Are You Listening: #6 Recipe for Folly

Anyone who turns, listens, and seeks Wisdom like hidden treasure (Proverbs 2) will dwell securely, protected, and at peace, no matter how foolish the culture around them. our lives are largely the consequence of whose voice we choose to tune into God’s or our own.

Transcript

Well, good morning. This morning we're going to cover a topic you've all been waiting for. The topic is, looking at what it takes to become a fool, Yeah. You got that one wonder. This will be a review for most of us. You know, not many of us set out with the ambition of be living a foolish life or becoming a fool. Yet, one of life's most common outcomes is exactly that. Think about this for a second. Human beings sit atop the pyramid of, of intellectual endowment. God has given us a unique ability to reason and to think and to, interact with our environment like no other part of his creation. Yet human beings, stand alone when it comes to self-destruction and making a mess of things. No other creature can create such havoc. As human beings have been able to create. We both are able to create the height of order and design. When you look at some of the magnificent things that we are able to accomplish, and at the same time, we can create the, the absolute disorder and chaos beyond imagination. Think about this for a second. You never see a pod of dolphins, theorizing about how they could create a better utopia and then killing each other in mass by the millions. But that's exactly what the repeated experience of the 20th century has been. In our quest to make things better in our quest for a better way. Whether it's, Stalin's Russia or Mao's China or Pol Pot's Cambodia. We have seen mass destruction in the quest for our utopian visions. Paul Johnson, this guy right here, and his, book entitled intellectuals, looks at the actual lives of the people that create the blueprint for folly. For example, he says, John Jacques Rousseau is the one who, who, who was the most masterful creation of the 20th century folly that we could ever know. He has created more things that have influenced our generation than we could possibly know. Anyone that's involved in education is under his influence and the influence of some of his theories. Anyone that's come under a socialist or communist country has come under the theories that he's created. And Johnson takes a look at the actual life of John Jacques Rousseau in his book intellectuals, and he asks the question, how does his actual life and the consequences of way, the way he lived with the people around him, match his great visions? Utopian visions of how we should live? It is really an eye opener to see the inside, of intellectuals lives who claim to know, how things should work and claim to know a better way. And when you look at their actual lives, what a mess they of their lives, they live. One of the things that Rousseau promoted was this idea, that the state should be the one responsible for education. And no wonder he thought that because he, forced his mistress Torres, to take all five of their children without ever having named them from the moment of their birth, put them into French. Orphanages where the life expectancy didn't go beyond three years old. And, he did that for all six of them. Yet at the same time, he said he was the lover or humanity. No one could have more compassionate on compassion on mankind than he could. Was his profession. And in real life, he didn't even love his own children enough to give them a name. Foolish, foolish men who lead, our culture in powerful ways. How do people do such a good job of messing up their lives? If you want to know how to become a fool. It is really an easy thing to do. And I'm going to give you all the necessary ingredients today. If it's, ambition that you desire to pursue, it's a lot easier to become a fool than to become a wise man. I can tell you that for right off the bat, all you have to do to become a fool is to refuse to listen to God's voice. That's. That's the first ingredient. All you have to do to become a fool is to refuse to listen to God's perspective and understand God's design, and live in accordance to God's will. And you'll, you'll you'll be well on your way to, messing up your life and everyone around you. Nothing else is necessary, really, to become a fool than to to turn a deaf ear to God's voice. Let me try to give you an illustration in baking. What does it take to really make a burnt or bad cake? You know what? What what does it require to have? This is the result of your, baking endeavor. Well, all it takes to make a bad cake or a burnt cake is to ignore the recipe, ignore the instructions, ignore the amount of time that it's supposed to be in the oven. All you have to do is ignore what it takes to make a good cake, and not apply the principles that a good baker would have to follow in order to have a good result. In the same way, violating any of the right things in life results in folly. All we have to do to be foolish is to be openly hostile to God's design, God's recipe for how to live a wise and prosperous and fruitful life. And, folly will be our result today as we continue in our series entitled. Are you listening? We're going to be looking, at this whole idea of refusing to listen to God. Is human folly. God's fault is what I'd like to ask. You know what? Fool doesn't blame God? In fact, if you look at the book of revelation and you look at, those who are under God's wrath, and receiving the