WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.600 Okay, let's turn back for a little while tonight to Romans chapter... 00:00:05.600 --> 00:00:11.200 Romans, sorry, Proverbs chapter 9, I was just checking, you were awake. 00:00:11.200 --> 00:00:16.199 Proverbs chapter 9, and the... 00:00:16.199 --> 00:00:21.120 We're really going to focus at some point in the sermon on the latter few verses from 00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:23.800 verse 13. 00:00:23.800 --> 00:00:31.160 But Corrie finishes sermon last Sunday evening when we introduced the theme of Proverbs and 00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:36.280 what's in Proverbs with the question, how then should we live? 00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:41.079 And that's really, in many ways, what the book of Proverbs is about. 00:00:41.079 --> 00:00:48.040 It speaks about the way that we live. 00:00:48.040 --> 00:00:50.760 That is core in everything. 00:00:50.759 --> 00:00:56.199 Because it sets out, as Corrie looked at last week, it sets out wisdom and God's wisdom 00:00:56.199 --> 00:00:57.960 for life and for living. 00:00:57.960 --> 00:01:06.719 And in so doing, points us to the only one who is wisdom personified, or the way, and 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:13.640 who is truth and who is the Word, and who reveals to us not only perfection but also salvation 00:01:13.640 --> 00:01:17.200 in order that we can be empowered to live his way. 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:23.320 So really, I'm just following up what Corrie started last week, and it's a second introductory 00:01:23.320 --> 00:01:27.200 sermon really, in many ways. 00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:32.680 Because Proverbs is a book that portrays contrasts all the time. 00:01:32.680 --> 00:01:40.280 So it's a book of relentless contrasts, the way of life, which is the way of wisdom, and 00:01:40.280 --> 00:01:43.240 the way of death, which is the way of foolishness. 00:01:43.240 --> 00:01:44.240 It's very simple. 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:50.079 And I just want to remind ourselves, as we look at this passage tonight, who we are as 00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:56.759 Christians and what we wear as Christians, and how that changes everything, and how it 00:01:56.759 --> 00:02:00.599 changes the way we live. 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:06.519 And I think you'll find, it's a difficult study, because we're not going through each 00:02:06.519 --> 00:02:09.159 chapter of the book, we're not following the book through it. 00:02:09.159 --> 00:02:11.199 We're kind of thematically looking. 00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:15.839 You have to look at Proverbs that way, you have to kind of deal with themes. 00:02:15.839 --> 00:02:21.239 But you will find, and it's a great book to take and learn a verse every day. 00:02:21.239 --> 00:02:27.839 If you learn a verse from Proverbs every day as a Christian, you're molding your conscience 00:02:27.839 --> 00:02:35.000 in your life and your thinking towards Jesus Christ and towards his wisdom for us. 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:44.000 In other words, it's a seringly relevant book, and you can take it with you when you step 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:51.159 out into the world tomorrow and into our lives tomorrow and out of the house tomorrow. 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:54.840 And by way of introduction, I want to speak about something again that Corrie mentioned 00:02:54.840 --> 00:02:58.680 last week, to remind ourselves who we are, okay? 00:02:58.680 --> 00:03:02.800 Who we are as Christians, because we are children of the King. 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:04.800 That's who we are. 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:11.040 If you were here last week, you'll recall that it was explained to us that Proverbs, 00:03:11.040 --> 00:03:20.080 in all probability, was written for young boys, young men, in ancient Near East royal 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:21.400 household. 00:03:21.400 --> 00:03:29.960 This is written by Solomon, the king with the greatest God-given, unparalleled wisdom 00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:31.760 of all times. 00:03:31.759 --> 00:03:42.759 And this book was then a handbook, a book that these young princes were given to learn 00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:45.319 how to live. 00:03:45.319 --> 00:03:53.519 My son, it says right through the book, and it gives that piece of advice. 00:03:53.519 --> 00:03:57.959 And I wonder, as Corrie was speaking about that and was explaining that, whether you 00:03:57.960 --> 00:04:03.719 thought, well, not sure how relevant that is for me. 00:04:03.719 --> 00:04:10.600 Not sure how relevant that will be for my own life, the wisdom of how to live in an 00:04:10.600 --> 00:04:16.480 ancient Near Eastern palace, a young boy, young man. 00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:22.840 Well, I think the reality is that we need to recognize two things within that. 00:04:22.839 --> 00:04:28.639 The first being that this advice given by Solomon is embraced in the Scripture. 