May 26, 2013
Sunday
The Self- righteous Fool
Proverbs 12:15 (KJV)
15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
Keyword definitions:
Fool = those who misuse true wisdom (open Bible)
counsel = advice, guidance, deliberate, confer, to give or grant from as if from a position of superiority, bestow, examination of consequences; exercise of deliberate judgment; prudence. (Bible Encyclopedia, Merriam)
wise = making due use of knowledge; discerning and judging soundly concerning what is true or false, proper or improper; choosing the best ends and the best means for accomplishing them; sagacious.(Bible Encyclopedia)
The self-sufficient fool - Romans 1:22
Romans 1:18-23 (NKJV)
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes 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, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
What God is telling the believers is that intuitively, people know that there is a God. All we have to do is look around and we will see abundant evidence of God’s existence and power. But many have refused to acknowledge God. They dishonor Him by ignoring Him. If a person acknowledges that there is a God who is the creator of this universe, then they would have to submit to Him. This requires change of heart and most people do not want to change. They rather suppress the truth because the truth would require them to repent. Just by observing God’s created world will not save us. It is only by hearing and believing the message of Christ Jesus, God’s only begotten Son. (Hayford)
What is the root cause for a person who falls into foolishness?
It is when a person refuses to glorify God. It is when he rejects God and deems himself as god. When a person chooses to ignore God and rely on his own understanding, he is actually deeming himself as god because he thinks he knows better. For a person to acknowledge that God is God would require him to repent, submit and change from his old, wicked ways to God's standards of living. This requires death to the old self, the flesh and all the indulgence that comes with it. Many do not want to relinquish those pleasures, power and money that they have in the world. They want to keep all of it. Thus, they choose to reject God.
When this downward course of conditions occur, they are falling out of grace into major sin. And the result is immorality. It is a choice. So that’s why God says to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and might and love your neighbor as yourself. If we do not glorify God, we are headed towards a downward spiral into losing our salvation. Some of the evidence of a person falling out of grace is when they become proud and boastful, exalting self rather than God, and only seeking to honor self. When a person chooses to do this, he is opening the door for the devil to come in. One of the first things of a fallen believer who is operating in immorality is described as the operation of the flesh which are found in the book of Galatians. (Miyagi)
Galatians 5:19-21 (NKJV)
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Incidentally, the first on the list is adultery and fornication. and so, a fallen believer who is into sin and is not glorifying God and placing HIm as Lord and Savior will give to the devil the keys to the door of his heart. The devil then will come in like a roaring lion and spin his head. Then the devil gives him the first taste of sin which is sexual impurity and shameful lust as describe in Galatians 5. This is the first thing the devil uses to bind his soul.
The root cause of a person fallen into immorality and the consequences of sin thereafter is choosing to glorify self and placing God off the throne. Self becomes God. The behavior or fruits of the condition of his heart has everything to do with self. Self centered, self focus, self reliant, self seeking, self pleasing, self pleasure, and self love. However, perhaps, by God's doing, God will send His messengers to bring a message of rebuke and repentance. A message from the Lord will be present in the Holy Spirit and with scriptures to intervene and intercept his downward spiral. However, if the person is so engulfed with the deception of his sin, his heart will be so hardened that he cannot receive any counsel at all. At that point, they will be in the borderline of no return, just a few steps from losing his soul to the devil. Perhaps by divine intervention, by grace or by fire, he might be saved. The choice must be made in him. It cannot be forced.
When a person continues his sinful behavior, he becomes a reprobate. A reprobate is a person fore-ordained to damnation, complete corruption, and is degenerate and perverted. If you continue to sin, you will become a reprobate.
The initial condition is the inability to reason with the Word of God. He is so full of self centeredness that he will defend and rationalize and make an excuse for everything. He will not come to terms to reason with what God says through His Word. through a prophet or a messenger sent from God. At that point, his mind is completely given over to the devil and he is operating from a mindset of mind control. He will always justify, defend and come up with a reason for everything. He cannot come to the Lord’s table to reason or examine what the Lord has to say. Because the condition of the heart is of self and not of God, he may know God intellectually, but not honor Him, glorify Him, or love Him with all of his heart, soul and might. He fails to express any heartfelt gratitude and thankfulness. The result of the condition of his heart becomes vain imagination. He has open the door of his heart to the devil to come in and spin his life. Therefore, his heart is consumed by darkness and the deceitfulness of the lie keeps him in bondage. Ultimately, he becomes stuck in his sin. This is the description of a damned fool.
