Repost of Pastor Todds Sermon

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to “Try Jesus!” If this is your first time joining us, it’s great to have you with us. I would like to thank all the new members for joining “Try Jesus.” Also welcome those in Iowa, Kansas, Arizona, Idaho and Nevada.

It seems everything slowed down for me this week. Why? I was attacked by that old villain called the common head and body cold. Not the flu, but I was pretty ill last week. Some of the members heard about it. (I thank everyone for praying).

I had just enough strength (praise God!) to put out last week’s message. Those out in the west received it a little earlier. Again, please continue to pray for me that the message of the cross and God’s word would continue to go out to the precious souls who need God’s love.

Let’s pray, “Heavenly Father, thank you for watching over us through the week. As cities and states continue to see the ravages of sin, and moral depravity, through senseless crime and hate, you Lord, have remained faithful in drawing hearts to yourself.

Lord, many today are planning their life’s course without you. It always ends in heartache and failure. But for those who put their lives in your hands, they know you establish their steps.

I pray that we seek you in all things. The wisdom of the world is empty and unfulfilled. Help us today to make decisions based upon your guidance. Help us to seek wisdom from above.

Holy Spirit, draw hearts all over this nation to their only living hope, Jesus, the righteous Savior. I place this message in your hands. We place our hearts and our minds in your hands so that you may direct us into all truth. Thank you, Lord, amen.”

Last week I asked a couple of questions about the times we are living in. They were, “Do you believe we are living in turbulent times? Or do you believe we are living in jubilant times?”

This week I’d like to ask some more “either, or” questions. “Do you believe we are living in times of foolishness or in times of wisdom?” Do you believe our leaders are doing a great job?

Are we following the right leadership? It’s been said over and over again that the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result.

Have you ever done something and knew after you did it, you started to critique and judge yourself harshly and say (sometimes out loud) “Why did I just do that?” Have you ever tried to open a door the wrong way more than once?

No one likes to count how many times they have done something foolish. I don’t know too many people who keep score against themselves. People will sometimes admit that they’ve done something foolish, but will try to excuse it by saying, “I did it, but no one got hurt.”

Usually, the foolish actions that are easily dismissed are the ones that do the most damage. Sometimes people purposely commit foolish actions to gain attention for themselves. They may be suffering from self-esteem issues.

Again, keeping score on how foolish we are leaves us in a deeper emotional hole in which to get out. In sports, when a team or an athlete makes the same errors in a game that leads to a loss, they are told to shower it off or flush it down the drain.

Why? Because to hold on to it means you have considered yourself to fail again and never overcome that obstacle. Everyone at a time in their life has probably said or done something foolish.

The Bible has some words to say about foolishness and just down right being a fool. There are many people who stay trapped in false guilt for things they’ve done in the past that were foolish. Many of you today can be free from guilt.

When we examine ourselves, we do so with the word of God. Just as a physician would take an x-ray to see if you had a small fracture in your hand, we must use the Bible to examine our foolhardy ways to get us to turn in a different direction.

Many great Bible patriarchs got themselves involved in foolish actions that brought sadness and pain. David was just one of those who understood the foolishness of toying with sin. Let’s take a brief look at some of David’s words.

4} “For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. 5} My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.” (Psalm 38:4-5 KJV).

“O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.” (Psalm 69:5-7 KJV). We’ve all heard the words, “Think before you act.” Sometimes we think because we are sinners and do dumb things that we can’t help ourselves. 

We think we should mindlessly just dive right in and do it as foolish as we can. But that way of thinking only makes the pain greater. But, like David, we should pray that our foolish mistakes will not cause others to stumble.

Let’s break down some meaning behind foolishness. Many people may think this type of sermon should be for children. “Pastor Todd, aren’t children always caught in foolish actions?” Yes, children can be foolish in many ways.

But children, typically are acting things out in ways they may not understand. Many times, they are mimicking something they heard or saw someone else doing (1 Corinthians 13:11).

It doesn’t mean we excuse their behavior. We give them corrective guidelines and put boundaries in their lives that we help them make mature choices as they grow.

Foolishness is lacking sense, good judgment, or discretion. It is simply not using one’s God-given brain to make smart decisions. It can range from a momentary lapse to a lifetime of thoughtlessness.

The ultimate act of foolishness is ignoring God. Do you think our nation ignores God when it comes to sin and perversion in our society? People who neglect to stay close to God not only stumble through life but have no hope for a future in eternity either.