00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:31.399 So it's embraced as part of God's Word. 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:37.399 And I think that's significant in chapter 8 and verse 4. 00:04:37.399 --> 00:04:43.959 Solomon says, To you, men, I call, and my cry is to the children of mankind, to all 00:04:43.959 --> 00:04:45.000 mankind in other words. 00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:52.759 So even within this, it is broadened not just to that particular group of young people, 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:55.120 but to all humanity. 00:04:55.120 --> 00:05:01.439 And we recognize that really what we have here is God's insight, God's common sense. 00:05:01.439 --> 00:05:05.519 I would call Proverbs, if you call it anything, I would just call it God's Book of Common 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:09.480 Sense, or the Book of God's Common Sense. 00:05:09.480 --> 00:05:14.839 As we seek to live our lives, we find in this His wisdom for our living. 00:05:14.839 --> 00:05:19.399 So it's embraced in Scripture, therefore, as this wider application for us. 00:05:19.399 --> 00:05:24.679 But also in a more spiritual application, if you want, broadening it, we are also children 00:05:24.679 --> 00:05:26.159 of the King. 00:05:26.159 --> 00:05:27.159 Okay? 00:05:27.159 --> 00:05:34.199 We're the children of Solomon's greater son of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the King 00:05:34.199 --> 00:05:37.319 of Kings, the greater one than Solomon is here. 00:05:37.319 --> 00:05:38.879 And we are reminded of that. 00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:43.719 And we are people as Christians who have been adopted into his family and who have that 00:05:43.719 --> 00:05:44.719 great privilege. 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:46.320 We're indwell by his spirit. 00:05:46.320 --> 00:05:48.280 We're heirs of his salvation. 00:05:48.280 --> 00:05:50.800 We are divine royalty at that level. 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:57.320 We have that huge privilege and significance of being children of the King. 00:05:57.320 --> 00:06:03.600 And so this amazing book reminds us of how we then should live. 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:09.720 Not in order to earn our favor with God or make us right with God, as you well know, 00:06:09.720 --> 00:06:17.240 but because we've been made right by the King of Kings, by Christ who is the righteous 00:06:17.240 --> 00:06:19.640 one, we are alive. 00:06:19.640 --> 00:06:21.600 We are under his Lordship. 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:25.120 He has given us his spirit by which we can live. 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:33.640 And it's his intention that we are responsible to live his way in his joy and with his common 00:06:33.639 --> 00:06:40.000 sense because it is the way of blessing and goodness. 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:43.879 So Proverbs provides us with two ways to live, really. 00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:47.879 That practically is what Proverbs is all about. 00:06:47.879 --> 00:06:54.639 And so you will find that tomorrow, today, tonight, whenever, you will always have choices 00:06:54.639 --> 00:06:55.639 to make. 00:06:55.639 --> 00:07:00.159 You'll be making choices at every day, at every level. 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:07.400 And these choices that you make in God's eyes will either be wise or will be foolish 00:07:07.400 --> 00:07:10.120 as he sees us and he looks at us. 00:07:10.120 --> 00:07:16.720 And every choice we make on a daily basis has a consequence, spiritual consequence in 00:07:16.720 --> 00:07:18.360 our lives. 00:07:18.360 --> 00:07:27.160 And what we recognize, and what Proverbs helps us, I hope, to recognize is to grasp the constant 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:34.120 need we have of the redeeming grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to rescue, equip and help 00:07:34.120 --> 00:07:37.040 us to make good choices daily. 00:07:37.040 --> 00:07:42.040 So when we shrug our shoulders and say, well, I don't really need contact with God today. 00:07:42.040 --> 00:07:45.520 I'm not sure that I need to open his word. 00:07:45.520 --> 00:07:49.720 I feel no desire or real need to pray. 00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:58.320 When we are failing to recognize the constant choices that we make and the wisdom we need 00:07:58.320 --> 00:08:05.680 to make these choices, his way brings blessing into our life and into our thinking. 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:12.240 And he wants us because he loves us to avoid folly, foolishness and sin. 