A Wisdoms Sermon

Proverbs Chapter one, begin in verse twenty. We looked at twenty and twenty one last week. We'll begin in verse twenty two, but in order to put it in context, we'll begin reading again in verse twenty. But before we read, I have to tell this story. It's been praying for the United Kingdom today, and we'll probably next we'll be praying for the United States. And it was this evening, yeah, next, and July fourth came and at class and talking about the fourth of July, and I actually mentioned Independence Day. And one of our students said, didn't realize that. They knew July fourth was a big day, but they didn't realize that July fourth was Independence Day. And they said, oh, that's why it's such a big day. Yeah. Yeah, that's why it's such a big deal. So then they got quiet again, and another student said, so from whom did the United States gain their independence? And I said from the same people that Zambia gained their independence from. Oh, I said, yeah, just a little bit earlier. But it seems like a large part of the world has had to gain their independence from the United Kingdom. So yeah, we we share that in common. So let's remember that I guess this evening when we pray for that other country that gained their independence from the UK as well, all right. Proverbs Chapter one, Proverbs chapter beginning of verse twenty, Wisdom cries aloud in the street the market. She raises her voice at the head of the noisy streets. She cries out at the entrance of the city gates. She speaks, how long, o simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers scoffer's delight in scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you. I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refuse to listen. Have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof. I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when terror strikes you. When terror strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then you will call upon me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but will not find me, because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof. Therefore they will eat the fruit of their own way and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them. But whoever listens to me will dwell secure, and will be at ease without dread of disaster. Amen. Today we look at Wisdom's sermon. Wisdom's sermon. The Bible is filled with sermons of all kinds. Sometimes the sermons will fill entire books. For example, the Book of Deuteronomy is a series of sermons. The Book of Hebrews is taken from a sermon. Sometimes there are large sections of books of the Bible, for example, the Sermon on the Mount is a large section of Matthew's Gospel. Other times we see short sermons that are taken for example Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost that we find in Acts chapter two. This one is so short it's more of an outline of a sermon, oftentimes not really thought of as a sermon at all. However, I argue that it is a sermon. I argue that it's a sermon because of some of the nature of the statements in it. It is given as a reproof. For example, there's also an outline, you have an introduction, you have the body, and you have the conclusion of this particular sermon. And I think it's important that we see this as a sermon, especially in light of the way that we're looking at the Book of Proverbs. Remember, we're warring against those two great enemies of the Gospel. On the one hand, there is the enemy of legalism, and on the other the enemy of moralism. And more often than not, when we read the Book of Proverbs, when we teach the Book of Proverbs, we fall into the latter category, the category of moralism. And we look at the Book of Proverbs merely as a series of lessons, some information that if we memorize this information, we will be better and more moral people, and life will go well with us because we're good, because we're kind, because we're decent, and because we're moral. And I'm arguing and have been arguing in this series that number one, that is the wrong way to look at the Book of Proverbs, because of the way the Book of Proverbs is structured. But secondly, it's the wrong way to look at the Book of Proverbs because moralism is an enemy of the Gospel. Moralism is an affront to the Gospel. Moralism is blasphemy against the person and work of Christ. Because if Jesus was only a moral example, if he only existed so that we could look to him and learn how to be better people and decent people, if all God wants from us and for us is for us to be decent and moral, then Jesus died for nothing. The Father crushed and killed his only begotten son on the cross for no reason at all, because the death of Christ is completely and utterly unnecessary if all we need is to just be moral. But I don't believe that the Book of Proverbs exists as an alternative to the Gospel. I believe, in fact, that the Book of Proverbs can only be understood rightly and properly when we understand it in light of the person and work of Christ. If you remember the Christ himself is the wise son of Proverbs. Solomon here is speaking to his son about wisdom and calling to his son to be wise, and ultimately the only son of Solomon's to fit the bill is Jesus himself. He is Solomon's wise son. He is the wise son of Proverbs. And we know that in him is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and only in him are they hidden. Only in him are they found. So when we read the Book of Proverbs, we don't read the Book of Proverbs as though you and I are the wise Son of Proverbs. We are not. We don't read the Book of Proverbs as though you and I are called to be the wise Son of Proverbs in and of ourselves, because