MAN’S GREATEST FOLLY

Photo taken from patio

 

 

MAN’S GREATEST FOLLY 

February 16, 1964

Pastor Henry F. Kulp 

 

Romans 3: 13 - 20 Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 and the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. 19 Now we know that what things so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Here Paul is proving that all men are sinners. He brings fourteen indictments against the race. There is absolutely no hope for the human race in itself. Paul shows that man is totally and completely depraved. 

Notice, verse 19 Now we know that what things so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

You see all that God wants is that men stop talking. Oh, how men love to boast, and they always have a good word to say for themselves. If a man doesn’t have a good word for his neighbors, he always has a good word for himself. That is true of you. It is true of me. So God says, let all the world stop talking. Every mouth be closed, let all the world become guilty, and that is what Paul is aiming at. He is aiming to bring the whole world into a guilty position before God that they may know that they are lost. 

And this shows that man does not need religion, he needs Christ. Religion makes you think a lot of yourself, because look what you have done. And all religion can do is make you think of yourself, and so you have got to get rid of every atom of religion. You want to see this in action?

Luke 18: 9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ... and you know the Scripture tells of the Pharisee and the Publican. Here was a Pharisee—religious man, and in verse 11 Notice what religion has done for him. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

He prayed to himself—I thank Thee that I am not as other men are. I don’t do any of these things. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. But, notice the Publican in verse 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. That is exactly where God wants mankind to get—to this point.

 

2/  Now notice Romans 3: 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 

People tell me I ought to preach the law, because by the law is the knowledge of sin. You have the knowledge of sin —the law has done its work. All one has to do is be sensible about this thing, and he will recognize he is a terrible sinner. Folks think we ought to take the juvenile delinquents and teach them the law. They don’t need the law—actually, every one who is part of a gang who goes out and beats people up or destroys property, they know this is wrong. What do they need? 

Matt. 17: 16, 17 And I brought him to the disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to me.

You will remember when Jesus Christ came down out of the Mount of Transfiguration He had three disciples with Him. The other disciples were waiting at the foot of the mount. When He came to them, He found a crowd about the disciples, and in the midst was a poor boy and his father. And, the father was saying, I can’t do anything for my boy, he has a demon, and even the disciples can’t help him. Do you remember what Jesus Christ said? He said, Bring him to Me. 

That is what you have to do with your juvenile delinquents—bring them to Christ Jesus, there is no other way. The church is wasting its time in trying to find another program. Our program is to take Christ to the world when it recognizes it is a sinner. First, show them that they are sinners and Christ is the answer to their sin. Take them not to some legal, ethical standards. Take them not to some rite or ritual, but take them to Jesus Christ, He is the answer.

3/  But as God lists the fourteen indictments against man, there is one that stands out in my mind, and it seems to be man’s greatest folly. It is given to us in Matthew 17: 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

Look what sin has done to the human mind. He is no longer afraid of God. There is no fear of God before his eyes. Did you ever stop to think about the thought of eyes? 

Go back to Genesis 3: 5 where Satan, as he was testing Eve and trying her, said God doth know that the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened. They were opened, all right, when she partook of that fruit. They were opened to the point that they could no longer see. Now man, with his eyes cannot see and fear God.

4/  God wants man to fear Him. Don’t you ever forget it. You have heard so much about the love of God, that man has been drawn into a side avenue. God wants to be feared, and as a matter of fact, the fear of God is a wholesome thing and a necessary thing. I would just like to spend a few moments this morning showing you the fear of God in the Bible. 

The first time the phrase is ever found in the Bible it is on the lips of Abraham. 

Genesis 20: 11 And Abraham said, because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake. 

Here Abraham is trying to explain his sin in departing from the holy land, and attempting to shield himself by having Sarah lie. He said, that the reason was because he thought the fear of God was not in the palace of Abimelech. The fear of God is a wholesome thing, and it will keep us from doing many things we would otherwise do. The sad part here is that Abraham said in the palace of Abimelech there is no fear of God, when rather, in his own heart there was no fear of God. He would never have left the land God gave him to go to Egypt, if he feared God. And, then he would never have told Sarah, his wife, to lie if he feared God, but he did both of these deeds because he had lost the fear of God in his life.

5/  Exodus 18: 21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: 

Moses’ father-in was a wise man and suggested to the great leader of Israel a governmental plan, which had the approval of God. Moreover, thou shalt provide of all the people, able men, such as fear God. Men of truth, and so forth and so on. So, here to be leaders in the nation, they were supposed to have feared God.

6/  Then notice, Exodus 20: 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

Here we have the children of Israel as the law had just been given to them, and they see the thunderings and the lightenings and the noise of the trumpet and the mountain smoking and shaking, and they stood afar off—that is they reeled backward, and Moses said in verse 20 Fear not—in other words, don’t be afraid of this, for God has come to prove you, that His fear may be before your faces that ye sin not. So God stated that the reason that He gave the law, was that men might fear Him and thus keep from sin.

