Wednesday Night Bible Study
by Billy McCool
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Psalm 37:25, Proverbs 10:23, Proverbs 10:1, Proverbs 10:8, Proverbs 10:10, Proverbs 10:14, Proverbs 10:18, Proverbs 10:21, Psalm 14:1, Psalm 53:1, Proverbs 12:15, Proverbs 18:7, Ecclesiastes 10:14, Proverbs 14:9, 1 Samuel 25:10, 1 Samuel 25:25, 2 Samuel 13:13

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/billy-mccool--wednesday-night-bible-study-66
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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praise the Lord [Music] everyone it's great to see each one of you in this house of the Lord tonight good to see this great C crowd and thank you for letting us have all the classes in the auditorium tonight um I will say this brother Paul cooking hour uh gave me a DVD a few weeks ago of a message I preached back I believe it was June the 10th 1990 and um I didn't think much about till I got it down and looked at it and the sermon I preached was Tournament of fools Tournament of Fools and I got to listen to it and I got to think and say that needs to be preached again but I need the whole church a and let me say this I've got a lot of young folks over here and I'd like for you to listen very closely I won't be grading you uh to have you to turn in a paper uh to see whether or not you listened or not but I I would request everybody to listen carefully because there's something in it for just about every age and um uh you've heard me tell this before and there's a few remarks I want to make few years ago when we first started playing football out here flag football sister M and I uh we climbed up that grassy Hill back there behind the the uh what's now the event center and we were sitting there just watching the flag football and um from where we were sitting we could see now that that uh School Wing is a is 150 ft long and then there's another uh uh at the end of that there goes the uh the gymnasium and so from where we were sitting we could see both ways this way and this way we could see around the corner from where we were and as we were watching it just so happened there was two groups of young folks uh it was after schooler there there's that one in class but there was uh as young folks kind of run together they were running together and where we were I could see there was going to be a collision because from where we were we could see around the corner and sister mud nuded me she said they're go there there's going to be a collision and um from where we were sitting I was trying to holler and trying to stop them but there was no stopping them they met right at the corner when they did they just no one got hurt but they just they just scattered well it turn turned out to be a very important little lesson for me because from where I sit of 87 years I can see around the corner because I've been there and I can see where a lot of folks are headed and if I can only get their attention the Bible said Jesus overlooked Jerusalem and he said oh Jerusalem Jerusalem you you that killed the prophets and said how of would I have gathered you as a h gathers or chickens but said you would not I would but you would not and that's the sad thing is U from where I sit I can see where some folks are headed I see where marriages are headed for a divorce if they'd only listen to somebody that's up here that has seen around the corner um whether you believe it or not Young Folks I was young Once Upon a Time David said I was young and now I'm old and um if nothing else experience will teach you a lot of things if you'll just good to see brother and sister Kennedy back God bless you brother and sister sister uh Kennedy senior too good to see all of y'all here uh but what I'm what I'm trying to get your attention if you will only listen to what the man of God has to say he may not be 87 years old but he has the leadership of the Holy Ghost and if you listen to him he can save you a lot of Heartache the very first child we had in this school she actually wasn't in school she was a what we call an after school child uh her parents had to go to work and they brought her here to the to the church at 6:00 in the morning and sister mul and I kept that little girl until the school bus picked her up and took her to the public school I'll never forget the little little game we played trouble you push this button and and it it it there's a a a cubicle in there and it was kind of kept her attention while she was there and for that whole year sister M and I that was the only student we had at first and then eventually we started getting more but that same little girl well the parents took her out and put her in public well course she was going to public school but as she got older the parents began to see some problems and they took her out of public school and brought her back to our school and uh she came for a while but she had gotten old enough till she had got some ideas of her own and she wasn't the little girl that sister mul and I took care of she had her own ideas the very first child I stood with my toes on the edge of her grave when she was 16 years old I preached her funeral overdose with drugs I've had other students in this school that's G to prison I've had students tell me when they got free of what they brother MCO please tell the young people to listen if you have to get them by the ears and shake them I've had I've had students that that's gone through