All right, let's take our Bibles
and turn with me to the book of Proverbs chapter 26. Proverbs
26. I'd like to consider verses 18
and 19 this morning. Proverbs 26. Before I read that passage, I
want to say that I stand before you today with the realization that this
may be the last time I ever preach the gospel. And this may be the last time
you ever hear it. But if there's ever been anything
needful, it's that the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ be preached. Why? Because it is the power
of God unto salvation. God calls sinners to himself
through the preaching of the gospel. And if I were to sum
up The preaching of the gospel. If someone would say, tell me
what you mean when you say the gospel. If I could sum it up
in one verse of scripture, one verse of scripture, this would
be it. Jonah 2.9. Salvation is of the
Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. All of it. Man has no hand in salvation. Now listen to me. If this is the last time, and
I mean this, I mean it. My heart has been burdened with
this message, with this passage that I plan to deal with this
morning. Listen, young people, older people, us, listen to me. You're gonna die. You're gonna
die. And we're all gonna stand before
God. Eternity is on our doorstep. Listen to me. Life is a vapor. I desire this morning to preach
the gospel. If the gospel is preached, Christ
is going to be honored. God's people are going to rejoice. Man and his work is going to
be abased. And the Word of God According
to the scriptures, it's going to accomplish the purpose for
which it was sent. God's going to do something today. Now, as we consider this passage,
and this is the next passage, going through Proverbs, and I've
been trying to take these verses, verse by verse by verse by verse,
and every time asking the Lord, Lord, give me understanding here. Lord, open my eyes. Teach me
what's being said. As the Lord is my witness, how
many times I've thought these words. Lord, you wrote this.
You know what it means. Would you teach me? Would you
allow me the privilege to tell the folks what it means? Proverbs
26, 18, 19. As a madman who casteth firebrands,
arrows and death. So is the man that deceiveth
his neighbor and saith, am not I in sport? I'd like to pick up where Brother
Neil read out of 2 Timothy, talking about the warning, the warning. that's given men. And knowing what we heard, knowing
what we've just read, I'd like to consider, and I'm going to
just look at the last letter part, the second, verse 19 of
that passage I just read, and I want us to consider the greatest
evil against men. I'm going to tell you the greatest
evil, the cruelest evil against men. The cruelest act that can
be committed against eternity bound sinners. Here's the cruelest
thing that can be done. Deceive you. So is the man that deceiveth,
deceiveth his neighbor. That is to beguile are to deal
treacherously with, to deceive him. Now, any deception, I'm talking about that which
is frivolously done to mislead someone, is cruel. To do it with knowledge. to deceive you. It's cruel because
the well-being of the neighbor wasn't considered. He was mocked,
he was made to be the brunt of an insensitive act. He may have acted according to
what he believed was the truth, but only to his peril. That's
cruel. That's cruel to deceive And that
deliberate deception is dangerous because it may have caused a
trusting neighbor to do something that was unwise or unworthy of
himself or of others. To deceive somebody, to lie to
somebody, to lie to you. But the cruelty of the deception
is found to be when that deceiver has been exposed. for his deception,
and he gives this worthless answer. Am I not in sport? Sport. That word sport, detracting,
laughing in pleasure, and mocking. Mocking. But the harm, the hurt,
the pain that's inflicted is just as real. Deception takes on two faces. Number one, it's deception when
it's an out-and-out lie. It's just a bald-faced lie. But the other face is known by
the withholding of the truth. One of them is an out-and-out
lie. And the other is, I just don't tell you the truth. But they accomplished the same
thing. Deception. And if we were to judge the scope,
the depth of deception, and consider the example that is given by
the Lord. Here is the example. As a madman,
now that Again, I've looked this up and I always encourage you
to do so. As a madman, that is one that
is rabid. You know a rabid animal, a rabid
dog. Or it also means insane. As a
madman who casteth firebrands, flaming arrows, flaming torches,
I mean arrows and death. A insane man that's just in the midst of people and he's
just throwing things that hurt, maim, kill as a madman, rabid
or insane, who cast his firebrands, arrows, death. So is the man
that deceiveth his neighbor and saith, am I not in sport? Am I not playing? And am I not doing this to make
merry? Now you know even believers are warned against foolishness. Ephesians chapter five, we're
warned against this because I'm gonna just tell you right now,
I was talking to a dear brother the other day and we were talking
about this. How easily we're all prone to
this. And I'm gonna tell you right
now, I'm the worst. I'm the worst. Ephesians chapter five, verses
one to four. Be you therefore followers of
God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also hath loved
us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice
to God for a sweet smelling savor. But fornication and all uncleanness
and covetousness. Let it not be named among you
as becometh saints." You say, well, boy, I'm glad I'm not in
that group, those fornicators, all that unfilthiness. Neither filthiness, nor foolish
talking, nor jesting which are not convenient, not proper, not
profitable. but rather giving a thanks. We need to be so careful what
we say. I mean, I know this. We all have fun. But I'm telling
you, we need to be careful. Watch what we say. That tongue
can be so Be careful, be careful. When
we come together like this, I don't want to be a distraction. I don't
want to be a distraction to you. I don't want to be a distraction
to what we're about to hear. I want to be sober-minded. God
helped me to be that way. But I'm going to tell you something.
