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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
April 1, 2012
The April Fool & Other Fools
Selected Scriptures
April Fool
Today is April 1 which is commonly referred to as “April Fool’s Day. ” By popular custom it has become a day of practical jokes and trying to dupe the gullible, so don’t be surprised if someone tries to pull a practical joke on you. Most of this will be done in good humor and I hope we can all laugh at ourselves if we fall for someone’s caper. However, I will warn those that like to pull pranks on others to be careful for sometimes things can get out of hand and what you meant to be fun can cause great hurt. Be careful that you neither cause physical harm nor irritate the other person. The purpose is to bring some levity into life, not annoy others and especially those that do not share your sense of humor.
How did this practice of “April Fools Day” come about anyway? Its origin is somewhat obscure. Some scholars think it is related to Spring Equinox when nature “fools” mankind with a sudden change in weather. Others trace it to ancient customs such as the festival of Hilaria held on March 25 in ancient Rome, or the Holt festival in India which ends on March 31. Both of these festivals have elements that are similar to what occurs currently on “April Fools Day.”
However, it seems most likely that our modern custom has its origin in the 18th century for it was in the 1700’s that this celebration became widespread in England and the British brought it to America. The custom was apparently started in France after Charles IX switched that country from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. The two calendars have a major difference in the length of the year and methodology for calculating the date of Resurrection Sunday, i.e., Easter. In practical terms, the Julian calendar was slightly off in its calculation of the length of a year resulting in a shifting over the centuries so that the seasons no longer matched the calendar. It had to be corrected or May would be in the middle of Winter, Spring would start August and the trees would change color in February. The Gregorian Calendar (which is what we use today) made the necessary corrections so that the seasons would continue to line up with the same months year after year. Now what does all of this have to do with April Fool’s Day?
The Kings of different countries established when their country would begin the new year. In France, the new year apparently began about or on April 1. In 1564 when Charles IX of France changed from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, he also changed the starting of the new year to January 1. A person who resisted changing New Year’s Day from April 1 to January 1 was victimized by pranksters on April 1 & it became known as poisson D’Avril – “April Fish.” This is the origin of “April Fools Day.”
While Scripture does not speak about “April Fools Day,” it does speak quite a bit about different types of fools and that is what I want to talk about today.
The Fools of Proverbs
In our study of Proverbs we have come across several different types of fools. The naive (petî / peth-ee’) are those who are simple or ignorant and tend to believe what they are told (Proverbs 14:15). Their gullibility makes them oblivious to the dangers they face (Proverbs 22:3) and so easy prey for the wicked to exploit them. A step down from the naive are those who are foolish (‘ivveleth / iv-veh’-leth). These are people who are “thick” and do things that lack sense and show a moral deficiency. Everyone, even those that are usually wise, will have areas in which they can be naive and can do foolish things. As you increase in wisdom, naivete and foolishness diminish.
Those who are characterized by foolishness become the common fool (kesîl / kes-eel’) which refers to those who are dull and obstinate with a strong tendency to make wrong choices. This is largely due to their rejection of knowledge that does not fit with what they want to do. As that bent toward sin and obstinacy increases, the fool reaches the category of being a scoffer (l tsôn / law’tsone’). They are marked by insolent pride (Proverbs 21:24) and are a source of contention (Proverbs 22:10). They think they know a lot more than they actually do and are not hesitant to tell others about it.
As the scoffer descends into even greater foolishness, they become a confirmed fool without hope. In Hebrew this is a nabal {naw-bawl’}, a person who has developed a closed mind that is insensible to God and morality often even exhibiting themselves in disgraceful and ignoble ways though many fools of this type can be very sophisticated. This kind of fool will call what is evil good and what is good evil. Our society has produced a bumper crop of these fools. Some reside in homeless shelters, alleys or jails while others reside in the halls of academia and government. The difference between fools and the wise is not a matter of intelligence, but of moral character. (See: Warnings on Foolishness & Folly)
This morning I want to talk about some other categories of fools and our response to them: The Ignorant Fool, The Educated Fool, The Apathetic Fool and the Wise Fool. Three of these are deadly in a very real sense while the last describes what we should be.
The Ignorant Fool
Proverbs has given us several definitions of types of fools. Psalm 14:1 gives another much more pointed definition, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” Who is the fool? The one that denies the presence and activity of God. Such denials range from outward defiance to passive neglect. Proudly professing atheists are obvious, but there are also practical atheists. Those are the people that claim to believe in God but live as if He did not exist. Any action taken without considering and following God’s design, commands or will is foolish. There are also those that believe in a god, but it is not the God of the Bible. They follow a false religious system following a false god which fools them into being what I will call the ignorant fool.
