[0:00] Well, let's turn now to Proverbs chapter 9, the passage we read a short time ago. I'd like tonight to look at verses 1 to 6 and also verses 13 to 18.
[0:18] These two portions of the chapter that set out these very different women. Women that we've called in our title Lady Wisdom and Madam Folly.
[0:33] It would be very unusual to get two invitations to two different wedding parties in one day. Not impossible, but rather unusual.
[0:47] Yet that's effectively what you have when you come to the gospel and the alternatives to the gospel that call for your attention.
[0:58] Because God gives us here in the picture you have of two women, two contrasting lifestyles.
[1:10] The woman wisdom represents that call to us into the ways of salvation. The woman folly is the alternative to that.
[1:22] She has her own provision. Things which are utterly different to the table that Lady Wisdom sets before us.
[1:35] Proverbs is a book that really has to do with wisdom. All the way through the book you read about wisdom. And Proverbs set out things that we need to know about wisdom and what wisdom is and where it comes from.
[1:50] And wisdom in the book of Proverbs is not just somebody who's naturally able to do things, who has a good intellect. Wisdom is not really something that primarily means those kinds of abilities.
[2:07] Wisdom in the way of Proverbs is the kind of ability through God's grace that people have to live their lives in the way they should.
[2:18] To do the things they ought to do. To live a God-honoring life. To choose the things that God recommends. To shun the things that God hates.
[2:31] Wisdom is something that you trace through from the book of Proverbs. Indeed from the Old Testament. Right through into the New Testament. And into the person of Jesus Christ himself.
[2:42] And into the likes of these passages in the opening chapters of 1 Corinthians. Where you find the apostle there defining wisdom for us in Christ himself.
[2:54] He is our wisdom. He is God's wisdom. And God's power to salvation. So everything if you like that the Old Testament has to say about wisdom.
[3:05] As a life that knows how to live to the glory and praise of God. That's able to face the issues of life in a way that applies oneself properly to them.
[3:17] All of that you find summarized in the grace that is in Christ. And that is the truly wise person. It doesn't matter what age they are. You can be 80 years of age and be a fool.
[3:31] You can be 5 years old and be very wise. All depends where Christ is or isn't in your life. So these two women tonight represent.
[3:46] On the one hand wisdom and all that that contains. And the benefits of it. And on the other hand you've got Lady Folly. Who calls you away from wisdom. Calls you away from salvation.
[3:58] Calls you away from the things that are spiritually beautiful. To those things that she has prepared. That are the very opposite. Things that have to do with shadiness.
[4:10] Immorality. Sinful lifestyle. And ultimately lostness. And as you look at these two women. They are deliberately placed side by side here.
[4:22] By the writer of Proverbs. So that you can actually hold them against each other. And listen to what they have to say. And what the chapter has to say about each of them.
[4:33] Let's look at Lady Wisdom's banquet. And then we'll look at Madam's Folly's banquet. Because each of them has prepared a banquet.
[4:45] Each of them has gone to great lengths. To put certain things on their table. That they now invite guests to partake of. But we'll need to see just exactly what they say.
[4:57] And how to apply that. To the world in which we live. To the lives we live in it. And to what we are in relation to God. And to eternity. Lady Wisdom's banquet.
[5:09] Where is it held first of all? Well it says Wisdom has built her house. She has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her beasts. She has mixed her wine. And that appears first of all as a large mansion.
[5:21] Doesn't it? This great house that's been built. It has seven pillars. You just imagine this great construction. Like some sort of grand mansion. But in fact the language.
[5:31] Is more reminiscent of a place of worship. Is more reminiscent of a temple. It's more reminiscent of a place. Where God himself is placed.
[5:42] And where God is to be found. And where the things of God are honored. That is where Wisdom has her house. In the things of God. Because the alternative.
[5:53] To Lady Wisdom's provision. Is not just a godless life. A life without faith. A life without expectancy. Is a life without hope. It's a life too. Without worship.
