All right, let's take our Bibles
and turn with me to the book of Proverbs chapter 27, Proverbs
27. I'd like to deal with one verse,
verse 12, Proverbs 27 and verse The scripture declares that a
prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the simple
pass on and are punished. It's obviously a blessing a blessing to be able to hear
the truth from God's word concerning the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ,
but not only to hear the truth, but to hear that truth repeated. The apostle Paul says in Philippians
chapter three and verse one, he says, finally, my brethren,
Rejoice, that is delight, be delighted in the Lord. To write the same things to you,
that means over and over. For me to say the same things
to you over and over. He said, to me indeed is not
grievous, it's not irksome, it's not sluggish, slothful, or backward
is what that means. He said, but to you it's safe.
That is, it's suited to confirm, suited to confirm in our hearts
what God has said. It's good to hear it repeated.
Now, when we hear the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ repeated,
there's a blessed reminder. of the only hope that we have
is in not ourselves and what we've done, not by works of righteousness,
we've done, but it's a blessed reminder of our hope in the Lord
Jesus Christ. We're constantly exposed to spiritual
dangers, war. We don't war against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, and powers, and spiritual wickedness,
and high places. And we need a guard. We need a guard. Safety, helmet
of salvation, sword of the spirit, shield of faith, warrants girt
about with truth. We need safety. And we need safety
from false preachers and world a worldly presumption, we need
self-righteous, we need to be guarded against that. And the
scripture sets forth according to what Paul just said. He said
for me to say the same thing, write the same things to you.
He said it's not grievous to me. For you it's safe. Now I just read a passage of
scripture, Proverbs 27 verse 12. A prudent man foreseeth the
evil. and hideth himself, but the simple
pass on and are punished. Now hold your finger right there.
Turn back to Proverbs 22, verse three. Proverbs 22, in verse
three. Now let's read Proverbs 22, verse
three. Just read Proverbs 27, verse
12. Listen to what Proverbs 22, three
says. A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself,
but the simple pass on and are punished." What did he say? He said the same thing. He said
the same exact thing. You know, obviously, we need
to hear that verse of Scripture. For the Spirit of God to write
it, as He's done often, we found, in the book of Proverbs, for
Him to write it twice, obviously, we need to hear it. A prudent
man. That is a man, and that word
prudent often in the scriptures is used in a bad sense. It means shrewd, it means crafty,
but that same word also can mean sensible. and cautious, depending
on how the Spirit of God is pleased to use it. In Proverbs, hold
your place in Proverbs 27. Just turn back to Proverbs 12,
16. I want to show you, I want to show you something. Proverbs
12, 16. Now, you take in the context of how a scripture is
written, Proverbs 12, 16. Now, you know, talk about the
The devil was more subtle. Okay, that can be the same word,
prudent. Here in Proverbs 12, 16, look at this. A fool's wrath
is presently known, but a prudent man covereth shame. Look at chapter 13, Proverbs
13, verse 16. Every prudent man dealeth with
knowledge, but a fool layeth open his folly. So the word prudent
in the scripture we're dealing with today is a word that's talking
about being sensible, having some knowledge, some spiritual
knowledge of that. A prudent man, the scripture
says back in Proverbs 27, 12, foreseeth the evil. I was going over my notes this
morning and I was thinking to myself, that word, foreseeth. He sees something that not only
now, but shall be. He foreseeth. He foreseeth, he sees, and he's
made to see with new eyes, spiritual eyes, eyes of understanding.
By the grace of God, the seeing eye and the hearing
ear, that seeing eye and hearing ear of God's grace, that's given
by nature. We don't see. We don't hear.
Why? Dead. Dead. Remember? The day you eat thereof, you're
going to die. Dead women don't see. They don't
hear. Oh, they see with these eyes
and they hear with these ears, but not the eye of the heart,
the ear of the heart. They don't. They don't see. But
the prudent man, one made sensible, one that by the grace of Almighty
God has been made to be cautious. You watch an animal. The scriptures
bears out that even animals hold your place. Turn with me to Jeremiah
8, 4. 8, 4, Jeremiah 8, 4. Even an animal. You watch an animal. You know,
they're prudent. They're cautious. Jeremiah 8,
verse 4 to 7. says, moreover, thou shalt say
unto them, thus saith the Lord, shall they fall and not arise?
Shall he turn away and not return? Why then is this people of Jerusalem
slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to seat. They refuse to return. I hearkened
and heard, but they spake not aright. No man repented him of
his wickedness, saying, what have I done? Everyone turned
to his course as the horse rusheth into the battle. Yea, the stork
in the heaven knoweth her appointed times, and the turtle and the
crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming. But
my people know not the judgment of the Lord." What he's saying
is this animals have the instinct to be cautious. Cautious, watch it. When I was
a kid, I used to, I'd catch poison ivy so bad it just was horrible. Horrible. I mean, just eat up
with it. Have to go get shots. Those of
you that have had poison ivy, poison oak, you know what I'm
talking about. If you're not allergic to it,
good for you. I'm glad for you. I envy you.