Many if not most of the people in the world fall into this category of ignorant fools. They have never heard the truth of the Scriptures. They have never been told about what God has done for them in Jesus Christ. They will do absurd things, behave in ways that are silly, or follow a manner of life that seems ridiculous simply because they do not know any better.
Think about the masses who are caught up in the various false religions. That is what they have been taught and so it is all they know. They are ignorant of the truth. Those who worship nature, and there is an increasing number of them, give honor and veneration to trees and rocks and animals and other things that are part of creation. We recognize that as foolish. How absurd to bow down to a rock, but to worship the idols of false gods is also ridiculous as Isaiah 44:9-20 points out.
Isaiah begins with a general statement about their foolishness. “Those who fashion a graven image are all
of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame” (Isaiah 44:9). He goes on in verses 12-14 to describe them making their idols out of metal or wood and then mocks them for the utter irony in verses 16-17. “Half of it he burns in the fire; over [this] half he eats meat as he roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17 But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for thou art my god.” In verses 18-20 Isaiah points out that they do not know nor understand for their deceived hearts have blinded them to the truth. It is not any better with any false religion.
How should we respond to such ignorant fools? The same way Paul did on Mars Hill. In Acts 17:16 we find that while Paul was waiting in Athens, “his spirit was being provoked within him as he was beholding the city full of idols.” In verse 17 Paul begins teaching in the synagogues. In verses 18-21 Paul is invited to talk with the philosophers who meet on Mars Hill. In verse 22 we find, “And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. What you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you . . . “ Paul goes on to tell them about the true God and of Jesus Christ. Our response to the truly ignorant fool is compassion. We seek to educate them and tell them of the love of Jesus Christ.
The number of ignorant fools in our land is continuing to increase along with secularism and other false religions. When I was in High School it was very unusual to find someone who had not heard at least some part of the gospel message and know the basic truth claims about Jesus. In the present day it is common to find people who have never heard the good news of Jesus Christ. Many children now grow up thinking that “Jesus” is just an expletive, a cuss word to say when they are angry or upset. Maybe you know someone like that. Do not assume that just because someone takes the Lord’s name in vain that they know anything about Him. Have compassion and tell them the truth. Next time you hear someone use “Jesus” or “God” as a cuss word simply ask them if they know the person they are talking about. You will probably get a funny look, but it may open the door for you to tell them of Christ or at least give them a mild rebuke for their ignorant but crude, rude and blasphemous behavior.
The ignorant fool does not know and our response to him or her should be a compassion that causes us to proclaim the gospel to them. Like Wisdom in the book of Proverbs, we shout, call and invite the naive to come learn. (See: Wisdom’s Call) Our next category, “The Educated Fool,” will generate a different response.
The Educated Fool
The major difference between the Educated Fool and the Ignorant Fool is the claim to knowledge. Romans 1:21-23 states, “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”
Educated Fools professes to be wise and if you speak with them they will usually claim to know more than you so that you should listen to them. However, the sad truth is that their claim to be wise makes them bigger fools.
There are many individual examples of this type of fool, but there are certain groups that tend to have a lot of them. The first such group that comes to my mind are philosophy professors. There are some excellent philosophers out there that are true Christians and very helpful. However, most have imbibed so deeply of the various philosophies of the world and often liberal theology too that they are blind to the truth (Matthew 13:13-15). Many are on a quest to “enlighten” others about the “myth” of Christianity. That is like throwing a blanket over the only light available and saying, “now we can all see better.”
I did not take the required freshman philosophy class at the State University I attended until I was a graduating senior. By then I already come to a solid foundation in what I believed and why I believed it, so I was able to recognize the falsehoods being espoused and the weakness of the arguments being made. Tragically, I remember several Christian freshman that were shook to the roots of their faith even though the philosophical assertions being made were inane. They had never thought about such things before and were overwhelmed by the professors’ intelligence though he was in fact an educated fool.
Another group are science teachers. Many have extremely high IQ’s, but those committed to the theory of evolution make themselves educated fools. Evolution is a philosophy and not true science for it does not follow the scientific method of being observable, testable and repeatable. It distorts the evidence found in the real world until it can be smashed into its world-view and it ignores what does not. Dr. Bounoure, past Director of Research at the National Center of Scientific Research in France said, “Evolutionism is a fairy tale for grown-ups. This theory has helped nothing in the progress of science. It is useless.” Religious evolutionists have a small god, not the Creator God of the Bible.
