All right, let's take our Bibles
and turn with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter 27. Proverbs
27. I'd like to look at verse 11. Proverbs
27, 11. My son, Be wise and make my heart glad
that I may answer him that reproacheth me. You know, I always like to take
the Proverbs and set forth the natural understanding. there's always a natural understanding
to the book of Proverbs. It's a book of wisdom and that
which is set forth, these wise precepts, we would do well to
give them some heartful thinking. Now what The Spirit of God has
moved Solomon to express this morning is this. A parent, a responsible parent,
desires toward his son, toward his children, to be wise in their
conduct and their decision. That's what it says. My son,
be wise. want their children to conduct
themselves wisely, that the uprightness of the child's actions would
prove to be the best answer to any attack that would be made
upon the character or the intent of the parent's ability to raise,
to teach that child They want their children be responsible. That's what he's saying. Be wise.
Make my heart glad. Why? Because respectful children
reflect the parents. I want my kids to act responsibly. I want my kids to act like believers. I want them to be responsible. Get a job, get married, be a
husband. Married, be a wife. Your parent,
be a parent, raise them according to these precepts. Act responsibly, that's what
I want. I don't, you know, no responsible
parent wants their children to be irresponsible. Now, as parents
are born into this world and they love faithfulness in their
children, the heavenly father. The father revealed his love
for the faithfulness of his only begotten son. On two occasions,
the father spoke from heaven and he declared this truth. This
is my beloved son. in whom I am well pleased." Well pleased in what? Well, the
father sent the son into this world on purpose. He came into this world to save
a people. of God's choosing, of the Father's
choosing. The Father gave him a people. And these elect, given unto the
Son, he had from the Father the responsibility of their salvation. And that salvation must be accomplished,
but it must be accomplished according to the character of Almighty
God, His holiness, His justice, His righteousness, that all reproaches
that would be levied against the Father would be answered by the faithfulness of the Son.
Whatever He gave Him a commission, this is the will of Him that
sent me, that of all that He's given me, I should lose none.
I should raise Him up at the last day. But coming into this
world, that accomplishment, the accomplishment of God's will,
it's going to have to be done according to God's character.
So with that truth in mind, I told you the natural thing about parents
want their kids to be responsible. You know that, you know that.
Concerning the father, speaking to the son, the submissive servant. And you know, before I go into
this, this doesn't need to be said, you understand this, but
as God, the father, would not be instructing him, he's God,
but as the submissive man, Christ Jesus, God, man, the servant
of Jehovah. Here's the father instructing
him, and here's the son. He's gonna bow, he's gonna hear.
He said, the words that I speak, father gave those words to me.
So he listened to this. My son, my son, And here's the
father now speaking, my son. Now, to not be wise above that
which is revealed in scripture, and knowing that our present
falling state, it's impossible for us to know the son as we
would desire. The father knows the son. That's
what the Lord says. The father knows me, I know the
father. But I'm telling you that by faith, We believe when Almighty
God declares, this is my only begotten to come from, to come
from me. This is my only begotten son.
This is what we say. As God says that Christ is his
son, he's his son. My son, the scripture declares
him to be the son of God. In his twofold nature, God Man,
totally God, totally man. In the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ, according to that everlasting covenant of God's grace, the
Son has stood in holy agreement with the Father, with the Spirit,
to be the surety. I'm going to answer. I will do
that which the Father has commissioned me to do. I'll answer for the
sheep. Because in Him, by Him, and through
Him alone, we have access to the Father. No man cometh unto
the Father but by me, so he's talking to it. My son, my son,
God Almighty made flesh God, that he might live as the God-man
mediator in holy obedience to his own law, that he might live
as the federal head and representative of the sheep, that he might establish
by his obedience their righteousness before God that's imputed To
them that he might lay down his life is their sin atoning redeemer
and substitute. So unto the servant, the humble
servant of Jehovah himself, the father
says, my son, be wise. and make my heart glad."