But buddy, I'd get it and it would just eat me up. About two
weeks, I'd go hunting. You know what I'm watching for?
Poison ivy. I'm watching. I'm looking. If
I see poison ivy going up a tree, I'll walk around big time. Animals
are like that. They watch. They're cautious. If you've made to experience
something, you're cautious. A prudent man, a prudent man,
he foreseeth the evil. He foreseeth it. He knows something. He's got spiritual vision to
be able to perceive something of the presence and the evil
of sin, which is contrary to all that's holy and right and
good, not only in the world around him, but right here. Hold your place and turn with
me to Romans chapter 7. A prudent man foreseeth the evil. I mean, I can look around right
now, and let me ask you something. Is this world eaten up with evil? Yeah, yeah. I mean, look, turn
the television on. Go into Fairmont. I mean, it's
everywhere, but. Romans chapter seven, verse 15. The apostle Paul says, for that
which I do, I allow or I know not. I don't know why I do that. Why do I open my mouth when I
should just shut up? That which I do, I allow not.
For what I would, that do I not. But what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would
not, I consent unto the law that it's good. Now then, it is no
more I that do it but sin. that dwelleth in me. I can't. As an old man, in me
as an old man, every one of you that know him, know the Lord.
As an old man, still there. Job said, I loathe myself. I
hate myself. As a new man and an old man,
there's a battle going on here. There's a struggle. There's a
striving. And it's what Paul the Apostle
said, it's sin that dwelleth in me, that in my flesh, that
dwelleth no good thing. A prudent man sees the craftiness
of Satan's deception on how God saves a sinner. Is it by the works of the law?
Is it by grace of God? Is it by something I do? Or is
it something that God's done? He sees that. A prudent man sees
the evil of the lies that's being told on God. He sees that atonement
for sin. What does that mean? Covering. Putting away. Is it by a man's
free will actions or is it by the blood of Christ? Which is
it? A prudent man sees the evil and
he sees that it's not Titus 3, 5, by works of righteousness
which we have done. Now think about it. What did
he just say? He said it's not by works of righteousness that
we have done. But according to his mercy, he
saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. A prudent man sees the curse
of the law. because of sin. He sees that
God is just and wherever sin is found, the law demands justice. What are the wages of sin? Death. How about any compromise? No. Either the Lord's put away my
sin, paid my debt by the shedding of His precious blood for me,
or I have no hope. A prudent man sees that. He sees
that. Therefore, the prudent man who
foreseeth the evil, who knows that without an acceptable refuge
with Almighty God, there's no hope. I have no hope. So what
does he do? The scripture says, prudent man
foreseeth the evil and hideth himself. Hideth himself. But now, not as Adam and Eve
tried to do, hide from God. That's what they did. The moment
Adam ate of that fruit, both their eyes were opened and they
knew what they knew. I'm naked before God. I have
no righteousness before God. I've sinned against God. I disobeyed Him. I disobeyed God. And what He
did, they tried to cover themselves, fig leaves, and tried to hide
from God. The same thing that will happen,
hold your place, turn with me to Revelation 6. They're going
to try to hide from God. Revelation chapter 6 verses 15
to 17. Listen to this. Now this is either
in the hour of an unbeliever's death or in the day of judgment.
Both. Listen. A man or woman without
Christ They leave this world. And I'm
telling you, this is the attitude right here. Revelation 6. 15
to 17, and the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich
men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every
bondman, every free man, hid themselves in the dens, in the
rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, fall
on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne,
and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath
is come, and who shall be able to stand? Leave this world without
God? without the substitute, without
a mediator before God? No hope. None. A prudent man
foresees the evil and hides himself, but not from God. Who shall stand? Who shall stand? But rather the prudent man, by
the grace of God, foresees the evil and knows the only place
of safety is found in God. In him, a prudent man by faith, knowing
his need of divine rescue, he flies in his heart. Now here's an amazing thing.
The scripture says, by nature, no man seeketh after God. No
man seeks after God. You know why I've said this so
many times? You know why? Places where God's free and sovereign
grace in the Lord Jesus Christ is being proclaimed by God's
grace. You know why it's not standing
room only and people standing out in the parking lots just
trying to hear something. You know why that's not true? Because no man by nature needs
rescue. I'm not a sinner. I don't need
salvation. It doesn't matter. I think to
myself, I know something of myself. I think growing up, I mean, my
need of salvation, that didn't matter to me. I mean, I went
to church, you know, because my mom and daddy wanted me to.
