Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me now to the book of Proverbs, chapter 22. Proverbs 22. I'd
like to look at verses 24 and 25. Proverbs 22, verse 24-25,
the scripture declares, No friendship with an angry man,
and with a furious man thou shalt not go, lest thou learn his ways
and get a snare to thy soul. Now we all know this. These words Hinned by Solomon. We're actually born to Solomon
from the Spirit of God. All Scripture is God-breathed. So, when we read that Word right
there, we're reminded whose Word it is. This is the Word of God. It's not just a suggestion from
Solomon, an opinion. This is the Word of Him who is
sovereign, who is the Lord. The all-wise God who rules in
heaven and earth. declares that he does as he will,
and that which he does is right. He said, I am a just God. And when he sets forth in his
scriptures that which is his mind, his heart, his will, his
purpose. The scripture declares this,
that no man has the right to question Him. Daniel 4.35 says
it ends with this verse, Or say unto him, What doest thou? What right does a worm have to
question the Sovereign? According to these scriptures,
the true and living God has been pleased according to His good
pleasure and will to make a distinction between people. You turn to Deuteronomy
7, I'm getting ready to read out of that, Deuteronomy chapter
7. He has right and has made a distinction between the inhabitants of this
world. A distinction that was not based
on anything that he saw in men. He didn't look and see that one
was better than the other one. We're all as an unclean thing.
There's none good. Not one. There's not one of us
here today that in ourselves are worth shooting. None of us. Look at Deuteronomy 7 verse 6-8
and remember now, natural Israel is a picture type in the scriptures
concerning the true Israel of God, the church, the bride, the
heavenly Jerusalem. Now listen to what the Lord said
and when you see that He is saying and speaking to a people that
He set apart to be examples of his true church, you'll understand
what he's saying. Deuteronomy 7, 6, for thou art
an holy people unto the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God has
chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all people
that are, a special people unto himself above all people that
are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love
upon you nor choose you because you were more in number than
any people, but you were the fewest of all people. But because
the Lord loved you, because he would keep the oath which he
had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out
with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of bondman
from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Now, God Almighty has
just set forth that he made a distinction. He made a distinction between
natural Israel and the rest of the world. Now, is that not what
he just said? He said that. God said that. Someone would say, well, I don't
see why he would do that. He said, I did it according to
my good pleasure. Well, I don't see how he could
do that. Hath the potter not right over the clay? Romans 9, to make one vessel
unto honor and another unto dishonor. Does God have the right to do
that? Absolutely. Why? Because He's God. He said,
I'm God. And I do as I will. The army
of heaven, the inhabitants of the earth, and nobody stops Him. Now I understand the postures
of this world can strive with the postures of this world. We
can argue about this if y'all want to. We're not going to.
We just, I mean, we can argue with it until we leave this world.
And do you know what that argument is going to come to? Nothing. We're going to stand before God
in this book right here. We're going to be judged according
to these scriptures right here. God makes a distinction. And those toward whom He's made
a distinction, they are His sheep. Sheep according to the Lord,
verse 27 of chapter 10 of John, who hear His voice. And I've
said this time and time again, I need to hear it again. How
do we hear the voice of the Lord? Number one in the Scriptures.
I can read what God says. I just read that in Deuteronomy
7, and I'm telling you, God was speaking. That word right there,
that black ink on white paper, and I'm going to tell you something.
That word is alive. That word is quick. That's what
that means. Quick. It's alive. We read it
in the scriptures. We hear His voice in Providence. We look around, it's creation
right here, we see it. He's working all things after
the counsel of His own will. That's Ephesians 1, 11 and 12. He worketh all things. So do
you want to know what God is saying? Well, just look around
and see what's happening. Turn on the TV. See what God's
working and doing. That's God speaking. That's God
speaking. Weather, God speaking. To God's
people, like Elijah we looked at last week, there's a still
small voice. It's spoken to the heart. God's
people, they hear it. There's a good conscience. Not
that evil conscience, but there's a God's people hear. They hear,
speak to my heart. That's what he said, comfort
ye, comfort ye, My people, you speak to their heart, that spirit
that speaks. So they hear because God's given
them a new heart. Now that old heart don't hear
anything. They sit here and listen to this all day long until the
Lord gives a man, a woman, a new heart, a new spirit, a new mind,
and a willingness. They just don't hear. They don't
see. But these sheep, they're His. He said, I know my sheep. I know them. They hear my voice
and they follow me. They follow me. God's people's
got a desire to follow after Him. He's the shepherd. We're
the sheep. Now these sheep that are in this
world, walking in this world, follow the Lord. But while we're
following the Lord, let me ask you this question. Do we ever
struggle? We ever find ourselves struggling?
