The first Scripture I want you
to turn to is 1 Samuel 15. Chapter 15. We will look at several different
Scriptures tonight. I want tonight to talk about
things that are better. Things that are better. I heard
someone make the comment on television that they hoped that 2021 would
turn out to be a better year. And my first thought is this,
was God's will done in 2020? Was the purpose of God accomplished
in 2020? It's been a good year. Every
year is a good year because God's will is done. His purpose is
done. And we are one year closer to being home. Now, does it get
any better than that? It doesn't. And I know that we
like things that are better. And when we think of things that
are better, we usually think of a better job, better health. It's always something better.
that pleases the flesh. That's naturally how we think. It's something that pleases the
flesh. But when the Scripture speaks
of things that are better, it has to do with the soul. It has
to do with God's glory and our good. It has to do with spiritual
things. So the first Scripture I want
us to look at, in 1 Samuel 15, in verse 22. And Samuel said, Hath the Lord
a great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying
the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better, it's
better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. Why is that? Well, first of all,
because of disobedience, sin came into the world. Because
of disobedience, we are in the mess. This whole world is in
the mess that it's in. It's because of disobedience.
Disobedience is in direct opposition to the will of God. Obedience
is better than sacrifice because God is more glorified and self
is more denied. Obedience is better. Obedience
to the will of God and the gospel of God is better than you perishing
under the wrath of God." That's better, isn't it? That's better,
I think. I know it is. Turn to Psalm 37. We're going to do a lot of turning
tonight, so let's turn to Psalm 37. In Psalm 37, in verse 16, listen. A little
that a righteous man hath is better. A little that a righteous
man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. Men and women
who are made righteous in Christ, they usually don't have much
of this world's goods. They don't. They usually don't
have much of it. And that's better. That's better. No matter how
little my estate may be, it's better than all the riches and
estate of the wicked. Isn't it? The little that we
may have, that God has given us, is better than all the riches
of the wicked. Thank God if you have been given
a little understanding of who God is. Do you know how few people
in this world of seven billion people have a real understanding
of who God is? Very few in comparison. Thank
God if you have a little understanding of who Jesus Christ is, and who
you are, and your need of Christ. What a blessing that is. That
is a priceless blessing to be given that. That's far better
than to possess the brain of Einstein and the riches of Bill
Gates. It is. A little that a righteous man
hath is better than the riches of many wicked. Many wicked is
better than their riches. It's better to know where my
little comes from than having a lot and thinking
I got it myself. It is so much better to know
where my little bit comes from. I thank God for what I have. I thank God. And then turn to Psalm 84. Psalm 84, look in verse 10. For a day in thy courts is better
than a thousand. I'd rather be a doorkeeper in
the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. A day spent in worship and communion
with God is better than a thousand days or a thousand years or a
thousand ages spent in this world. It's better. Take all the times that you have
spent in this world and the pleasures you've had, they cannot be compared
to one day with God. one day in real communion with
Almighty God. That's what he's saying there.
It's better. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand
days in this world. It's better than living a thousand
years in this world. I can tell you this. I'm confident
of this. When a believer dies, that moment
is better than all the days that he spent on this earth. If He
lived to be 900 years old, that day, that second, is better than
all the days He spent on this earth. This day is a special day because
it's of God and it's with God. What we are doing right now is
better than what the world is doing right now. Isn't this the best way to ring
in a new year? under the gospel, not out getting
drunk. I've always thought, how crazy to ring in a New Year
drunk and get up with a headache, get up with a hangover. What's good about that? We can
come here and sit and listen to the gospel I'd say it is,
it's true. This is better. This is far better
than to sit here and hear the gospel and to learn of Christ
again and to have our focus put right than it is to be out there with
the world. I have no interest in being out
there at all. I thank God for that. That's
the work of God. That's the work of God that you
would rather be here than out there. And then look at Psalm 118. We'll go through some of these,
just a few of them. Couldn't write them all down. Psalm 118, look in verse 8. It is better to trust in the
Lord than to put confidence in man. In verse 9, it is better
to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes, the
mighty. It is better to trust and hope
and look to the Lord Jesus Christ for guidance, for wisdom, for
protection, than to look to all the leaders of the world for
these things. Isn't it? It's better to look
to the Lord Jesus Christ for my salvation for time and eternity
than to look to any arm of the flesh. It's better to do that. One word from His mouth will
fail all my enemies. Just one word. He said, Lord,
just speak a word. He said, I'm a man under authority.
