We'll be looking at verses 97
to 104, and our text will be found in verse 103. Psalm 119,
verses 97 to 104. And the name of the message is,
Sweet Words. Sweet Words. O how I love thy
law! It is my meditation all the day. Thou, through thy commandments,
hast made me wiser than mine enemies. They are ever with me. I have more understanding than
all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand
more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. I have refrained
my feet from every evil way that I might keep thy word. I have
not departed from thy judgments, for thou hast taught me, and
here's our text, how sweet are thy words unto my taste. Yea,
sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through thy precepts I get understanding,
therefore I hate every false way. Now words are how we communicate
with one another. And words can be words of love,
words of hate, words can hurt, and words can scar. Words can
build up. And words can tear down. Words
can edify. And words can cause division.
And words can bring unity. And some words can be spoken
and the hearer can be hurt, though no outward expression is shown
as the hearer internalizes what has been said. And some words
can be said in anger and in bitterness, in malice, and they usually accomplish
what the person saying them desires, causing hurt, anger, and pain
in the receiver. In other words, though, are sweet
words, sweet words, full of compassion, full of love. And they are words
of mercy. Grace which comfort the listener. And also scripture declares,
a soft answer turneth the way round. A soft answer. Someone's rallying on you. A
soft answer turneth the way round. Words are all around us, spoken
by all of us. They can bring comfort. to the
listener, to the receiver, and David here speaks of the words
of scripture, and these are the kinds of words to him we'll find
in our text in verse 103. They're sweet to him, sweet. How sweet are thy words unto
my taste. Yea, sweeter than honey to my
mouth. How sweet are thy words unto
my taste. David not only heard the words
of God, but beloved, he fed upon them. He fed upon them. How sweet are thy words unto
my taste, unto his palate, scripture declares in the Hebrews. He tasted
the words of God. They affected not only his ears,
they not only went in through his ears, but beloved, they affected
his heart. We are to hunger and thirst after
righteousness, aren't we? Christ is our food, our sustenance.
So these were God's words for David, or food for his soul.
Food for his soul. Now God's words are many and
varied in Scripture, but the whole of them make up what we
call the Word, the Bible, the Scriptures. And David loved the
words of God, individually, And as a whole, he tasted indescribable
sweetness in the words of God, in the words of God. And he tries
to express this in our text. How sweet are thy words unto
my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Spurgeon comments
that he cannot express the degree of sweetness. He cries, how sweet,
how sweet. Being God's words, they were
divinely sweet to God's servant. And this is true of all of us,
no matter who's proclaiming the scripture, right? Because we
know it's God's people. It's not the man. It's the message. It's the message. It's the word
of God that's sweet to us, absolutely sweet to us. And it's wonderful. Spurgeon goes on and says, he
who puts the sweetness into them had prepared the taste of a servant
to discern and enjoy it. So in other words, he who made
the word sweet to David gives him the discernment to understand
the words. Gives him the spirit to understand
the words. He's born again of the Holy Spirit
of God. He has an understanding of God's
word and a love for God's word that he didn't have in his natural
state. Because we know we're all born dead. We have no desire. Did any of you desire God's word
before he saved you? We may have heard it. We may
have glanced at it. But I guarantee you, it wasn't
sweet to us like it is now. It wasn't precious like it is
now. So now let us note that David
makes no distinction between the promises of God and the precepts
of God. He boldly proclaims, how sweet
are thy words. Unto my taste, yea, sweeter than
honey to my mouth. And remember, all David had was
the Old Testament scriptures. Now we who are in the age that
we're in now, we have the old and new. And they're all sweet
to us, all sweet to us. David, the word of God was precious
to David. Precious, and he has a deep love. He has a deep love for all that
the Lord has revealed in his word. May God give us the esteem
of his word. That his word would be sweeter
to us than honey. That this word would be honey
to our souls. And look, it says, yea, sweeter
than honey to my mouth. So we see David here brings forth
that God's word is sweeter than honey. Sweeter than honey. Now, honey is exceedingly sweet
to the taste. The scriptures declare in Judges
chapter 14, verse 18, what is sweeter than honey? Well, we
have the answer right here in our text, don't we? We have the
answer, right? And we all know how sweet honey
is. We have the answer. Thy words unto my taste Yea,
sweeter than honey to my mouth. God's word is sweeter to David
than the sweetest honey you could eat. And how sweet God's word
is to his people. It's sweeter than honey from
the honeycomb. And it's sweet to our souls.
