All right, I'm gonna ask you
to take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Proverbs
chapter 28. Proverbs chapter 28. I'd like
to look at verse 27. Proverbs 28, 27. I've entitled
this message Salvation God's giving or man's works? You know, that's the issue. That's
the issue today. Is salvation by the grace of
God or is it by the works of man? The scripture declares in Proverbs
28, 27, he that giveth unto the poor shall not lack. And he that hideth his eyes shall
have many a curse. Now, Lord willing, by the time
I get through this message, you'll understand why I entitled it
to what I did. But he that giveth unto the poor,
you know the scriptures are not silent concerning the subject
of giving. But giving from a right motive
is really the issue. Giving for a believer is not
an obligation, but rather it's a blessing. It's a blessing,
sharing from a heart that's made new in the Lord Jesus Christ. Giving is for the glory of God,
and it's for the good of God's people. So giving for a believer
is not a loss, never a loss, rather is a precious gain. I want you to turn with me to
2 Corinthians. Now we're gonna turn to a few
scriptures here, and I want you to take your Bibles and turn
with me, look at them, but 2 Corinthians 9. 2 Corinthians 9. This is speaking about giving,
our giving. 2 Corinthians 9 verses 6 to 8,
the scripture says, but this I say, he which soweth sparingly
shall reap also sparingly. He which soweth bountifully shall
reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth
in his heart. So let him give, not grudgingly
or of necessity, for God loveth the cheerful giver. And God's
able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye always, having
all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. So there's great wisdom set forth
concerning our giving, you know, we're admonished to give so bountifully,
every believer is admonished to give. I had someone ask me
one time, how should I give? How should I give? Well, the
scripture says, according as a man purposeth in his heart. Well, I thought it was 10%. 10%
was a tie, that was a tax. They were commanded to give 10%
in the Old Testament. What does a believer, admonished
to do as your purpose and your heart. Not grudgingly or necessity. Well, I guess I've got to give.
Well, if you just got to, don't worry about it. Just don't worry
about it. I mean, if it's going to be a
drudgery for you to give, don't do it. God loveth a cheerful
giver. Now, That's a fact. But now, you know that I'm going
to go past that. I mean, we are commanded to give.
There's no doubt about that. But considering the joy of giving,
let's look past our giving and let's consider the Lord's giving
and the satisfying of God's justice to redeem his people from their
sins. Now, considering the Lord's giving
and thinking about what the Apostle Paul was admonished to write
by the Spirit of God, giving according as he purposed it in
his heart. The Lord said, my meat is to
do the will of him that sent me. Not grudgingly, I lay down
my No man taketh my life from me. Or of necessity, for God
loveth a cheerful giver. Now you take that verse of scripture
and apply it to the Lord Jesus Christ, and it's got some meaning
now. Meaning, true meaning. Our Lord
gave himself. The scripture says, he who for
the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne
of God. He willingly laid down his life
for the sheep. So with that thought concerning
the spiritual truth of giving, I want us to consider this passage
in Proverbs 28, 27. that giveth unto the poor shall
not lack. Now, I'm going to look at that
part first. Concerning our Lord's giving, here's how He gave. He gave Himself
to be our eternal surety according to the everlasting
covenant of God's grace. Now, God has declared that there
is an everlasting covenant, agreement, contract, promise, a covenant
made between the persons of the Godhead, one God, Father, Son,
Spirit, one God. And according to this everlasting
covenant of grace, David said, this is all my hope, this is
all my salvation. made a covenant with me. God
the Father chose a people. Christ bore the responsibility
of redeeming them and earning the righteousness that they lost.
