Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs chapter 28, Proverbs 28. I'd like to look this morning,
one verse of scripture, verse six, Proverbs 28, six. The scripture declares better
is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is
perverse in his ways, though he be rich." Now, I want to look
for just a minute at two walks, two consistent behaviors, the way
All men carry themselves. Actually, that's what we're talking
about. One of these walks is said to be better. Better, good. Here's what it says. Better is
the poor. And this word right here, poor,
it actually means those that are destitute or needy when it
comes to the things of this world. Let's talk about poor people.
And you know, as I've said so many times before, the Proverbs
always, there's always a practical application to this. There always
is. And I want to bring that out. You know we're going somewhere
else with this, but there's a practical application to this. Better is
the poor that walketh, that behaves himself, in his uprightness,
that is, in his integrity. He just may not have anything,
but he's upright. You know, humanly speaking, he's
not trying to portray himself as being something that he isn't. And when you see somebody that
may not have that much, but it's just, it's a good thing. It's
cheerful, it's beautiful. to behold one who is walking
respectfully. There's nothing wrong with that.
That's a nice thing. But now if we consider this truth
to be more than just a natural walk in this life, if by the
grace of God, someone has been made to be found toward the Lord,
heartfully speaking, needy, They're poor in spirit. They're poor in themselves. And the only way that someone's
ever made that way, to realize that their ability toward God
is only understood and known in regenerating grace, because
by nature we're all proud. We're all arrogant. We're all
like that. There's no difference in any of us. The scripture declares
in Matthew 5, three, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of God. Now, we'll be back in Proverbs,
but I want to prove this truth by turning over to the book of
Luke. Book of Luke, chapter 16. I want
to look at a passage, we're very familiar with this passage of
scripture. Luke chapter 16. Let's read verses 19 to 23. Now
remember, blessed, you know, it's better, it's better. Better
is the poor that walketh in his uprightness. The scripture says
in Luke 16, 19, there was a certain rich man which was clothed in
purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. And there
was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full
of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from
the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked
his sores and it came to pass that the beggar died and was
carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died
and was buried and in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments
and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom." Now, here's
a poor man. Now, Lazarus was obviously a
poor man. And you know the state, he just
talked about how he was laid at the gate. Now, my question
is this, to the natural understanding The scripture we looked at in
Proverbs said, better is the poor, better is the poor that
walks in his uprightness. Now, but to the natural mind,
when you compare Lazarus' state to the rich man's state, now,
would you say that Lazarus, naturally speaking, was better? No, no,
you're not gonna say that. Naturally speaking, you're gonna
look at this man, you know, that's, this man's poor, he's, Not in
good health, but to the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who's
been made to see and to understand something of being spiritually
poor. Lazarus' state of being a beggar
was a picture of that blessed state of being made poor before
God. Now, how was that? Well, the
scripture says that Lazarus, there was a certain beggar. I love it when the scripture
throws in there was a certain, you know, that's when you start
looking. There's a blessing there. Here's one that has been made
to know, spiritually speaking, Now Lazarus was a believer because
we know what happened to him after he died. We'll look at
it in a second. Here's one that's been made to know, in picture
and type, his spiritual poverty, a beggar. Now what does a spiritual
beggar do? Well, he's gonna cast himself
upon the mercy of God. He has, that's where he is. But the scripture says it came
to pass that this certain man, He was laid at his gate, at the
gate of the rich man. Now, I looked that word up, he
was laid at the gate. You know, I've read this scripture
so many times, I've read, you've heard it so many times, he was
laid at the gate. Do you know what that word laid
right there means? It means he was thrown carelessly or like
in intense way. Basically what he's saying, somebody
dumped him off there. That's what the word means. It's
a word that, here's a man, he wasn't just a beggar, but he
was a mistreated beggar. He was one that was mistreated
by somebody that obviously saw themselves to be more worthy
than him. I'm not gonna fool with him today. I'm gonna dump him off over here.
And so here's a beggar, dumped off a picture of this world's
attitude toward God's people. The scripture says concerning
the people of God, the Lord told him, he said, remember this,
he said, they hated me for they hated you. They, so here's a
man, he's a beggar, he's dumped off. That's what, it just, when
you say laid at the gate, I, and Lord willing, the next message,
there's a, I speak of the Lord being laid in a manger. And I
looked up those two words, and they're completely different
words. when the mother, Mary, laid the Lord Jesus. I mean,
it was in a tender way. That's what that word means.