[6:04] It's a life without honoring God. In worship. Because the first note that you find. In regard to wisdom. And the way Wisdom's provision. And Lady Wisdom calling out to us.
[6:16] Is that here is where our lives. Should be based. In the worship of God. In this house with the pillars. Not outside it. Not in any alternative to it.
[6:28] That's why God created us. Wasn't it? That's what we've lost. In our consciousness. Now. From our consciousness. Now. Through our fall in Adam.
[6:40] Through our sinfulness. Through the sinful bias. Of our heart. After all. John tells us in his gospel. That Jesus came. To his own. But his own. Did not receive him.
[6:50] And we're reminded immediately. Of the importance. Of worship. In a human life. Proper worship.
[7:01] The worship. Of the true God. Every life. You might say. To some extent. Worship something. Yes. We know that. We all worship things. Which we ought not to worship. We are naturally inclined.
[7:12] To adore. And to idolize. Things other than God. But what this is saying to us. Is. If you want your life. Truly. To be a wise life.
[7:22] And guided by wisdom. And if you want to be. On that right path. That leads you. In the right direction. To the right end. Worship. God.
[7:34] Must be basic. Foundational. To that life. That's why it's such a great thing. To see. Young people. Children. Coming to gospel services.
[7:45] That's why it's such. A great thing. To have the efforts. Of the likes of the challenger team. Themselves. Dealing with children. Not trying. In any way. To pressurize. Not in any way. To bring things.
[7:57] Inappropriated. To bear on children's minds. But the truth. Of God. Himself. Is a truth. That actually. Presses home. Upon. Our consciousness. Young or old.
[8:07] What an important. Thing it is. To be a worshiper. Of God. And how foundational. The worship of God is. To any human life.
[8:18] And to. A life that seeks. Satisfaction. Where do we find out. Satisfaction. Is it in. Idolizing the things of the world. Yes. There's a measure of satisfaction.
[8:28] That will come to see that. In the way in which. Lady. Which. Madam Folly. Sets out. Adwares. But our true satisfaction. The satisfaction. For which our soul.
[8:39] Is designed. That can only be found. In Jesus Christ. He's the only one. Who fits. Our deep. Human need.
[8:51] And when you've come. To know your needs. Satisfied in him. You don't need. And you don't want. Anyone else. He's the only one.
[9:01] That fits. Your needy soul. It's held. In this mansion. That represents. The place. Of worship.
[9:12] Isn't that what. What God. Say. What David himself. Said of God. In that great. Psalm. Psalm 23. A psalm. That really. Celebrated. So.
[9:22] Wonderfully. The shepherding. Care of God. The Lord. Is his shepherd. And all the way. Through the psalm. As he speaks about. What God means. To him. And you know.
[9:34] Our familiarity. With that psalm. Sometimes. Is a danger. To us. Because. We kind of. Sometimes. Pass over. Or gloss over. Things. Which we're so. Used to hearing. In the great words.
[9:44] Of the likes. Of Psalm 23. That they just. Fail to register. The way they once did. Perhaps. Or the ones. The way they should. And in one of the verses. There you of course. You remember. That God says.
[9:54] That David says. Of God. You have prepared. A table. For me. In the presence. Of my enemies. You have prepared.
[10:06] For me. Things for me. To eat abundantly. Of. You have given me. Something. That satisfies. My soul. That's where it's held.
[10:20] That's what the focus is on. A life related to God. And worship. The wise life. The life that knows wisdom. In that respect. Secondly. It's. In Lady Wisdom's banquet.
[10:32] You ask. Well. What's on the menu. And it's obvious. As it's described there. That. It's a very. Carefully. Prepared. Menu. It's a very balanced menu.
[10:43] It's a menu. That has especially. An emphasis. On the richest. Kind of food. And drink. Available. And often in the Bible. You find salvation. Described.
[10:53] In those terms. Just as you find here. She has slaughtered her beasts. She has mixed her wine. She has set. Her table. It's a. It's a picture of the most careful preparation.
[11:05] And a picture of the most. Abundant. And delicious. Food. And drink. Available. The prophets. Like Isaiah. Spoke about.
