It's good to see all of you.
Let's take our Bibles and turn with me to the book of Proverbs.
Proverbs chapter 30. Proverbs 30. I'd like to look
at verses 24 to 28. And tonight I want us to consider as we look at God's word as it
sets forth in type and picture man's true spiritual need. And also the Lord's merciful
provision according to his distinguishing grace. The Lord said, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy. All the apostle was moved to
also add under the direction of God's spirit and whom he will,
he hardness leaves to themselves. I want us to remember as we're
going through these scriptures, these parables. These are earthly
stories. They're true earthly stories,
but they have a heavenly meaning. Man by nature can see the earthly
part of it. It's not hard. Often we read
some of these parables or I know I do and I'll read that and I'll
say to myself, I know what it's saying. I get it. I get that. But where's the gospel in that? Where's the gospel in that? And
that's what we're asking the Lord to show us. Show us the
gospel in this. Now let's read. Proverbs chapter
30, starting in verse 24. There be four things which are
little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise. The ants are a people not strong,
yet they prepare their meat in the summer. The Coneys are but
a feeble folk, yet make their houses in the rocks. The Locusts
have no king, yet they go forth, all of them, by bands. Now that's, as we read it, that's seen Naturally
speaking, that's just information. That's just something to do. Ants, the scripture says forth,
and here's what it's saying. Ants are not strong. They're not strong. That's what
the scripture says forth. If they bite you, they hurt.
But I can step on one. I can get it. I can step on it. They're not strong, but though
not strong in themselves, there's something that's said about ants
here. They're wise. The ants are people, not strong,
yet here's what they do. They prepare their meat in the
summer. Ants have got an instinct, animals,
there's an instinct, there's something put in these animals
by Almighty God that makes them aware of a need of the future. Something's coming, something's
coming. You're starting to see this already, ain't you? It's
just something, something's here. These ants, small, but there's
some wisdom to it. There's something about preparing. I used to, being in Louisiana,
we had fire ants. Now those of you that's been
down south a little bit and have just a little bit of experience
with some fire ants, they're not like these little black ones
you see around here. That little black one ain't no
big deal. But I'm gonna tell you something. If you get into
some fire ants, They're bad, they're bad news. But you can
still kill them, because they're little. You can still get them. But there's something about them
that has the instinctiveness, by God, to know what's coming. I used to go out and my dad would
show, we'd look at an ant bed, and if you get a regular, just
a regular ant bed, it might stick up, maybe about an inch, but
if you get an ant bed and it's up, and the winter is starting
to come, and it's up higher than normal, my dad would tell me,
he said, the reason that is because it's gonna be a harder winter.
And they have an instinct about them that tells them, get a little
bit more protection about that. Animals are like that. And it
says, secondly, verse 26, the Cones are but a feeble folk,
yet make they their houses in the rocks. These Cones. Most people say it's a rock rabbit. It's just a little animal, a
rabbit. And it says that they're feeble. But they have sense enough to
seek some shelter in the rocks. where they're protected. They
can get in areas and they get in little crevices and things
from natural predators. There's an instinctiveness about
hiding. They know when something's around,
something ain't supposed to be there, they scurry away and they
get in these cracks and hide from a predator. And then the scripture says the
locus, which is a locus. They have no king, yet they go
forth, all of them, by bands. There's no king locus. There's no governing locus. But they all have the ability
to join themselves, according to these scriptures, they band
together in unity. providing for themselves and
seeking that which is needful for them. If they're gonna take
a field, get a bunch of locusts, I've never seen this, I've read
about them, where these locusts, they'd go through these fields
and they'd just devastate them. There's food, there's weed out
there, and they'd go out there and there's something about them
and they band together and they eat up what's there. While it's there, they're gonna
get it while they can. And then it says the spider,
the spider, which is actually, I looked it up, most of them
think it's a lizard, a lizard. And even some said a gecko. gecko. When we were down in Mexico,
these little geckos, they hang on the side of a wall. I mean, you can try to hang on
the side of the wall, but I'm going to tell you what's going
to happen. If you don't have something to stand on or hold
on to, you're going to fall. But these little the spider,
these lizards, these little geckos, whatever comes their way, they're
able to grasp hold of it and hold on to it for protection. So the scriptures is setting
forth that God Almighty has provided for the need of these little
natural animals, these little things, these ants, these little
lizards, these things that seem so insignificant. But God has
set forth in his scriptures how he provides for them, how he
protects them, how he watches over them. These animals are
God's means to preach to us. These little animals have a need.