it that's paid the price whatever you have to do Pastor please get their attention Young Folks are you listening to me tonight Mom and Dad are you listening to me tonight are you listening it may not sound very important now but it will be important you're listening to somebody that that has seen around the corner and if you listen not only to me but your pastor Pastor Mark MC Pastor Nate Whitley Pastor Anthony MC if you'll listen to these men of God you may not understand it right now it may not it may not be important to you it just may go right over your head but please please Jesus looked over Jerusalem and wept and said I of would I've gathered you as a hand gathers or CH but you would not I would but you would not oh if I could go back and take them from the grave if I could take him from behind prison bars I had a a a boy and a girl both of them were students I got a call way in the night and the the young girl she said brother m i we're in jail me and the boys she was with they were both students at school and she said I need you to come and get us out of jail but don't call my mother don't call my parents I said honey I love you and the boy she's talking about they had filled up with gas and run off without paying for the gas and they' call the police and the police said it wasn't a a big serious offense but I said as soon as we hang up the first thing I'm going to do is I'm going to call your mother because dear you you need some direction and I know you're in jail that I'm so sorry but I said my money help build that jail and it's for young folks that won't listen and they have to learn the hard way and I said don't not say this because mad at you but you need your mother and father right now if you ever needed advice you need it now and and I thought if we could only get folks to listen I see I I I see married couples drifting apart they don't come to church like they ought to they take separate vacations I can't imagine me taking a vacation without sister m it would be the most miserable time i' ever could spend and when couples start drifting apart and we was at Pastor Mark's house the other last Saturday and I'd laid back my head and I'd actually go but but sister M was sitting there say she thought I was asleep and she proceeded to tell them all of my bad faults she thought I wasn't hearing her and there's a a side table with a drawers in it beside my bed and I keep a a roll of breath mins in there all I buy a breath mints by the whole package 12 at a time you don't have to stop every time you need a roll a breath M if you get a whole package and I also got luden's wild chair cough drops and I I can be all right all day long as soon as I lay down I'll start coughing and I I keep some of those and I'll I'll have one of them undone because they're hard to undo in the dark and and I put the paper in the drawer and when the drawer gets too full I eventually she eventually empties it and she told that on me and I thought now when I get my eyes open I'm going to I'm going to tell some I'm going to tell every bad thing I know about her that was a week ago and I'm still trying to think of something to tell and I can't think of a thing I guess I could say she the bad the worst thing I can think of is she tells my bad points but anyway what a great life we've had and what a joy and the tape I'm about to play for you the our technicians are we usually have a a song that the choir sings and um now you don't want to win every medal that comes along there's some medals you don't want to win are you young folks listening to me I didn't have a song but there was an old song I heard probably 30 years ago I was sitting in the car waiting on heard I I give out shopping before she does and I just turned on the radio and this song came on it was a worldly song but what got my attention my name was called in that song and I ped up and I wanted to hear it and uh when I announced this message I said I wonder if I could get online and get a copy of that and sure enough I was able to get it and this is what I would call Bar Room wisdom and it's the I'm not going to sing it but I'm going to give you the recitation it's entitled the winner and I want to see if you want to be a winner the Hulk of a man with a drink in his hand he looked like a drunk old fool but I knew if I hit him right well I could knock him off of that stool but everybody said watch out hey that's tiger man M he's had a whole lot of fights and he always comes out the winter but I had myself about five too many and I walked up tall and proud I faced his back and a face the fact that he had never stooped or bowed and I said tiger man you're a pussycat and a hush fell on the crowd I said let you and me go outside and see who's a winner well he gripped the bar with one big hairy hand and braced against the wall he slowly looked up from his drink and good Lord that man was tall he said boy I see you're a scrapper so just before you fall I'm going to tell you just a little about what it means to be a winter he said you see these bright white Smiling Teeth you know they INE my own mine rolled away like chit down the streets and s and tone but I left that person cursing nursing seven broken bones and I only and he only broke three of mine that makes me the winner he said now behind this grin I got a steel pin that holds my jaw in place a trophy of my most successful motorcycle race and each morning when iwake and touch this scar across