we cannot be. We read the Book of Proverbs recognizing that Christ alone is the wise Son of Proverbs, and that the only way that we can ever express this kind of wisdom ourselves is if we indeed are found in Christ, who is the wise Son of Proverbs. We are wise to the degree that Christ is formed in us. And remember, this wisdom that we're talking about is the righteous application of true knowledge. That's what we mean here, the righteous application of true knowledge. And both of those sides of that are important. Number One, it's true knowledge being applied. There are things that we know that are not ultimately true, and applying those is not wisdom, but It is also the righteous application of true knowledge. We can have the right knowledge, but if we apply it wrongly, that is not wisdom. It has to be applied righteously. And the only way that you or I can righteously apply true knowledge is if we are found in Christ. So what all of these things. It's important to understand the nature of the Book of Proverbs and the way we apply the Book of Proverbs. But this section, I would argue, also makes it clear that Proverbs is not about moralism, because wisdom does not stand in the city gates and offer a lecture. Wisdom does not stand in the city gates and offer a speech. Wisdom does not stand in the city gates and just offer lessons or nuggets of wisdom. Wisdom stands in the city gates and preaches a sermon. But isn't that fitting. We've looked on a number of occasions at First Corinthians chapter one, and I want us to look again at First Corinthians chapter one. But I don't want us to look at that whole section there again. Here, I just want us to look at a couple of verses there in First Corinthians chapter one, Verses twenty and twenty one. If you'll remember in First Corinthians Chapter one, Paul here is pressing the issue of man's wisdom versus God's wisdom, and God's wisdom being greater than man's wisdom. But look here again in verses twenty and twenty one, And I think this is very important. Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world, For since in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom. Again, earthly wisdom the idea of just collecting information and knowledge. But remember, biblical wisdom is the righteous application of true knowledge. Look at it again, For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God God through wisdom. I'm sorry, let me start again. For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe they're trying to find God through pure wisdom. They're trying to find God through this idea that there is information out there, wisdom out there in the universe. And if you just find that information out there in the universe. Through finding that wisdom, you will find God. Because all God is is pure wisdom, pure knowledge. God is just information. But Paul is making the argument is that God is not just wisdom. Wisdom comes from God. God is God. And what's the difference? How is that difference seen? How is that difference made known? He says, through the foolishness of preaching. Through the foolishness of preaching, I believe there's a direct correlation between that and what we see here at the end of Proverbs chapter one. At the end of Proverbs chapter one, we see folly of man pursuing his own way, his own knowledge, his own understanding, and wisdom personified. Let's look at this sermon, if you will. First, let's look at the frame of the sermon. The introduction of the sermon and the conclusion of the sermon form a theological frame around the body of the sermon, and it teaches us a great deal about the nature of the sermon. Verse twenty two, for example, is the introductory statement, how long or simple? Ones? Will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing? And fools hate knowledge? And the introduction wisdom is bringing to the four three groups of individuals, identifying three groups of individuals, the simple or the gullible, the scoffers, and the fools. Then in the end of the sermon, at the conclusion of the sermon, Verses thirty two and thirty three, we read for the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them. But whoever listens to me will dwell, secure, and will be at ease without dread of disaster. In the introduction we see three groups of individuals, the simple, the scoffer, and the fool. In the conclusion we only see two groups of individuals. Well, there's a reason for that, and the reason for that is the scoffer is just a kind of fool. The scoffer is the most foolish of fools. The scoffer is the one who's gone so far into folly that they are in open rebellion against God. But in the end of the sermon, not only do we see these two groups, that we see two options. Option number one is to remain in folly and to remain a fool, but option number two is to turn to wisdom and be secure. Let's look more closely at these three groups of individuals fir the simple. The simple is referred to or the gullible referred to fifteen times in the Book of Proverbs. We won't look at all of those times, but I just want to bring out three things that we see about the simple from those references. Number one, we see the simple referred to in relation to the goal of Proverbs Proverbs chapter one, verse four. What's the goal of wisdom to give prudence to the simple? To give prudence to the simple? These are individuals who just don't know they're simple, they're gullible. This is distinct from the scoffer or the fool. Secondly, in chapter eight and verse five, Oh simple one, learn prudence, Oh simple one, learn prudence. Chapter nine, verse six, leave your simple ways and live and walk in the way of insight. Not only that, but we see the simple contrasted in the Book of Proverbs Proverbs fourteen fifteen. The simple believes everything, but the prudence gives thought to his steps. Perverbs fourteen eighteen. The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge Proverbs twenty two to three. The prudent see danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. Proverbs twenty seven twelve. The prudence sees danger and hides again, but the simple go on and suffer for it. Also we see that there's hope for the simple Proverbs nineteen twenty five. Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence. Proverbs twenty one eleven. When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise. Now compare that to the scoffer. The simple referred to fifteen times the proverbs. The scoffer referred to fourteen times in the proverbs the scoffer's identified and contrasted as well. Proverbs fifteen twelve. A scoffer does not like to be reproved. He will not go to the wise. Notice the difference here. The simple just doesn't know better, but the scoffer is different. The scoffer is stiff necked. The scoffer has made a decision. The scoffer has hardened himself. There is a hatred in the scoffer, a hatred toward wisdom. And actually because of the word that's used here, especially in this sermon. How long will they go on delighting? How long will they go on almost coveting or loving their scoffing. The simple just doesn't know. The scoffer knows. The scoffer delights in his scoffing. The scoffer loves his scoffing, he covets after it, and he hates wisdom. Look at twenty one twenty four. Scoffer is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride. Do you see the difference, Proverse twenty four to nine. The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind. Again, completely different language than we find for the simple. The scoffer is also contrasted Chapter nine, verses seven to eight. Whoever corrects the scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man in kurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you. Reprove a wise man, and he will love you Herverse thirteen one. A wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. Proverbs fourteen six. A scaffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding well. The simple referred to fifteen times, the scaffer referred to fourteen times, and then there is the fool. The fool is referred to sixty four times. If you combine the number of references to the simple and the scoffer, the references to the fool would still double, more than double the number of references to the simple and the scaffer. The fool is identified Proverbs one point seven. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. The fool is also contrasted chapter three and verse thirty five. The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace Proverbs ten twenty one. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense Proverbs thirteen sixteen. Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly. There is a distinction between the coffer and the fool and the simple. And as we think through this series, remember we're talking about we're talking about training sons, we're talking about discipling young believers, and how it is that we use the proverbs and the Gospel according to Proverbs in that process. And one of the important things to remember is this that when we are deciding and when we are mentoring. There is a difference between dealing with the simple who just don't know, and dealing with the fool or the scoffer who hates wisdom. What we're dealing with here and what this sermon deals with here, what Wisdom's sermon deals with, is how we come to the simple, how we teach the simple, how we reprove the simple. There's a different way that we deal with the fool and with the scuffer. This one refers to the simple. By the way, if you find yourself in this category, or if you hear yourself in this message, my hope for you and my prayer for you is that you see yourself, you find yourself as the simple and not as the fool or it's the scoffer. But the fact of the matter is there are some in our midst who would fall into the latter category. You don't just walk away from Lady Wisdom because you don't know better. You run away from Lady Wisdom because you hate her. You run away from Lady Wisdom, and you shake your fist at Lady Wisdom because you can't stand Lady Wisdom. In fact, if you're a scoffer or a fool. Then you're just here today because somebody made you come. Or what's worse, you're here today because you desire to find fault. You're here today to watch and mock and make fun. You're here today to scoff. You see, you're that person who comes and listens to a sermon and you won't hear anything unless a mistake is made. And when a mistake is made, you pounce. You know. I referred on last week to those times when preaching, when you know a person is talking about Paul said something, but says Peter, or more than likely it's the other way around, because so much of the New Testament was written by Paul. Right, we're referring to something in the Book of Peter, and we use Paul, and most of us hear that when we sort of nod our heads and we smile and we go yeah, yeah, yeah, we know that happens, right, No, no, no, not the scoffer, not the fool. The fool hears something like that, and the scoffer hears something like that and says, CCC, he said Peter did that. Peter didn't do that, Paul did that, idiot, and we laugh. But we know people like that, don't we We know people exactly like that. They sit and they hear. Sometimes we to church with people like that, and the whole sermon will be about something that we're sitting there going, oh, Lord, thank you so much. I brought this fool to church