They need protection. They need food. They're gonna
have to have food in the hard times, in the good times. And
these locusts is gonna have to banding together for a holding
on for security. God is preaching. This whole
creation manifest the glory of God is preaching to us. The word
of the Lord is heard and man by nature doesn't hear it. He
does not hear what's being said. But God's people have a blessed
new heart, eyes to see and ears to hear, and they hear the voice
of the Lord. I've told you many times, I'll
listen to that, the believers, the people of God, my sheep,
the Lord said, they hear my voice. And I've said myself, I said,
I know the Lord speaks in his word, he speaks in our hearts,
he speaks in the conscience and stuff like that. God Almighty
is preaching in these animals out here. Everything is setting
forth that there's a need that only God can supply. That's what's
being said. Oh, the beautiful message and
assurance that the Lord himself, not only for the natural animals
in this world, the bugs and everything else, but God himself is going
to supply the need of his people. He's going to protect them. He's
going to watch over them. He's going to set forth whatever
their need. John, I mean, the apostle Paul
said in Philippians chapter four, verse 19, my God, shall supply all your need according
to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. I don't know the depth
of my need. I know I need to breathe, I need
to eat, I need to drink, I need, I know, but I need salvation. And for the people of God, here's
the promise of God. My God shall supply all your
need, whatever you need. Paul said this, there's a lot
of things I want. He didn't promise he'd provide
all of our wants, but all of our needs, what I need. So obviously man is born in need. Man by nature, is born into this
world, a fallen creature of the dust. And therefore, he's in
need of rescue. God is gonna rescue his people
because here's the problem. We're going to leave this world.
All these little bugs that's been talked about right here,
that little lizard, that ant, now they're gonna die and that's
over, but not for mankind. Not for men. God Almighty breathed
into man the breath of life. And man is going to be alive. I'm not saying all men are going
to be spiritually alive, but there's going to be life. There's
going to be somewhere. We're not gonna pass. The scripture
sets forth that we're not gonna leave this world. It's appointed
unto man, the scripture declares, once to die, and then the judgment. Like I said, these little ants
and these locusts and that little rabbit and that lizard, it's
gonna come to an end, but not for man, not for man. And so
therefore, let me tell you what the Lord has been pleased to
do. He's been pleased to give a warning,
a warning to all men. Whenever I'm telling you that
that little ant has been found to prepare his meat in the winter,
Man's gonna have to eat, he's gonna have to eat. Whenever those
little conies, those little rabbits, those little feeble folks, whenever
they make their houses in the rocks, scriptures is gonna say,
you need a covering. You need a covering, you need
protection. These locusts, spider, lizard,
everything has a need. But while everything will die
and it'll be over for man, it's not going to be over. Man is going to exist eternally
for one reason. God has breathed in him the breath
of life and man's going to leave this world and he's either going
to spend eternity with the Lord or he's going to be spending
eternity In hell, the scripture sets forth this truth. I'm gonna
tell you, I've got somebody in my family was talking
one day and they said, I've heard that this thing of we're gonna
die and everything and we're gonna either live in heaven or
hell. He said, that's not so. I want you to hold your place
right there and turn with me to Luke 16. Luke 16. Now, let God be true. Luke 16,
verse 19 to 24. 16. There was a certain rich
man. And the thing that I've noticed,
I've said this before concerning the scripture, this doesn't say,
the Lord doesn't say this was a parable. He said there was
a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen
and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar
named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of sores and
desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's
table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked
his sores. And it came to pass that the
beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was
buried, and in hell he lifted up his eyes. Being in torments,
seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And I won't read
the rest of the story. The point is that two men died. One of them knew God and one
of them did not. One of them was secure in the
person of the Lord Jesus Christ and the other one wasn't. But
when they died, they both went to their respective places. Almighty God is one that determines
where man or woman is going to be. But it does not leave a man
that rejects Christ to be without blame. This ants right out there
is telling us that all creatures need a place of food, of feasting. A little rabbit a little locust,
they're all saying that we're in need. Everybody, this world
is preaching. And so that man is without excuse. Now, beloved, if someone would
ask me, because there's a passage of scripture that I want you
to look to, I want you to hold your place, turn to the book
of Amos, Amos. Book of Amos, you'll see Jeremiah and Ezekiel,
and if you get to Hosea, just keep going, Joel, Amos. Amos, chapter four, this was a passage
of scripture that I came to as I was looking over, I was looking
over my notes in Proverbs. And I came across when I was
looking over in Proverbs and I was reading in verse 25, you
hold your place in Amos chapter four right there for a second.
The answer of people not strong, yet they prepare. That word prepare is what caught
my heart. That's what caught my eye in
this passage. They prepare their meat in the
summer. And as I began to think on that,
they made preparation. They were preparing. And I read
the rest of it. These right there, these coneys,
they hide. And this one does it, this one
doesn't. But prepare is what grasped my heart. Amos chapter
4, verse 12. Therefore, thus will I do unto
thee, O Israel, and because I will do this unto thee, The Lord had
been telling His people of their rebellion. You can go back and
you can read that fourth chapter and I can tell you what it's
gonna say. The Lord had told them, I've given you all that
you've needed, I've provided for you, I have watched over
you, I've kept you. All men by nature are without
blame. The Lord has given all men, we
all, whether we know the Lord, whether we don't know the Lord,
the Lord has provided rain for everybody. God's reign. I said before, that breath of
air you just took, that was not your air. That belongs to God. But God has graciously given.