And so, you will find these people in churches who have convinced themselves that they are just mere humans. They will use that thinking and say things like:
- we are all sinners
- we are not perfect
- we are not saints
- we all sin
And they persuade themselves that their actions and behaviors are the result of their belief system. They come to the conclusion that all men are sinners, but since God has forgiven humanity of their sin, they can continue to sin. They treat this as if God had given them a license or a pass to sin because Jesus already paid the price for it on the cross. The deceitfulness (behavior, in words or actions, which is deliberately intended to make people believe things that are not true) of sin persuades them that they are still in fellowship with God and in possession of salvation. (Miyagi)
These deceived believers will say things like “I can play around and go to church as along as I serve in ministry, give tithes to the church and help the poor.” This thought is from the pits of hell. It sounds good and logical on the surface because it was rationalized and intellectually accepted as truth. The rational mind is full of self and intellectually processes things through its own understanding. A person, over the years, may accumulate facts and accept it as truth through either peer pressure, parental pressure, movies, culture, churches, tv, newspaper, or books. But if he has a personal relationship with God, he will know God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior and through the Holy Spirit and through the Word of God will ask the Holy Spirit the three questions:
- What do I see?
- What does this mean?
- What do I do?
It is evident by an ongoing, daily communion with the Lord Jesus Christ, his behavior will be lined up with Galatians 5:22-26 which reads:
Galatians 5:22-26 New King James Version (NKJV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Here we make a special note that the first fruit of the fruit of the Spirit is love while the first fruit of the flesh is adultery.
So let this be an early warning message that no matter what man says, nor parents, nor cultures, nor friends, the Word of God says that there is no excuse to be a damned fool. We are to read, study, pray, meditate daily with the Lord Jesus Christ because at the end, we will all have to stand alone before the Lord. The Word says that those who have blinded themselves to the warning message at the end will have to stand alone before the judgement. He will not be able to point fingers to anyone. So while it is still “today,” repent and turn from your wicked ways. There will be no whoremongers or unclean, impure person who will inherit the kingdom of God. (Stamps)
So the choice is yours. Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. No covetous man who is an idolater has any inheritance of god. Let no man deceive you with vain and enticing words. WISE UP !!!
God’s Immutable counsel - Heb 6:17
Hebrews 6:13-20 New King James Version (NKJV)
13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”[a] 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
What God is saying to the believers is that when God makes a promise to us, He is faithful to keep it. He swears by Himself because there is no one higher than Himself to swear by. Also, God cannot lie. Therefore, when God makes a promise to us, His children, it shall come to pass. The interval between God making the promise and the manifestation of that promise is the period of endurance for the believer. That interval is a trying time for the believer. And those who patiently endure shall obtain the blessedness promised. Sometimes, it may takes years or decades before the promise is fulfilled. However, God is faithful. His promises are yes and amen. (Marshall)
God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He never needs to change His counsel. He is concern for the consolation of the believers. It is God’s will and design that the believers have strong consolation, which is strong enough to support the believer under the strongest trials. The comforts of this world cannot even begin to compare with God’s support for His people.
If we as believers hold on to God’s promises, we will stand no matter what comes our way. God is the anchor. His promises are dependable. When we do our part by obeying Him and His Word, He will do His part by sending to us His blessings. It is as night follows day. It shall take place. God never changes.
So because it is impossible for God to lie, His Word and promises are divine. The truthfulness of His Words applies in all of His scriptures. Because the scriptures is the inspired Word of God, completely true and trustworthy, it explains itself and we do not need any man to explain it to us. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. Therefore, we place our total trust in the Word. So when situation arises, we immediately go into the Word of God to see what God says about any given situation. The virtue of His counsel is that God does not lie. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The authors of the scriptures were guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit in a divine way that the transmissions of God’s message to mankind was communicated accurately without error. (Miyagi)
The counsel, which is defined as advice, guidance, or examination, will reveal God’s will. All scripture is therefore God-breathed. That it is the very life and Word of God. The Word of God is absolutely true, trustworthy and infallible. To deny the inspiration of scripture is to set aside and deny Jesus Christ. Jesus demonstrated the power and authority of the Word of God through His death, burial, and resurrection. That is the proof that the Word of God is accurate and true. The Word of God is the expression of God’s wisdom and character and therefore is able to give wisdom through faith in Jesus Christ. The holy scriptures is God’s infallible true witness of his saving grace to mankind through Jesus Christ. Therefore, this is the main reason that scripture is incomparable, forever finished and uniquely binding. No word of man or religion is equal to this authority. All doctrines, commentaries, teaching, interpretation, traditions, church practices and denominations must be judged by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to verify for legitimacy and truth.
The holy scriptures as the Word of God should be received, believed, and obeyed as the final authority pertaining to matters of life. So the institution, the agency or the instrument that is used by God to exercise His authority as the final authority is His church. It is not through government agency or any man-made world organization. It is through His church. The local church should represent His divine authority where Jesus is the head of all. Through this agency of His church, teaching, reproof, doctrine, correction, and instruction, righteous godly living must be demonstrated. His under shepherds, the pastors and elders must be in alliance and in compliance with the Lord Jesus Christ. A person cannot submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ fully and completely if his heart is not right. If there is anything that has a precedence over his allegiance to Jesus Christ, there will always be evidence of compromise.