I mean, but I don't need God. I mean, I guess it's good if
you want to, you know, just have Him and say, yeah, I'm a member
of so and so. But I mean, in my heart, bear I didn't need
Him. A prudent man, made so by the
grace of God. Almighty God comes to him and
removes the heart of stone and gives him a heart of flesh. Writes
on that new heart the law of God. He loves it, but he realizes
he can't keep it. I can't keep the law of God.
When I see something of the evil by the grace of God, now when
I see it, I hide. He hideth Himself, not from the
Lord, but to the Lord. He runs to Him. Cast Him, made
willing in the day of God's power. Something He didn't even want
to do before. And He cast Himself upon the
mercy of God. He seized the city of refuge
Himself. The cleft of the rock. Fig leaf
salvation. Fig leaf salvation. Who provided
the fig leaves for Adam and Eve? Adam and Eve. Let's get us some
fig leaves, cover ourselves. Cover ourselves before God. What'd
God do? He took the skins of an animal.
He showed, without the shedding of blood, there's no remission
of sin. God covered them. Fig leaf salvation will never
stand before the judgment and justice of God, I need safety. I need safety. I can't depend
on myself. I can't satisfy God. I can't satisfy God's law. I
can't satisfy God for justice without death. I need Him. I need the one who has borne
the storm of divine wrath on my behalf when he died, that
he died for me, put away my guilt. Is there one? Is there one? Yes. In closing, turn with me
to Isaiah 32. Isaiah chapter 32. Isaiah 32
verses 1 and 2. Isaiah 32, 1 and 2. Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness,
and princes shall rule in judgment, and a man shall be as a hiding
place, the man Christ Jesus. Not a man born in Adam, no, but
the man, the God-man, mediator. A man shall be as a hiding place
from the wind, a covert from the tempest as rivers of water
in a dry place as a shadow of a great rock in a weary land. I need for the Lord to save me. I need him to rescue me. I need
to be as a bran plucked out of the fire. I need for God Almighty
the hiding place himself, the refuge himself, Turn with me
to Isaiah 28. I need Him to do something for
me that I cannot do for myself. Scripture says in Isaiah 28,
verse 16 to 18, therefore, Isaiah 28, 16, therefore thus saith the Lord
God, And behold, I lay in Zion for
a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone,
a sure foundation. Boy, I tell you what, you know,
every prudent man, boy, he sees those words, I need a sure foundation. a sure foundation. He that believeth
shall not make haste. That is, he that believeth shall
not be moved away in the day of trouble. Judgment also will I lay to the
line and righteousness to the plummet. This is going to be
the standard by which every man, every woman stands before God. They're going to have to measure
up to this. They're going to have to measure up to the judgment
of God to the righteousness of God, that's gonna be the standard.
And if I'm left to myself to measure up to God's standard,
I'm telling you, I know right now, I'm gonna die. Judgment also will I lay to the
line, and righteousness to the plummet, and the hail shall sweep
away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the
hiding place, and your covenant with death." Meaning I've settled
this thing with death. I've got hell and death, I've
got that all covered. You know, I did this, I did that. Your covenant with death shall
be disannulled and your agreement with hell shall not stand when
the overflowing scourge shall pass through. Then you shall
be trodden down by it. The scripture says, Proverbs
27, verse 12, a prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself but
the simple. Pass on, pass over, that's what
that means, pass over. The simple pass on and are punished. Like that simple man over in
Proverbs chapter 7. The woman, the woman of the night,
picture of all false religion. She saw him, lured him. Come,
the good man's gone. Come, let's take our time of
love. He said it wasn't until A dart
went through his heart and perished. That's when he knew, he knew.
I need a hiding place. The prudent seeth, prudent means
seeth the evil and hideth himself. Finds his hope, security only
in Christ. Man by nature has no perception,
no perception of sin, no perception of the surety of God's judgment,
and left to his own heart of unbelief, continues in his present
life without a care, without a concern for standing before
God. I think how often I'm going to
stand before God. I'm going to stand before God.
And in that day, David, I've got one hope. One hope. If I'm found in Him, if I'm found
in Christ, I have life. I have life. If I stand in me
and what I've done, if I stand in anything that I've
done, I'm right because I did this. I'm right because I have
faith. I'm right because I was baptized. I have right because I walked
down the aisle. I have right because I'm telling
you. I'm standing in myself. Not that there's anything wrong
with being baptized. He that believeth and is baptized. He
that calls on the Lord. Call upon the Lord. Come unto
me all ye that labor heavy laden. But don't trust. Don't trust
in your faith. You trust in Christ. For by grace
are you saved through faith. You know it by faith. Faith is
given. It's given unto you to believe.
God's people are saved by the grace of God. And God gives them a heart to
believe it. And they call upon him. And they realize, God saved
me, then he told me about it. That's salvation. A prudent man,
a prudent man. He foreseeth the evil and he
hideth himself. But the simple, they pass on
and are punished. I pray God bless this to our
hearts for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and for our eternal
good. Amen.