Well, it's good to see all of
you. And truly, once again, it's good that the Lord has allowed
us this precious time to be together, to have this opportunity, to
be able to open the word of God, have the God of all creation,
mercy, grace, open our hearts and give us some understanding
of what He has to say. I want you to take your Bibles
and turn with me to the book of Proverbs. Now, I'm going to
tell you why you're turning to Proverbs chapter 30. We've gone
through this blessed book, Proverbs. I told you before, we started
this book in I've not preached out of it every Sunday, but we've
preached through it as the Lord gave us some leadership and direction. And this precious book, again,
I've told you before, has been such a blessing to me. But it
has, by my own admittance, this has been the hardest book I've
ever preached through in my life. I have looked at these scriptures
with you, and the Lord has blessed us to be able to look at them.
And the book of Proverbs is the book of wisdom, God's wisdom. And having looked at the book
of wisdom, I've realized something for myself, and I know I speak
for you, how much we need Him who is wisdom, wisdom. Lord, give us wisdom of yourself. Oh, that I might know him. I
might know him. Now I'd like to look at this,
this, uh, book today and, uh, where we normally have looked
at. A lot of times we'll look at one verse of scripture. In
both services today, I'd like to look in the book of Proverbs. And what I'd like to try to do
is, in the first service, look at the first three verses of
Proverbs 30. And in the second service, look
at the next three verses of Proverbs chapter 30. And behold how the
Spirit of God has been pleased to teach us something. And you're
going to see what I'm talking about right here. I've said this
many times, Brian, I pray God teach us something of ourselves.
I'm gonna tell you something, these first three verses, we're
gonna see something of ourselves. We're gonna see what God has
to say about who we are. And Lord willing, in the next
three verses, who he is. Oh, may the Lord, even now, prepare
our hearts to hear what God has to say. Let's look at the first
three verses Proverbs chapter 30, the words of Agur, the son
of Jacob, even the prophecy, the man spake unto Ithiel, even
Ithiel, you cow, surely I'm more brutish than any man and have
not the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom nor
have the knowledge of the Holy. Now, the Spirit of God has been
pleased to open these scriptures to our hearts and our eyes today,
and I pray that the Lord might truly, as I said a moment ago,
open our hearts to understand something of who we are. This first passage I want to
look at this morning, verses 1 to 3, set forth the attitude
of a man that has truly been blessed to see spiritually something
of himself. It says in verse 1, the words. Now I'm going to just try to
take this passage right just very simply. I gotta do it simply
because I don't understand. I'm weak in understanding. I want just, let me just say
something the way I can grasp it. I pray that God give us all
the words, the speech, the talking, the speech, the words of Edgar. Now this word Edgar, now this
is a man. He's a man, but his name means
something. It means gathered, gathered. The words of Ager, the son of
Jaca. Jaca, his word, his name, he
was a, this man, Ager, he was a son. His daddy's name was Jaca. And his daddy's name, Jacob,
means blameless. So the words of the speech of
Agar that gathered the son of Jacob, blameless, even the prophecy. You know, when we see these words
again, let's just stop and look at them slowly. The prophecy,
you know, we see that word, we just go over it just so easy,
just, you know, the prophecy. And here's what that word prophecy
means, the load, the bearing, the tribute, the lifting up. So here's what we know, that
whatever's getting ready to be said is gonna be said to lift
up and to praise and to honor, honor. It says, the man. Now here it is, it says the man,
and that word man means strong, strong, the man, strong. But we're gonna see, not in himself. Now Edgar's talking. He wants
to say something under the inspiration of God. He wants to say something,
but he's gonna have to admit something. The man, not in himself. And that word, the man, it means
the warrior. I'm going to try to tie all this
together. I just want to give you an understanding of what
these words mean. The warrior, the strength, the ability, to
be able to utter a revelation. This man that is going to make
a declaration of a prophet. So here's Ager. The words of
Agur, the son of Jacob, even the prophecy, the prophecy of
a man taught. And it says this man, this man,
he spake unto Ithiel, even Ithiel, and Ukal. Now, this man, Agur,
he's speaking to two people. Well, we're gonna find out something
about these two people. They set forth, so you'll understand,
they set forth the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. So here's
this man, Agur, and he wants to save a prophecy. He wants to set forth this man,
that name means gathered, and he's admitting something. Here
I am. One of the gathered, collected
by the grace of God, one pulled out like a brand out of the fire. This man that's going to speak
forth is a man that's going to speak, but he's going to speak
of something that he knows he did not produce himself. This man is going to speak of
what he knows God has done for him and taught him. So here's
the Spirit of God moving upon a man named Agur. He's going to have to set forth
the source of every man's strength is what he's going to be saying.
