I'm gonna ask you to take your Bibles and turn with me back to the book of Proverbs chapter 31. Proverbs chapter 31. We've been considering in these final verses of this blessed chapter. Proverbs 31. We've been considering the beauty that is set forth by the Spirit of God concerning the virtuous woman. A woman who we've considered before, and I will say it again for the lack of all of our forgetfulness, This woman is none other than the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And as we consider this virtuous woman, I want us to consider some of the acts that has been performed by this woman, this virtuous woman, the bride of the Lord. Some things that she has been said according to the scriptures to have actually done. In verses 13 to 15 of this particular chapter, chapter 31. 13 to 15, now listen to what the scripture says that this woman has done. 13, she seeketh wool and flax, She worketh willingly with her hands. She's like a merchant's ship. She bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

Now, I would ask all of us this question. Concerning these acts, that we just read that was done according to the scriptures by the bride herself these acts who ultimately was doing these acts now when you read that scripture it said that she sought after wool and flax she did this she did that but let me ask you Who was doing those acts? Was it the bride herself, of herself, by herself? Or was it her husband, the Lord Jesus Christ? Who was doing it? Now when you just read them, you'd say, well, the bride was doing that. I agree with you. But who was the moving factor? in all of these things that she was doing.

Now obviously we'd all agree that the ultimate one behind all of the acts of the bride is none other than the Lord of Glory Himself. He is the one accomplishing all of these things and is due all of the credit for all of these things. In Psalm 115, I was thinking of this passage, Psalm 115. I'll read it for you, 115, verse one. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name, give glory for thy mercy. and for thy truth's sake. So we're all going to read what this woman, according to these scriptures, has performed. But we all would agree that the moving one behind all of these things that she's done is the Lord of glory himself, calling out his people.

According to the Scriptures, all the actions wrought by this woman is totally owing to the will, the power, the pleasure of God Almighty Himself. Paul the Apostle, again speaking totally upon the merit that's found in the Lord Jesus Christ, here's what Paul the Apostle said concerning himself. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace was bestowed upon me, is not in vain. But I labored more abundantly than they all yet. Not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Paul was saying there were some things that the Lord moved me to do. And I was actually the vessel that was doing it. But he said, I wasn't doing those things. It was the Lord that was doing it. Through a chosen vessel of his mercy.

So as we continue in the description of this woman that we're gonna look, we're gonna look at one verse of scripture, just a few minutes. I'm gonna look at verse 16, but as we continue in the description of this woman, let's never lose sight of the fact that the virtuous woman, the church, is still one that's in this world, plagued with the struggles of sin that's present in her. She's manifesting God's work through her. Now listen to this, Philippians 2.13. Listen to this scripture. I know that man by nature, I get it, man by nature wants some honor. You know, he wants some honor and some glory. He wants a little praise. Boy, oh, that was a good message, man. The flesh wants to say, well, thank you. Well, I humbly say, thank you. No, you're not humbly saying thank you. The flesh loves that praise.

But here's what the Spirit of God says, Philippians 2.13. It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. It's the Lord. It's the Lord Himself. The regenerated saint, the regenerated soul, understands, as the Lord is pleased to teach her, more clearly the height, the depth of the mysteries of God's grace in and through His people. They see in them the mystery of iniquity working, but they thank the Lord that Almighty God has been pleased, in spite of themselves, to perform that which the Lord has been pleased to do.

A believer hears what God has taught through his scriptures and knows by nature, he knows what he loves to think it's happening. He loves to think that he's got a free will. You know, you've heard me say before, man, by nature, this is what he said, you know, I know, I know that it was the Lord that saved me. This is what the nature, old man, this is what he thinks. I know the Lord saved me. But at least I made the decision. to let him do so. God did it, but I made that decision. That's man by nature, but you know what a believer thinks concerning his own works, his own thoughts. He abhors the talk of free will. Free will. I know, listen, that permeates that thought of a free will. Man has a free will.

You that know the Lord, aren't you glad God didn't leave you to yourself to do what you wanted to do? Because I tell you what you would have done. You would have desired until you left this world that God Almighty have no share, no share in you performing the acts that you thought merited God saving. You would not want the Lord to have had any glory whatsoever. Man by nature hates the truth of God's sovereignty.