The Apostle Paul exposed educated fools in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 writing, “For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God, For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.’ Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe (scholar)? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe . . . (v25) “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
How should you respond to an educated fool? That depends. If the person has never heard a clear presentation of the gospel, then treat them as an Ignorant Fool. They may be arrogant in their ignorance, but still be compassionate for in reality they are simply caught up in their sin and do not know better.
However, those who have heard the gospel and rejected it will be treated in a different manner. A person has heard the truth and rejected it is the “dog” or “swine” Jesus mentions in Matthew 7:6, “do not give what is Holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” If they had previously professed faith in Christ, then the proper term for them is an apostate.
You have to be very strong in dealing with some people and that includes Educated Fools. Do not roll over and play dead when one of them comes to your door or you deal with them at work or at school. Even if they are intellectual giants able to do mental gymnastics and play mind games with you, remember that all they have is their limited philosophy and their own thoughts. You have the truth as revealed by God. Proclaim that to them. Be bold and direct using verses such as John 14:6 where Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” Use Philippians 2:10,11, “. . . That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are
in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and that ever tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” and then Revelation 20:15, “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Those verse work just as well on the those in false religions.
Do not be intimidated. If you have the Bible, you have the Word of God, you have the truth, you have the infinite wisdom of God Himself. They only have the finite musings of their limited minds.
In addition to this you must silence the Educated Fool by your behavior. 1 Peter 2:15 tells us, “. . . for such is the will of God that by doing right you many silence the ignorance of foolish men.“ Make sure that your behavior is beyond reproach before God and properly respectful to those who have authority over you.
While Educated Fools such as the leaders and teachers of false religions and philosophical systems are hard to deal with at times, there is another type of fool that God hates more. The Apathetic Fool.
The Apathetic Fool
The Apathetic Fool is best seen in Matthew 12:30, “He who is not for Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters,” and Revelation 3:15,16, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”
There is no middle ground with God. You cannot straddle the fence. The person who is putting off dealing with the Lord is a fool. Either you are for Christ or you are against Him. Either you work for Him or you work against Him. Either you are the friend of Jesus or you are His enemy. There is no neutral position. Indifference to the claims of Christ is a choice to be His enemy.
How should we treat this type of fool? First explore why they are apathetic. They may be an Ignorant Fool that does not understand the serious nature of Jesus’ claim to be God incarnate, His work of atonement on the cross and the reality of Heaven and Hell. Challenge their indifference and proclaim the gospel.
On the other hand, they may be a passive Educated Fool. They have heard and understood the gospel but have chosen to ignore it because they are either uncertain or do not believe it. In either case, push them off the fence they think they are sitting on. The only reason they are not already suffering eternal damnation is because God is patient, forebearing and longsuffering. At some point that will end and the consequences of their sin will come upon them culminating in the Great White Throne judgment and condemnation to eternal Hell (Revelation 20). That is a very sobering truth.
What about a professing Christian that is passive? A true Christian will miss the blessings that could have and should have been theirs such as the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and their work will be wood, hay and straw that will be burned up instead of gold, silver and precious stones that bring an eternal reward (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). If their passivity leads to sin, Hebrews 12 warns that they risk the chastening of the Lord. If they are apathetic, Revelation 3:16 warns about being “lukewarm” and Christ spewing them out of His mouth.
Jesus gives an even stronger warning in Matthew 7:21-29 to those that profess to know Him but will not follow and obey Him. This would even include people claiming to do all sorts of ministry in Christ’s name, yet He will say, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” There is no greater tragedy than for someone to think they are saved and going to heaven only to find out after it is too late that they are not and are going to Hell. Challenge them to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). The Apathetic Fool needs to be admonished.
The Ignorant Fool needs to be taught. The Educated Fool needs a strong dose of the truth. The Apathetic Fool needs to be forced from his position of indifference. All of them need to be silenced by your doing right. The final type of fool is what we should strive to be – the Wise Fool.
The Wise Fool
The Wise Fool is described in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 but is more simply depicted a few chapters later in 4:10 when Paul says, “We are fools for Christ’s sake.”
The world considers the Christian to be a fool. That has become increasingly prevalent in our own society on most levels. The science community shuns those who state that they believe in Biblical creation and that Noah’s flood was worldwide. The academic community reacts negatively to those who claim the Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God, that it was written by the authors as claimed and that Jesus really said what is recorded of Him in the Gospels. How do your acquaintances react when you tell them you believe that Jesus Christ is God Himself in human flesh, that He lived a sinless life, voluntarily died for our sins and rose from the dead on the third day and based on that offers salvation from sin as a gift of God’s grace to all that will believe? The mainstream media loses rationality when any political figure proclaims any of these things. Society is okay with you calling yourself a Christian as long as you are not foolish enough to actually believe and follow Jesus. If you do, then you must be an extremist, a radical, a fanatic.
