Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs chapter 22. Proverbs chapter 22. I'd like to look at verse 9. He that hath a bountiful eye
shall be blessed. For he giveth of his bread to
the poor. A bountiful eye. What is that? What's a bountiful
eye? Well, it's an eye that is said
to be good. An eye that is pleasant. An eye
that is excellent. It's actually an eye, but it's
an eye that beholds and has the ability to view things as they
truly are. That's a bountiful eye. An eye that is said to be excellent
in its perception. You know, someone sits upon a
bench, a judge, and he listens to the evidence. And then he
makes a judgment based on what he perceives to be the facts. That would, humanly speaking,
be a bountiful eye. It's an eye of understanding. A parent that can behold children and able to know with some wisdom
that which is the right thing to do. You know a parent. I've
heard people say, you know, children don't come with instructions. Well, they do, really. But to be able to take God's
Word and to know when it's right, and lovely, and excellent, to
discipline, when it's right to comfort and
to teach a child. That's a bountiful eye, humanly
speaking. That's a good eye. It's an eye
of understanding, to be able to see things and to discern
how things really are. Now I do realize that there are,
humanly speaking now, there are some people in this world that
truly do possess some wisdom. And they are gracious, and they're
kind. And there's nothing that's more
pleasant than being around somebody that's pleasant, kind, considerate. But I will tell you this, there's
one, and only one, of whom it can be said that he has a bountiful
eye. And that is Almighty God. God Himself. He knows. Let me just read this
for you. Psalm 139. I'll read what, 139 verses one to
four. The psalmist says, O Lord, thou
hast searched me and known me. Thou knowest my down-sitting,
my uprising. Thou understandest my thought
afar off. Thou compassest my path and my
lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. There's not
a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Here's one thing that we can
truthfully say. God Almighty has a bountiful eye. He knows. He sees and perceives
things as they are. Early in the scriptures the true
perception of God's bountiful eye was revealed. When the scripture
says that God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth
and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil Continually. Now that's perception. That's
a bountiful eye to be able to look and to know and to not only
see. We can see on the outside. We
can watch and see how people act. And you can pick up a whole
lot. But to know the intent. That's
God. That's a bountiful eye. He saw the intent. of men's hearts, and this is
what it is, it's only evil continually. And when he that saw the intent
of man was only evil continually, he justly purposed to judge man
that he had created upon the earth. And the scripture says
he was going to destroy him. All men were going to be found
under his judgment. And they were. Every one of them. Every one of them. But there
was something said about he who has this bountiful eye about
one man in particular. One man. Name was Noah. God Almighty said I will destroy
man. that I've created. Then it says,
but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. God was pleased
to behold Noah, not as Noah was found in Adam. Thankfully so. But as Noah was
found being chosen in the Lord Jesus Christ and accepted in
the beloved. I said that everybody was under
the judgment of God. They were. Almost without exception. Outside of the ark, they were
under the judgment of God. But Noah and his wife and his
three sons and their daughters were judged in the ark. And the judgment of God fell
upon the ark. And the ark took and bore the
judgment of God that was being poured out on the rest of mankind. But all of them were under the
judgment of God. But oh, the mercy of God to look
upon Adam in Christ. And according to the revelation
of God's Spirit, all men, whether it be those who thankfully die
in this life believing upon the Lord Jesus Christ, those who
die in the faith, or those who die in their sin and unbelief.
Here's what's going to happen. They're going to face the judge
on the day of judgment. The books are all going to be
opened. Oh, but there's one book. There's one book, the book of
life. And all who are found written in that book, like Noah, have
hope in Christ. And here's what the scripture
says in Proverbs 22, 9. He that hath a bountiful eye,
now listen to this, shall be blessed. He's going to be blessed. He's going to be knelt before,
honored, and acknowledged. Listen to what Isaiah says under
the inspiration of God's Spirit. Isaiah 45, 22, 23. Look unto
me and be you saved all the ends of the earth for I'm God. There's
none else. I am sworn by myself. The word
is gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return. Another
passage says void. Not going to return void. That
unto me. Now listen to what the Lord said.
Unto me every knee. shall bow, and every tongue shall
swear." The Spirit of God was pleased to move upon the Apostle
Paul concerning that verse of Scripture right here where Paul
said in Philippians 2, 10 and 11, that at the name of Jesus,
every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth
and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
How many are going to bow before Him? All of them. How many are going to confess
with the tongue that He's Lord? All of them. Everybody. Those
who die in unbelief, those who have refused to bow in heart
and acknowledge Him as Lord, is going to acknowledge His authority
and judgment. when He puts them in hell. And
He will. But those to whom He's shown
mercy, they shall out of a new heart, made willing in the day
of His power, they're going to praise and bless His name for
the mercy and compassion that He has shown. Listen to what
David said. Every time I read this passage
of Scripture, let me tell you who I think about. It's God.
