The Foolishness of Preaching

Last night, Darla and I were laying in bed, and I was rolling around in my mind, still trying to settle on what my sermon title would be for today. I'd come down to two options, and I named them both off to her, and she says, well, I don't really like either one. And I thought about it a little more. I said, well, I need to settle on one.

Actually, they're both from the Bible. But the point is, it seemed like perhaps it had a bit of a negative connotation. But I think we'll see as we dive into it today what sometimes is perceived as, you know, negativity by the world around us, how they receive God's message, is actually very much a positive. So the title I settled on for today is The Foolishness of Preaching. The Foolishness of Preaching.

That, of course, comes from the original King James Version. The flip side to that that I was toying with comes from the new King James, which is the foolishness of the message preached. Foolishness of the message preached. But the foolishness of preaching. The Church of God has, throughout its entire history, been involved in preaching. And we preach forth by the command of Jesus Christ a gospel message to the world that goes out as a witness, as a warning, as a call into repentance.

And it's something that the Church takes very seriously. We put our full effort into that sense, the preaching of the Word of God, preaching of repentance, the preaching of the kingdom to come. And sometimes the question comes up, though. You know, you put in all this effort, this time, this money. We have a United Church of God, a media department. We have a television program that's put together and streamed out to millions of households.

We have millions of new hits every month to the UCG website and requests for literature. And you have all this process going on to preach the Word and to preach the gospel to the world. But sometimes the question is, you know, where's the fruit? Why does it seem so lean sometimes? And, you know, I don't need to even single out the United Church of God. I would say the Church of God community as a whole that puts forth a message of sacrifice of Jesus Christ, reconciliation that comes through that sacrifice, and the coming kingdom of God.

It's good news. And you would think everyone would want to hear the good news and respond then accordingly. But why isn't it just a steady stream of people flooding in the doors in response to the message? Sometimes that question comes up. The book of 1 Corinthians says something interesting about the gospel message that you and I hold so near and dear to us. And it actually provides an understanding into how much of the world around us perceives the message that is taught.

And I want to begin there today with the Apostle Paul's words. Let's consider really how this message, in many cases, is even received. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, beginning in verse 17, again the words of Paul. And he says, And so understand the message of the cross, as Paul puts it here, the gospel message of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, reconciliation to God through that sacrifice, the coming kingdom of God, and what all goes into that package of what we call the gospel message, it is foolishness to much of the world that would hear and receive and ponder those things.

Because we understand it's not man's wisdom, and it's not by that wisdom of man that this plan of salvation has come about. In fact, really, it makes no sense. The message of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and as the Son of God, really makes no sense by the standard of human wisdom and reasoning. It's foolishness. But understand it is the wisdom and the power of God, though, that goes forth. Verse 19, for it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

Where's the wise? Where's the scribe? Where's the disputing of this age? Has God not made foolish the wisdom of this world? So, you know, you flip it around the other way. What is foolishness to the world is actually the wisdom of God. And what man drives as its wisdom and its understanding, actually back towards God, is really nothing but foolishness by comparison.

To understand how this moves in both directions. Verse 21, for sense, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God. They weren't going to discern him through humanly devised wisdom, okay? They didn't know him through that wisdom. It pleased God, though, through the foolishness of the message preached. Whereas the King James says, through the foolishness of preaching, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. So this is where the title comes from today, the foolishness of preaching.

It's through that message of repentance, believing on Jesus Christ, the soon-coming kingdom of God. It's that message that goes out to the world today. And again, the vehicle, by and large, that it goes out is through preaching. It's through expounding and repeating this word of God and giving it in a form that goes out to the world to be received. It's through preaching, and yet it's considered, in many ways, foolish. To those who are being saved, though, it is the wisdom of God. It is the perfect plan of God unto salvation. But to those who do not believe, the true gospel message, okay?

There's many gospels out there. Not all are the true gospel of Jesus Christ, but to those who believe the true gospel message is not foolish. It indeed is the wisdom of God, but understand the ears upon which it falls. So oftentimes perceive these things as foolishness. Verse 22 says, for Jews request a sign and Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness.

You know, why would why would Jesus Christ crucified be a stumbling block to the Jews? Well, by and large, they were looking for the Messiah, right? The one who would come and throw off the Roman oppression, the Roman boot off their neck to liberate the people, and the Messiah then that would establish Israel, right, as the shining light to the world that it should have been. That's what they were looking for in the coming of the Messiah.

So for your Messiah to be pinned up on a stake and to die as a common criminal, frankly, was a stumbling block to many. This isn't who they were looking for. This certainly could not be who the Christ was. And foolishness to the Greeks. I mean, what God would come in human form and die for His creation? You know, that's all about appeasing the gods and pleasing the gods to get the gods His blessing. That's what comes through this false religious system of false gods.