due penalty of their perversions, they don't blame themselves. They rail against God. They raise their fist against God and say, God, how could you let this consequence happen to us? But is human folly God's fault? Because, God refuses to talk to us, refuses to instruct us, refuses to show our show us a better way, to refuse to tell us how to beneficially conduct ourselves. Our is human folly. Man's fault because he trusts in his own way. And rather than listening to God's better way, a fool rejects God's voice in favor of his own. Are we so arrogant to think that we don't need to hear from God? Or have we heard all that we need to hear and think, oh, I'm doing fine now. Now I can stop listening because I have it all figured out. Or do we continually listen to and seek, to be guided by God's counsel? When God speaks to us, when God is speaking to us, does he see our face? Or does he see our back? This morning's message is entitled A recipe for folly. And we're going to be looking at Proverbs chapter one, verses 20 through 33. Heavenly father, Lord, as we look into your word today, father, may we, come to a fuller understanding of why we see so much chaos around us, why we see so much unintended, evil, why we see, results that no one expected, but are as sure as the sun coming up in the morning. Father, father, we live in a causal and in a causal environment. And just like if we leave the cake in the oven, an extra half an hour, it's going to be burnt. If we don't pay attention to how it is that you have designed us to live, we are going to ruin our lives. And we pray, father, this day, that as we look at those who do ruin their lives, that we can gain insight into, how to live wisely ourselves. We pray, father, that you would bless the reading your word this morning. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. All right. Proverbs chapter one, verses 20 through 33, beginning at verse 20, it says, wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the market. She raises her voice at the head of a noisy street. She cries out at the entrance of the city. Great! She speaks. How long? Oh, simple one. Will you love being simple? How long will you scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge. If you turn to my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit to you. I will make my words known to you, because I have called, and you have refused to listen. I have stretched out my hand, and no one has heeded, because you have ignored my counsel, and would have none of my reproof. I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mark when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes on like a world. When distress and anguish come upon you, then you will call upon me. But I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. Would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of. Their way, and they will have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by turning out, by their turning away. And the complacent are few, and the complacency of fools destroy them. But whoever but whoever, but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be. It is without dread of disaster. Now, the whole Book of Revelations is a book that has the tone of a father's voice speaking to, his son, appealing to his son to live wisely and to turn away from folly. It's a book on the prudent management of our lives in various areas of our lives, how to manage our relationship with God prudently, how to manage our relationship with each other prudently, how to manage our relationship with ourselves prudently. How to manage our resources sources prudently, etc., etc.. How to manage our speech, how to manage our conduct. All of these things are seen and instructions in the book of Proverbs. As a father seeking his son to listen to his children, to listen to him, and to hear and receive advice so that the sons and daughters that he love will become wise, in the way that they manage their life. And alas, God's voice, like a loving father's voice, is often ignored, forfeiting the blessings of wisdom and reaping the bitter fruits of folly. As it turns out, our lives are largely a consequence of the voice we listen to, or the voice we refuse to listen to. Whoever you listen to, whatever voice you tune into will set and establish the paths that you walk in and the consequences of your life. And Proverbs. Wisdom's voice. God's voice here is personified as a woman's voice. In this passage, the voice that is crying out is a woman's voice crying out to be heard. The theme of this morning's message is this wisdom cries aloud in the street. Wisdom is continually crying aloud in the street. Verses 20 and 21. Who wisdom cries aloud in the streets, in the market? She raises her voice at the head of the noisy street. She cries out at the entrance of the city gate. She speaks. Wisdom's voice is a voice in a noisy crowd. It's a voice among a whole bunch of competing voices. But it's not a silent voice. It's not a quiet voice. It's not a whisper. It's a loud voice. And it's not spoken in the corners of the city. It's spoken in the streets. It's spoken at the gates of the city, and spoken in the places where everyone passes by. The idea here is you cannot avoid hearing Wisdom's voice. Wisdom's voice is loud. It's clear. It's in a competing, group of voices saying all kinds of different things. But it's not like you can say wisdom. Never spoke to me. I never heard her voice. Her voice is loud. And if a person fails to hear the