I know what that's all about. I can say to one, come, and he
comes, and I can say to one, go, and he goes. And he said,
Lord, all you need to do is speak a word, and my servant will be
healed. And I know that all that needs
to be done for any trouble that I'm in, whether it be physical
or outward or soul trouble, all that needs to be done is for
my Lord just to speak a word. That's all that needs to happen.
It's better to trust Him, to have confidence in Him, to look
to Him, to seek Him, than any man. Don't run to the world for
help. Run to Christ. Run to Him. Trusting our Lord has a better
ending. It does. Trusting Christ has
a better end than trusting men. I tell you this, any person you
trust, sooner or later, will fail you. If you hang around me long enough,
I promise you, hang around me long enough, sooner or later,
you're going to be disappointed. I'll disappoint you one way or
another. I will. But our Lord never does. He's
never a disappointment. Never. Our God will deliver everyone
who trusts Him, who looks to Him, follows Him. He delivers every one of them. Now, turn over to Proverbs 8.
Proverbs 8. Verse 11, For wisdom is better than rubies,
and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared
to wisdom. Christ, who has made unto us
wisdom, is to be desired more than all riches. He is to be
desired above all riches. That's why the Scripture tells
us in Colossians 3, set your affection on things above and
not on the things of this earth. Nothing that we can desire in
this life can bring us forgiveness. What's that worth? What's it
worth to be forgiven? I mean to be forgiven and know
you're forgiven. Nothing that we can desire can
bring us rest. or peace, or joy, but the Lord
Jesus Christ. All else will fail in that day
when we breathe our last breath, but our Lord will not fail us.
He will not disappoint. Nothing can be compared to Him. The Lord Jesus Christ is better
than all rubies. Listen to this. Without this
wisdom, without Christ being your wisdom, you'll lose your
rubies. You're going to lose your rubies. You're going to
lose your pearls, your rubies, your diamonds, your money. You're going to lose it. Even if you're buried with your
ring, it's going to stay in the grave. It ain't coming out of
that grave unless some robber comes along and takes it. No, you'll lose it. The rich
man lost his soul. He lost his soul. What do you
reckon right now? If he could come back and all these riches
given back to him, you'd think he would... Well, if God didn't
save him, he'd still do the same thing. But I tell you this, right
now, where he's at, he'd give all his riches to be out there.
He'd give all his riches to be out of that torment. That man
is there right now, and he's still alive. And he's still in
torment. And it's not going to change.
It's never going to change. Christ is better than rubies. And He's to be desired more than
silver and gold. Because He gives what silver
and gold cannot give. Eternal life. The life of God. Silver and gold can't give that.
But He can. Turn over to Proverbs 15. Look in verse 16 and 17. Better
is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and
trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where
love is." Now, if you just got some herbs, if that's all you
got, just a little lettuce on the table, a salad, that's all
you can come up with. It's better where love is than
a stalled ox and hatred therewith. Once again, how our Lord does
it, it's His Word, points out, it is better to have little of
this world and serve God faithfully with it in fear than great treasures
and nothing but trouble. You know great treasures usually
bring great troubles. Solomon said this, the rich man's
riches won't let him sleep. It won't let him sleep. This fear here, listen, better
is little with the fear of the Lord. This fear shows an understanding
of who God is. This is a lesson taught by God.
