All right, let's take our Bibles
and turn to the book of Proverbs, chapter 28. Proverbs 28. I'd
like to deal with two verses today, verses 25 and 26. Scripture says, he that is of
a proud heart stirreth up strife. He that putteth his trust in
the Lord shall be made fat. He that trusteth in his own heart
is a fool. But whoso walketh wisely, he
shall be delivered. Now, he that is of a proud heart
stirreth up strife. Strife is stirred up because
of pride, that's what it's saying. Now, pride. Now what does the
scripture say concerning pride? Well, I looked it up. It means
contention, discord, a contest, a quarrel, brawling. But about what? What's the contest over? Well,
I wanted to know what, I looked up in the dictionary what pride
is too. Here's what the dictionary says.
It's a state or condition of distrust or enmity. It's an exertion or a contention
for superiority. That's pride. And you know the scriptures bear
out that this enmity, this contention for superiority, that is found
in every man, every woman from the fall in the garden. Pride is that state of evil. that is bound, ingrained in every
human being from birth. We're born proud. Now, though a man doesn't realize
it, you know, here's what we gotta do. I've said before, let
God be true and every man's a liar. It doesn't really matter what
we think. It doesn't matter at all what
we think personally, humanly. The only thing that matters is
what God says. That's the bottom line. What does God say about
every man, every woman born in Adam? Genesis 6, 5, and God saw
that the wickedness of man was great in the earth. Now listen,
we've read this before, but listen to it again. imagination of the thoughts of
his heart was only evil continually. A man, he thinks, now everything I think
is not evil continually. Well, according to the word of
God, that's the way we think. By nature, that's the way we
think. Strife, is a product of pride. Pride in that old man. Strife
against God, strife against God's word, and strife against God's
people. That just, look, let's lay it out there and just say
this is the way we are. This is the way we are. See, the problem
is we don't see us like God says we are. So today I want us to consider
he that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife." And remember what
pride means. I mean, there's definitions in
there. It means wide, broad. Strong talks of it as being greedy. Pride. A feeling of deep pleasure
or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements. Now turn to Isaiah 14, and let
me ask you this question. Where did this pride come from?
What is the source? I know we got it, but where did
it come from? Isaiah 14, verse 12 to 15. Now here, here's the source of
pride right here. Isaiah 14, verse 12. How art thou fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the
ground, which didst weaken the nations? Now listen to this. For thou hast said in thine heart,
and I'm gonna just say this right now, this is the product of the
fall, being deceived in Adam's transgression. Eve was beguiled. And Adam did what he did with
his eyes wide open. He knew exactly what he was doing. Adam disobeyed God. Here's what Satan says, and here's
what every man, every woman says from the fall. I will ascend
into heaven. I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God. I will sit also upon the mount
of the congregation in the sides of the north. I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds. I will be like the most high,
yet thou shalt be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit. Now let me tell you where Man's
pride originated. That is the very heart, mind,
attitude of Satan. You remember when the Lord told
the Pharisees, you are of your father, the devil. I will. Pride within man evidences
itself this way. My will over God's will. That is the inherent characteristic
from the fall and that pride is going to strive with God.
It's going to strive with God's word. It's going to be punished. Oh unto him that striveth with
his maker. You know what I want to know?
I want to know what God has to say. God. Turn with me to Daniel
4. Daniel 4, pride is that desire
for the glory. That's what man by nature wants.
I want to have the glory. Daniel chapter 4, verse 28, a
man named Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 4, 28 to 31. And all this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar
at the end of 12 months. He walked in the palace of the
kingdom of Babylon. The king spake and said, is not
this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom
by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty? And while the word was in the
king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying, oh, King
Nebuchadnezzar, To thee it is spoken, the kingdom is departed
from thee. Now, you know, we hear this and
we say, oh my, my, my. Can you imagine somebody standing
up here, a pastor, standing in a pulpit and said, oh, look at
this great congregation that I built. Look what I have done. A believer saying, you're a fool.