When there is a discussion and a debate, we should use the Word of God to reason with one another. Should there be a so-called conflict of interest, the four gospels should be the final say. It is not to say that it is a gospel-only focus. It is the entire old and new testament. The holy scriptures cannot be understood by a carnal person. It is only understood by those with the right relationship with Jesus Christ and is baptized in the Holy Spirit. Because the scriptures say to “repent, be baptized in the Holy Spirit for the remission of our sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” (Acts 2:38) then and only then will our minds be able to understand the scriptures’ meaning and applications and give inward witness to the spirit man in us of its authority. We must use the inspire word of god to conquer sin, satan, self and the word. the counsel that we receive is not of this world. the writes in Hebrew is encouraging us to seek God’s Word and His messengers to receive the truth and be set free. (Miyagi)
The holy scriptures must be loved, treasured and guarded by all those of the church and as the only standard of God’s truth. We must safeguard and defend its doctrines by faithful adhering through its teaching, saving message and entrust it to faithful men to defend against all those who destroy and distort its eternal truth.
The counsel therefore in this text from Hebrews tells me that I must seek godly counsel, men of God who are in the Holy Spirit, not a novice, but an elder of the church of Jesus Christ. There is safety in numbers. We should counsel with the elders. So therefore we must continue to use the gifts that God has bestowed upon us for the work of ministries and the edifying of the Body of Christ. We must do this until we come into the unity of the faith, the knowledge of the Son of God unto the perfect man, unto the measure of the statue of the fullness of Christ. (Eph 4:12-16)
So that we do not stay as children, tossed to and fro by the winds of doctrine, but that we may be mature and perfected, speaking the truth in love to one another that the church of the Body of Christ can become strong, effectual to carry out the plans and purposes of God through His church. So therefore, counsel with godly men to avoid the trap of deception, false doctrines and heresy. There is safety in the multitude godly counsel.
Many benefits of wisdom - Proverbs 4:5-10
5 Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
Love her, and she will keep you.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she will promote you;
She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
9 She will place on your head an ornament of grace;
A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,
And the years of your life will be many.
God is telling the believers to go after wisdom and understanding as if your life depended on it, because it does. God is saying to us “please, chase after wisdom, value her, treasure her, seek after her and never let her go.” He is telling us that wisdom will bless and reward us if we follow her ways. And you will live long and prosperous if you choose wisdom and embrace her with everything in you.
Wisdom only comes when you have heard and received them and retain the words. Except the words be hid in the heart. lodged in the will and affections, it will not be retained. One must stick to them and abide by them. True wisdom is God’s gift and God gives it to those who work for it. We are to love wisdom and embrace it with a sincere affection. (Marshall)
If you have wisdom, you will not be deceived. Today, there are Anti-Christ churches and there are For-Christ churches here in the United States. The Anti-Christ churches preach lies and deceits in their churches. The For-Christ churches preaches the truth. Perhaps, the most effective tool of the Anti-Christ church is the public schools. And the second is the government. Our so-called churches today, almost without exception, are teaching that our government is a higher power over the individual. This is called idolatry because the “Christian churches” are teaching this fallacy. Churches that believe false teachings become the Anti-Christ church because they allow themselves to be deceived. (Beckman)
Questions:
Is your church a For-Christ church or an Anti-Christ church?
Does your church give first allegiance to Jesus Christ, or to the government or the pastor?
Where is the wisdom in all this? Who do you worship? Jesus, or the senior pastor?
In summary, we are damned fools when
(1) we rely on our own understanding
(2) we fail to heed counsel from God
(3) we fail to seek His wisdom in all matters and
(4) we place ourselves under the wrath of God.
In conclusion, which is defined as “determination arrived at by reasoning,” scripture defines itself. So it makes a determination by way of reasoning through scripture. The derivative of the this Bible study is that you are a damned fool if you are not with God.
Poem:
Herein lies the self-righteous fool
who sits in the church and warms the pews
The fallen believer might think all is well
Unaware that he is headed for hell
He may serve in ministry
and to the church he gives his tithes
He may hold Bible studies
and sing with teary eyes
But a close examination of his life you will find
a person deceived and living a lie
He ignores wise counsel for he thinks he knows best
and the scriptures he refuses to comply
The danger lies in his motives and thoughts
In the true condition of his wretched heart
For he thinks he really has no need of God
He is only playing church and playing the part
A total hypocrite and a fool at best
He shall not enter God's eternal rest
Unless his blind eyes open and see
that the Lord Jesus is who He really needs
May we take heed of the warning from God
depart from such wickedness and follow God’s plan
Today, if you hear God’s voice loud and clear
Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand
Byword: In living a lie, the only person that you are really fooling is yourself.
Work cited
Counsel, Bible Encyclopedia, http://bibledictionaries.com/c/counsel.htm
Miyagi, The Body of Christ Jesus Fellowship, Makaha, Hawaii, 2013
Stamps, Donald C., The Full Life Study Bible King James Version, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992.
Merriam-Webster, Merriam Dictionary and Thesaurus, Springfield: Merriam Webster Inc 2004
Marshall, Morgan & Scott, Ltd, Matthew Henry’s commentary, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1961
Beckman, Martin “Red,” The Church Deceived, Billings, Common Sense Press, 1984.
Aldwin Naruse
The Body of Christ Jesus Fellowship
Makaha, HI USA