Struggling? Listen to this scripture, Psalm
37, 23, 24. The steps of a good man, not
in himself, you know that, made so by the grace of God. The steps
of a good man are ordered by the Lord. They're established.
They're established. They're established. There's
not a possibility in the world, Fred, I wouldn't have been here.
Why? Because God established it. They're
ordered by the Lord. And he, that is the Lord, delighteth
in his way. He delights to order the steps
of his people. He delights that. And though
he, the believer, fall, that is in calamities or adversities,
He shall not be utterly cast down, that is, thrown away. For
the Lord upholdeth him, sustains him, and aids him with His hand,
that invisible hand of His ever-present power. God keeps Him. That's a wonderful promise. The
steps of a good man established, ordered by the Lord. But now
I want you to remember something. All of the promises of God to
His people are in Christ. All the promises are founded
and established upon His covenant of grace. And God orders the
steps of His people because He's chosen to show mercy and compassion
for the praise and the honor of His Son. I know this, the
steps of a good man are ordered, I just read that by the Lord,
and though he, the believer, fall. Now let me tell you something
that is certain. Every believer in this world
that's walking whose steps are ordered by the Lord, he stumbles. Could the Lord eliminate all
that? Could He just eliminate our stumbling? Could He stop us from being doubtful? Could He? Well, He's God. He can do anything He wants to
do. But the Lord, the Scripture reveals, according to His infinite
wisdom, according to what I just read, when He falls. Now, God
is the one that's upholding. And He, according to His good
pleasure, has been pleased to most glorify Himself by allowing
us to experience that fall, that calamity. Why? To ever remind us of our frailty. I'm telling you, I've told you
a little bit about me trying to pray. And I just don't know
that much about it. I know I desire to, I want to.
But I can tell you, it just seems like I want to start and start
correctly and approach the Lord. And I catch myself just somewhere
else. And I'm thinking, how did I think
that? You know, the Lord allows His people. to fall. And they're reminded, every believer
is reminded of his frailty. And when we fall, he's promised,
I just read it, he upholds, he sustains and bears us up. Why? To remind us, I'm not going to
leave you. I'm going to let you stumble.
I'm going to let you stumble. I'm watching. Eyes of the Lord
behold, He sees and He upholds and He'll only permit us to stumble
according to His wise and sovereign will. He'll allow us to do what
we do. Now God is not the author of
sin. I'm getting ready to make a statement
and I'm going to preface it with this statement. God is not the
author of sin. But I can tell you this, Almighty
God is God. and he might be permitted to
allow something, could he have kept Adam from sinning against
him? You know the answer. Why did
he allow him to? That he might be glorified in
man's redemption. Most glorified. He might be shown,
I'm a just God, I'm a savior. That's an amazing thought. Could
he stop? Yes, he could. He permits men
to do exactly what they want to do. God is not the author
of sin. When Potiphar's wife was going
after Joseph, and she came after him and came after him, and finally
he just fled. She grabbed his coat. And if
she saw, he left. She lied on him. He came after
me and she said, I struggled. I got his coat. He was trying
to, she lied, they threw him in prison. God kept him from
that. There was a man named David and
God let him do exactly what he wanted to do. He allowed him. Was God the author of sin? No,
sir. No, sir. But did that turn to be shown
to work together for good? You go back and read Psalm 51.
See how it broke David's heart. You think David ever forgot what
he was? No, sir. You read the Psalms
and see what the Spirit of God moved on that man to say. Is
God the author of sin? I'm gonna say that one more time.