He's provided for all of us. But a man or a woman that leaves
this world, let me tell you, what this scripture says. I'll
read verse 12 again. Therefore, thus will I do unto
thee, O Israel, because I will do this unto thee. Listen to these words. Prepare
to meet thy God, O Israel. Prepare to meet thy God. I thought on those words and
I thought, does man by nature think when he reads those words,
prepare to meet thy God. My mind began to mull over in
all these things that men say that they can do to prepare to
meet God. Now you think about this. All
these little animals, those ants, those conies, those lizards,
preparation, preparation, preparation. They were all preparing because
there was need. And the Lord tells us, prepare
to meet thy God. Prepare to meet thy God. Now,
I'll be honest with you, I mulled that over in my mind the last
few days. I've thought on those words and
I thought, okay. The Lord said, without me, you
can do nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Man by nature is going to say,
all you have to do. And the Lord says, not by works
of righteousness that we've done. But here in Amos, he's saying,
prepare to meet God. Prepare. Now, you're gonna be sitting
there with that same look that I had as I read over that. I'm
thinking, okay, now, I should know this. I should know this. What does a man do to prepare
to meet God? I know I'm gonna meet him. Scripture
declares there was two men. One of them died, knew God, and
the angels took him to heaven, and the other one lifted his
eyes up out of hell. What does a man or a woman do
when it comes to this thing? And as I thought on these things,
I thought, Lord, only you can teach us. And I began to think on a couple
of scriptures where men that was recorded in the scriptures
left this world and met God. And I thought to myself, Lord, would you teach me through your
word concerning what you said these men that left this world
did? You accepted it. Tell me, they
did something. They did something. Not for righteousness,
but because of it. They did something. What was
it? I want you to turn with me to
Acts chapter 7. Acts chapter 7. Acts 7, I'm gonna read verses
54 to 60. Acts 7. Starting in verse 54. A man named Stephen was preaching
to a group of people, and they hated what they were hearing. They hated it. And the scripture
says, verse 54, Acts 7, When they heard these things, they
were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
But he being full of the Holy Ghost, He looked up steadfastly
into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on
the right hand of God and said, behold, I see the heavens open
and the son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they
cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and ran upon
him with one accord. cast him out of the city and
stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their
clothes at the young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they
stoned Stephen, calling upon God and saying, Lord, receive
my spirit. And he kneeled down and cried
him with a loud voice, said, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he said this, he fell
asleep. Here's what I saw in that passage
of scripture. This man, Stephen, was being
stoned. He was getting ready to meet
God. Preparation was being made. I
looked up that word, prepare. You know what it means? Lay hold.
Lay hold on this. They were hitting him with rocks,
bashing his brains in with rocks, and here was a man What was he
doing? He was calling on God. Lord,
help me. But what about his profession
of faith? What about all the good works he had done? What
did this man do? What did he have? He had one
hope. He had one hope. I thought of another example.
In Luke chapter 23, Luke chapter 23. Luke 23 verse 39. One of the malefactors, which
were hanged, railed on him saying, if thou be Christ, save thyself
and us. But the other answering rebuked
him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same
condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we
receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man hath done
nothing. Here was a man that was made
by the grace of God be honest. He was honest about himself.
He wasn't like that Pharisee that said, I'm not like this
publican over here. I fast twice a week and I do
this, I do that, do the other. Here was a man, he was telling
the other thief that was dying, he said, we're getting just exactly
what we deserve. We deserve to die. Verse 42. He said unto the Lord,
unto Jesus, Lord, here's a man now, prepare to
meet thy God. Lay hold of the only hope you've
got. He said unto Jesus, Lord, remember
me when thou enterest into thy kingdom. Lord, I have no good
works to give you. I have no faithfulness of my
own to claim. I have nothing. I have nothing. And I need mercy. I need mercy. I need mercy. He said unto Jesus, Lord, remember
me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto
him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in
paradise. Beloved, Any man that thinks
the Lord said, prepare to meet thy God. What can a man do? But by the grace of God lay claim
to this fact in myself, I'm nothing. I don't have anything. I haven't
prepared enough messages. I have not preached enough sermons.
I've not attended church enough. I've not sung enough hymns. I've
not prayed enough prayers. Without me, the Lord said you
could do nothing. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. Christ Jesus came to this world
to save sinners. Sinners. Paul said, of whom I'm
chief. We must have our sin debt paid. We must possess a righteousness
before God. And the only thing any man can
do, any woman can do, let me tell you the totality, look unto
Him. Come unto me, all you that labor,
heavy laden, all you that can't do for yourself, I'll give you rest. Makes me
think to myself, Lord, please forgive me for my doubting heart. Please forgive me, Lord, where
I've failed to think upon you as I should. Please forgive me.
Prepare to meet thy God. What preparation are you gonna
make? I tell you what Stephen did. I tell you what that dying
thief did. They cried out for mercy. What
were they in themselves? Both of them sinners. Paul said
he was the worst of all of them. Come unto me and I'll give you
rest. I pray God bless this to our hearts for Christ's sake.