But for a God or a Son of God to come and lay His life down for the people, you know, that really made no sense according to Greek wisdom. Indeed, it was foolishness. Verse 24 says, But to those who are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. So as Paul says, it's through the foolishness of the message preached, or through the foolishness of preaching, which really isn't foolish after all, we understand. But it is the manner in which then this wisdom and this power of God would go forth in message to the world.

Now, hopefully for you and I, preaching has been an inspiration. I know a lot of people in this room, actually, their contact with the Church of God was by hearing preaching. Whether it was on the radio, whether it was on the television, a voice going out, crying in the wilderness, and the Word of God going forth in preaching, it pricked the conscience, and God by His Spirit opened their mind and drew you into relationship with Him.

So preaching has been a big focus of how this Word has gone out. And as we're going to see, actually, there's a thread going all the way back to the beginning of God's faithful people through preaching, proclaiming what was the gospel unto salvation in their day, and it will continue forward until, indeed, the end of the age, and in the days and the times of the preaching of these individuals that point all along the timeline, it was a message of foolishness in the eyes of the people.

But, indeed, again, it was the wisdom and the power of God that went forth. So, hopefully, for all of us, preaching has been an inspiration, and it continues to inspire us to live according to God's Word. It motivates us to overcome and to change, to become like Jesus Christ, and to seek the kingdom of God.

That's a big part of the focus and the emphasis behind the preaching. And, indeed, the Bible shows that preaching is the manner in which the gospel message is most often spread. Let's go to Romans chapter 10. Again, continuing with Paul's thoughts on this. Romans chapter 10. We'll pick it up here in verse 13.

You know, you could say, the Word's gone out, and here it is. Plop it on someone's desk in print form and say, here it is. And, you know, indeed, this is what we need unto righteousness, coupled with God's Spirit. Okay, the Word and the instruction is here. But I was thinking this morning on the trip down, I was thinking about the Ethiopian eunuch in the book of Acts. How's he going along? And he's reading the book of Isaiah, and the inspiration comes upon Philip to overtake that chariot, and engage in a conversation with him.

And he says, you know, who does this prophet speak about? Is it himself? Is it another person? And basically he says to Philip, how can I know unless somebody explains it to me? So there's a time and a place for preaching, even when the Word exists. To buy God's Spirit, help to expound and bring understanding. And it's been that way all along. Romans chapter 10 in verse 13 says, For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

That's a quote from Joel chapter 2. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Okay, so there's a time and there's a place for a voice of emphasis. Verse 15, how shall they preach unless they are sent?

We know that Jesus Christ, during the time of his ministry, sent out the seventy. Later, after his resurrection, he sent out twelve. And on down from them there has been those in the ministry that are sent in this way. As it is written, verse 15, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things. He says, But they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report. Like, take it all the way back to the prophets, right?

People sent by God to preach, to give a message. This is the message from God. And even Isaiah said, you know, we pour this out, but who has believed our report? In their time and day and place, it was foolishness to those who heard. But it was still the righteous message of God. Verse 17, so then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. So the basis of all these words that myself or anyone else would speak, in terms of preaching, need to be founded in the word of God.

If it doesn't agree with the word of God, then take the word of God, not the word of man. And we're reminded of that over and over in the Scriptures as well. But again, preaching is the manner in which the gospel message is so often spread, and in the manner in which the call to repentance has been sounded to the world around us. And it's on the timeline, going back and going forward. So we're not alone in our time and place of proclaiming a message to the world and seeing some fruit, right?

There is some fruit by God's mercy, by His blessing. But again, why not the crush of the masses in response to the true gospel of God's word? If we examine the conditions in which the calling to salvation has gone out in times past, we'll actually see striking similarities to the conditions of our day and age today. And we'll be reminded of the importance of continuing with the message we proclaim to the world, even if the results are less than stellar. Even it seems like, as Isaiah said, who has believed our report? The message still goes out, and the gospel is still proclaimed.

Now, the need for this gospel of redemption and salvation, the need for it to be preached, began all the way back in the beginning. It began when sin entered the world with the first man and the first woman. It began with the first messianic prophecy, in fact. Let's go back to Genesis 3, verse 13. Again, the first messianic prophecy and the need for it to be brought forth. Genesis 3, beginning in verse 13.

We're jumping in the context, but we know the story here. The tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. The women saw it. She says, this is, you know, looks good to the eyes, good for food, and she took it, and she ate it, in defiance of what God has said to do.

And then she gave to her husband, and he ate. So now they're both in sin. And God says, what is this you've done? The woman said, the serpent deceived me, and I ate. So Lord God said to the serpent, because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, more than every beast of the field. On your belly you shall go, and shall eat dust all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. You notice her seed is capitalized, okay? It's a reference to actually the Messiah to come. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.