with me today. And Lord, you knew I was bringing this fool to church with me today. And the sermon was exactly what this fool needed today. Lord, please use it work on their heart. And you leave church thinking that the person's gonna say, Wow, I can't believe how poignant that was and how appropriate it was to my own situation. And instead they leave and say, did you hear when he said, Peter, when he really met Paul idiot? That's the fool, that's the scoffer, and that that's you here today. My prayer for you is that God would break that in you, and that he would do it quickly before your life is destroyed. But for most of us, for most of us, we find ourselves in the position of the simple, in the position of the gullible. For most of us, when we're raising our children and when we are working with young believers, we're dealing with the simple, with people who just don't know, and Wisdom's sermon is appropriately applied. One of the reasons that I say this is a sermon by Wisdom is because of the way that it begins. When you get to the body of the sermon, you look at the opening and the close. The opening in the clothes forms this theological frame, and we see these theological truths in that frame. And that ultimate theological truth that we see leads us to the first point of the sermon, and that is a call to repentance. And the sermon here is kind of backwards from what we would normally see. Normally, we would think of a sermon as building toward a call for repentance. No, Wisdom sermons starts introduction. You're a fool, you're a scoffer, or you're a simple point one repent Amen, Hallelujah, praise left. That's the way this starts, and that's why I say this is a sermon. And by the way, that's the distinction between sermons and other types of speech. There are people who give speeches all the time. There are people who give political speeches or other kinds of speeches. There are people who deliver news and information. There are other people who give lessons and lectures. But that is not like a sermon. It does not have the authority of a sermon. A sermon is delivered from the mouth of God, from the heart of God. And a sermon is the only way and the only time when the one delivering it has the audacity as a mere human to call other humans to repent. I can't do that on my own authority, but on the authority of God, I can do no less. And that's why I say what we have here from wisdom is a sermon. Wisdom is preaching in the streets. Proverbs one twenty three. If you turn at my reproof again, that's preaching language. If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you. I will make my words known to you. Verse twenty four. Because I've called and you refuse to listen. Have stretched out my hand, and no one has hated. This is a call to repentance, pure and simple, turn repent. And this is is pointed toward the simple, not to the fool, not to the scoffer. The audience here is the simple. This is a common message in the scriptures from beginning to end. We see this call to repent. We find this in the warning of the Psalmist Psalm ninety five, verses six to eleven. Oh come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord, our maker, for he is our God, and we are his people, the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Marabah, as on the day, at that day at Masa in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test. The day you hear his voice, do not harden your heart. Instead, do what repent Ezekiel eighteen thirty. Therefore I will judge you, o house of Israel, everyone according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Not only do we find it in the Psalmist, and not only do we find it with the prophets, but it's the central message of the ministry of Jesus. Oftentimes we forget this. Oftentimes what we want is for Jesus to be just mere moral example. He's just a good man and a good teacher who taught us how to be good men and how to be good people. But the message of Jesus was clear from the beginning Matthew chapter four and verse seventeen. From that time, Jesus began to preach, saying repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. That's the central message of the ministry of Jesus. Repent, repent, repent. You find it in all the gospels. That is what Jesus came preach. He came preaching repentance. Turn from your sin. Not that you're a decent person who just needs to learn how to be more moral, but you are a sinner who must repent. The parable of the ninety nine. Jesus talks about repentance in Luke chapter fifteen. We see in verse seven, just so I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety nine righteous persons who need no repentance, rejoicing over repentance, not over righteous persons who need no repentance. By the way, there is only one righteous person who needed no repentance, and that's the one who was telling the parable Amen. We see this in Peter's sermon at Pentecost Acts chapter two and verse thirty eight, and Peter said to them, repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Repent, Repent, repent, and believe. We see this in Revelation eight times. In the Letters to the Seven Churches. There is a call for them to repent in Chapter two, verses five, sixteen twenty one and twenty two, Chapter three, verse three, and Chapter three verse nineteen eight times in those six verses a call to repent. We also see this in Revelation nine twenty and twenty one. Revelation is sixteen nineteen and eleven. God's judgment on the world, why because they did not repent. It is the central message and theme of the Bible that all men everywhere must repent. God created the world and then we fell an atom, hence needing to repent. From then on we go from