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:19.040 Because what Proverbs makes clear is folly isn't only self-destructive, it is destructive 00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:20.520 of others as well. 00:08:20.520 --> 00:08:27.680 So the choices we make are not only our own and don't simply affect how we live, but 00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:37.680 also affect the way other people see us and also relate to us and sometimes are damaged 00:08:37.680 --> 00:08:39.519 by us. 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:41.000 And that is counterintuitive. 00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:44.600 It's counterintuitive to our sinful natures. 00:08:44.600 --> 00:08:50.960 And so for as often reading Proverbs is like the rubber hitting the road for us spiritually. 00:08:50.960 --> 00:08:56.000 It's where we really put into practice, as it were, grace and favor. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:09:00.960 So chapter 9 that we read, Corrie read for us. 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:04.759 And I'm not really going to look at the first section which is about wisdom, but I just 00:09:04.759 --> 00:09:10.000 wanted it to be read because you have a strong contrast there between wisdom and foolishness 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:11.000 and folly. 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:13.480 And Corrie spoke about wisdom last week. 00:09:13.480 --> 00:09:23.080 But we see in chapter 9 that wisdom and folly, or these two ways, they continue to be personified. 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:31.039 So we have the concept of wisdom and the concept of folly and they are personified as women 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:32.560 in this chapter. 00:09:32.560 --> 00:09:40.159 And we see that Proverbs is a tremendous book as it employs our imagination and reminds 00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:47.279 us, as Corrie was praying indeed earlier, of God's great creativity beyond our capacity 00:09:47.279 --> 00:09:48.279 to understand. 00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:54.959 But he gifts us with our imagination to think about wisdom and foolishness, folly and wisdom, 00:09:54.959 --> 00:09:56.959 in this personification. 00:09:56.959 --> 00:10:06.039 So you've got wisdom and folly as personified as women calling out to attract people to their 00:10:06.039 --> 00:10:08.639 lifestyle, to their way of living. 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:14.039 It's a marvellously imaginative chapter. 00:10:14.039 --> 00:10:21.480 And it's important for us to recognize that God uses all of our different capacities and 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:27.559 intelligences and imaginations to try and bring home His truths to us, and so should 00:10:27.559 --> 00:10:28.919 we. 00:10:28.919 --> 00:10:34.039 So how then should we live? 00:10:34.039 --> 00:10:42.279 So we should live in two ways, we should get wisdom and we should understand foolishness 00:10:42.279 --> 00:10:44.639 and avoid it. 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:47.759 And that's really the simple message from this evening. 00:10:47.759 --> 00:10:59.039 In Proverbs chapter 4 and verse 5, and again this is thematic throughout the book of Proverbs, 00:10:59.039 --> 00:11:05.319 get wisdom, get insight, do not forget and do not turn away from the words of my mouth, 00:11:05.319 --> 00:11:08.039 get insight, get wisdom. 00:11:08.039 --> 00:11:14.639 And that's the great cry of Proverbs as it was last week's theme. 00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:20.199 And supremely we see and know that that is channeled through our relationship with Jesus 00:11:20.199 --> 00:11:21.199 Christ. 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:30.400 It is His gift for us and as we recognize the choices we make each day, we recognize 00:11:30.400 --> 00:11:32.840 our need for His wisdom. 00:11:32.840 --> 00:11:38.160 Don't leave your relationship with Jesus Christ in the church on a Sunday evening and 00:11:38.160 --> 00:11:43.080 pick it up at the door on a Sunday morning when you come back the next week. 00:11:43.080 --> 00:11:49.600 Don't leave His relationship with you on the shelf during your week. 00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:56.159 But be someone who recognizes the ongoing need for grace and wisdom and if you lack 00:11:56.159 --> 00:12:02.519 wisdom as each of us do, then let's not be afraid to ask God for His wisdom who gives 00:12:02.519 --> 00:12:07.279 generously without finding fault, as He says in James 1 verse 5. 00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:09.320 So we can ask for this. 00:12:09.320 --> 00:12:18.639 So as you go to different stages of your life seeking His wisdom about how you should live, 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:24.000 then you find it in relationship with Him. 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:28.319 But also then it's important to understand foolishness. 