From time to time, we'll go to Psalm 14 is the one we want to look at tonight. From time to time we've looked at some Psalms, and I'm not dealing with every verse in Psalm 14, but using it kind of as a springboard to see something that I think we need to deal with tonight. But we've used Psalms and trying to look at some of the Psalms from time to time. They're good to encourage us. Sometimes a song will do you good. Even on the radio, sometimes it'll touch you. And these are songs is what it amounts to. It's the Psalms that's been written and were sung in the early days. The people sung them for encouragement, sung them at the house of God, sung them on the way to the house of God. And so sometimes it's hard for us to grasp that and understand that. But David is the sweet psalmist of Israel. He's the writer of this psalm, verse 14. He's the one that the human instrument that God used to pin this psalm down. So I want to read the entire psalm, 14, verses 1 through verse number 7. Psalm 14, verse number 1, The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become none that doeth good, no, not one. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord? There were they in great fear, for God is in the generation of the righteous. They have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge. Oh, that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion, when the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people. Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. You may be seated tonight. As we look at this book, I want to, really the first verse is kind of the theme that I want to deal with tonight, or at least the text verse, where it said the fool has said in his heart there is no God. They're corrupt and have done abominable works. There's none that doeth good. But the first phrase, he said the fool has said in his heart. Now what does, the title tonight is, What Does the Bible Say About Fools? What Does the Bible Say About Fools? If we read through the Bible, we teach our kids not to use the word fool, or at least that's a good thing to teach them, amen, because they use it out of context so many times, but we teach them that, and not to use that word fool, but you realize it's used today very lightly, nowadays by a lot of people, the word fool. yet the Bible mentions it sometimes. Now I noticed when I was thinking about what the Bible says about fools come to my mind, Matthew chapter 5 verse number 22, the Sermon on the Mount there, and of course this was where Jesus was there and preaching the Beatitudes in chapter 5, and the Sermon on the Mount goes all the way through chapter 7. But here in chapter 5, verse number 22, the word fool is translated from a Greek word that says this in 522 of Matthew, But I say unto you, and this is of course right after he's talking to the group there, that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of judgment. Now in context, you see, the Pharisees and all thought there was only one thing that would break the commandment number six, thou shalt not kill. And yet he said, if you're angry, you've broken the commandments, what he's talking about. And then he said, whosoever shall say to his brother, Raka, shall be in danger of the council, but whosoever shall say, thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Now, as we look at that, that Jesus made a very strong statement there, and in our English language, he's translated the Greek words, translated fool, and I'll have to be honest with you, I don't know all that this actually means, okay? It's hard for us to really rightly divide. We need to study and rightly divide something, but Jesus said, if you say, use this term in context, in the syntax of the Greek that he's talking about, he said, you'll be in danger of hell fire. Now, basically, what this amounted to is, in other words, This, using the word fool like he's dealing with it here, it means basically to pass judicial sentence on a person. In other words, consigning him to hell. In other words, no man has that right. Now just before he talked about the council, and in other words, that's the Sanhedrin probably that was in effect for about 200 years at that time. And that was something that they had a right with the Jewish affairs, but yet he said, if you say rakan and then spoke about food, it seemed like it's a little more, a little stronger word that he's talking about here. But a person does not have a right to pass judicial sentence on a person themselves, in other words, and consign him to hell. You can't do that. And that's basically in context what it's saying. Now there's more, I'm sure, to that that we could bring out from that. But Jesus is condemning that you reaching out and saying, I'm consigning you to hell. You don't have that right. You can't do that. For if you do that, he said, you're basically in danger of hellfire yourself. In other words, any person who would go to that extent, you've broken the commandment and you've done more than just, and by the way, you realize we've all broken the commandment in some form or fashion, but here he said you're in danger of hell fire. Now Jesus said in the book of Luke chapter 24, Verse number 25, when he was walking down that Emmaus road that day, and those two men were there, and they didn't know who Jesus was. They thought everything was over with. Jesus had been crucified, put in a grave, and they were downhearted and saddened as they was walking with their head down the road. And Jesus joined himself to them after he talked with them a while and listened to what they had to say. Jesus made this statement to them in Luke 24, 