No. Did God permit them to do exactly
what they did for his glory and their eternal good? Yes. Mercy,
mercy is shown to God's people. These sheep, they've been set
apart for God's glory. Their steps are ordered by the
Lord. And those who possess this special
blessing are taught. They are examples in this world. Paul the Apostle told 1 Timothy
4.12, let no man despise thy youth. Be thou an example of
the believers. I want you to be one that is
to be imitated. How? In word, that is in truth,
yes, but also in the manner of our speech. I remember my mama
telling me, she said, you know it's not what you say, it's how
you say it. You know, we can say certain
things and say them in such a way that it's just so hard. But there's another way to say
things. Paul told Timothy, he said, Timothy, I want you to
be an example in word. That's what it means. Not only
in the truth of the gospel that you preach, but in the manner
of your speech. Let your speech be seasoned with
grace. That's what he was saying. In
your conversation, in your walk, in charity, in love for God and
men, in spirit as one governed by God's Spirit. And in faith,
standing fast, striving and contending for the faith. And in purity,
that means in chastity. Don't give the enemies of God
reason to blaspheme. Don't. Don't do that. So here
was Timothy, he was a young preacher, he needed some instruction, and
so do we. And the Almighty God set forth
to Timothy. Timothy, be an example. Timothy,
be an example. You're a watchman. You're watched. Parents, let me tell you something.
You parents, grandparents, whatever. I want to tell you something.
Our families, our children, and our grandchildren are watching.
They're watching. They're listening. Husbands,
wives, the other ones watching. They're watching. We're observed
as to what we do as it is in relationship to what we profess.
Now we're watched. Unbelievers are judgmentally
watching for a reason to blaspheme the Lord. That's what Nathan
told David. The enemies of God reason to
blaspheme God. You talk about chastisement.
David would have rather taken a beating than hear that. You've
given the enemies of God reason to blaspheme God. And God's believers
are sincerely and honestly watching with a true desire and a need
for instruction. When I came here, I watched Brother Scott. I watched
him. I listened to him. I thought,
what a blessing. So many of you here grew up with
him. Heard him. And I knew, I knew
God taught this man. I knew that. And situations would
come up in this assembly. Something would happen. Something
was said. Somebody got crossed with somebody else. And I would
just listen to what he said. I wanted to know how he was going
to handle that. I wanted to know, what did Brother Scott say? What
would he do? What would God Almighty move
this man to do or say? I needed some instruction. So
Paul told Timothy, exhorted him, he said, Timothy, be an example
to others in your conduct, in your love, in your faith, in
your purity of life. He said to Titus in Titus chapter
2 verse 7, in all things, showing thyself a pattern of good works. Listen, in doctrine showing uncorruptness. What does that mean? Don't mix
works and grace. In your doctrine, show uncorruptness. Don't mix it. This is all of
grace. All of grace. God's grace. In
gravity, What is that? Dignified seriousness in setting
forth the truth. I told you, I love to have a
good time. You know this. I've picked on
every one of you. Every one of you. I can step
out and we'll stand out there in front of the church and I'll
pick on you, I'll pick on your kids. Just like Kevin. Where's Kevin? Just like Kevin.
That's right. But I'm going to tell you something.
When I step in this pulpit, we ain't joking. The joking's over. He told Titus, he said, Titus,
show yourself a pattern of good works in gravity. Be grave. Be serious about what you're
doing. And in sincerity, in genuineness. What we claim to believe is going
to have little authority, little influence, I can tell you right
now, if the fruit of God's Spirit lacks in our walk. People just, they watch. Now
the Lord, I've said all of that, and now I'm getting ready to
get back to Proverbs. I wanted to build a foundation on who
is speaking, what He's saying to us. So when we read, the Lord
has revealed something in this passage today that's truly an
amazing thing. and to all that have been taught
something of God's electing and redeeming and regenerating grace
and has shown them the necessity of a consistent walk. He now
gives some instruction in a specific area. And this came to my mind
while I was reading it. I mean, an area that would be
so personal. This is a personal area of our
lives. And what is it? It's about friends. Friends. Choosing friends. Our association with friends.
Now verse 24. Make no friendship with an angry
man. Now that word friendship right
there, I'm going to qualify it because this is in the definition
of it. Intimate. Intimate. close bond
of friendship. One that you'll bare your heart
to. You'll just share the innermost
part of your being. Don't be intimate. Don't have
an intimate friendship with an angry man. The word there, angry,
is interpreted, really this is the first of the definition.
Knows Face, rapid breathing. That's what the definition says.
Nose, face, face, rapid breathing. It insinuates or sets forth the
countenance of one that is ungoverned, passionately ungoverned with
that meek and quiet spirit. They're not settled. They're
just not settled. They're not settled in the truth.
They're not settled in They're angry. They're angry. They have
a wrathful attitude. One, it says, that throws about
the sparks of their anger. Just, you know, it's like, you
know, my way or the highway, ungoverned by God's Word. So,
and it says, and with a furious man, a furious, heat or raging,
thou shalt not go. Now let me say something here.