So right from the beginning, there was a need for this gospel message of redemption and salvation to be preached. From the seed of the woman would come the Messiah, the Savior of the world, the one who would be bruised by the serpent temporarily. I would say temporarily, Christ was bruised when He went into the grave, right, through the crucifixion. But He didn't stay there. He was there three days and three nights. This was only a temporary status, and ultimately through resurrection then He crushed the serpent. He bruised His head, the works of the serpent, through the resurrection under His heel.

So this message of redemption and salvation in a kingdom to come is first proclaimed here. This Messiah that will come with the solution for sin and the ability to overcome the works of the devil, the kingdom of God was known, and the gospel message was known by the faithful saints of God all down through the biblical record, and it was proclaimed by them to the world at certain critical points in history, both through preaching and through their example. But again, the foolishness of preaching from the beginning is how God's Word was carried on.

You know what? Even though those around them would receive it and consider it to be a foolish message, the preaching went out and the message went forth anyway. One of the earliest recorded preachers of the message of God's Word and the gospel, as it was presented in it today, was Enoch. So let's begin with Enoch, Genesis 5, verse 21. Genesis 5, verse 21 says, Enoch lived 65 years, he begot Methuselah, and after he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had sons and daughters. And so all the days of Enoch were 365 years, and Enoch walked with God, and he was not for God took him.

And again, as I've explained before, people incorrectly will zero in on this verse and say, see, God took him to heaven. He didn't die. He's in heaven and is with God there today. But understand, that does not agree with the rest of the biblical record. No one has come down from heaven or ascended to heaven except he who came from heaven, Jesus, the son of God.

David's in the grave. Abraham's in the grave. Enoch as well is in the grave. But let's understand, Enoch was a righteous man. And it says he walked with God, which means he had a relationship with God. He walked in agreement with him, and as a result, he understood the plan and purpose of God. He understood the coming of the Messiah as well as the kingdom of God that would one day restore truth and righteousness to the earth. And he preached that message in his day. How can we know that? Well, the book of Jude gives us a glimpse into what it was that Enoch was doing before the flood.

Jude just has one chapter. So Jude verse 14. Jude verse 14. It says, Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also. So when we run up here, he's talking about false teachers. He's talking about those basically that have stood in opposition to the way and the truth of God. And Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, Jude said that Enoch prophesied about these things. It's to prophesize to speak forth under inspiration of God. It can be, you know, fourth telling of the future, but it can also be speaking forth under inspiration. And he taught about these things. He spoke about these things and preached about them in his day to an ungodly and an evil society.

Again, our modern terminology would be to say that Enoch preached the gospel in his day. He preached about the coming of the Messiah of God's judgment upon the earth and that kingdom to come. And contained in the concept of that message to his ungodly age would have been what? The message is God is coming to bring judgment on the ungodly, therefore repentance was the call.

Right? Turn from your ways. Be reconciled to God. Because we're in the days before the flood, this is Noah's great grandfather, so not terribly far removed, although farther than our day and age of generations. But understand, the world was heading in a direction of which then ultimately brought about the flood and Enoch prophesied and preached these things. It's the same gospel message, essentially, that we preach today. Same message Jesus Christ preached when he walked the earth. The time is fulfilled. You know, kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.

Well, how did the world receive it? How do you think they received it in Enoch's day? We know how they receive it, by and large, in our day today. Hebrews chapter 11 gives us some indication of how his message was received.

Hebrews chapter 11, the faith chapter, picking it up here in verse 5. It says, It says, So Enoch was not found because God had taken him away. And why did God take him away? Well, it says so that he did not see death. But Enoch died. And we can prove that from Scripture. Let's just go to verse 13, because here in Hebrews, we have a listing of faithful people all through time. We have Abel and Enoch and Noah and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Sarah. When we come to verse 13 of Hebrews 11, it says, Okay, they're in the grave. They have a hope. They have a future. But these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off. Were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed, as in with their lips confessed, spoke, preached, that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. So understand, Enoch died. But God took him, so that he would not see death. So I think considering the history of the other preachers we're going to look at today, it's entirely likely, and I'll label this as speculation, but I do believe it is what the answer is, but it's entirely likely that Enoch and his message were viewed as foolishness by the majority of the world. Great-grandfather of Noah, how many were righteous in the day of Noah?

One man, it would appear, and perhaps some of his family. But again, this message of Enoch, viewed as foolish by the majority of the people of his age, and God took him away so that he would not see death at the hands of those who sought him. Sought him to kill him. He was not found because God had took him. He preserved his life. But understand, the foolishness of preaching and the message preached had begun from the beginning and the response to the world. That's how they perceived it. It was the wisdom of God, and it was the power of God, but to those who heard it by comparison in the wisdom of man in that world, it indeed was foolishness. And as we see the response to it, it's largely consistent all the way down through time. But that doesn't mean the message doesn't go out, does it? And that doesn't mean that it's pointless either. Because remember, it may be foolishness to those who are hearing it, and it may be that those who are being lost, as Paul says, those who are perishing, use those words, those who are perishing to them, it is foolishness, but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God and the wisdom of God. And how could you not live by and indeed speak forth those things if it is your life's conviction?