This fear comes not naturally, it's a divine work of God in
the soul. It's God making Himself known
to the sinner. And the fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom. And it's better, it says in verse
17, it's better, better is a dinner of herbs where love is. It's
better to have nothing but herbs to eat where love is, than to
have steaks on the table in hatred. To have a fine spread on that
table, but nobody can get along. Nobody can get along. It's better that the meat of
the Gospel be in your heart than steaks on the table. Let the
love of God be in you. It's better. It's better. Isn't this so opposite of what
we naturally think? It's just so opposite. We think
it's better if we should say, no, give me the money. You know,
give me the money. You know, the world, It can't
be satisfied. It's gimme, gimme, gimme. It's
like the ocean, Solomon said, it's never full. It's like the
eye, it's never full of seeing, or the ear is never full of hearing.
Human nature is never full of this world. There's no rest in
it. There's no rest. But my soul, The soul that has the Lord Jesus
Christ, if there's just some herbs on the table, there's rest,
there's peace, there's love. That home is rich. That home
is rich. Where there's peace and quietness. Look over in Ecclesiastes chapter
4. I would 10,000 times rather have
what Solomon is talking about here. Ecclesiastes 4, verse 6. Better is a handful with quietness. Now, that's not just quietness
around the table, that's quietness in the soul. as peace with God,
as peace of heart, as well as peace in the home. Better is
a handful, just a handful with quietness, than both hands full
with travail and vexation of spirit. If God gives you and
me a handful of the things of this life, and you and I are
able to enjoy them with quietness, with peace, with some rest. And we don't stick out our other
hand, try to bring ourselves into vexation of spirit and travail. We don't stick the other hand
out there trying to grab everything else going by. But we can just
absolutely thank God for what we have, for the little we have. Paul says, be content with such
things as you have. I've learned this about contentment.
The more you are, and I, the more we are content with the
Lord Jesus Christ, the more we are content with everything we
have. You show me a person who is not
content with what they have. They want to add to it, they've
got to have more, got to do this, got to do that. They're not content
with Christ. They've got a real spiritual
problem. The more of your contentment
you find in the Lord Jesus Christ, the more content you are with,
if you just have a little, that's enough. Isn't that enough? If
what I have, what I have is enough, because that's what God's given
me. That's what He's given me. And to learn to be content with
that is to learn to be content with Christ. Godliness, it says,
with contentment is great gain. Godliness in the heart, in the
life. He said that's great gain. Ecclesiastes chapter 7. We looked at this not too long
ago at a funeral, Tommy's funeral. Ecclesiastes 7, look in verses
1 and 2. A good name is better than precious
ointment and the day of death than the day of one's birth.
A good name is better to be had than all riches or titles that
this world can give. Why is that? Why is that? Because this good name that he's
speaking here of This good name comes from God. It comes from
God. It's a new name. Son of God. Now are we the sons of God. Son
of God. And it's unlike the one we were
born with. The name I was born with represents
sin. I got it from my parents. They
didn't make me son of God. They didn't write my name in
the Lamb's Book of Life, God did. And he wrote it down, Son
of God. Son of God. It's interesting, I was trying
to think of, I think it's Iceland. They named, their kids are named
after their father. They'll call them son of, you
know, they name their children after their father. and they'll
give him a name that it's son of, or daughter of, and ours
is John, son of God, or Ray, son of God. That's a new name
God's given us. Son of God. He wrote it down
in the Lamb's Book of Life. And I'll tell you this, it's good to be known for acts
of kindness and love that are the fruit of the Spirit than
to be known for wickedness or to be known for worldly success. A good name is to be known for
the kindness, love. That's the fruit of the Spirit.
When your name is mentioned, how would you like for people
to think of you when your name is mentioned? And then here, the day of one's
death is better than the day of one's birth. You know, the
day of a believer's death is a death to sin. It's death to
Satan. It is death to the world. It
is death to lust. That's a better day than when
he came into the world and was born in sin and under the power
of Satan. and of the world, and given to
the lust of His flesh. The day of our death, we lay
all these down and are over with. And what the believer is receiving
is far better than what he's leaving. You mark that down. What we are
receiving is far better than what we are leaving. Paul said,
for me, to live as Christ, to die as gain, And then he said there in verse
2, it's better to go to the house of mourning than the house of
feasting. We naturally don't think like
this. We don't naturally think that it's better to go to the
house of mourning than the house of feasting. But he says here,
here's the reason why. He gives the reason why. He doesn't
just make that statement and go on. He gives us the reason
why. For that's the end of all men. That's the end of all men. Everybody
ends up in the same place. It doesn't matter whether you're
rich or poor or what. We all end up in the same place,
the grave, the graveyard. His body, even when I'm talking
about his body, we all end up there. And the living, he says, will
lay it to his heart. Listen, truth, truth is better
than a lie. It's better to face the truth
about ourselves, about our sin, and about the end of things,
now, how it's going to end, when you'd rather know the truth.
