Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs. As I continue going through this
book, I pray the Lord continue to bless this word, this blessed
book of wisdom that has been placed to allow us to to look at. I'd like to look
at one verse in chapter 28, Proverbs 28, verse nine. He that turneth away his ear
from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination. There is a commandment that has
been given from heaven unto all men. And it's a commandment that
time and time again, the Holy Scriptures set forth this imperative
truth when it comes to a man having any hope before God. Now
listen, I pray that God bless this message to our heart because
what this verse of scripture is saying right here, verse nine,
he that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his
prayer is an abomination. We have a word from God that
we need to hear the word of the Lord. If we're speaking, to the people
of God. I'm gonna show you three verses
of scripture that leaves no one with that excuse for hearing
the word of God. If we're speaking to the people
of God, Jeremiah 2.4 says, hear ye the word of the Lord, O house
of Jacob. and all the families of the house
of Israel. So I know this, it is needful,
it is imperative, it's imperative, imperative that God's people
hear the word of the Lord. But what if we're speaking to
those that don't know God? Listen to Isaiah 110. Hear the
word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom. Give ear unto the law
of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. So the scripture bears out that
God's people are commanded to hear the word of the Lord. People
that don't know God are commanded to hear the word of the Lord.
When it comes to those who are commanded to hear the word of
the Lord, no one is exempt. Jeremiah 22, 29, I don't know,
I read this verse of scripture the other day and I thought,
I don't remember, I know I've read it because having read through,
we'll read each evening and we'll read through The scriptures,
I know I've read it, but it hit me, this Jeremiah 22, 29. Oh earth, earth, earth. Three times it said earth. Hear
the word of the Lord. There is an eternal blessing
that is promised. to those who by the grace of
God, chosen of God, that God has been pleased to show mercy,
there's an eternal blessing that has been given to those that
hear the word of the Lord. Here's the eternal blessing.
Faith in Christ. And when I say faith in Christ,
that means faith in Christ and not in ourselves. Not in what
we do. Faith in Him. Faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. That's Romans 10, 17.
You've heard that. Faith cometh one way, one way. Faith cometh by hearing, hearing
the Word of God. It comes by hearing the only
message that the Spirit of God, you've heard me say this so many
times, there's one message. There's one message that God
has been pleased to bless. It's the message of the glory
of God in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ, hearing his word. My mind just came to that thief
on the cross. How much did he know about five
points of Calvinism? I brought this up before. How
much did he know? Probably didn't know much at
all. But I tell you what, he had heard Christ speak from that
cross. And he knew that he was a sinner.
He told the other one, he said, wait a minute, wait a minute.
We deserve what we're getting. We deserve to be right here.
This man's done nothing. He saw Christ Jesus as the Lord. He saw Christ Jesus as the King. Lord, when you enter into your
kingdom, Do you remember me? How much
did he know? He knew that his hope was in
Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith cometh by hearing, hearing
by the word of God. You know, this truth, turn to
Ezekiel 37, this truth about hearing the word of the Lord,
about sinners, dead sinners, Spiritually dead. The Lord just
said, hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom, give ear
to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah. You say, well, people
that are dead and trespasses and sins, they can't hear. Well,
this is what the Lord told Ezekiel, Ezekiel 37. Verses one to five,
the hand of the Lord was upon me, carried me out in the spirit
of the Lord, and sent me down in the midst of the valley, which
was full of dry bones, and caused me to pass by them round about,
and behold, there were very many in the open valley, and lo, they
were very dry. He said unto me, Son of man,
can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou
knowest. Again he said unto me, prophesy
unto these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the
word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto
these bones, behold, I will cause breath to enter into you and
ye shall live. Can dry bones live? If God blesses
the word to them, they will. I'm preaching to people who are
in themselves dry bones. Hear the word of the Lord. David set forth in Psalm 28 one,
He set forth the horror of not being able to hear
the word of the Lord. He said in Psalm 28, one, unto
thee will I cry, O Lord, my rock, be not silent to me, lest if
thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the
pit. Listen to me. If we don't hear
the Lord, if God doesn't give us ears to hear, if the Lord
doesn't give us a heart to perceive, a heart that loves, a heart that
cries, a heart that hears, perish. Hear the word of the
Lord. And while there's a great blessing
that's promised to all those who by the grace of God are made
to truly hear the word of the Lord. I'm not talking about with
this. We need to hear, we need to hear like this. God's gotta
give us a hearing ear, a seeing eye, a hearing ear. Lord, don't
be silent to me. Lord, if you're silent to me,
I'm gonna go down to the pit. I'll be like those that go down
to the pit. And while there's a great blessing that's promised
to those that hear the word of the Lord, hear it heartily, Hear
it joyfully, made to hear with that hearing ear. There's a promise
of eternal condemnation given to those who refuse to hear the
word of the Lord. I just read it. Proverbs 28,
verse 9. He that turneth away his ear
from hearing the law, the word, the precept, the statute, even
his prayer, His prayer shall be an abomination. I'm gonna
tell you what an abomination is in just a second. Those that
turns off or rebels or revolts against hearing the law. that which the Lord has declared
concerning himself. When we say the law, I know we
think of the Ten Commandments. Everything God says, that's his
word, that's his law, that's his statute, that's his precept.