Now modern archaeologists excavating ancient Egyptian tombs have found
something unexpected amongst the tomb's artifacts. Pots of
honey. Thousands of years old. And yet
still preserved. Still preserved. Through millennia,
the archaeologists discover the food remains unspoiled. The honey remains unspoiled.
And one, the information I got that from was from the Smithsonian,
and they said the testament to honey, the unmistakable testament
to the shelf life of honey. But there's something about honey.
It can remain preserved in a completely edible form. One could truly
dip into a thousand-year-old jar of honey that's been preserved,
that's been properly sealed, and eat it like it's been sealed
yesterday. Now that's incredible. How sweet
is the Word of God to the believers of our age? How sweet is it to
the believers of our age? And think, it was sweet for our
brethren in days past. Was not the Scripture sweet to
David? That's what he says in our text, isn't it? Was not the
Scripture sweet to Peter and Paul and John? Was not the Scripture
sweet to all the martyrs through the years, and all the Christians
who lived through the years? Has it not been sweet? Is it
not sweet to us right now, tonight? My, my goodness, beloved. It's fresh and sweet to we who
believe today. And we can enjoy it today, the
scriptures, just as our brethren have in the past. It's truly,
it's food for our souls, beloved. Honey, if added to or put into
things that are bitter, will take away, they say, in a great
measure, the bitterness of what is put into it. What it's put
into, it'll take the bitterness away. Well, think of this. You
who are redeemed by the Lord. You who are bought by his precious
blood. When our soul is under affliction,
Temptation? Persecution? For Christ's sake? Are not the promises of God,
the scriptures of God, like honey to our souls? Does it not take
the bitterness of our trials away? And the things that we're
going through? Christ is an anchor to our soul.
We read the scriptures when we're going through trials and tribulations. And it takes the bitterness away.
It takes the bitterness away. It's wonderful. And is it not
wonderful how the sweet promises of God, again, take away the
bitterness of trials and afflictions? And they are decreased if God
is pleased to make the sweet promise of the word effectual
during those times. Also, honey is sweet and pleasant,
yet there are some men who do not care for it. They do not
desire it. Some desire honey, some don't. Lost sinners are still filled
up with sin, their own sin and the sins of this world, and filled
with the cares of this world, that they loathe the sweet honey
which we feast upon. They loathe the scriptures. They
loathe them. And we feast on the word of God. Also, honey has medicinal uses. It is said to improve digestion
and lessen muscle fatigue and boost energy. And some people
apply honey directly to the skin for wounds or healing or burns,
sunburns. There's all kinds. As I was looking
today, there's all kinds of uses for honey in medicinal ways. Well, think of how the Word of
God is infinitely better, infinitely better than any medicine in the
world. It's medicine for our souls.
It's medicine for our souls, beloved. It heals our broken
hearts. It gives us strength when we're
weak. We read it and study it. We're encouraged and uplifted
and edified in Christ. It gives us strength, strength
to the soul as the Holy Spirit of God applies the truth of what
we read to our hearts and souls. And sometimes, a lot of times,
I've found this out and I'm sure you have too. We'll start reading
a portion of scripture and it's just what we need to read. And
it's wonderful. And it's absolutely wonderful.
And it ministers to our heart and to our soul. Now the sweetest of all temporal
things fall short, fall short, far, far short of the infinite
sweetness of the eternal word of God. One commentator said,
honey is outstripped in sweetness by the word of the Lord. Now
when the psalmist fed on the word of God, he found it sweet,
sweet. But think of this, when he bore
witness of its truths, he found it sweet. When he bore
witness of the truth that is in the scripture, He found it
sweet, such as God being his protector when his enemies rose
up against him. Such as God being his shield
and his defender. And such as God being his savior,
having been shown his desperate need for Christ. And David was
also shown that God is his shepherd. And he knew what that was, as
he himself was a shepherd. And think of that, as he's reading
the scriptures, and as he's fleshing out these events in his life,
and finding and proving the Word of God to be true, through trials
and afflictions, what happens? The Word of God becomes even
sweeter to him. Even sweeter. And it's marvelous. It's absolutely
marvelous. I ask you who are redeemed, has
not the word of God become sweeter to you as you grow in grace? Have you not tasted that God's
word and the truths in his word are sweet to your soul? Sweet
to your soul. God's word, the scriptures are
to his people, sweet to our taste. Sweet to our taste. When we think
of it, it's sweet. It's sweet. And it's sweet to our mouth when
we talk of it. When we proclaim what the scriptures
say to one another. It's sweet. It's sweet. Is not Christ sweet to thee?
