Alright, let's take our Bibles
and turn with me now to the book of Proverbs, chapter 20. Proverbs,
chapter 20. I'd like to look at one verse
of Scripture, Proverbs 20, verse 25. It is a snare to the man who
devoureth, that which is holy, and after vows to make inquiry." You know, it's the mercy of God
that any man, any woman, would be warned concerning eternal
life, eternal death, that there's a warning given. We know that
in ourselves, we know that we don't deserve mercy. If we deserved
mercy, it wouldn't be mercy. We deserve condemnation. It's
what we deserve. And the realization that Almighty
God, who was horribly disrespected in the beginning of man's existence,
that He would exhibit mercy to sinners, such as we are. I read the scriptures and I think
to myself, when I consider someone that's offended me, I think,
oh, I'm so glad that I'm not the one that deals with myself
or others. When man disobeyed God, here's
what's happened. He relinquished, gave up all
hope within himself. All hope of ever in himself being
the possessor of eternal life. And he with complete understanding,
Adam knew what he was doing. Eve was beguiled. Satan tricked
her, fooled her. But God specifically told Adam,
in the day you eat, you're going to die. And die spiritually,
he did. By one act of disobedience, this
is what man was saying, I will not have God rule over me. I
don't care. That's what he said. Man believed the lie, the snare
of Satan and therefore all mankind is now born in trespasses and
in sins and the scripture says bondage, in bondage to the curse
of the law. Now today I'd like for us to
consider again God's word of grace and compassion as God Almighty
speaks through the scriptures. My sheep hear my voice. Well,
what do they hear? They hear Him speak through the
word as the Spirit of God blesses to them. This is the word of
the Lord Jesus Christ. These are His words. I mean,
the Spirit of God moved Solomon to write the words of Christ.
This is what the Lord said. It's a snare to the man who devoureth
that which is holy and after vows to make inquiry. Here's
what he just said. It's a snare or it's a bait or
a lure. For the man, when it says devoureth,
this is what that word devour. It doesn't mean Eat it, you know,
eat it down. That word devour means to make
a rash oath or to speak hastily concerning that which is sacred
and therefore appointed for God's use, God's pleasure. And then afterward, after he's
made a rash statement, a hasty statement concerning that which
is holy, Then afterward, try to figure out or try to inquire,
how am I going to do and satisfy God concerning that which I vowed? How am I going to make good on
it? How am I going to accomplish what I said I could do? It's
a snare. Now, it's a snare to promise
that you can do according to the scriptures, which only God
has said. He can do. Now, this is the trap. This is concerning a snare. It's
a snare. It's a trap. It's a bait. It's a lure. It's a trap. Here's the trap to which all
men born in Adam will succumb and be eternally ensnared unless
Almighty God intervenes and does something. to keep them from
eternally leaving this world trapped. And it's the most deadly
of all snares. And here is the trap that's being
proclaimed in every place where the gospel of God's grace is
not being preached. It's that other gospel that I
was talking about earlier. And here's what it is, that a
man can reconcile himself back to God. There's a trap. Here's how the trap sounds. Let
me give you some few statements here. Let me tell you what the
bait is. There's a trap. And it's a trap
for a man's soul. Satan and his preachers make
merchandise of men's souls. Now what is the trap? What's
the bait? You know you set a trap and you're going to have some
bait in it. What's the bait? All right, let me tell you this.