25, then he said unto them, O fools, whoa, they called them fools. And yet he said, if you say fool, you're in danger of hell fire. Now, these people were saved here, and they wasn't consigned to hell. He wasn't consigning them to hell. So he's using a different Greek word behind the word fool here. But yet he said, old fools, and slow to heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. In other words, he called them fools. So we've got to study and rightly divide something about the word fool is what we're wanting to talk about tonight and deal with. What does the Bible say about it? Jesus said you can't look can sign someone to hell and use it that that Greek word that's translated fool in that sense and say you're just going to hell I've got a right to do that because you don't have that right but he also used the word fools to talk to someone and call them now I don't think you are to I think you ought to teach your children not to call people fools, all right? I think that's good. So that young people, if your mom and daddy's taught you not to call somebody fool and I'm saying the word tonight, I don't want you to get off sides about it. I want you to realize I'm trying to put it in context with what the Bible says. Now, as I said, it's used, the word fool is used very lightly today, nowadays. And when we hear the word fool, we usually apply it to someone who has a low IQ. But that's not exactly what the definition of the Greek, even English dictionary says. You know, and it does mean one who has a low IQ in that sense, and intellect's a little bit low, but it also, the dictionary says this is a definition of the word fool, one who is destitute of reason. Boy, I'm going to tell you what, there's some people that has got a high IQ, but they're destitute of reason. It also says, one who pursues a course contrary to the dictates of wisdom. The dictionary even calls that person a fool who pursues a course contrary to the dictates of wisdom. In other words, those who are destitute of reason. And so we know that it's not always used in the Bible by the word fool. It doesn't apply to someone with a low IQ necessarily in the Bible. But what it does in the Bible, it primarily uses the word to denote moral perversity rather than weakness of the intellect. So when the Lord uses the word fool and speaks of the word fool, He's not talking about IQ as far as the intellect's concerned, but He's talking about what they're doing or not doing. If they're not pursuing a course of wisdom dictates, God labels them a fool. And the big dictionary labels them a fool in that sense. And so what does the Bible say about fools? Well, I want to look at it tonight and just give you a few. And I'm not going to deal with all of it tonight that the Bible does say about fools. But I just want to look at a few points about the fool. First of all, the Bible says about a fool, he says it's one who says there's no God. There's no God. In fact, that's our text verse here in verse number 1, where it said, The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. Now what he's saying, there's no God for me, is what he's really saying when it gets down to it. Now, if you want us to turn over to Psalm 53, Psalm 53, David is the one who wrote this Psalm, and it's evidently, it's a repetition a lot of Psalm 14. It's not exactly word for word. It's almost the same for the first few verses. Then there's one verse inserted that's a little different. In fact, it's just six verses in Psalm 53, but it's a basic same psalm, but he reiterated it. He changed the word from Lord to God, and that's no problem. That means the same. But look what he said in Psalm 53, verse number 1. The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity. There's none that doeth good. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that didn't understand and that did seek God. Every one of them has gone back. They're altogether become filthy. There's none that doeth good, no not one. Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? Who eat up my people as they eat bread? They have not called upon God. There were they in great fear. There were no fear was. For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee. Thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them. Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion, when God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. So it's almost the same psalm, but it's a little bit different, but at least it talks about the fool has said in his heart, there is no God. Now, any time the Bible says something one time, it's important. Now, Jesus used the word verily, verily to call attention to something. Sometimes it means truly, truly, and take notice of. But one time, it's still Bible. I've had people who say, well, that only mentions that in the Bible one time. It's still the Bible. Amen? You see, this is the Bible God give us. God breathed upon this book as he gave from the very inner being of God in the original. I know we've got a translation. I understand that, but I do know one thing. If you think there's any contradiction in God's Word, it's not in the Word, it's in us. It's in our understanding. So what you've got to do is come to the place that we just get hold of the fact that, hey, God's Word's right. We just may not have the right meaning of that, but we need to embrace it. But God's Word says that the fool calls the man a fool who says in his heart, there is no God. Now, I want to tell you, there's a lot of atheists in life. But I've heard a whole lot of them begin to call out on God when they go to die. You heard some of the testimonies of