So here he is. He's a prophet. A prophet called
of God. But this prophet He's gonna have
to be made to be honest. This man, it says, this man,
Agur, he spake unto Ithiel, even Ithiel. That amazed me when I
first saw that. I mean, that should just arrest
us, stop us just a minute. He said, this man spake unto
Ithiel. And then the Spirit of God moved
him to say, even Ithiel. Doesn't that just make you realize
this man is going to say something about somebody that is somebody.
Even Ithiel and Ukal. Again, these two men. What their
names mean. It's this man, Ithiel. Here's what it means. God is
with me. God is with me. And Ukal means
devoured. So here's these two men, and
they set forth the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. The glory
of the one that we worship. Worthy of all praise. God is
with me. That's what ithiel means. And uchel means devoured. These
two men set forth. of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose
very heart and desire that had been eaten up with a desire to
finish the work of his father. So here comes a prophecy. Here
comes a prophecy from the words of a man named Agar. This man gathered, he's admitting,
he said, I was gathered, I was rescued. I was delivered by the
grace of God. Here he is, he said, I've got
a prophecy. I got a pouring forth out of
my heart. And this man, he spake unto these
two that set forth the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Knowing
these men now, we're gonna see something of what this man had
learned. Listen to what was taught. Verse
2, he said, surely. Write this down. Make a note
of this. I am more brutish. It's an amazing word when you
look it up. It means stupid. Stupid. That's what it means.
I am more brutish than any man and have not the understanding
of a man. I am more in the way of stupidity
than anybody else. Ager, he was a prophet, taught
of God, gathered by the grace of God,
put in a place to set forth through proclamation, the glory of God. And when others would speak to
him, ask him, you're a man taught of God. You've learned something
of the Lord. You've been blessed of God to
set forth these prophecies. What's your estimation of yourself?
Now this, this, this is the most beautiful thing to behold in
a believer. Some humility. Humility. All man by nature thinks he's
something. All man by nature, he lifts himself
up. He just, I don't know if you
know who I am. And here was this man, Agur,
this man that was a prophet, taught of God, blessed of God. And when he was made to see himself
in light of Ithiel, even Ithiel, and Ukal, those two that set
forth the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, in light of seeing himself
in light of them. He said, I am so stupid. I am
such a foolish man. That's the confession of a man
that's been truly taught something of crossing paths with the Lord
Jesus Christ. Hold your pace right there. Turn
to 1 Timothy. First Timothy, chapter one. First Timothy one, verse 15. Apostle Paul. Now this is a man that God Almighty
rescued. He's one like Ager gathered called
out of the slew of despond, the dregs of rebellion. This is Paul. He said in 1 Timothy
1.15, he said, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. He said, now this saying right
here is worthy to be heard. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. of whom I am chief. Isn't it
a blessing to behold something of being brought down, being
humbled? Like I said, man by nature, he's
so proud, he's so arrogant, he just thinks himself something.
Oh, but when he's brought down, he was a prophet, taught of God,
He said, I'm so I'm just so stupid. Considering the marvel of these
things that we learn. We know a few verses of scripture. We see a few things in the in
the word of God, we think we know so much. Oh, but in light of the magnificence
of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're just brutish. That's what
Hagar said of himself. I'm so brutish. I'm so stupid.
