The Attitude of Wisdom

The Attitude of Wisdom

Text: Matthew 10:16 (KJV 1900)

16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

I. The Simple.

* Proverbs 1:3–4 (KJV 1900) Gives us the purpose for having the attitude of wisdom this morning:

3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, and judgment, and equity; 4 To give subtilty to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion.

* The simple person is naïve. He will believe everything, because he doesn’t have convictions about anything.

* What the simple person thinks is sophisticated “tolerance” is only spiritual ignorance.

* A simple person lacks the ability to discern between truth and error.

* God expect us to use the brain he gave us to think with! To find out the Truth! To learn the difference between wisdom and foolishness!

Proverbs 14:14–15 (KJV 1900)

15 The simple believeth every word: But the prudent man looketh well to his going.

1 John 4:1–3 (KJV 1900)

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

* To believe every word in the Bible is inspired of God and is the truth is wise. To believe that everything men say is true is to be “stupid” or “simple minded.”

* We’re living at a time when people who have convictions are considered bigots and ignoramuses.

* It’s the popular, or the “in thing,” to be “politically correct” in the day in which we live.

* We don’t need to be politically correct this morning; we need to be Biblically correct!

* It’s the popular thing to be “open minded.” I am afraid this morning that some people in the day in which we live have become so “open minded” that their brains have fell out! Our society had lost all common sense!

* We are told by this society we live in never to be uncritical of what other people think or believe. If we speak out about things that are morally wrong such as abortion, same-sex marriage, then we are labeled “haters,” and religious bigots.

* There are groups that are pushing congress to make it a crime to stand in a pulpit like this and cry out against sin and speak of the judgment of God on those who live ungodly.

* If those groups end up having their way, you and I will one day be denied the freedom to teach and preach the wisdom of Gods Holy Word in public or private!

* There are those who would take you to court and have your children removed from your home for teaching them the morals of the Bible.

* Today we are told by society that there is no such thing as absolute “truth.” Society teaches our children that truth is relative to what you thing the truth is.

Let me give you an example:

* Our children are told, if you born a boy, but you think that you are really a girl on the inside, then that’s what you are! You are a girl!

* Now you need to start wearing dresses, take female hormones to make your breasts grow, surgically remove any external evidence that you were born a boy, and now, because you think this is the truth, no one has the right to tell you that you are still a boy.

* All those people out there that know that think that you were born a boy are wrong! They are intolerant! They are bigots and haters!

* NO! NO! NO! They are people who still have a little of God given common sense!

* My friend, I am here to tell you this morning that society is full of simple, or “stupid”, people that do not have the ability to tell truth from error!

* The simple are simple because they reject the truth of God’s Word that gives “prudence [common sense] to the simple”

* Listen to what the Bible says about “simple” people:

Romans 1:18–23 (KJV 1900)

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man…

* This morning the Devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking who he may devour. He plan is to get you to listen to simple people who don’t have the attitude of Wisdom, people who are “wise in their own eyes,” but have become fools!

* The person who does not stand for the truth of the Word of God will fall for anything.

- Society says it’s the mother right to murder a baby by sucking out a baby from its mother’s womb with a vacuum cleaner!

- Society says you have to teach your children that it is acceptable for a family to have two fathers or two mothers!

- Society says there is no evidence that it was God that created the heavens and the earth!

* The Bible warns us not to listen to simple people, or society, that they will lead you wrong, they will mislead you and cause you to face the judgment of God!

Proverbs 16:25 (KJV 1900)

25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.

II. The Scorner.

* Scorners think they know everything, and anybody who tries to teach them is only wasting their time.

Proverbs 21:–24 (KJV 1900)

24 Proud and haughty scorner is his name, Who dealeth in proud wrath.

* Scorners can’t find wisdom even if they seek for it, because learning God’s truth demands a humble mind and an obedient will. A scorner had the attitude that they don’t have to obey anybody; they don’t need any one’s instruction.

* What scorners lack in knowledge they make up for in arrogance.

* A scorner has the ability to be completely ignorant, and at the same time, be proud of how much they know.

* When you try to teach a scorner, instead of sensibly discussing a matter with those who could teach them, they only ignore the truth you are trying to teach them, and proceed to tell you what they think.

* A scorner always had a better idea. A person with the attitude of a scorner cannot be taught because they don’t have an obedient will.

* Scorners show how ignorant they are by the way they respond to advice and reproof.

* Listen to the words of Proverbs about the scoffer:

-“He who reproves a scoffer gets shame for himself … - Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you”

- “A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke”

- “A scoffer does not love one who corrects him, nor will he go to the wise”

* When you try to teach a scorner, you’re just casting pearls before swine. The scorner knows everything!

* Jesus taught his disciples that when they encountered people with the attitude of a scorner to not waste their time trying to teach them.