The best resource to combat foolishness in our leaders is God’s word. His word gives us wisdom and guidance. In 2023, those who claim there is no God, and mock believers, are themselves called “fools.”

Many of you may have friends and family members in your community that have said some foolish things about Christianity and about God. They may have demonstrated foolishly their disdain for the Bible.

Jesus told us we don’t have to defend God by using hurtful language against those who verbally attack him. (Matthew 5:23-24; 1 John 4:20). Our attitudes toward others reflect our attitudes about our relationship with God.

God has clearly defined what a person who doesn’t believe in him is. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” (Psalm 14:1; 53:1; KJV).

[A fool is not someone who is stupid and uneducated, but rather a person who rejects God. By rejecting God, the fool rejects the one who made the moral and spiritual laws that make life just and good.]

When the mind closes out God, the thoughts are open to all kinds of evil and darkness to spread. A fool is indeed corrupt and evil because light cannot penetrate the minds door that they willingly shut (Romans 1:18-32; 3:10-12).

Jesus even condemned those who were considered his disciples for their doubts and foolish thoughts. Churches must continue to place the Bible above all retreats and programs to avoid spreading spiritual dryness and weakness through the congregation.

25} “Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26} Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:25-26 KJV).

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27 KJV). Jesus reintroduced these disciples to the Old Testament.

Jesus is the thread woven through all the Scriptures, the central theme that binds them together. Feeding your church the word keeps the foolish thoughts out. (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 53:1-10; Zechariah 12:10; Malachi 3:1).

[Jesus turned worldly values and aspirations upside down. The world has not changed its values. The Suffering Servant is no more popular to the world than he was 2,000 years ago.]

Fools don’t believe in God, his ways or his word. They see the footprints and fingerprints of the creator but deny he is there. (Jeremiah 5:4; 21; Psalm 94:7-8; Proverbs 12:15; 14:8; 15:14; 28:26).

Fools ignore God, neglect God, or make up their own minds about who God is and what he is like. Fools think they are in control of their lives and their future; therefore, they don’t listen to advice. Have you ever taken wrong advice?

Fools place their trust in the wrong people. Fools who trust in other fools don’t have a promising future. Fools don’t believe the truth, while the wise crave it. Fools don’t plan for the future; they live only for the moment.

Solomon had a lot to say about foolish living. After the lifestyle he lived, he understood it was all vanity. Later in his relationships Solomon made some rash decisions that left him empty. (Ecclesiastes 1:1-8).

Without God to fill the life the fullness of your life is filled but with F-o-o-l from Satan’s mind vault and not f-u-l-l of the Holy Spirits mind set. (2 Corinthians 4;3,4; Philippians 2:5; Romans 12:1,2).

Only the pursuit of a relationship with God brings real satisfaction because only through him can you understand reality. Everything outside of God is Empty. Futile. Hollow. Nothing.

Foolishness in the heart keeps you grasping for things in the dark. Foolish leaders lose perspective of right and wrong, truth and falsehood. They call evil good and good evil.

A foolish leader has no anchor of absolute truth in God, and therefore drifts through life following sinful whims. They crave power, so doing foolish things means nothing to them.

Fools disobey God’s word and rebel against it. They reject God’s good blessings in search of something else and bring suffering on themselves. Fools act thoughtlessly about themselves and others, with no regard for the future.

Have you ever been around people who are angry all the time? Their anger causes them to foolishly say things that causes those in the home to go to their separate boxing corners. Foolishness is harmful to relationships and can tear a family apart (Ecclesiastes 7:9; 10:12).

This was the case with Job’s wife. Instead of seeking God with her husband, she allowed foolish thoughts to fill her mind, which came out this way, 9} “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

10} But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” (Job 2:9-10 KJV).

You see my friends, foolish thoughts expressed verbally can possibly be carried out with hurtful actions. Jesus told us, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth shall speak. (Matthew 12:34-37).

Jesus reminds us that what we say reveals what is in our hearts. You can’t solve your heart problem, however, just by cleaning up your speech. Job’s wife was not considering God’s highest interest by her advice.

Only the Holy Spirit can renew and reeducate the foolish mind. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:3-5; Romans 12:1-2). In any marriage and relationship, it’s always

important to stop and pray when negative erupt

Always pray and ask God to place a watch over the door of your lips (heart). Sound wisdom, love, and care for others feelings can help defeat foolish squabbles in your home. Prayer is the firewall to put out foolish arguments in your home.

Those who excuse foolish actions are themselves ensnared in the foolishness. The natural mind (unbelieving-mind) cannot except the wisdom that comes from above. People who don’t have a relationship with Jesus are spiritually bankrupt.

