Introduction: How do you like being called “stupid” or “foolish?”
While I’m not wild about it, our study this week throws the term
“fools” around quite a bit. If you don’t like the term, you might
have to duck! Seriously, is it dangerous to think we are not foolish?
If we are foolish, is there a way to become an “ex-fool?” Our new
series of lessons which start this week call on us to rethink every
aspect of our life. Instead of trusting our own foolish thinking, our
own wisdom, we will examine the benefits of looking to God to resolve
the issues in our life. Let’s dive in!
- Fools
- Read Psalms 14:1. At first glance, why is the fool
corrupt? (It seems because he does not believe in God.) - Why does the second part of this verse say “no one”
does good? Or, does it mean “no fool does good?” - Read Psalms 14:2-3. Are we still limiting evil doing to
those who are fools? (God looks down and sees we are all
corrupt.) - Look again at these two verses. What is the source of
the problem? (We do not seek or understand God. We
have “turned aside.”) - Are we then all fools? Surely those who read the
GoBible lessons believe there is a God. Are even
GoBible readers fools? (The Psalmist tells us that we
are not serious about accepting God as our Lord. We
are not serious about understanding and seeking God.
That makes us all fools.) - In Romans 3:10-17 Paul quotes Psalms 14:1-3 (and other
Psalms)to set up a logical conclusion. Read Romans 3:19-20. Considering that we learned we are all fools, what is
the purpose of the law? (To keep us from bragging about
how good we are and to make us aware that we are fools!) - Read Romans 3:21-22. Is there hope for fools? (Yes. Fools
have a path to righteousness that comes only through faith
in Jesus.) - Read Romans 3:23-26. Last week we finished up our study of
the gospel of Mark. We have just gone through the
crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. How does the
crucifixion demonstrate the (v. 25) justice of God? (It
shows us that God takes sin very seriously. We fools are
not getting this as clearly as we should, but God takes
sin so seriously that He was willing to die a very painful
death to pay the penalty for our sin.) - What conclusion should we reach at this point? (Fools have
access to being righteous by believing in Jesus. At the
same time, sin is a very dangerous thing that fools should
take seriously.) - Recovering Fools
- Read 1 Corinthians 1:18. What separates complete fools
from recovering fools? (Whether or not they believe in the
“message of the cross.”) - What is the “message of the cross?” (The message of
the cross is that on our own we are fools. The only
way to salvation is through the power of God. The
message of the cross is also about God’s unlimited
love and His intolerance towards sin.) - Read 1 Corinthians 1:19-21. What is the problem with the
wisdom of the world? (It does not know God. It did not
recognize Jesus.) - If you look carefully at 1 Corinthians 1:21 it seems
to say that it was God’s plan (His “wisdom”) that
worldly wisdom would not understand Jesus. Why would
God want to avoid the support of the wisdom of the
world? (We are beginning to see an argument against
self-reliance. Self-reliance in the area of wisdom
gets us in trouble. The less foolish we are by the
standards of the world, the more foolish we are by
God’s standards.) - Does this mean that Christianity is “anti-intellectual?”
- Read 1 Corinthians 1:22-25. (God is both wisdom and
strength to a much greater degree than human wisdom
and strength. This means that God is not “anti-intellectual;” it means that we do not properly
understand His wisdom.) - Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. What good news is there in
this for us? (That we all have the possibility of
recovering from being fools and learning the wisdom of
God! We do not have to be born smart to take part in the
wisdom of God.) - A Foolish Example
- Read Acts 22:2-3. Was Paul a highly educated man? (Yes.)
- What was the nature of his education? (Religious.)
- Read Acts 22:4-5. How motivated and industrious was Paul?
- Would you like him to work for you?
- Read Acts 22:6-9. What began the change in Saul’s (Paul’s)
life? (He saw the light.) - Read Acts 9:10-14. Is Ananias concerned that God is not
fully informed about Saul/Paul? - Is God choosing one fool to go speak to another fool?
- Is that good news or what?
- Read Acts 9:15. Why did God choose Saul?
- Read Acts 9:17-19. Was Saul/Paul ready to be used by God
in his former condition? - What was wrong with his former condition? (He thought
that he could see. He thought that he was right. It
took new light and the filling of the Holy Spirit for
Paul to really see.) - Read Acts 22:10. What is Paul’s first response to seeing
the light? (“What shall I do?”) - Is this the correct response?
- Friend, what about you? Are you satisfied with your
present knowledge of God? Or, are you willing to see new
light, leave foolishness (mostly) behind, and learn the
ways of God? If so, come with me on a great adventure
this quarter to learn about making Jesus the Lord of every
aspect of our lives! - Next Week: Lord of Our Priorities.