my face it reminds me of all I got by being a winner now this broken back was a dying Act of handsome Harry clay that sticky Cincinnati night I stole his wife away but that woman she gets uglier and meaner every day but I got her boy that makes me the winner he said you got to speak loud when you challenge me son CUA it's hard for me to hear with this twisted neck and and these migraine pains and this big old cauliflower here and if it wasn't for this glass eye of mine I'd shed a happy tear to think of all that you're going to get by being a winner I got aortic elbows got dislocated knees from picking fights with thunderstorms and charging into trees my nose been broke so often I might lose it if I sneeze and and son you say you still want to ignore your pastor's advice and go on like you and and be a winner you remind me a lot of my younger days with your knuckles clenching white but boy I'm going to set right here and sip this drink all night and if there's something that you got to gain or prove by winning some silly fight well okay I quit I lose you're the winner so I stumbled from that barroom not so tall and not so proud and behind me I still hear The Hoots and laughter of the crowd but my eyes still see and my nose still works and my teeth are still in my mouth and you know I guess that makes me a winner I hope you get the meaning behind that roll the video please I would like for you to open your Bibles with us to the Book of Proverbs chapter 10 Proverbs chapter 10 I want to read verse 23 proverbs 10 verse 23 it is a it is as sport it is as sport to a fool to do Mischief but a man of understanding hath wisdom it is as sport to a fool to do Mischief father I thank you for this service I thank you for the word of the Lord I pray that you will anoint the lips of clay with the spirit of God give what you would have spoken in this service in Jesus name we pray amen it is as a sport to a fool to do mischief our world is pretty conscious of sports just about everybody is acquainted with sports in some form or fashion and some folks know all about all kind of sport they've got they've got about everything that you can think of from getting out there to you can't touch the ball with your hands you got to kick it up and down the field then they got a kind that you you can't touch the ball with the hand you got to basketball busit you got to use your hands and bounce it and all that they got football and baseball softball and uh they've got more things to make a sport out of and time would permit to even talk about but we are very conscious of of sport and this is something that uh folks have come up with to pass time to be interesting and that sets a release for your emotions and helps get your mind off of the rigers and the uh the uh uh structure of a busy life they said that some fell invented the game of basketball some fellas uh I forget the circumstance but he just nailed a basket a a busher basket on the wall and they was pitching that basket round ball and and that's just accidentally got off into this and it became such a a widely known Sport and uh they make up rules and they they develop skills in these areas they say that that uh baseball I believe they call it the United States America's favorite pastime and they're always they have seasons for it one season they're playing one kind of game another season they change and on and on and on theyve just got something to keep people's mind occupied about all the time but the Bible said that it is as sport to a fool to do Mischief a fool he gets his kicks out of doing mischievous thing to do Mischief that is the sport to a fool now the fellow can step back here and shoot three-pointers and and can dunk the ball and can pass the ball that his sport he gets a charge out of that and brings the audience to their feet the fell that can knock a home run up in the stands and uh Jess he's a power hitter they call him a slugger and he can command millions of dollars for his Services that's his sport he practice it he I mean he stands in the batting cage day in and day out and usually it from a little child the sand lot on up through their their minor league their children's League Baby Ruth league whatever they call it and one day he becomes so proficient that He commands millions of dollars with his talent and ability as a baseball player a fell that can take a pig skin blowed up with air and can uh elude a lot of folks and run all the way down the field and make a touchdown and uh he can command Millions literally millions of dollars I laugh the other day when Reggie White came home to visit us uh here here they say he is the most uh or he is the highest paid defensive player in the NFL and he did his field experience at University of Tennessee uh teaching here at our daycare center he came out here and was under uh my guardianship in fact I had to send him home for wearing shorts to to short first day it came I said Reggie we've got we've got a dress code right here and your your your Brites leg up too short go home put you on some longer if you're going to come and teach here so I had the distinction of sending that multi-million player home and uh he came back said all right brother M that's all right he went home put him on some long pants he came back but he had worked so many years and then when he went into football he was able to command millions of dollars but there's another sport I want to talk about tonight and that's the sport of