00:12:28.319 --> 00:12:31.480 And the interesting thing about foolishness is that it's much easier to understand than 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:35.720 wisdom because it's much more inherent within us. 00:12:35.720 --> 00:12:37.600 It's much more natural. 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:44.399 Our sinful tendencies are much more attracted towards foolishness in many ways. 00:12:44.399 --> 00:12:50.600 But we do need to understand it, we can recognize it, but I think we need God's help to understand 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:56.439 it, to expose it and to avoid it. 00:12:56.439 --> 00:13:03.919 I think one of the greatest challenges we have as Christians is to avoid reverting to 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:07.079 an old lifestyle. 00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:14.840 A lifestyle that we employed and enjoyed and lived before we were Christians. 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:21.560 I think it's a great challenge for us as Christians to not be naive about temptation, 00:13:21.560 --> 00:13:25.160 which we'll go on to speak about. 00:13:25.159 --> 00:13:37.319 And also not to grow in cynicism about our own inherent goodness. 00:13:37.319 --> 00:13:44.759 I think it's important that we remain cynical about our own inherent goodness, in other 00:13:44.759 --> 00:13:51.039 words, our own ability to rely on our own strength without the wisdom and grace of God. 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:59.159 So how does Proverbs help us with respect to foolishness and what it says about foolishness? 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:01.559 I think in two ways Proverbs does that. 00:14:01.559 --> 00:14:07.000 First of all, it does it by practically giving us lots of examples of foolishness, of being 00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:09.919 foolish in God's eyes. 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:17.279 And practically we can learn about God's will through Proverbs because it's very simple 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:19.000 and it's very clear. 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:23.240 And the Proverbs are very sharp and short and easy to understand. 00:14:23.240 --> 00:14:32.639 And it's revealing and it's unfolding for us God's revelation of living as a fool. 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:38.720 I'll say a little bit more about that in a while. 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:46.559 But also it gives us some, I think in this chapter particularly in this last few verses, 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:52.279 some of the deeper principles that underpin foolishness. 00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:54.079 And I think that they are important as well. 00:14:54.079 --> 00:15:00.119 But it does practically tell us a lot of things that exposes foolish living. 00:15:00.119 --> 00:15:03.919 So we're going to be doing this for a number of weeks looking through the book of Proverbs. 00:15:03.919 --> 00:15:08.839 Can I encourage you at some point to take time to go online, open up Bible Gateway or 00:15:08.840 --> 00:15:17.519 one of these online concordances and type in fool or foolishness or folly and it will 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:19.759 give you all the references throughout the whole Bible. 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:26.280 We'll click on Proverbs and it will have 72 or so references to foolishness or folly. 00:15:26.280 --> 00:15:27.680 Just go through them. 00:15:27.680 --> 00:15:33.560 Go through all of these references in Proverbs which explain very simply the references to 00:15:33.560 --> 00:15:35.680 foolishness from God's eyes. 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:38.879 And it gives you a working understanding of what God thinks. 00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:44.599 You know we spoke this morning about seeking God's will and knowing God's will. 00:15:44.599 --> 00:15:49.399 And that's one of our tasks as believers is to in an ongoing way know what he thinks. 00:15:49.399 --> 00:15:51.239 What does God think about this? 00:15:51.239 --> 00:15:52.559 What does God think about wisdom? 00:15:52.559 --> 00:15:53.559 What does he think about foolishness? 00:15:53.559 --> 00:15:59.919 Well you'll get lots of references in Proverbs about what God thinks is foolishness, foolish 00:15:59.919 --> 00:16:04.879 behavior and foolish living and foolish characteristics. 