I'm going to ask you to take your Bibles and turn with me back to a portion of scripture that we looked at years ago. It's in Proverbs chapter 1. Proverbs chapter 1. I'm going to touch for a few minutes here on A few of these verses, I'm going to look at verses 24 to 33, Proverbs chapter 1. But before I look at them, I want to say something. The most foolish thing that a man or a woman can do in this world is hear the gospel of God's free grace and not believe it. That's soul damning. To hear the gospel. What is the gospel? Well, I'm going to try to be brief. I don't want to be long. I don't. The gospel of God's grace First of all, we're going to hear who man is. He's a depraved sinner. He's dead in trespasses and sins, and he can do nothing of himself. That's man by nature. When we hear the gospel, you're going to hear about a man who is spiritually dead. When you hear the gospel, you're going to hear about almighty God who has been pleased to show mercy and compassion to a people of his choosing. You're going to hear that. When you hear the gospel, you're going to hear that God Almighty calls His people out of darkness one way, through the proclamation of what I just told you. Man is a spiritually dead sinner. God Almighty has been pleased to show mercy to spiritually dead sinners. And he does it one way, through the hearing of the gospel. Now, the most foolish thing that a man can do is to hear the gospel and say, I don't believe you. I don't believe you. The best way to know if something is crooked, a stick, you lay a straight stick beside it. One day Glenda asked me, we were looking at a skirt or something, it was very dark blue, dark, it was dark, dark blue. And she said, is this blue or black? And I said, well, the best way to tell what color it is is just take something that you know is black, you know it's black, and put that next to it. If you know that this is black, whatever you think you're trying to decide, lay it next to it and you'll see it immediately. If you want to know what color something is, lay another color and compare it. Lay it beside. Lay a straight stick down. Now here's what I want to do. I want to lay the stick of what man is by nature. I want to lay this down. And here's what I want you to do. I want you to turn with me to Romans. Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter 3. And I'm going to read you something. Now this is absolutely so. This is a straight stick. Romans chapter 3, I'm going to read verses 10 to 19. Now this, here's the straight stick. If you want to know something, and I'm getting to something here. There's a lie that's being told throughout this world. And what it's saying, and it takes many forms. But the lie is that man, that God wants to save people if they'll let him. The lie is that God has given man a free will. And all that man has to do is exercise his free will. That's all he's got to do. Whether it's this denomination, that denomination, it doesn't matter, as long as a man's sincere. Now let me tell you, I'm going to lay this straight stick down from the scriptures, and let me tell you where everybody is when we're born into this world. Romans chapter 3, verse 10. As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There's none that understandeth. There's none that seeketh after God. Now that's pretty straight, ain't it? That's pretty straight. There's none righteous. There's none. They are all, verse 12, they're all gone out of the way. They're all together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good. No, not one. Now that's a straight stick. Kevin, that's straight. That's the way it is. Their throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues, they've used deceit. The poison of asp is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing, bitterness against God. Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction, and misery. are in their ways and the way of peace, listen to this, they have not known peace before God. They haven't known it, no, everybody's dead spiritually, they're dead. Look at verse 18, there's no fear of God before their eyes, they don't respect God. You that know him, how much respect that you have for God. I'm talking about God Almighty, not this little play pretty that people try to stand up and talk about. He's a little weak, frail creature. You know, God, you know, he wants you to do something. There is no respect of God. Now, we know that whatsoever, that what things soever, The law saith, saith to them that are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, what does that mean? By you doing something. You do something. By you doing something. Speak in tongues. you know, on and on and on. By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Now let me ask you something. What does the straight stick of God's Word say about man by nature? He is spiritually He's dead and he can do nothing. All right, we've established that point. Now, what I want to do is I want to give you a warning. I'm talking about everybody. I'm talking about everybody now. I want you to turn with me to the book of Ezekiel chapter 3. Turn to Ezekiel chapter 3. Ezekiel chapter 3. What I'm going to do is I'm going to give us a warning here. Ezekiel chapter 3. Now this is a warning, especially those that are standing in pulpits. This is a warning to Marvin. It's a warning to any man that stands in a pulpit, I'm going to tell you right now, ought to take heed to this verse of scripture. Here's a warning. Ezekiel chapter 3. Verse 17 to 19. Son of man, I've made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel. Therefore, hear the word at my mouth and give them warning. When I say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely die, and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked, from his wicked way to save his life, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity. But his blood will I require at thine hand." Now, let me just say this. I've said this before. I don't understand the fullness of that passage of Scripture. But by the grace of God, the Lord I'm convinced has given me enough spiritual sense to say this, and I love you. I love you. Those that are listening by way of the Internet, I want you to say, I do love you in this sense. I want to be truthful