When God speaks in his scriptures concerning himself, sovereign rules in the army of heaven among
the inhabitants of the earth, He sovereignly created. God made this. In the beginning,
God created the heavens and the earth. And you know what? That
settles it. Well, yeah, but what about Darwin? In the beginning, God created.
God's true, and everybody else is a liar. He's sovereign in
providence. He's sovereign in salvation. I believe that everybody has
got a chance. Everybody, the Lord wants to
save you. He wants you. God rules. Show me your glory. I will have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy. I'll have compassion on whom
I'll have compassion. A man that says, I won't hear that.
He turns his ear from hearing that. The Lord said, even that
man's prayer is an abomination. Abomination. What does that mean,
abomination? Well, here's what it means. Here's
the definition. A disgusting thing. An idol. A sacrifice of the wicked. That's an abomination. He that
sets up that which is in his mind, he that won't hear the
word of the Lord, won't hear what God has to say, what he's
done is he's set up something in his heart as to how things
are, and he regards what he thinks as being more important, better
than what God has to say. Let's just read a couple of passages
of scripture that sets forth how men really are. I'm not gonna
tell you anything you haven't heard before. Psalm 14, two and
three. Psalm 14, two and three. Now
here's the way that men really are. This is the way men are.
Psalm 14, two and three. I pray God give us heart to hear
this. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men
to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside. They are all together become
filthy or stinking. There is none that doeth good,
no, not one. Now, when someone says there's
a little good in all men, Now who's right? Who's right? Look at Isaiah. Isaiah 1. Here's the way we are. Isaiah
1, verse 5 and 6. If you want to know how we really
are, and you know a believer will hear this, and he says,
Lord, you're right. You are right. Isaiah 1, 5 and
6. Why should ye be stricken any
more? Ye will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick. The whole heart faint from the
sole of the foot even into the head. There's no soundness in
it. There's nothing stable about
it. There's nothing stable about a man. There's no soundness in
it but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They're oozing,
pussy sores. If you want me to just be real
graphic what that is. That's what it is. All of our
righteousness is filthy rags. You know what it is, minstrel's
claws. You say, well, I just think that's just a little bit
too graphic. No, what it is is we just now understand what it's
saying. We don't glaze it over. They've
not been closed up, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. How is a man, by nature, He's
just an oozing mass of putrefying rebellion against God. There's
nothing good about him, nothing. Well, now there's two passages
of scripture that state how men really are as they're born in
Adam. Now I want you to turn to Luke
18, verse 9 to 12, Luke 18. Now let me show you what happens
when a man hears the word of the Lord and he turns his ear
from it. He won't hear it. Luke 18. The Lord gave a parable. It was about
a Pharisee and a publican. I just want to read you that
part about the Pharisee. Luke 18, verse nine to 12. It said he spake this parable
unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous
and despised others. Two men went up into the temple
to pray, the one a Pharisee, the other a publican. And the
Pharisee, now let me just stop right here. This Pharisee, you
know the Lord told the Pharisees, he said, you search the scriptures.