He is, isn't he? More and more, all the time.
All the time. Our salvation in Him is sweet.
And we find great comfort in the one who the Word proclaims.
We find great comfort in the one who the Word proclaims, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Because this is, we know, this
is His story. These words are full of His story,
and it points to Him. And the words speak great comfort
to the weary saint of God. who's pilgraging through this
world of woe. And it is a world of woe. It's
a world of woe. So let's consider our text again.
It says, how sweet are thy words unto my taste, yea, sweeter than
honey to my mouth. Let's consider how the word of
God is sweet to the believer and sweeter than honey to our
souls. For one, there's a sweetness
in believing the gospel as He is precious to those who believe
on His name and those who rejoice in His Word. Turn, if you would,
to 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2. And put your finger in Psalm
84 when you're heading that way. 1 Peter chapter 2 and Psalm 84. Oh, He's sweet. Christ is sweet. to those who believe the gospel
because he's precious to us and we rejoice in his word. 1 Peter
2, verses 6 and 7, and then we'll be in Psalm 84, verse 12. 1 Peter
2, wherefore also is contained in the scripture, behold I lay
in Zion, a chief cornerstone, elect, note this, precious. He that believeth on him shall
not be confounded again unto you. Therefore, which believe
he is precious. Is he not precious to you? Is
he not sweet? I know, brother, he's so sweet
to us, isn't he? for what He's done for us. He's
precious. He's absolutely precious. Unto
you therefore which believe, He is precious. But unto them
which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed,
the same is made, the head of the corn. He's not sweet to unbelievers.
He's not precious to the world. To God's people, He's so precious. Now turn, if you would, to Psalm
84, verse 12. And think upon this, you who
are redeemed. What a great privilege. And it is a great privilege that
God has given you and other sinners to trust the Lord Jesus Christ.
Because not everyone trusts Christ. And not everyone's made willing
to come to Christ. But it's a great, if you're sitting
here tonight redeemed, that's a great privilege. A great privilege
to be saved. God has saved us, and he's made us willing, and
we trust the Lord Jesus Christ. And think of this, what a great
privilege it is that you believe right now, and so many are left
in unbelief. Are left in unbelief. Oh, what
a privilege. Look at verse 12 of Psalm 84. Do you know that you're blessed
if you believe on Christ? Oh, Lord of hosts, blessed is
the man that trusteth in thee. The question is, are you trusting
in him? If you are, you're blessed. You're blessed, beloved, because
he's precious to you. And this can only be said of
the true worshiper of God, not the mere professor who is not
born again by the Holy Spirit of God, but may have a very much
an outward show of religion. Brother Newell, you told me folks
thought you were saved for years, and then the Lord saved you. So this is not talking about
mere professors when it says, O Lord of hosts, blessed is the
man that trusteth in thee. No, the truly blessed man or
woman is they who have tasted that the Lord is gracious, tasted
that the Lord is gracious, who have feasted upon his word and
his words, and they are sweet to them. Sweet to them. Christ
is sweet to them. The word of God is sweet to them.
And His people are sweet to them. His people are sweet to them.