I hope we rejoice and we're strengthened in the preaching of this message. I hope for all of us it's encouraging, it's hopeful to be reminded what God has in store and what He has purpose for us. Because it's a very difficult world we've been called out of, and by the foolishness of preaching, hope can be given. And indeed, the wisdom of this world can be shown to be truly what it is, not wisdom at all. As we drop down further, we examine the time before the Flood, closer we see Enoch's great grandson, again Noah. He had a message to preach to his world as well. And as we examine that, we can actually draw comparisons between his day and our day today. Genesis 6, verse 5.

Again, as we're going through this, I want us to understand how the message was viewed by those who heard it, what the response was, and to recognize, you know, still, no matter what the response was, it didn't change the obligation or the message for it to be preached as a witness, as a warning, as a calling into repentance. Hebrews 6, verse 5 says, So we have this snapshot, don't we, of the pre-Flood world in Noah's day. Very corrupt society, very violent society. It was a world full of evil and ungodliness, and so much so that God said, I've had enough. Okay, we're going to wipe the slate clean.

Now, in my mind, I've kind of always maybe sort of viewed, maybe it's related to movies I've seen as a kid, but the pre-Flood world, I sort of viewed it as a wild, savage age where you were afraid to even go out of your house, and mankind was just tearing mankind apart. But is that truly what it was? We know it was evil, right? We know it was corrupt. Well, we'll get another glimpse shortly. But God said, I've had enough. Verse 13. And God said to Noah, the end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence, okay, through them. And behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. And it goes down then to describe God's instructions of what Noah was to do. But for a hundred years, roughly, okay, give or take, there's various estimates on that, but Noah built the ark. But what else does the Bible tell us Noah was doing during that time?

Look at the size of the boat, and to me, that would take all my time, I would think, but Noah was doing something else in addition to that. According to 2 Peter, chapter 2 and verse 5, Noah was a preacher of righteousness. He was a man of righteousness, but he was a preacher of righteousness. And what do you suppose he preached?

A gospel message in his day. Again, my speculation, but probably would be something like repent and be saved from this perverse generation. Come out of the ways of this world, repent and believe in the gospel, salvation. And as I would imagine, it would present itself in that time, in that way, you know, salvation, the seat on the boat, right? Being saved from the judgment to come. But surely Noah would have had knowledge of Enoch's relationship with God. You could go back and you can actually follow a righteous line down from Seth, because Cain killed Abel, but Seth now come down here. You can follow a righteous line down through Enoch, down through Noah. You can also follow an unrighteous line, the line of Cain, as it comes down. So you have Noah down from Enoch on this line, and he would have understood that relationship with God. He would have understood the prophetic words. And it's likely that Noah taught, again, repentance and salvation as well. For a hundred years, again, give or take a bit, people around him saw him building an ark. They heard the proclamation of the flood that was coming, and to them the message was foolishness. And you know what? So was its preacher. Crazy Noah, building a boat on dry land. You know, you really lost it this time, Moses, or Noah, and what about this message, right? Preaching foolishness, and the foolishness of the preacher as well. The world of Noah's day, again, it was corrupt, it was violent, it was evil, but guess what else it was? It was prosperous. It was wealthy. It was a world of plenty. It was a vibrant society, really in its own ways. People were happy doing their own things apart from God. Okay, that was a huge part of the problem. Their own way apart from God. But understand, life was pretty good in their own eyes. They really didn't have a need in their own minds to heed the message or to repent. Certainly didn't think they needed a seat on the boat. And does that maybe sound a little familiar? It's our day and age today. One sense prosperous, plenteous, abundance. It's a good life, right? Living in many ways your own way as this world around us goes. But indeed also there's so many things about the world we live in that is corrupt and evil and violent in the eyes of God as well. Brethren, it's the biblical model for a world that is getting ready to vanish away. Okay, snapshot before the flood. Prosperous and evil in that world was getting ready to vanish away and vanish away suddenly. Notice Jesus Christ's words about the pre-flood world in comparison to our age, Matthew 24.

I would say our age is moving toward this. The comparison is made to the coming of the Son of Man. We do understand we're building towards that. Matthew 24, verse 36. The disciples had asked Jesus, what will be the sign of your coming in the end of the age? And so a portion of his response I want to zero in here on verse 36. Jesus' words, he says, but of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So also will be the coming of the Son of Man. So understand, life was pretty good in the pre-flood world, at least by certain human standards. The carnal human perspective actually enjoyed that world. And it said people were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage. And it's a sign of a prosperous and a comfortable society in many ways. You're comfortable in your abundance and what it is that you have. The stock market was up, right? There's gas at the Shell Station. And people were content with, in large part, how their life was going. There was plenty, there was wealth, there was comfort, there was leisure, but from God's perspective, it was an evil and an corrupt age filled with wickedness and violence.