You know them, you know. You think this Pharisee had read
Psalm 14? You think he had ever read Isaiah
1, verse 5 and 6? You think he'd ever read that?
Yeah, he did. He knew the scriptures. The Pharisee
stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank Thee that I am not
as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as
this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give
tithes of all that I possess. You think he truly believed that
from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was
nothing but putrefying sores? You think God looked down on
him and said there's none that do it good? You think he believed
that? What was he doing? Turned his ear. Was this man
right here Does the scripture say that this man, in that parable,
that this man went to the temple to pray? Yeah. Was he praying? What does Proverbs
28 9 say about those that turn their ear, even their prayer,
is a disgusting thing. Disgusting. But though every man born in
Adam certainly possesses a spiritually dead heart. Do you know that
God still speaks and men truly hear? Now, let me show you something. How does God speak? He that turneth
away. People will say, well, I, the
preacher told me that, you know, without a hearing ear. No, you
can't hear without a hearing ear of the grace of God. But
I'm telling you that all men hear. They all know, they all
know. How God speaks, I'm gonna just tell you three quick ways.
Number one, he speaks in the conscience. I want you to turn
to Romans 2, Romans chapter 2. Romans 2, verse 12 to 15. Romans 2, 12 to 15. as have sinned without law shall
also perish without law. Paul's gonna explain what he's
saying right here, just a second. And as many have sinned in the
law shall be judged by the law. For not the hearers of the law
are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified
for or because when the Gentiles which have not the law do by
nature the things contained in the law. These having not the
law are a law unto themselves, which show the work of the law
written in their hearts, their conscience, also bearing witness."
Bearing witness from who? From God, their conscience. And their thoughts, the mean
of that, between themselves, the mean while accusing or else
excusing one another. What did he just say? Paul said
that God gave the written law, the law of Moses, he gave the
written law to the Jews. That was God's written word to
declare unto them God's mind, God's heart, concerning right,
wrong. Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt respect your parents. You shall not steal. It was a
written law. But it wasn't given as a means
of salvation. God never meant the law to be
man's means of salvation. But what the law was is God's
gracious giving of a schoolmaster to bring them to Christ. By the
deeds of the law shall no man, no flesh, be justified in his
sight. Listen, for by the law is the
knowledge of sin. Somebody said, what's the purpose
of the law? To tell us that we're unable,
to tell us that we're sinners. So the law was given, so the
Jews had the law. Well, what about the Gentiles?
What did Paul just say in Romans chapter 2? What about Gentiles?
They didn't have the written law of Moses, but Paul said the
work of the law. The work of the law. That's what
he said in verse, go back and look at Romans 2.15, which showed
the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience. also bearing witness their thoughts
to mean while either accusing or else excusing one another.
What they were doing is there's a conscience in every man. They got a conscience. To do
what? To know right and wrong. I'll
guarantee you go somewhere in the darkest part of nowhere,
and I'm telling you, wherever they live, they're in a tribe
or something like that, they know whether or not if you stole
something from them, they know whether or not that was bad.
And they know whether or not that needs to be reconciled.
They know that. There's a conscience in every
man. So men have in their conscience, they have a knowledge of right
and wrong. The Jews had the written law
of God. The Gentiles didn't. But the
work of the law was there. So men are without excuse. Scripture
says, secondly, God speaks in creation. In the garden, Because
of sin, man failed. He died spiritually. He lost
the presence of God. He lost his innocence. He lost
the love of God. And God drove him out. Even after God drove him out,
he died spiritually. But there was still a conscience.