a fool and I'm going to title this message Tournament of fools everything they have their playoffs right now they're having the playoffs for the basketball teams they they're trying to find out the number one basketball team in America or in the world and they're in the process right now to to see who's the best uh pretty soon they'll have the allstar game in baseball eventually they'll have the World Series and they'll claim one team to be the number one team in the nation they will have the Super Bowl and they will Crown a team the number one football team in the world so if all these other sports are going to have their tournaments to determine their Champion I think we should have a tournament of Fools and they work very hard at this sport it's not easy being a fool and and I think they deserve recognition I I I think I think we've overlooked the fools long enough and I I think I think we need to recognize the fools and give them the recognition they deserve for the Bible said it is a sport to a fool to do Mischief so tonight we're going to talk about the tournament of Fools and we're going to try in our weak unworthy way to give the proper recognition to fools for they need recognition uh in every game you need a referee brother youo you Reed a lot of games could you be our referee tonight will this fit you cuz you you're going to be our ref and and could you slip that on I'm not sure I want all right now that don't mean that you're the fool you're the you're you're reing the fool see that don't that that's not to be misunderstood see uh it's not to be misunderstood that he's the fool he's just out here refereeing the fools I do a lot of that so don't feel bad there there every preacher has that experience and if you're going to be a preacher you're going to have to learn how to be a good ref in in the game of of foolishness because you'll experience so we we've got to have a a referee and of course we need some awards we need to establish we just recently had uh our our Christian School competition around here and we had a bronze medal and we had the silver medal and we and the gold medal and I think it would be uh proper that we award some medals for our our fools for they work hard at doing what they're doing the Bible said that it is a sport to a fool to do Mischief I really got the idea behind this and ref you can just I I wish I had a whistle you to blow but that's all right I was doing some work out here this past week in the uh little concession building and in the m 's restroom we have a sign pasted on the the wall that said no smoking now this fellow Will Not uh qualify for a medal but he certainly deserves recognition somebody had taken a knife and had cutting off the word no and just left the word smoking on the wall now that took real intense Ence to do that now bud that took some smarts for somebody to figure out that if You' take a knife and cut off the word no you'd have just the word smoking and uh thank you thank you yes sir he certainly deserves recognition by cutting off the word no on the words no smoking to make it look like it's all right to smoke in that restroom and that place to go because anybody can see where he did it but after all the Bible said that it's a sport to do Mischief for a fool to do a little meanness you know they do a little meanness every time I stop at a roadside Park and I find nice tables out there that our tax dollars spent to to put tables and get it all nice and then somebody came along and for no apparent reason other than just trying to a good sport broke it all pieces didn't have a bit of business that that table wasn't doing him any harm I mean the was just there for his convenience and everybody else's convenience and yet there was some fellow that was he must have been doing his homework because he wanted to to Really major in the art of Foy and he he busted up the picnic tables and a little bit of Mischief it just seemed to do him good he broke up the picnic tables had a problem here in Knoxville a few years ago fellas going in the cemeteries pushing over tombstones now bud now that is a world class fool world class fool we're talking about Tournament of foods not now ref now I want you to understand if we're going to have a tournament we've got to have some rules to go by okay so we we got to understand now ref I'm going to read you some of the rules in the 10th chapter of proverbs and ref you got to be on the lookout for these these particular aspects because we're here to Crown Champions we're here to award some medals for world champion fools verse one said the Proverbs of Solomon a wise son maketh a glad father but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother now all these fellas always keep their masas upset because they won't get up and go to school they won't take care of the room they won't be and they're always causing their mother a lot of trouble now Mark him down he he's going to qualify he he may be small League now he he may be in the Baby Ruth league right now you see he's always aggravating his mama he won't come in when he's supposed to come in he won't clean up his room he won't do what's right he won't get his haircut when she says to get your haircut and he won't change his clothes when Mama says to change your clothes and he just always a g nuisance now Mark him down he's got potential now he Mark that dude down he may not be a fool now but he's on his way this guy that's always causing his