voice of wisdom, the voice of God, the voice of prudence, the voice of good advice, it's not because God remains silent. Quite the opposite. Wisdom's voice is crying out for all to hear. And when we hear Wisdom's voice through the crowd of competing voices. And we turn our face to her and listen and not turn our backs. We can, we can we can take our first step away from folly. We can't claim that God has never spoken to us. And the question I have before you this morning is, do you recognize Wisdom's cry? Do you know what her voice says? Now, think about this for a second. Paul Revere, had a cry that I'm sure that 100% of the people in my generation know what he his famous cry is. I hope it's 100% of the generations below, but I'm not sure because, you know, American history is sort of fallen off the map. Let me just test some of you younger guys. What is it? What is Paul Revere's cry? The British are coming. Everybody knows that, right? Yeah. The, the red. Hey, Yeah, the Redcoats are coming. Yeah. Pretty good. They're pretty close. Now here's here. I'm going to embarrass you all. We all know Paul Revere's cry. How many of us know Wisdom's cry when it come to the top of your head? As easily as the British are coming, or the Redcoats are coming. What is wisdom's cry? Any anyone? Could anyone summarize wisdom? Wisdom's cry in the book of Proverbs? Give it a try. Anyone? Exactly. Oh, I'm so glad you bailed me out. It would have been so embarrassing. I'm assuming you all know that because one person answered it, but, yes. We should have on the tip of our tongue as easily as we would say the redcoats are coming or the British are coming. Is it? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. That is the foundation of wisdom's cry. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. And that should be familiar to us. I would say most people on the streets would be much more likely to recite Paul Revere's, cry than to be able to recite Wisdom's cry, much less know what it means. The fear of the Lord simply means this. It's taught in Psalm 34 if you want to look it up for yourself. But the fear of the Lord means this the fear of the Lord means knowing that God sees all, that he hears all that every he's aware of every one of our thoughts. And he's, watched every one of our deeds. And, on top of that, we're accountable to him, our creator. We stand accountable to him. We live accountable to him. We live accountable to the one that knows everything we've done everything we thought, every every motive of our hearts. That's the beginning of wisdom. That's just the beginning of wisdom. To know that, know that we are accountable to the one who is all knowing, we are accountable to him. And blessed are those who are led by his guidance. He resists those who reject his guidance. He he blesses those who seek to follow him, and he resists those who reject him. Hearing and learning and living by God's truth is the is is the beginning of wisdom. It's kind of like this, base ten are the numerals zero through nine are the foundation of of mathematics. And without it, it really can't even go into the higher levels of math. You got to start where at the beginning, with simple math and so on the side, you see simple addition. It's the foundation of mathematics. And on the, on the right side there, you see, a sample of somebody who's looking up into heaven, recognizing that his life is being lived in the presence of God under the loving observation of his heavenly father. The fear of the Lord is the most fundamental, basic idea of wisdom. It's just the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom's voice cries out and the basis of wisdom is the omnipresence. All knowing, God, who sees us to and to whom we're accountable for those who hate and reject the idea that God sees all, take their first step into folly when somebody denies, God and denies his, his, presence. In fact, the Psalm says, the fool says in their heart there is no God. They take the first step into folly. And let's just, think about this for a second. Let's just, for the sake of argument, say there is no God, and you have people who believe there's a superintending, authority over us. That's good. And that has given us good laws. And another person who rejects that idea that there's no one that I'm answerable to, let's say for a second, God doesn't exist. Which one's the which one of those two are going to live a wiser life? The person who thinks they're being, that they have somebody to be accountable to are the person who thinks they have no one to be accountable to but themselves. What I'm saying is, is that an atheist is foolish for thinking that there is no God just from a practical standpoint to the idea that there is no God, not even arguing whether there is or not, but the idea that there is no God, makes everyone their own moral determiner, and no one's accountable to anybody but themselves, which is really the heart of social chaos. There are some atheists who recognize that even in their atheism, that they should promote a theistic worldview because they understand this principle. Now, of course, God does exist and his evidence is everywhere is, as we start out with, you know, the heavens declare his glory. There's no lack of, of evidence or anything other than the existence of a superintending God. But I'm just arguing for a second. Suppose that, you know, you could just argue, as a devil's advocate, that there were no God, we'd still be better off living as though