Proverbs: Dealing with Fools

Intro:

Happy Father's Day! This summer, we're exploring Proverbs and its powerful themes. Today, we're tackling fools. While the joke writes itself, I know the men here are anything but. I see men yearning for wisdom, seeking to be better fathers, husbands, and men. I’m proud to link arms with you. Today, we'll bless the fathers and ask God to guide us in wisdom.

Scripture References: Proverbs (various throughout), Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 1:22-23, Proverbs 9:13-18, Proverbs 12:15, Proverbs 14:12, Proverbs 15:5, Proverbs 17:10, Proverbs 18:2, Proverbs 26:4-5, Proverbs 26:9-12, Proverbs 29:9, Ephesians 2:1-5

Key Points:

• Proverbs and Categories of People:
  • Proverbs describes the world as it is, not just as it should be. It uses categories like the righteous, wicked, wise, and fool to describe generalities.
  • While we're all unique, wisdom comes from understanding these simple patterns.
  • God is direct; He hates sin and pride. This directness isn't mean, but a part of His character, as seen in the Law, Prophets, Psalms, and even Jesus' parables (sheep and goats, wise and foolish virgins).
  • Our "squishiness" about these terms can stem from taking sin too lightly. God takes sin seriously, and so should we.
• Understanding the "Simple," the "Wise," and the "Fool":
  • The simple person is naive or inexperienced. This isn't bad; Proverbs is written for the simple, like a father instructing his son (Proverbs 1:4). To gain from Proverbs, we must see ourselves as simple.
  • The wise person has a teachable spirit and puts God's authority in the right place, understanding that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7).
  • The fool is the opposite of wise. Proverbs 1:7 concludes: "fools despise wisdom and instruction." A fool is not interested in learning or growing; at their heart is pride, believing "I've got this."
• Characteristics of a Fool in Action:
  • Self-Righteous and Opinionated: Puts full weight on their own views, ignores others (Proverbs 12:15, 18:2).
  • Quarrelsome and Reactive: Always ready to fight, broadcasts emotions (Proverbs 15:5, 29:9). Social media can make us fools, amplifying these temptations.
  • Resistant to Correction: Hates reproof, stuck in a loop of repeating mistakes (Proverbs 15:5, 17:10, 26:11).
  • Wisdom's Warning (Proverbs 26:12): "Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him." This calls us to humility; when God corrects, will we learn or push back?
• The Seduction and Consequences of Folly:
  • Lady Folly is loud, seductive, and knows nothing (Proverbs 9:13). She tells us what we want to hear, making us feel good while leading to ruin.
  • "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death" (Proverbs 14:12). Our culture says "follow your heart," but the Bible says our intuition needs God's shaping.
  • Folly is deadly serious: It leads to disgrace, destruction, and hurts the community (Proverbs 13:16, 10:27, 26:10).
  • While modern safety nets may buffer immediate consequences, foolishness still leads to a "slow dripping away of life" – broken relationships, limited opportunities, loneliness.
• Dealing with Fools:
  • If you have authority: Punish foolishness for the good of the community. This sets an example for the simple (Proverbs 19:25). Don't honor foolishness. In parenting, actively train children in wisdom, as "folly is bound up in the hea

Transcript

This summer we are going through the book of Proverbs and as we do we're covering 10 significant themes that show up throughout the book and today on Father's Day I get to talk about the theme of fools.(...) I mean the jokes write themselves.(...) Here's the deal though, as I thought about it and was like okay what jokes could I make or something.(...) I honestly realized pretty quickly that it doesn't actually fit, not here.(...) I know a bunch of men in this church and I don't know any fools. I know a lot of men who have done foolish things in their lives and they would be the first to admit it. But what I've seen instead as you kind of already heard is I've seen men who are yearning to gain wisdom, to follow heart after Jesus, to become better fathers, better husbands, better men.(...) A month ago I sat in this room at 6 a.m. on a Monday morning with 50 men from this church who are here to wake up early and pray and plan because they want to raise their kids and the young men and women of grace and love and wisdom. And so the men of this church are no fools.

(...)