Oh my. Now the false professor does
not rejoice in the Lord. Again, they may have an outward
show, but the believer is blessed of God and has a joy and a peace
within from God. And they truly rejoice in God's
word. They truly rejoice in his gospel
of free grace. They truly rejoice in the Savior. And they rejoice with God's people,
with God's people. Is it so with you? Is it so with you? I pray if
it's not, that God, the Holy Spirit, would draw you to Christ
and regenerate you. That God would make it so if
it's not. But oh, the believer, the believer
finds everything he needs fully, freely, and eternally provided
in the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Lord Jesus Christ. He's
our all-sufficient Savior. All that a sinner needs. I mean everything. All that a
sinner needs is found in Christ. In Christ alone. Nowhere else. And that's why that scripture
said in Psalm 84, blessed is the man that trusts in me. He's
blessed beyond belief. He's blessed more than anyone
in the world. He or she who's trusting, who's
trusting in Christ alone. What a Savior, what a Redeemer. Now the question again comes
to we who are here tonight and to anyone who will listen to
this message. Are we sinners? Are you a sinner? Has God, the
Holy Spirit, revealed to you and to me that we're sinners? That we're sinners? And again, I pray that if he
has not shown you that you're a sinner, that he would, that
he would, that you'd flee to the only refuge for your soul
and for mine, the Lord Jesus Christ. The only refuge. The only refuge. How do I know that Christ is
all that a sinner needs? Because the Word of God proclaims
this. Philippians chapter 4 verse 19
proclaims this. But my God shall supply all your
need according to His riches and glory by Christ Jesus. Are
you needy? Are you needy? Are we bankrupt? Christ is all we need. Christ
is all we need. All my need as a sinner, and
I'm a sinner, all my need is found in Christ. And it's supplied to us Philippians
chapter 4 verse 19 declares this that my God shall supply all
your need According to his riches His riches beloved in glory By
Jesus Christ by Christ Jesus in and through Christ alone All
that a sinner needs is provided So that destroys works-based
religion. It does, because Christ has done it all. He's done it
all. And think of this. All our needs
are supplied according to His riches. How rich is our God in
mercy? We've tasted that, we who believe.
Haven't we? That He's rich in mercy blood.
he's rich in mercy how rich is our God in grace oh we've tasted
that he's so rich in grace and if you would the Colossians chapter
2 verse 9 and you who are the blood-bought saint of God rejoice
you who are redeemed we have a perfect complete all-sufficient
Savior in the Lord Jesus Christ a perfect complete all-sufficient
Savior in Christ. We tell men to look away from
themselves and look to Christ, who is the only hope for sinners.
The question is, are you a sinner? Are you a sinner? Because Christ
came to save sinners. He came to save sinners. Look
at Colossians 2, verses 9 and 10. For in Him dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily, Okay, now remember when we did
our study in Colossians, this is written to believers, and
ye are what? Complete in Him. Now let's let that sink in. And
ye are complete in Him. Which is the head of all principality
and power, which means He's absolutely sovereign. He who has redeemed
us, He who we are complete in, has all power. And with all power
comes all ability to save whom he will. Oh, this is wonderful. Now think upon these words, you
who are redeemed, we who are the redeemed of Christ. Are these
not sweet words? That you're complete in him.
That blessed is the man that trusts in thee. Are these not
sweet words to your soul? We are complete in Christ. We
are sanctified in Christ, having all fullness of grace and holiness
for us in Him. In Him. We are complete in Him
for justification with God. And He has perfectly
fulfilled the law for us and made a full atonement. We wouldn't
be complete in Him if He didn't make a full atonement. We wouldn't
be complete in Him if He didn't satisfy the law of God. Oh, what a Savior, what a Redeemer
is Jesus Christ our Lord. And we are complete in Him. And
He has obtained eternal redemption for us. For us. And He alone has brought us in
a complete and perfect righteousness. He wore that coat of righteousness
while He was living here upon this earth. For us. For us. It's wonderful. You are complete
in Him. Think of this, beloved. We're
freed from sin. Now, we're still sinners, aren't
we? We know that. No one would deny that. But I
ask you this. Has the penalty for our sin been
paid for? Amen. Has the guilt of our sin been
paid for? I just keep saying right bro. Amen. It's being paid
for now. We're not free from the presence.
So are we and we know that But one day we will be One day we
will be My what a day that will be But right now we can look
at these scriptures and this is so sweet and G are complete
in him What does complete me? It means there's nothing to be
added to It's done. It's done. Hawker, and then we're bringing
out you're perfect in Christ. That's incredible. Now we're
still sinners though, but God looks upon us in Christ, in Christ. It's marvelous. It's absolutely
marvelous. Is this not sweet to our souls? Though we are sinners, yet we
are forgiven in Christ. Pardon for how many of our sins?
