The Foolish Heart of God Rejection

Introduction

Indeed, our Redeemer lives. I’ll have more to say about that in a moment. A couple of clarifications from this morning’s lesson. Number one, I realized when I mentioned the hypnotizing of roosters, that only a few of you would laugh and know what I was talking about. And that’s why you need to stay abreast of what our members are doing on Facebook. And this would be yet another John and Micah story. And what I sort of noticed, but wasn’t paying attention to my notes this morning was that there was a sheet of paper up here with a line drawn on it. It was John and Micah trying to hypnotize the preacher. And that didn’t work.

But they don’t have that sufficient power yet. The other clarification is that the Hark riders have no intentions of going to Disney World this summer, but they will in October. So now that those clarifications are made. A few observations as we begin tonight. This may not be true of you, but I’m talking about people generally. Generalizations are okay. We fancy ourselves stronger, smarter, and wiser than we really are. We struggle to see how powerless, weak, and helpless. We really are. As you get older, you get more of a sense of that. So just stay tuned, young people. We lack a keen sense of how absolutely transient, fleeting, and momentary is our existence here, which should always follow with this question. What then? What then? And yet many absolutely scoff at the idea of God dependency.

1. The Fool Has Said in His Heart

That there is a supernatural being. Someone that we cannot see, a God who is invisible, as Paul clearly says about God in 1 Timothy chapter 6, 1 Timothy chapter 1. Many scoff at the idea of being amenable to him or listening to His word. This is at the heart of statements that we find in Psalms. I want to look at a couple with you. A couple of texts from Psalms. The first is Psalm 10 and verse 4. And this comes from an idea that was generated during class last week, as Bill has done a fantastic job talking to us about creation versus evolution. In Psalm 10 and verse 4, the wicked in the haughtiness of his countenance does not seek him. All his thoughts are, there is no God.

Truly tragic. And then Psalm 14 and verse 1. The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt. They have committed abominable deeds. There is no one who does good. When I look for slides for a particular sermon, I go to Graceway Media. That’s a service that we subscribe to. It’s why we’re able to do things on Facebook announcing sermons with nice graphics, and I’m able to have nice graphics when I preach and present lessons. And so I was looking for a graphic for this particular sermon and Psalm 14, and they have a graphic for every one of the Psalms. And so, what is the graphic for Psalm 14? And this is it. The relentless love of God.

And particularly this verse, Psalm 14 and verse 1, is it really a debate about God’s existence? The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. Is that really the point in Psalm 10 and verse 4? Is the point really, well, there are people who discount the existence of God, and I’m just going to tell you that person is foolish. I don’t really think that’s the idea of Psalm 10 and verse 4. Or the idea of Psalm 14 and verse 1. I’m not sure it’s a debate about whether or not God exists, as much as it is simply a rejection of concern for God. Hey, brother. Or acknowledgement of his divine will and power. I think the psalm, instead of the relentless love of God, is more about whether we seek God or not, and the absolute folly of rejecting God and the gladness of submitting to God.

Yes, gladness. Go on reading in Psalm 14. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand who seek after God. They have all turned aside. Together they have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one. Paul is going to quote, that sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Paul is going to quote this in Romans chapter 3 to talk about why it is true that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. People have chosen their own way. It’s not that they’re all atheists, that they all have come to the conclusion that God doesn’t exist. They have instead come to the conclusion that they don’t have to listen to God. That they can do their own thing, they can map out their own course in their own way.

And so all their thoughts are there is no God. I don’t have to listen to him. I can do just fine on my own. Do all the workers of wickedness not know? Who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the Lord? There they are in great dread. For God is with the righteous generation. You would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted, but the Lord, the Lord is his refuge. Oh, the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion. There’s some anticipation there. When the Lord restores his captive people, Jacob will rejoice. Israel will be glad. God will come to the rescue of the afflicted. Those who are haughty in their countenance and who reject God, they will pay the price for that foolish decision.

2. No Biblical Debate About Whether God Exists

Ultimately, God will ransom his own. And Israel will be glad. May we be glad in the Lord. Well, something occurred to me about Psalm 10 and Psalm 14 last Sunday morning. Isn’t it interesting that there is no biblical debate like we’re entertaining on Sunday mornings in our Bible class? I don’t see anything in the scripture like what we’re doing. Where we are giving, we are giving all the reasons why one should believe in God and believe in the Bible. I just don’t see that debate in Scripture. Which is amazing when you think about it. Now, continual debate exists in Scripture about who exactly God is, or the gods that are real and should be served, but there’s no real debate about whether or not there is a supernatural being.