And the Spirit of God, in covenant agreement, shall surely call
them out of darkness. Now that's scriptural. We know
that's a fact. So according to the everlasting
covenant of God's grace to save his people from their sins, answerable
to all the demands of justice and righteousness before the
throne of God, what does the scripture say concerning the
Lord Jesus Christ? Turn with me to John 17, one
to five. What does the scripture say concerning
the Lord Bearing the guilt. Finishing the work. The Father
has given him a work. The work of God is that he might
save all that the Father has given him. John 17. This is what the Lord said. John
17. Now let's just listen. Concerning
him giving himself. John 17, 1 to 5. These words spake Jesus and lifted
up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son that thy son
also may glorify thee. And I've told you before, when
he said glorify your son, show your son to be glorious as he
laid down his life for the sheep. Do it. Do it. Do that which is
demanded. according to the covenant, that
covenant to which I've agreed to, you've agreed to, the Spirit
of God agreed to glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify
thee, the electing God, Ephesians 1.4. The Father has chosen the people,
and Christ is going to die for them. And he says, as thou hast
given him, verse 2, power over all flesh, He should give eternal
life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal,
that they might know thee the only true God in Jesus Christ,
whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the
earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And
now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the
glory which I had with thee before the world was. He gave himself. He gave Himself. The very foundation,
turn with me to 2 Timothy 1. I'm going to read verses 8 and
9. The very foundation and the assurance
and the accomplishment of our salvation was finished in time. It was finished in time. The
Lord Jesus Christ had to go to the cross. He had to be nailed
to a cross. He had to die. He had to do that
and he did it in time. It was actually finished in time. He said, it is finished. He cried that from
the cross. So I know that it was finished
in time. But listen to me, the foundation
of our assurance of salvation and our being saved was settled before the foundation
of the world. 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy, chapter
one. 2 Timothy 1, eight and nine. Be not thou therefore ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord. Don't be ashamed, Paul said,
of the gospel of God's free grace. Nor me, his prisoner, but be
thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, according to the
power of God who has saved us and called us. I've said before,
notice that notice how that's written. He saved us and he called
us. According to the scriptures,
what came first in the heart, mind, purpose of God, salvation
or our calling? Well, you just read it. who has
saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made
manifest by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who
at the abolished death has brought life and immortality to light
through the gospel. I looked up that word saved,
who has saved us and called us. Now here's what the definition
of saved, you look it up. Make one a partaker of the salvation
by Christ. Almighty God has saved His people. He sent the Lord Jesus Christ
into this world to die for us. he who saw the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. And in time, he called them,
and he told them about it. That's regeneration, faith to
believe it, to know it. Nothing is new with God. The
Lord Jesus Christ gave himself as our eternal surety. I will answer. And God the Father
trusted him. Trusting God the Father. Ephesians
111, the first one that ever trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father. Paul said, and you trusted him
too. Secondly, he gave his word to his people that he would never
leave them. Turn with me to Joshua. Joshua
is found right after the book of Deuteronomy. Joshua chapter
one. Joshua 1, verses 1 to 9. Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy,
Joshua. Joshua 1. After the death of
Moses, the Lord gave Joshua, who was a blessed type himself
of the Lord Jesus Christ, he gave him a promise. Now listen
to these words. Joshua 1, verses 1 to 9. Now
after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came
to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses'
minister, saying, Moses, my servant, is dead. Now therefore arise,
go over this Jordan, thou and all this people, unto the land
which I do give them, even to the children of Israel. Every
place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I
given unto you, as I said unto Moses, from the wilderness and
this Lebanon, even unto the great river River Euphrates, all the
land of the Hittites under the great sea toward the going down
to the sun shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able
to stand before thee all the days of thy life as I was with
Moses. So I will be with thee. I will
not fail thee nor forsake thee. Be strong. Good courage. For unto this people shall thou
divide for an inheritance the land which I swear unto their
fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very
courageous that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law,
which Moses my servant commanded thee. Turn not from it to the
right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever
thou goest. The book of the law shall not
depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day
and night that thou mayest observe to do according to all that was
written therein, for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous.