What can I know? I'm more brutish. I have no understanding
than any man. That's what Paul the Apostle
said of himself. Romans chapter 7. Turn over to
Romans 7. He saw himself. Again, here's
this prophet now. The apostle Paul that God had
taught, directed, called out of darkness, look what he says
in Romans chapter 7 verse 15, for that which I do, I allow
not. I don't know why I do that. I
don't know how in the world I could say that. How can I act like
that? How can I have that kind of attitude? Here God has called me out of
darkness and delivered me from the bondage of sin. How can I
speak like this? For what I do, I allow not. For
what I would, that do I not. What I hate, that's what I do. If then I do that which I would
not, I consent under the law that it's good. Now then it's
no more. do it, but sin that dwelleth
in me. For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth
no good thing. For the will is present with
me, but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would, I
do not. But the evil which I would not,
that I do. That's what I do. How can I?
I am so brutish. Oh, the blessing. of realizing
that by nature, we just actually, the scripture declares us exactly
how we are. Let me just read this to you.
Psalm 73, 22. Listen to the psalmist. So foolish
was I and ignorant. I was a beast before thee. Beloved, we don't have anything
to be proud of. in ourselves. I can tell you that right now.
We just have nothing. This is just the Spirit of God
just laying before us. This is what we are. This is
how we are. More brutish, verse 2, back in
Proverbs 30, more brutish than any man. I have not the understanding
of a man. And then here's old Agar. A prophet, a man mightily moved
by the Spirit of God to know some things. Oh, but when he
realized what he knew, he said in verse three, he said, I neither
learned wisdom nor have the knowledge of the holy. I'm so inadequate for these things. I'm so incapable of proclaiming
what I know. When you come ask me, you said,
you know what? You don't realize who you're
talking to. You're talking to somebody that don't know. Listen
to what Amos said. I'll just read this to you in
Amos chapter seven. Listen to what Amos said concerning
himself. Amos 7, 1450. Then answered Amos
and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was
I a prophet's son, but I was a herdman and a gatherer of sycamore
fruit, wild figs is what it is. And he said, and the Lord took
me. He took me. He took me as I followed
the flock. And the Lord said unto me, go
prophesy unto my people. Israel. Amos was a man that,
he said, I wasn't one that commissioned myself. I wasn't looking for
this calling. I didn't even have sense enough
to ask the Lord about teaching me these things. Oh, how often. we're made to realize. I'm just
so foolish. I'm so ignorant. These blessed
things are set forth that we might truly hear again. You know,
when we get ourselves into a little place and think, well, you know
what? I picked up a few things. I think I'm pretty well arriving. Here's where we are right here,
if you want to know. Here's man honest before God and men. That's what, that's what Edgar
said. He said, when they came and asked
me these truths, he said, what are you asking me for? I don't
know anything. I know nothing. He saw himself
as incapable, unworthy, but one powerfully and effectually called
of God to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ. What this does
to a man and a woman is going to teach us one thing. If God's
pleased to do anything, he's going to do it in spite of us,
in spite of who we are. And the moment we think that
we have started to pick up something, Pride starts to raise its ugly
head in our hearts. Let me tell you something. Pride is what precedes a fall. The Lord knows how to obey. Can
I give us all a word of warning? Be careful, be careful. Watch
it, be careful. This was a prophet right here,
taught of God. He knew some things. God had
taught him some things, and God taught him, without me, you can
do nothing. I mean, this is just a blessed
lesson in humility, a blessing to be able to hear the confession
of one that had been taught of God. Beloved, as we worship today,
Let us remember this thing. With this, I'm gonna close this
first message. We serve a God in heaven who rules. He rules. And he's got children
that he loves. I know that. I'm convinced that
there's some that the Lord has eternally loved here this morning.
I believe that. But I'm telling you, as his children,
He gonna teach us something of Himself and of us. He gonna teach
us what we are and who He is. That's the best thing that we
could ever do. We need to be taught again of
our inability and our frailty, shown our pride. Oh, may He be pleased today to
magnify Himself and move our hearts to set forth this Blessed
request. Lord, forgive me. Lord, I'm so
sorry. Lord, please guide me, direct
me, teach me, keep us here, keep us. Bind our hearts together
in love. By this, you'll all men know
you're my disciples. You have loved one for another.
Lord, teach me this. For Christ's sake, I pray these
things. Amen. All right, let's just