All these attributes were coupled together to form that world, and it is very much as the world we are building towards in our day and age today. And it is exactly like the world that will be at the coming of the Son of Man. You know, before the Flood, it seemed so great, right? It all seemed so great until the moment it wasn't. And that preacher, that foolish preacher, in his message of foolishness, it was all ridiculous until the moment that it wasn't. And suddenly the Flood came, it says, and it took them all away.

How many were on the boat? Outside of Noah's family, how many responded? None. But that didn't stop the message. The message went out. The preaching went out. The foolishness of preaching, the foolishness of the message, was actually the wisdom of God to those who were being saved. It was the power and the wisdom of God. And the message went forth. Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Even though no one else heeded the message, the call still went out. And this witness still went forward.

And so it is in our age today, isn't it? One of the great lessons of the Bible is that the foolishness of preaching so often times comes forth in a time and place where there is prosperity, where life does look good. Where by human standards, look what we've accomplished, look what we have. And we have ease, and the refrigerator is full, and there's comfort. And yet mixed right up in that ball of wax as well is the wickedness. Stepping away from the calling of God, the sinful nature of man pushing forth more and more, God said to Israel, when you go to the Promised Land and you have blessings, you have abundance, you're going to forget me. And indeed, it's what modern Israel has done in this day and age as well.

But the message still goes out.

Now, if we skip forward to the time of Lot, we actually can catch a glimpse into another message. I actually wrestled around a little bit with putting Lot in here. Lot is an interesting character, and the Bible says he was a righteous man, but there's things he would point to in his life and question, how is that? But we understand, indeed he was. He was the nephew of Abraham, and he understood a relationship with God. And 2 Peter 2.7 says that he was a righteous man. And what we understand about the biblical record is once he separated from Abraham, he lived on the plain of Jordan as far as the city of Sodom. Very fruitful and abundant plain. Crops that were grown. It was quite a trade route that came through there down from Egypt. Goods coming and going. And Lot lived in that society. Sodom, as we know, is an exceedingly wicked and sinful city full of perversity, and so much so that the outcry made itself up to the ears of God. And God said, I will indeed destroy this place. But he would spare Lot. He would spare Lot's family. And you'll recall the story when the warning went down the lot, and in fact, you would think they would just run out of that place, but what happened? The angels had to grab the hands of Lot and his family and literally pull them out of that place as the destruction was coming. Because there were ties back there, there was family back there. Life actually, despite the evil conditions, was pretty good there in Sodom.

Notice how Ezekiel described Sodom in comparison to the nation of Israel at his time. Israel had slid into quite a deep level of sin, and now there's a warning going out to them, and a comparison is made. Ezekiel 16, verse 49.

Ezekiel 16, verse 49. We understand Sodom was prosperous, and we will come to see that. We know it was evil. We know it was wicked. But Ezekiel 16, verse 49 says, look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom. Here's another comparison between Israel and Sodom. She and her daughter had pride.

Sodom was a very lifted up, a very proud city. They were pretty comfortable with who they were. It says also they had fullness of food, abundance. They lived in a very rich part of the world in terms of crops and the property that those could be grown on, and livestock, and herds, and trading. It says, an abundance of idleness, time on their hands. Life was pretty fat there. It was pretty good. Maybe they even had servants. You know, you guys can go handle this. We're living the life of ease. It says, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy, very, very self-focused society. Verse 50, it says, and they were haughty and committed abomination before me, therefore I took them away as I saw fit. And so understand, Sodom was prosperous. A pretty good place to live, by all accounts, if you're looking at material prosperity. It was a thriving city economically. Again, those caravans coming and going, great wealth, great abundance, great leisure. Life was good. Starbucks on every corner. Whatever it is your heart desired, I suppose. But it was also a wicked and a lifted-up city that was full of pride.

Again, how does it compare? To the day and age we live, the world around us. Abundance, prosperity, many ways, life of ease, the refrigerator's full.