Let me tell you, it gets deeper, deeper. God's people are even
prone to this. But it gets deeper, the worse
deception, distraction, distraction. is rendered when a man stands
in the position as a preacher, as a teacher, and without excuse
or conscience deceives those who hear him. Have you ever noticed
how often in the scriptures, the scriptures warn of false
preachers. False preachers. Be careful. Be careful. Be careful. Be careful. Let me go back to the beginning.
We're going to die. We're going to stand before God.
Listen to me. The scripture declares this deception. False. False preacher. To be like an insane man, A rabid
man holding in his hands instruments of unspeakable danger. Weapons
meant to kill. And then violently throwing those
lethal weapons into a crowd of people. And doing so in cruel
sport. Sport. He's doing it As a performance,
I'm going to show you that. The first mention of this word
sport found in the book of Judges. Go back toward the front of the
Bible, about halfway back from where you are, and turn with
me to Judges 16. Judges chapter 16. This word
sport, first mention, Judges 16. And let's read. Now this is about
when Samson. He was captured by the Philistines. And Judges chapter 16 verse 21,
but the Philistines took him, put out his eyes and brought
him down to Gaza, bound him with fetters of brass, and he did
grind in the prison house. Howbeit the hair of his head
began to grow again after he was shaven. Remember, as long
as his hair wasn't cut, God gave him power, gave him strength. Cut his hair. Then the lords
of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great
sacrifice unto Dagon, their God, and to rejoice. And they said,
our God has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands. And
when the people saw him, they praised their God. And they said,
our God has delivered into our hands our enemy and the destroyer
of our country, which slew many of us. And it came to pass, when
their hearts were merry, They'd been having a little bit to drink. But they said, call for Samson
that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out
of the prison house and he made them sport. And they set him
between the pillars. We need a little entertainment. Let's have a show. Let's have
a performance. Bring Samson out here. That he
can make us sport. That he can make us some entertainment. That we can have some fun. The scripture says back in Proverbs
26, As a madman was cast as firebrands,
arrows, and death, so is the man that deceiveth his neighbor,
and saith unto him, now listen to this, Am not I in sport? Am I not performing? Am I not doing this for fun?
Is this not a laugh? And the weapons, the unscriptural
lies, a distortion of the truth. I was reading something today,
Charles Spurgeon said this, we believe, John Calvin had written
down, we talk about Calvinism. Calvinism, you know, is a term
that we use for the proclamation of what the Lord was pleased
to show John Calvin. He just, you know, We believe
in the total depravity of man. What does that mean? I mean from
the crown of his head to the sole of his foot, there's nothing
there that seeks after God. He's totally, nothing untouched
by the fall. Nothing that was not corrupted. We believe in unconditional election,
that God didn't choose because he saw anything in man that was
worthy. We believe that. We believe in,
L is for limited atonement, or particular redemption. And John
Calvin made this statement on the fallacy. And I had never
thought of it like this. But he said, those that set forth
that the Lord Jesus Christ died for everybody, everybody, every
man that's ever lived, he said when he went to the cross, did
he also die for those that had died and were in hell? You remember
those that stood up against Moses in the desert and God opened
up the earth? What does the scripture say?
God sent them alive to hell. Did he die for them too? I thought,
I've never thought of that. We always make, but what a mockery,
what a mockery of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whenever someone makes sport,
there's a distortion. But not only do they declare
an out-and-out lie, but there's a twisting, a wrestling of the
scriptures. Let me give you the one that
comes to my mind. Turn to 2 Peter 3.9. 2 Peter 3.9. 2 Peter chapter
3. Verse 9. Now listen to this. The Lord is not
slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness,
but is long-suffering to us-worth, not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance. Now do you want to know how that
scripture is twisted? People will read the latter part
of that. God's not willing that any should perish. Yeah, but
you didn't read the first part, that he's long-suffering to usward. To the usward who? I go back
to the first letter that Peter wrote. Peter, an apostle of Jesus
Christ, to the stranger scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father. through sanctification of the
spirit and belief, under obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ, grace be unto you and peace be multiplied. They'll
quote, they'll tell you half-truth. That's deception. Deception. Man is without excuse for preaching. Men that stand in pulpits today
and are deceiving people are without excuse. I thought of
three things. Number one, they've got a Bible. They've got a Bible. Somebody
will say, well, yeah, but unless the Spirit of God gives them
light on that Bible, they're not going to know what it means.