Then shalt thou have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be
strong and of a good courage. Be not afraid, neither be thou
dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou
goest. He'd given his word. I'm gonna save you. I'm gonna
save you. I'm not gonna leave you, I'm
not gonna forsake you. I'm not gonna do it, I'm not gonna do
it. He promised through the prophet Isaiah that his word of covenant
mercy would never depart. I'll read this for you, Isaiah
54. Isaiah 54, verse 10. Everything around us is gonna
crumble. That's what he said, Isaiah 54, 10. The mountains,
for the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but
my kindness shall not depart from thee. Neither shall the
covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy
on thee. God doesn't change. He never
changes. He said, I change not. Therefore,
you sons of Jacob are not consumed. This is the reason you're not
consumed, We deserve to be consumed. In ourselves, we deserve it.
But it has pleased the Lord. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. He won't charge him with it.
Why? He charged it to his son. And charged to his son, he's
not going to charge it to his people. His son put it away.
He gave himself in glorious humility. John 1 in the beginning was the
word. And the word was with God and
the word was God. In verse 14 of that chapter says,
and the word was made flesh, made flesh. He said in Philippians
2, 8, I'll read this for you. And being found in fashion as
a man, he humbled himself. and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Being obedient unto death, he
said in Isaiah 50 verse 6, I gave my back to the smiters, and my
cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from
shame and spitting. He humbled himself. He gave himself. glorious humility. And all the
while, while he was suffering at the hands of evil men, he
submitted to the glorious good pleasure of his father's will
to finish the work of redemption. Isaiah 53 and verse 7 concerning
his submission He stood before men in total subjection to his
father. This was his father's will. And
all of the false accusations that was levied against him,
I think when somebody says something about me and I hear about it,
I usually do, it's gonna get around to them, they gonna hear.
First thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna defend myself. Well, that's
what I wanna do. Maybe by the grace of God I'll
shut my mouth for a moment, but man, I don't want to. But concerning
him, Isaiah 53, seven, he was oppressed, he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth. He's brought as a lamb to the
slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth
not his mouth. He gave His precious life. He gave His life. Isaiah 53,
10, yet it pleased the Lord. It pleased the Lord to bruise
Him. It put Him to grief. Why? Why? Because without the shedding
of blood, His blood The blood of bulls and goats never put
away sin. But that precious blood that
He shed, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. There's no forgiveness. There's
no pardon. There's no release from bondage
or the penalty of sin. He gave Himself. He had to. He had to. Why? Because God's
just. God is just. Sin's gonna be paid
for. I'm telling you right now, sin
is going to suffer the penalty of God's justice. When the Lord
Jesus Christ went to the cross, he said in John 10, 15, I laid
down my life for the sheep, the sheep that God gave him. bearing their guilt, being made
sin, not a sinner, but being made sin. God spewed out his justice on
him. God forsook him. God forsook him. Sin is going
to be paid for. But having put away the guilt
of his sin, of our sin, having put away the guilt of our sin,
You know what he gives now? He can justly, justly give eternal
life. John 10, 27 to 30. We've read
this, but oh, what a precious passage. John 10, 27 to 30. My sheep, my sheep, hear my voice. That always just amazes me. I can tell you when you're hearing
the voice of God, is when you're reading what he says right here,
you know these words are true. When he gives you a heart to
hear these words and they bear witness to your heart, this is
the truth. This is what God said. That's his voice. That's his
voice. My sheep hear my voice and I
know them. and they follow me, and I give
unto them eternal life. They shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave
them me is greater than all. No man's able to pluck them out
of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. I give them, give them, I give
them eternal life. I want you to take your Bibles
and turn to John 15. I give them eternal life. Life eternal comes
not, we just read this, it doesn't come without the justice of God
being satisfied. You listen to me, John 15, I'm
gonna read John 15, I'm gonna read verses 15, 16, but listen
to me. When he said, I give unto them,
I give unto them eternal life. Well, again, we just looked.