But there's corruption, there's evil, there's violence. Again, Sodom was the biblical model for a world that was getting ready to vanish away and vanish away suddenly. Right? And Lot was there, living in the midst of it. His family was there. And if we look closely into the story, I think we can find evidence of what would have been Lot's message to that society before the destruction came. Let's go to Genesis chapter 19. Genesis 19 and verse 9. The context here is the two angels who have come down to Sodom. They've come to survey the scene. They're lodging at Lot's house for the night. The men of the city have surrounded Lot's house, and they want him to deliver, right, the two angels. He's two men to them. But Lot refuses. And notice, I want to zero in on a concept here in Genesis chapter 19 and verse 9, considering what... I will come short of calling necessarily Lot a preacher, but it does seem he conveyed a message while he was there. Genesis chapter 19 and verse 9. And they said to Lot, stand back. And they said, this one came to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge. He keeps acting as a judge. That's an interesting phrase. He says, now we will deal worse with you than with them. So they pressed hard against the man lot and came near to break down the door. So the point I'm focusing on is the fact they said he keeps acting as a judge. And those are important words. I went back and looked at it in the Hebrew, and actually the phrase gives the indication that Lot acted as a judge on an ongoing basis. In fact, some translation says he made himself a judge continually in our midst. So it was not just a one-time event. In fact, if you go back here to Genesis chapter 19 and verse 1, it shows that Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom when the two angels arrived in the city. And that's important, too. We know the concept of Israel of the elders at the gate. Right? What took place at the gate? Well, trade came in and out. A lot of times the marketplace was set up at the gate, but the gate was also where maybe the administrators of the city, the elders of the city sat, and business was transacted. Maybe certain laws were passed. It was actually a judicial seat for the city. Judgments were made. Disputes in the city were brought to the elders at the gate. And it would seem if you coupled these a lot, you were so generous, you were an outsider that came here, and now you keep bringing forth judgment. And he sat at the gate. Lot apparently had become an individual, again, who made judgments in Sodom. And if he judged righteous judgments, which were judgments according to the standard of God, in that place, how do you suppose they were received?

How do you think people felt about him? Well, perhaps foolishness? And your thinking's not our thinking. You're an outsider coming in trying to put your ways here, and it would seem as they're confronting him at the door, they really didn't appreciate that very much. And it was a part of their frustration as they confronted him in that way.

Additionally, we see that Lot went to warn his sons-in-law about the coming destruction as well. Verse 14. Since his 19 verse 14, so Lot went, spoke to his sons-in-law who had married his daughters, and he said, Get up, get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy this city. But to his sons-in-law, he seemed to be joking. Foolishness. Ridiculous. It's a pretty good place. I know we have our problems, but God's gonna destroy this place. Even to his own sons-in-law, they didn't take Lot in his message seriously. Just like Noah's preaching of righteousness, just like Noah's warning of destruction, no one took Lot seriously. It all seemed so great until the moment that it wasn't. And this man's message, this man's warning, it all seemed like foolishness until the moment that it wasn't. And suddenly, right, it was all destroyed.

2 Peter chapter 2 brings this pattern into summary for us.

2 Peter chapter 2 and verse 4. 2 Peter 2 verse 4 says, Okay, that Greek word, a place of restraint.

3 Peter chapter 6 says, And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly. 4 And delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked. For that righteous man dwelling among them tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds. You know, if God handled those situations and he brought his righteous people out, verse 9, And so, brethren, God is not mocked. God is not mocked by human behavior. His righteous standard, in the end, will be what is left standing. And man may have a chance to run their course for a time to do what seems pleasing in their eyes to make what seems like a good system. Prosperous, profitable.

But contrary to God in so many ways, understand, in the end, the righteousness of God will stand. His kingdom will stand, and his message of repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ will be proven to be the only way that leads to life. And it's the message that is preached. Turn from the ways of this world, come to repentance, respond to God, be reconciled to him, be saved from this perverse generation. We can find that theme, that message, over and over and over again. And in the meantime, of what man is doing, wrapped up in their system, the foolishness of preaching continues, and the foolishness of the message continues because, unto those who are saved, it is not foolishness at all. It is the power of God at work. It is the wisdom of God at work, making actually foolishness the wisdom of man. Just flip it over. The wisdom of God, making foolishness the wisdom of man. In his interactions with the scribes and Pharisees of his day, Jesus Christ lamented the fact that many would not respond well to those who were sent. Even their message of repentance and salvation from God, their preaching, it would not be well received. He says it happened historically, and it's going to happen again in the future with those whom I send. Matthew 23, verse 29.

Matthew 23, verse 29. Jesus' words, He says, "'What do you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous?" Here's their bones over here, and we like to make this great adornment. There are our heroes from the past, and we certainly wouldn't have done to them what our fathers did. You like to build them up, He says, verse 30. And say, if we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Understand who the prophets were. They were those who brought a message from God. A call to change, a call to repent. But again, to Israel, in so many of those ages, the message seemed to be foolishness. They never did turn, truly, as God desired. Verse 31, it says, Therefore, indeed, I sent you prophets and wise men and scribes. Some of them you will kill. Okay, so Christ is talking about now moving forward after Him, those who He will send. Some of them you will kill and crucify. Some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city. The point is, you're not going to like the message. It's going to be a stumbling block to you. You're not going to tolerate it. It's going to be foolishness, and yet it's going to come anyway. The message will be preached. Verse 35, Whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stoned those who were sent to her, how often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Understand, this is how the majority of mankind has responded to those whom God has sent down through the ages. Jesus Christ said, you killed them, and you were not willing. You were not willing to heed or even tolerate the message. Verse 38, So until Jesus Christ comes again, in that interim time, the message is preached. The gospel is preached. The foolishness by the world's perspective continues, but again, it is the wisdom and the power of God to those who are being saved, and in the end, not foolishness at all.