They're without excuse. Here's the scriptures. What sayeth
the scriptures? I'll tell you another thing,
God. The Lord Jesus Christ has sent men into all the world to
preach the gospel to every creature. The gospel is being preached.
Faith cometh by hearing. Hearing by the word of God. They've got the scriptures, they've
got the hearing, and I'll tell you the last thing, they're without
excuse because nature. They've got nature. That's what
Romans 1 says. They've got nature, and it clearly
manifests God's eternal power in Godhead. Men are without excuse. The invisible things of the creation
glorify God. That's what Scripture said. And
when man sees these things, and he doesn't glorify God as God,
sovereign God, And he's not thankful, but rather, the scripture says,
his vain and his imagination, his foolish heart is darkened
when he professes himself to be wise. He's nothing but a fool,
and God has given him up to a reprobate mind to do the things which are
not convenient, which are not becoming, which are not fit.
He's without excuse. So knowing that, according to
God's word, there are those who are without excuse, deceiving
their neighbors. They're standing in pulpits and
they're deceiving as a madman, one who is insane, and he's casting
out these implements of death. What do you do? Don't listen
to them. Don't listen to them. Come out
from among them. Be you separate. Don't be unequally
yoked together. Don't yoke yourself. They are
playing a deceptive, cruel game and it's deadly. It's deadly. The Lord said in Mark 4 24, take
heed what you hear. Now listen to me. Take heed what
you hear. Take heed what you hear. The
Lord in Matthew 15 7 and 8, I thought this was so eye-opening to me. The Lord said, he was talking
about these Jews that refused to hear what he had to say. And
he said, you hypocrites. Now, the definition of that is
really eye-opening. The Lord said, you actors, you
stage players, you entertainers who jest for amusement. Well did Isaiah prophesy of you,
saying, this people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and
honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. How do I know the truth? How do I know the truth? Jeremiah
3.15, the Lord said, I'm going to send you pastors after my
heart. And they'll feed you with knowledge
and understanding. In John chapter 6, I'll read
this for you. John chapter 6. I'm going to
wrap this up. John 6, verse 44 and 45. The Lord said, no man can come
to me except the Father which has sent me draw him." Do you
know that's exclusive? No man can. That's talking about
ability. No man can. No man can. Except
the Father which has sent me draw him, and I will raise him
up at the last day. It's written in the prophets.
They shall be all taught of God. How do I know the truth? When you hear the truth, here's
what you're going to hear. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of God. If you hear someone talking about
man's will, man's choice, God's done all He can do Leave. Leave. Leave. I had someone tell me
one time, well, you know, if you listen for it, you can hear
it. That's not good enough. If it's not all of grace, leave. When you hear the gospel, You're
going to hear that God is God Almighty. He's sovereign in creation. In the beginning, God created
the heaven and the earth. He's God in providence. Daniel
4.35, all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. And he doeth according to his
will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest
thou? And he is God in salvation. Same verse. I keep quoting. Salvation
is of the Lord. He has chosen a people in Christ
before the foundation of the world that they should be holy
and without blame before Him in love, Ephesians 1.4. Christ came into this world to
save His people from their sins, Matthew 1.21. He lived for and died for His
people, Galatians 2.16. He laid down His life for the
sheep, John 10, 15, and bore their griefs in His own body,
1 Peter 2, 24. And when it pleases God, He's
going to call them to Himself. By His Spirit, He will regenerate
them, give them a new heart, and all that the Father giveth
Me shall come to Me. Proverbs 23, 23 says this, buy
the truth and sell it not. What does that mean? Reckon that
salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is by grace. Salvation is according to God's
will, God's purpose. Reckon that to be the truth. God's truth, the truth of the
highest value, and spare no pains, no cost. What does it cost? I
was talking about the Elio, Mexico. And I tell you, my heart was
smitten when I heard one time what some of those people have
to go through to get to the services. I can't remember, was it three
hours? Some of them have to travel. Three hours. Now listen, I know
it's a long time. I know it's a long time. But
I'm telling you, listen, is it worth it? Spare no call, spare
no sacrifice to hear it, to hear it. Be aware that there's deceivers. That's what the scripture says.
Buy the truth and sell it not. That is, don't barter with it
for earthly pleasure. Don't be reasoned or laughed
out of it. And don't part with it for any
consideration. It's the power of God unto salvation. We're going to leave this world.
And I'm telling you, when we take that last breath, one thing's going to matter.
What think ye of Christ? What think ye of Christ? He's
my Lord. He's my God. He's my Savior. He's my Redeemer. He's my priest. Without Him, I can do nothing.
I pray God bless this to our heart. God's glory in our good. Amen.