00:16:04.879 --> 00:16:11.320 This says things like despising knowledge, not being willing to learn, not taking time 00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:16.639 to hear what older, mature people, particularly maybe sometimes our parents think, speaks 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:21.480 about a fool being someone who's disruptive in their family, who rejects and despises 00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:27.879 the advice of their parents, who has an unguarded tongue, who is full of hate, who's scheming, 00:16:27.879 --> 00:16:36.320 who's proud, who is a temper that is uncontrollable, big mouths, who choose to have bad company, 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:43.279 who mock and are indisciplined, who gossip, who are gluttonous and untrustworthy and who 00:16:43.279 --> 00:16:46.200 don't learn from their mistakes and so on and so on. 00:16:46.200 --> 00:16:48.080 So it's very practical. 00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:53.799 And Proverbs gives us very practical advice about the kind of things we should do and 00:16:53.799 --> 00:16:55.480 not do as Christians. 00:16:55.480 --> 00:17:05.319 I think sometimes we're a bit stupid about our Christianity and we want God to tell us 00:17:05.319 --> 00:17:07.480 more than He does. 00:17:07.480 --> 00:17:20.319 And yet He gives us so much clear and unmistakable grace-filled teaching on how practically we 00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:21.759 should live. 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:27.960 So it does give us practical insights into folly, but I think it also gives us the deeper 00:17:27.960 --> 00:17:34.480 principles behind folly, foolishness, that lie behind these practical outworkings in our 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:41.720 lives, to live like a fool, the philosophy of life that we have that makes us act in 00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:42.720 these ways. 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:50.160 So it's the one step deeper beyond simply the outward actions that manifest a deeper 00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:52.160 attitude of mind. 00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:57.200 Can I say that look at this few verses here in Proverbs chapter 9. 00:17:57.200 --> 00:17:59.200 The woman folly is loud. 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:04.840 This is the personification of foolishness and she is inviting people to come into her 00:18:04.840 --> 00:18:07.759 stay, will come into her home and follow her. 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:09.519 She's seductive and knows nothing. 00:18:09.519 --> 00:18:10.840 She sits at the door of her house. 00:18:10.840 --> 00:18:15.400 She takes a seat on the highest places of the town, calling those who pass by who are 00:18:15.400 --> 00:18:17.240 going straight on their way. 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:23.240 Whatever a simple lemturn in here, to Emmaulac's sense she says, stolen water is sweet and 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:25.680 bread eaten in secret is pleasant. 00:18:25.680 --> 00:18:30.319 Does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol. 00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:36.200 So there's three brief things here we see that are the deeper principles of folly that 00:18:36.200 --> 00:18:39.920 are exposed throughout Proverbs. 00:18:39.920 --> 00:18:47.400 And in verse 16, the first principle of folly and foolishness is a lack of judgment, just 00:18:47.400 --> 00:18:49.640 a lacking judgment. 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:56.200 Whoever is simple, let him turn in here and to him who lacks sense she says. 00:18:56.200 --> 00:19:02.560 Now it's not speaking here about intelligence, it's not speaking here about our brain power. 00:19:02.560 --> 00:19:09.759 It's this whole idea of being insensitive to learning from God. 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:15.039 It's lacking sense, the sense to learn from God. 00:19:15.039 --> 00:19:20.400 It's the whole idea of, and you'll see that through Proverbs, the fool is someone who chooses 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:31.359 to reject wisdom and reject God's revelation of their own heart and of their own need. 00:19:31.359 --> 00:19:41.679 In other words, the fool is someone who doesn't know themselves, who really don't know themselves, 00:19:41.679 --> 00:19:48.759 who will not look in the mirror of Scripture and who will not accept what Scripture exposes 00:19:48.759 --> 00:19:55.679 and reveals about their need, their spiritual condition and their need for the brokenness 00:19:55.679 --> 00:20:00.359 to be healed and to be in relationship with the living God. 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:07.000 So there's that great deep seated spiritual ignorance where they, instead of taking God's 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:12.919 verdict of their need and of their hearts, they judge themselves favorably. 00:20:12.919 --> 00:20:16.679 They just look at themselves and think they're fine. 00:20:16.679 --> 00:20:21.639 And they lack judgment to recognize what needs to change in their lives. 00:20:21.639 --> 00:20:28.000 They proudly tell, and we, I include myself, of when we're like this, we proudly tell God 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:29.879 that we know better. 