All our sins. Because if there was anything
left, we wouldn't be complete in Christ. But He paid for all
our sins, brother. All of them. We're complete in
Him. Complete in Him. Our salvation
is from Him. He's our treasure. Our salvation
is in Him and through Him. And we have no need to go anywhere
else for the salvation of our souls. Now, we used to try that,
didn't we, when we were in religion? We might not have said we were
trying to save ourselves, but we were trying to do that by
our works and by our things that we were trying to do. Oh, I rejoice
in the scripture. You are complete in Him. Complete. That's sweet. That's honey. Honey. This is sweet to the child
of God. And we are filled with the knowledge
of God and of his will, and as we study his word, and the word
is sweet to us. The words of this book is sweet
to us. And we read that we're complete in Christ, we're overjoyed. We read that all our sins are
forgiven, but don't forget, we're bought with a price. Salvation's
free for us. We're bought with Christ. The
precious blood of Christ. The sinless one died for sinners.
The second point is, there's a sweetness in meditating upon
Christ revealed in the Word. Revealed in the Word. Look at
Psalm 119, verse 97, just a little bit up from where we were. But it was part of what I had
read. Oh, we meditate upon Christ revealed in the word. Oh, how
love I thy law, it is my meditation all the day. Oh, how love I thy
law, it is my meditation all the day. Now, we love to think
about the things we love, right? We love to think about the things
we love. Well, David's telling us what he loves here. He loves
the Word of God. He loves the Word of God. It's
his meditation all the day. Now, to the believer, the Lord
Jesus Christ, our Master, and our Lord, is altogether lovely. Altogether lovely. We've seen
that in our Song of Solomon study. And therefore the believer meditates
upon the word because we love him. And the word tells us about
Christ, the one who my soul delights in. The one who is my beloved. The one who is my heavenly bridegroom. We delight to meditate upon his
word. Turn, if you would, to 1 Timothy
chapter four. 1 Timothy chapter four. We read His word, we meditate
upon His word, and I'm not talking about you're always... I'm talking
about through the day when scripture pops into your mind and you start
to chew on it and ruminate on it. And it blesses your soul. Or you're reading the scripture
and something just lights up before you. And it's just what
you needed to read and you're encouraged and uplifted. Meditate upon his word, being
taught of God about who he is. Look at 1 Timothy 4, verses 13
to 16. Now this is an exhortation by
Paul to young Timothy. Till I come, give attendance
to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Brother Henry says,
be consumed. As a young pastor, be consumed
by the word of God. Be consumed by your study. I
really like that. Neglect not the gift that is
in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying
on of the hands of the Presbyteric, meditate upon these things. Give thyself wholly to them,
that they profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself
and unto the doctrine, continuing them. For in doing this, thou
shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee." So it's profitable,
beloved, It's profitable to our souls that we meditate upon God's
word, that we think about God's word. Because there's a sweetness in
meditating upon the word of God. Even if it's just a little portion.
Even if it's just a little portion. Meditating upon Christ being
revealed in the word. There's a sweetness for the believer. Now third point is there's a
sweetness in confessing Christ. There's a sweetness in confessing
Christ. Turn, if you would, to 1 John
1. 1 John 1. 1 John 1. And I'll read. Mark 16, verse 16, it says, he
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth
not shall be damned. And then look at 1 John 1, verses
five to nine. There's a sweetness in confessing
Christ and confessing publicly what Christ has done for us at
Calvary, that he shed his blood for us to put away our sin and
that he did it freely for his people based upon absolutely
nothing in us. that would merit this wonderful
salvation that we have in him. And now look at first John chapter
one verses five to nine. This then is the message which
we have heard of him. And declare unto you. They confess
what they believe. That God is light and in him
is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship
with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light,
as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all
sin. Brother John, there's the one
sacrifice you were talking about this weekend. Right there. The
blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. One
sacrifice. One Savior. One Redeemer. Then if we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But note, but note it says in
verse five, in declaring to you. Oh, there's a sweetness in confessing
Christ, in declaring who He is. First Corinthians chapter one,
verse 15, Or 1 Corinthians 15.10 says this, but by the grace of
God, I am what I am. I am what I am. Now how sweet
it is for the people of God to proclaim that all our salvation
is in Christ. By the grace of God, I am what
I am. Left to myself, I'd be a lost
sinner. Praise be to God. By the grace
of God, I am what I am. I'm saved. I'm redeemed by the
blood of Christ. By the grace of God, I am what
I am. And we confess what Christ has
done within us, making us trophies of his grace, trophies of his
grace, because we're born again by the Holy Spirit of God. We're
given a new heart and new desires, which hunger and thirst after
righteousness, and hunger and thirst after Christ, and the
things of Christ. Those are desires we didn't have
before. By the grace of God, I am what
I am. I am what I am. And his grace
which was bestowed upon me, given to me freely, and if you're a
believer, his grace was given to you freely. You didn't deserve
it, like I didn't deserve it. You didn't merit it, I didn't
merit it. Given to us freely. By the grace of God, I am what
I am. And His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain,
but I labored more abundantly than they all. Yet not I, but
the grace of God which was with me." Remember, we looked at that
in our study in Colossians. It's God working in us, conforming
us to the image of Christ. And one day, beloved, we'll be
stones made ready. We'll be in glory. We'll see
Him face to face. He's all our hope. Christ is
all our hope. Christ is all our righteousness.