Now let me ask you this. Does the scripture set forth that God Almighty has mercy and compassion on whomsoever he will. Does the scriptures bear that out? Absolutely. But let me tell you what man hates. Man by nature, he hates the thought that God may be pleased to show mercy to one and pass by another one. Man by nature, I can tell you exactly what you're thinking right now. Somehow, and I know what it says, but somehow, this is the old man talking now, somehow there's something about that that's just not fair. I've told people before, I tell you what would be fair, that God sent everybody to hell. You know why? All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All have sinned and come short of God's glory. I am so thankful that God Almighty did not deal with me on the basis of what I deserved, but rather was pleased to show mercy to this hell-deserving sinner.

The Lord, if He leaves His people, this believer knows this, if the Lord left a man to himself, this is how A man, a woman left to themselves is going to leave this world. This is how they're going to leave it. I will not have this man to rule over me. Man by nature in his heart is saying this rather than bow to the sovereignty of God Almighty to do what he will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. Man by nature would rather die die in his trespasses and sins than to give up his foolish way of thinking that he can be saved by his own works. He'd rather die, he'll leave this world blaspheming God. Somebody said, well, I don't think, I don't think, yes you will. You will not come to me. Who did the Lord say that to? The Pharisees. You will not come to me that you might have life. And if God left me or you to ourselves, that's exactly what we're gonna think. I'm not coming. I'm not coming.

A believer sees someone that refuses. They won't come. They won't sit under the gospel. They have no desire. And here's what a believer's thinking. Do you not see what's going on around us? Do you not see funerals that are happening? Do you not realize it? You're gonna die? And all of a sudden, I know, I know that in men and women's mind, we're all like this. Well, I've just, I've got stuff. I got stuff that I need to do. I'm just too busy. I've just got things that I need to take care of. I just got, you know, you just don't know Listen, we're gonna get back in church, we're gonna do this, you know. Listen, I know, I know, I've heard them, I've said them. I know that. Oh, may God have mercy upon us.

But let's consider, let's consider one verse of scripture here for just a minute. Verse, Proverbs 31. And I wanna just look at the 16th verse. of this, and this is continuing in that work. That this bride, the virtuous woman, is something that she is actually doing. I mean, I think about the bride, the church, and the different assemblies. There's different assemblies, but there's only one church. There's only one bride. And every assembly where God has raised up a faithful preacher and taught and taught them, I'm so thankful God sent me a preacher to tell me, you tell me what God has to say. But I want us to look at this one verse, verse 16.

Now let's read this, and I made all that preparation talk to set forth this truth. I know that when you first read it, It's talking about this woman, this virtuous woman, and it appears as though that she's the one that's doing this work, and she is but the vessel. She's the vessel. That's how God's pleased to save sinners. He sends a vessel. A vessel that pleads God through the foolishness of preaching to save them that are lost. It pleased the Lord to do this. And this is, it's important. There's nothing in this world that's more important than to be sitting under the sound of the gospel. I'm telling you, all the houses and all the bank accounts and all that, it ain't gonna be here. It's gonna be gone. It's not gonna be here. But we will. and we'll spend eternity somewhere. And I know why I'm saying that. I know that God's gonna save his people. I know that. But those that refuse to come to Christ, they're gonna stand before God, and here's the reason that God's gonna send them out. They wouldn't come. Somebody says, well, that doesn't make sense. Well, I can't explain all the depth of this truth, but I can tell you this, that's the truth. That's true.

Now scripture says concerning this woman, verse 16, 31-16, she considereth the field and buyeth it, and with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. Now does that not, humanly speaking, does that not sound like this woman was doing something? But let me tell you what the scripture's setting forth. This is the attitude of the bride, the church, This is her attitude, because this is the attitude of her Lord. She considereth. She considereth. She looks at something and she asks herself this question. Is this worth it? She considereth. is what I'm looking at worth. That word considereth. It means fixes her thought upon. It can mean a field, like an open piece of ground. It can also mean a land, a home of wild beast.

Now this woman sets her sights, spiritually speaking, this woman, this bride sets her sights upon a field. She considereth a field. Now since this woman is in this world, going through this world for a certain amount of days, teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. And since this bride, regenerated by God's grace, if she knows the Lord, since she is one that's in this world, now, by God's grace, the true bride.

Now, I'm not talking about false religion. I'm talking about the truth of God's bride, the one that's been taught that she in herself is nothing. That Almighty God, if He has given her and shown her affection, it's because He eternally purposed to. This bride that knows that God has not left anything to her to do. But if she is in this world, she's considering, the scripture says, she considereth a field.