I've heard him quote this Scripture so many times. Psalm 103, 1 to
4, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless
His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
forget not all of His benefits. What benefits? Who forgiveth
all thine iniquities, who healeth All thy diseases, do you know
every one of God's people's diseases are going to be healed? You believe
in divine healing? Oh, yes, sir. Yes, sir, I do. He's going to either heal us
temporarily in this life, or He's going to heal us eternally
in taking us out of this world and unto Himself. But we're going
to have all of our diseases healed. They're going to be healed. who
redeemeth thy life from destruction, and who crowneth thee with loving
kindness and tender mercy, who crowneth thee, who surrounds,
is what it means, surrounds thee with all the blessings of the
everlasting covenant of grace, all things pertaining to life
and godliness. What are they? I don't know,
but whatever they are. That's what we're going to have.
That's what we'll possess. We come together here every week
to bless the Lord as a collective body of believers. That's what's
happening right here. All of God's sheep come together.
And they come together as a body to hear the Word of God preached
and to praise His holy name. asking His blessing upon the
worship through the preaching of the gospel. I pray that God's
pleased to save one of His own today. I pray God have mercy. I know He can. If He's pleased
to, I know He can. And I can tell you exactly how
He's going to do it. If He's pleased to do it, He's going
to do it under the sound of the message that honors His Son. And He's
going to do it in power. He's going to do it in mercy.
And whenever He gives a new heart, He's going to be just like that
thief that at one moment was railing
on the Lord in rebellion. And I'm telling you, in a moment,
God changed His attitude. and what he formerly believed
and formerly thought, he didn't think that anymore. The power of God moved upon this
man and he looked at him and he said, Lord, when you enter your kingdom, before he didn't even know he
had a kingdom, didn't even care he had a kingdom, but the Spirit
of God taught him something. Would you remember me? And the Lord said, yes I will.
You're going to be with me today in paradise. We come together collectively,
but I'll tell you what a believer does before he comes collectively.
He comes as one that's found individually, to possess a heart
and a desire for praise and adoration of Him who is altogether worthy. Bless the Lord, O my soul. God's people, before you got
here today, let me tell you what you did. You were praying for
these services. You were praying that God speak
to your heart. Praying that God bless the message,
bless the singing, bless the praising of our God. He's worthy. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
all that is within me. Bless Him. My conscience and
my memory is now settled because I know according to His Word
through faith that He's dealt with my sin through the shed
blood of His Son. My affections and my understanding
of who He is. I love Him because He first loved
me. He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed. He's going
to be blessed. He's going to be knelt before.
He's going to be acknowledged. You're the Lord. You're the Lord. For he giveth his bread. Now I want you to notice that
all that a man possesses from God has been given him by God. We don't earn anything. We don't
possess anything that we earned. And what is it that's graciously
and mercifully given? Now listen to what it says, look
at what it says. He that hath the bountiful eye shall be blessed
for because He giveth of His bread. Whose bread is it? It's God's
bread. At the baptism of the Lord Jesus
Christ and on the Mount of Transfiguration, there was a voice heard from
heaven. And this is what that voice said. Lo, this is my beloved
Son, and whom I am well pleased. You hear Him. The Spirit of God moved upon
John the Apostle to write this verse, John 3.16, For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth, trusts, leans upon, comes to,
forsaking themselves and all of their works, whosoever believeth
on Him, not my will, not my faith, not my baptism, not my profession,
not anything, whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting
life. And in closing, to whom does
God give His breath? It's His breath. This is God's
breath. This is God's gift. He is the
Lord's gift. He's Jehovah's gift. He's Jehovah's
servant. His chosen one. To whom does
the Lord give His bread? To the poor. The poor. Poor in spirit. He gives it to the spiritual
Mephibosheth. He gives it to the blind Bartimaeuses
and the Syrophoenician women who have been made to see by
the grace of God that they cannot earn God's bread for themselves. He gives it to those that knows
by faith, I must be saved by the grace of God. He gives His bread to the poor. He gave it to those that He knew
in electing grace. He gave His bread in redeeming
grace when He laid down His life for His sheep. And He gives His
bread in the day of His power when in regenerating grace He
calls them out of darkness. What's happened to a sinner when
the Spirit of God comes to them in power and regenerates? What
happened? God gave them the bread. And I'll tell you what He does.
He gives every day His bread to His sheep. That's what He's
doing right now. He's given up. These are not
my words, these are His words. This is His bread. His bread. Lord Jesus Christ
declared Himself to be the bread. John 6.51, I am the living bread,
which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread,
by faith, he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give,
what is the bread? He said it's my flesh. It's my
life. I lay it down. That is the bread
of heaven. That's the bread of heaven. When
he died, he died for his people. I pray that you can say when
he died, he died for me. He put away my guilt. shed his
blood, that blood that the Father ever sees, and passes over me. He that hath a bountiful eye
shall be blessed, for he giveth his bread to the poor. I pray God bless this message
to our hearts for Christ's sake. Amen.