[11:16] The feast of. Fat things. This great. Celebratory. Banquet. That God. In salvation. Has prepared. For his people.
[11:27] And all the way through. To the end of the Bible. Virtually. In Revelation. Chapter 19. That's how the Bible. Ends. As it. Brings us. To. Think of what it will be like. To celebrate life.
[11:38] With Jesus Christ. In heaven. It's the marriage supper. Of the lamb. That has arrived. That great chapter says. And what is it. In terms of. It's a banquet.
[11:48] It's a wedding reception. It's full of the best things. To eat. And to drink. Spiritually. Of course. And that's why. In the Bible. You've got. God's salvation.
[11:59] Described. In terms of a banquet. That's why Jesus. In some of the parables. Described. His coming into the world. And the kingdom of God. In terms of a banquet.
[12:11] That's why he made it so important. For us. To know what it is. To accept his invitation. To this banquet feast. Here is.
[12:21] Lady wisdom. She is. Emphasizing. Worship. And she has. She is saying. I've prepared everything. On the menu.
[12:32] It's the best fare you'll get. It's carefully prepared. Everything is actually there. On the table. Well think of.
[12:45] What you have in Jesus Christ. Think of the preparation. That God went to. The length.
[12:56] He went to. To spread. A table. Of salvation. For us. And Christ. What preparation. What detail.
[13:10] What carefulness. To actually take account. Of every single need. Of human beings. What careful. What careful preparation. To make sure. That nothing.
[13:21] That he himself. Required. Was left out. In the preparation. His son. Came into the world. At exactly. The right moment. As God.
[13:31] Had always purposed. In the fullness. Of the time. God sent forth. His son. Born of a woman. Made under the law. That we might receive. The adoption.
[13:42] Of sons. That we might become. Children of God. God. Have you ever seen. A table. With so many things.
[13:52] On it. So many rich things. So many things. In abundance. Forgiveness. Pardon. Adoption.
[14:03] Justification. Sanctification. Making you holy. God's comfort. God's covenant blessings.
[14:14] God's promises. God's fulfillment. God's fulfillment. Of your hope. God's truth. Every single thing. You think of. Is a gospel privilege. And a gospel gift.
[14:26] They're on the table. And they're. They're. Spread out. Before us. By lady wisdom. By God. In his wisdom.
[14:37] And she's saying. This. Is all ready for you. I've prepared it.
[14:47] And it's cost. Cost. Costs us nothing. To go to it. It's free.
[14:59] You don't pay. You don't pay. An entrance fee. You're not. Asked for a donation. The price.
[15:10] Has already been paid. Everything. On that table. Is costly. It took. The blood. Of Christ. To put it.
[15:20] On the table. That's what it cost. God. God. And that's why. It's an affront. To God. To refuse it. To go away.
[15:31] Somewhere else. Lady wisdom. Jesus Christ. God. In Christ. Reconciling.
[15:42] The world. To himself. As Paul. Put it. In 2nd Corinthians. 5. Well. Here is. That represented. By lady wisdom. It's beginning.
[15:53] With an emphasis. On worship. It's spread out. The menu. Before us. And then. Look at the invitations. As well. Whosoever. Is simple. Let him turn in. Here. To him. Who lacks.
[16:04] Sense. She says. Come. And eat of my bread. And drink of the wine. I have mixed. Leave your simple ways. And live. And walk. In the ways of insight. Now. When he says.
[16:15] Simple. The simple people. Are to turn in. Here. When. When you read. That the simple. Are invited. You mustn't think. That that's people. Who just lack. Intellectually. That is people.
[16:25] Who are really. Largely. Uneducated. Because when you go back. To the beginning. Of Proverbs. The first few chapters.
[16:35] Deals with. A father's. Advice. To his son. Or to his children. Hear. My son. Your father's instruction. Then he goes on.
[16:46] To speak about. Wisdom. He goes on. To speak about. Giving direction. To his children. My son. If you. You receive. My words. And treasure up. My commandments. And so on.