Where did she get that desire? Where did she get that desire to consider a field? Well, she only got that desire from the Lord who gave her a desire to consider a field. And when I looked at the definitions of those, of that word, you can look up, go under the blue letter Bible, go and get you a good dictionary, Bible dictionary, and look, and when it says field, field, F-I-E-L-D. It can mean different things, but the one that caught my attention on this was a field that is a place that is a home of wild beast.

Now let me ask you this. Is this world that we're in, is it not a home of wild beast? I'm not talking about, you know, monkeys and things like that, a bunch of animals like that. I'm talking about us by nature. This is where we are. We are a field of wild beasts by nature, by birth. We're all as an unclean thing. From the crown of our head to the sole of our foot, we are nothing but putrefying sores before God. By nature, that's all we are.

But this woman, this bride, she's got a desire that's in her heart. She considers a field, a place of wild beasts. And this woman, in the consideration of this field, knows that in this field, God's got a people in this field. originally from here. I know you can figure that one out just by listening to me talk. But I can tell you this, where I'm from is no different than where I am right now. No different from where any other person is in this world. This whole world is a field of wild beasts.

And here's this woman, this bride, and she, scripture says she considers, she considers the state of this field. But when this bride in consideration of this field, it says in the scriptures, she buyeth it. Now, humanly speaking, I get that part of it. She buys it, she buyeth it. but ultimately for my good, my eternal state before God.

Who is the one, just like a while ago, when I was talking about anything else, who ultimately? Gary, you and Ruthie got married. Who decided whether y'all would get married or not? You and Ruthie? He said, well, yeah, it was me and Ruthie. No, I'm talking about ultimately who decided. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. Well, this woman right here, while it says that she buyeth the field, let me tell you what this woman's doing. This woman is proclaiming the one who did buy the field. A field of His choosing, a field of His love, a field of His purpose. This bride as the Lord working in her. The Lord working in her. I don't know how many people are in this place where we live, in this community right here. I don't know how many people are in it. But I do know this, out of every nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue, there's a people. God's got an elect. I know that.

And though I don't have the capacity to pay the debt of these people, remember this woman, as Paul the Apostle said of himself, this woman, when it says she buys it, it wasn't her that purchased it. But I tell you who it is. It was the Lord Jesus Christ, and this woman proclaims it. She's the one that's proclaiming who purchased a field of wild beasts that Almighty God loved from eternity. So she's proclaiming. She proclaims it. I know this. In this world, there is a people that Almighty God has purpose to seek and to save that which was lost. Inside this world of sin and unbelief, in this place is nothing more than a home of wild beasts. There's a precious jewel. It's a jewel of God's people. His bride, His precious bride. that He washed in His own precious blood, shed His own blood for her.

Though the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ doesn't know who is the sheep of God. I don't know who they are. I don't know who they are. But I can tell you this, I know how He's going to call them out. He's going to call them out through the preaching of the gospel of God's free grace. I know that. And so in that, when it says she's buying him, she's the object. She's the object. The church is the Lord's mouthpiece. Let me say it like that. I'm standing here, a sinner, saved by the grace of God, proclaiming the purchase of God's people by the Lord Jesus Christ. It is God that worketh in you, as I just read. It is God that worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure. Marvin's standing here preaching. Well, Marvin's proclaiming what God has said. It's the spirit of God that's going to bless it if he's pleased to. It's not me. It's the Lord.

And consider her said to buy this field by the fruit of her hands, and to plant a vineyard in this purchased land. Do we not see in type and picture the sheep of God's pasture, the means of preaching the gospel of God's grace, His people, who in themselves know that there's no difference in them and anybody else?

that was brought. She buyeth. I love that. Don't ever forget. When you see something in the Bible, see a word in the Bible, look it up. She buyeth. Now, it says she considers the field and buyeth it with the fruit of her hands. I looked up that word, buyeth. And just to show you how you read something and you, but for the grace of God, you just, we're all like that. We don't get it. We don't get it.

She buyeth it. I'm going to tell you a few words that these, that word buyeth means, and you just, you keep it to yourself, but let me tell you what you think. I know what you're going to think. You that know it, I know it. She buys it. You know, one of the words is that fetch. She fetches it. Is there any left of the house of Saul that I might show mercy for Jonathan's sake? Well, there's one old king in the land of Lodibar. over there, lame on his feet. What did David say? Fetch him. Go get him. Go get him. You go get him. That's bias. That word, fetching. Laid hold. Snatched. It means married. To take hold upon.