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV).

Until unbelievers come to know Jesus, they cannot grasp the concept or understand that God’s Spirit lives in believers. The gospel message of the cross seems silly to them.

Just as a tone-deaf person cannot appreciate fine music, those who reject Christ cannot understand God’s Spirit. This is why Jesus uses us to breakdown that wall of foolishness that Satan uses to keep them in the dark.

When it comes to knowing the truth about God, there is no such thing as a foolish or silly question. My mother would always encourage me to never sit quietly in class when I was confused about the curriculum being taught.

True authentic born-again believers must be ready to give genuine answers of truth covered in love. Even stern answers can breakthrough the foolish hard heart when the Holy Spirit sees a person’s heart in seeking truth. (1 Peter 3:15-16; John 8:32-36).

Have you ever noticed when foolish talk happens, confusion begins to take control. Foolishness left unchecked is easily repeated and grows quickly. (Proverbs 26:11). Many times, the fool hearted person stops when shame comes. (Proverbs 3:35; 22:3).

Foolishness leads to complacency about God, and ultimately to destruction. Christians are told to avoid foolish discussions that only generate strife. Have you ever talked with someone, knowing they were just looking for an argument?

How did you defuse the conversation? Did you find yourself falling into the trap of yelling, which solved nothing? Please read these verses aloud to your spirit. (Proverbs 20:3; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; 2 Timothy 2:23-26; Titus 3:9-11; Ephesians 5:3-8).

The Bible tells us to be careful about hanging out with individuals who profess to know Jesus, but their foolish ways, speech, and conduct portrays something else. (1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

Some Christians are deceived and fall into sinful traps because they think they have to go and do what their unbelieving friends are doing in order to introduce them to Jesus. You should never lower your godly standard of living to win someone into the Kingdom of God.

Jesus never committed sins to win sinners into his Kingdom. If a friend of yours is hooked on Cocaine, (and you’ve never done it), you don’t have to do drugs to see what your friend is going through. You simply share Jesus with them.

[Foolish speech and actions can lead to conflict and dissension. When you shoot sharp words at others, expect them to shoot back at you. This only escalates conflict. Foolish speech includes ridicule of others.]

Foolish people make fun of things that could help them and the people who love them most. Foolish speech invites trouble because it can anger and offend others. Our nation is involved in some foolish decisions that anger the masses.

Before we close for the day, let’s look at how we can remedy those blunders of foolishness we keep making. God always give us a way out. (1 Corinthians 10:12-13). ☆ Learn to use wise judgment. Read the word of God every day. (Proverbs 9:6).

Wise people walk with God while fools wander away from him. When you walk with God, his words help you become wise (Proverbs 1:7). ☆ Honor and respect God. Acknowledge the Lord’s ultimate power and authority over all things.

☆ Listen and obey God’s word. (Matthew 7:24-27). Wise people understand their relationship to God. Remember that God is the only source of all wisdom. Man’s earthly wisdom always ends up in ruins. Check the history.

Stop fooling yourself. (1 Corinthians 1:23-31; 3:18-20; Matthew 23:25-28). You must use the Bible next to the world’s I.Q. Apply God’s standard of wisdom, not the worlds. Make sure you use the right measuring stick for wisdom and foolishness.

☆ Be concerned about your inward spirit (The real you). (Matthew 12:35-36; 23:23-24). Stay concerned about your inner spirit as opposed to your external religious appearance. Who you are inside is more important than how you appear on the outside.

☆ Align your priorities with God’s. (Matthew 6:19; 33; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 1 John 4:1-6; 17-21). A wise person learns from instruction. It’s important to set boundaries on yourself.

☆ Stay alert. Be alert to God’s work in your life and opportunities to serve him. Then you will be ready as his disciple to go out and let his light shine before all men. (Matthew 5:13-16; 13:35-36; 25:1-13; Luke 12:35-36).

[Paul declared that no amount of human knowledge can replace or bypass Christ’s work on the cross. If it could, Christ would be accessible only to the intellectually gifted and well educated, and not to ordinary people like you and me.]

The church, during these days, when complacency can easily set in, should stay aware of how foolishness can impact the spirituality inside. Some churches allow all manner of horseplay and fun that sometimes crosses the spiritual line.

There’s a time for fun, and a time for battle. God is the definition of wisdom. His wise plan was to send his Son Jesus to save people from their sin and re-establish their relationship with himself. Christianity is wise because it embraces the plan of the creator of all wisdom.