[16:56] All the way through. These opening chapters. You find this emphasis. On. A son. Or. A child. Being taught. By a. Loving parent. And that's really. What it means. When it says. The simple.
[17:07] Are to turn in here. Because we are all. The simple. What it means. Is we need. To be educated. Properly. We need to have. Our lives. Constructed. Through.
[17:18] The education. That God alone. Is able to give us. Through his word. And through his wisdom. And that's what we're called. When we come to hear. The invitation.
[17:28] Of lady wisdom. All you. Who are simple. In other words. All you. Who need. To be taught. And that's every single. One of us. Taught the ways. Of God. Taught the ways.
[17:39] Of truth. Taught the ways. Of holiness. Taught the ways. Of acceptance. With God. Taught the ways. Of hope. Taught the ways. That lead. To a secure. Eternity.
[17:50] Turn in here. She says. This is where. You'll be taught. All of these things. And that's. Therefore applicable. To all ages.
[18:01] Although it is. Indeed. The case. That. Proverbs. Is a great book. For young people. And I want. Once read. I think it was. In the. Autobiography. Of.
[18:12] Dr. Thomas Guthrie. Who did such. An amazing work. In Edinburgh. In the Victorian age. In the 1800s. With. Street children. On the streets. Of Edinburgh. Abandoned children.
[18:23] Children. Just. With parents. Riddled. With disease. And with alcoholism. And all sorts of. Horrible things. And these children. Had nowhere to go.
[18:33] They were out in the streets. So he. Arranged for them. What became. The ragged school movement. And. But amongst that. I remember Guthrie. Saying that. One of the things. That he. Devised for them.
[18:44] Was to. Teach them the bible. Wasn't teach them. The bible. According to the free church. Or the bible. According to Roman Catholicism. Or the bible. According to any particular.
[18:54] System of belief. He was concerned. To teach them the bible. And you know. They didn't have any English. They couldn't read. They didn't have any. Ability rather. In reading English. Or writing English.
[19:05] So what he did was. One of the things. He arranged was. They would go through. The book of Proverbs. And what he said was. You know. While these children. Were learning English.
[19:16] They were also. At the same time. Learning wisdom. They were learning. What it means. To know God. To be right. With God.
[19:27] To live lives. Pleasing to God. To have hope. To look forward. To something meaningful. When this life. Was gone. And even during.
[19:37] This life. And that's what it means here. Whoever is simple. Let him turn in here. You can really. Ask the question. Of yourself tonight. And I must ask. The question of myself.
[19:49] Am I willing. To be taught. By God. Do I want my heart. To be constructed. In the right way. Do I want my mind. To be enlightened. In the way. That will indeed.
[19:59] Give me the true. Knowledge of God. Do I want. That wisdom. That I can only have. If. As someone. Simple. Someone. Acknowledging. My need.
[20:10] To be educated. Properly. I give myself. To God. To be taught. By him. That's what it's saying. That's what Lady Wisdom's. Invitation. Specifies.
[20:21] As. As we're addressed. By it. That's the banquet. That's. Really what the gospel. Tonight. Is saying. To us all. Here's God's table.
[20:32] Here's God's banquet. Here's all of this wonderful. Spiritual food. It's there in abundance. It's there freely. God has gone to great lengths. To prepare that table. It's exquisitely decorated.
[20:44] It's got the best food. Honored. It's cost him so much. And he's concerned. That you and I will come to it. That we will come.
[20:57] To be educated there. In the things of God. And then you've got these verses. Which. You find from. Verse 7. There through to verse 12.
[21:08] Which basically is a kind of bridge. Between the two passages. Dealing with the two women. And it tells us really. In these verses. We're not going to go into them. But. You can go through them afterwards.
[21:18] Yourselves. Because they're really to do with. Responses. To the two invitations. Responses to. Lady Wisdom. But also to Madam Folly. And you'll find.
[21:29] That these verses. Really pretty much. Deal with. The different kinds. Of responses. But also of course. In verse 10. Brings us to. Really. What we said at the beginning. Where everything is rooted.
