Islington Baptist Church September 11, 2005
Psalm 53:1-3 Scriptures: 1 Samuel 25, Romans 1:18-32, Psalm 1
How not to be a fool
Webster’s dictionary defines a fool as “a person who lacks good judgment”.
Brainstorm with me for a moment. What examples can you think of that illustrate foolish behavior?
-Nabal (whose very name literally means fool) not giving David and his men some food, even though David and his men had protected him and been a blessing to him. 1 Samuel 25
-waiting to the last minute to complete an assignment
-pulling out into traffic when there is no reasonable gap to pull into
-buying non essentials on credit
-ignoring warning signs such as “Bridge out,” "Wet paint,” or “Fence is electrified”
In Psalm 53:1-3, which we are going to study together this morning, it says, “The fool says in his heart, ’There is no God.” READ TEXT
I. Why is the assertion that there is no God so foolish?
The simple answer is: Because God’s existence is so obvious
a. Simple logic dictates that God exists:
While many persuasive human arguments for God’s existence abound (at least 20 diverse and well thought out ones), my favorite one is the design argument.
The complexity, beauty and order of our planet points to a deliberate designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today.
Consider these amazing facts:
i. The size of the earth is perfect. If the Earth was smaller, maintaining an atmosphere would be impossible because of the effect of gravity. If the Earth were larger, the atmospheric mixture would be incorrect to sustain plant, animal, and human life.
ii. The Earth is located the right distance from the sun. If we were farther away we would all freeze. If we were closer, we’d all fry.
iii. Our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth. The Moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet it restrains our massive oceans from spilling over across the continents.
iv. Our entire genetic code is stored in 2 cells. An egg and a sperm. When these 2 get together, when all goes right, the result is us.
Thousands of other examples exist. They all point to this: Design, order, beauty, complexity.
Such things cannot happen by chance. “Chance” is not an adequate explanation for order, complexity, beauty, and design. As a watch on the ground in a forest points to a watchmaker, all that is around us points to God. His signature is everywhere.
B. While simple logic dictates that God exists, the Scriptures, which are far more authoritative than human arguments, proclaim the existence of God.
In Psalms 19:1-4 the Word of God says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
In Romans 1:18-20 the Scriptures say, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
II. Why, in spite of the evidence, do people persist in saying things like, “there is no God”?
a. On the human level, people sometimes say such things because:
1. That is what they have been taught by others
2. They have a hard time comprehending why God allows suffering in the world
3. Deep down, in their heart of hearts, they want to do their own thing. They want to live and do as they please. They hate good and love evil.
b. Psalm 53:1 says people say such things because, “They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;”
What strong language. What a shocking assessment. Yet this is God’s judgment. This is God’s analysis of the human heart.
It’s not just people who say “There is no God” who are sinners and rebels against God and under his wrath…
III. "We are all sinners and by nature the objects of the wrath of God." Psalms 53:2-3, Ephesians 2:1-3
“God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Psalms 53:2-3
This is not the first time that the Bible categorically states that every naturally born person is a sinner. Right in the first book of the Bible in Genesis 6:5 it says, “the LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.”
This condition is from the womb. Psalms 51:5 (read).
Throughout the Bible the following terms are often used to describe us humans, “perverse, wicked, evil, astray, bad, wayward, crooked, foolish, rebels, deceitful, unrighteous, and lawbreakers”
As Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
The Bible tells us that the rightful consequence and end for rebelling against a holy God is death, punishment, and eternal separation from God.
As Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death…”
IV. Thankfully, God in his great mercy has made for a way to be reconciled to Him.
While Romans 6:23 says, “the wages of sin is death,” the rest of the verse goes on to say, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
What a gift indeed! Forgiveness, peace with God, the favor of God, blessings, eternal life.
What a price that was paid for us! The substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross that say him die as a once for all sacrifice for sin, taking upon himself the punishment for our sins—the punishment that we rightfully deserve.
Have you reached out to take hold of God’s gift- the gift of salvation and forgiveness?
In Acts 16:31 it says, “believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…”
Do you believe in who Jesus says he was? The only way to the Father- the way, the truth, the life. God in the flesh. The resurrection and the life. The bread of life. One with God the Father.
Have you asked God the Father to forgive you your sins, based solely on what Jesus did on the cross?
Are you committed to living as Jesus did and obeying his teachings?
The time is short. Be reconciled to God while you are able. Do not turn your back on the merciful offer and gift of God.
CONCLUSION
What is the opposite of being a fool? The opposite of being a fool is to be wise.
Where does true wisdom come from? How can one get wisdom? How can one come to be wise? How can one shed the label “fool”?
Proverbs 9:10 gives us the answers; "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
Foolish are those who deny the existence of God.
Equally foolish are those who acknowledge His existence and then live as if He doesn’t. Many live this way- merely paying lip service to God.
Wise is the person who acknowledges God. Wise is the person who recognize that God is their Creator and that He is worthy of their worship and praise. Wise is the person who seeks to honor and respect God. Wise is the person who seeks to be reconciled to God in the way He has prescribed—this being done so by turning to Jesus Christ. Wise is the person who commits living by God’s laws.
I trust that you are following the path of wisdom that God has laid out. I trust, hope and pray that you have turned to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and peace with God.
Extra things to note:
i. Did you know that in the Bible that the assertion, “there is no God” is not treated as a sincere conviction? Rather, it is considered a gesture of defiance.
ii. Those who deny God’s existence (far from reaching a logical conclusion in the light of the evidence), are actually going against the evidence. As one preacher of old has said, “there is no fool like the fool who refuses to believe what is staring him in the face every single day.”