It isn't speaking of us alienating ourselves from anybody that has
ever exhibited that spirit of anger. Because if we're going
to alienate ourselves from anybody that has ever experienced or
evidenced that spirit right there, well there's nobody in here that's
going to have anything to do with anybody else, especially
me. Because I guarantee you, Nobody in this congregation has
seen me get as mad as my wife has. Man, I'm telling you, one day
I remember it. Glenda said to me, she said,
I have never seen you get that mad. I mean, buddy, I don't even
remember what it was about, but buddy, I remember I was mad.
I was mad. And I just, oh, I let it go. Those black eyes just, you know. So if that's the case, well then
nobody's going to have a friend here. Because everybody's guilty. That old man is ever ready to
raise his head. But the angry man spoken of here
is one who not only exhibits that spirit of ungraciousness,
but he's passionate. ungoverned. He does not know
the love of God in Christ Jesus. He has no desire for the fellowship
of God's people in worship. And he evidences that by alienating
himself from the assembly of God's people. He's angry. He's angry. He's angry first
against God. He evidences his unconcern for
the Lord's honor because there's only one set of... one fruit. Let me see. Turn to
Galatians 5. I'm trying to get to it. Let's just get to it. Galatians
5. Galatians 5. Galatians chapter 5 and verse
19. Now the works of the flesh, Galatians
5.19, are manifest. Which of these? Adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
invents, murders, drunkenness, revelings, such the like of which
I tell you before as I've also told you in time past, they which
do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. There is,
in an unbeliever, one fruit. It's the fruit of the flesh.
There's nothing there that checks it. Now, every person has an
old man. And all of that right there is
there. It's there. All men, all women,
because of that character, they will find themselves exhibiting
that character at times. But because of the presence of
a new man, that spirit of anger and furiousness is warred against. It's grieved over. It's resisted. And it is hated. When I think thoughts that are
so disrespectful to the Lord, you that know Him, do you find
yourself, I'm talking about unbelief, when I just don't believe God.
When I realize this is what I'm doing, does it break your heart? You think, how could I have been
so disrespectful to one that has eternally loved me? How could
I be angry? When something comes your way
that you don't like in our life, in our walk, something happens. Have you ever found yourself
angry? Why? I can't believe this. I can't believe that that person
did that. I can't believe that. But then,
in a moment, you'll remember. But for the grace of God, I'd
be doing the same thing. An angry man is one who exhibits
only one spirit, that spirit, that fruit of the flesh. And
concerning a believer having that intimate friendship with
one given to continual animosity, one who is obviously an unbeliever,
Amos 3.3 says, can two walk together. What does that mean? Walk together.
United in intimate friendship and have the same affection. Can two walk together except
they be agreed? Now again, I'm going to say this.
I'm not talking about the forbidding of contact with everybody. Unbelievers in a civil society
or conversation vocation, your workplaces. We live in a world.
And we're in it. Not of it, but we live in it.
We're in a world in which there are a lot of people that don't
have the same love that we have. The same thoughts that we have.
But our passage warns us. We're warned against something.
Having an alliance or an intimate friendship or companionship with
those who don't know or love our God. There's only, there's
a part where we just can't go any farther with this. The scripture
declares in 2 Corinthians 6, 14, be ye not unequally yoked
together with unbelievers. Now that comes from when they
would yoke animals together. Yoke some oxen, yoke some mules,
and you know, you just, Chuck told me one time he used to mow
over there behind my house right there, mowed with mules, mowed
grass up there. Now you know if those two mules
are two mules, and they've got the same disposition, they've
got the same, you know, they're both mules. But you know you
can take a mule and yoke it with an ox, and they just don't see
the, they don't pull together. They don't jehol. They don't
be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. We're warned against
that friendship, that close intimate bond. In business, we're warned
against that. In our marriages, we're warned
against that. In worship services, why? We just don't have the same love. We just don't see. We're not
in agreement. We just don't agree with one
another. We just don't see it. God has
set forth that we're to be cautious. Be cautious. Be careful. concerning our close association
and friendships with those that don't know our God. Why? Because lest thou learn His ways
and get a snare to your soul. I think about trying to work
with someone, especially if you're united with them in a business. And they don't have a problem,
you know, fudging the books. You know, I'm just not going
to write it down. I'm just, you know, I'm thinking.
