Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs. Book of Proverbs, chapter 17. Proverbs 17. I'd like to read
the last two verses of this chapter. Proverbs 17. He that hath knowledge spareth
his words. And a man of understanding is
of an excellent spirit. Even a fool, when he holdeth
his peace, is counted wise. And he that shutteth his lips
is esteemed a man of understanding. The Lord speaking through, turn with me
to Jeremiah. I'm going to come to this passage
in a moment, but I want us to look for a minute at some passages
in Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 4, verse 22.
Jeremiah 4.22. begins by saying this, for my people is foolish. They have not known me. They're
soddish children. They have none understanding. They are wise to do evil, but
to do good, they have no knowledge. You know, the miracle of God's
grace is that the Lord would teach His people something about
themselves. Do you know when a man needs
a Savior? When he is made to realize that
he's a sinner. That he has no understanding.
He has no knowledge. No knowledge of himself, no knowledge
of God. Now listen, I've had a little time to go
over these verses right here. This is what I was planning to
preach last Sunday. And I've had a little bit more
time to go over it. And for that I'm thankful. because
I've hopefully prayed that the Lord has been pleased to teach
me something about this passage of scripture. My people is foolish. That is they act in a silly way. Always revolting. That's what
it means. Now brethren, let me tell you
something about ourselves. We've got an old nature that
never gets beyond this. Never gets beyond this right
here. We're sinners. Saved by the grace
of God and we never get beyond being a sinner. Saved by the
grace of God. I know we qualify ourselves and
say, well, you know, we're regenerated sinners. That's right. We're
taught sinners. That's right. But I tell you,
we have an old nature about us that wants to try as hard as
it can to kind of clean that up as much as possible. Paul
said, Christ Jesus came to this world to save sinners of whom
I'm chief. The thing I've noticed about
this is that thanks be unto God, the Lord said in Jeremiah 4.22,
for my people, my people are foolish. Foolish. All men are foolish. I know that. But the Lord informed
us that we're just like that. Always like that. By nature, they've not known
me. Oh, thanks be unto God that he'd
tell us something. That he'd inform us of something. My people are foolish. They've not known me. And this
is the Lord that said that. And you know that is a comforting
thought to me. It's comforting to me that Almighty
God would be honest with me. I know He's honest, but that
He'd be honest with me and tell me. I was listening to a message
the other day, Brother Henry preached. And he made this statement. I mean, it wasn't that long ago.
He doesn't travel anymore. He doesn't even preach anymore.
But he made this statement. He said, you know, he said, the
older I get, he said, the more I realize I don't know anything. Oh, I don't know anything. that I thought I did. He said,
what the Lord's taught me, he said, is like Brother B.B. Caldwell. I thought this was good. I never
met Brother B.B. Caldwell. I've heard of him. Brother Caldwell said, you can
take everything that I know. And he said, put it in a thimble
and shake it around and it would just rattle. He said, because
of all the room that was left. Brethren, what we know, and we
do know, we know in part, we prophesy in part, but I'm telling
you, according to our Lord's words, what we know is so little, so fleeting. What we understand,
we know in part, we prophesy in part. The Lord said, my people,
Foolish. They've not known me. They're
soddish children. Silly, stupid, drunken, in themselves. What do we know? Paul the Apostle said, oh, that
I may know him. And you know that the Lord had
taught him something. But Paul prayed, oh, that I might
know him. Let me tell you something, when
we think that we've got God figured out, you don't know. My people have not known me.
I don't know what he's doing. I don't know what he's pleased
to do, but I know this, what he's pleased to do, he's gonna
do it. that I might know that in His
providence and dealings with me, I may not know the steps
that He's taken. Oh, when I say we don't know
Him, we know Him as far as our Lord and our God, but what we
don't know is what He is doing in this world. I know this, He's working all
things after the counsel of His own will, Let me ask you something. All of us that think we know
him, what's he going to do tomorrow? We don't know. We don't know. My people have not known me.
Who knows the mind of the Lord? Soddish children. Scripture says
they have none understanding. Oh, we think we know a few things.
The Lord says we don't. Everything that we think we know
is in a kind of a speculative way. Look at Psalm 50 verse 21. These things hast thou done,
I kept silence. Thou thoughtest that I was altogether
such in one as thyself, but I will reprove thee and set them in
order before thine eyes. What you think you know. You thought I was one like yourself.