Matthew 7:6 (KJV 1900)

6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

* A scorner causes problems. Listen to the words of Proverbs 22:10:

Proverbs 22:10 (KJV 1900)

10 Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; Yea, strife and reproach shall cease.

* People, look upon a person with a scornful attitude with disgust.

Proverbs 24:8–9 (KJV 1900)

9 The thought of foolishness is sin: And the scorner is an abomination to men.

* God also looks upon a scornful attitude with disgust. The Bible teaches that God will scorn the scorner. God scoff at someone who has an unteachable spirit.

Proverbs 3:33–34 (KJV 1900)

33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: But he blesseth the habitation of the just. 34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: But he giveth grace unto the lowly.

* Listen to the words of Proverbs 1:

Proverbs 1:23–33 (KJV 1900)

23 Turn you at my reproof: Behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. 24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, And would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation, And your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; When distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, And did not choose the fear of the Lord: 30 They would none of my counsel: They despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own devices. 32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, And the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, And shall be quiet from fear of evil.

* We as believers are exhorted by Peter to not have the attitude of a scorner, or as one that scoffs at learning from those who God has given the church to instruct and lead.

1 Peter 5:5 (KJV 1900)

5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

* God will deal with those who have a scornful attitude against instruction from God’s word.

Proverbs 19:28–29 (KJV 1900)

29 Judgments are prepared for scorners, And stripes for the back of fools.

* Consider what the Lord did to the builders at Babel, to Pharaoh at the Red Sea, to Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon , and to Herod Agrippa in Judea , and a host of others who refuses to listen to what God had to say.

III. The Fool.

* The English words “fool” and “folly” come from the Latin follis, which means “bellows.” It also described a person’s puffed-up cheeks.

* The word Follis indicates that a fool is a windbag, somebody full of air but lacking in substance.

* Fools may look like giants, but when the wind is taken out of them, they shrink and reveal what they really are—insignificant little shrimps, pygmies.

* In Proverbs, three different Hebrew words are translated “fool”

- kesyl, the dull, stupid fool who is stubborn;

- ewiyl, the corrupt fool who is morally perverted and unreasonable;

- nabal, the fool who is like a stubborn animal, the brutish fool.

* All three of these definitions describe the person who refuses to learn from God’s Word.

Proverbs 1:7 (KJV 1900)

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

* What makes a man a fool is not a low IQ or a deficient education.

* What makes a man a fool is their heart: They won’t acknowledge the Lord and submit to Him. As Romans 3:18 says, “There is no fear of God before their eyes”

* A fool’s own father can’t instruct him (Prov. 15:5)

* A fool will not let the Word of God control his life. Because of this we see the marks of a fool. Because a man will not let the wisdom of God’s Word rule their life-

Fools can’t control their speech.

* A fool doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.

* A fool uses is mouth to lie and slander.

Proverbs 10:18–19 (KJV 1900)

18 He that hideth hatred with lying lips, And he that uttereth a slander, is a fool. 19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: But he that refraineth his lips is wise.

* You can always tell that a man is a fool by the things that come out of his mouth.

* It’s always better to keep quiet and run the risk of folks thinking you don’t know much, than opening your mouth and removing all doubt!

Ecclesiastes 5:1–7 (KJV 1900)

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. 2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.

4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin;

* (Prov. 24:7)When business is being transacted in the city gate (Ruth 4), fools should keep quiet if they want to appear wise!

* Unfortunately, A fool thinks that he must always speak at meetings, even when he has nothing to say.

Fools can’t control their temper.

* Most of the time, it is good not to let people know when you are angry.

* Always remember, when you are angry is a good time to keep your mouth shut.

Proverbs 12:15–16 (KJV 1900)

15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: But he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. 16 A fool’s wrath is presently known: But a prudent man covereth shame.

* (Proverbs 14:29 “He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, but he who is impulsive exalts folly”

* (Proverbs 17:28) “Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive”

* (Proverbs 29:11) “A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back” Fools are proud and self-confident.

* (Proverbs 28:26) “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered”

* (Proverbs 26:12). “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him”

* God warns us in (Jer. 17:9) that we don’t know our own hearts and we can’t always trust what our hearts say to us. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”

* Fools follow William Ernest Henley’s philosophy as expressed in his famous poem, “Invictus”:

“I am the master of my fate/I am the captain of my soul.”

*Expressions of proud human achievement like this sound very much like Satan’s offer in Eden: (Gen. 3:5), “You will be like God”

* Satan’s offer to be like God is the basis of the New Age movement. And the Oprah Winfree church.

*Warren Weirsbee wrote in his commentary on Proverbs “Whatever exalts man will ultimately fail; whatever glorifies God will last forever.”