with you. If somebody doesn't love you, they'll lie to you. A man loves his wife, he's going to be truthful with her. Vice versa. I want to tell you the truth. I've recently just, by the grace of God, I've seen just enough about myself to know this. I know, relatively speaking, I don't know, the Lord may give me a little bit more time, I don't know, but I know just enough to know this, Neil. In light of eternity, I'm not long for this world. I know that. I know that. I've seen just enough to tell you this. I could be gone in a heartbeat, and I never knew I left. I know that. And I want to tell you this. I want to warn you. I'm warning all of us. Almighty God has told us, warned us, if you die, if you leave this world, having not cast yourself upon the mercy of God, and I mean to tell you this, I'm telling you, I mean, not casting upon the mercy of God, the God that saves sinners apart from anything that they can do. I'm talking about God almighty who is sovereign. I want, I want all of us to hear this. We're going to die. Don, we're going to die. I know that. And we're going to stand before God. And God forbid that I leave this world, or you leave this world, having not heard the truth. There's a warning. We got a warning, and God is warning, and we've all been warned. We've all been warned. Everybody's been warned. I'm going to tell you right now. Well, how does God warn people? I can tell you this. God is warning. There's people passing right here that just went by in that car. And I'm going to tell you what is the truth. They've been warned. You say, well, how have they been warned if they didn't hear the gospel? Let me ask you, friend, have you ever been to a funeral? Has anybody ever been to a funeral here? That was God speaking. That was God speaking. And you know what God said? You're going to die. You're going to die. You're going to leave this world. And you're going to stand before God. God Almighty speaks. He speaks in nature. He speaks in conscience. But especially by His grace, He speaks through the gospel. And the Lord has permitted us to be here this morning. He's given us the blessing to be able to be here. Now you think about the mercy of God. There's just a few of us here this morning. There's some that would be here. I know this, they've been providentially hindered. I know that, but I can tell you this, all that's here and all that's not here because of providential or whether they just decided they just didn't want to come. They've been warned. They've been warned and God has given a warning. And by God's grace, he's allowed his people to heed that warning and not leave them to the deadness of their old heart. By the grace of God, the Lord has been pleased. to set forth this warning in these scriptures. And I want you to now take your Bible, turn with me to Proverbs chapter one. Now listen to this warning. I'm gonna start reading in verse 14. I'm sorry, verse 24. Proverbs chapter one, verse 24. Because I've called and you refused, I've stretched out my hand and no man regarded. God called. Sun came up today. You know what that says? There's a God in heaven that's ruling and reigning. And the army of heaven on the inhabitants of the earth, the very sun that came up today said, there's God. That God is. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. The earth was without form, void. There's a God in heaven that's ruling. And everybody that got up this morning got a warning from God. God's in heaven. God's on earth. God is. We've been warned. And here's what the scripture says. Because I called and you refused, said a while ago, you've been to a funeral. God called and man refused. God Almighty has set forth that man is a failing creature and he's going to die. All but by the grace of God, God has been pleased to give his people a warning that they might hear the truth of God's grace. He said this in Jeremiah 3.15, I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge. You think of the blessing that you've got this morning in me to be able to hear that almighty God is going to deal with sin. He's going to reward that which he's done in righteousness in Christ. Until I heard that, I didn't know that. But that does not mean that I was without excuse. It doesn't mean that I was without reason. It doesn't mean. God has given men and women some understanding in nature. They've heard it. You've heard it. But oh, to hear the gospel. God sent preachers into this world to preach the gospel. His sheep's gonna be called out. Spiritual darkness, that's what the Lord said. My sheep hear my voice. You that know him, you heard the voice of creation. You know that. But you've heard the voice of the Son of God through the preaching of the gospel. And what a blessing. Men are responsible. They're responsible. You're responsible, not only for what you've heard, but what you haven't heard. And let me tell you the truth of the matter. Somebody say, well, I've got those in my family, and they've never heard the gospel. Yes, they have. Yes, they have. Now, there's some things, I know this, that are only known through the gospel. I know that. But Almighty God has sent forth that there's some truth that's manifest to all men in creation, in providence, You've heard, everybody's heard, so nobody is without excuse. Nobody gonna stand before God and say, I didn't know it. I just didn't know. Yes, you have. Yes, you have. You've heard. The scripture says, I want you to turn with Matthew 24. Matthew 24. Matthew 24. I want you to listen to this. Now, this is just a way. I encourage all of us. Call out unto the Lord and ask God have mercy on yourself and ask God have mercy on your family, on your family. I've got people in my family that don't know God. And I'm telling you, it grieves my heart every time I think of those within my own personal family that don't know God. Because I love them. I love them. But I know this. If Almighty God leaves them to themselves, he's right. He's right. He's right. If he leaves them to themselves and they're wrong, that God be true and every man's a liar. But the very thought, I'm not a stone. I have feelings. And if God leaves those in my family that don't know God to themselves, he did that which was right, they did that which was rebellious against him. I know that. Nobody's going to lay the blame for them leaving this world without Christ. They're not going to lay it at the feet of Christ. He's speaking. He's warning. He's warning. Matthew 24. Look at verse 36. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels in heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Whether it's him coming back a second time or whether it's me leaving this world, you don't know when. I'm telling you, I'm telling you from experience, you don't know when. I'm telling you, one moment you can be talking to somebody and having a good time and just, you know, just everybody's good, everybody's doing great. And the next morning, the next moment, I'm sorry, next moment, you could be in eternity and you never knew you left. But as the days of Noah were, so also shall the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Everything good and fine. We're doing great. Yeah, we're doing great. Yeah, kids are good. Yeah, we're doing fine. Yeah, oh, we've got our little aches and pains, but by and large, we're doing good. You can be gone and you never knew what happened. Man considers God's counsel to not be worth hearing. Look back in Proverbs 1, look at verses 25 to 28. You have said it not, all my counsel, and would none of my reproof. I also will laugh at your calamity, and will mock when your fear cometh, when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind. when distress and anguish cometh upon you. The scripture sets forth, God's gonna laugh. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer. They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. Now listen, this is God speaking. I'm gonna lay down a stick right here. There's coming a time when Almighty God has declared that there's going to be a day in which it's too late. It's too late. It's too late. He said, there's a day coming. You take your last breath, and it's going to be too late. God said, I'm going to laugh. I look at that word laugh up. No pity. That's what it means. It's coming today. You leave this world without Christ, having mocked him by not casting yourself upon his mercy. I'm talking about the God who's ruling and reigning in this heart. Verse 28, the scripture says, they shall call upon me, but I will not answer. They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. They shall seek me earnestly. You remember the rich man and Lazarus? There was a rich man and Lazarus. The rich man died, lifted his eyes out of hell. Lazarus died and was carried into the bosom of Abraham. And that rich man, he never had time for God. He just had too much stuff to do. I'm busy, I got this, that, and the other. That rich man died and lifted his eyes out of hell. He said, Father Abraham, All of a sudden now, he was one that knew who was ruling now. Father Abraham, I've got some brothers. Would you send Lazarus back to them and tell them, don't come to this place. And here's what the Lord said. No, they have the prophets. They've got the prophets. If they won't hear them, They're not going to hear if one comes back from the dead. You thought, well, surely if one came back from the dead, they would hear. No, here's the straight stick. If somebody comes back from the dead, and you know they died, here, can you believe, here's Abraham Lincoln. That's Abraham Lincoln. If Abraham Lincoln came in, you know good and well he's dead. But he said if he came back from the dead and told them, except God gives them a new heart, they're not gonna believe him. They're not gonna believe him. This is the truth of God's grace. They'll mock him, they'll laugh at him. Look at verse 29 back in Proverbs chapter one. 29, 30. For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord, the respect of the Lord. They would none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof. Unless God gives a man or woman a heart to come, you know this is so. You talk to them and just tell them, say, listen, man's going to die. And I'm telling you, we deserve dying. You know what? Unless the Lord gives them a new heart, they're going to laugh at you. Unless God gives them a new understanding, they're going to mock you. They're going to laugh at you and mock you for what you believe. Man will not choose the fear of the Lord, the respect of God. He'll choose superstition and will worship. Now you tell a man, now listen, everybody's got a free will. And all you gotta do is this. Now they'll accept that. And here's what they're gonna say. Well, I'm gonna put it off. Because I've got, you know, I've got a few things I'd like to get done, you know, for, you know, I, it's not that I, you know, I don't want to be saved. I'm not saying that. But what I'm saying is I don't see the need of right now. I don't, I don't think it's that, you know, important right now. Here's verse 31. Therefore, shall they eat the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices. Man, without an advocate, God's advocate, God's mediator, without the one mediator between God and man, the man, Christ Jesus, without him, man will receive the just due of his actions. And I get it, I get it. I understand how we all are. There's an old man in all of us. Every believer's got an old man, and we will justify our actions, but I'll tell you what a believer does. When he sees something of that old man, he's gonna say, just like Paul the Apostle, oh, wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Verse 32, for they, no, for the turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. For the turning away, I looked at, you know, in my Bible, it talks about for the turning away. It says in my Bible that ease of the simple. Well, let me make it a little bit more understandable for myself and hopefully for you. The self-confidence. The turning away. I just don't think I really need to be that concerned about this. I'm a good person. I hadn't killed anybody. I hadn't done this, that, and the other. But the scripture says, verse, for the turning away, self-confidence of the simple. The self-confidence of the simple. Self-confidence. I'm a good person. I'm a good person. I'm not that bad. I'm not that bad. Scripture says we are. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them. Prosperity of fools shall destroy them. Oh, but I've got some hope for you here. And this is where I'm going to make a few comments and then I'll Wrap it up for today. Look in verse 33. You know, up until now, I hadn't really given anybody a whole lot of hope in themselves. I've told you about a sovereign God who does as he will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No man stops him, stays him. No man can say unto him, what doest thou? Don't think that you're gonna stand before God and argue with God. I've heard people, honestly, I've heard people say this. Well, when I get to heaven, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. God's gonna explain to me, I'm thinking, you are speaking as a foolish one, a foolish person. If you find yourself in heaven, it's because God Almighty has delivered you from yourself. But if God leaves you to yourself, you will never find yourself standing before God demanding that he give you an explanation. No, you'll lift up your eyes out of hell. Now, I'm just, I'm gonna lay down a straight stick, I'm just gonna tell you. This is serious business. But I, this last verse, 33, where I'm gonna end for tonight, for today, I saw it in that verse 33, in that first word. But, oh, what a gracious word, what a wonderful, word. But I know what I am being by nature. I know what I am. I know what I am. I know something of my prayer. I don't know the depth of it. I know that. But I know just enough to know this. I don't know anything and God is omniscient. He's omnipotent. He's all powerful. He's omnipresent. I am a frail creature of dust, and he's God. And if God leaves me to myself, and I know just a little bit, I know I've been in this world just long enough, and I've got just enough memory of myself to know what I would do if God left me alone. You have never, you've never found a more rebellious person than me. You say, oh, no, Marvin. No, I'm telling you the truth. But, but, but, whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear. Oh, what a precious, precious promise. Whosoever shall hearken to me." But Marvin, you just told me, you just told me, a man by nature, he's born dead and trespasses and sins, he is. You said that he was born with a heart that will rebel against God, he will. You told me that no man can come unto him unless the Father which has sent him draw him. He won't, he won't, he won't do it, he won't do it. Well, how in the world, then, how can all of these things be so, and Almighty God show mercy unto a hell-deserving sinner? How can that be? One way. One possibility. There's one possibility. You have no confidence in yourself. I can tell you that right now. You have no confidence in your choice. You have nothing, nothing, nothing. Turn with me to Ezekiel 36. Ezekiel 36. How can a man, a woman, born in Adam, how can they have any hope? Any hope? Ezekiel 36. Look at verse 21 through 28. But I had pity for mine holy name. which the house of Israel hath profaned among the heathen, whether they went. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God, I do not this for your sakes. But O house of Israel, of mine own holy name's sake, which ye have profaned, among the heathen, whether you went. And I will sanctify, I'm gonna set apart, I'm gonna glorify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them. And the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries and will bring you into your own land, then I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean from all your filthiness. And from all your idols, I'll cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you. And a new spirit I'll put within you. And I'll take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I'll give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes. And you shall keep my judgments and do them. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave your fathers, and you shall be my people. And I'll be your God. And I will also save you from all your uncleanness. And I will call you for the corn and will increase it and lay no famine upon you. I don't have any hope in myself. You know what I need? I need for God Almighty to do something for me that I cannot do for myself. I need for God to make me brand new in Christ. I need for God to not leave me to my own silliness and foolishness. I need for God to do what only God can do. He's got to make a brand new me. And He's got to make me in Christ. Somebody said, explain that to me. I can't. I can't. But if God says that we're made new in Christ, you know what that means? Here's the street stick. God has made me new in Christ. I don't understand it. Okay. Well, welcome to my world. But I know by the grace of God, what I have is one hope. I need for God to save me. I need for the Lord to have mercy on me and have pity on me. And I don't need to be left to myself because all I'm going to do is leave this world rebelling against God. That's all I'm going to do. I know that. Here's the promise. I'll just read it to you again. But whoso, whoso, Oh, thanks be unto God. There's some whosos in here. Not that they have any hope in themselves. I know that, but there's some whosos. Whoso hearkeneth unto me. Did Almighty God say this? Yes. And by the grace of God, I believe him. Somebody says, you're going to leave this world based totally on what that book says right there. My friend, I've told you before and I'll say this again. I don't have anything else. I have nothing else. Abraham believed God. He believed God. And if God Almighty leaves me or you or anybody else to believe in yourself, we're gone. We're gone. And when I leave this world, when you leave this world, I'm gonna tell you something. Let me tell you how long we're gonna be like that. Forever. Forever. Lord, have mercy on this sinner. Lord, please don't leave me to me. Lord, please don't leave me to myself. Don't leave me to my depraved, so-called free will. Because I won't come. No man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of the Father. But if it's given unto him of the Father and God Almighty gives him a new heart and a new will, a new mind, and a hunger after Christ, he's coming. My sheep hear my voice. I know them. And he said, and they follow me. Buddy, I'm telling you, that's good enough for me. That gives me some hope. I pray God bless this to our hearts for God's glory and our good.