Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter 26. Proverbs 26. I'd like to look at the first
verse this morning. I've entitled this message, The
Honor Due Him. The honor that is due him. The scripture declares, as snow
in summer and as rain in harvest, so honor is not seemly for a
fool. You know, the richest blessings lose their true value when they're
beheld in a way that is not according to God's direction, according
to that which is not natural, according to God's providence,
is what I'm talking about. As snow in summer, that's just not natural. As rain in harvest, according
to God's good pleasure, That's not natural and it's harmful. The Lord asked Job as far as
this snow in summer. He said, has thou entered into
the treasures of the snow? I've seen more snow since I moved
here 18 and a half years ago than I ever saw in my life. Snow. Snow is here represented when
the Lord asked Job, have you entered into the treasures of
the snow? I looked it up and I found out
that snow is the wintery covering and preserving of the seed of
plants. from the killing cold. God has
ordained snow. It's got a beautiful purpose. But in summer, it's just out
of season. It's just not natural. Man can
produce something that looks like snow, you know, and he uses
it for man's entertainment, but it doesn't accomplish that man-made
snow. It doesn't accomplish the purpose
of God's treasure. God sends snow when it's needed. There's a purpose for it. And
rain and harvest, now rain in its season is needful and it's
profitable. We need it. We've got to have
it. And in the Scriptures, it was revealed to be the evidence
of God's providential care for His people. Hold your place.
Turn to Deuteronomy 11. Deuteronomy chapter 11. Listen
to this precious, precious blessing.
Deuteronomy 11, verse 10 to 14. The Lord's speaking to His people
through His prophet, It says, for the land whither thou goest
in to possess it is not as the land of Egypt from whence she
came out, where thou sowest thy seed and waterest it with thy
foot as a garden of herbs. But the land whither ye go to
possess it is a land of hills and valleys and drinketh water
as the rain of heaven, a land which the Lord thy God careth
for. The eyes of the Lord thy God
are always upon it from the beginning of the year even to the end of
the year. It shall come to pass if you shall hearken diligently
unto my commandments which I command you this day to love the Lord
your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your spirit.
Then I will give you the rain of your land in His due season."
First rain. The latter rain, that thou mayest
gather in thy corn, in thy wine, in thy oil. That's God's blessing. God sends rain, warmer, lighter,
when it's needed, withholds it, when it's time of harvest. But
rain and harvest, that's a hindrance. It's even been shown in scriptures
that rain during that time of harvest is a display of God's
displeasure for man's disobedience. 1 Samuel 12. 1 Samuel chapter
12, verse 16 to 19, here was a display of the Lord's disobedience
when God sent rain. First Samuel 12, 16, now therefore
stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before
your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest today?
I will call unto the Lord and he shall send thunder and rain
that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great
which you've done in the sight of the Lord asking you a king.
So Samuel called unto the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and
rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. And all the people said unto
Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we
die not, for we have added unto all our sin this evil, to ask
us a king. So even in the withholding of
the rain, blessing of God, harvest, God sent rain and harvest, it's
a picture. His displeasure. So there's some
things back in Proverbs. It's not natural. It can even
be harmful. Blessings of the Lord. But also,
that latter part, so or even so, honor is not seemly for a fool. As unnatural as snow in summer,
as harmful and a hindrance as rain and harvest, a fool. Honor is not seemly, it's not
pleasant, it's not beautiful to a fool. What is the greatest blessing
that God bestows upon a people? I heard Brother Henry say this,
and I'm just going to say, he said, the greatest blessing that
God bestows upon a people is for the Lord to send them a preacher
to tell them the truth of themselves and the truth concerning God. Why? Why is that the greatest
blessing? Because the preaching of the
gospel is God's free and sovereign grace in Christ. It is the God-ordained means
by which God sends salvation to His people. So let me ask
you something. Is it necessary? I had a man
tell me one time when I was in Louisiana. He said, you know
what? We really don't need a preacher.
We really don't need a preacher. And I was it. I was the preacher. And he said, we really don't
need a preacher. He said, we can all just meet
together and read some scripture and sing a few songs. 1 Corinthians, turn with me there.
1 Corinthians chapter 1. 1 Corinthians 1. Verse 21, for after that in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God. Now you know what, whatever is
getting ready to be said, this is what pleases God. It pleased
God by the foolishness, or what the world calls foolishness,
of preaching. to save them that believe. It pleased God through the foolishness
of preaching. He said, I will send you pastors
after my heart. You think it pleases God to send
a pastor? We've got some brethren that
right now, there's no pastor there. They're praying, they're
seeking the Lord. Ask the church in Danville. One
of the most faithful men, that I've known right there with
Brother Henry, Brother Scott, Brother Don Fortner. The Lord
pleased to take him home. And they're seeking God for a
pastor. And when there's not a pastor,
it's tough. It's tough. Romans chapter 10.