I am so proud to link arms with you guys and follow Jesus together. So there's no insults coming at you today, not even in jest.(...) I actually just want to echo Kinley's words and take him I'm going to bless the fathers in this room.(...) God I just you are a father. You have shown us what a father is like. You chose to reveal yourself as a father. And I just pray right now that for all of us in this room that you would father us, that you would whatever holds our own dads left in our lives, God would you show us who you are. And I just pray for the dads in this room that you would empower us to reflect you better as we eagerly do. Lord as we pursue wisdom would you guide us, would you lead us, would you fill us with your power and your love.(...) And as we study your word this morning I just pray that your life and your spirit would fill our words. Would you guide me as I teach whatever is from you, would it stick and strike in our hearts and whatever is not from you or would it just burn away. We bless you today God in Jesus name, Amen.(...) So Proverbs is a book that wants to make us wise and wants to make us wise by teaching us the way the world works.(...) Proverbs is not interested in the way the world should be but about the way the world is.(...) The Proverbs are not promises and they're not rules, they're not laws, they are descriptions of generalities.(...) And if you're reading Proverbs with us this summer you probably know that one of the ways Proverbs describes those generalities is that it breaks people into groups. All throughout the book the teacher makes descriptions of categories of people, the righteous, the wicked, the rich, the poor, the wise, the fools, the scoffer, the sluggard.(...) And I want to say that as I saw that at first I wanted to object. I mean hey people are individuals you shouldn't break them into types. Then I realized we group people all the time.(...) The other day Carissa showed me an Instagram video of the 12 types of homeschool moms.(...) It was hilarious.(...) Comedians would be out of a job if you couldn't talk about types of people.(...) I mean I've taken the Enneagram or the Myers Briggs test and

(...)

you know what it's been really helpful to find myself that oh I'm a nine, I'm an INTP. Like I it describes a category of people and I've actually used that to help me understand my life a little better.(...) So yes everyone is unique but wisdom is also found in understanding that people are often pretty simple too. I did have another objection too that I wanted to talk about. Well no one has a problem being assigned an Enneagram number because there's nothing wrong with any of them. They're all good in their own way.(...) Proverbs groups people into things like scoffers and sluggards and fools and that kind of made me uncomfortable as I was preparing this sermon.

(...)

Because it feels like it's pronouncing judgment. It feels mean.(...) Our God is a God of love and mercy and I have a hard time imagining him lumping people together and calling them fools. Honestly though this was a bit of a blind spot for me because I went looking for evidence to support my intuitions in the rest of the Bible to kind of like correct it. Yeah okay Proverbs does this but you know in the rest of the Bible God's this way.(...) And what I actually found over and over again is that this directness in Proverbs far from being an anomaly is very much a part of God's character.(...) He hates sin and he hates pride and he's not hesitant to call it out and condemn it. The laws and the prophets and the psalms and the Proverbs and this isn't just an Old Testament thing. Jesus does it too.(...) Jesus breaks people into sheep and goats wheat and weeds. He tells parables the wise virgins and the foolish virgins. Jesus doesn't qualify his words.

(...)

As I thought about it I feel like some of my squishiness about these terms is because I take sin too lightly.(...) I want to say it's no big deal. That hey you know what like hey we're all trying our best we're all doing basically fine. And the worst thing I can do is be judgmental.(...) But God takes sin seriously and he speaks like it has real consequences both in this life and the next. Our thoughts our words our decisions they have weight and they determine our trajectory in a very real way.(...) Honestly I don't think we reckon with that enough. God is loving and merciful. I trust that.(...) I know that and I trust it. So if calling people fools is something he does then I want to have the humility to keep my heart open to it. So I ask that we let proverbs weigh on us.(...) Sound good?(...) Good.(...) Because today we're going to embrace the categories and we're going to focus on one of the major ways that proverbs breaks everyone down into three types of people. The simple the wise and the fool. We'll start where proverbs starts. The simple.(...) A simple person is someone who doesn't know a lot about the world. She's naive.

(...)

This is not a bad thing. It's not a bad category to be in. It just means it's just true. You're young you don't know a lot about the world.(...) And whether you're here today and you're actually young or old for the purposes of the book of proverbs you are the simple. All right. Put your self there.(...) The proverbs was written for an audience of the simple. It's a father instructing his son listen to my teaching my son.(...) And so if we're going to gain anything out of the book of problems we need to consider ourselves simple.(...) And when you're simple there are two paths that lie before you.(...) The wise and the fool. And the whole point of the book of proverbs is to lead you along the path of the wise. The wise is where we want to be. And how to become wise is what we've been talking about the past two weeks.(...) Danny taught us from proverbs how to be wise is to have a teachable spirit.(...) And Travis led us through the core verse of proverbs that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.(...) Putting God's authority in the right place is the foundation of all wisdom.(...) And they got to point us in the right direction.(...) But today I get to ask the opposite question. What does it mean to be foolish?(...) If being wise means having a teachable spirit what about those who don't?(...) Danny said that in order to be wise we have to seek to find.(...) What happens if we'd rather not?(...) Well you'd be a fool.(...) So what is a fool according to proverbs?(...) Let's go back to the anchor verse and finish it. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.(...) Fools despise wisdom and instruction.(...) A fool isn't interested in learning or growing.(...) He hates it.(...) A fool sees no need for instruction because she already knows it. At the heart of a fool is a heart of pride. A heart that says I've got this.(...) So what does that look like in action?(...) Some proverbs give us a diagnostic.