those. Some haven't, but some have. There's not near as many in death as there is in life, atheists. But it seems that atheists are increasing in number today from what they were years ago. Primarily, I think it's due to teaching of evolution in the schools as a fact, not a theory. Amen? In other words, evolution does away with God. And in other words, the devil eats at the roots of the foundation. He wants to do away with God. And so therefore, the fool, he called him a fool that says in his heart, there's no God. Now the little black boy was a shoe shine boy down on the corner. He is a shine in the shoe and this man is just a cussing and a cussing. and just talking about no God, atheists, you know, and whatnot, but yet he's still taking God's name in vain, and the little boy got about all of it, he could stand, and he looked up at the man, he said, the Bible doesn't say that the fool has said it in his heart, there's no God, and you done gone blabbed it with your big mouth. Well, that could happen a lot of times, amen? But that's what people say, and yet it's amazing how many times they use God's name when they say there is no God. But the Bible calls them a fool in that sense. Now, you see, need to be honest with God. We need to get honest with God. As Brother Dusty said the other night, but before you were awakened, there was a lot of times you doubted the very existence of God. Amen? Some of you here tonight, if you really be honest, I know the temptation comes to you to doubt whether there is a God or not. I understand that. And because we've all been there in one sense or another. Before you're awakened, that's what happens. You need to get honest about it. But because of our upbringing, we're just a little bit too, if somebody said, you believe in God? Most of the time, people say yes in most places because they've been taught to say that, but down underneath, they say, I don't know whether I do or not. So, the thing about it is, God says in the Word, He said, if you say there's no God for me, it's what it meant, that there is no God. You're saying there's no God for me. God says you're a fool to say that. And that's what He said about that. And I remember what really causes people to doubt the existence of God is because you can't see God in the lives of many who call themselves Christians and call themselves saints. I remember years ago, I don't know, back in the 70s, I guess, was a popular saying. Y'all remember the saying, about 70s, might have been the 60s, I don't know for sure when it started, but the phrase was, God's dead, God's dead. Some of you, but that's what they, they propagated that, that God is dead, God is dead, and so you see, they couldn't see God in their lives for those, of those who profess to know God, but the Bible says, if you're a fool, if you deny the existence of God, Now we may have a high IQ and be morally depraved and be wicked and doubt the existence of God and say there is no God, but God says you're a fool to do that. Another thing the Bible says about a fool is one who doesn't believe the prophets. Now I read that already once there a while ago when Jesus made that statement in the book of Luke chapter 24 verse number 25 when he said unto those two on the road to Emmaus, fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. You see, the Bible says we're a fool not to believe the Word of God. Now you may realize this Word of God we hold in our hand, I know like I say it's a translation, But really, in the original, it was the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God. That's what we call the verbal inspiration. Even the tenses of the verb was pinned down. And in other words, as he moved on holy men of old, II Peter 121 said, he moved on their hand. He had hold of their hand to where they couldn't even make a mistake in dotting an I, we would say in the English language, the jot and the tittle in the Hebrew. In other words, they couldn't make a mistake and God breathed it, II Timothy 316, from the very inner being of God. And then God's got to reveal it to you. I can't reveal it to you. I may preach it, but folks, you'll sit there, look at me like a calf hunting a new gate until God opens your understanding. Amen? And he said in I Corinthians chapter 12, He said, In other words, you can't come up with anything, any way, shape, form, and fashion. It's not by the public opinion. It's not by, you know, it's not by the public opinion. Anything, any method you want, what you can think up in your own intellect, you cannot figure it out by yourself. In other words, it's hidden. It's a mystery the Bible talks about. But, verse 10 said, but God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit. His Spirit's got to make known to you the Word of God. God used the Spirit to hold men's hand as they wrote it down. God grieved it, what they were to write down. And the only way you ever get hold of it is for him to reveal it to you. And even though you may not understand it all, even though you may have a wrong interpretation because of your upbringing, you may have many questions about the Word of God, but if you don't believe that God's Word is true, in other words, then God said, you're a fool. You're a fool. Just not to believe God's Word. You say, I don't understand it all, but I believe it's the book. In other words, I believe what God said, and we've got to study to show ourselves approved in that. And then another thing he said about being a fool is one who mocks sin. while we're living in that day-to-day. Mock and sin on every side. Proverbs chapter 14, verse number 9, he said, fools make a mock at sin. In other words, mock