Romans 10. Listen to what the Lord says.
Romans 10, 13. For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call
on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they
believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they
hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except
they be sent as it is written? How beautiful are the feet of
Him that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings
of good things. These are hard questions, a statement
of scriptures, when I'm the one standing here preaching and it's
saying the necessity of a preacher, and I'll say, who's sufficient
for these things? That's the first thing I'll say,
who's sufficient? But I can tell you this. The
necessity of hearing the gospel preached. God who has ordained
salvation for His elect, has ordained the means by which He's
going to call them out. You think God, if He chose to
do so, could have saved them another way? Well, absolutely.
He's God. If that's the way He chose to
do it. But He chose preaching. Preaching of the gospel. Please,
pray for me. Pray for me. I'm telling you,
you men that have stood in pulpits, this is a lonely place. It's
a lonely place. Because you are struggling. Every
preacher that tells you he's not struggling is lying to you.
Every true preacher, he's lying to you. He struggles. He struggles. He paces before he gets up there
and he just, once he gets in, he prays, Lord, help me right
here. Help me now. So as snow and summer and rain
and harvest, so honor is not seemly. It's not beautiful for a fool. What do I mean by
that? When it comes to the honor that
man owes unto God, honor, true honor, when it comes to honor,
one who rules in heaven and earth, that God, the glory and acknowledgement
of His splendor and the dignity of His being, That honor, the
honor of God Almighty, that is not seemly. What does that mean? He has no desire. He sees no
reason to give that which is due unto the Lord, that which
He is due. Honor. This is His gospel. These are His people. He's been
pleased to raise up an assembly and He's been here. We've come
together today to hear the gospel. This is the gospel that God saves
His people through. This is the means. This is it.
Pray for it. Pray that God bless it. Pray
that the Lord bless the preacher. Pray for the hearing. Pray that
God call out His people. The Lord said to His disciples,
when you pray, you pray, you know, thy kingdom come. You pray,
God call His people unto Himself. You think He's going to call
them? Yes, He's going to call them. But He said, you pray for
that. You pray, ask the Lord. Ask the Lord to save them. Look
at Isaiah 32.6. Isaiah 32.6. Isaiah 32, it says, the vile
person will speak villainy and his heart will work iniquity
to practice hypocrisy and to utter error against the Lord,
to make empty the soul of the hungry and he will cause the
drink of the thirsty to fail. Now, the vile person Now, what
I've done is, again, you know me well enough to know what I'm
about to say. I looked this up. I looked up
the vile. I want to know what it means.
Here's what it is. The vile person. The stupid.
The stupid. The wicked fool or foolish one. It's from a root word that means
to wilt. To fail or fall away. The vile
person, now this is talking about that fool that gives or has no
desire for the honor of God. His honor, his honor. The vile person will speak villainy,
folly, he'll speak folly, he'll speak wickedness, or listen to
this, a crime. It's a crime, kneel against God,
for a man to stand in a pulpit and tell somebody something that's
not so, that doesn't give all the honor and the glory and the
praise to the Lord. It's a crime. It's a crime. Someone might say, well, why
do you make such a big deal against, you know, that which is not the
gospel, man's free will? Why do you? Because God does.
The Lord does. He'll speak villainy. He has
no understanding of the gospel and therefore he can't and won't
deliver it. He won't do it. He doesn't have
a heart for it. He'll speak concerning the goodwill
of man and man's ability to reconcile himself back to God by his own
free will decision and self-righteous works. But the Lord denounced
that. Titus 3, 5. You know, let me just read it. Titus 3, 5. I want us to hear
this again. Now listen. Not by works of righteousness,
which we've done, but according to his mercy he saved us by the
washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Not by works
of righteousness, Is it necessary for us to tell men over and over
and over? Not by works of righteousness,
which we've done. It gives honor unto the Lord
when we say, but according to His mercy, He saved us and washed
us in His own blood. The scripture back in Isaiah
32, it says the vile person will speak villainy and his heart
will work iniquity. His heart will work iniquity. He will exert himself in that
which will come to nothing but trouble. That's what it means.
His heart will work iniquity. Doing that which is unjust. He'll
promote morality. Morality, but morality that's
based on the works of man is self-righteousness, is what that
is. And he's doing this to practice
hypocrisy. That is, profane ungodliness
and moral filth, wickedness. Showing himself to be something
when he's actually nothing. And then it says, and to utter
error against the Lord. His heart will work iniquity
to practice hypocrisy and to utter error against the Lord. To speak in a destructive and
wandering sense that has no reverence, no reverence or respect for Jehovah. He'll teach doctrine that's contrary
to the truth of God's free and sovereign grace, to the honor
of Almighty God in that truth that salvation is altogether
of the Lord. And then lastly, in that sixth
verse of Isaiah 32, it says, to make empty the soul of the
hungry, he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. He'll
not set forth. that which alone can satisfy
the need of a needy sinner, hearing of the bread of heaven and of
him who is the fountain of living water." Honor, God's honor back
in Proverbs 26.1. Honor, the honor of God is not
seemingly fitting, suitable, beautiful, for a fool, a self-confident
fool. And one other question I've got.
How does one know if he's sitting under a fool or if he's sitting under a man
sent of God who gets the honor? Where's the honor? Where is the
honor? I'd like to finish up this message.
Turn with me to Malachi chapter 1. And I just want to read a
few verses here and we're going to stop. Malachi 1. Now let's hear what God has to say
about honor. And I'll tell you this. Honor
is given unto the Lord when the Lord is honored. glorified, when he's praised.
Malachi chapter 1 verse 6 to 8, verse 6 says, a son honoreth
his father, and a servant his master. If I then be a father,
where's my honor? If I be a master, where's my
fear? Saith the Lord of hosts, unto
you, O priest that despise my name, And you say, wherein have
we despised thy name? You offer polluted bread upon
mine altar. And you say, wherein have we
polluted thee? In that you say the table of
the Lord is contemptible. And if you offer the blind for
sacrifice, is it not evil? If you offer the lame and sick,
is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor.
Will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person, saith the
Lord of hosts? The Lord asked these false prophets,
these preachers, that were not giving him honor. He said, a
son honors his father. You know, honor is due. And to
be given by a child to his father, his mother, his parents. Servants
are to honor, give reverence, and be respectful and obedient
to their bosses. Well, the Lord said, I'm the
father. The Lord is our heavenly father.
He's the master of all men. He said, where's my honor? Where
is my honor? And in keeping with the context
of our scripture, when the Lord calls out these priests, he said
that you've despised my name. What does that mean? You have
held in contempt, or you have counted my word worthless. That's what you've done. You've
despised my name. And they asked, they said, where
am? Verse 7, wherein have we polluted
thee? Wherein have we despised? You know, his answer is sure. He said, you offer, verse 8,
you offer the blind for sacrifice. Is that not evil? Now let me
ask you something. The sacrifices that were given.
Who did they picture? Who did they picture? You know
this. The Lord Jesus Christ. He said, you've despised my name. How have we despised your name?
He said, you've offered bringing to the altar polluted, soiled,
defiled, stained bread. And they said, you know, wherein
have we polluted thee? Why do you say the table of the
Lord is contemptible? Why do you say that, Lord? Why
do you say that it's disesteemed? He says in verse 8, he said,
and you offer the blind for sacrifice. Is it not evil? And you offer
the lame and sick, the weak. Is that not evil? In closing, let me just ask this
question. Is that not the offering set
forth from every pulpit where the gospel of God's sovereign
grace is not preached? Is that not the offering that's
being set forth? They're setting forth. They say,
I'm preaching Christ. But they're preaching Christ,
they say, that wants to save you if you'll let Him. If you'll let Him, the Lord has
done all He can do. He hung on the cross and died
for everybody's sin. Now it's up to you. Where have
we despised your name? You offer that which is blind,
and lame, and sick, and can't do anything? That's what you're
offering? Let me tell you something. The
God of this world, the God of this universe, I'm talking about
the Lord himself, not the prince of the world, I'm not talking
about Satan. I'm talking about God, God Almighty. He's God. And we don't offer
one that is lame and blind and sick and can't accomplish that
which he will. The God that we worship, is the
God that does as He will in the army of heaven and among the
inhabitants of the earth. He's got a people, and He's going
to save them. He's going to save them. And
the way that He's going to save them is through the proclamation
of His honor, of His glory, and the glory of
His precious Son. That's how God's going to save
them. And we don't offer the sickly sacrifice. So in our passage,
when it says, honor is not seemly to the fool, that means the glory
and majesty and praise that's due unto the Lord of glory is
not becoming. It's not praiseworthy for a fool. But for everyone that God's called
out of darkness, let me tell you what their attitude is. Now
unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we
ask or think, and aren't you glad? Am I not glad? That's able to do according to
the power that worketh in us unto him be glory in the church
by Jesus Christ throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. As snow in summer and rain in
harvest. That's just not natural, not
productive. It's harmful. So, is honor, not
seemly, to a fool. But God has been pleased, according
to His infinite grace and mercy, He's been pleased to call out
some people out of darkness. And He's going to do it through
the preaching of the gospel, but not the preaching of the
lame and the sickly and the weak, through Him who's able. Able. I pray God bless this to our
heart, for His glory and our good. Amen.