mother heartaches that is one of the first qualities of a fool when you can't get along with your mom and daddy now it may be it may be little Le but you're on your way so so keep in mind the fellow that always makes his mother sad always caus his mother heartache he he He's got potential verse eight the wise in heart will receive Commandments now these fellas around here that when you hear the word of God preached and they say oh Hallelujah I want to oby It Blow the Whistle he he he'll he'll never qualify no no throw him out when you hear a message preach on the Commandments of God and these fellas come running down here to this Altar and say God forgive me of my sins don't you even cons they'll never qualify for a fool that need to be thrown out of the game right off they'll never win a medal for being a world class fool because if you obey the Commandments of God you'll never make it in the tournament of fools the wise in heart will receive Commandments young folks that obey their parents you'll never make it in the tournament of fools you you'll just never make it you may as well give up the idea ref this is one of the first rules if they obey rules of the school if they obey their teacher they obey the principal they obey their parents they obey their Pastor you they just don't have the potential to even be in this tournament at all but a Praying fool shall fall a loudmouth blabbering idiot man you watch him He's got potential keep your eye on him he'll go far in the tournament of fools well let's find another rule keep in mind ref he that wait you need this he that winketh with his eye causeth sorrow but a Praying fool shall fall this guy that tries to get along on his smarts all the time he's got the right wink of the eye he's got the right body language he knows how to get his way around rules and regulations he knows how to circumvent the rules he reads them to meet his own wishes and whs that fell has potential verse 14 wise men lay up knowledge these young folks that uh get their homework these young folks that try to make good grades in school the whle man kick him out he'll never make it in the tournament no sir blow the whistle no sir I'm get him out of here he don't he don't belong in this tournament while the very idea the teacher gives him homework and he goes home and studies and prepares and he thinks it's good sense to make good grades blow the whistle get him out of here he's gone no way why he even thinks it's it's it's good idea to have good grades on your report card and he yeah throw him out lay up the wise man lay up knowledge but the mouth of the foolish man he what he knows hadn't been written in the book yeah he knows it all buddy he knows it before you even say it he knows more than mama he knows more than Daddy he knows more than than Pastor he knows more than the teacher I mean his mouth is always running but you better look at him he he's got he's better recruit him go out of your way to get him because he is going to make a world class fool just lay a few ground rules now just a few ground rules you're going always tell he's always running off at the mouth always blabbing always is talking he knows more than anybody else he that hideth hatred with lying lips and he that utth slander is a fool hey bud you better recruit him He's got potential oh you got to have him on your team in this tourament of fools look at this what a quality he that hideth hatred with lying lips now he he hideth hatred with lying lips Hey Brother Pat God bless you buy I sure missed you and sister Missy the other day when y'all went off down to Texas man we couldn't hard to get along without you dear me we I tell you right now we just I love that organ plant and that wife of yours she can sing we're so glad to have you back wasn't it good man Missy was gone dear God I was so glad to get rid of them showoffs he thinks he can play music do you believe that you believe that and that little little trinket of a wife he's got she's so petite and and and and she's got a she thinks she can sing that makes me sick He's got potential that fell will go far in the tournament of fools oh oh brother Kevin God bless you so good to have you here oh so great oh so glad to have you where is Sister Eve she here tonight glad to have you I tell you what the church would be just as well off without them they just come and take up space anyway you know sign him up he's got potential in the tournament of Fools With a lying lip he conceals his hatred he conceals his jealousy where there's someone that can do a job better than him he has a way of cutting him down and then he'll lie about it just because Miss can sing and Pat and play music and there's jealousy there's strife and I'll do things but I lie about it and I'll cover it up with lying lips sign him up but I mean he he's got He's got potential the lips of the righteous feed many BL the whistle get him out of here here's a guy that wants to do good for others he wants to help he'll do good to everybody he sees he feeds many he'll feed their ego he'll feed their self appreciation he'll feed their desire to go to church he'll feed their love for the family he'll feed their love for home for parents and he'll go out of his way to feed them blow the wizard get it out of here you're gone Bud we don't need your kind around here you're too interested in doing good you want to feed people's self appreciation you want to say things that makes people feel good