You are a fool to say that. If the Lord wills, God's gonna
prosper this congregation. If the Lord wills, we'll get
through this day here. But to say, I will, I will exalt
my, I will, my will. Man is a fallen worm. Totally
unclean thing. Made from the dust of the earth
and to the dust he's gonna go back. We have nothing in ourselves. which to be proud. Pride is that,
as I said before, that inherent sin. Man, and I'll tell you this,
it is not gonna die until we leave this world. It's gonna
be with us. I know this, back in Proverbs
28, because a comparison is made, it says, verse 25, he that is
of a proud heart stirreth up strife. Now what does that mean? I can tell you exactly what it
means by the second half of this verse. It means that man that
is putting trust in himself, he that is of a proud heart stirreth
up strife, but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be
made fat. He's going to flourish. He's
going to be prosperous. That man that relies not on himself,
not on himself, not in his will, not in his heart, not in his
ability, not in his work, but rather cast himself upon the
mercy of God and leaves his eternal soul to the safety of him who
alone can save. I can't save myself, I can't
keep myself, I've never satisfied God in myself.
All that I do is filthy rags. Man's righteousness is what Job
said, though he slay me, yet will I trust him. I'm going to
trust him. God, if God kills me, Job said,
I'm going to trust him. That's confidence that is only
known by faith. Faith in Him who cannot lie. Faith in Him whose word shall
not fail nor return unto Him void. That one who by the grace
of God trusts in the Lord is going to prosper. He's going
to prosper if he trusts in the Lord. And remember, when you
say trust in the Lord, what does that mean? That means I don't
put any confidence in myself. What can I do to keep me? I tell
you what, if I had a free will, if I had a free will, I've told
you this before, you know what free means? Free, bound by nothing. Bound by nothing. Free, it's
free. There's no bond on it, no bounds
to it. I got a good buddy, I've been
telling you about, Dee Parks. I love him, I've known him for
a long time, and he's sick. He's like Lazarus, he whom thou
lovest is sick. If a man had a free will, Brian,
you know what he could say? I don't have this cancer anymore,
I'm done. If his will was free, there'd
be no bound, but man's not free. He's not free. He's not free. Job said this, Job 19, 25, 27. Job said, I know, for I know
that my Redeemer liveth. This is what Job knew. He knew
that he was a sinner because he said, my Redeemer. I know
that my Redeemer liveth. He's a sinner that needs redemption. And he knew that his Redeemer
was alive. I know that my Redeemer liveth
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. He
knew that his Redeemer was coming back and he was going to stand
in that latter day upon the very earth that he had come to, made
flesh to redeem all that the Father had given him. That's
why he came. He came into this world praying
in his high priestly prayer. John 17, as thou hast given him
power. As God, he has all power, but
as a submissive servant, he humbled himself. And God Almighty blessed
him with the Spirit without measure. He said, you've given me power
over all flesh, all mankind, that I should give eternal life
to as many as you've given me. I know that my Redeemer liveth.
He'll stand in the latter day. And though after my skin, worms
destroy this body. Job said, I'm gonna die. I'm
gonna die and the worms of this earth are gonna just eat this
body. It's going back to the dust.
He said, yet in my flesh shall I see God. I've told you before. This flesh right here, I'm gonna
deal with this Lord willing in the next message on when a believer
dies, what happens when a believer dies. Job said in this flesh,
now this is corruptible, this is corruption. It's getting older
and it's getting frailer and it's getting weak. He said in
my flesh, I'm gonna see God, gonna be changed. Whom I shall
see, God, whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold."
Mine eyes. New eyes. Changed eyes. And not another, though my reigns
be consumed within me. He knew that he was going to
rise again. I'm coming out of the grave.
I'm going to come out of the deadness, corruption, the newness
of life. And he said, I look forward to
seeing that. This confession of Job's faith
in the Lord Jesus is the confession of everyone that trusts him.
I'm a failing, frail creature of dust. And God has given me
faith to believe that. That I don't have the ability
to keep myself. But He's given me a heart to
trust Him. Look to Him. But not only do men by nature
strive against the Lord before conversion, that's what we all
do. We read these scriptures and
it tells us what we are by nature, but when God gives us eyes to
see, we believe Him, we believe Him. But not only do men by nature
strive against the Lord before conversion, after conversion,
and back in Proverbs, you can turn to Romans 7. He that is
of a proud heart stirred up strife, He that put his trust in the
Lord shall be made fat. Let me show you something. Your
conversion, you say, well, before I was converted, there was a
striving. My friend, after conversion,
there's still a striving because pride is still there. Well, after I got saved, after
I was converted, Lord took all the pride away from me. Oh, that
which is flesh is flesh. That which is spirit, spirit.