creation to fall to redemption, and redemption comes when we repent. Ultimately we will see consummation at the end of the age. And because of the coming judgment, we are called to repent. That's the central message of all of scripture. Turn from your sin and repent. And that is the message of Wisdom's sermon, Repent, repent. What does that teach us? That teaches us that the simple ones don't just need to memorize some proverbs so that they can be better The simple ones don't just need to apply the wisdom of proverbs to their business so that they can have a more productive business. The simple ones don't just need to learn this so that they can be better people. The simple ones need to turn from sin and repent. We have a heart problem, not just an information problem. This is not just ignorance, it's sin. The second part of the body of the message is a warning of the coming judgment. Repent. But why do we need to repent? What we see this in the rest of Wisdom's discermon. Look at verses twenty six through thirty one. I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when terror strikes you. When terror strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you Verse twenty eight. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but I will not, but will not find me vers tw nine to thirty one. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof. Therefore, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and have their fill of their own devices. Notice this, Notice what wisdom is not saying. Wisdom is not saying, I am going to be vengeful. You didn't pick my way, so I'm going to get you. I'm going to inflict things on you because you didn't do things my way. No, no, no, no, Notice it verses twenty nine to thirty one. Again, because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproofs. Therefore, I'm not going to reflect inflict something foreign on them. Therefore they shall eat their fruit of their way and have their feel of their own devices. They're going to get what they want. Does this sound familiar? It sounds like Romans Chapter one. God gave them over to what, to their desires and to their lusts. God gave them what they wanted. You know, oftentimes we think about the judgment of God, and we think, Oh, it's just so unfair, this judgment of God that is coming. When think about a hell, is so unfair that God would send people to hell? Do you understand what is happening when the judgment of God falls on men? Ultimately, the judgment of God is God God saying, Okay, if that's what you want, you have it, you have it. Wisdom stands in the street and stands in the marketplace and proclaim. And Wisdom says, turn from your folly, turn from your scoffing, repent, Turn from your ignorance, repent. But if you don't, I will give you that which you desire. You want folly, you can have it. You want scoffing, you can have it. You don't want God, then you won't get God, and you will experience the judgment that comes from that. From that, not only in this age, but also in the age to come. You know what hell it? The judgment of God being poured out on those who chose the judgment of God rather than his mercy. The judgment of God being poured out on those who look at the cross and scoff and instead delight in their sin. Wisdom cries out to the simple and says repent, and then warns the simple and says judgment is coming Psalm seven and twelve. If a man does not repent, God will wet his sword. He has bent and readied his bow. It is coming. It will not delay. Repent. Repent. Finally, Wisdom gives us the end of the matter and verses thirty two and thirty three. Remember this conclusion serves as a frame, and it gives us a theological framework. Look at the end of the matter again, verse thirty two. Four. You had the introduction, and what do we find in the introduction? The simple of being simple. The scoffer hates scoff love scoffing. The fool hates knowledge. The problem is not a lack of information. The problem is a sin. The problem is sin and loving sin. The simple may be ignorant, But when the simple here's the message of wisdom and chooses to ignore it, the simple becomes the fool. And if the simple continues in folly, the fool becomes the scoffer and will reap the whirlwind. And so we come to the conclusion and reiterate the theological truth, which is what verse thirty two. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them. What is the great danger of the simple? The great danger of the simple is to stand there in the middle of the busy street, and to look toward the city gates. And when you look through the market place and at the city gates, you see Lady Wisdom standing there proclaiming truth. You see the wisdom of Christ being poured out, the wisdom of Christ that says, come to me, and I will pour out my spirit upon you. You don't have to remain simple, You don't have to remain ignorant. And instead of fleeing to Christ, instead of fleeing to wisdom, you turn your head, and there is Dame Folly, the adulteress, with all of her seduction, saying to you. Don't listen to her in public, come in to me in secret. I have what you really want again verse thirty two. For the simple or killed by turning away and the complacency of fools destroys them verse thirty three. But whoever listens to me will dwell, secure, and will be at ease without dread of disaster. And I want you to notice there it doesn't say without disaster. Amen, but without dread of disaster. That's the lie of the Word of Faith movement. That's the lie of of the prosperity gospel. The lie of the prosperity gospel is, you know, and here's what's ironic. The prosperity Gospel is a form of moralism. The prosperity Gospel basically says, here's how