Proverbs chapter 12. I'd like to look at verse 4 this
morning. Proverbs chapter 12, verse 4. You know, as we read these scriptures, and we we consider in light of
our Lord's declaration to his apostles when they ask him to
remember, always remember this about the book of Proverbs, especially. He was speaking specifically
about these, but all the scriptures like this. Why do you speak in
these parables? He said, because it's given unto
you to know. the mystery of the kingdom of
God, and unto them it's not given. Now you know, wouldn't that just
make you stop and think that God is distinguishing? I mean, I understand by nature we argue
against him, I understand I do understand that for the grace
of God, no one would believe this truth. But in that day, that day in which all men will
stand before Him, this is the way it's going to be. God is
going to be true and every man is going to be a liar. all arguments against him, they
are not going to stand. Verse 4 says, Proverbs 12, A
virtuous woman is a crown to her husband, but she that maketh
a shame is as rottenness in his bones. I've said before, I do understand,
I perfectly understand that so often the Proverbs can be read
in a natural sense, I know that. A virtuous woman, naturally speaking,
a faithful, chaste, reverent, prudent, prudent toward
her husband prudent toward her family, her children, her community. One that walks uprightly. What a wonderful thing. A virtuous woman. What a beautiful
thing that is. And man too. She's not a map that her husband
walks on. She's his crown. She's his honor. Her husband's
proud of her. This is my wife. A man that loves his wife, he
introduces her to people. This is my wife. I go somewhere and I Go back
to places, people I've known for years and years. Walk up,
introduce, this is my wife. Thankful for her, proud of her. I want to defend her, I want
to protect her character. Don't want anybody talking about
her. But when we think Spiritually,
this is where we got to go. This is the only place you can
go. Spiritually speaking, a virtuous woman, the bride of the Lord
Jesus Christ. One that has been made what she
is by God's grace, God's power, and God's love. He has made her in Himself, robed
her in His righteousness. She is before God Almighty. Beautiful. Virtuous. Chase. Listen to the Psalm of
Solomon 311. Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion. And behold, King Solomon, with
the crown wherewith his mother, crowned him in the day of his
espousals, in the day of the gladness of his heart." I went
over that verse again this morning and I thought, you know, man,
I could just stay right there. There's so much. I see where he talks about King
Solomon, truly the wise king, the Lord Jesus Christ himself,
wisdom himself. That king that was crowned with
his mother in the day of his espousals. Who is his mother? Well, I'll
read this to you so we can understand. You say, the mother? Yeah. Matthew, let me just read your
mouth. Matthew 12, 48, 49. Here's the Lord Jesus Christ
speaking. One of them had come up to him
and said that they were out of wine. Your mother desires to
speak to thee. But he answered and said unto
him that told him, Here's my mother. Who are my brethren? And he stretched
forth his hand toward his disciples and said, Behold my mother and
my brethren. Here's my family right here. These are born of my Father,
flesh of my flesh. Who is my mother? My people. They are His crown. Crowned with His mother. Not crowned by His mother. Didn't say she crowned Him. He's
crowned with her. She is His crown. When you first
read that, you think, well, it's His mother that placed the crown
on Him. No. He's crowned with her. Almighty God has crowned him
with her. In the day of his espousals,
he was crowned with her. What day was that? He's always been crowned with
her. I've loved you with an everlasting love. Eternally betrothed to
her. She's always been His honor.
She's always been His glory. You consider the honor that is
put upon the Lord Jesus Christ by His church. Considered, not
because of her ability or her natural merit, under no circumstances. but because of the honor toward
Christ in her redemption. She is the recipient of His grace. She's the recipient of His mercy. She's the recipient of His power.
She's the recipient of His redemption. And He's crowned with her, as
I said. She's not the one that places
the crown on Him. She is His crown. In regeneration, the bride is
made to behold Him who is the King of kings. Drawing His own to Himself, the
gladness of His heart. I read these things and I think
to myself, these things are way too high for me. I see something
of myself, and in my flesh, this is how quickly I can think of
things like this. Seeing the way I am, how does
he put up with me? How, Lord, do you tolerate one
such as I am? Oh, tell me one more time about
longsuffering. Would you read that scripture
to me one more time about God's long-suffering, not willing that
any of His own, of His people, of His church should perish? Isaiah 62, 3, Thou shalt also
be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, a royal diadem in
the hand of thy God, The church is the Lord's glory. Let me make good on that, 2 Corinthians
8.23. The church, the bride of Christ,
that is His glory. 2 Corinthians 8.23. Whether any do inquire of Titus,
Paul said, he's my partner. in Philip Helper concerning you. And our brethren, be inquired
of, they are the messengers of the churches and the glory of
Christ. The bride of Christ is His glory. I think about just then that
scripture where Moses said, Lord, show me Your glory. And you remember,
as I told you before, that word means to think, show me your
glory, show me your thoughts. He said, I will have mercy on
whom I have mercy. I'll have compassion on whom
I have compassion. When we see the redemption and
the preservation of God's people when we see the evidence of God's
grace, when we behold the grace of God in the lives of His people,
like Brother Tommy. A while ago, Chris was telling
me, Tommy said, I'm fearful in the sense I don't want to be
disrespectful to the Lord. You're seeing the glory of God
right there. Show me your glory. I look and I see. I see the glory
of God. I see the grace of God. That's
what Barnabas said. He saw the grace of God. You
see it in the lives of God's people. I listen. I've spoken to so many of you.
