All right, let's take our Bibles
and turn back to the book of Proverbs, chapter 28. Proverbs 28. I'd like to look at two verses,
four and five. Proverbs 28, four and five. that forsake the law praise the
wicked, but such as keep the law contend with them. Evil men understand not judgment,
but they that seek the Lord understand all things. When the writer to the book of
Proverbs, Solomon, says, they that forsake the law, that is
those that depart from it, loose it, neglect it, abandon it, apostatize,
let it go, that is the attitude and the desire of every man,
woman, born in Adam. That's what it is, to neglect
the law. There's no desire for obedience
to God. And the reason that all born
in Adam neglect God's law, the reason that there's a desire
abandon it, not to have anything to do with it, is because man
doesn't believe God. Now, he doesn't believe that
there's a penalty for the neglect of God's law, God's instruction. Ezekiel 18.4, behold, all souls
are mine. Now, here's what we know. Everybody
belongs to God. Everybody belongs to God. He
made us. He made us. Somebody said, well,
this is my body. No, no, it's not. No, no, no,
no. That's God's body. I have a right
to do what I will with my own. No, you don't. Don't. All souls
are mine. As the soul of the father, so
also the soul of the son is mine. And listen to this, the soul
that sinneth. What does that mean? The soul
that does nothing but sin. Well, I mean, I don't sin all
the time. Well, yes you do. We all in ourselves come short
of the glory of God. We all do that. A sinner is one
that can do nothing but sin. The problem is we don't understand
the concept or the truth of sin. It's to come short. It's to miss
the mark. I never of myself ever thought
a pure thought. I never have. I can sit here
and be looking at you right now. I'm going to be honest with you.
I can sit here and I am not. I can think some of those vile
things and just sitting here you say, well, you're out there
preaching. I know that. And do nothing but sin because
I've never thought in myself a holy, pure thought. One that measures up to the holiness
of God. I've never done that. A man is
born neglecting, forsaking the law because he doesn't believe
the extent of his guilt. James 2.10, whosoever shall keep
the whole law and yet offend in one point is guilty of all. We've all done nothing but sin
against God. So when it comes to the law,
A believer knows that he can't keep it for righteousness. He
knows that, but here's the thing. Every believer loves the law
of God. They love it. They love it. They
love God's law. And this new man, turn with me.
I'm gonna make a statement. Turn with me to Psalm 119, Psalm
119, verse 97. I'm telling you that every, New man, ever believer. He has
this desire. I don't want to neglect the law
of God. I don't want to. I don't want
to be loosed from it. You'll understand where I'm going
in just a second. He loves the law of God. Now
listen to what Psalm 119.97 says. Oh, how I love thy law. It is my meditation all the day. The psalmist is saying, now these,
you know that these words ultimately are the words of Christ. You
know that. All of the psalms, they're messianic psalms, all
of them. But here's what the Spirit of God moved on the psalmist
to say. Oh, how love I thy law. Now when he says law here, I
know we think of the Mosaic law only, but now when you're looking
at the word law, actually what it means, it means direction,
instruction, precept, statute, that law of God, that instruction. Here, do you want to see the
law? Ultimately, here's the law, here's the instruction, here's
the precept, here's the statutes. And the psalmist said, I love
your law. I love that which you instruct
me with. I love that it's just, it's holy,
it's good. And notice whose law this is. Oh, how love I thy law. God Almighty is the author of
His law, of His instruction, that infallible truth of His
holy character. When God speaks, He's speaking
of Himself, from Himself. So the psalmist is saying, I
love your instruction. We were talking a minute ago
about the Ecclesiastes. and how we're being taught of
the fleetingness of all of this stuff around here. I need to
hear that. I need to be reminded. We get
all hyped up and all sorts, nothing, it ain't gonna matter. I love
your law. A believer loves God's instruction
because he realizes from God's law, from God's word, from God's
precepts, he realizes his need. I need to hear that. I need to
hear God's instruction. Romans 7, Paul said, I had not
known sin, but by the law, I had not known lust. except
the law had said thou shalt not covet. I wouldn't know that. How would I know that every thought
of the imagination of man is only evil continually? How would
I know that without this law, without this instruction? How
would I know that by grace are you saved through faith and that
not of yourself? It's the gift of God. How would
I know that without this? How would I know anything about
God's mercy to choose a people and put them in Christ before
the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without
blame before in love? How would I know that? How would
I know that God the Father made Christ sin that He might bear
the guilt of His people and put that guilt away? How would I
know that without His law? How would I know that? He said,
I love your law. I love your instruction. I love
it. God's people know that this instruction,
this law right here, is the schoolmaster. That's what Galatians 3, 24.