[21:40] Everything to do with. Lady Wisdom's. Table. Everything to do with that. Life that is. Set on. Wisdom. It begins. With the fear of God.
[21:52] With respect. And awe. And commitment. To God. That is due to him. From us. There's Lady Wisdom's banquet. Let's look briefly. At Madam Folly's banquets.
[22:03] And one of the things. That you'll find here. Is. How very deliberately. The writer of Proverbs. Is giving us. Pretty much. The same language. On the lips. Of.
[22:14] Madam Folly. As was on the lips. Of. Lady Wisdom. And indeed. It's very much. A copying. By her. Of what you find. At the beginning. Of the chapter.
[22:25] The woman. Folly. Is loud. She's seductive. And knows nothing. She sits. At the door. Of her house. She takes a seat. On the highest places. Of the town. Just the same. As you find. Verse 3.
[22:35] There. Lady Wisdom's. On the highest places. Of the town. So too. Is Madam Folly. She's a rival. To Lady Wisdom. She's there. Right. Where Lady Wisdom. Is set. Her emphasis.
[22:46] Is not on. Coming into the temple. To worship. It's coming into. Her own house. It's not described. But she's described. You notice how she's described. The woman.
[22:57] Folly. Is loud. Nothing elegant about her. Nothing of which you would say is attractive.
[23:09] In the normal sense of beauty or attractiveness. She's a loud woman. It really. Brings to us. The coarseness.
[23:20] And the way there's such a clamor. And a coarseness. In what is alternative. To living. For Christ. And in Christ. And by Christ.
[23:33] This is the alternative. All the alternatives. You might say. Are summarized to that. The woman. Folly. Is loud. She is seductive. And knows nothing. You notice the two things go together.
[23:44] She's loud. And yet. She's also seductive. And that's how. Very often it is. With the ways. Of the world. The ways of alternatives. To Christ. The ways of alternatives. To what the gospel.
[23:55] Actually sets before you. On the table. Of the Lord. Because although. She lacks. This wisdom. And she lacks. Substance. Something that.
[24:05] Lady wisdom. Has in abundance. There's a woman. Of substance. And there is a provision. Of substance. On her table. Madam Folly. Doesn't have any substance. But she makes up for it.
[24:16] By her loudness. She covers up. The lack of substance. By her coarseness. And by her loudness. Isn't that how it is. With the world.
[24:27] Isn't that how it is. With the ways of sin. There's no. Spiritual substance. To them. The way you find. In the ways of God. In the ways of Christ. Christ. But that's kind of hidden.
[24:41] Under. The outward. Coshness. And loudness. And bravado. And arrogance. That you find. And you find. Increasingly.
[24:51] Certainly. In our generation. It's not just that people. Want to please themselves. And want to exercise. What they say. As their own rights. They want to do it loudly. They want to do it.
[25:02] With brashness. With arrogance. Against God. And the idea of God. That's. Madam Folly. She is loud.
[25:13] Arrogant. Standing out. As somebody who says. I'll give you a good time. But the good times.
[25:27] Of the world. Are just a cover. For spiritual emptiness. Yes. Some of us have been there. Some of us followed.
[25:39] The invitation. Of. Madam Folly. And we thought she was right. And we thought it was a great thing.
[25:51] Not to have God in one's life. Not to have to go to church. Not to listen to the Bible. Being read. Or preached from.
[26:05] When God came to show us. The two women side by side. We then came to understand. That. Coarseness.
[26:15] And loudness. And arrogance. And bravado. And sinfulness. And the good times. Of the world. Have no substance. There's nothing there.
[26:26] For eternity. There's nothing there. For your soul. To be satisfied on. It's all on. Lady wisdom's table. That's where you've got to go. To find it.
[26:39] And you see. It's. It's held also. As we said. In the same. Sort of. Heights of the town. And. Really. You could say that. If you try and bring that.
[26:50] Into. Our present context. As a people. And. Our society. What. Madam Folly. Is really saying. Is look. I've got things. Which are just as good. As lady wisdom.
