Don't Be Foolish About God Part 2

Introduction

Greetings...

On January 20th, the third Sunday, we began a series of lesson on “Don’t Be Foolish” based on the book of Proverbs.

We began that series talking about “Don’t Be Foolish About God” wherein we discussed two important foolish things...

Fools say “God Doesn’t Exist” and “God Didn’t Created The Universe.”

Today we continue in our “Don’t Be Foolish About God” with...

God & His Will Can Be Known

Many doubt this.

Some will admit the possibility that a Creator exists but still question whether or not He or His will can be known.

Even in the church we can find this sort of rhetoric from time to time.

“The Bible is too hard for anyone to understand.”

This is true.

God clearly states that if we seek to know God & His will we can know both.

Proverbs 2:1–8 ESV

1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.

Proverbs 2:1–4 ESV

1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,

Pr 2:5-8

Proverbs 2:5–8 ESV

5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.

The only way for us to know God’s wisdom is if He reveals it.

In fact the revelation of God’s Word is a reality of God’s existence and His creation of the universe.

Why would God create the world and the people in it unless He “wants” us to know Him?

This is what Paul was getting at on Mars Hill.

Acts 17:26–27 ESV

26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,

Ac 17:

Though we can know God and His will that doesn’t mean God has revealed everything about Himself to us.

There are somethings that are simply God’s.

Deuteronomy 21:21 ESV

21 Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

Deuteronomy 29:29 ESV

29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Agur acknowledged this point as well.

Proverbs 30:1–4 ESV

1 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle. The man declares, I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out. 2 Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man. 3 I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know!

Summery

Only the fool says in His heart He can’t know God or His will (; ).

God Is Lord Over Our Plans

The fool makes plans without God in mind.

So many people today live their lives as if God simply created everything and has sat back, just to watch.

They plan this and plan that not even considering whether or not “God’s will be done.”

However, the Bible is clear God can “override our plans.”

God’s will not mine.

God clearly states in the book of Proverbs God’s plan is ultimate not ours.

Proverbs 19:21 ESV

21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Proverbs 16:9 ESV

9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

To be clear, making plans isn’t a bad thing.

God isn’t saying “don’t make plans” He is saying make plans with the right purpose in mind, remember the “rich fool.”

Lk 12:16-

Luke 12:16–19 ESV

16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’

Luke 12:20–21 ESV

20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Summery

The point is this, it’s ok to make plans and prepare for the future but two things must always be understood.

First, God needs to be first in those decisions, because without that we are simply being foolish.

Second, we need to be ok with God saying a plan isn’t what we should do and change.

Conclusion

Because God & His will can be known, we know our plans are ultimately in the hands of the Almighty.

Let us be a people who “know our God & His will for us” and a people that “seek God & His will in all our endeavors.”

Invitation

Isaiah 59:1–2 ESV

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Philippians 2:6–7 ESV

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.