the world works. God has given us some truths and some information, and what you have to learn how to do is manipulate the universe through your speech. If you learn to say and claim these things, you'll get this. But if you say and claim those things, you'll get that. So instead of saying be a good and moral person, the prosperity Gospel says, learn to be a good confessor with your lips, and to say the right things with your lips, so that you can create the right reality and create the right prosperity and not have to deal with any of these things. That's a form of moralism and a denial of the gospel. It is blessed for me of the Cross of Christ. What does wisdom say, Listen very clearly, whoever listens to me will dwell, secure and will be at ease without dread of disaster, not without disaster without fear of it, because disaster comes. Amen. We prayed for people and man me and Martin today because the floods came. Here's what I know, having lived in Houston, Texas, where hurricanes come and floods will come. Here's what I know about the floods that we experienced in Mozambique recently. Here's what didn't happen. The cyclone doesn't come, the hurricane doesn't come, the floods don't come. And say, oh, the house of a believer, I'll go around. Oh I'm sorry, is that a church? Whens go the other way? That doesn't happen. That doesn't happen. Calamity comes to everyone's door. I spent yesterday evening with one of my sons being sewn up because of calamity that came our way yesterday afternoon. Calamity didn't say, oh, you you have to preach tomorrow morning. We'll slit his foot open on Monday. No, uh huh. Calamity says, I don't care, and it comes. The difference says, wisdom is not that when you come to me, you don't experience disaster. You don't experience calamity. But when you come to me, you don't live in fear or dread, because you live in light of and with the hope of a greater truth and a greater reality. And that is that this is not our home. That life consists of, and consists in more than just this. The reason that there is a call to repentance and not just a call to acquire information, it's because we have a problem in here. The problem is that we love folly and we love scoffing. The problem is that we are sinners. We're not just ignorant. And so here is the great reality. The same thing that resides in the scoffer and the fool who shake their fists at God and have run away from God, resides in the simple. That same sin nature is there, which is why the only hope of the simple is repentance. Listen to the way our confession puts it, Chapter fifteen, paragraphs two and three. Whereas there is none that doth good and sinneth not, and the best of men may, through the power and deceitfulness of their corruption, dwelling in the mines with prevalency of temptation, fall into great sins and provocations. God hath in the Covenant of Grace mercifully provided that believers so sinning and failing be renewed through repentance to salvation. This saving repentance is an evangelical grace paragraph three. Whereby a person, being by the Holy Spirit made sensible of the manifold evils of his sin, doth by faith in Christ humble himself for it with godly sorrow, detestation of it, and self abhorrency, praying for pardon and strength of grace, with a purpose and endeavor by supplies of the Spirit, to walk before God unto all well, please in all things. It is an evangelical grace. Repentance is a gift from God. Do you see your own folly, in your own sin? Has God made you aware of it? Then turn from it? Flee from sin, Flee to Christ, cling to Christ alone for salvation. Romans Chapter two, verses two through five, will close with this passage Romans two. Turn there with me if you will. Beginning in verse two, we know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, old man, you who judge those who practice such things? And yet do them yourself that you will escape the judgment of God. Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance. Because of your heart and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. To say, sound familiar. It sounds like Wisdom's sermon in Proverbs chapter one. The kindness of God leads you to repentance. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. Amen. The kindness of God God to point out your sin, to warn you of the wrath to come. The kindness of God who sent his son to die on the cross to pay the penalty that you owe. The kindness of God that lifts your eyes and allows you to see the cross. The kindness of God that pricks your heart and does not allow you to be okay with the sinfulness of your sin. The kindness of God that grants you repentance. The kindness of God that comes in the foolishness of preaching and allows you to see the foolishness of preaching as wiser than the wisdom of man, the kindness of God that turns you to Christ. May God grant us grace and kindness that we might repent. Let's pray Gracious God, our heavenly Father, the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the True, wise Son of Proverbs. God, would you grant by your grace that we might see Christ and the magnitude of His righteousness and holiness. Grant by your grace that we might see ourselves in the magnitude of our sinfulness. And grant that kindness that leads us to repentance. Grant that we might not only hear, but that we might heed Wisdom's sermon, that we might repent of our sin, flee from our simpleness, from our gullibility, from our folly, and from our scoffing, that we might flee from the wrath that is to come, and that we might be found in Christ, who is the beginning, who is the Source, Who is that fountain of all wisdom and knowledge, and is in whose name we pray. Amen, Amen,