Alright, let's take our Bibles
and turn to the book of Proverbs chapter 23. Proverbs chapter
23. I'd like for us to look at one
verse of scripture tonight. Verse number 12. Verse 12, Proverbs
23, 12. Apply thine heart unto instruction. in thine ears to the words of
knowledge. Now, we know, according to the
scriptures, that faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
word of God. That's in Romans chapter 10,
verse 17. Faith. Faith. What is faith? Well, again, according to God's
Word, it is that grace, that gift that is given, and this
is what the Word of God says about that grace that is given. It is the substance of things
that are hoped for, that we have confidence for. And what do we
have hope for? What is the substance of that
for which we hope and have confidence? Well, salvation. Salvation and
eternal deliverance from the guilt and the presence, the bondage
of sin. That's what we hope for. We hope
for life in Christ to be eternally in the very presence of the Lord
Jesus Christ Himself. So it is the substance of things
hoped for. And it's the evidence of things
that are not seen. Well, what things do we not see? We see by faith, but what are
the things that are not seen? Well, the things that have been
eternally willed and purposed of Almighty God according to
His everlasting covenant of grace. What are the things that the
Lord has done, is doing, and shall be? Whatever He's pleased
to do. And so faith is the evidence. We believe that the Lord worketh
all things after the counsel of His own will. We believe that. is the evidence of those things
that we don't see. We don't see the things that
have been accomplished in time according to the obedience and
death of the Lord Jesus Christ. What has He truly, completely
done? That which God willed. We don't
see it. What's happening right now is
this Word goes forth. What is actually being done? The things that we don't see.
I can't see what happens in the heart of a believer. I don't
see what happens when God's Word goes forth. But faith believes. We truly believe that His Word
is not going to return forth. We know it's not. Why? Because
faith has taught us that truth. The things that he's doing now,
his intercession before the throne of grace. Is he really ever living
to make intercession for us? Absolutely. You believe that?
Yes, by faith. By faith, you know that. His work in Providence, what
he's doing right now throughout all of this world, Faith is the substance of things
hoped for, it's the evidence of things not seen. Faith is
that firm persuasion, conviction, and ground of confidence in these
things. And faith, the scripture says,
cometh. It's eternally, continually coming. Not eternally, because
eternally there won't be faith eternally. There will be sight,
but continually is the word I meant to say. Faith continually comes. As long as there's time, God
will have a people. And as long as there's a people,
they're going to have faith. And faith cometh. It has an origin. It's given
by God. For by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. And this
faith which we speak, it continually comes. How does it come? Well, the scripture says it comes
one way, by hearing. Hearing the gospel. Isaiah was moved by the Spirit
of God to say this, Who hath believed our report? Report of
what? Well, the report of the glory
of the Lord Jesus Christ in His redemptive work and obedient
work and the fulfilling of the work that the Father gave Him
to do. That's the report. The report
of the Lord Jesus. Who hath believed our report?
So, when we give the report of Christ, we're preaching the gospel. That's what we're doing. It's
the gospel that Paul the Apostle declared that he was not ashamed. He said it's the power. This
is the dynamite of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. But
the mere hearing of the gospel by the natural ear is not that
which gives the assurance that faith has come. Many hear, and they hear the
glorious truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. report of God, and they
don't believe. Many hear, but they don't have
faith. There must be a work of God's
grace wrought within a sinner, thereby God giving him that ability. You've got to give him life.
You've got to give him, the Scripture says, a new ear, a new eye, a new heart. And so the Scripture says that
faith cometh by hearing, But that hearing, that hearing of
the heart, hearing that moves the objects of God's grace and
makes them willing in the day of God's power is by the Word
of God. Well, what does that mean? Well,
by the utterance of God, by the command of God, by the will of
God. Whenever the Lord was walking
by and He spoke to Matthew, Matthew was a publican. He was a tax
collector. And whenever the Lord looked
at Matthew and he said, follow me. Well now, if that word would
have gone forth without power, Matthew wouldn't have moved. Many could hear the Lord say,
follow me, but unless the Word of God is given in arresting grace. Faith cometh
by hearing, but hearing by the command, the Word of God. That's
what it means, by the utterance of God. So faith, faith is essential
to pleasing God. Scripture says without faith
it is impossible to please Him. For he that cometh to God must
believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek Him. Men, women without Christ are
without faith. And if they're without faith,
then therefore they're without Christ. And to be without Christ
is to be without hope. So the Spirit of God reveals
that we must believe that He is. Not merely that He exists,
but that He is who He says He is. The sovereign God of creation,
providence, and salvation. I've said so many times, Demons
believe that He is in existence. But they don't bow before Him. He didn't take upon Him the form
of angels. He didn't come to save angels.
He came to save human beings, sinners. So without faith to
be without Christ, to be without God, to be without hope, And
it's impossible to please God without faith. He is a rewarder. He renders the reward of His
promises toward His people. He gives them faith to believe
Him. Those that search out, crave,
and long after Him with a new heart, Him to have mercy upon
them. So knowing the need and avenue
by which God grants faith. Let's look at Proverbs 23 for
just a minute. 23 12. Therefore, apply thine
heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. Apply your heart. Let your heart abide. Let it
be abiding. unto instruction, in thine ears
to the words of knowledge. That's the way that God speaks
to His people in mercy and compassion. Apply your heart to be hearing
the gospel. Not just only here in the ear,
but hearing by the Word of God, by the command of God. Don't
be content Solomon's saying, with a casual or an outward hearing
or reading of God's word, of his reproof, of his chastisement,
of his warning and instruction, of his excellent word of mercy and compassion,
but lay it up as a choice treasure. A believer, when they hear the
gospel and apply their heart to that instruction and that
understanding. They're going to ask the Lord.