This one don't mean that. I mean, this one right here,
it just, in an intense way. And here was this man, he was
laid there, and the scripture says he was full of sores, ulcers. And now, you look at this situation. Here's a picture, a reminder
of all of us being born in Adam. And the more we consider our
fallen state, the worse it gets. Turn over to Isaiah, Isaiah chapter
one. Here's the state, the Spirit
of God moved upon the prophet Isaiah to pin what we really
are. You know, I know that all of
us by nature think, well, you know, I'm not that bad a fella,
I'm a nice guy, this, that, and the other. Well, here's what
the scripture says toward all of us. Isaiah 1, verse 4, all
sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers,
children that are corruptors. They've forsaken the Lord, provoked
the Holy One of Israel to anger, all gone Way backwards. Why should you be stricken anymore? You will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick. The whole heart faint from the
sole of the foot even to the head. There's no sound that's
in it but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They've
not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. I mean, this, come on now. This is the way we are. This
is the way we are by nature. How pitiful. is man in being
ruined in the fall. Here was Lazarus found in this
natural state, but a vivid picture and type of the body, the flesh
that we're housed in. This is the way we are, the body
corrupted by sin and no power to change it. This certain beggar,
though, was a man blessed of God. Back in Luke 16, here's
what he did. Verse 21, he was full of sores,
verse 20, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell
from the rich man's table. Now, here's what Lazarus was. This is poverty was a picture
of us. Poverty, spiritual poverty. The sores, that's what we are. oozing ulcers, there's nothing
good to say about us. But what he did was, he was laid
violently, mistreated, and laid at this gate of this rich man's
house. And here's what he was desiring,
that he might just eat the crumbs, the morsels, which fell from
the rich man's table. That's all he had. That was his
life. Crumbs that represented something,
though. It represented the mercy of God. What else would he eat? I mean, he's just been dumped
off. There's no food kitchen. Whatever
this man's got, God's gonna have to provide it for him, because
nobody else is gonna take care of him. That crumbs it represented
that which was the best for people in his state. Turn with me to
Matthew 15. Matthew 15. Here's another beautiful
story that illustrates what I'm trying to say right here. concerning
that woman, that Syrophoenician woman. Matthew 15 verse 21, then
Jesus went thence and departed into the coast of Tyre and Sidon.
Behold, a woman of Canaan. Now this woman's from Canaan.
Canaan is a cursed land. Here's a lady that is from a
place that is not Not a good place. Here was a woman who came
out of the same coast and cried unto him saying, have mercy on
me. Oh Lord, thou son of David, my
daughter is grievously vexed with the devil. And he answered
her not a word. And his disciples came and besought
him saying, send her away, for she crieth after us. But he answered,
and said, now he's talking to the disciples at this one statement
right here. He's not saying anything to her
yet. He answered and said, I'm not sent but unto the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshiped him
saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, it's
not meat, it's not fit to take the children's bread and cast
it to dogs. And she said, truth, Lord, yet
the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table. And I love this next word, then. And you know what he's about
to say has got tremendous significance. She just said, Lord, it's truthful. But the dogs eat the crumbs,
the dogs eat the morsels, whatever's provided for them. That's what
they got. Then Jesus answered and said
unto her, O woman, great is thy faith. Be it unto thee even as
thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole
from that very hour. Now here's a woman. She believed
on the Lord Jesus Christ. She said unto him, Lord, thou
son of David, You know, that was the title, that was his title
of the Messiah, Messiah. She honored him by her willingness
to receive whatever his hand would give. Here's what she said,
help me, help me. I know that I'm not worthy of
the least of your mercies, She laid herself bare before him
and admitted herself unworthy, unworthy. She wasn't in any position
to bargain. Here she was, she flew to him
for mercy. There was nowhere else to go. What is she gonna do? Her daughter
is grievously vexed with the devil. And I'm telling you spiritually
sick sinners who've been made blessed to be brought down in
themselves and made to be beggars at the door of God's mercy. Beggars, Hebrews 11 38 says that
this world's not even worthy of. I mean, you think, you look
at Lazarus, probably just an old stinking, He just rags, soars. He's a beggar, that's all he
can do. And scripture says, for those made to be spiritually