There was still a witness. When Paul and Barnabas turned
to Acts 14. Acts 14. I'm going to read verses
14 to 17. When Paul and Barnabas They went
to a city called Lystra. And there, while they were in
Lystra, there was a man that was a cripple. And this is the
first part of chapter 14. I'm going to just start reading
a few verses in verse 14 here, Acts 14, 14. And the Lord was
pleased to heal this cripple through the means of all in Barnabas,
and when the Lord healed him through these men, showing that
these men truly were God, these miracles and signs and wonders
that the Lord had promised that they would have as being witnesses
of Him. The people there in Lystra, they
thought, the gods have come down. That's Jupiter and Mercury. It's
what they said. The priest, verse 13 says, and
the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought
oxen and garlands under the gates and would have done sacrifice
with the people. Now look here, whenever, which when the apostles,
Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes and ran
in among the people crying out and saying, sirs, why do ye these
things? We also are men of like passions
with you. and preach unto you that you
should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made
heaven and earth and the sea and all things that are therein,
who in time past suffered all nations to walk in their own
ways." But look at this next verse. Nevertheless, he left
not himself without a witness, in that he did good, gave us
rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with
food and gladness, What are you saying? Well, Paul said it this
way in Romans 1.24, the invisible things of Him from the creation
of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things
that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead. What are you
saying? God speaks. He speaks in nature. You look outside and you see
that sun? You see that sunshine out there? Where do you think
that came from? God made it. How about those
trees? How about the grass out there? What is that? That's a witness.
God's speaking. And the Scripture says they're
understood. The invisible things of Him from
the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood
by the things that are made, even His eternal power in Godhead.
So they are without excuse. Because when they knew God, What
does that mean? They had a perception. There
was a knowledge. You have the evidence of His
power. You can see. You can see that the earth is
here. You can see that, but because
when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God. Neither were
thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their
foolish heart was darkened. All men born into this world,
the scripture declares that they have that hearing, they hear. They hear it in their conscience,
they see it in creation, but because man being dead, what
does he do? He turns his ear. He turns his ear. He will not
hear. Thirdly, God speaking through
his son. Hebrews 1, Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1, I'm gonna
just read verses 1 to 3. Hebrews 1. God who at sundry times and in
diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son,
whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made
the world, who being the brightness of his glory and the express
image of his person, upholding all things by the word of his
power, when he had by himself purged our sins, oh, I, I, I,
We ought to, at least in our heart, underline that when he
had by himself purged our sins. You mean that means he did everything
by himself when he by himself. Don't I have to add my faith
to it? When he had by himself. Faith is God's gift to his people
to tell them that he by himself purged our sins. Our faith adds
nothing to our salvation. We're saved by grace through
faith. And that not of yourselves. We
must believe and God's gonna give us faith to believe. But
don't look at yourself as though I added something. When he had
by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the
majesty on high. God speaks in conscience, God
speaks in creation, and God speaks through this Word right here.
There's a lot of things that we ought to know from the conscience
and from nature, but there's one thing alone that we can know
concerning God's glory, concerning His Son, through which the Spirit
of God blesses it, and it's through hearing this Word right here.
I'm telling you, We have no idea how blessed we are to be able
to sit under the sound of the gospel. There's people all over
this world, Fred, that's sitting right now in places like this,
and somebody, everybody that's not preaching the gospel is lying
to them. They're lying to them. And the
Spirit of God doesn't bless it. Paul said, I'm not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ. It's the power of God and salvation. And almighty God was pleased
to send the Lord Jesus Christ into this world. I'll tell you
what he did. I'll try to make this quick. I'm gonna wrap this
up. Number one, Christ preached. You know, we turn to John 17. John 17, our high priestly prayer
of our Lord. You know, people talk about,
well, I don't know about all you people that preach that election
stuff. Well, I can tell you this one thing. Our Lord preached
election. He was a preacher, and he preached
election. Listen to this, John 17, verse
six to nine. Here's the Lord praying. He said,
I've manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest to
me out of the world. Now let me ask you something.
Now how would you interpret that category of people, those that
you've given me out of the world? Would you say that that's, God's
choice? Would you say that God selected? Would you say that those that
you gave me out of the world, thine they were, thou gavest
them me, and they've kept thy word. Now they have known that
all things whatsoever thou has given me are of thee. I have
given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have
received them and have known surely that I came out from thee,
and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them.
I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given
me, for they are thine. Now you tell somebody, the Lord
doesn't pray for everybody. He's not the great high priest
for everybody. Say, well I know, wait a minute.