means to mimic, as in, as make fun of. It means to yield to it as well, yield to sin. Proverbs 10, 23, he said, it is a sport to a fool to do mischief. but a man of understanding hath wisdom." In other words, we laugh at sin's contents in this television world we've got today. Amen? It's on every side. And we try to explain sin away. I mean, people talk about adultery as having an affair. explained it away. And people have no fear of sin's power and they take no warning of sin's destruction. And the Bible said you're a fool to make light of sin, to mimic as making fun or yielding to that sin. In other words, you People say, oh, it's all right to social drink. Folks, I don't tell you it's wrong to drink. I don't care what it is. I don't care if it's a thimble full, it's wrong to drink it, amen? He said, don't even look upon it when it moveth itself aright. And there's a lot of Baptist deacons have it in the refrigerator, amen? It's not just deacons. A lot of Baptists do. And it's not right. It's sin. And yet, well, we explained it away. It's all right. You know, after all, Timothy had to have a little for his stomach infirmities. That's not what he's really talking about, amen? But at any rate, it's wrong. The Bible says it's wrong. I'm just using that for, you play with sin and sin will concede. In other words, their conception will take place and it'll turn on you and kill you. I heard about a man one time who raised up a boy constrictor, had a little old boy constrictor. I'm going to tell you what, nature of a boy constrictor is to constrict, amen? And he had it all fixed up to where he had it trained. And the Bible says that we can train everything with this old tongue. But anyway, he trained that as a baby snake. And however, I don't know how big a baby boy constrictor he is, I don't want him, amen. I don't want him around. I don't care if it's just that long, it's still bad, amen. He trained it, it would crawl around his body and he could clap and it would un-crawl and clap and it would come back or whatever, he had it all trained. But one day the boy constrictor crawled around his body and he clapped and the constrictor tightened down. And he tried to clap again and he clapped a little bit and it got weaker and weaker until it squeezed him to death. You see, the nature of sin is to kill, and the nature of evoking constrictors is to constrict. And therefore, when you play with sin and mimic sin and make fun of sin, God says you're a fool. You're a fool to do that. It's what he's talking about. In other words, the Bible says in Romans 6, 23, the wages of sin is death, meaning separation from God in hell. You practice that sin. Well, you see, he clashed you with the reprobates in Romans chapter 1, verse number 32. Now, Romans 1, is a chapter that we saw the destruction, road to ruin. You remember how we said God gave light to every man? If man gets indifferent about that light, not concerned about that light, he becomes unthankful, has ingratitude, leads to having ingratitude, and ingratitude leads to ignorance. Even what understanding you had becomes darkness, and that leads to idolatry, which leads to, well, it leads down to immorality, which causes God to pull back the hedge, and give you over to vile affection, uncleanness, and reprobate mind." You say, well, I'm not there. I'm not there. But listen to what he says here in Romans 1.32 when he mentions this at the last part of that section of a list, a representative list of sins classified as reprobates here. And he says, "...who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." God says you mimic sin and fun and have pleasure in them sin. He said you're a fool. You're a fool. It's pretty plain, isn't it? But that's what God said. I didn't say it. That's what God said. You're a fool to do that. In other words, you're a fool if you don't believe God's Word. You're a fool if you make a mock of sin. You're a fool, He said, if you say there is no God. The fourth thing that God's Word says about being a fool is one who builds upon the sinking sand, the wrong foundation. Well, I want to tell you, there's a lot of people thinking they're going to make heaven. It's not going to be. They're going to be surprised one day. They really honestly thought they were in Matthew chapter number seven. when Jesus said, many are going to say, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? Have we not cast out devils in thy name? Have we not done many wonderful works in thy name? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you depart from me, you that work iniquity. You see, they really sincerely thought they were okay. You say, how could that be? I'm going to tell you, God, you see, if you've, God's already given you over to reprobate mine, and that's not an easy thing to come. As one writer said, and we read that book, or we talked about that book, you'll not be reprobate to your 10,000 time reprobate. The devil will try to make you think you're reprobate and disqualified and there's no hope for you, try to make you think you've crossed the deadline but that's not so, it's not an easy thing to do. But you can come to that time and whenever the devil's got you, as Brother Dusty said the other night, he's not going to stir you up, try to get you to check out what you've got. That's God working in you and lying about In other words, the devil's lying about who's doing it. And he don't want you to go back and check out what you don't have, you understand? And so if God's not dealing with you, and the devil sure ain't gonna deal with you, you'll just rock right on into hell one day. And there's gonna be a lot of