(...)

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes but a wise man listens to advice.(...) A fool takes no pleasure in understanding but only in expressing his opinion.(...) The vexation of a fool is known at once but the prudent ignores an insult.(...) A fool gives full vent to his spirit but a wise man quietly holds it back.

(...)

Man,(...) I thought Proverbs was written 2500 years ago. Why is it talking about the internet?(...) According to Proverbs a fool is someone who puts full weight on his own view of the world and ignores other perspectives.(...) Rather than seeking better understanding she just wants everyone else to know what she thinks.(...) Proverbs describes the fool as babbling.

(...)

He cannot stop talking to listen and receive.(...) A fool is quarrelsome, always ready to fight, always there to argue with anyone who disagrees.(...) When a fool is angry or rejected or frustrated rather than reflect he lets the whole world know about it. Maybe in all caps.(...) Seriously though I read this and I think our online world and social media they seem diabolically crafted to make us fools.(...) Their very nature calls out the worst temptations of foolishness and make it so difficult to be quiet and listen and instead make it so so easy to broadcast your emotions and thoughts to everyone.(...) That's what a fool does but a wise man restrains himself.(...) Here's some more. Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain yet his folly will not depart from him.(...) Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge but he who hates reproof is stupid.(...) I love how blunt Proverbs is.(...) A fool hates correction and because he hates being corrected he fights and cannot learn from it.

(...)

So he's stuck in a loop repeating his mistakes over and over.(...) At the heart of a fool is someone completely absorbed with him or herself who refuses to hear from others.(...) This is a bleak picture right?

(...)

I do want to pause there for a second though and ask an honest question. As we've been going through this list have you been evaluating yourself or have you been identifying all the stupid fools around you?

(...)

You don't need to raise your hands.(...) I do it too. And what I love about God and his word and the wisdom of the Proverbs is that God knows this. He knows it and he loves us enough to smack us with our own arrogance when it's necessary so that if we are truly wise we will learn. Let me show you what I mean. In chapter 26 of Proverbs there are 11 Proverbs in a row all describing what a fool is like. It's just bam bam bam like I was doing a minute ago. It's like verse 9 like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools. Verse 10 like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or a drunkard. Verse 11 like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.(...) 11 verses in a row and you're reading you're going that's right idiots. So glad I'm not like that.(...) And then suddenly verse 12 hits you with this.(...) Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There's more hope for a fool than for him.(...) And I go dang is that me?(...) Every time pride sneaks up in different ways and the key question the question that makes all the difference in the world is what are you going to do with that?

(...)

When God brings correction whether through his word or through others or through circumstances will you love reproof and learn from it or will you hate it and push back and keep on going?

(...)

Proverbs is very clear that wisdom is calling out to us.

(...)

But it's a battle because the truth is that Lady Folly is calling out to. Folly is where that means foolishness.(...) And here's what Proverbs says. It says the woman folly is loud. She is seductive and knows nothing.

(...)

She sits at the door of her house. She takes a seat on the highest place of the town calling to those who pass by who are going straight on their way.(...) Whoever is simple let him turn in here.(...) But he does not know that the dead are there. That her guests are in the depth of the grave.

(...)

So who will you listen to?(...) Because folly foolishness is loud.(...) It is seductive. It tells us what we want to hear and that's it puts us on the throne of our lives. Folly looks good because it makes me look good.(...) It doesn't feel wrong if you're like oh I'll know it when I see it because it'll feel wrong. No folly it feels right.

(...)

Proverbs says there is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way to death.

(...)

And this is huge for us to know. This is very counter cultural.(...) Our world our culture says that following your heart is the way to wisdom. Following your heart is the way to a successful life. But that's not what the Bible says.(...) The Bible says that following your heart is not the way to wisdom. That it's the way to death.(...) You cannot rely on your own intuition alone. Your intuition needs to be corrected and shaped by God and his word.

(...)