so. This world's not worthy of him,
not worthy. Here's a dog, a woman, admitted
herself to be what she knows she is. I know, I know. but the dogs eat the crumbs that
fall from the master's table. Here was old Lazarus. He just desired to eat the crumbs,
whatever. But they were crumbs of God's
providing. They were pictures of the glorious need of a sinner. But at length, the scripture
says, the sorrows of this of this man, Lazarus, ended back
in Luke 16, 22, came to pass that the beggar died. My, what
a blessing. What a blessing. You know, precious
in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. It came
to pass that he died, and the scripture says, was carried by
the angels. Why, nobody wanted to fool with
him, but the ministering spirits of God in his departure out of
this life, they took him. Carried him into Abraham's bosom,
they carried him into heaven. And his death, his death proved
to be God's means of transporting out of this world misery and
suffering. And that poor man, poor man naturally
speaking, he was found to be rich in faith. But also, the
scripture says in that 22nd verse, the rich man also died and was
buried. I noticed that it didn't say
anything about Lazarus being buried. I don't know what happened
to him. I don't know what they did. Scripture doesn't say. But this
man was buried, and I'm sure it was a big pomp and ceremony. He probably was a well-respected
man in the community. He fared sumptuously, rich man,
rich man. I don't know how rich he was,
but he just, he ate good every day. I'm sure he had the best
of the best. He probably had the filet, lobster,
whatever. Lazarus got the crumbs, whatever
the morsels of God's providing. This man died, though. He died
in all the pomp, but here's what happened. He died and he lifted
up his eyes in hell and being in torment,
he looked and he saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. Now, the scripture declares based
on our passage back in Proverbs. Better is the poor that walketh
in his uprightness than he that is perverse, than
he that is distorted, than he that is crooked. He that possesses
an obstinate desire to walk contrary in his way, perverse in his ways,
that in his course of life going in two different directions.
What do you mean two different directions? I mean going one
way, going one way and pretending that he's going another. He's going one way, in opposition
toward God, but he's pretending like he's not, a double-minded
man. Like the Pharisees, the Lord
told them, he said, you look good on the outside, you're all
white and sepulchral, but you're full of dead men's bones. You're
just snakes. You're just religious snakes,
is what you are. That spirit, that double-minded
spirit pretending, I mean, pretending to go one way, but really in
heart, going another. It's unstable in all of its ways,
though he be rich. And that word rich right there
comes from a word that means to pretend, pretending like he
was rich, spiritually speaking, like those in Laodicea who said
that they were rich and increased with goods and had need of nothing,
but they didn't know that they were wretched, miserable, poor,
blind, naked. Who would have thought? Who would
have thought that beholding the lot of both men while in this
life, you look at this situation, who would have thought that Lazarus
was really the most blessed and truly, spiritually speaking,
the rich man? And this rich man, humanly speaking,
that was perverse, crooked, you know. But to behold the beauty
and the difference between these two, Lazarus and the rich man,
we come down in closing to this one point. Who made the difference? Who made the difference? God
only. was the mercy and grace of God. The Lord Jesus Christ, who came
to seek and to save his people from their sins. And this man,
old Lazarus, his final end was secure. He's a rich man. He's an heir of God. You talk about that stinking,
sore, infested beggar. He's a joint heir with Christ. All that was earned by the Lord
Jesus Christ, by his obedience toward God, all just like Lazarus
that joined to him in mercy, grace, compassion, electing,
by God, elected by God from the foundation world, they receive
everything that the Lord Jesus Christ is due. They're His. The Lord humbled Himself, made
Himself of no reputation, had no place to lay His head, submitted
Himself unto His Father, made sin for his people. A man of
sorrows, acquainted with grief, and a calvary, put away the sins
of his people by the shedding of his own blood. And now, having
put away the sins of his people, robed his people in righteousness. gave him a heart to believe,
they believe him by faith, he robes them in righteousness.
That's something we only know by faith, we don't know that.
Better, better is the poor, the poor in spirit, that walketh
in his uprightness, not his own, the Lord's, imputed to him, than
he that is perverse, noble-minded. all of his ways, though he be
rich. Though he thinks he's rich, better. I pray God bless this to our
hearts for Christ's sake. All right, let's just take about
a five minute break. We'll come back and have a second
service.