Know the truth. It's better to know the truth
than it is to dance our way to hell. It's better to know godly sorrow
over my sins than to laugh my way to the judgment. The fool
wants to be in the house of mirth. He wants to be where there's
laughter and singing and everything seems to him to be merry. Next
thing you know, he dies, and there he's standing before God
in judgment. I'd rather God break my heart, make me sorrowful over
sin, and bring me to the feet of Christ than to let me be a
stupid fool and laugh my way to hell. The heart of the wise is in the
house of mourning. Look here in verse 4. The heart
of the wise in the house of the mourning, but the heart of fools
in the house of mirth. Now listen, the house of mourning
doesn't mean we go around mournful, but the house of mourning is
a mourning over sin. It's a broken heart. It's a broken
heart and a contrite spirit. O God, thou wilt not despise. That's better. The heart of the
wise is in the house of mourning. He knows his daily sins, he knows
his downfallings, but a fool's heart doesn't want to leave his
foolishness. In fact, his pleasure is his
shame, and he doesn't want to give it up. Look in verse 5. of chapter 7
of Ecclesiastes. It's better to hear the rebuke
of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools. Boy, you hear enough songs of
fools on the radio, don't you? You know, when I was younger,
I didn't pay any attention to the lyrics like I do now. I'm thinking,
I didn't know they talked about that. If they hear the songs
of fools, they are. It's better, listen, here it
is, it's better to hear the rebuke of the wise, now listen, the
gospel wise. He's talking about the gospel
preacher. It's better to hear the rebuke of the gospel wise
preacher than to hear the song of another gospel and be put
to sleep. That other gospel is the song
of fools. It's that health-wealth religion,
isn't it? You want to be happy? Don't you
want to be rich? Don't you want to be healthy? It has nothing to do with being
one with God. It has nothing to do with my sins being put
away. Now that's the rebuke of the wise. And then in verse 8 of that chapter, Better is the end of a thing
than the beginning thereof, and the patient in spirit is better
than the proud in spirit. The end of a believer's life
is better than its beginning, and the patient in spirit waiting
on the Lord's return, those who are patiently waiting on the
Lord's return, is better than the proud who waits on no one. Who are you waiting for? Are
you really waiting for Jesus Christ to return? You really
think He's going to? Absolutely. Absolutely. I tell you what, those who are
really, really looking and waiting for His return, their bags are
packed. Really? Your bags are packed. You're
ready to go. You're ready to go. Now look in Ecclesiastes chapter
9, verse 4. It's better to be a living Gentile
dog that eats the crumbs that fall from the master's table
than it is to be a spiritually dead Pharisee who knows not God. I tell you, which do you think
is better? To be a nobody and know God? or to be a somebody and be without
God. I take the being nobody. He must
increase and I must decrease. I must fade, I must so fade into
Him. I started to say fade out of
existence, but no, it's fade into Him. It's like when two
people get married. Here's what makes a successful
marriage. Now listen, this is it. I got it. I got it. When two
become one. Isn't that it? When two become one. When they
really become one. They move in the same direction.
They think alike. They begin to sound alike. When we become one with Christ,
that our existence just fades into Him. You couldn't have known the Apostle
Paul and not know Jesus Christ. Not know who His Lord was. You
couldn't have. If you're going to be around
Paul very long, you're going to know about Jesus Christ. Turn over to Mark chapter 9.