[27:02] My alternative. And she thinks really. That it's superior. Deep down. That's what she really believes. That's what the world believes. That it's way. Is superior to anything. That's in the gospel. To anything. That.
[27:13] Christians actually. Themselves. Possess. Or recommend. Here is. Madam Folly. Saying. I'm at the very heights. Of the town. As well. I'm just as good. As they are. In fact.
[27:23] I can give you more. I can give you far more. Pleasure. Than lady wisdom. Ever can. I can give you. Fleshly pleasure. I can give you. Worldly pleasure. I can. Give you.
[27:34] At my table. Something. That will delight. Your sinful heart. Your heart's content. The invitations.
[27:45] Are also. Deliberately. The same. We're just passing over. Fairly quickly. These points. Or she believes. That it's superior. And isn't that really. What you find. In the alternatives.
[27:56] To Christ. And salvation. Christ. That you. Face. And that you know of. In the world. You don't find. People. Who. Will place.
[28:07] Christianity. Or. Salvation. In Christ. Who place them. On the same level. As. Buddhism. Or Islam. Or. Even secularism. Itself.
[28:18] And. The. Opinion. Of. Our day. Of course. Is that. These are all. Really. On the same level. People have the right. To. Believe. What they like. And yes. That's a right. We're. Seeking.
[28:29] To protect. Everybody. Has the right. To believe. What they believe. Even if what they believe. Is wrong. The point is this.
[28:39] That. When. Everything. Is put. On that same level. And you have a competition. Between. Various.
[28:50] World views. And various. Points of view. As to what human life. Is about. Inevitably. What you find. Is that. All of these. Alternatives. Present themselves.
[29:00] As superior. To Christ. Not just on the same level. But superior. It's inevitable. At the religion. That has Christ.
[29:11] As the savior. Of sinners. And sinners. Needing repentance. That's not going to be. The most popular one. It's going to be. Placed below. The rest.
[29:22] And the one that says. Well you can do it. By your own efforts. And the more. Your own efforts. Will carry you forward. The more you achieve. The more content. You'll be. And the more certain.
[29:32] You'll be. Of heaven. At last. Well here is. Madam Folly's. Invitation. Given to those.
[29:43] That are going past. Calling to those. Who pass by. You see. They're same and same. Whoever is simple. Let him turn in here. And to him. Who lacks sense. He's really copying. What Lady Wisdom has said.
[29:55] It's really addressed. To the same people. People in need of being. Educated. People in need of being. Constructed in their lives. Except she will not do that properly.
[30:06] She'll destroy life. She'll deconstruct. She'll dismantle. And you'll end up with disaster. Because.
[30:19] What's on her menu. Is where you come to really see the difference. Between the two tables. And the two women. She says to those who lack sense.
[30:29] She says. Stolen water is sweet. And bread eaten in secret. Is pleasant. Now you compare that with. Chapter 5. Verses 15 to 23.
[30:42] In Proverbs. Very similar language. And it's very obvious. In chapter 5. That what Proverbs is dealing with. Is things like. Adultery. And fornication. And sexual immorality.
[30:53] And things like that. Which are specified. In that passage. As things are obviously. To be avoided. By those. Who seek wisdom.
[31:04] As their way of life. Now here is. Chapter 9. Madam Folly saying. Stolen water is sweet. The things which God doesn't like.
[31:17] The things which God says are wrong. As alternatives. I guarantee you. That you'll enjoy them. You'll be fulfilled.
[31:28] Your life will not want to go. To Lady Wisdom's table. Isn't it the case that.
[31:42] What God forbids. As a certain attractiveness. To a sinful heart. That's what you find here. Sin is not unattractive.
[31:53] It's only unattractive. To someone who's holy. Sin has a sweetness to it. For those who want to be sinful.
[32:06] Sin has an attractiveness in it. For a fallen human being. Isn't that what it says in Isaiah 53. About Jesus. Until you actually come to know yourself.
[32:21] And to know God for who he is. There is no beauty in him. That we should desire him. He is like a root. Out of a dry ground. Despised.