Is that a bad thing? I guess that depends on whom you want to please. The purpose of salvation and being a Christian is to become like Jesus. We are disciples of Jesus Christ and when a disciple is fully trained he will be like his teacher (Luke 6:40). God is conforming us into His image (Romans 8:29) and we are looking forward to being like Him (1 John 3:2). Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.”
Were the Apostles fanatical? Was Paul an extremist? Is Christianity radical? The answer to all of those is yes. What could be more radical than 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says that “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation!” What could be more extreme than being dead in our transgressions and being made alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5)? Why then should it be considered fanatical to strive to live for Christ and proclaim His message to the world when that is the purpose of our life and reason for our existence?
Such a life should be the mark of every believer, not just the apostles and certain church leaders. Some of you are familiar with the story of Jim Elliot and the others that became martyrs just over 56 years ago in their effort to bring the gospel to the Auca tribe.
Jim Elliot was saved when he was fairly young and he committed himself to Bible Training. While in college he was well known and liked, a good student, school champion wrestler, member of the student council and president of the Foreign Missions Fellowship. Jim Elliot could have fit into a pastorate anywhere in America, but God put a different burden on his heart. There were those even then that thought it somewhat foolish to serve God in such a radical manner. Jim thought differently. In his diary he wrote, “He makes His ministers a flame of fire.’ Am I ignitible? God deliver me from the dread asbestos of ‘other things.’ Saturate me with the oil of the Spirit that I may be a flame. But a flame is transient, often short-lived. Canst thou bear this, my soul – short life? In me there dwells the Spirit of the Great Short-Lived, whose zeal for God’s house consumed Him. ‘Make me Thy Fuel, Flame of God.”
God used Jim Elliot in this manner. Jim delayed marriage to begin his work as a missionary. When he did marry, his wife joined him in Ecuador to work among the Quichua Indians, but Jim wanted to reach a new tribe. These were the Aucas, a fierce and dangerous tribe. Jim along with four other men prayed and planned and finally began the work. There was initial success. The Auc
as seemed to welcome the gifts dropped to them from a plane. There was more prayer, more planning, more gifts, and finally they were ready to try to make personal contact. A base was set up on a sandbar on the bank of the river close to where the Auca village was located. After a couple of days three Auca’s, two women and one man ventured to meet them, and they responded positively. But could they make more contact? Could the missionaries contact the whole village? There was more prayer, more planning and finally one morning, after the plane had flown over the village to try to encourage them to come to the camp on the sandbar, a group of 10 men were seen going toward the missionary camp. Pilot Pete Fleming radioed the base station, “Looks like they’ll be here for the early afternoon service. Pray for us. This is the Day! Will contact you next at four-thirty.”
That contact never came. On that Sunday afternoon, January 8, 1956, Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian and Ed McCully gave up what they could not keep to gain what they could not lose. Five days later, a rescue party found their bodies in the river with Auca spears in them. They gave their lives in their efforts to reach these ignorant people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The world would say that is foolish that God allowed five men to die. He allowed five women to be widowed. He allowed their children to be orphaned with one child to be born a few weeks after her father’s death. But Jim Elliot also wrote this: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” That is a true statement that he lived by. Another quote of Jim Elliot applies here, “When it comes time to die – make sure that all you have to do is die.” The world says this is foolish, but God used the death of these men to call other people to the mission field and in less than three years contact was made with this same tribe. The widow of Jim Elliot, Elizabeth, along with their baby daughter, Valerie, then went to live in the Auca village and they became friends with the men who had killed Jim. “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” – 1 Corinthians 1:25.
I don’t know that God is calling any of you to die as a missionary martyr in some foreign land. I do know – absolutely – that God is calling you to serve Him where you are right now with the same commitment that Jim Elliot and those other four men had. Jesus said in Matthew 16:24-27, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds.”
Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Are you afraid to be called a fool for Christ? Or are you willing to be such a wise fool. The reality is that you will be one type of fool or another. What type of fool are you and what type do you want to be? Are you an ignorant fool? An educated fool? An apathetic fool? Or are you willing to be a wise fool, a fool for Christ. That is the kind of fool I want to be!