Here's one of them. God loves everybody with the same love. That's bait. Now, you know the
scriptures doesn't bear that out. You say, well, God loves
everybody. Well, he said, Jacob have I loved
and Esau have I hated. Does God have the right to do
that? He said, all souls are mine. Can I not do what I will with
my own? What if God does leave a man
to himself? Does that make God unfair? Now remember, we're the
ones that fell in the garden. We're the ones that rebelled
against God. But now here's the bait. Christ died for everyone
to make salvation possible. That's bait. That's bait, and
you know it's not true. Here's the third thing, man has
a free will to choose God's life or reject it. That is the bait
of the heinous lie of Satan. It's the bait for the snare of
a man's soul. That snare that carries with
it condemnation, eternal separation. Men are being told that they
can please God by their own ability and that is a lie. This snare, this trap is baited
by Satan and proclaimed by his preachers to do nothing less
than to play upon and feed man's pride. That's what it's going
after. God loves you. Man says, well,
God loves me. Christ died for me. After I've sown my oats and,
you know, gotten a little bit of living behind me, I don't
want to, you know, give all this up right now. But what I'm going
to do is just before I die, just before I die, I'm going to give
my heart to the Lord. I'm going to slide in there right
under the bell. Now you say, well that's kind
of foolish. Let me tell you something, I'm just telling you that from
experience. I've thought that. I have thought it. I don't want
to give, you know, you only have one life to live, well I'm not
going to lose all of it. I'm telling you that is, and
it was because men told me that the Lord loves me and He wants
to save me if I let Him. Well I want Him to, but not just
yet. Not yet. The subtlety of a trap is the
insinuation that it's not a trap. That's the subtlety of a trap.
You don't know it's a trap. You know, a man goes fishing.
I don't nearly fish anymore or hunt anymore like I used to as
a kid. But I tell you what I would do.
My dad, my brother and I would go out there. My dad had a little boat. We'd
get out there in the bayous and we were going to do some fishing.
And what I'd do is I'd take a hook, I'd put a worm on it or a cricket
or something like whatever I'm using and I'd throw it out there.
And this is what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to fool that fish
into thinking that I'm your friend. And all I'm doing is giving you
something to eat. And it's because I like you. I want to feed you.
A hunter put on some camo. Why? Because I'm telling the
game, I'm not really here. I'm not in these woods. I'm a
tree. I'm a bush. And this rifle or
this bow that's got camo on it, It won't hurt you. That's what
I'm saying. And the reason I'm quiet is because
I just don't want to scare you. I'm your friend. Now is that
over simplistic? Not really. It's the same concept
of Satan. There's a snare. And the bait
is a lie. It's a lie. It's untruthfulness. And his method of deception is
the same means used by God concerning His preachers. The same means.
It's preaching. Why do you think that there's
so many places that are meeting today, or Wednesday, or Tuesday,
or whatever other day they meet, why do you think they're doing
this? Preaching. because it is God's means of
calling out His elect. And the deception is they're
using the same method, but they're not preaching the same message.
The message is different. But it's preaching another gospel,
a gospel that gives man instead of God the glory. It's a counterfeit.
If I hand you a $20 bill and it's yellow, You may want to look at it. There's
something wrong with it. But if I hand you a real counterfeit
bill, unless you're trained to know the difference, I'll probably
fool you. A lot of people are. Counterfeit
money is Pretty close to real money. So Satan, through false
preachers, always comes in garments of deception. But they're preaching. Beware of false prophets which
come to you in sheep's clothing. What does that mean? I'm timid.
I'm loving. I'm trusting. I have your best
at heart. But the Lord said inwardly they're
ravening wolves. They always come and twist the
Scriptures. It doesn't matter what they say.
I'm telling you, a lie can always be refuted by the truth. It doesn't
matter what they say. They'll come and they'll use
the Scripture, and they'll tell you something, and unless you
know the truth, you'll believe it. It sounds real. You know, the scripture says
that in Matthew 24, 11, many false prophets. I know they're
false. I know they are. I know they're
here. Because the Lord said they're here. Well, if the Lord said
they're here, why do we not believe that they really are here? Many
false prophets shall rise and deceive many. Matthew 24, 24, and there shall
rise false Christs and false prophets and shall show great
signs and wonders insomuch that if it were possible, they shall
deceive the very elect. Now let me tell you who they're
not going to deceive. The elect that are regenerated
by the grace of God. If Almighty God calls a man out
of darkness, and gives that man an understanding of the truth
of salvation totally by the grace of God. Nobody's going to come
and deceive you. Why? God's going to keep you.
But these elected he's talking about right here are those who
are yet called out of darkness. If it were possible, they would
be deceived too. Why? They're just sons of Adam
just like everybody else. But Almighty God, His purpose,
they're not going to be deceived. The gates of hell shall not prevail
against them. The gates of hell shall not close
out the Word of God coming to them. and saving them by power
through the hearing of the truth. Not going to happen. If it were
possible, they'd deceive the very elect, but Almighty God's
going to have His people. He's going to call them out of
darkness. I can tell you that right now. They're everywhere. 2 Peter
2.1, But there were false prophets also among the people, even as
there shall be false teachers among you, and they shall privately,
privily, bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought
them. If Almighty God, in the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ, has shed His blood for someone and
has bought them by the putting away of their guilt, Almighty
God is going to save them. But that word bought, right there,
doesn't pertain to salvation through the blood of Christ.