Wherefore, the law was our schoolmaster. The law took us and brought us
unto Christ that we might be justified by faith. I love your
law. I love your word. So the love
of the law is owing only to the grace of God, that the Lord would
give us a heart to understand His, and His words, His laws
not grievous to us, His people, but rather they're valued and
they're esteemed. I wanna come, I don't wanna miss,
when I was in Kingsport the other day, somebody told me something
that, speaking of this law, this word, hearing the word. Brother
Henry Mahan was visiting with an elderly woman. She was close
to 100 years old. And probably one of the most
faithful men, women, that Henry said he'd ever heard of. And
she was always, she was so diligent, she was frail, frail, frail.
But she was there, she was always there. And she was weak, and
Henry made this statement, he said, she said, I enjoy being
here. And Henry said, well, you know,
he said, if you're hindered, you know, and not able to make
it or something like that, she said, oh, but Brother Henry.
She said, I'm, I'm responsible for not only what I do hear when
I'm here, but what I could have heard. Henry said, I learned
something there. Oh, I'm not only responsible
for what I hear, but what I could have heard. Psalmist says, I
love your word. I love your law. But how can
knowing that by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified,
how can one behold the wonder, the purity, the holiness of God's
law and see the demands that that law sets forth, knowing
the penalty of not obeying that law, and say that he loves it
and he meditates in all the law all the day. How can he say that?
Well, it's only when God's law has been fulfilled in the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ and all of its demands for righteousness
have been finished. by the blood of Christ, and then
to find from this word that there is therefore now no condemnation
to them which be in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit, that the law of God, which was the word
of God, the statute of God, the truth set forth of God's law,
once being against us, because of our sin. Now, it's been honored for God's
people. And this is how God's been pleased
to set forth this truth through the preaching of the gospel and
to tell people, this is what God's called me to do. You get
into this and you comfort my people. You tell them what I
say. You get into this word and you
set forth. Now listen, Right now, because
of the frailty of our flesh, no condemnation is truly sweet. Oh, but one day, one day, in
that day, when we stand before God And listen, think of the
marvel of God's grace. Pat, where are you? Wherever
you are. You were reading that Psalm right there. Everything
that God has done in this world, His mercy, His mercy, His mercy
endureth forever. Now listen, think of the mercy
of God. We're here right now, hearing. Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God. Those without Christ, you're
not in hell. You're not in hell. Some have
left this world, and they leave this world without Christ. Somebody
can stand over them and say, well, they're in a better place
now, not if they were not in Christ. They're not. No. But he said, you know, no
condemnation. Knowing that in Adam we all died,
but according to the grace and mercy of God, Almighty God would
have mercy on the people of his choosing. That sin, that law,
sin, that law to silence men's arrogant thoughts or ignorant
thoughts of everything's gonna work out okay. Listen to this,
Romans 3, 19. Now we know that what things
soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law
that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become
guilty before God. Do you know the greatest the
sound of the greatest evidence of someone that God's done something
for. Let me tell you where it first
starts. I'm guilty. I'm guilty. I'm guilty before
God. With that thought, that's a word
of hope. When somebody says, I am guilty
before God and need need him. We're all guilty, but the problem
is man by nature doesn't believe he's guilty. He doesn't see his
needs. So the law was never given to
justify a sinner. We're not justified by keeping
this law. We can't keep it. What's the purpose of the law?
To show us what we are. Here's God's demand. You read
these scriptures right here. This is the expression, the demand
of God Almighty for obedience before Him. You say, I can't
do that. I'm so glad to hear you say that.
I'm so glad to hear you. You know, boy, I'm telling you,
whenever you start seeing somebody, God brings them down. And pride,
pride is, oh, Brother Scott said, somebody said, boy, that'll get
rid of the pride. He said, well, not all of it. No, it's there,
it's there. But oh, that blessed thought
of hearing someone say, I'm guilty. Christ Jesus came into this world
to save sinners, sinners. And if somebody doesn't see themselves
as a sinner, I'm gonna say, well, I don't have anything for you.