He laid down his life for the sheep. Life eternal comes not
without the justice of God being satisfied. But you listened. Listen to me, and I'm gonna show
you this according to Scripture. Eternal life is not obtained
by man's choice, but rather by God's choice. John 15, 15, 16. Henceforth, John 15, 15. Henceforth,
I call you not servants, For the servant knoweth not what
his Lord doeth, but I've called you friends. For all things that
I have heard of my Father, I've made known unto you. You have
not chosen me, but I've chosen you and ordained you that you
should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain,
that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he
may give it you. Now, according to the word of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Whose choice is it concerning
salvation? Ours or his? You know. He said, you didn't choose me.
You didn't choose me. You say, well, don't God's people
come to the Lord, call on the Lord? They sure do. After he
calls him first and gives him a new heart, and makes them willing
in the day of His power, then they'll call. Then they'll call.
But if God Almighty leaves a man, a woman to themselves, they will
never call. They'll never call. How do you
know? Because Psalm 14.2 says, God looked. He looked from heaven
and saw that there were none good, no man, none seeks after
God. So whenever somebody tells you,
well, all you got to do is seek after the Lord and he'll save
you. Let me correct that statement.
All the Lord's got to do is save you. Then you'll seek after God. Salvation, if it's left to man's
choice, no one will ever come because
the Lord said they won't. You will not come to me. You will not. He must will first. Isaiah 1 9 says, except the Lord
of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have
been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. Unless the Lord had left us a
very small remnant, all have perished. He gives His life. He gives us life. He gives us
peace with God. John 14, 27. Peace I leave with
you. My peace, my peace I give unto
you. Not as the world giveth, give
I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid. He gives us peace. He gives us
rest. Matthew 11, 28, coming to me.
All ye that labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest. He gives us righteousness. Second
Corinthians 5, 21, for he hath made him sin for us who knew
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God. He's prepared and given us a
place in glory. John 14, two and four, he said,
in my father's house are many mansions, many dwelling places. Somebody said, what do you think
heaven's going to be like? I don't know. But according to
the word of the Lord, there are many mansions, there are many
dwelling places there. He said, if it were not so, I
would have told you I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive
you unto myself that where I am, there you may be also. Brethren, there is no depth,
there's no end, there's no bottom to His giving for us. For His people, He's given all. He's given Himself and He gives
them Himself. Proverbs 28, 27 says, he that
giveth, giveth, and giveth, and giveth, and giveth, he that giveth
unto the poor, the poor in spirit, that's us, shall not lack. We're not gonna lack for sure.
He's not gonna lack. He's not gonna lack his father's
approval. Father said, this is my beloved son, whom I'm well
pleased. You hear him. He's not gonna like any of His
people. Why? John 6, 37. All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. Turn to Revelation. I'm gonna
wrap this up. Revelation 7. He's not gonna
like the praise of all His people either, now or forever. Revelation 7, verse 4 to 12. Listen to this. Revelation 7,
4. I heard the number of them that were sealed. And there were
sealed 144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel. You
know, we're going through the book of Genesis. We're going
through when Jacob had his sons. And those sons became the patriarchs,
the 12 heads of the tribes of Israel, who was a picture and
type of all God's sheep. So when it says right here, of
the tribe of Judas, 12,000, verse five, tribe of Reuben, sealed
12,000, representative number of God's people, an exact number. You ever notice that? Got exact
number. How many people does God have?