00:20:29.880 --> 00:20:37.000 It's a simplistic way of living, and it's a rejection of His revealed knowledge, which 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:40.360 is given to us because as our maker He knows. 00:20:40.360 --> 00:20:42.560 He knows the intricacies of our hearts. 00:20:42.560 --> 00:20:50.080 He knows why we act in certain ways publicly, and He exposes our great need. 00:20:50.080 --> 00:20:56.640 And so the fool is someone who lacks judgment in that they're not willing to accept their 00:20:56.640 --> 00:21:05.680 brokenness, not willing to accept God's diagnosis of their condition of their need, and they're 00:21:05.680 --> 00:21:14.360 not willing to learn and come under the Spirit's guidance as to who they are and what they 00:21:14.360 --> 00:21:15.360 must do. 00:21:15.360 --> 00:21:23.960 So the fool lacks judgment, and that brings difficulties and problems into our lives as 00:21:23.960 --> 00:21:35.039 we fail to acknowledge God's own diagnosis and remedy of our need. 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:44.240 And you see that sometimes when people just mock, children maybe, mock the faith of their 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:52.440 parents and deny it and say it's just old fashioned and rubbish, and they rebel against 00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:57.840 their Christian upbringing completely and go against it and go out of their way to reject 00:21:57.840 --> 00:22:01.960 everything that they were taught and that they were brought up to know and love and become 00:22:01.960 --> 00:22:06.799 a great heartache and a great source of pain to their parents, to their mothers and to their 00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:07.799 fathers. 00:22:07.799 --> 00:22:14.200 And Proverb speaks a lot about that, that whole kind of rebellion you reject, the nonsense 00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:20.559 that you were taught as you were brought up in church and in your home. 00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:29.839 And there's that deep seated rebellion that ultimately is a rebellion against God. 00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:38.799 God says that's foolishness, it may be cool, but it's foolishness in God's eyes, not recognising 00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:41.720 the need for Him lacking judgment. 00:22:41.720 --> 00:22:42.720 That's the first thing. 00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:45.159 The second thing is sensuality. 00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:51.320 A lack of judgment, the second thing is sensuality. 00:22:51.320 --> 00:22:59.320 In verse 17, she says to Him, a lack sense, she says, stolen water is sweet and bread 00:22:59.320 --> 00:23:01.400 eaten in secret is pleasant. 00:23:01.400 --> 00:23:12.880 And I think this is a critical exposition of the source and the foundation of foolishness. 00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:22.560 It's a recognition of the power of temptation and the beauty there can be in living without 00:23:22.560 --> 00:23:26.120 God and without His wisdom. 00:23:26.120 --> 00:23:36.360 It's a recognition that there's much about life that can be sweet and can be pleasant, 00:23:36.360 --> 00:23:38.800 but it's stolen. 00:23:38.799 --> 00:23:44.399 It's not from God and there's no recognition of God within that. 00:23:44.399 --> 00:23:47.639 Life is enjoyable. 00:23:47.639 --> 00:23:48.720 How often have you heard that? 00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:55.639 Life is so enjoyable without the burden of church and of God and of guilt and of all 00:23:55.639 --> 00:24:02.759 that He brings into it and just being content, foolishness has been content with life that 00:24:02.759 --> 00:24:03.759 is stolen. 00:24:03.759 --> 00:24:08.599 In other words, taking all the good gifts of God and all the pleasures of God and just 00:24:08.599 --> 00:24:11.519 taking them, but throwing God out of the picture altogether. 00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:15.519 And that's sweet and that is pleasant. 00:24:15.519 --> 00:24:24.160 And there's a satisfaction and a self-indulgent there that is attractive to us, but is the 00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:26.200 way of foolishness. 00:24:26.200 --> 00:24:30.160 But we see that, don't we, all the time and we see it in our own hearts. 00:24:30.160 --> 00:24:35.560 I think we're ludicrously unrealistic and naive if we think temptation isn't sweet and 00:24:35.560 --> 00:24:37.040 pleasant. 00:24:37.040 --> 00:24:42.160 If we don't think that there's temptation to be had in the things of this world without 00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:46.279 God, otherwise it wouldn't be temptation, would it? 00:24:46.279 --> 00:24:52.120 And yet what we find is the fool is someone who swallows that, who glies in the sinker 00:24:52.120 --> 00:24:56.120 and ignores God and says, well, I'm just going to live for today. 