And this isn't just about our culture either.(...) It's been the same conflict all the way from the beginning.

(...)

The story of Adam and Eve and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We think about a tree of knowledge of good and evil. Knowing what's good and bad. That's a wisdom tree. God was inviting them to wait on his wisdom or to decide for themselves.

(...)

And it was the question is who would they listen to. God's wisdom or what seemed right in their own eyes.

(...)

Our first parents chose to be fools rather than to trust God and be wise. And so the question today is what will you do.

(...)

Because as we saw with Adam and Eve the consequences of being a fool are deadly serious.(...) To be a fool is to be walking into imminent ruin.

(...)

We saw it mentioned above where folly is calling out to the young man but he does not know that the dead are there.(...) Elsewhere Proverbs says the wise will inherit honor but fools get disgrace.(...) A fool's lips walk into a fight and his mouth invites a beating.(...) When a man's folly brings his way to ruin his heart rages against the Lord.(...) Being a fool will destroy you.

(...)

And not just you but the destruction spreads to the wider community. We're all connected. A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.

(...)

The mouth of a fool brings ruin near. Like an archer who wounds everyone as one who hires a passing fool or drunkard. My favorite.(...) Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly.

(...)

Now this may sound a little harsh to our ears or like kind of unnecessary but this is an area where I actually think hearing something from another culture can bring helpful clarity.

(...)

This book was written in an ancient culture where bad decisions could be the difference between life and death.

(...)

If you were not wise, if you didn't pay attention to how the world works and live accordingly, your family could starve. Your village could starve. You could bring disease and violence and death on yourself and everyone you love.(...) It's literally in only the past hundred years or so where we've built a society wealthy enough to have large enough social safety nets beyond just family where stupidity doesn't necessarily mean death. Though many times honestly it still does.

(...)

And by the way, I want to say thank God for this margin. It is a blessing and a gift to be able to provide it.(...) I lost my job unexpectedly a few years ago in part because in large part because of stupid choices I made. And I was very thankful for the blessing of California's unemployment system. I was very thankful for that.

(...)

But I do think there are ways that this safety net can blind us to the urgency of wisdom.

(...)

Instead of instant destruction,(...) ruin often becomes more as a slow dripping away of life.

(...)

Every day I talk to coworkers or I overhear conversations in Starbucks or because of people who are miserable because of relationships they keep getting into over and over and over again.(...) Or because of limited job opportunities they have, because of choices they've made, or they're lonely because they drive others away because they can't control their words or their spending or their appetites.(...) And we ask, "Why does this keep happening to me?"(...) And rarely consider that the problem might be me.

(...)

You see, God made his world with a grain to it, a path through the forest.(...) But if we insist on trailblazing instead,(...) you will come away with a broken arms or poison oak or you might not get where you wanted to go.

(...)

And so the key question today is will you wake up?(...) Will you listen for God's wisdom?

(...)

That's the invitation. This summer, this time that we're spending together in Proverbs, it's calling you to.

(...)

And I need it, you need it. Over the next couple of months let's listen to our Father's voice together. Now, so far we've focused on the warnings, which are a big part of Proverbs' message about fools. But today's sermon isn't just a warning, because hopefully we listen. And hopefully we are not fools.(...) But there are fools around us.

(...)

Proverbs also gives us practical application on how to deal with the fools in our lives. How do we respond?

(...)

And one of my favorite couplets in Proverbs, almost because of how useless it is, is 26 verses 4 through 5. These are back-to-back verses.

(...)

Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him to yourself.(...) Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

(...)

That's not helpful.(...) And I think it's there because how to respond is going to vary from situation to situation. This is tricky. There aren't rules to follow. It takes wisdom to live well.(...) And the goal of Proverbs, the goal of the Bible as a whole, is to help us live according and gain experience in God's world, to grow in the discernment that will help us read the situations.

(...)

So that's not helpful. But I'm not going to leave you with nothing then. I'm not going to be like, "Well,(...) goodbye."

(...)

I do think we can find some wisdom in how to deal with fools around us. So as I dug into the Proverbs to figure out how to deal with foolish people, I began to see that the proper way to respond to a fool, it depends on your relationship with them.

(...)

Namely, whether or not you have authority over the foolish person.

(...)

Now, I know we're kind of bristled with the idea of authority, and I know power and authority can be abused in the fallen world, but authority itself is good and is part of the world God created. He's given us natural authority and responsibility.(...) And so if you have a position of authority, whether that's in your family or at work, in civil service or in government or in some other way, Proverbs is clear on how to deal with fools.