He's all our salvation. And we confess this to folks.
We tell them that I have no hope but Christ. And think of this,
in Believer's Baptism, we confess that Christ is all our salvation.
Turn, if you would, to Acts chapter 8. We confess publicly that Christ
is all my salvation in Believer's Baptism. He's everything. He's everything. Acts chapter
8, verses 36 to 38. And as they went on their way,
they came unto a certain water, and the eunuch said, See, here
is water. What doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said,
If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered
and said, What did he say? I believe that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God. He confessed what he believed.
And he commanded the chariot to stand still, and they went
down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he
baptized him. He confessed with his mouth,
and he confessed and believed his baptism, and I imagine he
confessed for the rest of his life. Just like we do when the
Lord opens the door, right? When He opens the door for us,
then we confess about the great things He's done for us. And
again, what is witnessing? Joe and I were talking about
that again this week. It's telling the great things the Lord has
done for you. He saved my soul. He's redeemed me by His blood.
It's wonderful. It's absolutely wonderful. And also, turn if you would to
1 Corinthians 11. Now we have the Lord's Supper
once a month. And in the Lord's Supper, do you know that as a
body, we're proclaiming Christ. We're confessing Christ. We're confessing what he's done
for us. Look at what the scriptures declare. And we read this every
month, but look at this, it's incredible. 1 Corinthians 11,
verses 23 to 26. So it's sweet for the believer
to confess Christ. We love to confess Christ. For
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you,
that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed,
took bread. Verse 24. And when he had given thanks,
he break it and said, take, eat, this is my body which is broken
for you, this do in remembrance of me. Now I ask you, is it not
sweet for us when we're taking the body and blood of Christ,
or taking the bread which represents the body of Christ, we're not
literally, we don't believe in transubstantiation, but when
we take the elements and we remember what Christ has done for us,
is it not sweet? Is it not sweet to think that
he shed his blood for me as we take the wine? And that is, He willingly gave
up the ghost for me as He died upon the cross. And each one
of us who partake in the Lord's Supper is confessing Christ right
there. We're proclaiming Christ. After the same manner also He
took the cup, and when He had supped, saying, This cup is the
New Testament in my blood, this dew, Ye, as oft as ye drink it
in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread
and drink this cup, look at this, you do show the Lord's death
till he come. You're confessing Christ. It's
right there. You're confessing Christ right
there through the elements. And the fourth point is this.
There's a sweetness in proclaiming, preaching the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, there's a sweetness. Turn,
if you would, to Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10, there's
a sweetness in proclaiming and preaching the Lord Jesus Christ,
no matter what the opportunity the Lord gives you. Whether it's
just talking with somebody and proclaiming Christ or for the
preacher to get up and preach, what a great joy it is. And that's
what we're going to look at here in Romans chapter 10. It's a
privilege and an honor And also, what a responsibility God has
laid upon His church to declare and proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ.
Every man who steps into this pulpit, whether it's me or any
other man, what a responsibility we have to proclaim Christ, to
proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ. What a responsibility
God has laid upon His church to declare and proclaim Christ.