00:24:56.119 --> 00:25:00.239 I'm going to take all that God has given me, all the water of life that He's given me and 00:25:00.239 --> 00:25:05.759 I'm going to slake my thirst to the full, but without any reference to Him. 00:25:05.759 --> 00:25:09.039 Because stolen water is sweet. 00:25:09.039 --> 00:25:13.759 And being self-indulgent, in other words, taking that bread that is stolen or taking 00:25:13.759 --> 00:25:17.119 that bread that's eaten in secret that nobody else can have. 00:25:17.119 --> 00:25:19.359 Being self-indulgent, that is pleasant. 00:25:19.359 --> 00:25:25.199 That is attractive to our sinful natures. 00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:32.799 So living out our own ideals, living for our own desires, living for fun, living just to 00:25:32.799 --> 00:25:39.039 choose life and choose life any way we want to live without spiritual accountability, without 00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:40.039 reference to God. 00:25:40.039 --> 00:25:47.519 And the straight jacket that God is, that living and letting others live even, enjoying 00:25:47.519 --> 00:25:53.319 being in control, making our own choices, that's sweet and pleasant and enjoyable to 00:25:53.319 --> 00:25:57.079 us in life. 00:25:57.079 --> 00:26:05.079 But yet to give into that and to live for that reason alone is foolishness and it lacks judgment 00:26:05.079 --> 00:26:14.759 because it fails to see that it's stolen and it fails to see that it is secret. 00:26:14.759 --> 00:26:23.559 Sin is always going to be sweet and tempting and easy, and as Christians if we choose to 00:26:23.559 --> 00:26:30.079 go down that road because somehow we feel it's better fun than being a Christian, or 00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:34.599 since I've become a Christian there's nothing but battles and the way of unbelief seems to 00:26:34.599 --> 00:26:37.839 be full of sweetness and pleasantness. 00:26:37.839 --> 00:26:44.160 And if we don't recognize God within that and the reality of living in relationship 00:26:44.160 --> 00:26:49.360 with God then we are choosing the path of foolishness, folly not wisdom. 00:26:49.360 --> 00:26:57.080 So I think in our society materialism, materialistic living, the first world, I think it's turned 00:26:57.080 --> 00:27:03.800 people's heads and hearts to a great deal, to a great degree, so that there's a great 00:27:03.799 --> 00:27:14.759 deal of folly in the philosophical thinking and underpinning and foundations that people 00:27:14.759 --> 00:27:19.799 have, a stealing of glory, a rejecting of the giver. 00:27:19.799 --> 00:27:27.119 It is ultimately, it is a selfish and a shallow way of living. 00:27:27.119 --> 00:27:34.279 And it's foolishness because it's mere sensuality. 00:27:34.279 --> 00:27:38.000 It's living as if all we are is sensual beings. 00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:43.319 All we need to do is have our appetites met and our thirst slaked. 00:27:43.319 --> 00:27:49.759 Not recognizing that God is the great giver and that we are body and soul, that these 00:27:49.759 --> 00:27:57.279 things are great and good as we recognize the giver and as we use them wisely the way 00:27:57.279 --> 00:28:00.480 the giver seeks and wants us to use them. 00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:03.319 So folly is sensuality. 00:28:03.319 --> 00:28:09.039 If you're living simply to satisfy your appetites, living because it feels good. 00:28:09.039 --> 00:28:12.319 How many people use that as the philosophy of their life today? 00:28:12.319 --> 00:28:18.240 If it feels good, if it feels right, living for pleasure, living for satisfaction, living 00:28:18.240 --> 00:28:26.359 for sweetness and pleasantness without recognizing where these things come from and why we have 00:28:26.359 --> 00:28:27.359 been given them. 00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:35.160 So sensuality and a lack of judgment and I think linked into that the fool is someone 00:28:35.160 --> 00:28:41.240 in God's eyes who does these things but also who ignores the shadowlands, who ignores the 00:28:41.240 --> 00:28:43.039 shadowlands. 00:28:43.039 --> 00:28:48.879 But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depth of Sheol, 00:28:48.879 --> 00:28:53.079 the dead are those in the shadows, the ghosts. 00:28:53.079 --> 00:29:04.000 And I think that's a very powerful recognition of how God describes and exposes the folly 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:12.039 of living without Him because there's no recognition and no acknowledgement of spiritual 00:29:12.039 --> 00:29:15.559 deadness when we live without Him. 00:29:15.559 --> 00:29:21.159 There's no recognition of judgment that goes along with that. 00:29:21.159 --> 00:29:33.960 And so that great reality will always underpin the choices we make if we understand that 00:29:33.960 --> 00:29:36.119 we are more than sensual beings. 00:29:36.119 --> 00:29:44.359 If we know that without Him we lack discernment and insight and also if we recognize that 00:29:44.359 --> 00:29:49.879 living without Him is to live in the dark and it's to live in the dead places, it's 00:29:49.879 --> 00:29:55.479 to live in unbelief and in danger. 