people doing that from Baptist church view. There's not enough from the pulpit and from teaching and whatnot in the churches today. Most Baptist churches today didn't even get you to examine what you've got. Amen? Even get you to be bothered about where you be bothered. And so as a result, you build up on the wrong foundation. In Matthew chapter 7, verse number 26, made this statement, And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto the foolish man which built his house upon the sand. God said it's the foolish man builds his house on the sand. Well, we know from, if you've ever built anything, you know you want a good foundation under it. You just don't go out there and just plop down something in this this soil that's sinking around even, don't have to be, it can be clay soil and after a while it's going to gill. It's going to go down. It's not going to, even the best foundation you've got sometimes is not good enough. I mean around in this earthquake zone that we're in today. But if you just go out and build out on the sand, it's going to wash away, it's going to sink and your house will not stand. And what it's talking about in a spiritual sense, it means self-righteousness. You build on self-righteousness instead of God's righteousness. And that's works is all that amounts to. Ephesians chapter 2 verse number 9, he said, It's not our works. Now you'd be surprised if you really knew there's a lot of denominations today that are depending on their baptism of water to get them saved. They may not say it that way, but when the bottom line's all over and done with, And you really get down and pin them down. They're depending on baptism. Folks, baptism is a choice you make, and you move to do that. It's a work. And I believe every person who's been saved will want to be baptized, but if that's what you're depending on, that's self-righteousness, that's works, and it's seeking sin, and God said you're a fool to do that. Amen. You get to pinning them down and ask them, those who believe that you've got to be baptized to be saved, and you say, well, what if a person came down to the altar and he was really dealt with by the Lord, just carried through that, and he was going to the baptistry and fell dead as he's walking up those steps? And we've had them tell us they'd die and go to hell because they didn't get in the water. That's where they meet the blood in the water. Not so. I'm going to tell you what. You meet the blood when the Holy Ghost applies the blood and sprinkling of the blood and washes away your sin through Holy Ghost conviction. But yet people are depending on that. And that's not, that's other denominations. You say, yeah, but Baptists are just as bad. When you get right down to it, they're depending on their goodness. They think I'm not too bad a fella. I'm not like so and so. I'm not like this one. Listen, you're building on a seeking sand. You've got a spiritual crutch and you need to get rid of it. God said you're a fool if you build on the sand. You're a fool if you lean upon that. Proverbs chapter 14, verse 12, he said, There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. And did you know Proverbs comes back and mentions that almost identically, only changes one word in Proverbs 16, 25? There is a way that seemeth right. See, he said first, which seemeth right, but now he uses the word that seemeth right unto a man. But the end thereof are the ways of death." Now, there's no variation in that scripture except two English words, but it means that you think it's right. You say, well, I think I'm right. Listen, it doesn't matter whether you think or what you think, it's what God said. It's what He said, and you've got to build upon the solid foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ is where you need to build, and other self-righteousness. instead of God's righteousness, or without the Spirit, the work of the Spirit. Matthew chapter 25 verse number 1 and 2, and this is the parable that was given of the virgins. It said, Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins. which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five of them were foolish. Why was there five foolish? They had no oil in the lamp. They had a profession. The lamp represents the profession. But they had no oil in the lamp. They had no Holy Spirit. And if the Holy Spirit does not live in you, you're on the wrong foundation, if you please. You're building up on the sand. Romans chapter 8 verse number 9 said, Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And so therefore the Bible says if we're building upon the foundation of the sand, upon the sand, we're a fool to do that. In fact, Jesus called the Pharisees fools. And in the book of Luke chapter 11 verse number 39 and 40, in Luke chapter 11, verse number 39 and 40, I'll find that here in just a moment, I didn't mark that one. Luke chapter 11, verse number 39 and 40. He said this, Now the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but your inward parts is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he that make that which is without make that which is within also? In other words, Jesus called the Pharisees a fool because they were trying to clean up the outside, but the inside needed to be cleaned first. And he's got to do that through the work of the Holy Spirit. So fool, you're a fool to depend on anything short of the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says you're a fool to do that. And so therefore, that's what the Bible says. Now, the Bible says you're a fool if you're deceived. Now, we've all been deceived, so we've all been a fool at one time or