The Bible gives us a glimpse into what is yet to come at the end of the age as well. And even in that, we can see this pattern of preaching. We can see the condition of the world in the society in which the preaching goes, and we can see the response from those who hear it. And the response is consistent just as it has been all along. Revelation chapter 11.

Revelation chapter 11, verse 3.

I'm going to beg and borrow just a few extra minutes from you today for the foolishness of preaching. I think it's an important topic. Revelation chapter 11 and verse 3.

Verse 7. If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. If anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.

Okay, that is the point. Verse 7. It says, How do you think they liked the message?

Not well received, was it? Foolishness. Foolishness from foolish prophets would have been their perspective. And now they're dead, and they're making merry. They're rejoicing. They're sending gifts to one another. Certainly not a heart of repentance, by and large. Because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. Verse 11 says, And if you just jump down a few verses to verse 15, it says, And we understand what is tied to, then, the seventh trumpet. It gives us our time, it gives us our context, it gives us a snapshot into, at least, the preaching at the end of the age that will go forth, backed by the power of God, by the authority of God, to preach the message of repentance, all the way up to the end of the age. Actually, you go past that. We won't go there today, but there's an angel then that comes. It brings the everlasting gospel. And it's called the everlasting gospel because it starts in the beginning and carries forward all the way through to the end. It's not just a snapshot in time or a time where you pull it out and say, it does not apply today. It applies in each and every day until these things are fulfilled. But again, these are preachers of righteousness for three and a half years to the world that will by large regard them as messengers of foolishness. But the gospel still goes out. And just as the case was in Sodom, and just as the case was before the flood, God's justice and judgment will stand. Revelation chapter 18, verse 1.

Revelation 18, verse 1. What's the response to these things? Was their message true or was it not? Certainly people felt it was foolishness for a period of time. Revelation 18, verse 1. After these things, I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, Babylon, Babylon the greatest fallen has fallen, and is becoming a dwelling place of demons, a prison of every foul spirit, a cage for every unclean and hated bird. Verse 3. For all the nations had drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. The kings of the earth had committed fornication with her, okay, they've all bought in, and her emergence of the earth had become rich through the abundance of her luxury.

So what kind of system is this? Well, it's a corrupt system, right? It's an evil system. It's an is system contrary to God, but what other kind of a system is it? It is a prosperous system. It is a wealthy system. And indeed, we need to understand, brethren, Satan's way of doing things, recall, through his abundance of trading, right? He corrupted himself. His way of doing things is actually a pretty physically prosperous system.

But it's also corrupt. It's also evil. It's also, you know, contrary to the way of God. But it looks pretty good. And life in it for the people for a time is pretty good. Again, this is the biblical model for a world that's getting ready to vanish away suddenly. The warning went. It was despised. It's the mixture of the good and the evil of an age, and now it is ready to come to nothing suddenly. Verse 4, and I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works, in the cup which she has mixed. Mixed double for her. In the measure that she has glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow. For she says in her heart, I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will see no sorrow. Verse 8, therefore her plagues will come in one day. Okay. Very sudden, very prosperous, very lucrative, very vibrant system. But her plagues will come in one day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be utterly burned with fire. For strong is the Lord God who judges her. The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her, who was a good life, will weep and lament for her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, at last, alas, the great city, Babylon, that mighty city, for in one hour your judgment has come.

Again, to most of the inhabitants of the earth, that in-time system, that Babylonian system, frankly, seemed like the answer. And maybe in the short term it really seemed like the answer. I don't know exactly what happens between here and there, but I would say things become so difficult on the earth that the system rises up to seem to have the answer. And people flock to it, okay? And it seems to be a very wonderful and a very prosperous place until the moment that it isn't.

And the two witnesses go out and they proclaim a message, they call for repentance, and it's the preaching of foolishness and the message of foolishness until the moment that it isn't. And then suddenly, destruction comes, sweeps it away, and the righteousness of God remains. The message to God's elect in that age is, Come out of her, my people. Don't share in her sins. Don't buy into the system. Don't be comfortable with the comfortable way of living the prosperity and the ease that would come through that system.

Continue in the message. Hold fast to the gospel message. Because through those who are being saved, it is the power and the wisdom of God unto life. And I hope it's a message that sustains us today, that encourages us today, and that gives us pause to actually look around and consider the world we live in, the good, as well as the evil, and to understand the reality of the age in which we live. So what's the urgency of our times? We look back and we see urgency at the time of the flood, urgency at the time of Sodom and Gomorrah, urgency at the time of the end.