Lord, speak to my heart. I don't want to assume that I'm
naturally going to hear. I know I'm not. I've got a need. I want to apply
my heart and my ears to the words of knowledge. I want that. Hold
your place right here. Turn to Proverbs 1. Chapter 1,
verse 1 to 3. Whenever this book was penned,
the opening words of this book by Solomon. Listen to what he
says, Proverbs 1, 1-3. The Proverbs of Solomon, son
of David, king of Israel. To know wisdom. Now this is what
he wanted. I want to know. I want to know
wisdom himself. I want to know the wisdom that
he gives. To know wisdom and instruction. To perceive. the words of understanding. I
want to get it. I want to understand it. I want
to behold it with the eyes of faith, to receive in my heart
the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity. This is
what Solomon desired. The Lord gave him a heart, and
that's the heart of a believer. The Lord says, apply your heart,
and a believer says, Lord, I desire that. I want that. I want to
hear that they might know the loving hand of His correction
and reproof. When you hear the Gospel preached,
you that know Him, do you not really want to hear? Do you not
want to understand? I want to understand. They want
to have God's man stand up that has sought the Lord in His Word
and prepared their heart and asked the Lord to bless it and
try to set forth and give the meaning, give the sense of the
Word, try to explain to them what it says. And they want to
hear it. I want to hear it and have my heart gripped by it. So they love it. They want to
hear that Word of understanding. They want to hear the preaching
of the Gospel. that truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. I want
to hear about His person, I want to hear about His work, I want
to hear about His glory. I want truly to be instructed,
but I know it must be instruction and knowledge that God by His
Holy Spirit gives. But I want to ask, I want to
seek, I want to knock at the door of God's mercy, and I pray
that God would keep me By His power, through faith, to continually
cry unto Him, asking Him to bless me. God's people are not presumptuous. They know in whom they have believed. They know. They know Him. They
know Him. But they're not presumptuous. They don't assume. The Lord said
you don't have because you didn't ask. That's that. You have not because you ask
not. Ask! Ask! Apply my heart to understanding. Apply my heart to instruction. Brethren, let's be asking the
Lord to do that which He alone can do and has promised to do.
Ask me. Ask and it'll be given. Seek
and you'll find. Knock, it'll be open. Everyone
that asketh, receive it. He that seeketh, findeth. He
that knocketh, it's open. We seek Him. He's promised. Him that cometh to me, I will
in no wise cast out. So you asked. But one might say
in closing, but I thought we could do nothing. You're telling
me to ask and seek and knock You're telling me that the Lord
said that, you know, you have not because you asked not, but
I thought we couldn't do anything. I thought we could do nothing.
No, that's not what Scripture says. It's true that we cannot
save ourselves. We know that. There's nothing
that we can do. Salvation is of the Lord. No
doubt about that. But listen to what the Lord said. John 15, verse 5. He said, I
am the vine. Now what did He mean when He
said that? He said, I am the very embodiment of divine and
human nature. I'm the vine. He's the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. The image of the invisible God. And he said, ye are the branches,
I'm the vine, you're the branches, those that have been grafted
into him by grace. And then he said, he that abideth
in me and I in him, grafted, abiding in him by the power of
God through faith, he said, The same bringeth forth much fruit. That is, much fruit of God's
Spirit. Because the very life of God
in Christ flows from the vine to the branch. That's the life. That's the life. Then he said
this. He said, for without me, you
can do nothing. Man separated from Him, there's
no fruit. There's nothing of any value.
You say we can't do anything? No, not for our salvation. But I tell you what, we can seek
it. We can apply our hearts. We can ask Him. Being grafted
into Him, There is life. And that life is evidenced by
the fruit which is produced by God. Love, gentleness, meekness,
long-suffering. The evidence of that fruit is
set forth in God's Word as being good works. Works of grace. You didn't receive them because
you earned them. You got them by grace. And they
don't manifest themselves by your works either. It's still
by the grace of God. But they are good works. And
good works that are wrought and produced by God. It is God that worketh in you. Both to will and do of His good
pleasure. We do seek the Lord. You know why we do is because
just like when the Lord told Matthew, follow me, the Lord
said, seek me. You know what my heart says?
Lord, I seek you. Ask after me. Lord, I ask after
you. Knowing what the scripture says
concerning a sinner that seeks, comes to God in Christ, Knowing
the importance of hearing the gospel. Know the importance,
the need of faith, that faith cometh by hearing, and that hearing
by the Word of God, by the command of God. Then the Scripture says,
apply thine heart unto instruction. Nine years to the words of knowledge.
You know what a believer does not say? He doesn't say, I can't
do that. He, in obedience to the Lord's
command, Willingly, lovingly, applies his heart to do that
which the Lord has commanded. And then he asks the Lord to
bless him. Lord, help me. I believe, help
my unbelief. Lord, bless me with instruction
and words of knowledge. Without Him, we can do nothing. But in Him, all things are possible. With God, all things are possible.
With man, nothing is possible. But with God, all things are
possible. I pray that the Lord bless these words to our hearts
and grant us a desire to apply our hearts, seek after the Lord,
and find Him by grace and mercy. Amen.