And the flesh and the spirit, there's a battle going on. My
friend, there's been nothing changed in this old man. We're
just as wicked and have the most wicked thoughts. Every thought
of the imagination of our heart, that old man is only evil continually. Romans chapter seven, verse 22
to 24. The apostle Paul says, and now
here again, you know this, here's two men. There's an old man that
we're all born with, and at conversion there's a new man, a new creation
created in Christ Jesus, imparted, for I delight in the law of God
after the inward man. Paul said, I delight in God's
word, God's law, after the new man, that inward man. But I see
another law in my members. Warring against the law of my
mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in
my members. It's still there. Man, I wish
I could get rid of it. Well, I know you do. I wish I
could, too. But I can't. Oh, wretched man
that I am. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? I'll tell you who. The Lord will. But it's gonna be when I die.
I'm gonna go to my grave struggling. The Spirit of God was pleased
to record for our learning a battle, turn to Luke 22, a battle that
raised, and I'm gonna, you know when Paul was saying, I see in
me, I see that is in my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing,
and the will is present with me, how to perform that which
I would, and there's a battle that goes on. Let me, let me
just, read a passage of scripture that we've read it so many times,
but I want to show you a prime example of a battle in a believer,
in a believer. The apostle Peter was a man that
knew God. What he called him, taught him
the gospel. Luke chapter 22. Verse 31. The Lord said, Simon,
Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift
you as wheat. But I prayed for thee that thy
faith fail not. And when thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren. And you know, I've said this
before, converted there doesn't mean regenerated. But when you're
taught, When you're taught, I want you to strengthen your brethren.
You look over at Peter, 1 and 2 Peter, and you'll see his evidence
of that. The scripture says that Lord
told him, he said, Satan wants you. He's desired to have you,
sift you. I prayed for you that your faith
fail not. Now listen to Peter's response.
He said, verse 33, unto him, Lord, I'm ready to go with thee
both to prison and to death. And he said, I tell thee, Peter,
the cock shall not crow this day before thou shalt thrice
deny that thou knowest me. Peter, Satan has desired to have
you sift his wheat. But I've prayed for you that your faith fail not, that
your faith doesn't leave off, that your faith doesn't cease.
that your faith doesn't stop. Like those in John 6, 66, when
they heard the Lord saying, no man can, and he's speaking of
ability, no man can come to me, except it were given unto him
of my father. It's a hard saying there. Who can hear that? And they followed him no more.
They quit, they quit, they left. Peter said when he heard the
Lord, he said, Lord, I'm ready to go with you. I'm
ready to go to prison for you. I'm ready to die for you. The
others may, but you can count on me. There's no way in the
world, there's no way that I'll forsake you, no way. Well, how did it go for Peter?
Look at Luke 22, verse 54. Then they took him, that is the
Lord, and led him, brought him into the high priest's house,
and Peter followed afar off. When they had kindled a fire
in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter
sat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him
as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This
man was also with him. And he denied him, saying, Woman,
I know him not. You know, I was just reading
that, and I think, you know, it should, in our mind, we think, that oughta,
that shoulda triggered something. When he said, I don't know him.