about themselves you want to say things to cause husbands and wives to get along you want to say things to make the Sunday School grow you want to say things to make people happy and jolly and enjoy life you don't belong in our tournament get out of here thank you sir the lips of the righteous feed many but the fools die for one of wisdom now wait here I've got a character he can't make the grade in school because he won't study he won't do his homework work here's a guy that won't make it on a job he won't ever get to work on time his boss is sure going to fire him because he he ain't got enough get up to get to get to work my dad us say he wouldn't say he wouldn't he wouldn't say get up if a if a horse would sit out on him he won't get to work on time he won't pay his debts on time the fool dies for one of wisdom everybody's always picking on him just because he comes to work an hour late every day just because he don't do his job everybody wants to pick on him and that teacher has the audacity to give me a bad grade just because I didn't turn in that silly homework just because I missed 49 days of school they think I ought to not pass who do they think they dying for one of wisdom never make a successful wife never make a successful husband never make a successful H uh father or mother because he's dying for a want of wisdom I mean he can't make a go of it as a son as a daughter she can't make a go there's always always on the outch with somebody always running with lead shoes on always running an uphill uh race always on the the the bad end of everything hey sign him up in this Tournament of fools we're having the tournament now we're getting ready to award some medals tonight now here's a here's a small League fool but he does deserve dishonorable mention and in in in Psalms 14 And1 and in Psalms 53 And1 it repeats it said the fool has said in his heart there is no God well he's not exactly world class that that it don't take a lot of imagination but anyway he does he does deserve recognition he calls himself an atheist and he might even say I'm an atheist or agnostic I'm a thinker I am an intellect and intellects don't subscribe to that religiosity that you folks are so involved in We Believe smart things you see we don't believe in that that silly idea that God created man that there is a God we believe there was a little one cell amoeba that washed out on the the the shore from the sea some 762 billion years ago and he laid there in the Sun and he just evolved into a smart scientist like me now that's some Swift thinking now but I mean you you you may not win a gold medal but you do deserve dishonorable mention if you got the nerve to say there's no God then then you're in the race I promise you that Proverbs 12:15 here's another quote another rule it said the fool is right in his own eyes he's he he's never wrong he'll argue with anybody he'll argue with the sign post pull up the post and argue with the hole he's always right he's always right I'm right if you don't believe it just ask me sign him up he's going to make it but I mean we want him on our team in this Tournament of fools Proverbs 18:7 here's a little more ground Rose to some of the scriptures I just read it said the Fool's mouth is his destruction the guy's mouth is always getting him in trouble he's always getting smacked in the mouth he always getting the black eye he's he's always said the wrong thing at the wrong time his mouth that man's on his way to winning a medal if you'll just keep it up Ecclesiastes 10 and4 another characteristic of a fool it said the fool is full of words all you got do just listen to a fool and he'll tell you he's a fool before he's through he may not use those words but the quantity of words will adequately spell it out for you that he is a fool because he is full of words he don't have much listening ability but he full of words here's another ground rule Proverbs 14:9 it said fools make a mock of sin that they make jokes about fornication about adultery about homosexuality they make jokes about wickedness that becomes their joking grounds he's on his way to being a world class fool he don't have enough sense to realize that sin is not something to laugh about it's something to cry about fornication and adultery homosexuality is not something to make jokes about and laugh and wahha about it's something to tuck your head and cry and be in shame and say oh God forgive our nation forgive our society fornication and adultery is not something to laugh about it's something to cry about fools make a monk of sin well I've given you some ground rules now I think we need to nominate some winners of medals I would nominate for my bronze medal for the fool I would find him in the book of 1 Samuel chapter 25 1 Samuel chapter 25 I'm nominating this character for my silver medal in the tournament of fools 1st Samuel 25:10 andal and David's servant and said who is David and who is the son of Jesse There Be many servants nowadays that break away every man from his master shall I then take my bread and my water and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers and give it unto men whom I know not whence they be nabal was a man that was wealthy he had many sheep you heard me preach about this just recently so those of of you who attended the Bible study will know readily what I'm talking about but when David was uh running from Saul when Saul was seek his life David became Every Man's protector