The Seduction of Folly

The only path to wisdom is by faith in the blood of the Lamb, who loved us.

Scripture:  Proverbs 7; 8:35-36

Sermon Notes:

1. The mortal danger of folly is a major theme in proverbs.
2. Folly is the antithesis of Wisdom; we must avoid folly if we are to be wise.
3. Wisdom is both practical and holistic; it is for all God’s people and it applies to the specific details of our lives.
4. Wisdom is not academic achievement.  Intelligent people are often lacking in wisdom.
5. We’re to seek wisdom from God in prayer (James 1:5 cf. Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 3:9-12)
6. God’s gift of wisdom comes to us by God’s word.
7. Proverbs is not only for our learning, but it is for right living.
8. We’re to understand and live by the moral order God has established in the universe and written in His law.
9. It’s the fear of the Lord which is the root of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7).  We’re to fear the Lord, and thus we will be free from all other fears.
10. Christian faith is a necessary condition for wisdom.
11. If we begin by looking at nature, knowledge of God is declared to us, but in nature alone we cannot find wisdom.
12. Objections to the faith are rooted in the moral consequences of embracing Christ’s Lordship.
13. The real problem is the heart; people need a heart transplant to embrace the moral order and reign of God. 
14. God’s wisdom is foolishness to the world (1 Cor. 1:26-31).
15. The only path to wisdom is by faith in the blood of the Lamb, who redeemed us (Eph. 5:25-27).
16. Rejection of God’s moral authority leads to sexual misconduct and perversion.  Romans 1
17. Marital fidelity is critical: the immoral are said to be wedded to death (Proverbs 7:22-23; 8:36; 9:13-18).
18. You either feed on Christ or you’ll be food for death.
19. Gehenna, the place of death, is where body and soul are destroyed (Matthew 10:28; Mark 9:43).
20. Rejecting God, man ritualizes child sacrifice (cf. Jeremiah 32:33-35).  Our society worships death because choice is our god.  We live in a culture that worships choice.
21. The worship of choice is to worship nothing, which is to worship death. 
22. We are all implicated in the act of abortion because of we pay tax to fund the worship of choice.
23. Few Christians recognize their calling to declare God’s law and protections for the unborn.
24. Today we are the god that is propitiated by child sacrifice.
25. To be wise, we put our faith in Christ, and act to stop the horrible practice of abortion.

Application Questions

1. Who are the warnings of Proverbs 7 directed to?
2. How can we recognize seductive temptation?
3. What is the only source and foundation of wisdom?
4. What moral objection to the Christian faith?
5. Contrast abortion and Moloch worship.
6. How can we oppose abortion?