another, all right? But you're a fool if you stay deceived because God gave light to every man. You obey light, you can come out of that deception and come to know the Lord. Proverbs 28, 26, he said this in Proverbs 28, He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool. But whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered." In other words, if you're trusting in your own self, your own merit, your own goodness, your anything, he said, you're a fool, you've been deceived. Jeremiah 17, 9 says, the heart's deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who shall know it? Proverbs 12, verse 15, he said, the way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but he that hearken unto counsel is wise. So you see the Pharisees of Luke chapter 18 and you know the story about, it's really a parable in Luke chapter 18. There's where the man stood in Luke chapter 18 and really as he stood and prayed. This is what he prayed as he made this statement in verse number 11 and 12. He said that the Pharisees stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I'm not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican, I fast twice in a week, I give tithes of all that I possess." He's building up on the sand, but he also, we see him come to this place of being deceived. He's trusting in himself. He thought he was right, and he sneered openly at that poor publican that was there, who smote his chest, wouldn't say much, look up to God, and cried, God, be merciful to me, a sinner, and went away justified. In essence, the Bible says you're a fool to be deceived and remain in that condition. Every one of us is blinded and deceived. We know that, but oh, if you remain there after God's given you life and so gracious to give you truth, if you'll obey the light, you'll come out of that. But he said you remain there, you're a fool to do that. And then connected to that is you're a fool, one who's who's in darkness, in darkness. Ecclesiastes chapter 2 verse number 14 he said the wise man's eyes, the wise man's eyes are in his head but the fool walketh, walketh in darkness. In other words man's nature, if we think about man's nature the Bible said in John chapter 3 verse number 19 and 20 he said And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." In other words, that's man's nature, he loves darkness. But yet God said, in a sense, He said, we're fools. That's what Ecclesiastes 2 He's talking about we're fools. Well, but we're that way. We're in darkness. We're blinded. We're deceived. 2 Corinthians 4 verse 4 said our gospel be hidden. Verse 3, it's hidden to them who are lost. And verse 4 said, In whom the God of this world, little g, hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. So you see the Bible has a lot to say about the darkness, being a fool if we remain in darkness. We're all in darkness to begin with. We've all been deceived. But we don't have to remain there. God's given us light. And if we walk in that light, we can walk all the way home in light. Amen. Proverbs 18.2, he said, A fool hath no delight in understanding. Proverbs 17.16, he said, Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it? In other words, if he had the money in his hand, he still wouldn't have any heart to get wisdom, because he's a fool in darkness. Proverbs 1.7, he said, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and destruction. Proverbs 122, how long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity and the scorners delight in their scorning and fools hate knowledge. Proverbs 23, 9, he said, speak not in the ears of the fool, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. Don't even speak to him, he said. Don't even cast a pearl before swine. Psalm 92, verse number 6, he said, A brutish man knoweth not, neither doth the fool understand this. And so you see, the Bible said if we're in darkness and remain in darkness, if we're deceived and remain deceived, we're a fool. That's what the Bible says, what God says. We're also a fool is one who will not heed advice and correction from others. We're fools, the Bible said. Proverbs chapter 15, verse number 5, He said, A fool despises his father's instruction, but he that regardeth reproof is prudent. That means he's wise. Proverbs 1, 7, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Proverbs 27, 22, Though thou shouldest bray, b-r-a-y, a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pedestal, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. And that word bray means to pound. You take the mortal and put him in a pedestal and just grind him up and beat him. In other words, pound him. You can't beat it out of him. He's holt of that because he won't heed advice. A man that won't heed advice and correction from others, God said he's a fool. And then I want to talk about one more tonight that's a fool, and that's one who brings reproach on their parents. That's what the Bible said. There's plenty more in here about the fool, but one who brings reproach on their parents. Listen to what the Bible says in Proverbs 10. Young people, are you listening? You may have turned me off a long time ago, but listen to what it says. In Proverbs chapter 10, verse number 1, he said, The Proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. Bible says in Proverbs 15, 20, A wise son maketh glad the father, but a foolish man despiseth his mother. Proverbs 17, 25, He said, A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bear him. Proverbs 19, 13, He said, A foolish son is the calamity of his father. Proverbs 17, 21, He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow, and the father of