And when Paul comes to Athens, he goes, now let me tell you about the fact that God exists. That’s not the debate at all. They have all of these idols to all of these gods, and just so they don’t leave anybody out, they have one to an unknown God. Let’s not upset any possible deity that’s out there. Let’s make sure we have them all covered. Well, let me tell you about the nature of the one true God. Paul begins his treatise at Athens there. Neither Paul, Peter, or John are compelled to make an airtight case for the existence of a deity, but simply spoke of the nature of the true God. Why are our times different? A few observations tonight about Psalm 14 and verse 1 and the folly of which the psalmist talks about.

3. Wisdom Versus Folly

And you probably know where I’m going to go with this concept of folly and foolishness, because in the Old Testament, in the wisdom literature, no bones are made about it. I mean, there are people who have foolish ideas and make foolish choices. Don’t be a fool. Have you not got that in our daily Bible reading? No, I haven’t been doing it. Shame on you. You’re supposed to be doing it. Remember at the beginning of the year, and this is me talking about our daily Bible reading again. I said, I wanted 100% of us doing the daily Bible reading. And thanks be to Daniel, who’s challenged me when I first said I don’t want to do this. The Wisdom Wednesday. Thing that I’m doing on Facebook. Have you seen that?

Another reason to be on Facebook. Where I’m enhancing, hopefully, the few verses that we’re supposed to be reading. Mike, you’re giving us way too many verses to read every week. What, 16, 17 verses? You’re killing us. Let’s spend just a little time learning about wisdom versus quality. This week, Proverbs 14. The backslider in heart will have his fill of his own ways. Okay. Now, he doesn’t mention the one who says, Oh, there’s no God. I’m not going to listen to God. But the backslider, the one, the one who chooses his own path and goes his own way. He’ll have his fill of his own ways. But a good man, but a good man will be satisfied with his. The naive believe everything. Well, that sounds good.

That sounds good to me. The naive believes everything, but the prudent man is a little more cautious. He considers his steps.

Abstain from every form of evil. Examine everything carefully. Hold fast to that which is good. 1 Thessalonians 5 21 and 22, quoted in reverse order. Watch your steps. But a fool, he just reacts. A fool is arrogant and careless. The naive inherit folly. But the prudent are crowned with knowledge. The evil will bow down before the good. You know, that’s really the sentiment of Psalm 14. The evil will bow down before the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous. Ultimately, the person who chooses wisdom and the path of righteousness will be vindicated, and the wicked in all of their haughtiness will bow down to him. Finally, Proverbs 26 and verse 4. Do not answer a fool according to his folly. You know, we can make all the airtight arguments about why people should believe in God, and I’m going to talk about some tonight.

But at the end of the day, you will not convince many people.

You see a man who’s wise in his own eyes.

And in that particular case, he’s talking about someone without intelligence. Someone who’s not so learned, whose IQ is not way up here in the stratosphere. He says there’s more hope than for a fool than for him. Interesting proverb. Let me tell you something about the different kinds of people that we encounter. As I affirm to you tonight that our God, our God is.

4. Love Every Sinner, but Not Every Error the Same Way

Now, as I make that observation, let me add this qualifying note. I should love as God does the most vile of sinners. For God so loved the world, John 3 16, we all know that verse. That encompasses everything and everyone. I mean, that’s that’s everyone who has ever lived. They are an object of God’s love and concern, and that’s why Jesus came. He is the propitiation for our sins and not for our sins only, not for just those who are in Christ, but for the sins of the whole world. God sacrificed of himself, as was spoken of this morning at the Lord’s Supper table by Sean. God sacrificed of himself, came to earth, did that for everyone, demonstrating his love while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us.

And so I should absolutely love every sinner just as God does. I should have tremendous compassion on people who have come to wrong conclusions about what is right, about how to live, about how God is to be served. And I am particularly, I am particularly moved by those who, because of culture, who because of respected influences in their lives, have drawn conclusions based on those influences, and have been led on a wrong path. So many people are the product of their culture. It’s hard to go against the grain of family, of tradition, of what is accepted in society. The standard must always be the truth that sets free. Let us have compassion. I know the blind lead the blind and both fall into the ditch. But let us be compassionate to those who have fallen in the ditch, especially those who are being led, who are made like the Pharisees did as they went about on land and sea to make one proselyte and make them twice as much a son of hell as themselves.

But I will say, while that is true, the one who leads, the one who is the promoter, the one who is teaching falsely about God’s way. That’s why those who teach incur stricter judgment. James chapter 3 and verse 1. And I would just say, in regard to all of those who have drawn incorrect conclusions, that I realize how privileged I’ve been. At least I believe that I’ve been. That from an early age I was growing up among the Lord’s people. In New Albany, Indiana, I was sitting at the feet of teachers before I was old enough to choose evil and know choose good and reject evil. However, that goes in Isaiah 7. When I was just a little kid, a toddler.