That word there means exercises dominion over, is what it means. Listen to Deuteronomy 4.32. The
Scripture says for... Deuteronomy 4.32. Let me look
at it. I'm going to just read it. Deuteronomy 4.32.34. The Scripture says, but ask now
of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day
that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side
of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such things
as this great thing, or hath been heard like. Like it. Did ever people hear the voice
of God speaking out of the midst of the fire as thou hast heard
and lived? Or has God a say to go and take
him a nation from the midst of another nation by temptations,
by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand, or by a stretched
out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord
your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes. Unto thee it
was shown that thou mightest know that the Lord is God, there
is none beside Him." Almighty God exercises dominion over all
people. He does not have people out there
that he's not in control over. So bought here doesn't mean concerning
redemption by the blood of Christ. It's exercising dominion over. And how shall you know them?
How are you going to know these false preachers, these false
prophets? Isaiah 8.20, to the law and to
the testimony, if they speak not according to this word. It is because there is no light
in them. There's no truth. If they don't
speak according to this truth, that's how you're going to know.
So, what is this message of deception? This message that's being preached
and believed by carnal men? In closing, here it is. The message
that is a lie. and therefore the means of entrapment
of men, is that lie which has men believing that they have
the right or the will to rashly speak of those things that belongs
only to God. When the Lord said through Jonah,
the prophet, salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the
Lord. Do you know what a man deceived
will say? Salvation is of me. Salvation is by my choice, not
God's mind. That's a rash statement. It means
that a man will make a statement, a rash statement. It's a snare to a man that devours,
that makes a rash statement concerning that which is holy. And then
after, vows to make inquiry. How am I going to get out of
this? Do you know when he's going to
realize I've made a big mistake? In the day of judgment. When
a man stands before God and says, I preached, I cast out devils,
I did many wonderful works, and the Lord says unto him, Depart
from me, you workers of iniquity. I never knew you. That's a snare. Because when
Almighty God casts him out, he's out. Here's these in closing. Here's
what they're saying. Here's the trap. Listen. It's
the message that tells men that they're not dead in trespasses
and sins. If I tell you that you have the
ability or the will to do it, this is what I'm saying, you're
not really dead. And the scripture says, and you
being dead in your sins, hath he quickened. He hath quickened
together with Christ, having forgiven you all your transgressions. You hear the words of the Lord
Jesus, I read this previously, it's the Spirit that quickeneth
The flesh, that means the natural mind, the natural man, the natural
wisdom profiteth nothing. So the snare is this, you're
not really dead. Tell a man that he has a free
will to accept and you're telling him you're not dead. Secondly,
the snare in which men are falling is this, God is not just. God is not just. The Lord told
Adam, Satan asked Eve, he said this in Genesis 3, Hath God said,
You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? The woman said
unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of
the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst
of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither
shall you touch it, lest you die. And Satan said unto the
woman, God's not just. You're not going to die. You
won't die. The wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Man by nature that is not sitting under the
truth, regenerated by the grace of God, has it in His mind, I'm
not going to die. I'm not going to die in sin. It doesn't bother Him. It doesn't
affect Him. It doesn't matter. Almighty God
is just. And the greatest proof of His
justice was witnessed on Calvary's tree. Christ was made sin. He knew no sin. But made sin,
Almighty God spewed out wrath upon Him. God is a just God and
a Savior. He never shows mercy at the expense
of justice. Thirdly, I have time to consider
this. I can make a decision later.
You know, Noah, scripture says, found grace in the eyes of the
Lord. He built for 120 years. That's what Genesis 6, 3. 120 years shall be the days of
man. And the days of man shall be
120 years. He built an ark. It took him
120 years to build it. And while he built it, here's
what God was saying. A flood is coming. 120 years.