(...)

And it's this, "The more responsibility you have for others, the more it falls on you to punish foolishness for the good of the community."

(...)

These verses, "When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise.(...) A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.(...) On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense."

(...)

As we saw earlier, fools bring ruin to themselves and to their communities. The reality of life is that good things, really good things, can be destroyed and removed by foolishness.

(...)

And so if you have authority, it is up to you to draw a protective hedge around what is good and punish what is foolish.

(...)

Now they may not learn from the punishment. That's what makes them a fool.(...) But others are watching and will learn.

(...)

Set an example so the simple may see and not be led astray. That is your God-given responsibility.

(...)

Conversely,(...) don't wink at foolishness. And for the sake of others, do not honor it.

(...)

Like snow in summer or rain in the harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.(...) Like one who binds the stone in the sling is one who gives honor to a fool.

(...)

And this applies to all of us, honestly.(...) We live in a democratic world where there's a lot of voices. For the sake of our shared life together, do not amplify the voices of fools or think that you can elevate their status without consequence. Don't like them. Don't retweet them.(...) Be careful who you give your attention to.

(...)

And finally, fitting for Father's Day, one more place where Proverbs makes sure to note that authority should be used to crush foolishness is in parenting.

(...)

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

(...)

Now the rod here doesn't necessarily mean physical punishment. That's not what the point is. But it does mean that it is a parent's job to actively and intentionally point and redirect and train your children in wisdom.(...) The idea that children are naturally innocent and wise, that is not a biblical point of view.(...) Children are naturally fools. So are we. So are we all. And we need to help seeing what is wise.

(...)

So Proverbs says, if you have authority over a fool,(...) punish folly and set an example so that hopefully the foolish person will learn. But at least others are given the opportunity to observe and become wise.(...) They won't learn the wrong lessons.

(...)

So that's good if you are in a place of authority. For most of us, however, for most of the fools in our lives, we don't have authority over them. It might be our neighbor, it might be a family member, a colleague, an acquaintance, someone online.(...) How do we handle the fools around us?

(...)

And again, Proverbs is pretty clear.(...) Stay away.

(...)

Don't try to argue with them.(...) If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs. There's no quiet.(...) Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse and he who approves a wicked man incurs injury.(...) Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.(...) So yeah, don't try to argue with them. Don't try to correct them.(...) Don't even waste your time.

(...)

The classic online advice is don't feed the trolls.(...) And that's pretty much it.

(...)

Just stay away. There's nothing to be gained and there's much to be lost.

(...)

Look, leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.(...) It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.

(...)

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm.

(...)

And I think that's a good argument for curating who your friends are on Facebook or who you're following on social media.

(...)

Don't get involved with fools and certainly don't give them any responsibility.(...) Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

(...)

Jeez.(...) But this is hard to do though because we feel bad.(...) We love second and third chances and we don't want to imagine that anyone is beyond hope. And that's true.(...) No one is beyond hope.(...) But the practical wisdom of Proverbs tells us that they may be beyond trust.

(...)

This actually hit home with me a few weeks or last week. And Carissa came home from running some errands and she had run into a couple that we used to know several years ago. And as she was talking about them and our history together, she said something like, "I love them. I care for them. I'd bring them a meal, but I wouldn't partner with them."

(...)

And I knew exactly what she meant.(...) And because my mind was full of this sermon, I came from the realization that it was true because they're fools.

(...)

And almost immediately I cringed because I felt really harsh.(...) I mean, I know them. I care for them. These are fellow believers in Jesus.

(...)

I know that life has been really hard on them in many ways.(...) But at the same time, I also know they had repeatedly made bad choices and dug in their heels. And that many, not all, but many of the hard things in their life have been consequences of their choices and their attitudes.

(...)

And I knew that if for some reason I partnered with them on a ministry project or handled them responsibility, it would end poorly.

(...)

And at that point it would be my fault because I should have known better.(...) That make sense?

(...)

Confronting this situation, it actually really helped me with the dilemma I talked through at the beginning of my sermon. Because I saw a real way in that from my perspective, I could categorize someone as a fool and practically speaking, treated them accordingly.(...) And yet I still cared for them and loved them. And it became real for me.

(...)

Another area I saw this was in my classroom where I used to teach. Believe me, a high school classroom is full of fools.

(...)

And slowly, painfully,(...) I learned the wisdom of ignoring the mockers and the scoffers and attending to the ones who could listen.

(...)

