Are We All Fools

Psalm 14 puts up a warning sign in front of every heart. The fool does not merely make a philosophical argument that God does not exist. The fool lives as if God will not see, judge, or hold anybody accountable. That kind of denial opens the door to corrupt and vile things, because sin always takes people further than they ever thought they would go.

The psalmist describes a heart that does not seek God’s wisdom, does not understand God’s ways, does not call on the Lord, and uses people for its own means. The image of consuming people like bread shows how sin turns others into tools, opportunities, or obstacles instead of neighbors to love. The sinful heart also brings emptiness, dread, and guilt, then tries to cover that emptiness with better behavior, more relationships, or more activity. Sin cannot be fixed by simply doing better.

Psalm 14 warns believers not to read this portrait and only see the world out there. Christ creates a new man or woman in those He saves, yet the old sinful heart still fights and wrestles. A believer can plug up his ears to Scripture, ignore the Spirit’s correction, get busy doing things for God, and forget to call on God for strength. That is a warning sign that an adjustment is needed.

The psalmist refuses to leave the sinner in a dreadful place. The Lord is the refuge of the oppressed, the One who delivers and restores His people. God is with the righteous, not because they have produced enough goodness, but because Christ has placed His righteousness on those who call on Him. Jesus has paid the sin debt in full, stands as the advocate for His people, and restores those who bring their sin to Him.

The lane-ending sign gives the picture: some hearts need a little turn of the wheel, a micro adjustment back toward the Savior. Other hearts have been blazing their own trail and need a ninety-degree turn. God calls the lost to turn from a life headed completely away from Him and give their hearts to Christ. The Lord takes a fool who is a sinner and makes him an adopted son.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The fool lives without accountability [25:57] The fool says in his heart, “There is no God,” by living like sin will never be answered for. God sees what is said, done, and hidden. A heart that remembers God’s holiness will not treat private sin as harmless. [25:57]
• 2. Sin always takes more ground [27:09] Sin does not settle for being a little part of life. Sin grows, pulls the heart further down the road, and eventually produces things once thought impossible. Christ calls His people to deal honestly with sin before it becomes a wrecked life. [27:09]
• 3. People are never breadsticks [34:50] The image of consuming people like bread exposes a selfish heart. God does not give people to be used up for personal gain, convenience, or attention. Christ’s command turns self-serving relationships into a call to love neighbors rightly. [34:50]
• 4. The Lord restores ruined lives [47:20] The Lord does not merely point out sin and leave the sinner empty. Jesus delivers from sin, forgives those who confess, and keeps restoring His people into His image. Restoration is God’s work from the inside out. [47:20]
• 5. Turn the heart toward Christ [51:38] A small adjustment or a complete turnaround both begin in the same place: turning the heart to the Savior. God gives strength for the turn that He calls for. Christ receives those who stop blazing their own trail and come to Him.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [13:33] - Are We All Fools?
• [15:37] - Psalm 14 as a Warning Sign
• [20:57] - Turn Your Heart to God
• [22:55] - The Picture of the Foolish Sinner
• [23:47] - Living as Though God Is Not There
• [26:26] - Corrupt and Vile Things
• [27:32] - Failing to Seek God’s Wisdom
• [30:45] - Using People for Personal Means
• [34:50] - Failing to Call on the Lord
• [36:34] - Sin, Emptiness, and Dread
• [39:20] - Christ the Advocate for Sin
• [42:29] - The Lord Delivers and Restores
• [47:47] - Making the Needed Adjustment
• [53:49] - Worship, Prayer, and Seeing Jesus

Bible Reading

Psalm 14
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the LORD? There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. You would shame the plans of the poor, but the LORD is his refuge. Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.” [13:17] [14:10]

1 John 2:1-2
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” [39:29]

Romans 12:1
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” [54:06]

Observation questions

1. What actions and heart attitudes does Psalm 14 connect with saying, “There is no God”?
2. In Psalm 14, what does it look like to “eat up” God’s people “as they eat bread,” and what contrast does the passage give in verse 6? [30:45]
3. What repeated descriptions of God appear near the end of Psalm 14, especially concerning the righteous, the oppressed, and His people?
4. According to 1 John 2:1-2, what has Jesus done for believers when they sin? [39:20]

Interpretation questions

1. Psalm 14 describes the fool as someone who lives without regard for God’s accountability. How can a person who claims to believe in God still begin living as though God does not see private words, choices, or habits? [23:47]
2. Why does refusing to seek God’s wisdom make a person vulnerable to going further into sin, rather than simply remaining stuck in one small failure? [26:26]
3. Psalm 14 says God is with the righteous, while also saying that no one does good. How does Christ’s righteousness, given to those who call on Him, answer that problem? [43:46]
4. If Jesus is the believer’s Advocate and the sacrifice for sin, why is confession a better response to guilt than trying to cover sin with busyness, better behavior, or more relationships? [36:39]

Application questions

1. Is there any area of life where it is easy to act as though God will not see, care, or hold anyone accountable—perhaps in private thoughts, speech, entertainment, work, or online activity? What would it look like to bring that area honestly before the Lord? [25:17]
2. Sin often starts small but keeps taking ground. What “small” sin might be getting minimized or excused right now, and what practical step could help stop it before it grows? [38:07]
3. People are never meant to be used up like breadsticks. In what relationships might there be a temptation to use someone for attention, convenience, influence, help, or personal gain? How could love for that person become more genuine this week? [34:11]
4. Busy schedules, service, and ministry can sometimes replace calling on the Lord. Where is self-reliance showing up lately, and when could a regular time of prayer for strength and wisdom be built into the week? [35:44]
5. When guilt or emptiness comes because of sin, what is the usual instinct: hiding, trying harder, staying busy, blaming others, or coming to Christ? What would confession to Jesus as Advocate look like in a specific situation? [39:11]
6. Does the needed turn toward Christ feel more like a small adjustment or a major change of direction? What is one clear next step toward the Savior that can be taken this week? [47:47]
7. Romans 12:1 calls believers to offer their whole lives to God as worship. What is one habit, desire, or decision that could be turned over to God as an act of worship? [53:49]