No man can number, but God can. Of the tribe of Gad, sealed 12,000,
tribe of Asser, sealed 12,000. tribe of Nepthalene, sealed 12,000,
tribe of Manassas, sealed 12,000, tribe of Simeon, sealed 12,000,
tribe of Levi, sealed 12,000, tribe of Issachar, was sealed
12,000, tribe of Zebulun, sealed 12,000, tribe of Joseph, sealed
12,000 of the tribe of Benjamin, sealed 12,000. This I beheld
in low or great multitude, which no man could number, of all the
nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood before the
throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in
their hand, cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our
God which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb. And all the
angels stood round about the throne and about the elders and
the four beasts and fell before the throne on their faces and
worshiped God, saying, Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom,
thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be unto our God Forever
and ever. Amen. Back in Proverbs 2827. The scripture
sets forth the blessing. Of Almighty God. Having mercy. Showing mercy. To a people of
his choosing, mercifully found in him. A beloved. I'm going to make a statement
and read a scripture on this last part of this, and let me
tell you what it declares. It declares a warning to all
who will not hear the glorious gospel of that which God has
done, that which God Almighty has eternally done. We've already looked at these
scriptures already. Salvation was finished with God. God's people were chosen. The
book of life was written from before the foundation of the
world. That's Revelation 13. God Almighty chose a people in
Christ, gave them to Him. The scripture declares in 2 Timothy
1 and 9, He saved them. And in time, He's going to call
them Somebody might say, well, that just doesn't make sense
to me. Well, let God be true and let us all be liars. But
that's what God said. But I'm going to tell you something.
All that will not hear this truth. All that will not hear. All that are bound to determine,
I will not have this God that you set forth as being the God
of sovereign grace. I won't have him. I know that
I was saved because I did so and so. I did this out of there. I know that I was saved. All
that hold to their self-righteous works and say,
I know that I was saved because I did so and so. This last portion of this verse
is gonna tell you the end of that. Proverbs 28, 27, look at
the last part. But he that hideth his eyes shall
have many a curse. Now, I struggled, sought the
Lord for some understanding, and here's the only answer I've
got. He that hideth his eyes, He that
hideth his eyes, he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.
The only thing I can give you is what God says. I want you
to turn to Isaiah chapter one. Now this is a very, very easy, easy to understand. What
I said is this passage of scripture is saying Salvation is of the
Lord. That's what we just looked at. Salvation is of the Lord. It's
not of man. It's not of works. It's not of
man's works. But all that will come before
God and beholding to their works, God will not receive them. I want you to listen to this.
Isaiah 1, verses 9 to 20. I read the first verse previously. I'm going to read it again. Except
the Lord of Hosts had left unto us a very small remnant. We should
have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom. Now this is
those that are holding like those that did in Sodom. God destroyed
Sodom. Give ear unto the law of our
God, you people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude
of your sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord? I am full of the burnt
offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts, and I delight
not in the blood of bullocks or of lambs or of he-goats. When you come to appear before
me, who hath required this of your hand, and to tread my courts. Bring no more vain oblations. Incense is an abomination to
me. The new moons and Sabbaths, the
calling of assemblies, I cannot away with. It is iniquity, even
the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed
feast, my soul hateth." What he's saying is this, everything
that you think you're doing that's gonna please me, It's not. It's not pleasing me. Your new
moon and your appointed feast, my soul hateth. They are trouble
unto me. I am weary to bear them. And
when you spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you.
Yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are
full of blood. Wash you. What he's saying is
this, the blood of Christ alone is going to cleanse you, wash
you, make you clean, put away evil of your doings before mine
eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do
well. Seek judgment. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for
the widow. Come now, let us reason together,
saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet. They shall be
as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool. If you be willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land. But if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be devoured with a sword, for the mouth of the Lord has
spoken it. Almighty God has said here, salvation is by the grace
of God. But if you try to approach God
by your religious works, thinking I'm satisfying God, like Cain
did, bringing his offering of the best of his fruits and vegetables. You make supplication before
me, the Lord says, bringing what you think I'm going to accept,
your works, self-righteousness. He said, I'm going to hide my
eyes from you. When you make many prayers, he
said, I'm not going to hear you. I'm not going to hear you. The
Lord gives life eternal or we don't have it. Count all that
you think that you've done for God to merit salvation. Count everything you think that
you've done to merit salvation. You count it as done. That's
scriptural, you know that. Cast yourself upon the mercy
of God. You do. He's already given you
life. I'm telling you right now. Salvation
is by grace through faith and that not of yourself. It's the
gift of God, not of works. Lest any man should boast. I
pray God bless us to our hearts for Christ's sake. Amen. All
right, let's take a few minutes break.