Proverbs  1_22      Idiots

Rev. David Holwick  O                   [a short sermon due to special events]

First Baptist Church                   

Ledgewood, New Jersey

May 28, 2006

Proverbs 1:22


IDIOTS



  I. They are everywhere.

      A. Dumb criminals:


         Fort Smith, Arkansas, police arrested James Newsome, 37, and

            charged him with taking money at gunpoint from a local

               convenience store.

         The robber was easily identified from the surveillance tape.

            Plus, the coat worn by the robber was found in Newsome's car.

         Also, Newsome's wife said the family car had a radiator leak,

            and a puddle of antifreeze was found beside the store where

              the robber parked.

         Finally, the robber wore a hard hat with the name "James Newsome"

            printed on it.

                                                                    #4535


         Acting legend John Wayne is reported to have said:


             "Life is tough.  It's even tougher if you're stupid."

                                                                   #19030


      B. Proverbs' definition of idiot.

          1) A fool is the opposite of someone who is wise.

              a) It is different from insanity or retardation.

              b) A fool is someone who lacks practical insight into

                    the things that lead to success (or failure) in life.

          2) God has revealed moral and spiritual values - fools reject

                these and go their own way.

              a) Psalm 14 makes it explicit - fools reject God.

              b) They have a moral and spiritual problem rather than

                    a brain problem.


II. Where idiots go wrong.

      A. Their mouth.

          1) They talk too much.

              a) Chattering.                                     10:8,10

              b) Blurts out folly.                                 12:23

              c) Airs own opinions.                                18:2

              d) Key to brilliance: keep your mouth shut.          17:28


   There is a president who had a reputation for putting his foot in

      his mouth.

   It wasn't George W. Bush - it was Abraham Lincoln.

   One hearer said, "He sometimes stopped for repairs before finishing

      a sentence."


   Lincoln was so bad at speaking off the cuff he decided to limit

      himself to set speeches, which he read stiffly.

   He admitted in Pittsburgh as president-elect:  "I am rather inclined

      to silence, and whether that be wise or not, it is at least more

         unusual now-a-days to find a man who can hold his tongue that

            to find one who cannot."


   Just before his great speech at Gettysburg, Lincoln was asked by

      a crowd to speak.

   He replied, "In my position, it is somewhat important that I should

      not say any foolish things."

   Just then a voice in the audience shot back, "If you can help it."

   Replied Lincoln, "It very often happens that the only way to help it

      is to say nothing at all."

                                                                    #3364


          2) They talk without thinking.

              a) Lack of judgment.                                 10:21

              b) No prudence, but folly.                    13:16; 15:14

          3) They speak cruelly.

              a) Slander.                                          10:18

              b) Argumentative.                               18:6; 20:3

              c) Give full vent to anger.                          29:11


      B. Their mind.

          1) They despise wisdom, don't learn from discipline.      1:7

          2) Complacency destroys them.                             1:32

          3) Trust their own judgment.                             12:15

          4) Little self-control over emotions.                    12:16

              a) Hot-headed and reckless.                          14:16


      C. Their actions.

          1) They tear down their own house.                       14:1

          2) They ridicule making amends for sin.                  14:9


      D. Their destiny.

          1) They never learn: return to vomit.                    26:11

          2) Eternal consequences: their lips snare their soul.    18:7


III. Getting rid of stupidity.

      A. The scientific approach.


         James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, was

            being interviewed for British documentary three years ago.

         He said he saw no reason why "stupidity" could not some day

            be corrected by gene therapy just as other "disorders" are

               now being cured.

         "If you're really stupid, I would call that a disease.

             I'd like to get rid of [stupidity]."

                                                                   #17791

         Unfortunately, this gene therapy isn't ready yet.


      B. The Bible approach.

          1) Even idiots can learn wisdom.                         14:33

               "Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and

                  even among fools she lets herself be known."


          2) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.    1:7

              a) Know God in a personal way.

                  1> Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior?

                  2> Do you LIVE as if he is your Lord?

              b) Know God's advice for living.

                  1> I have known several people who read a chapter

                        of Proverbs every day.

                  2> Any section of the Bible can give practical advice

                        on how to live wisely.

              c) Follow that advice!

                  1> Christians can be idiots, too.


IV. Wisdom matters.

      A. Sad situation at the Roxbury Circle Motel.


         A resident told me of a woman who was behind in rent and about

            to be expelled.

         She and her three kids would be out in the street.

         A short time later I got a more complete version - the motel

            owner was locking her out because she was behind in rent,

               and she was notorious for selling drugs to residents.

         And she regularly got beat up by boyfriends she picked up

            over at the Smiles Go-Go bar.


         My source told me, "I used to do this too, but God turned

            my life around."


          1) You may feel self-satisfied right now - you are not a

                drug dealer and you don't pick your friends at Smiles.

          2) But are you wise in ALL your actions?

          3) Even basically good people can make a mess of their lives.


      B. Choose God's way of living.



=========================================================================

SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:



#3364  "I Should Not Say Foolish Things," by Harold Holzer, Civil War Times,

          November 1995, page 22.


#4535  "Least Competent Criminal," by Chuck Shepherd, "News of the Weird,"

          March 5, 1999.


#17791  "Getting Rid of Stupidity," by New Scientist magazine,

           March 26, 2003.


#19030  Quote comes from Rev. Kelly Boggs in Baptist Press daily email,

          January 10, 2003.


These and 30,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be

downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html

=========================================================================


Since proverbs are scattered throughout the book, I find it helpful to

Distribute a handout to the congregation with all the relevant verses:


Proverbs on Friendship:

3:28  Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow" -- when you now have it with you.

12:26  A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

13:20  He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

14:20 The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.

16:28  A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.

17:9  He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

17:17  A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

18:24  A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

19:4  Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man's friend deserts him.

19:6  Many curry favor with a ruler, and everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts.

22:11  He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend.

22:24-25  Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.

25:17  Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house -- too much of you, and he will hate you.

26:18-19  Like a madman shooting ... deadly arrows is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I was only joking!"

27:6  Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

27:9  Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.

27:10  Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you -- better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

27:14  If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.

27:17  As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

(see also Ecclesiastes 4:10-12)


Proverbs on Friendship:

3:28  Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow" -- when you now have it with you.

12:26  A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

13:20  He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

14:20 The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.

16:28  A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.

17:9  He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

17:17  A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

18:24  A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

19:4  Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man's friend deserts him.

19:6  Many curry favor with a ruler, and everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts.

22:11  He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend.

22:24-25  Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.

25:17  Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house -- too much of you, and he will hate you.

26:18-19  Like a madman shooting ... deadly arrows is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I was only joking!"

27:6  Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

27:9  Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.

27:10  Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you -- better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

27:14  If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.

27:17  As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

(see also Ecclesiastes 4:10-12)



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