You know, I mean, that you just, you just, again, you don't jihaw. You just don't see the things,
lest you learn his ways. Be cautious. I'm telling you,
be cautious. but being warned by the Spirit
of God through Solomon concerning having friendships with an angry
and furious man, I want us to consider, in closing, the blessing
of God when the Lord is pleased to grant us a good friendship
with a good and consistent friend. Where two are bound together
in Christ, where you can fellowship, where you talk, it doesn't matter
what you do and where you are, you know, that bond of unity,
unity in the Lord and the comfort in the gospel. Do you ever get
tired of talking to a believer about the gospel? You just sit
around and it's just, this is your heart, this is what you
talk about. I mean, we may start off talking
about something else for a minute, but I'm telling you two believers,
get together and you just give it a second. And I'm telling
you what they're going to be talking about. They're going
to be talking about the goodness of God, the mercy of God to them,
how the Lord has providentially ordered this situation. It's
going to come around to Him. Why? They're friends. They're
friends in Christ. God has been formed in both of
them. They're friends. They're a friend. They have an associate. There's
nothing better than a good friend. Uncle Brad told me down in New
Orleans, told me one time, said, Marvin, if you get to the end
of your life and you end up with five, if you have that many friends,
true friends, you trust them, you trust them. He said, you're
a blessed man. Five men. I believe I have more
than that. I know I do. But this is what
scripture says about a friend. a friend in Christ, a friend,
one that we associate with, I can bear my heart to him, loveth
at all times. He loves you perpetually. And a brother is born for adversity, trouble. Why? He loves you, help you. You think
about that friendship between David and Jonathan. That friendship
that the Lord established to set forth in picture and type
that covenant blessing that is enjoyed by every vessel of God's
mercy. He says, and David said, is there
yet any that is left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness
for my friend's sake? Jonathan's sake. Jonathan asked
him, he said, you know, when you come up and be the king.
I know God's going to give you the throne. Would you remember
my family? Yeah. Jonathan had a boy, Mephibosheth. One day his nurse had him fleeing
from enemies and she dropped him, broke both his legs. He
couldn't walk. Lame on both his feet. Is there
any left of the house of Saul that I can show mercy to? There's
one boy, Mephibosheth. I love what David said, you fetch
him. You go get that boy and you bring him here. He's going
to sit at my table. He's going to sit at the king's table. And
he's going to eat every day at my table. Oh, but my friends,
there is no friendship in this natural realm. We've got some
good friends. I'm looking at some good friends
right here. I've got some friends that I'd share something and
I don't think for one second that they'd betray me, go behind
my back, laugh at me, Talk about me seriously. I don't believe
it would. But there is a friendship that
does not compare to the blessing of the friendship that God's
people enjoy in the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is the friend
that loveth at all times. who has loved his own with an
everlasting love. Our love for each other had to
start somewhere in time. We had to meet each other. I
had to actually meet you and get to know you. He said, I've
loved you with an everlasting love. I've always known you. I've always seen you. You've
always been mine. I had some good buddies when
I was in high school and college. Oh, I called them my friends.
We did a lot of things together. A lot of things I'm not going
to tell you. We saw things the same way. Did a lot of stupid
things. But they were my so-called friends.
But you know what? Time and distance and death has
severed that friendship. It's not there anymore. But not
his. He said, I will never leave you. I've loved you with an everlasting
love. God changeth not. Therefore,
you sons of Jacob are not consumed. His love is immutable. He's a friend that has borne
all the shortcomings of His people. He's answered before God on their
behalf. He's reconciled them back to
the Father by His shed blood. That's a friend. That's a friend. That's a friend. I need a friend
like that. I need a friend that will cover
my nakedness before God, my shame before God. I need a friend that
will clothe me in His own holiness. I need a friend that will go
to heaven and prepare a place for me in heaven. That where He is, there I may
be also. Now that's a friend. That's a
friend. I need a friend that the father
has said of my friend. That's my beloved son, whom I'm
well pleased. You hear him. I need that friend. That friend who sits right now
at the right hand of the majesty on high, who finished the work
of redemption, finished my salvation, and one who's going to come back
and get me. Because if he don't come back, I can't go. I need
a friend to do that. Brethren, do you know this friend,
this friend of sinners? Now, this is my prayer this morning. If there's one here that doesn't
know Him, I pray God reveal Himself to you. I pray God have mercy. I know He's going to have mercy
and compassion on whomsoever He will. I pray that He have
mercy on me. I pray God bless this to our
hearts for Christ's sake.