It was laid in my lap. I’ve said this before. I could teach the plan of salvation before I was ever a sinner. So I realize how fortunate my circumstances are, though I would say that there’s some baggage that goes along with that, but that baggage is preferable than being from without and not being exposed. The truth.

From Scripture, above the views of any so-called authority. So let me just suggest one or two things. In 2 Timothy chapter 2, this should always be our approach. The Lord’s bondservant must not be quarrelsome but be kind to all, with gentleness, correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance, leading to the knowledge of the truth, that they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. And I would just say about that text first and foremost that’s my desire for everyone. I don’t relish the fact that anybody anywhere is being held captive by the devil to do his will. That is a horrible state. I don’t want that for anyone.

And if I’m in that state, I want someone to lovingly attempt to rescue me. So I should do the same for them. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that we approach every sin and everyone who espouses error the same way.

Acts 13. Notice how the leader is treated differently. That Paul doesn’t always deal with everyone in sin the same way, because it says in Acts chapter 13 and verse 6, they found a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet there, who’s with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elimus, the magician, for thus his name is translated, was opposing them, seeking to turn the pro-council, proconsul away from the faith. Okay, so here’s this magician who is seeking to stand in the way of Sergius, acceptance and embrace of truth. And so Saul, who was also known as Paul, the Apostle Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit. And I realize that I’m not so endowed as Paul was.

Well, that sounds pretty hateful on the surface. This is a severe circumstance. You enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time. And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. That humbling is sort of like something we read in the Psalms in Proverbs, isn’t it? About bowing before the gates of the righteous. And I think about Paul in Galatians chapter 2, who was dealing with Judaizing teachers, and he did not give that space for even an hour. He dealt with that in a straightforward way.

Jude 20 through 25. There are different ways of dealing with people in error. In Jude 20, I went back to verse 20 because it’s two of my favorite verses. And I put it in most of the notes that I write now. Build yourselves up in the most holy faith. Keep yourselves in the love of God. But he says in verse 22, have mercy on some who are doubting. Save others, snatching them out of the fire. And on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. Not everybody is in the same boat. And so I say all of that to say this. I get a little indignant when someone faithlessly toward the living God and Creator. And faithfully in the absurd touts that a species who used to live in water somehow develops the ability to live on earth, on land, and somehow gets out of the water and becomes self-aware and develops a conscience.

And even imagines thoughts of a being greater than himself, a deity.

5. He Has Not Left Himself Without Witness

Now, let me just say, if you believe that kind of nonsense, I care about your soul. I don’t want you to be lost. But I’m here to tell you that’s absolute nonsense. Why do people believe in God at all? Because he has not left himself without witness. That’s what Paul says in Acts 14. Don’t treat me as a God. I’m a man. You should know who the God is who provided fruitful seasons. In creation, our universe screams. God is. Every house is built by someone. The Hebrew writer argument in Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 4. Have you ever noticed that? Did this pulpit just magically appear? You know? When they first built this building, it wasn’t here. We came in one Sunday, and there it was.

Oh, it’s Russ’s Russ’s family. Built this building. Is that is that how it happened, Russ? They built the building. And then all of a sudden they came in one side. Look at that pulpit. It came out of thin air. What if I said that? This building came out of thin air. Sometimes I just take off my watch. I did this for years in gospel meetings. You know this just magically appeared out of thin air. If I said that, you would say, He is nuts. He’s crazy. And you know what? You’d be right. Because this smacks of design, so does this piece of wood. He didn’t just magically come together like this. And it’s really not that all that intricate in terms of things that have been built.

I’m more impressed with roads, actually that they build. Every house is built by someone. But the builder and maker of all things is God. You mean we can look into the heavens and see the stars and say, yeah, that’s all a bunch of random stuff, and then millions and billions of years. Given enough time, as we’ve been talking about class, given enough time, all of these random things came together one time, and voila, there was a living self. And then we get to the absurdity that I just mentioned that somehow this creature develops and he was in the water, and then he got on land, and voila, here we all are. Descending from apes. Or whatever we descended from. That’s incredibly ridiculous. It is a faith that I could not subscribe to.

Just look in the mirror, people. Look at the design of our own bodies. The fact that you have a sense of right and wrong. Where did that come from? From our Maker.

And beyond all that, it’s God attesting through history of his presence. No wonder there wasn’t a debate in biblical times, because as the psalmist said in Psalm 97, the peoples have seen your glory. There are hundreds of thousands of eyewitnesses to the acts of God, a supernatural being. Now, who that God was debated. But so many witnesses over so many years. But you know, that’s part of the arrogance of men. Nobody in my generation has seen it. -huh. I haven’t seen anybody raised from the dead. So a sign. Pharisees come to you. Show us a sign. Where have you been? God’s Jesus has done many signs. You’ve rejected all of those. It’s almost like Luke 16. You know, oh, if someone goes back from the dead, the rich man says, they will repent.