I have nothing for you. If you are not a hell deserving
sinner against God, I'm telling you, that's what we are. But
if God teaches us. Psalm, back in Psalm 119. Oh,
how I love thy law. It is my meditation all the day. The testimony of God's word. When he says, it's my meditation
all the day, his law is the musing delight of God's sheep as they
feel something of their guilt and their inadequacy and their
inward pain, that war that strives within them. And by the Spirit's
direction, they're continually driven back to Christ. They're
driven back to him who is their federal head. who is their representative
before God, the great high priest. And the wonder of this, I told
you a while ago, now these are ultimately the words of Christ,
but they're the words of his people in their desire, in their
love for him and for his word, his law. This is their desire.
They all admit they fall short. They all admit that. They all
know what they are. They all see something of the
frailty. But when it says, it is my meditation all the day,
that's His meditation. That's His. And we stand in Him. We stand in the Lord. Let me
just read these verses 98 to 104. Listen to this and think
of this. These are the words of Christ.
They're the desire of God's people. But being found in Him, these
are our words too. being found in Him, found in
Christ. These are our words. Thou through
thy commandments has made me wiser than mine enemies for they
are ever with me. I have more understanding than
all my teachers for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand
more than the ancients because I keep thy precepts. I have refrained
my feet from every evil way that I might keep thy word. I've not
departed from thy judgments, for thou has taught me how sweet
are thy words unto my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my
mouth. Through thy precepts I get understanding,
therefore I hate every false way. And this is why being found
in him, and he is the one that says these words, Let me tell
you why that's so sweet, that Christ says these words, and
those words are ours in him. I've read this so many times,
but listen to it again. Knowing that a man is not justified by
the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. Now when he said those words,
that's his words as the God-man mediator on behalf of his people. By the faith of Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified
by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law, for
by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Can you
imagine, I can't, I know you can't either, but you want to,
how precious those words are being applied to us in him. Those
words of him, his words, to us. So here we are. We're hearing
the sweet psalmist say the love that he has, his word, his law, it's my meditation
all the day long, and just turn back to Proverbs 28 for just
a second, I'll wrap this up. They that forsake the law, that
shun the law, that abandon the law, that neglect the law, They
praise the wicked. They praise the wicked. They
see the law as being unneedful. I have no reason for it. But
whenever they praise the wicked, what they're doing is they're
admitting, that's what I am. I'm with them. When they neglect
God's law, God's people, You love it, Romans chapter 1, Romans
1, 28 to 32, listen to this. Romans 1, 28, 32. Scripture says, even as they,
that is every man, every woman born in Adam, did not like to
retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate
mind, a mind void of judgment. To do those things which are
not convenient, being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication,
wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate,
deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful,
proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection,
implacable, unmerciful, who knowing the judgment of God, that they
which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do
the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Like is attracted
to like. Like. They that forsake the law,
neglect it, they praise the wicked. Oh, but
such as keep the law, contend with them. They're at strife
with those that despise God's law in this sense. Their love for God's word is
a reproof to the wicked. That's the striving. Their love
for God's word reproves them and tells them, you're not listening
to what God is saying. You're not listening to the warning
of God. There's strife and contention about who God is. who man is,
there's a strife. Is he God or is man God? The
wicked declare that God is their servant, liable to their free
will and can only save them if they choose to be saved. And
those that love and hedge and guard and attend God's law, they
love it, they love it. They contend with the wicked
and they say unto the wicked, This is our God. Our God's in
the heavens. And He's done whatsoever He pleases. I'm going to just
read this fifth verse as a confirmation to what we just said. Evil men
understand not judgment. They don't understand God's justice. They don't understand it. They
don't realize that God is a just God. Well, I thought you said
he's a God of love. He is a God of love. God is just and he will in no
wise clear the guilty. Either your guilt, your sin has
been born and paid for by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ
or God's going to look to you. The evil men understand not judgment,
but they that seek the Lord understand all things. All things? Yeah. Let me sum up all things
for you right now. I'm gonna sum up all things for
you right now. I'm a sinner. I need Him. And without Him,
I'm hopelessly lost. Now, when it comes right down
to the last breath, right here, here it is. I need him. The Lord said, without me, you
can do nothing. Lord, have mercy on this sinner. For Christ's sake, I pray.