Now, here unto wisdom himself, the one everlastingly loved,
known, trusted of Jehovah, the Father gives this instruction,
be wise in the work that I've called you to. that I've sent
you for. Be wise. Be wise that my will,
that my love, my grace, my mercy, my favor toward my people might
be accomplished in absolute holiness and righteousness. Be wise. Here's what he was saying, let
every thought Every word, every action of your being, let it
be done in wisdom that my will for them might be openly set
forth. You be wise, be wise. If these words were not written
down here, what man would dare say this? The Spirit of God put
that in there. So we in absolute agreement with
what God Almighty has said. And I know that these scriptures
are concerning Him. The Lord said they were. Beginning
at Moses, all the scriptures He expounded unto them, those
things concerning Himself. I know, I know what this is.
I know this is concerning Christ. Be wise, be wise. You do that
which I have commissioned you to do. And then here was the
heart of the Lord Jesus declaring in John 8, 29, he that sent me
is with me. The father hath not left me alone
for I do. Always those things that please
Him. I do always. I always answer
the demand for righteousness before His law. By my perfect
obedience, I do, I do, always. I always satisfy the demand for
his justice to his law, bearing the sheep's guilt and shedding
his own blood on their behalf. I always do those things that
please him. The Lord Jesus said unto his
disciples when they had gone into the town, whenever he had
gone to the well in Samaria, he must needs go through Samaria,
he's talking to the woman at the well and he's talking to
them, they come back with something to eat. And then he makes this
statement, my meat, that which satisfies me, that which I feast
upon, my meat is to do the will of him that sent me and finish
his work. That's what I live upon. I live
on that. And at the cross, he cried this.
It is finished. It's finished. My son, be wise. Be wise. Be wise. Make my heart glad. Why? That I may answer him that
reproaches me was the answer. given according to the Spirit
of God. Now, what is it to reproach God? Reproach God. I look the word
up, to taunt, T-A-U-N-T, to blaspheme, to defy, to rail, to upbraid. It's to call into question God's
sovereign right. Turn with me to Romans chapter
nine, hold your place there in Proverbs, and turn to Romans
nine. I'm gonna tell you, I came across
this looking at this again, this probably, and one of the writers
said this, and I absolutely believe it's right. This chapter 9 right
here is probably the very chapter that I would say is the most
hated chapter to the carnal mind. To the carnal mind. This probably
just flies in the face of man falling in Adam. Romans chapter
9. This is it. Well let me say it
like this. I bet you won't find one that's
more hated than this one. This chapter right here sets
forth the absolute right of God to do as he will, with whom he
will, as he will. Who created this world? The earth is the Lord's, and
the fullness there. Brother Scott, you say, who's
running this show? He worketh all things after the counsel
of his own will. what the Lord said to the son,
my son, you'd be wise, be wise. Make my heart glad, make my heart
glad that I may have any reproaches against me answered by your obedience. Romans chapter nine, Verse 13
to 21, now here's, you know, when we say any reproaches against
the Lord, just listen to what the word of God says. Romans
9, 13. As it is written, Romans 9, verse
13. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses,
I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I'll have compassion. So then, it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I
might show my power in thee, that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, why
doth he yet find fault? Well then what? If he does as
he will in the army of heaven among the inhabitants of the
earth, he shows mercy and compassion to whomsoever he will, then how
can he find fault with me or somebody else for my actions? How can he find
fault with me? For who hath resisted his will?