* Because of their proud self-confidence, fools like to meddle, especially when there’s something to argue about:

(Prov. 20:3). “It is an honor for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling”

* Anybody can start a quarrel, but it takes a wise person to be able to stop one or, better yet, to avoid one.

Proverbs 30:32–33 (KJV 1900)

32 If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, Or if thou hast thought evil, Lay thine hand upon thy mouth. 33 Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: So the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

* Fools think that fighting over minor disagreements will bring them honor, but it only makes them greater fools.

Illustration from Warren Weirsbee:

While waiting for a Sunday morning worship service to begin at a church where I was to be the guest preacher, I sat in an adult Sunday School class that met in the church sanctuary. One man in that class questioned almost everything the teacher said and really made a nuisance of himself quibbling about minor things. He wanted to appear wise, but he only convinced us that he was a fool. As I sat there listening, I thought of 1 Timothy 6:4–5: “He is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings” (NKJV).

Fools create problems and bring sorrow, especially to their parents.

(Prov. 10:1,) “A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the grief of his mother”

Proverbs 15:19–20 (KJV 1900)

20 A wise son maketh a glad father: But a foolish man despiseth his mother.

Proverbs 17:25 (KJV 1900)

25 A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her that bare him.

* Like the father in Proverbs 27:11, Every godly father says to his son, “Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart” but the pages of the Bible record the sorrow that foolish children brought to their parents.- Cain, Absolom.

* Can anything be done to change foolish children into wise men and women?

* (Prov. 27:22, NIV). “Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding him like grain with a pestle, you will not remove his folly from him/

* Women in the ancient world ground grain in a bowl (mortar) using a hard tool (pestle) with which they could crack and pulverize the kernels.

* The image is clear: no amount of pressure or pain will change a fool and make anything useful out of him.

* Wise parents should discipline foolish children to give them hope (22:15), but a foolish adult can be changed only by the grace of God.

* Unless fools repent and turn to the Lord, they will live as slaves (11:29) and “die without instruction” (5:23).

Proverbs 11:28–29 (KJV 1900)

29 He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: And the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.

Proverbs 5:20–23 (KJV 1900)

21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, And he pondereth all his goings. 22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, And he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. 23 He shall die without instruction; And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Fools don’t know how to use wealth properly.

* Proverbs 21:20 says “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has”

* Fools may know the price of everything, but they know the value of nothing; they waste their wealth on things stupid and sinful.

* Proverbs 29:3 says “Whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice, but a companion of harlots wastes his wealth”

* This verse reminds us of our Lord’s Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–24). * Proverbs 14:24 says “The crown of the wise is their riches, but the foolishness of fools is [yields] folly”

* Proverbs 19:10 says The wise have something to leave to their children, but fools waste both their wealth and their opportunities to increase it.

Fools can’t be trusted with responsibility.

* Proverbs 26:1 says “As snow in summer and rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool”

* The word honor in the Hebrew (kabod) means “heavy, weighty,” and can refer to the glory of God and the special respect given to people.

* A fool doesn’t have what it takes to handle responsibility successfully and win the respect of others.

* According to the Bible giving honor to a fool is about as fitting as snow in summer or as helpful as rain during harvest! Both mean disaster.

* Fools don’t learn from their mistakes but go right back to the same old mess.

* In 26:3–12, Solomon elaborates on this theme by presenting a number of vivid pictures of the fool and what happens when you give him a job to do.

* For one thing, you’ll have to treat him like a dumb animal and use a whip to motivate him (v. 3; see Ps. 32:9).

Psalm 32:8–9 (KJV 1900)

8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 9 Be ye not as the horse, Or as the mule, which have no understanding: Whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, Lest they come near unto thee.

* Try to give him orders and explain what he’s to do and you’re in danger of becoming like him (Prov. 26:4–5).

Proverbs 26:4–5 (KJV 1900)

4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou also be like unto him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own conceit.

* Send him on an important mission and you might as well cripple yourself, and be prepared for trouble (v. 6).

Proverbs 26:5–9 (KJV 1900)

5 Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own conceit. 6 He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool Cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.

* As a lame person’s legs are useless to take him anywhere, so a fool can’t “get anywhere” with a proverb (v. 7).

7 The legs of the lame are not equal: So is a parable in the mouth of fools.

* He not only confuses others, but he harms himself, like a drunk punctured by a thorn (v. 9).

9 As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, So is a parable in the mouth of fools.

* Don’t ask a fool to teach the Bible because he won’t know what he’s talking about and it’s painful to listen to him.

* And don’t ask a fool to wage war because he ties the stone in the sling! (v. 8)

8 As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, So is he that giveth honour to a fool.

* This reminds me of our politicians who we trust to defend our borders, but want to give illegal immigrants constitutional protection and tax free handouts that hard working citizens of this country can’t afford.

Conclusion:

Outline Summary

Text:

Introduction:

I.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

VI.

VII.

Conclusion: