Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter 25, Proverbs 25. I'd like to look at verses eight
through 10, Proverbs 25, verses eight through 10, and I've selected
a title For this message that I used to say to my kids, advice
I used to say to my kids, I'd tell them, choose your battles
wisely. If you're going to choose, if
you're going to have a battle, make sure it's worth it. Make sure that. And that thought permeates through
this passage. that we're going to look at.
Let's look at verse 8. The scripture says, Proverbs
25, 8, go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what
to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbor hath put thee to
shame. We've looked at a couple of passages
that deal with this. Just turn back just a couple
of pages. Proverbs 17, verse 14. Listen to what Proverbs 17,
14 says. The beginning of strife is as
when one letteth out water. Therefore, leave off contention
before it be meddled with. Look at Proverbs 20 verse 3. It is an honor for a man to cease
from strife, but every fool will be meddling. Choose your battles wisely. Don't rush forth quickly to grapple. That's what, when it says to
strive, that's what it means, grapple. Don't wrangle or hold
controversy with your neighbor, lest after all is said and done,
the one that you've chosen to strive with puts you to shame. That's what the Spirit of God
moved upon Solomon to write. Now, this scripture, humanly
speaking, is certainly good advice to everyone born into this world. It deals with our actions and
our attitudes toward each other. And by nature, we're all proud,
we're all arrogant, we're all self-centered creatures of the
dust, and we would do well to consider this passage and settle
down and not rush headlong into a fight, especially when you
don't know all the details. I mean, we're all quick. I'm
the world's worst. I just, at the drop of a hat,
something just sounds off to me, you know. But this verse of scripture goes
much deeper in its significance. There is a heart of contention
that every man born in Adam possesses. And every man, every woman born
in Adam has got contention and strive against God. And that heart of contention
is going to be there, it's going to stay there, and it's only
going to be subdued Not taken away completely, but it's only
going to be subdued. And sin won't have dominion over
a man unless the Spirit of God, by God's good will and pleasure,
delivers that man, that woman, from the dominance of that arrogance. Because, here's the truth, Romans
8, 7, the carnal heart is enmity. What does that mean? It's hostile.
It's hostile against God. We're all by nature, we're prone
to strive against the Lord, against His word, against His truth,
against the gospel. And the scripture declares that
The carnal mind is not subject, it's not in subjection, it's
not subordinate to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Because it's ignorant. It's ignorant
of God's law, it's ignorant of God's truth, it's ignorant of
God. So here's my first point. Concerning
that passage of scripture, go not forth hastily to strive,
lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy
neighbor hath put thee to shame. Here's my first point. Man is
given a grand warning from the Lord. Now listen to this grand
warning. It's Isaiah, I'll just read it
for you, Isaiah 45, nine. Woe unto him that striveth, that
contends with his maker. Let the potters strive with the
potters of this earth. Shall the clay say to him that
fashioneth it, what makest thou, or thy work? He hath no hands. What did Isaiah say through the
spirit of God? He said, let the broken piece
of pottery strive with another broken piece of pottery but let
man take heed shall a broken piece of pottery strive against
his maker and question the maker concerning why the potter made
him like he is question his word and declare man that God has
declared to be as helpless and a broken piece of pottery strive
with God about that? The Lord said to a group of people
in John chapter 6 concerning man's ability, no man can come,
and I told you before, that's talking about ability. No man
can come to me except it were given unto him of my Father. Now here's what God said. No
man can. No man can unless my Father grants
him permission. And a man will contend with that.
By nature, a man will contend. He says, no. By the deeds of the law, I can
be justified with God. I can't. I have a free will.
So here's the contention. Man is born because of sin, believing
the lie of Satan. Whenever the Lord told Adam,
in the garden, Genesis chapter two, verse 16, 17. Of every tree
of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that
thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. You will die spiritually. You'll have no fellowship with
me. Your heart spiritually will die. You'll have no love for
me. You'll have no communion with
me, you'll be separated, and eventually you'll die physically.
In the day you eat, you'll die. And Satan came to Eve in Genesis
3, verse 1. Yea, hath God said ye shall not
eat of every tree of the garden? And Eve told him, she said, God
did say that we could eat of every tree of the garden except
one. And in the day that we ate of the one that he forbidden,
or if we touched it, We would die, and Satan said, the devil,
the serpent said, Genesis 3, 4, and 5, you shall not surely
die. For God doth know in the day
that you eat thereof, your eyes will be open. You shall be as
gods, knowing good and evil. And they ate, and they died. And from that moment, every man,
every woman born in this world is born with a dead heart, a
carnal heart that strives against his maker. We all do it. By nature
that is our heart. We strive against God who is
sovereign according to these scriptures in creation. In the beginning God created.
And whenever Job foolishly questioned the Lord, the Lord said, now
you gird up your loin. I'm going to talk to you, boy.
Where were you? Where were you when I laid the
foundation? Where were you? Why don't you
tell me the secret of the snow? Why don't you tell me the secrets
of everything that I've made? God is sovereign in creation. He's sovereign in providence.
He worketh all things. all things after the council. I'm so quick, I see what's going
on in this world and you do too here in the United States. And
just give me half a second and just leave me to myself and I'll
argue and complain and gripe. Who worketh all things after
the council of his own will? The best thing for me to do is
shut up. Just shut up. I don't want to do that by nature.
But am I going to strive against God, Mark, and when? What's the
Lord going to do? He's going to do whatever He
pleases in the army of heaven among the inhabitants of the
earth. And who's going to stay His hand? God Almighty is sovereign
creation, providence, and salvation. So the scripture declares Proverbs
25, 8, go not forth hastily to strive lest thou know not what
to do in the end thereof when thy neighbor. Now that's an amazing
word right there. It's according to Mr. Strong,
Strong's Concordance, it's from a root word. That word neighbor
right there is from a root word that means to associate with
a friend, that's your neighbor. Don't strive, hastily strive,
you don't know what to in the end thereof when your neighbor
from a root that means to associate with a friend. What friend does
a sinner have but the Lord Jesus Christ? He's a friend of sinners.
Don't be hasty to strive against him. That word that sets forth, it
also is, according to Blue Letter Bible, I've had people contact
me and ask me, I'm saying this for those that, you know, and
I'm thankful. I always tell them, I said, don't
take my word for what these words mean, look them up. Blue Letter
Bible, if you wanna look this one up right here, what I'm about
to say. It's also, it's not only talking about a friend, but also
one that tends the flock. or pastures it or rules. Go not forth hastily to strive,
lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when the
only friend that a sinner's got puts you to shame. That's what
he's saying. We're going to stand before God,
so don't go forth in a hurry to strive against him that you
don't find yourself in the end, put to shame. Proverbs 25 verses
9 and 10. I'm going to look at these three
verses, 8, 9, 10. 9 and 10 says, debate thy cause
with thy neighbor himself, and discover not a secret to another,
lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn
not away. Don't debate thy cause with thy
neighbor and, no wait, debate, I'm sorry, debate thy cause with
thy neighbor himself and discover or reveal, not a secret, not
the intimacy of your heart to another. I can share a lot of
things with you, but let me ask you this, who's the only one
that can help me? Go to the Lord with it. Cast
your cares upon the Lord. He careth. Don't discover a secret
to another, lest he that heareth it put thee to shame in thine
infamy. Turn not away. So here's my second
point. Only got two this morning. Cast yourself upon the mercy
of God. who rules and reigns in heaven and earth. The scriptures
declare in Isaiah 45, verse 11 and 12, thus saith the Lord,
the holy one of Israel, and his maker, it's what he says, ask
me of things to come concerning
my sons. and concerning the work of my
hands, command ye me. I have made the earth and created
man upon it. I, even my hands, have stretched
out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded." He said, you talk to me about
it, because I made everything. I rule everything. I order everything. There is no passage of scripture
that gives a helpless sinner more hope of being found as a
recipient of the grace of God than this. He said, you talk
to me. Our striving ultimately is against
God. The only one that can do anything
for us is the Lord. I understand. Unless the Lord
gives a man or woman a new heart to ask Him, they're not going
to ask. I know that. I understand that. But I'm telling
you what God said. God said, you ask Me. You call upon Me. Here's the
God with whom all men must deal. And he sets forth this gracious
truth to sinful creatures. He's the holy one of Israel. He's the maker. He has the right
to do what he will, with whom he will. Ask me of things to
come concerning my sons. The Lord has sons. He's got sons
and daughters. He's got them. You ask me. You
know, I think about this blessed truth of the gospel, of God's
electing grace, selecting grace, particular grace. Does God have
a people? Did God have an elect that he's
gonna save? Ask him. Did the Lord Jesus Christ
die only for the elect? Ask him. Someone says, well how
am I going to ask Him? Look in the book. What does the
scriptures say? We ask the Lord, I'm telling
you the best thing that we can possibly do is look at what He's
written. What saith the scriptures? You
want to have a question answered, don't go ask somebody else. I mean, it's right to hear the
gospel preached, believe me, from one that God has called
and taught and sent and gifted to preach. But that pastor's
only saying what God said. That's the only thing that I
have. I don't have anything else for you. Somebody said, Marvin,
what does Scripture say about that? Well, I mean, what does
God say about that? What's the truth about it? Well, I said,
let's look in the Word of God. What is God? I told you about Brother
Henry. Somebody came, a woman came to him one time, wanted
to know, had a question about it. And he said, well, let's
see what God has to say. She said, well, I don't care
what God has to say. I want to know what you have to say. And Henry closed his
Bible. He said, well, I don't have anything for you. Ask me concerning
the work of my hands. You bid me concerning my providence. What about all this stuff that's
going on around us? What about all this controversy?
What does the Lord say? Well, let's ask Him what it is.
He rules in the army of heaven, among the heavens and the earth. You know what a believer says?
You're right. You're right. I don't want to
strive against Him about that. God forbid that we should strive
against the Lord, our maker. Ezekiel 18, for behold, all souls
are mine. Soul of the Father, so also the
soul of the Son is mine. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. All men, all women, God's property. They're His by creation. And if the Lord has been pleased
to everlastingly love them and call them out of darkness, they're
His by redemption. The Spirit of God comes and gives
them a new heart and makes them willing in the day of His power.
And they come by faith. They're His by willful submission
and obedience to the Lord. They're all souls are mine. But
for a man or woman to continue and strive against the Lord,
question God, refuse to bow, the soul that sinneth without
faith, he's going to die. He's going to die. And men can
say, well, I don't think they're going to die. Ask the Lord. Ask
the Lord. Oh, blessed is that needy sinner
that's been arrested, like Saul of Tarsus, who was an example
of all of us. He stopped. He wasn't seeking
God. No man seeks after God. God seeks
after his own. He's going to call him. And he
stopped him. And he just converted him. Who
are you? He revealed himself to him. Lord,
what would you have me to do? My sheep hear my voice. I know
that they follow me. So the scripture sets forth. Don't go forth hastily. Because you strive against God. You don't know what's going to
be the end thereof except what God has revealed. And the end
won't go well. Debate thy cause with thy neighbor
himself. Discover not a secret to another.
But then lastly, in that verse 10, lest he that heareth it put
thee to shame and thine infamy turn not away. Here's my last
bit of advice on that. Cast yourself upon the God of
all grace. Just be honest. The Lord will tell you what to
say. The Spirit of God will give you the words to say, cast yourself
upon Him. He hears. If the Lord has called
His own, He hears. And cast yourself upon Him that
you be not cast out of His presence. Bound hand and foot and cast
into outer darkness where there shall be no hope. There'll be
weeping and gnashing of teeth and your infamy. Actually, their
evil report concerning yourself before God has no end is what
he's saying. Just debate your cause with your
neighbor, the friend of sinners himself. Discover not a secret
to another, lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine
infamy turn not away, unless it's found to be forever. All
that the Father has given him is going to come to him. And
him that cometh to me, I love these next words, I will in no
wise, no wise, cast out. You know what, it makes me just
say, Lord, I come. Lord, I come. And to be honest,
if I've never come before, I want to come right now. You might
say, well, I came to the Lord. Well, I'm like old Newton. You know, if I've never believed
before, let me believe today. Save me for thy name's sake,
for my eternal good. Amen. All right.