And for 120 years, people watched him build that boat. The long suffering of God, 120
years. And let me show you what happened
in Matthew chapter 24. Matthew 24. This is what happened. Matthew 24 verse 36, But of that
day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angel of heaven,
but the Father only. But as the days of Noah were,
so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the
days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking
and marrying and giving in marriage, just like right now, this is
what we're doing. Look, we're just going to work. Until the day that Noah entered
into the ark, and knew not, they didn't know,
until the flood came and took them all away, so shall also
the coming of the Son of Man be." Here's the snare, here's
the bait. You got plenty of time, don't
worry about it. I've got a nice long happy life,
I'm only in my 60s. I've got plenty of time." There
was a man, his wife, that Paul was preaching to. Acts 24. And he heard the truth. Felix
was his name, his wife Drusilla. After certain days, when Felix
came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for
Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he
reasoned of righteousness, temperance, judgment to come, Felix trembled
and answered, Go thy way for this time. When I have a convenient
season, I'll call you. I'll call for thee. Here's the lie. Here's the snare.
You got plenty of time. Don't worry about it. We'll have services here
Wednesday night. Don't worry about it. Next Sunday you'll be here. Don't worry about it. This church
has been here 62 years. Don't worry about it. It's not
a big deal. A few years ago, I was very, very
sick. I had the flu. My temperature
was high. And I, during the night, I got
up. And the next thing I know, I was on the floor. And Glenda
was talking to me. Bob and Chuck was over there.
And I could hear, way off somewhere, I could hear Glenda's voice.
I knew it was her, but I just couldn't figure out where it
was. I never knew I hit the floor. If Almighty God would have taken
me, I'd have never known I died until I woke up in eternity. Don't worry about it. You've
got plenty of time. And lastly, a believer is ensnared
or a man, I'm sorry, a man is ensnared when he believes this,
I'll never get caught. I'll never be ensnared. It'll happen to others. Bad things
always happen to others. It's not going to happen to me.
You remember in Proverbs, the man that was walking along, the
scripture says in Proverbs chapter 7 is where it is. I won't read
the whole passage. Proverbs 7 started off in verse
6. At the window of my house I looked
through my casement, beheld the simple ones. I discerned among
the youths a young man, void of understanding of himself and
of God, passing through the streets near her corner This woman is
a picture of false religion. He went the way to her house
in the twilight evening, dark of night, and beheld there met
him a woman with the attire of a harlot, subtle of heart. She
was loud, she was stubborn, her feet abode not in her house. She was without, now in the streets,
and lieth in wait. And she vexed him, called him,
enticed him, come lie with me. Good man gone. It's going to
be a long time. He ain't coming back anytime
soon. He's got a big bag of money with him. And the scripture sets
forth, "...he goeth after her straightway as an ox, goeth to
the slaughterer as a fool to the correction of the stocks,
till a dart strikes through his liver, as a bird hasteth to the
snare, and he knoweth not that it was for his life." Listen.
The greatest of all snares is the lie that's being told concerning
this false gospel. But according to the mercy and
grace of God, I want you to hear last verse, Psalm 91. Psalm 91, this is the last one,
concerning the great promise of Jehovah to His people, to
His elect, of everlasting life in the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm
91. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall
abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord,
He is my refuge and my fortress. Not me, not my ability, not my
will. He's my refuge. He's my God. In Him will I trust. Surely,
He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler. and from
the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his
feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust. His truth shall
be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for
the terror by night, the error that flyeth by day, nor for the
pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that
wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy
side, ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh
thee. Are you telling me that there
are those that will die in trespasses and sins? Those that are born
just like I am? Those that know not the Lord
because Almighty God was pleased to leave a man to himself and
God Almighty is going to have mercy on somebody like me? Yeah. The world will tell you that
this is the most unfair message they've ever heard in their life.
And I'm going to tell you, according to these scriptures, that this
is the truth of God's sovereign grace. What'll I do? Whosoever will,
let him come. You believe God? Cast yourself
upon His mercy. If you have a heart to come,
I'm going to tell you where you got that will. He made you willing
in the day of His power. If He left you to yourself, you
wouldn't want to come. May the Lord bless the Word to
our hearts for His sake and our good. Amen.