Since he's God Almighty, I don't get it. But listen to what the Spirit
of God says. No, nay, but oh man, who art thou? That replies,
that answers again, that disputes against God. Shall the thing
formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over
the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and
another vessel unto dishonor? My son, be wise. Make my heart
glad that I may answer him that reproaches me. Almighty God has
declared. Started off, he said, Jacob,
have I loved? Esau, have I hated? My question
is this. Does God have a right to do that? Yeah. Yeah. Somebody said, well,
I don't see why that's fair. Let's just refer back to verse
20. Nay, but, O man, who art thou
that replies against God? Who are you? If God is willing, in His infinite
mercy, to save a sinner, does God have the right to show mercy? Yeah. Does God have the right? He told
Pharaoh, for this reason, I raised you up that I might show my power in
thee, that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Does
God have the right to leave a man to himself? Yes. Yes. No one can reproach God justly,
lay charge to Him. Man by nature hates God's right
to show mercy, like a Saul of Tarsus. It was a rebel against
God. He had papers of authority, and
he's going to get all who were of the way. And God stopped him. God stopped him. Saul, Saul,
why persecutest thou me? Stopped him in his tracks? Did
God have the right to stop him? Yes! What if God leaves Pharaoh to
himself? To do exactly what he wanted
to do. Listen, listen. Now listen to
what I'm saying. All that hear the Word of God,
and lay a reproach toward God. You are not fair. You are not as I think you should
be. Why didn't you, why didn't you,
it should have been, listen, if God leaves a man or a woman
to do exactly what they want to do, not bow, not agree, not come, not cast
themselves upon the mercy of God. If God leaves a man or a
woman to themselves to argue and to reproach against him,
if he leaves you alone, does he do you wrong by leaving
you alone? No. Man does just what he wants
to do. He wants to do that. If God leaves
a man, leaves a woman to themselves, they're doing what they want
to do. And therefore, you cannot blame
God allowing you to do what you want to do and then judge you
for it. You can't blame God for that.
But if God is pleased to spare another, Relinquishing no justice
whatsoever. Pleased to pluck one out of the
bondage of sin. Does God have the right to do
that? Show mercy? Yes. Yes. But how can God do that? He's God. He's God. How can God be just
and justify a sinner? How can God be just in punishing
sin and still justify a rebel against Him? It was answered,
we've read it so many times, 2 Corinthians 5.21, He hath made
Him Christ. To be sin for us who knew no
sin that we might be made the righteousness of God is Him.
Listen, God is just, and He is a merciful Savior. He's never unfair. He's never
unfair. Ephesians 1, 3, and 4, Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ,
according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love, but never at the expense of his justice. God never lowers his demand for
justice, that he might show mercy. We told Moses, I will be gracious
to whom I'll be gracious. I'll show mercy on whom I'll
show mercy. And no man has the right to question
or reply against God or say unto him, why hast thou made me thus? Man does what he wants to do,
and God does too. If God's pleased to pluck a man
out of the darkness of sin, gives him a new heart, and makes that
man and that woman willing in the day of His power, what do
they want to do now? I want to come. I want to bow.
I want to cry out for mercy. Lord, forgive me. Forgive me
for the stupidity of my heart. You're looking at the biggest
rebel in the world. You've never seen a rebel. You've never met
one in your lifetime that was greater than me. Argue against
God? Call into question his right? Oh, listen. If a sinner perishes,
now just take this to heart. I'm gonna stop right here. If
a sinner perishes, he does so because he wanted to. This book. declares that God
delights in mercy. Somebody asked Charles Spurgeon
one time, well, you're talking about the elect, and only the
elect are gonna be saved, and I'm, you know, I'm saying, let
me tell you what, my friend. You need mercy? Do you desire
mercy? Cast yourself upon the mercy
of God. You say, what if I'm not one of the
elect? Come to Christ. If one perishes,
remember this, he wanted to. If another is redeemed, regenerated
and kept by the power of God, it's because God was pleased
to save him. If you've been made to see yourself
in need, cast yourself upon the mercy of God. Be wise. Make my heart glad that
all the reproaches against me and the questions against me
will be answered by your actions. He came into this world, God
Almighty, and bowed. He bowed. submitted himself even to the
death of the cross. Why will you perish? Why will
you perish? I pray the Lord bless these words
to our hearts for Christ's sake. Amen. All right.