THE TROUBLE WITH FOOLS

Luke 12: 13-21

 by Rev. Richard Jones

 

 

Luke 12: 13-21

13  Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14  But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15  And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16  And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17  and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18  And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19  And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20  But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21  So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

 

THE ATHEISTIC FOOL

Psalm 53:1 (ESV)

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

Psalm 8:3-4 (ESV)

3  When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4  what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

Psalm 19:1-2 (ESV)

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2  Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

 

THE IGNORANT FOOL

Proverbs 1:7 (ESV)

7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

 

THE MOCKING FOOL

Proverbs 14:9 (ESV)

9  Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance.

 

THE QUARRELING FOOL

Proverbs 20:3 (ESV)

3  It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.

Proverbs 12:15 (ESV)

15  The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Ecclesiastes 10:12-14 (ESV)

The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness. A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him?

 

THE QUARRELING FOOL

Jeremiah 17:11 (ESV)
¹¹  Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 (ESV)

9  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

 

THE RIGHT KIND OF FOOL

1 Corinthians 3:18-20 (ESV)

18  Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19  For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20  and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”

Acts 4:11-12 (ESV)

11  This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12  And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

 

THE SEEMINGLY FOOLISH METHOD

1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV)

18  For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.