there was in terms of living wisely. Because wisdom begins with this idea that I should do well because I'm being held accountable. And anybody that's untied from that provision is subject to their own foolish desires and their own impulses bouncing around for whatever they want at the moment, creating havoc, havoc everywhere they go. Again, wisdom cries aloud in the streets. And point number one is, fool is one who refuses to listen. Let's take a look at verses 22 through 26. Beginning in verse 22. How long? Oh, simple one. Will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn to mirror at my reproof, I will behold. I will pour out my spirit to you. I will make my words known to you, because I have called, and you refuse to listen, has stretched out my hand, and no one has heeded, because you have ignored my counsel, and would have none of my reproof. I also will laugh at your calamity and mock when terror strikes you. So there's two responses to women to Wisdom's voice here. All of us start out together in the shared human folly of our own inflated egos. We all have inherited from the fall the idea that we can become our own moral determiners. And we do not need to answer to God. But some of us turn from that and listen to Wisdom's voice. And if we turn and listen to it, to Wisdom's voice, this verse promises that she'll pour out her spirit on us, and she'll fill us with knowledge and understanding. The other alternative are people who started out foolish and remain foolish and never repent and turn to and listen to Wisdom's voice. One of the best pictures of this, historically, is the picture of the crucifixion. When you had two thieves, two guilty criminals, both, responding very differently to Christ. One of them remained arrogant and continued to mock him, while the innocent one, the Lamb of God, was being crucified for the sins of the world. The other one turned and faced him and so and said, oh Lord, forgive me. And one heard the words, today you will be with me in Paradise. And the other didn't. We all start out in a criminal condition before God, and Wisdom's voice is calling us into holiness. Wisdom's voice is calling us into a change, into God's mercy, into a transformation that would take us from being fools to being wise, to experiencing God's mercy beyond measure. To being blessed by wisdom and understanding. A fool is one who refuses to listen, and that refusal to listen is a recipe for folly. Well, let me just show you a few other verses in Proverbs that, accentuate this point. Proverbs 118 two. This was one of my favorite, proverbs when I was working for the Youth Authority. At one point, I put it over the top of my office when the young inmates would come in and start talking crazy stuff, I would point up to it and it says, A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only expressing his own opinion. Yeah, a fools favorite voice is not the voice of God. Fools. Favorite voice is his own voice. And then there's, 1215. The way of the fool is right in his own eyes. But a wise man listens to advice. The way of the. The way that matters to a fool is his own way. There's only one way. It's my way or the highway. A fool says no one is as smart as me. I will guide myself. I don't need advice from God or from anyone. And then there's Proverbs 2826. Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered. Think about our generation and the voices of our generation. How often have you heard the phrase trust in yourself? How often have you heard the phrase listen to your own inner voice? How often have you been guided by the wisdom of this age to cloud out another voice and the voice of God, the voice of wisdom that would contradict your own desires? We are born with foolish desires in our heart. Those desires speak loud and clear, but Wisdom's voice speaks loudly to and God's voice, Wisdom's voice contests for our soul. And it spoke no more loudly than it did on the cross, when it said to all humanity, I love you enough to cure your criminal condition. I love you enough to cure your moral disease. I love you enough to make an atoning sacrifice so that you can go from being in the status of a criminal to the status, of the innocent. And I love you enough to pour out my spirit into your heart and put my thoughts into your mind that you can go from a morally depraved condition into a holy condition. That's the promise of the gospel. That's the voice of God. And if we listen, we will be secure in God's embrace. Wisdom cries aloud in the streets, as is our theme, this morning. And point number one is a fool is one who refuses to listen. And point number two is a fool eats the fruit of his own folly. A fool eats the fruit of his own folly. Verse 29 through 33. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. Because of that, and would have none, and, and would have none of my counsel, and despise all my reproof because of that. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of a fool destroys them. But, but, but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease without dread of disaster. The great irony of a fool and his folly is that the consequences of his life are his own making. Well, continually placing blame, for his misfortune on somebody else and something else. And even God himself, which is the hallmark of a fool, if you want to. If you want to really, see the hallmark of a fool, you'll see somebody who's always blaming some someone or somebody else for their, misfortune, for their emptiness, for their hollowness, for the for the darkness in their soul. Look, God will fill any soul, any place on the face of the earth in any condition, no matter how evil. For a man who humbly, calls out to him if we are empty, it's because, not because God is unwilling to fill us. It's because we've been unwilling to be filled by our folly is no one else's fault but our own. Taking personal a responsibility is, the first moment of of of wisdom for the moment, a fool takes responsibility for his own actions and decisions. He's taking the first step away from being a fool. That's why a fool will always blame somebody else. Because the second he stops blaming somebody else, he's starting to stop being a fool. It's the first step out of his folly. Personal responsibility places us at the cross, and it places us at the crossroad of repentance. Personal responsibility brings us before God to where we say, God I have, I have sinned, I have sinned against you. Will you forgive me? Fortunately, there's only ever been one answer to that question. Yes, my son, I will forgive you. Personal responsibility places us at the cross. We don't ever come to the cross saying, Lord, I'm here before you at the atoning sacrifice of of your cross for all the sins of mankind. And I have a whole list of my neighbor sins that I'd like you to take care of. That's not very productive. The cross is a place for us to take our own personal accountability and recognize our own cost. The consequences of our own life are attributable to our own choices. How could a fool continue to trust in himself if he blamed himself for his own wrong? A fool can't listen to Wisdom's cry. He can't listen to the cry. Repent and turn, for the kingdom of God is near. For without turning and relying on Christ's mercy. He would. If he did turn and rely on Christ mercy, he would have to turn from his own self reliance. The hallmark of what makes him a fool. If you doubt. If we live in a foolish age, just think of all the common secular cliches that we hear all the time and the harvest that those cliches have brought to those who, in their self-absorption, have believed him. We live in a self -absorbed generation with an insatiable hole that no amount of entertainment, no amount of drugs, no amount of sexuality, no amount of personal achievement, no amount of anything has ever been able to fill. But there is this wonderful. But in verse 33, what a great word that is in Scripture. What a great thing it is that God has put in the hinge of all of our lives, this word. But, but whoever listens to me, but whoever listens to me, not, not, not if you've lived a wise life your whole life and done everything well, but whoever listens to me. Not that you're already good and holy and right, but whoever listens to me, whoever will start listening to Wisdom's voice, will dwell secure and will be at ease without dread of disaster. We can listen to Wisdom's voice, even in the midst of a foolish people, and dwell securely in the arms of his protection and his guidance. Again wisdom cries aloud in the street. Point number one is a fool is one who refuses to listen. And point number two is a fool eats the fruit of his own folly. Today I'd like to conclude by just reading, continuing to read the words that follow our passage today and in Proverbs chapter two, and read the first 12 verses of Proverbs chapter two. My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding, yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it. As for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom. From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity. Every good path for wisdom will come into your heart, for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will watch over you. Understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverse speech. Wow. We have in there a great if an a great then if we search after, if we cry after, and if we search after, and we belong after God's wisdom and the voice of God's wisdom, then. Then he will fill us. Then he will fill us if we look after him for like for hidden treasures. How do you search for a hidden treasure? You do it expectantly and diligently, and you? You search for it. When we read the Bible in the morning, are we looking? Are we looking for that one jewel that will make our day? That one thought that will fill our hearts with delight if we do, if we look for God's voice and listen for God's voice as we would search for a hidden treasure, then then he will fill us with protection and wisdom and guidance, and he will guard over our lives as we search for his wisdom. It will become our caretaker. Heavenly father, Lord, we just come before you. And, even as I read this, Lord, I come so short of searching for your wisdom like a person, anxiously searching for hidden treasure. But, Lord, I, I want to increase the intensity of my search. All these years I have been searching your word, and I have found one gem after another. Lord, let me not ever think that your provision has stopped. And I don't need any more wisdom or knowledge for you. I've just begun gaining wisdom. Lord. I've just begun scratching the understanding that is necessary in every true thought that I've incorporated into my mind and into my life has protected me in every foolish idea. And Lord, protect us as we seek after your wisdom. As we listen to her voice, we cry out to her. She has cried out to us, show us your treasures. And voice the wisdom of God. Show us your treasures and Lord.