he was a special protector of the weak and the downtrodden and uh nabal was a wealthy man who had a sensible wife by the name of Abigail and David and his 600 band of rag tag soldiers they watched over the Shepherds of nabal and Abigail and when any robbers and Crooks and gangsters came near he protected them and not one sheep was lost as long as David and his men protected the Shepherds of nabo excuse me but when David and his men needed Provisions they needed some food and they needed some uh drink David thought by all means this wealthy man would not even miss it so he sent his servants to just ask for some Meer substance to sustain him and his little rag tag Army and when they got there nabal answered them and said who is David now this man has got to qualify for at least the bronze medal for he failed to recognize the value of the Friendship of a man of God a man whom the Bible calls the man after God's Own Heart he should have been the best friend nabal had and indeed he was but nabal didn't recognize that you talk about a fool his wife laid it on the line in verse 25 she said let not my Lord I pray thee regard this man of belile even nabal for his name is so is he nabal is his name and Folly is with him my husband is a fool so if nabal would step forward tonight those who think that it's a waste of money to pay your tithe would you like to come forward and let me hang this medal around your your neck neighbor would you come forward those of you who think giving your children money to go to youth rallies those of you who think it's a waste of money to help pay your kids way to a Christian School would you come forward and let me put the bronze medal around your neck those of you who do not recognize the value of being friends with the church and friends with the family of God and you don't realize the value of contributing to the building program and the Christian School program and those who do not believe in Farm Mission programs and those who don't believe in supporting home Mission programs would you like to come forward because this medal Belongs to You The Story Goes of a church that was taking up an offering for foreign missions and they passed the plate by certain wealthy parishioner to which he acted rather insulted and he said uh no thank you I don't believe in missions the Usher in the bat of an ey said well then take something out we're taking this up for heathens if you don't recognize the value of supporting the Church of supporting Sunday school of supporting youth service of supporting building programs of supporting Christian schools of supporting Farm missions and home missions if you don't recognize the value of being a friend with David then you can come forward I want to nominate you as being eligible for at least the silver medal no I don't I want to play that card and now for the silver medal I have an niney I would find him in the second in the 13th chapter of 2 Samuel a man who was the son of a king and this man became so consumed with lust a King's son who could marry whoever he wanted to marry a King's son who had no problems satisfying his sexual appetite he could command any virgin in the Kingdom they would have been glad to marry him any farmer any Governor any wealthy landowner would have given his daughter to Ammon but no Ammon desired forbidden fruit he wanted something he was not supposed to have the Bible says stolen waters are sweet there are those who can never be satisfied with that which is legal it's got to be something dangerous and illegal to be satisfying watermelons from your own patch in southeast bazou failed to satisfy the boys and they had to steal watermelon from each others the neighbors it satisfied the Mischief in them we're talking about the tournament of fools now to to get in this sport you've got to love Mischief now that amnon was not satisfied with having a wife legally and being married and in the bonds of matrimony he had to find an innocent virgin he had to get his own half sister and take her in his tent and force her into a sexual act and I want you to notice what the Bible says about him chapter 13:3 and whether shall I cause my shame to go and as for thee Thou shalt be as one of the fools of Israel the boy or the girl that can't wait until after marriage to indulge in sex you become a candidate for the silver medal in the tournament of fools the Bible says he that committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding a wound and a reproach shall he get and his reproach shall not be wiped away you dudes that think that it's smart it's cool for you to make out with every chick that comes along you need to step forward because you deserve this medal and Tamar said to amnon as for thee Thou shalt be as one of the fools of Israel in this game of fool in this game of fools in the tournament of fools you certainly would qualify for one of these medals at least a silver medal Young Folks don't be so foolish just to think that it's all right to indulge in sex before marriage keep yourself for your marriage partner remember God wants you to have a happy holy righteous satisfying enjoyable marriage unto death separates the two of you and don't you let a girl seduce you boys and boys I want you to be a gentleman don't you try to seduce a girl you become a fool one of the fools of Pentecost when you indulge in sex before marriage fools make a mock of sin you would readily qualify so I'm going to reserve this silver medal