No. No. No, your brothers won’t repent, even if someone rises from the dead. How many signs do you need? How much historical attestation do you need? There has been sufficient. I’m not going to believe unless God does a miracle in my time. What kind of arrogance is that? The resurrection of Jesus is enough evidence to compel faith. And we’ve got much more than that. Now, this is really the point I was going at when I was writing feverishly, as some saw me writing in the book last Sunday morning during class when I got this idea.

6. Bold in Our Confession

Too nicey nicy. We can express love for people’s souls and still be bold in our confession. The wicked flee when no one is pursuing. Proverbs 28 and verse 1. That’s sort of interesting. The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. I make no apologies with the fact that I believe in things that I cannot see. That’s Paul’s argument in 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Our momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. For we look not to the things which are seen, but to the things which are unseen. The things which are seen are temporal, as I said in the very outset tonight. But the things that are unseen are eternal.

We have a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. I believe that. And you can belittle my intellect if you like. But I am not concerned. One iota. That when my brief life is over, and my last 40 years here. Okay, I’ll probably won’t make it to 96. I’m just being generous. If I make it to 96, I have no concern, not even a smidgen. That after it’s over. Oh, Tony, sorry. Joke’s on you. There’s nothing after this. Sorry, you missed it. There is no God. The Bible is not real. I don’t worry about that for half a second.

But sadly. The joke will be on the fool who has said in his heart. There is no God. Well, we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive the things done in our body. Whether those things be good or bad. And we will each give an account of ourselves to him. Let us be bold in that declaration. So why does the fool say, I don’t really want God’s ways.

It doesn’t sound like a lot of fun. This self-control business you all are touting, that’s not very popular in our world. You mean I actually have to refrain from a lack of sobriety, that I can’t inebriate myself.

Or the dangers that might be associated with getting a little tipsy more than once or twice, or then actually being drunk, time and again. And to destroy my life because the substance got a hold of me and controlled me. As it does so many. Why do you think there’s all those admonitions about sobriety in the New Testament? God knows what we don’t. And yet it goes back to the things I said in the very beginning. We fancy ourselves so smart, so wise.

Conclusion

I can’t remember who it was. This passage I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of lately. Somebody was reading from Isaiah 46 during one of our assemblies 8 through 10 about God saying, I am God and there is no other, I am God, and there is no one like me, which certainly fits into our discussion tonight. And then I move over, just my eyes glanced over to chapter 47, which is a reason why I like to read from a book rather than an electronic device. Just saying, just saying, you should read from a book every now and then. You might you might see things. So I glanced over the next column in Isaiah 47, and I saw this, the king of Babylon. Now then hear this, you sensual one who dwells securely, who says in your heart, and this is like Psalm 104.

This is like Psalm 14, verse 1, who says in your heart, I am, and there is no one besides me. That is the thought of our times. I am and there is nothing else. I am the end of everything. Verse 11. But evil will come on you, which you will not know how to charm away. And disaster will fall on you, for which you cannot atone. And destruction about which you do not know will come on you suddenly. Would you mark Isaiah 47 verse 11? And mark it well. Well, life would be easier to just follow the path of least resistance. You want to do it, you do it. You want to go down this path, you go down that path. You want to smoke pot with your friends?

It’s easier to just go along to say, nope, I’m committed to the king. What? Committed to the king. Are you nuts?

But let me tell you about the path of least resistance. Evil will come upon you. Which you will not know how to charm away. You reject God, disaster will fall on you for which you cannot atone. And destruction about which you do not know will come on you suddenly. That’s your future. When the psalmist Asaph in Psalm 73 was fretting about the fact that the wicked seemed to have the world by the tail and the righteous were suffering, and he saw the incongruity of that. Why? You know, shouldn’t the righteous be receiving such blessing from God that their circumstances are better than the wicked? I can’t make sense of this. Why is there so much inequity in the world? And sometimes we look around at other people who aren’t serving God, and everything seems to be going wonderful for them.

It’s rosy and wonderful. Why do you think that is? One of the reasons is the devil’s not opposing them like he’s opposing righteousness. That’s one reason. But sometimes that’s just the way it works in our messed up broken world. But then the psalmist Asaph has a moment of clarity. He says, When I came to the sanctuary of God, I perceived their end. That’s what I’m telling you tonight. That’s Isaiah 47 and verse 11. When I come to the truth of God and the people of God, and an assembly where God’s people worship him in truth and give their hearts to him, I want to tell you this is where it makes sense. And how utterly they are destroyed in a moment.