KIDS CORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the Scripture references made. 2) Count how many times the word “fool” is used. Talk with your parents about the different types of fools and the type you want to be.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. What is the origin of “April’s Fools Day”? Define the word “Fool.” Describe each of the kinds of fools in Proverbs: naive, foolish, common fool, scoffer and confirmed fool (nabal). What is the definition of a fool according to Proverbs 14:1? What is a practical atheist? Read Isaiah 44:9-20 and summarize the foolishness described. How is the equivalent of this manifested in our society? Describe the Ignorant Fool. How should you respond to the Ignorant Fool? Describe the Educated Fool. How do they generally differ from Ignorant Fools? What kind of people are Educated Fools? How should you respond to them? Why should you not be intimidated by them? How does Matthew 7:6 apply to your response to them? Why is your behavior important in dealing with them – 1 Peter 2:13-15? Describe the Apathetic Fool? How should you respond to them? What dangers does the apathetic “Christian” face? How should respond to them? What is a Wise fool? How does our society respond to those who believe and follow the Bible? Why? How did unbelievers treat Paul? How do the worldly treat you? If favorably, why? If unfavorably, why – and how do you respond to it? What do you think of Jim Elliot’s prayer, “Make me Thy Fuel, Flame of God”? Explain. What do you think about his statement, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”? How does it apply to you? What type of fool are you? Explain. Would you be ready to die if God called you today? If not, why not? What do you need to do? What is keeping you from doing it? What is your plan to overcome it? What is your plan of action to be a Wise Fool?
Sermon Notes – 4/1/2012
The April Fool & Other Fools
April Fool
Be careful that any April Fool prank does not physically ____________ or irritate others
___________ in Spring Equinox? Roman Festival of Hilaria or Indian Holt Festival?
Charles IX of France switched from the Julian to the ________________ Calendar system
New Year’s Day switched from _____________ to January 1
The Fools of Proverbs
The naive – tend to be simple, ignorant and ______________
The foolish – show a ____________ of sense along with a moral deficiency
The common fool – dull, obstinate often rejecting knowledge and so a tendency to make _____________
The scoffer – marked by insolent _________, often claiming to know much more than they actually do
The confirmed fool – nabal – a closed mind that is insensible to _________ and morality.
The Ignorant Fool
Psalm 14:1 – Those who actively or passively deny the presence and ____________ of God
Ignorant fools have not heard the _____________ of the Scriptures
Isaiah 44:9-20 – the foolishness of _______________
Acts 17 – with compassion, seek to _________________the ignorant fool with the gospel of Jesus Christ
Next time you hear someone take the Lord’s name in vain, ___________ them if they know Him
The Educated Fool
Romans 1:21-23 – they claim to be wise, but do not hold to the _____________
Philosophers who throw a ____________over the light of God’s word and then claim they can see better
&nb
sp; Think through the great philosophical issues and your faith will be _____________
“Scientists” committed to evolution (which is a philosophy and _____________to the scientific method)
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 The foolishness of God is ____________ than men
An educated fool may be arrogant in ignorance – compassionately give them the _______________
_______with the truth about their destination if they do not repent – John 14:6; Phil. 2:10-11; Rev. 20:15
1 Peter 2:15 – let your godly _________________ silence the ignorance of foolish men
The Apathetic Fool
Matthew 12:30; Revelation 3:15-16 – There is no _______ground with God. You are either for or against
Explore the __________for the apathy – if ignorance, proclaim the gospel and challenge the indifference
_____________ passive Educated Fools off the fence warning them of the judgment to come
Passive professing Christians __________ God’s blessings – Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15
If in sin, they risk God’ ____________- Hebrews 12. If apathetic they risk being spewed out – Rev. 3:16
Matthew 7:21-29 warns those with _____________ professions.
2 Corinthians 13:5 – the Apathetic Fool needs to be _________________ and challenged.
The Wise Fool
1 Corinthians 1:18-31; 4:10 – Fools for _____________ sake
The world is against those who believe and ______God’s word – science, academics, neighbors, politics
The purpose of salvation & being a Christian is to be _____Christ (Luke 6:40; Romans 8:29; 1 John 3:2)
Being a Christian is ____________ (2 Cor. 5:17) and extreme (Ephesians 2:5)
It should be normal, not fanatical, for every Christian to strive to ____for Christ and proclaim His gospel
Jim Eliot
I Corinthians 1:25 – “the foolishness of God is ______________ than men . . .”
Matthew 16:24-27 to follow Christ you must take up your _______________
Conclusion
“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose” – Jim Elliot
You will be a fool of some kind – what kind do you want to be? ________________________
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