But it didn't. The Lord left him to do what
he wanted to do. Now the Lord said, I prayed for
you, that your faith fail not. But God's gonna show him something,
and us too. A little, verse 58, and after a little while another
saw him and said, thou art also of them. And Peter said, man,
I am not. And about the space of one hour
after another confidently affirmed, saying of truth, this fellow
also was with him, for he is a Galilean. And Peter said, man,
I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet
spake, the cock crew, while he was talking, The cock crew and
the Lord turned and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the
word of the Lord, how he had said in him before the cock crow,
thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out and wept bitterly. The Lord did keep him. He kept
him. He showed him, Peter, you're not as tough as you think you
are. Brethren, we're not as tough as we think we are. Oh, I tell
you what, don't worry about me. I'll be here. I'll be here. I'll
be here Wednesday. Don't worry about me. I'll be
here on Friday. I mean Sunday. Don't worry about me. You can
count on me. I'll not fail you. If almighty
God doesn't keep me, I'm telling you, I meant it and I mean it
now, I would quit. I would quit. This is too hard. This is too strenuous. There's
too much time involved. It's too much wrecking on my
brain, and I get tired. But for the grace of God, God's
grace is sufficient. Pride, pride, pride. He that is of a proud heart stir
enough strife. But, verse 26, he that trusteth
in his own heart is a fool, but whoso walketh wisely. He shall
be delivered. He that trusts in his own heart,
his own will, his own understanding, is a fool, as we've seen before
and after conversion. He that trusteth in his own heart.
The only thing I know about my own heart is what I read from
the Word of God, and here's what I know, and I'm gonna wrap this
up. The heart of the old man turned to Mark 7. The heart of
the old man is the fountainhead of evil. Mark 7, Mark 7, 21. Mark chapter 7, verse 21 to 23.
For from within, out of the heart
of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil
eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these things come from within
and defile the man. Men may ignorantly say that there
is some good. I'm not saying I'm perfect. I'm
just saying that there's some good in me, not according to
the scriptures, not in the old man, not in the old man. The
very source of evil in this world is from that natural heart. That's
where it's from. A fool is known as one that trusts
in himself. Here's the second thing I know. A man's own natural heart will
lie to him. It'll lie to you. Jeremiah 19,
19, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. What does that mean, desperately
wicked? It means incurably feeble, weak,
sick, frail. Who can know it? Who can distinguish
it? Who can recognize it? Who can
be acquainted with it? Who can perceive it? You mean
to tell me before the Lord opened my eyes and revealed what I am
by nature? Who God is? You mean before that
my own heart was lying to me? Well, according to the word of
God it was. And it was. But whoso walketh wisely, whosoever
walks in wisdom, he shall be delivered. Who walks wisely. Proverbs 3.13 says, happy is
the man that findeth wisdom. finds Christ, you know that,
Proverbs 8. That man that getteth understanding. Every vessel of
God's mercy, all that's been everlastingly loved of God, chosen
in Christ by the Father from before the foundation of the
world, every one of them that the Father gave the Son is coming
to Christ. They're all coming. I've said
before, is there any possibility that one of God's elect is not
gonna be saved from his sins? Is there a possibility he won't
be saved? No way, there's no possibility. John 6, 37, all
that the Father giveth me shall come to me. Him that cometh to
me I will in no wise cast out. But how can a man walk wisely? How can he walk wisely if he's
born in such a dreadful state? John 3, 3 gives us the answer.
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, born
from above, he cannot, he cannot, he doesn't have the ability to
see the kingdom of heaven. God's gonna have to do something
for him that he can't do for himself. He's going to have to,
according to Ezekiel 36, I'll read this, I'll turn to it if
you want to. Ezekiel 36, this is what's gonna have to happen.
And I really will, I'm more hushed for this verse right now. Ezekiel
36, verse 27 to 29. Here's what's gonna have to happen.
Not that a man's gonna have to exercise his free will and God's
wanting to save him if he'll let him. No, no, that's not what
Scripture says. Here's what Scripture says. 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 to your fathers. You shall be my people. I will
be your God. And I will also save you from
all your uncleanness. And I will call for the corn
and increase it and lay no famine upon you. You know what salvation
is? Salvation is the rescue by Almighty
God to a people of God's choosing according to His eternal will
and purpose. That's what salvation is. God
saves His people on purpose. Whenever the Lord saves His own,
they know what they are in themselves. They're proud, arrogant rebels
against God. That's what we are. But whenever
God calls us out of darkness and gives us a new heart, new
will, a new mind. He reveals to us, I had mercy
and compassion on you because I chose to. And you know what
a believer will say? Lord, thank you. Thank you for
saving this rebel. Thank you for not leaving me
to myself. Thank you for putting me under the sound of the gospel
and teaching me what I am. Thank you. For Christ's sake,
thank you. Amen. Okay, let's take a short
break.