This bride right here, she considereth a field and buyeth it. What, the bride bought it? Bought the field? Oh, she proclaims the one that did. That's what she did. We don't want to get the cart before the horse. Let's just remember who is doing the work. God in you willeth to do his will, willeth to do his good purpose. She buyeth a field. And then it says also in that winding it down, it says, she buyeth it with the fruit of her hands. She planteth a vineyard. She planteth a vineyard.

But you know every born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ knows that her planting The planting of the bride in the Lord Jesus Christ was not of her own work. Who plants the vineyard? I just proclaimed that there is a planting of a vineyard. I didn't plant a vineyard years ago. God was pleased to raise up a faithful preacher in this community. Scott Richardson, a man we all love. Appreciate him. I'm so thankful for Scott. Raised him up in a land of wild beast. He heard me say this, where in the world is Katy, West Virginia? He raised up because he had a people. And God raised up a preacher.

Who called that preacher? The preacher? Or the Lord? Who taught him the gospel? Himself? Or the Lord? And what did he send his preacher to do? He'd go into all the world and preach the gospel to every preacher. and proclaim unto them. These words are written such that to the unlearned, untaught heart. Man or woman could read that and give all the glory and honor and praise to themselves. This is what I did. I raised myself up, decided I was going to be a preacher. I started preaching and I saved from people I could remember being in false religion. And just almost like having notches, you know, in my pistol, in the handle of the pistol. Well, I led this one to the Lord. I've led, you know. I got, you know, 12 people last year that I got saved. Oh, that's man by nature. God's not, God's people not gonna say that. No. No, she, scripture says she considereth the field and she bitheth it. With the fruit of her hand she planteth A Vineyard.

I want you to turn with me in closing. Song of Solomon. Song of Solomon. Just a couple of pages over. Ecclesiastes. Just keep turning to the right there. Ecclesiastes. Song of Solomon. Look at Song of Solomon. Chapter 8, verses 11 and 12. Song of Solomon 8, 11 and 12. Concerning this woman that planted the vineyard, every believer that knows that that vineyard was not the believer's planting, it was the Lord's planting, and gave that believer a heart to believe in, that was God's. Song of Solomon 8, verse 11 and 12. Solomon. And you know that Solomon here, we went through this book, Solomon is a picture of Christ. Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Haimon. And he let out the vineyard unto keepers, watchers, those that are concerned with his vineyard. Whose vineyard is it? It's Solomon's vineyard. And what did he do? He let out keepers. Every one of the fruit thereon was to bring a thousand pieces of silver. Now look at verse 12. Now who's speaking here? This is the Lord speaking. My vineyard is mine. Mine is before me. Thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand and those that keep the fruit thereof, two hundred."

I preached out of this book after I first got here and I went back to look, just look at my notes, just to see. And I was so thankful that the Lord allowed me to right what he had put upon my heart. God's got a vineyard. It's the Lord's vineyard. It's his people. He's got some keepers. He's got some preachers. He's got those that'll watch over, protect the sheep, teach the sheep. This is God's calling for his people. And the Lord's gonna get greatness of the produce that's produced. God's gonna have his people.

But that thing that, that last part again there, that twelfth verse, Old Solomon must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof, two hundred. There's a blessing. There's a blessing. There's a portion. There's a portion. of the blessing that's given to the keepers.

And I got to thinking about that portion again as I looked at what had been set forth here. Let me tell you what the portion is that's given to the keepers. Let me tell you what their joy.

The Lord gets his bride. He purchases his bride. He bought her. And you know what? The keepers get, they get to proclaim what the Lord has done for them and for all that he's everlastingly loved.

Here's my portion. God's given me a heart to hear it. Lord gave me a heart to preach it, to proclaim it. He gave me a portion to believe it. He's done it. It's his vineyard. He bought it. He considered it. He bought it. He's going to call them to himself and he's going to use some keepers that's going to set forth the glory.

He calls them to do that which he's purposed. And I can tell you this, they're not going to get any honor, any glory, any praise out of doing any of it. Faithful is he who calleth you, who shall also do it.

I pray that God bless us to our hearts for God's glory and our good.