7/  Leviticus 19: 14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.

Here we see it is the fear of God that keeps a man righteous that prevents a man from cursing a dead man, or putting a stumbling block before a blind man. Then if you will go to Leviticus 19: 32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD. It is the fear of God that makes a man honor the aged. 

Then go ahead to Leviticus 25: 17 Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God. 

Here it says that the fear of God destroys oppression. We will not oppress one another when we have the fear of God in our hearts. Also it brings out, Leviticus 25: 43 Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God. It will eliminate hardness in government. 

Then, Deuteronomy 13: 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;  It will make a man turn from idolatry. 

Then notice, Deuteronomy 19: 20  And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. The fear of God gives a man the character of speaking the truth and turning away from perjury. The fear of God is a wholesome thing, and it is absolutely necessary in a man’s life, if he is to be the type of individual that God wants him to be.

8/  When we turn to the Psalms we find the fear of the Lord is set forth in a score of ways. We are to worship the Lord in fear—Psalms 5: 7 But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. Then notice, Psalms 34: 7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. Psalms 147: 11 He taketh pleasure in man? Absolutely.

9/  According to the Old Testament, how is the fear of God to be obtained. If you will, turn to Deuteronomy 4: 10 God says He would cause them to hear His words so that they might fear Him. Joshua 4: 24 And Joshua told the people after they had entered into the Promised Land that the Lord had wrought the marvels and had dried up the Jordan so they might pass over dry-shod in order that they might fear Him. 

In other words, the Word of God, in the Old Testament was to cause men to fear God, and the works of God and what He did, on their behalf. His miraculous intervention in their every day life, was to cause them to fear Him.

10/  Now let us look at the New Testament, what does God say about men fearing God? Of course, as we have told you in days gone by, He uses the word, “Forbos” in the Greek, which means ”with trembling”. It is not reverential fear. It is not having respect. Just 

one instance of this word will show you just what it means. 

Matthew 14: 22 - 26 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain apart to pray; and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 

Here you can tell that these folks were frightened to death. They were afraid and they were full of fear. Jesus Christ tells us that we are to fear God. 

Luke12: 4, 5 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. 

I Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; Here Peter tells us to fear God. 

Then Paul tells us the same thing in Philippians 2: 12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 

We are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. So fear is necessary in the New Testament, and Paul talks of fear over, and over, again. The fear of God is a wholesome thing.

11/  If you feel that you are sick, you are not just what you ought to be. You go to a doctor and his diagnosis reveals that you lack Vitamin B, I am sure you would be willing to take a prescription from that doctor to the drugstore and get a bottle of vitamin B capsules. You would take them so this condition in your physical life could be corrected. Have you ever looked into your life and does God’s diagnosis reveal your indifference and your hardness and the fact that you don’t fear God? The only thing I can say is flee to the Word of God today and see who you are, what you are, what you lack and what you need. And, you will fear God and flee to Jesus Christ and trust Him as your Saviour.

12/  Now let us notice, Romans 3: 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 

Now the righteousness of God. What is the righteousness of God? It is not the righteousness of man. It is not the righteousness of one who is considered a good man by the world, but, no, this is the righteousness of God, and Paul is showing here that terrible, filthy vile sinners can have the righteousness of God. Then notice that this righteousness of God being witnessed by the law and the prophets. In other words, the righteousness of God was in the Old Testament. Let me give you just one illustration of this. 

Isaiah 61: 10 There we read, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God, for He hath clothed me in the garments of my salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness. 

If one knows Jesus Christ, even though he is a filthy sinner, he is already dressed for eternity. God has given him a robe of righteousness. Now what is the robe of righteousness? Christ is the righteousness of God. This is the only answer to sin.

13/  There is a little verse that comes to my mind. I think it was written over 400 years ago by a child of God who understood this truth so well. It runs something like this, HAD I AN ANGEL’S RAIMENT FAIR, WITH HEAVENLY GEMS UNPRICED, THAT WONDROUS GARB I WOULD NOT WEAR, MY ROBE IS CHRIST. 

There isn’t anything in the universe that we need. God has clothed us with His own righteousness and this is our crying need—our desperate need.

14/  But now getting back to our Scripture. How do we get this righteousness? 

Romans 3:22 Even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. 

People say, don’t you have to be good? No, you don’t have to be good, because you can’t be good, so just dismiss that from your mind. If God should say I’ll give it to you that are good. I’ll give you this righteousness if you are good. The Lord might just as well fold it up and put it away in Heaven for all eternity, because we would never get it. He says it is by faith, and it is unto all and upon all them that believe. 

AMEN

Ref: 02/16/1964 / 265 – MAN’S GREATEST FOLLY / 6/23/2020