Transcript Slide 1

Fool: A person lacking in
judgment; without reason; a
reckless and inconsiderate
habit of mind.
Two Ways of Viewing:
1. Eyes of Man
2. Eyes of God
Am I A
Fool?
In the Eyes of Man
Lifestyle of a Christian is Foolish
For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the
Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries,
drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think
it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation,
speaking evil of you. (1 Peter 4:3-4)
Abstain from pre-marital or extra-marital sex
Abstain from alcohol, tobacco, & other drugs
Abstain from dancing, immodesty, & filthy language
Do not cheat your employees or employers
Faithfully serve & worship God
Preaching of the Cross
In the Eyes of God
Human Wisdom Is Foolish
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but
to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will
destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of
the prudent.” Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer
of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since,
in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it
pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save
those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;
but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the
Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness
of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
(1 Cor. 1:18-25)
In the Eyes of God
Human Wisdom Is Foolish
God allowed humanity to walk in their own ways
(Acts 14:16; Rom. 1:21-32; Acts 17:23)
Who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in
their own ways. (Acts 14:16)
For as I was passing through and considering the objects of
your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO
THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you
worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you. (Acts 17:23)
In the Eyes of God
Human Wisdom Is Foolish
The Gospel is NOT another philosophy:
1. From the Nature of Those Who Accept the Call
For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the
flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the
foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen
the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has
chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,
that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ
Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption-- that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him
glory in the LORD.” (1 Cor. 1:26-31)
In the Eyes of God
Human Wisdom Is Foolish
The Gospel is NOT another philosophy:
1. From the Nature of Those Who Accept the Call
2. From the Different Style of Delivery of the Gospel
And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of
speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I
determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much
trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive
words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of
power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the
power of God. (1 Cor. 2:1-5)
In the Eyes of God
Unbelief is Foolish - Atheism
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God…” (Psalm 14:1)
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. For although
they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him,
but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
(Rom. 1:20-21)
As the host of heaven cannot be numbered… (Jer.33:22)
Hipparchus (128 B.C.) – 1026 stars
Ptolemy (150 A.D.) – 1056 stars
Tyco Brahe (1575 A.D.) – 777 stars
Kepler (1600 A.D.) – 1005 stars
Australian National University (2003) – 70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
In the Eyes of God
Foolish to Blame God for Troubles
“Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The
LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD
be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good
from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
(Job 1:21-22; 2:10)
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was
evening, and there was morning-- the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of
the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (Jas. 1:17)
In the Eyes of God
Foolish to Blame God for Troubles
But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for
when you eat of it you will surely die. (Genesis 2:17)
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death
through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-(Romans 5:12)
Sin is the Cause of Afflictions and Troubles
Who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city
gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At
this the hearts of the people melted and became like water. (Joshua 7:5)
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes
also through a man. (1 Cor. 15:21)
In the Eyes of God
Foolish to Make Alliances With Evil Ones
At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him:
“Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the
army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the
Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and
horsemen? Yet when you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your
hand. For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen
those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish
thing, and from now on you will be at war.” (2 Chron. 16:7-9)
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the
intelligent I will frustrate.” (1 Cor. 1:19)
Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will
vanish. (Isaiah 29:14)
In the Eyes of God
Foolish to Speak Evil of Christians
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts
which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the
Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they
may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the
day of visitation. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human
institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent
by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance
of foolish men. (1 Peter 2:11-15)
In the Eyes of God
Foolish to Trust in Money
But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded
from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”
(Luke 12:20)
So, because you are lukewarm-- neither hot nor cold-- I am about to spit you
out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need
a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and
naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can
become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful
nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I
love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.
(Rev. 3:1619)
In the Eyes of God
Foolish to Trust in Money
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into
many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and
perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some
have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves
through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and
pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
(1 Tim. 6:9-11)
Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to
trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things
to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give,
willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to
come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (1 Tim. 6:17-19)
In the Eyes of God
Foolish to be Lifted Up with Pride
Foolish to go to the Old Testament for Salvation
Foolish Not to Obey God
Foolish Not to be Ready When the Lord Returns