “WE ARE FOOLS FOR CHRIST'S SAKE, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute”.
The message of cross is the POWER OF GOD (1 Corinthians 1:18). Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). Christ is the wisdom, Christ is the righteousness, Christ is the sanctification, and Christ is the redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:29).
Fools of God are the one who understood the Will of God (Ephesians 5:17). Fools of God build their life on the teachings of Christ than the worldly wisdom (Matthew 7:26-29). Fools of God believe the teachings of God very quickly (Luke 24:25).
“And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!”
Galatians 3:1-2:
“O foolish Galatians! … Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”
Romans 1:21-22:
For although they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools.
Jeremiah 4:22: “For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.”
2. Be wise to the world
King Solomon sought the folly and he was trying to understand it along with madness, and he wanted to hold them on his heart. (Ecclesiastes 2:3, 1:17, 2:12). Then he said wisdom is better than folly (Ecclesiastes 2:13).
“Dead flies make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honour. A wise man's heart inclines him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left. Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.” (Ecclesiastes 10:1-3).
Identifying the Foolishness of this world which is known as the wisdom of this world (v.20.). No one can reach god through the wisdom of the world. Philosophies, intellectuals, science, religious discourses will never take a man God.
Deeds of the fools are: eating the vomit like dogs (Proverbs 26:11). They deny God, do corruption, do abominable and things of iniquity (Psalm 14:1, 53:1). They do blasphemy in the name of God (Psalm 74:18). They daily reproach God (Psalm 74:22). They get into the void of understanding- foolishness, giving surety to others (Proverbs 17:18). Fools worried about the future. (Luke 12:20).
Confess the foolishness
The Lord spoke to three friends of Job to offer sacrifices to God to avoid the punishment of the Lord (Job 42:8).
David cried unto the Lord, I have done foolishly (2 Samuel 24:10, 1 chronicles 21:8). Psalm 69:5 “O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.”
Aaron said to Moses we did foolishly (Numbers 12:11)
Achan did a folly thing - coveted the forbidden things, stole, hidden, Transgressions of God’s command (Judges 7:15). He never repented and was stone to death.
Amnon did the folly thing (2 Samuel 13:12) never repented and was killed.
The princes of Zoan are fools, the wise counsellors of pharaoh are brutish and foolish (Isaiah 19:11).
Samuel told king Saul you have done foolishly by not obeying the command of God (1 Samuel 13:13). He never repented and lost his kingdom, lost his son and lost his life.
Conclusion:
Proverbs 19:3: The foolishness of a man perverts his way. He lost in his focus, he lost in his aims, his goal and in holiness and in the purposes of God. Proverbs 28:26: “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”
Joshua 1:7-8 to be wise in all your dealings, to prosper and be successful read the commandments of the Lord and keep them.