[32:32] Rejected by men. Sin. And the ways of sin. And the ways of immorality.
[32:43] And sexual perverseness. That's sweet. That's attractive. Because God has forbidden it. And because it.
[32:56] Gratifies. And titillates our human hearts. Why do people go into. Even to excess. Into those ways of sin.
[33:09] Because it's enjoyable. It's enjoyable. To the sinner. Isn't that what it says. And also. Remember the passage. In Hebrews 11.
[33:19] That list of people. Who lived by faith. And you come all the way down there. To Moses. And Moses actually choosing. Not to be known as Pharaoh's daughter.
[33:32] But to suffer affliction. With the people of God. Rather. Than enjoy. The pleasures of sin. For a season. The short.
[33:44] Fleeting. Pleasures of sin. That tells us. There is a pleasure in sin. There's a sinful pleasure in sin. There's an ungodly pleasure in sin.
[33:56] But it's a destructive pleasure. It's a short-lived pleasure. Pleasure. That's why it says next. Next. But she's left.
[34:11] The previous guest list. Lying around. And when you go into. Madam Folly's chamber. And you look at that previous guest list.
[34:23] What does it say? The dead have been here. That's what it says. Yet he does not know. He says. Stolen water is sweet.
[34:34] And bread eaten in secret. Is pleasant. The ways of sin. Feel right. And feel pleasurable. To a sinner. But he does not know. That the dead are here. It's really.
[34:45] Pretty much saying. That. You go into. Madam Folly's. Clutches. And you. Accept the alternatives. To Jesus Christ. And one of the terrible things. About it.
[34:56] Is you don't realize. That you're in the ways. Of death. That you're accompanied. On the journey. By the dead. There are people. Who have. Already been in this place. And they're long since gone.
[35:07] And where are they? They're lost. They're in hell. He does not know. That the dead are here.
[35:20] You know. When you go into a place. Some places that. Have inscriptions. Just. Fitting on the walls.
[35:31] So and so. Was here. Well it's a bit like that. Really when. You go into the chamber. Of Madam Folly. You go through her door. And the first thing you see.
[35:41] Are all of these inscriptions there. People have scratched. On the walls. So and so. Was here. And you don't know. Actually. That these are the names.
[35:53] Of the dead. They've all gone to a lost eternity. They were royally entertained. By Madam Folly.
[36:04] And then they came. To a dreadful end. In other words.
[36:18] The door to happiness. That Madam Folly. Calls you to. Everything. That's an alternative. To your faith in Christ.
[36:29] To what God is commending. To you in the gospel. The table. That Madam Folly spreads. Before you. In her house. And calls you to come in. As soon.
[36:40] As you're in. Through that door. You're in a corridor. As the corridor. As the corridor. To hell. And that's really solemn.
[36:53] That's why tonight. You and I have a choice. To make. Whose invitation. Are we going to accept. Whose table. Are we going to sit at.
[37:05] Whose version of things. Are we going to believe. Whose words. Are we going to take us through. Is it Lady Wisdom.
[37:19] Or Madam Folly. They're two very different women. And accepting their invitation. Leads to two very different lifestyles.
[37:34] And to two very different ends. Let's pray. Lord our God.
[37:44] We give thanks. That your word. Is so clear to us. On the alternatives. That we face in life. We thank you. For the clarity. With which you speak of. Those things of life.
[37:56] And the things of death. We bless you. For the way. That you commend to us. That way of life. Where your own pleasure is. And in which you delight.
[38:08] Lord we pray. As those who are. So familiar with the gospel. So familiar with invitations. To this table. Of salvation. And so familiar too.
[38:18] With the voice. That speaks to us. To come away. And enter into the ways. Of Madam Folly. Lord help us. We pray. To resist that foolishness.
[38:30] Which leads. Into the ways of death. Grant us Lord. To rejoice. In what you have provided. For us. So abundantly. In Jesus Christ.
[38:42] Hear us now. We pray. For his name's sake. Amen.