But what about this time we live in today, and where are we on this timeline? And what is the urgency of the times? Indeed, a message must be preached as the everlasting gospel, so we don't cease in that.

But rather than I do believe we're fast approaching a time that the Bible calls the time of Jacob's trouble. And you know there has always been trouble in the world, right? As the world began, things continue as they are, some would say. There's always been trouble, yes there has, but this will include a time of Jacob's trouble where the modern day nations of Israel, the descendants of Israel, will see great trouble, great decline, great threat because of their sins to their greatness, their prosperity, and their security, and will lead to decline ultimately to the point of destruction and captivity.

But in the meantime, the gospel goes out. The message is preached. The church sounds the warning, sounds the alarm. As long as it has strength to do so, the message must go out. Just as Noah preached until the day they went into that ark, and the flood came. Just as the two witnesses preached, as long as God gives them to have breath, the church must preach the warning, the gospel.

Again, it's not just a feel-good message. It is a witness, it is a warning, and it is a calling. Two repentance come out of the ways of this world. Be reconciled to God, and we must preach it for as long as we have breath. And, brethren, I do believe we are living in urgent times. The biblical indication is just as the time of the flood came suddenly, and just as the time of Sodom's destruction came suddenly, and just as the future destruction of Babylon will come suddenly, and just as the return of Jesus Christ will come suddenly, as a thief in the night, the indication of the biblical record is so will the time of Jacob's trouble come suddenly.

I want to conclude today with a prophecy in the book of Hosea. Hosea chapter 5. Hosea chapter 5, beginning in verse 3. Again, there's a consistency at all these points along the timeline of the message, of the response, of the condition of the world, and, brethren, we're living in it again today in our age. Hosea chapter 5 and beginning in verse 3. It says, Verse 5 says, Okay, so you have these three together, Israel, Ephraim, and Judah, and you remember the man Israel, and Jacob put his name, Israel, on Ephraim and Manasseh. We're talking about more than a nation or two or three here. We're talking about a multitude of nations of Israelite descent, as it would seem, being represented at the end time by these three.

What they're tangled up in, they're tangled up in together. Okay, and it is sinful before God. Therefore Israel, Ephraim, stumble in their iniquity. Judah also stumbles with them. With their flocks, their herds, they shall go seek the Lord, but they will not find him. He has withdrawn himself from them. They have dealt treacherously with the Lord. They have begotten pagan children. It says, Now a new moon shall devour them and their heritage. A new moon shall devour them and their heritage.

Understand, a new moon happens once a month. Okay? And a new moon, it says, shall devour them and their heritage. The new moon devouring them would seem to mean that Israel, Ephraim, and Judah will all fall in one month. And this is not a prophecy that has been fulfilled in ancient times. You know, we know that Israel fell to the Assyrians, but Judah didn't fall immediately on their heels. It was more than a hundred years later than before Judah fell to the Babylonians. This would seem to be a prophecy of the three of them falling together within one month of each other, a prophecy which is yet to be fulfilled. Therefore, Israel, Ephraim, and Judah stumble in their iniquity. They have dealt treacherously with the Lord. They have gotten pagan children. Now a new moon shall devour them and their heritage. Again, what's going to happen, brethren, is going to happen very, very quickly. And for the modern Israelite nations, it will happen, as it would seem together, the time of Jacob's trouble suddenly. But you know, in the meantime, the message goes out. As the modern day Israelite nations, we are currently enjoying abundance and prosperity and freedom in a way never known in the history of mankind. And yet we are becoming more and more a corrupt society before God, with our sins and our evil practices preparing to swallow up our identity as a people and as a nation. And indeed, the day is coming when God's hand of blessing will be withdrawn. Again, it's the biblical model for a world that's getting ready to vanish away suddenly. But again, in the meantime, the Church has been given the commission to preach the Gospel to all nations, including our own. And it is the trumpet call of God unto repentance and salvation through the way, the truth, and the life that God has provided, which is Jesus Christ. The true Gospel message is a message that is foolishness to many in our age, and it is a stumbling block to others. But we still preach it anyway. We still cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet, God gave instruction, tell my people their sins. And by the way, as his people set the proper example of righteousness, because you see, to those who are being saved, this is not foolishness at all. It is the power and the wisdom of God unto life. And so, brethren, may the wisdom of preaching, and may the wisdom of the message preach, because it's not foolishness at all, it is wisdom, may be an encouragement to each and every one of us as we live this life. We are ambassadors for Jesus Christ. We are citizens of the kingdom of heaven, but we live in this world still today. Let us be a right and a proper example for God. Let us live as the truth of God is in us. And let us cry aloud and spare not for as long as we have breath. The foolishness of preaching is the wisdom of God unto salvation.