Title: The Folly Of Spiritual Fools
Bible Book: Proverbs 1 : 7, 22
Author: Donnie L. Martin
Subject: Foolishness, Spiritual; Salvation Rejected
Objective:
Introduction
A “fool” may be defined as, “a person lacking in judgment or prudence.” This definition refers to one who is not necessarily unaware of the proper course of action, but lacks the wisdom and forethought to act upon what they already know to be right. This is a person who acts contrary to accepted norms for prudent and wise conduct.
Foolish conduct is often attributed to youth. However, all young people cannot be classified as fools, because their lack of judgment and prudence is simply a characteristic of youth and inexperience. And whether we would like to admit it or not, we have all, at some point in time, in our youthful days, done some pretty foolish things.
Today however, I am not concerned with the person who gets intoxicated and plays the fool while in his or her drunken state, or with the person who acts like a raving maniac due to their uncontrolled anger. Though these are fools in their own right, they are not the type of fools that concern me today. The type of fools that concern me today are those I have dubbed “spiritual fools.”
Spiritual fools are those who can look at all the evidence, scriptural or otherwise, concerning their need for God and His salvation, and yet choose to ignore all of it. But this reaction really shouldn’t surprise us, for this is precisely what Paul referred to when he said, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not” (II Cor.4: 3, 4a).
As we examine the folly of spiritual fools today, I trust it will spur us to pray more diligently for those around us who are lost. May we begin to pray that God would open their spiritually blinded eyes, that they might realize their need for God’s grace and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
I. The Signs Of A God Who Is Sovereign
Psalms 14:1a, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…”
Romans 1:21-22, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imagination, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,”
A. They Do This In Spite Of His Tremendous Wonders
The Heavens Are The Signature Of God’s Greatness
Psalms 91:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handy work.”
Romans 1:20, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”
How can one not acknowledge the God who created the vastness of space and all of its marvelous wonders? Space is so vast that astronomers “…had to devise special units to keep their figures manageable. Their basic unit of distance is the light-year—the distance light travels in 1 year, or about 6 trillion miles (6 followed by 12 zeroes).” (Readers Digest Book Of Facts, published by The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc., copyright 1987, pg. 382).
Our nearest star, Alpha Centauri, is so far away that if one traveled at 30,000 miles per hour, it would take 100,000 years to reach it (Ibid, pg. 389).
According to astronomers, “…there are more than 100 billion stars in our own galaxy…” (Ibid, pg. 395). That’s just in our galaxy alone. Each one of those stars has different characteristics; they are all unique in some way.
“On its annual journey around the sun, the earth as a whole moves at about 67,000 m.p.h.” (Ibid, pg. 398). If you’ve ever wondered why your head sometimes seems to spin, maybe that’s the reason.
Man himself is a tremendous wonder of God’s genius.
Psalms 139:14, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”
According to one estimate, “…your brain can store 100 trillion bits of information…” (ABC’s Of The Human Body, published by The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc., copyright 1987, pg. 62). I know that some of you are just sure that that estimate has to be wrong, since sometimes you have trouble remembering where you put your car keys. But that’s what the scientists tell us.
The heart and circulatory system is an amazing illustration of the wisdom and forethought of God.
Your heart weighs only 10 or 11 ounces…and it’s not much bigger than a clenched fist… At a rough estimate of 70 beats per minute for an adult (105,000 beats per day), this works out to more than 1,800 gallons…of blood pumped every day through the body’s 60,000 miles…of blood vessels. Ibid, pg. 93.
B.They Do This In Spite Of His Truthful Word
1. God’s Word Declares Him To Be Omnipresent
Jeremiah 23:23-24, “Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? 24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.”
2. God’s Word Declares Him To Be Omniscient
Psalms 147:5, “Great is the Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”
3. God’s Word Declares Him To Be Omnipotent
Genesis 17:1a, “…I am the Almighty God…”
Job 42:2a, “I know that thou canst do every thing…” Matthew 19:26b, “…with God all things are possible.”
4. God’s Love For His Creatures Is Overwhelming
John 3:16a, “For God so loved the world…”
1 John 4:8, “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” The Cross is the supreme demonstration of God’s love:
A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching next Sunday evening on “The Love Of God.” As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered.
In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say. Source Unknown.
II. The Seriousness Of Their Sin
Proverbs 14:9a, “Fools make a mock at sin…”
A. The Repugnance Of Sin
They Do This In Spite Of The Repugnance Of Sin To God’s Person.
Psalms 5:4, “For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.”
Proverbs 15:9, “The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.”
Why is sin so repugnant to God? Augustine gave us some idea when he said the following:
Sin comes when we take a perfectly natural desire or longing or ambition and try desperately to fulfill it without God. Not only is it sin, it is a perverse distortion of the image of the Creator in us. All these good things, and all our security, are rightly found only and completely in him. Augustine, The Confessions of Saint Augustine.
B. The Results Of Sin
They Do This In Spite Of The Fact That Sin Results In A Great Penalty.
Psalms 9:17, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all nations that forget God.” Ezekiel 18:4b, “…the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
C. The Requirements Of Sin
They Do This In Spite Of The Fact That Our Sin Required A Great Price.
Colossians 1:14, “In whom (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”
Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”
1 Timothy 2:5-6a, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6a Who gave himself a ransom for all…”
III. The Salvation Secured By The Savior
1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”
A. Salvation Is Paid In Full
They Do This In Spite Of The Fact That The Sinner’s Salvation Is Paid In Full.
John 19:30, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”
Hebrews 9:26b, “…but now once in the end of the world hath he (Jesus) appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”
Kenneth Wuest says, “…Salvation is not a work of man for God, but a work of God for man, a work that was accomplished at the Cross” (Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies From The Greek New Testament, Vol. II, published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Philippians In The Greek New Testament, pg. 73).
B. Salvation Is Offered Freely
They Do This In Spite Of The Fact That The Sinner’s Salvation Is Offered Freely.
Romans 3:24, “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:”
Revelation 22:17b, “…And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
The penalty of sin has been satisfied in Christ. The price of the sinner’s salvation and forgiveness has been met in Christ. Salvation cannot be earned. It is accepted by faith.
During the Spanish-American War, Clara Barton was overseeing the work of the Red Cross in Cuba. One day Colonel Theodore Roosevelt came to her, wanted to buy food for his sick and wounded Rough Riders. But she refused to sell him any. Roosevelt was perplexed. His men needed the help and he was prepared to pay out of his own funds.
When he asked someone why he could not buy the supplies, he was told, “Colonel, just ask for it!” A smile broke over Roosevelt’s face. Now he understood—the provisions were not for sale. All he had to do was simply ask and they would be given freely. Our Daily Bread, October 11, 1992.
C. Salvation Is Obtained by Simple Faith
They Do This In Spite Of The Fact That Salvation Is Obtained By Simple Faith.
Acts 16:30b-31, “…Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