00:29:55.479 --> 00:30:01.759 And so we are influenced by the choices we make and by who we listen to. 00:30:01.759 --> 00:30:05.919 We either listen to God in these things or we listen to our own hearts and conscience 00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:08.920 or the world around us. 00:30:08.920 --> 00:30:17.039 And the appetites that we feed, the company we choose, the philosophies we imbibe, all 00:30:17.039 --> 00:30:25.680 reflect where we are spiritually and whether we are thinking with the wisdom of God or 00:30:25.680 --> 00:30:28.600 acting foolishly. 00:30:28.600 --> 00:30:33.120 And we are all asked to be discerning. 00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:43.399 We are all asked to make judgments in life and decisions in life that are not lacking 00:30:43.399 --> 00:30:48.119 in discernment, that we are to be people who see who we are before God in the mirror of 00:30:48.119 --> 00:30:55.559 Scripture and who recognize His verdict on death and sin and its destructive power. 00:30:55.559 --> 00:31:01.119 However tasty, however pleasant, however sweet it is for us in our lives and however much 00:31:01.119 --> 00:31:11.000 we struggle sometimes with the Christian way, we recognize that His glorious love and His 00:31:11.000 --> 00:31:15.719 gift of life is the way of wisdom. 00:31:15.719 --> 00:31:24.279 Wisdom is to value and benefit from knowing Him and knowing His people and living under 00:31:24.279 --> 00:31:31.079 His Word and His wisdom within the community of grace. 00:31:31.079 --> 00:31:36.439 So I think Proverbs is a great book and it's a great book because we are people who make 00:31:36.439 --> 00:31:37.439 choices every day. 00:31:37.439 --> 00:31:40.279 You will make many choices tomorrow and so will I. 00:31:40.279 --> 00:31:45.799 And they will reflect our understanding of God as our King. 00:31:45.799 --> 00:31:48.159 They will reflect His Lordship. 00:31:48.159 --> 00:31:53.319 They will reflect whether we follow His way of wisdom which is the way of life or whether 00:31:53.319 --> 00:31:59.199 we follow very often our sinful inclinations which are folly. 00:31:59.200 --> 00:32:03.640 And sweet though they may be they are folly. 00:32:03.640 --> 00:32:10.519 And I think it's good to remind ourselves that we belong to our royal community and 00:32:10.519 --> 00:32:15.440 there are two ways to live but there is only one way of life. 00:32:15.440 --> 00:32:21.200 So Proverbs 13 verse 20 says, who are you walking with? 00:32:21.200 --> 00:32:24.279 And that's the question I would leave for all of us tonight. 00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:26.680 Who is it that we're walking with? 00:32:26.680 --> 00:32:34.200 Are we walking with lady wisdom or are we walking with the woman folly? 00:32:34.200 --> 00:32:40.920 And these questions have eternal consequences for us and are hugely significant. 00:32:40.920 --> 00:32:44.039 Let's pray and ask God to bless His Word. 00:32:44.039 --> 00:32:51.120 Lord God help us to understand Your truth and understand Your way. 00:32:51.119 --> 00:32:58.000 Help us to know this is not moralistic teaching, that it's not about outwardly living and doing 00:32:58.000 --> 00:33:03.719 certain things that might appear right or wrong. 00:33:03.719 --> 00:33:12.159 But it does come down to a much deeper understanding of who we are, the insight that God gives 00:33:12.159 --> 00:33:21.079 us, the wisdom to know our need and to understand and listen to His voice, choose wisdom. 00:33:21.079 --> 00:33:29.199 He says, and to understand that we are not merely physical beings, not merely sensual, 00:33:29.199 --> 00:33:36.240 but we are those who take our sensuality and give it to Christ and are governed by Christ 00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:39.919 in it for that is the way of life. 00:33:39.919 --> 00:33:46.319 And Lord remind us where life is and where death is, where light is and where darkness 00:33:46.319 --> 00:33:56.960 is, and may we be aware of the subtleties of temptation and the great insight of Satan 00:33:56.960 --> 00:34:07.039 and darkness and the evil one to hook into our sinful inclinations which we find are 00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:12.400 so easily drawn aside from the way of wisdom. 00:34:12.400 --> 00:34:21.200 Lord give us security in Your truth and as we stand on You as our rock, may we find that 00:34:21.200 --> 00:34:30.760 we are not crumbling and that when the storms and darknesses come that we stand firm because 00:34:30.760 --> 00:34:37.240 we know who we are, we know who's we are and whom we serve. 00:34:37.239 --> 00:34:46.519 And grant us Lord in our foolishness much wisdom and much wisdom to confound even ourselves 00:34:46.519 --> 00:34:53.879 and others as we seek to live our lives under the laws of love that govern us, the laws 00:34:53.879 --> 00:35:00.399 of Your redeeming love enabling us to love You and love one another. 00:35:00.399 --> 00:35:02.519 We ask it in Jesus' precious name. 00:35:02.519 --> 00:35:09.519 Amen.