🗣📢 Last words: There are many vices humans attach themselves too on a regular basis. We grasp on to all the world gives us. We are like sponges waiting to soak anything our minds will accommodate. Don’t think so?

Look at how young lives today are being verbally abused by all the social media platforms. There are young people doing death defying things like taking selfie’s while standing near cliffs.

Our young people are being pummeled by Satan’s blinding influence. As the holidays roll around, there’s more stuff the enemy uses to keep them away from hearing about Jesus. Today, Satan offers young people the world, the climate, and his stuff.

His holiday, “April Fools” has many of them duped, hoodwinked, and headed for a hard fall. This includes adults. On April Fool’s Day, many have a lot of fun pulling pranks and setting their friends up with jokes.

But Christ had some strong things to say about being a fool. He taught that anyone who held on to his life on earth would eventually lose it for eternity.

Those who chose to call their own shots, do their own thing, and control their own lives were actually fools; while those who gave their hearts to Christ were making the wisest decision they’d ever make.

Jesus told us he’s the Way, the Truth, and the Life. If we truly believe that and follow him, we’re wise. If we allow others to deceive us with vain words and shallow philosophies, we’re foolish.

Those who don’t know Jesus Christ personally will say you’re a fool for trusting a God you can’t see. But to be a “fool” for Christ is actually an extremely intelligent decision. To deny the factual truth of the death and resurrection of Jesus is foolish and empty-headed.

Paul spoke of being a fool for Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 4:9-13). David’s wife thought he looked foolish because he danced for the Lord. (2 Samuel 6:16-23). This attitude on her part backfired. She never could have children.

I used to get called Jesus freak and some other names in a jokingly manner. I always took it as a compliment to the company I was with, “Jesus my Savoir.” Remember my friends, The wisdom of God is far superior to any earthly philosophy (Colossians 2:2–3).

If we truly believe that and follow him, we’re wise. If we allow others to deceive us with vain words and shallow philosophies, we’re foolish. You can look stupid in the eyes of the world and be a fool for Jesus. Or you can embrace your culture and its beliefs and be a fool for eternity.

A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one. The hearts of the wise lead them to do right, and the hearts of the foolish lead them to do evil. The wise not only believe there is a God but also strive to please him.

Today’s message certainly starts with me. That old statement about skeletons in the closet has my name on it. I’ve blown it many times in my life. But thanks be to God of his throwing our sins away in his sea of forgetfulness.

So, have you stumbled? Failed? Fallen on your face? Messed up over and over? The key is not staying where you are.
Get up! Please read and memorize these verses. (Proverbs 24:16; Psalm 37:24).

Remember, my friends, there were no sinless Bible heroes except Jesus. Even the great heroes of the Bible had moments of mistakes, missteps, and miserable failure. But they didn’t give up.

If you did something foolish, don’t wallow in it like quicksand, get back on your feet, dust yourself off, and go forward for seeking Jesus. He’s the only source of life-giving wisdom. “Don’t be a fool on any day, especially in eternity.”


🛐 Here’s a prayer you can pray to stop being foolish. “Heavenly Father, I thank you for today’s serious message about being foolish while you hung on that cross.

Lord, I acknowledge after seeing and hearing this message, that it is only through you that I can obtain true wisdom. You are the source of all knowledge, and apart from you there is no truth.

I can only gain wisdom by studying and trusting your word. I know when I try to do things in my own strength, it can only lead to disappointment and failure. Forgive me Lord, that sometimes, in foolishness, I still try to do things my own way.

Father, direct me to have complete dependence on you each day for your wisdom and direction. Teach me to love your righteous instruction even through times of discipline.

Allow me not to see it as a hinderance, but rather as an opportunity to learn and grow. Help me to put away those childish attitudes. As I read your word (The Bible), help me to separate success and foolishness.

Lord, help me to study your word. Help me enjoy quiet times of reading and acting on the instructions that you lay out. Direct me Holy Spirit to be nourished daily from the word so that I can have the greatest sense of order in my life.

Thank you Lord, for bringing wisdom and removing the folly in my life, in the name of my precious Savior, Amen.


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🙏 Please remember to pray for the people in Israel. They are God’s people because of his covenant promises to them. (Genesis 12:1-3; Numbers 6:22-27; 24:8-9). ✝️🎃 Please remember to pray for children everywhere in your neighborhood this Halloween. With more people coming into the nation than ever before, pray for parents to stay alert this holiday.

Pastor Todd  Boxley

Worship Center Ministry

tjforlife.com