a fool hath no joy. Folks, you realize something. One who brings reproach on their parents is a fool. What does the Word say about honoring, obeying the Father? Well, the Bible says in the book of Ephesians, chapter 6, verse number 1 through 3, He said, Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. Now it's talking about in the Lord. It's not telling you to obey your parents if they tell you to go out and get drunk, go out and do wrong. That's not what it's talking about. It's talking about in the Lord. He said honor them, obey them, and then honor them. In other words, as long as you're in their house, you need to obey them. You need to tow the line. If you don't, you bring dishonor to your parents, and God says you're a fool. to do that. God will judge fools one day. He'll do that. But if you won't live long the commandment, which is the fifth commandment, that you may live long, it's a commandment with promise is to obey, honor your father and your mother and you'll live long. But even after they're dead you can honor. I know that our parents are not always right but you can still honor. your parents even after they're dead. If you don't, the Bible says you're a fool. So we need to take inventory tonight and see if we fall in one of these categories. What are the categories we've dealt with tonight about a fool? One who says there's no God. In essence, he says there's no God for me. He's a fool, the Bible said. One who does not believe the prophets, the Word of God. The Bible said he's a fool. One who mocks, makes a mock of sin, tries to laugh at it and go with it and even involved in it, he said he's a fool. Or one who builds up on the sand is a fool. One who's deceived and remains deceived is a fool. One who's blind in darkness and remains there is a fool. One who will not heed advice and corrections from others is a fool. But the wise man, he said, is the one that takes heed and follows the advice. The eighth one we dealt with tonight is one who brings reproach on their parents. He's a fool. We've all had enough reproach on our parents if we stop and think a minute. And God says you're a fool to do that. But I try to challenge you young people that you might get hold of something and say, I don't want to bring harm, to do harm to my mom. Don't want to do harm to my dad. I want to do what's right. And sure, you've got the old nature to contend with and going the other way. But if your mom and dad's trying to do what's right, carrying the church, do what's right, you ought to stand up and be obedient. Because if you don't, your days will be short. Bible said this commandment with promise, you'll live longer if you'll honor your mama and your daddy. And so therefore, that's just a few things the Bible says about fools, the fools. And so I pray the Lord will help us to see that. I don't want to be a fool. I've been foolish enough a lot of times, there's no doubt about that. I've been deceived, been blindness, and we don't know how much blindness we may still have in some areas of our life. We don't know it all, no man does. But may God help us, even though we don't understand this book, even though we don't know exactly what it's saying. And you get this side and you get this side, even in Baptist churches. Listen, this book's right. If we can find the middle of the road, God help us to get there. He says, I'll give you light. And if you'll just walk in light, he'll bring you to that place and let you know there's a God. And he wants you to build on him the foundation that stand us steadfast and sure. He wants you to walk in truth. He wants you to have the understanding. He wants you out of deception. He wants you out of blindness. He's not willing that any should perish, but all come to repentance. So we've got a good God tonight who wants us to get there. And we can if we'll obey the light we've got. God's gracious to give us light. He's given us more than we deserve. Don't push it off. I'm afraid many times we're going to, one of these days we're going to see that we missed the handfuls of purpose that God put our way. We just passed it up and went on our way thinking that wasn't from God. Listening to the devil who called it of the devil, but it's God's handful of purpose. Thank God for His awakening. Thank God for His stirring and bringing us out of that foolish condition into light. and we might be children of light. May God help us tonight to see these things and just walk in his will and his way and be what he'd have us to in the days to come. Father, I pray that someway, somehow tonight you might take this and speak to these young people tonight especially. help them to not bring reproach on mom and dad, help them to yield their lives to you and obey what you want them to do and walk therein and Lord just help every person here to obey light, walk in it and come out of deception, come out of darkness that they might be saved and have a foundations built steadfast and sure upon the atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Anything short of that is a false foundation and it's a Bible calls that person a fool. And I pray tonight, Lord, that we'd not be like that one in the Psalm that said, the fool has said in his heart, there's no God. In essence, he said, there's no God for me. And Lord, I pray you just make your presence real, make yourself known to our people in today and settle it in hearts and minds of people here. Yes, there's a God. He's real. He's in control. And we'll thank you for what you do, for we ask it all in Jesus' name. For his sake, we do pray. Heads bowed, eyes closed, altars open. We remind the Lord tonight as she plays.