Look at Romans chapter 10. Verses 13 to 17, for whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then
shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? How can
anyone call upon Christ when they don't believe? We need to ask them works preachers
that when someone dies, everyone goes to heaven. How do they go
to heaven when they don't believe? They didn't. And how shall they believe in
Him whom they have not heard? How shall one believe on Christ
if he has never heard of Him? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As
it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach
the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.
But they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah saith,
Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God. We must preach the gospel. And God's preachers joy in confessing
and preaching Christ. It's a great privilege and responsibility. Again, over in 2 Timothy chapter
4, Paul exhorts Timothy to proclaim the gospel, in season and out
of season, to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering
and doctrine. And it's sweet for the preacher
to get up and proclaim Christ, because we're proclaiming the
one who saved our souls. 2 Timothy 4, verses 1 to 4, scriptures
declare this. And again, it's an exhortation.
by Paul to Timothy to proclaim the gospel. 2nd Timothy chapter
4 verses 1 to 4. I charge thee therefore before
God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and
the dead at his appearing in his kingdom. Preach the word. When? Be instant in season and
out of season. Reprove. Rebuke. Exhort with
all long-suffering and doctrine, for the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall
they heap to themselves. Teachers have an itch in ears. They want to hear what tickles
their ears. They don't want to hear they're
sinners. No, they want you to tell them
they're good people. But the Scripture declares there's
none good. No, not one. We preach Christ is the only
only way For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine But after their own lusts shall heap to themselves
teachers have an itch in ears And they shall be shall turn
away their ears from the truth, and they shall be turned into
fit under famous So there is a special delight in To those
who are called, gifted, and sent of God to declare the message
of God's free and sovereign grace. And again, speaking from experience,
it's an honor and a privilege. Each time, each time the preacher
is given an opportunity to proclaim Christ, it's an honor and a privilege.
No matter where it is, whether it be here, or whether it be
out at Joe's, or other churches, or anywhere, it's an honor. It's a privilege. And it's sweet
for the preacher. I remember one old preacher,
I was having him out in Oregon, I was having him come and I said,
I said, would it be okay for you to preach four messages for
us? He says, that's like saying sick him to a dog, Wayne. Of
course I will. Because he just loves to preach
and proclaim the gospel. He loves it. And that's how God's
preachers are. We love to preach the gospel
of Christ. We love to preach about our Savior. Turn, if you
would, to Ephesians. Ephesians 3. What do we preach? What do we proclaim? Well, we
preach and proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ. The unsearchable
riches of Christ. Look at Ephesians 3, verses 7
to 12. Where have I was made a minister
according to the gift of the grace of God, given unto me by
the effectual working of his power? Now, every one of God's
preachers will tell you, we did not seek this. No. I don't know one preacher
who sought to be a preacher. God made us preachers by the
effectual working of his power. Brother Henry always says that
God makes the preacher. Unto me who am less than the
least of all saints, and I guarantee you every preacher goes, me?
If you had told me 20 years ago I'd be preaching the gospel,
I would have laughed you to scorn. Look what God does. He's amazing. He's incredible. To me who am
less than the least of all saints is this grace given that I should
preach among the Gentiles what? The unsearchable riches of Christ. They're unsearchable. You can't
plumb the depths of the riches that we have in Christ. You can't
even come, you take all the gold, all the gold of every king that
ever lived upon this world, and you stack it up, and you know
it'd be huge. And it's nothing compared to
the riches that we have in Christ. It's not even close, beloved.
And I know we go through this world and we think, oh, my Lord. But oh, what awaits us, beloved,
what awaits us when we wake up in glory and behold the face
of our King. My, and let me tell you, it's
just a little time. Our life's just a vapor, beloved,
just a vapor. That I should preach among the
Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men
see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning
of the world hath been hid in God. If you're a believer, you
have something revealed to you that has been hid. That's true. Hid by God. In the Old Testament, think of
this. Joe and I were talking about this too. Think of this
in the Old Testament. The Jews were given the oracles of God,
and all the other nations were left in their sins to perish.