Now sometimes the difference could not be easily seen.(...) In fact, one of my favorite things as a teacher was when intuition in the Holy Spirit would highlight a kid who on the surface looked just like a fool, but was actually ready to respond even if he resisted at first.

(...)

It's fun. But what about the others? Did I abandon them?(...) No. I prayed for them.(...) I can't change their hearts, but God can.

(...)

And this is where I think we need to recognize that the practical wisdom of Proverbs, the way the world works on the ground, as opposed to the possibilities that are found in God.

(...)

It is foolish to spend limited time, energy, and resources on those who just spit on it. The wise man sees this and avoids it. But like the sower in Jesus' parable, we can still scatter our seed broadly and pray that the God of the harvest will open the soil to receive it.

(...)

I don't know if I did this perfectly. I highly doubt it. But this is how I've tried to live out the wisdom of what Proverbs offers, and I hope it was helpful this morning.

(...)

As we close, though, I am happy to step back onto a firmer footing. So what I'm about to say, I have much more confidence in.

(...)

We've talked a lot about what Proverbs says a fool looks like, and there may be some of you who have felt the weight of those descriptions.

(...)

There are some of you who the Holy Spirit is showing you, maybe for the first time, what a fool you've been.

(...)

In the bad news first, being a fool will destroy you.(...) Proverbs is very blunt about whose fault it is when that happens. I mean, listen to this. This is wisdom speaking. She says, "Because I have called and you refuse to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded. Because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity.(...) I will mock when terror strikes you. When terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind. When distress and anguish come upon you."

(...)

Listen,(...) I know,(...) I know that there are realities that make living wisely hard.

(...)

Whether it's your personality or mental illness, circumstances of abuse you suffered, terrible, terrible things that have happened in your life, there truly can be things that make foolishness very tempting and make it really, really hard to choose wisely.

(...)

The hard reality of Proverbs is that end of life is that you still have to do it. If you make foolish choices, if you choose folly and said it will destroy you.(...) And that's the bad news.(...) And I know several of you personally who are living through that right now.(...) But here's the good news. You know how I said at the beginning where I went looking for mercy throughout the Bible and what I found was God's directness and seriousness about sin over and over again?

(...)

I was telling the truth. That is what I found.(...) But I also found the mercy.

(...)

Over and over again, God is uncompromising about the consequences of turning away from Him. And at the very same time, He is unrelenting about His pursuit of those who are far away. In the laws, in the prophets, in the Psalms, in the Proverbs 2. Look, you know that harsh passage I just read about wisdom laughing at the terror of fools? Well right before that.

(...)

Right before that it says, "How long, those simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you."

(...)

As long as the day is today, there is still time to turn. God is not and He will not say nope.(...) He is waiting with open arms for all that would seek to be wise. All throughout the Bible, for centuries the people of God ran from Him. His own people dug into their folly. They were hard-hearted, stiff-necked fools. And yet God pursued them. And ultimately He wisdom Himself became man and gave Himself, gave His own life for those who were fools so that they only turned and looked. They would find a way back to Him.

(...)

Church, that is the way back for all of us. It's the only way. Ephesians tells us that we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind. And we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. We were fools, every one of us.

(...)

But God,(...) being rich in mercy because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together in Christ. Our hope is in Him.(...) All we have to do is turn and let go of our own understanding and instead embrace His.

(...)

Worship team, would you come on up?(...) In a minute we're going to break bread together. We're going to remember how wisdom Himself wouldn't give up on us. And we're going to worship His mercy and His grace.

(...)

But if you're here this morning and you're feeling like a fool and you're looking for a hand, a way to begin, it's as simple as this.

(...)

As we sing together,(...) as we close, confess your foolishness to God.(...) Tell Him what He already knows.

(...)

The ways in which you pursued your own wisdom and the ways in which you've ignored His. Ask Him to show you His ways.(...) And then,(...) stop talking.

(...)

Listen.(...) Begin walking in the way of the wise by listening for His voice. He is always speaking.(...) Let me pray for us.

(...)

Lord, God, I thank You that You are speaking, that You love us enough to speak.(...) And so Lord, help us to listen.

(...)

As pray that Your Spirit would open our hearts to receive, that You would make us wise.(...) We want to live in this world as You have made us to live. We want to walk with You and work with You. We want our lives to be blessing to ourselves and to others.(...) Lord, would You strengthen us to each one of us in You today.(...) Lord, You are good and we love You. Thank You. In Jesus' name,(...) Amen.