I'm going to wind this down. Let me see where I want to start
reading. In Mark chapter 9, look in verse 43. And if thy hand
offend thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter
into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell, into
the fire that never shall be quenched. It's better if God
breaks you than it is for Him to leave you alone and let you
feel good about yourself and perish. Listen, I don't know where I
got this, but this is good. I'm sure I didn't come up with
it. It's better to have one eye that sees than two eyes that
don't. It's better to have one ear that
hears than two that don't. It's better to have one leg that
works than two that don't. It is. It's better to be healed
inwardly toward God than outwardly and forget God. It's better. That's what our
Lord is saying. Now to close, I want to close
with saying some things about the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
better. First of all, His person is better
than anybody else's. Hebrews 1.4, being made so much
better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained
a more excellent name than they. He's God. That's His excellent
name. He's God. Then Christ is a better
hope than all others. is written in Hebrews 7.19, For
the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better
hope did. Who is that better hope? Jesus
Christ. He's the better hope. He's the
better hope than works of the law. He's the better hope than
anything we can think of. He's the better hope by which
we draw nigh to God. And then the covenant of grace
is far better than the old covenant of works, and it is established
upon better promises. Listen to the Scriptures. I'm
backing all these up with Scriptures. I'm not just rattling off what
I think. It's not my opinion. In Hebrews
7.22, by so much was Jesus made a surety of a better covenant. It's a covenant of grace. It's
a covenant of mercy. It's a covenant I cannot break.
It's a covenant established upon the person, the merits of Jesus
Christ. It's a better covenant. And then it's established upon
better promises. Listen, in Hebrews 8.6, But now hath he obtained
a more excellent ministry, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, by
how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was
established upon better promises. What's the Scripture say about
Christ? All the promises of God in Him are yea and amen. It's
established upon better promises, the promises of grace. And then Christ is the better
sacrifice than those bulls and goats. Hebrews 9.23, It was therefore
necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should
be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves...
What are the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices
than these? What's that? You. You are the
better things. And the better sacrifice is Christ. And then the resurrection that
we look forward to is a better resurrection than what the world's
going to have. They're going to be resurrected
to the second death. In Hebrews 11.35, women received
their dead, raised to life again, and others were tortured, not
accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. That first resurrection, that
resurrection where we are the new body raised from the grave
and we are with the Lord forever. And then in Philippians 1.23,
Paul says this, I'm in a straight betwixt two, having a desire
to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. It's far
better than staying here. We spend every dime we got to
stay here. And I'm sure if I came up to that point, I'd probably
be the same way. But I tell you what, that is
better. To be with Christ is better.
To be able to let these things go is better. I hope when my
time comes, I can just let it go. God will have to give us
dying grace. Dying is just not a natural thing. You know, the body wants to live. Hold your breath. See how that
works. Your body will fight you to breathe. We're made to live. We were made
to live. Dying is not something that we
want to do. Being with Christ is what we
want. That's what we want. But we naturally, we have a natural
tendency not to want to die. If we didn't, we'd all go out
there and commit suicide. That's what keeps so many people
from committing suicide. They want to live. Paul says, I'm in a strait betwixt
two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is
far better. Far better. To leave this life
and this world of sin and be with Jesus Christ is far better
than to stay in it. Which do you think is far better,
to stay in prison, or if the doors will be open and you walk
out free? That's what it's like, just walk out of prison, get
out of this world of sin. And although we weep for those
who have gone before us, we know that they have it better, and
we know this, We have a better day coming. We have a better
day coming. I'm not, you know, I don't watch
the news and get bent out of shape and, you know, it's going
to do this. I don't care what it's going to do. It's going
to do whatever God purposed it to do. It's exactly what's going
to happen. I know exactly what's going to
happen tomorrow. Whatever God's purposed, whatever His purpose,
that's what's going to happen. You can look back on today's
events all over the world, and you know what you can say? The
will of God was done today. The purpose of God was fulfilled
today. That purpose which He purposed
in Christ before the world began was accomplished today. Now that
makes it a good day. And you know what else happened
today? Everything that happened today in the universe, the stars,
and all out there that's going on in the galaxy, and all that
went on this earth today, everything today that went on was for my
good. It's for my good. Now how can
I complain? How can I complain? It doesn't get any better. It
just doesn't get any better.