That's a picture of the church, beloved. That's a picture of
the church. And to make all men see what
is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the
world hath been hidden, God, who created all things by Jesus
Christ, to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers
in heavenly places might be known by the church, the manifold wisdom
of God, who's the manifold wisdom of God, Christ, Christ, according
to the eternal purpose, which he purposed in Christ Jesus,
our Lord. Now, let that sink in. God's
people are chosen in Christ from eternity according to the eternal
purpose of God. If you're saved here tonight,
it's according to the eternal purpose of God. That's sweet. That's sweet to us. Me? Yes. That's what the scriptures declare
right there. In whom we we have boldness and
access with confidence by the faith of him. So God has chosen
the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to magnify
himself and to reveal himself to his people and to call his
elect out to Christ in faith. Brother Tim hit on that in his
message this Sunday, that it pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. And again, the world
thinks it's absolute foolishness. But it's the wisdom of God. And
think of this, you who are redeemed. It's sweet to us and we rejoice
in this blessed fact that Christ saves sinners through the preaching
of his word. And he also feeds, he also feeds
his church, his people. Turn, if you would, to Acts chapter
20 and then put your finger in John 21 and then we'll be almost
done. Acts chapter 20. verses 25 to
28, in John chapter 21. The Lord feeds his church by
the preaching of the word. God's preachers are exhorted
to feed the sheep of God, which he purchased with his blood.
How? By the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts chapter 20, verses 25 to 28. Acts chapter 20, verses 25
to 28. And now, behold, I know that
ye all among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God
shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record
this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have
not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." It was
sweet for Paul to preach Christ. Therefore unto yourselves and
to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers
to feed the church of God. How does a preacher feed the
church of God by proclaiming the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ? Because God, this is food for us, isn't it? We feast
on the clover of his word. We who are sheep feast to feed
the flock. The church to feed the church
of God, look at this. The church of God which he hath
purchased with his own blood. There's a text you can use to
show that Jesus Christ is God. God has purchased the church
with his own blood. The God man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Take heed therefore unto yourselves
and do all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you
overseers to feed the church of God which he hath purchased
with his own blood. Now turn over if you would to
John chapter 21. That verse in 28, Acts 20, 28
is a charge to God's preachers from our master. And again, Brother
Joe and I were discussing this this weekend. And we are commanded
to feed the sheep of God. We are commanded to feed the
sheep of God. Just as Peter was by our Lord.
Look at this, John chapter 21. Verses 15 to 17. So when they had dined, Jesus
said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more
than these? Now remember, he denied him three
times. And note here, note here, the Lord's not rebuking him.
I love this portion of scripture. The Lord is not rebuking him
for what he did. Oh, look at this. See when they
had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest
thou me more than these? He saith unto them, yea, Lord,
thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second
time, and remember Peter denied Christ three times. He saith
to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou
me? He saith unto him, yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.
He saith unto him, feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time,
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved. Because he said unto him the
third time, lovest thou me? And he said, Lord, thou knowest
all things. You know everything, Lord. Thou
knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, feed my
sheep. That's what the preacher is exhorted
to do, to preach God's word, to preach the clover of God's
word. And let us think upon these precious
words. of David and let us examine ourselves
can we say what David thy words unto my taste are sweeter than
honey to my mouth can we say that God's word words are sweet
to us can we say that can we say the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ is sweet to me can we say that do the doctrines of
the gospel offend me or are they sweet to me is the gospel a saver
of life unto life or is it death unto death? To those who are perishing, Christ
crucified is foolishness. Oh, but to we who are saved,
to we who are called, Christ is the power and the wisdom of
God. He's all our salvation, beloved.
He's our Lord and He's our King. In His words, Words of correction
sometimes to us are sweet, are absolutely sweet. And we rejoice
in the words of Scripture. We rejoice in the Word of God. Gracious Heavenly Father, we
come before Thee, we who are redeemed by the precious blood
of Thy Son, and we rejoice, O Lord, that your words are sweet to
us, because there was a time when they weren't Lord Jesus.
Oh, your words are so sweet to to we who are saved, to we who
are redeemed to read the scripture and see that we are complete
in the. That we are saved by thy precious blood, redeemed
and all redeemed, how we love to proclaim it, Lord, how we
love to proclaim thy salvation, which is only found in the in
the alone. We pray that you would use this
message for your glory and for your honor. In Jesus' name we
pray, amen.