for every man that's untrue to his wife for every woman that's untrue to her husband for every young boy that thinks she's got to indulge in sex before marriage for every young girl that's so foolish just to think that it's all right for her to indulge in sex before marriage in the tournament of fools we've got a medal waiting on you but now comes the gold medal now comes the highest Award of all this is a special kind of person that gets this award in the tournament of Fools and I'll read you the story about this fellow that deserves this award and he spake a parable unto them saying the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully and he thought within himself saying what shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my fruits and he said this will I do I will pull down my Barns and build greater and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods notice the scenario it's all I my me and mine failing to give recognition to God without the sunshine and the rain he could have absolutely nothing but he becomes self-centered he he becomes egotistical and self-reliant it's me my ey and mine failing to recognize that everything he has comes from God and I will say to my soul now he's really over the boundaries he becomes a soul talker oh he's now talking to his soul I will say to my Soul listen my friend there's some things you have no busing business addressing you better leave some things in the hands of God but he now possesses all the qualities of self-reliance and he says to his soul now I will say to my soul soul thou as much light up for many years take eat drink and be marry You've Got It Made don't worry about a thing you've got money you've got food now then just eat and drink and be merry but God said now we've got to have somebody special to make this award God's going to make this award now notice what God says but God said unto him thou fool thou fool thou fool you this night thy Soul shall be required of thee then who shall those things be which thou Hast provided so is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God you've thought only about yourself you've thought about the Comforts of the creature you've thought about food clothing rment and fashion but you've not thought about getting right with God you haven't realized that one day you're going to face God you're floating along in the Stream of life just satisfying your own self not realizing that before you reach home tonight an ambulance could give give you a detour and take you by Weaver's Funeral Home Rose or Roberts or one of the other local funeral homes there are those here tonight that don't realize that your well-made plans may not materialize if anybody would qualify for the gold medal it would be the one who sacrifices his soul for worldly Goods worldly Amusement forgetting about God and now he's going to spend a darken eternity in a devil's hell with the screams and the cries where the fire is not quenched and the worm dieth not 10 million years from tonight he'll still be reeling and rocking and turning and breathing on the codes of Hell remembering this message what a fool I was what a fool I was not to go forward and give my heart to the Lord Jesus Christ I thought I had plenty of time I was just a young man I was just a young woman I heard the preacher preach that night but I thought I had good health I thought I had plenty of time but I waited one day too late and now that I'm forever lost Doom to Eternity oh yes wear your gold medal for eternity hell your doom in the tournament of fools don't be a winner don't win the gold medal shall we bow our heads don't win the gold medal for being being the champion fool don't win the gold medal for rejecting Christ don't win the crown for being the number one fool don't be a finalist don't be a medalist don't even be a dishonorable mention all the things of which I've read tonight do your best to be the opposite of these things just stand your feet with me please the way I would like to close this service tonight I'd like for everybody in this audience to together around this Altar and let's we dedicate ourselves to the Lord we've we've covered it all let's come and I don't want to be a candidate for a fool I want the WIS the Bible the Bible tells us that the wisdom of the Lord is our strength let us gather around here and rededicate ourselves tonight to the Lord let's ask God lord don't let me make the mistake Young Folks I'm so glad to have all of you in here tonight you heard the preacher tonight let's recognize the man of God hallelujah hallelujah Lord I love you I thank you Lord I Thank you for this congregation I thank you for your people tonight God may we reach out to those before they've gone too far every young person every married person every person oh God we pray for each and every one of them my God we want to hear you say Well done thou good and faithful servant you've been Faithful over a few things I'll make you ruler over many Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Lord I love you I love you thank you tonight Lord we thank you hallelujah hallelujah praise the Lord praise the Lord praise the Lord hallelujah hallelujah well I shall not be I shall not be moved I shall not be I shall not be moved just like a tree that's planted by the waterers I shall not be move shake hands and be friendly love each other love each other you're with the great family of God love each other you're dismissed in the name of