Sometimes we'll just talk, you know, one on one here. Just talk
for a minute. And I listen to the sounds of
the glory of God. in the face of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and in my heart I rejoice, and I think to myself, I see
God's glory right here. It's in His people. You see,
the Bride of Christ, that's His glory. Revelation 19.12 talking about
the Bride. His eyes were as a flame of fire,
and on his head were many crowns. Oh, the wonder of God's grace. That bride is a virtuous woman,
chaste, honorable, not made so by her own self-righteous works,
but by the marvelous grace of God. Listen to Ephesians chapter
2, Ephesians 2 verses 6 and 7. And hath raised us up together,
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that
in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of
his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. You want to talk about the crown,
the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ? Look around and behold the mercy
of God to such as we are. In ourselves, what do we have
to give Him? He looked upon us in mercy and
in grace took what we are as being born
in Adam and made Himself that, made Himself a curse to deliver
us from the curse of the law, the just due of the law, the
broken law. Made sin that we might be made
the righteousness of God in Him. Oh, be strong in the Lord and
in the power of His might. She waits on the Lord because
she knows she is weak. A virtuous woman is a crown to
her husband, but she that maketh a shame is a rottenness in his
bones. Well, humanly speaking, again,
you know that that scripture is clear. It doesn't need any
explanation. Whether a man or a woman, contentious,
unfaithful, seeking the admiration of others at their spouse's expense, rottenness in their bones, embarrassment. That very attitude is disease
itself, hurtful, undermines joy and peace, happiness. But who are these, if the virtuous
woman, the bride of Christ herself, if she gives the crown to her
husband, who are these that maketh the shame and its rottenness
in his bones? All false religion. All false
religion. And I'll just tell you this.
Everybody is one or the other. Everybody. You say, well, I don't
go to church. Well, you're your own God. Everybody has got some belief. Everybody believes something. Many make outward confessions
to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 15. Let me just
read this for you. Matthew 15, 8 and 9 says this,
ìThis people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth
me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, but in
vain do they worship me. For doctrines, the commandments
of men. Many will say in that day, Lord,
Lord, haven't we, it's repulsive to a believer. You feel pity and you feel you're
concerned. But when you hear someone dishonor
God, you hear someone and it's just
he praises on man and praises on their work, praises, and you
think. That really, because I know just
enough about the nature of man to know that's not right. That's
repulsive. But those that stand and make
an outward confession to know, I know God, and the reason that
I know God is because I, here it goes, What's going to happen with these
lukewarm professors? The Lord said, I'm going to spew
you out of my mouth. What's going to happen in that
day, that great day of judgment, when men stand before God and
try to argue their own case without a substitute, without the substitute,
without the mediator, without the great high priest? What's
going to happen? There's therefore now no condemnation
to them that be in Christ Jesus. What's the evidence of a man
or a woman that's in Christ? They forsake all confidence in
their flesh. Paul said, I count it but done
that I may win Christ and be found in Him. Oh, but consider the alternative
of that situation right there. one that maketh ashamed, rottenness
in his bones. I see something of the absolute
necessity of God's grace and power to make the bride what
she is because I know that she was born in Adam just like everybody
else. We all came out of the same lot. We all came out of the same slew
of despondent. We all came out of that by nature. We were all children of wrath. Not wrath, as I've said before,
not for God's will, toward us. But we had an attitude of wrathfulness
before Him. We all were like that. Think
about that thief on the cross. Remember, they were both raving
on the Lord at one time. And then just Scripture, just,
I mean, then one of them said, We're getting what we deserve. This man's done nothing. Lord,
would you remember me when you enter into your kingdom? Oh,
now there's a crown of glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. But
that one on the other side that just continued telling the Lord,
look, won't you get us Get all three of us down from here. Rottenness. For all the shameful things,
there is none good, no, not one. But for the bride of Christ,
one that He calls out darkness into the glorious light of the
Lord Jesus Christ. In herself, she knows She knows
what she is. She knows something of her need
of Him. And she continually cries daily, Lord, increase my faith. Lord, be merciful to me, the
sinner. I can tell you from the authority
of the Word of God, she's not going to make Him ashamed. She's not going to be rottenness
in His bones. She's going to be pure and spotless
with that blemish robed in His perfect righteousness. She's
going to desire His honor and His praise and His glory. She's
going to. And all the while, she's going
to see that presence of sin in her. She's going to struggle
in this world. But soon that body of death is
going to be put off. And she's going to be with Him,
the one she truly desires. And she'll forever thank Him.
A wonder. God's people in this world. I
got a letter yesterday from Brother Henry Mayhem. And he wrote something
down on the bottom of this letter, and I wanted to share it with
you, concerning those that are a crown unto the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, in light of this, who
are God's elect? He said, they are the people
who made this country what it is today. They're neighbors everyone
is blessed to have. They're believers who love and
trust and honor God's word. They're church members who make
pastoring a joy. They're pupils. who make learning
a pleasure in their service, who will hear our Lord say, well
done, thou good and faithful servant. These are a crown of
our blessed Savior. In themselves, they say and think, can it be
that I am one that God has shown mercy to. When I see, as old Newton
said, when I look within, all is dark and wild. But see, there's no comfort looking
within. Look within, it's always going to be like that. Look to Him. Thank Him. Praise Him for His honor. Lord, thank You. Thank you for
the mercy that you've shown to me. Lord help me, for Christ's
sake.