I'm gonna tell you something. If you wanna know something that'll
set you free, hear the word of the Lord. Now that'll set you
free. That way when somebody comes up to you and says, well,
I'll tell you what I think, you say, well, I'll tell you what,
I wanna know what God thinks. That will set you free. Christ
preached election. And he told his disciples that
they were his elect. Look at John 15, 16. John 15,
16. 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. Christ preached election. Christ
preached particular redemption. What does that mean, particular
redemption? That means that Christ died only for the elect. That's what it means. John chapter
10, John 10, 14, 15. John 10, 14, 15. I am the good shepherd, I know
my sheep. I am known of my, here he is,
he's still talking about election. As the Father knoweth me, even
so know I the Father, I lay down my life for the sheep, for the
sheep, for the sheep. Did Christ preach particular
redemption, that he only died for the sheep? Yes, he did. Did
he preach irresistible grace? 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. Did he preach election? Did he
preach irresistible grace, particular redemption? Did he preach the
truth of his sovereign power in the providential order of
this world. Look, I want you to turn to Mark
4. Mark chapter 4, verse 37. Mark 4, 37. Mark 4, 37. There arose a great storm in
the wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was
now full. And he was in the hinder part
of the ship, asleep on a pillow. And they awake him, and saying
to him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? He arose and
rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. and the wind ceased and there
was a great calm. He said unto them, why are you
so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly and
said one to another, what manner of man is this that even the
wind and the sea obey him? You think he preached that he
ruled in heaven and earth? He preached the truth of man's
total inability Total inability. John chapter 6, 63. John 6. I really am almost done here.
John 6, 63. Listen to what he said. John 6, 63, it is the spirit
that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing. Nothing. The words that I speak unto you,
their spirit and their life, but there are some of you which
believe not, for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that
believed not and who should betray Him. And He said, Therefore said
I unto you that no man can come unto me except it were given
unto him of my father. I had someone ask, I told you
this before, I had somebody ask me one time, what if somebody
really, really, really, really wanted to come to Christ, but
they were not one of the elect? I said, they won't. Well, what
if they did? They won't. How do you know? Because the
scripture says no man seeketh after God. All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. So you try to make something.
Well, what if they really want to? Don't put man any higher
than God says he is. This truth set forth in Proverbs
28, verse 9. He that turneth away his ear
from hearing the law, he that won't hear what God has to say,
What the Lord has revealed in his word, what he preached, he
that turns away even his prayer shall be wickedness, wickedness. Whenever those five foolish virgins,
there was 10 virgins, the Lord gave a parable. And here it is,
it's a picture, these 10 virgins, it's a picture of the church,
how the church is made up. five wise and five foolish. The
Lord said, you know, there's always wheat with the tare. Tares
are always there. There were five wise and five
foolish. And the bridegroom came. And
the five foolish didn't have any oil. They had no grace in
their lamp, in their profession, is what he's talking about. There
was no graciousness in their profession. And he tried to go
to the wise, said, give us some oil. And they said, no, we don't
have enough for you. I got just enough for myself. So while the
five foolish were gone, the bridegroom came, the door was shut, and
what happened when they came back? Opened the door, opened
the door. What was that? It's a picture
of now praying. He that won't hear the word of
the Lord, the law of the Lord, even his prayer. Not everyone
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven. Many were saying to me, he said, this is in Matthew
7, in that day, Lord, here they are praying. We prophesied in
your name. Cast out devils in your name.
Here they are praying now. Now they're at the judgment. Done many mighty works in your
name. Then will I say unto them, depart from me ye that work Iniquity,
wickedness. I never knew you. Listen, listen
to me. Hear the word of the Lord. Somebody
says, well, you're gonna have to have the Lord give you an
ear before you can. I can't do anything. That's why
I read Ezekiel 37. Can these bones live? Lord, you
know. You preach to them and you tell
them, hear the word of the Lord. That's all I'm doing. I'm gonna
tell you right now. Hear the word of the Lord. I pray God
bless it to us for His glory and our good. Amen. Let's take a break.