You thought I thought like you thought. Who can know the mind of the
Lord? Who knows him? Back in Jeremiah 4.22, talking
about his people. My people's foolish, they've
not known me. They're soddish children, they
have none understanding. They're wise to do evil. Cunning
inventors of evil things. Full of wicked devices, but to
do good, the scripture says, they have no knowledge. But God's going to teach a man
something. He's going to put him in the dust first. He's going
to put us where we belong, where we deserve. Humbled. Humbled. These Jews thought they knew
some things. Look at John 5, 39. These men
that were so-called doctors, doctors of the law, and they
studied scriptures, they thought they had great understanding
of all these things. John 5, verse 39, scripture says,
Search the scriptures, the Lord told these Jews, for in them
you think you have eternal life. They or they would testify of
me. and you will not come to me that you might have life.
I receive not honor from men, but I know you, that you have
not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name,
and you receive me not. If another shall come in his
own name, him ye will receive." God sends His Word, mercy, and
man by nature He says, you know, I think I got more to say than
God does. Another comes preaching, the
Lord said, in what he thinks, in opposition to what God says.
And the Lord told these Jews, He said, you'll hear Him. What do we know? What do we know? The little bit
that we do know, we know that he's God. We know that he's sovereign.
I know he's the Lord. But you explain to me the mind
of God. You see what I'm talking about
when I say my people haven't known me. Would you like to explain
to me a little bit about the mercy of God? Explain to me something about
the triune God. Tell me about Providence. I was
talking to Bob and Chuck yesterday, and I was talking to David Edmondson,
a friend of mine. Met him in Tennessee, and then
he's pastoring now at Madisonville, where Maurice Montgomery was
for years. Maurice is still there, he's just not pastoring. When
I asked David, I heard something about his wife, Teresa's mama. Teresa's mama was in Japan, 1945,
when they dropped the atomic bomb. I don't know if it was
Nagasaki or Hiroshima. But Teresa's mama was a little
girl and got sick. David was telling me the other
day and her mother took her to the doctor. She was coming home. I mean going back to school,
I'm sorry. She was on her way back from the doctor, back to
the school. And that bomb went off. And all the kids in that school
were killed. Killed them all. And Teresa's
mama was the only student at that school that survived. Later, she got married, had a
little girl, Miss Teresa. Teresa gives a good confession
of faith. Trust the Lord. That's one of
God's sheep. Look at the long suffering of
God that put up with all of that. How many of God's elect were
in that city when that bomb went off? No. Were there any? Maybe not. But the long-suffering of God
was going to spare Teresa's mama. Because Teresa's mama was going
to have Teresa. And God was going to call her
out of darkness. My people haven't known me. You don't know me. They're silly. Foolish. You don't
have any understanding. You're looking at a very ignorant
man. Things that we think we know,
we don't know anything. Foolish. Oh, but now back in Proverbs
17. Here's the word of the Lord. The Lord's already revealed,
my people have none understanding. They've not known me. They have
no knowledge. And it looks this, Proverbs 17, 27, He that hath
knowledge, spareth his words. You know what I know? I know
I don't know anything. I've got some knowledge about
that. I know this. I don't know, according
to God's word, I don't know the mind of the Lord. They've not
known me. But I can tell you this, by the
grace of God, He's taught me something about respecting that,
respecting Him. Who is man? The stars are not
pure in his sight. What is man that drinks inequity
like water? My friend, the safest place that
we'll find ourselves is in that dirt, in the dust, He that hath knowledge, spareth
his words. He that hath knowledge, Proverbs 9, 10 says of fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the knowledge of the
holy is understanding. Here's what I know, our God's
in the heavens. And he's done whatsoever. He's
pleased. That's what I know. Like I said, asking me, what
do you think the Lord's doing? I don't know. I don't know. He
that hath knowledge says, I don't know. He spareth his words. Well, I can
tell you what God's doing. Whatever's about to come out
of your mouth right now is going to be the stupidest thing you
could say. Because you don't know. You don't know. This was Paul's prayer. Colossians
1-9. This was Paul's prayer for the
church at Colossae. Listen to this. Colossians 1-9-11.
For this cause we also, since the
day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire
that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will and
all wisdom. and spiritual understanding,
that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being
fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of
God, strengthened with all might according to His glorious power,
with all patience and longsuffering, with joyfulness. Oh, that I might know Him. That I might know Him. Have some understanding that
He's God. and that I'm the recipient of
his mercy and grace, that he would keep me when I don't have
sense enough to get out of the rain, that God would keep me
in spite of me. Like Jeremiah 4.22, it tells
us that we're born ignorant. And in ourselves, I'm going to
tell you something, never get beyond it. Proverbs 17, 27, that
some are given some knowledge. They're given some knowledge. But my friend, ask yourself this,
that which He's taught us, can you explain it to me? Oh, I know, I know this. Before
the foundation of the world, God was pleased to choose a people. Can you explain to me, other
than that it pleased the Lord to do so, why God would set His
affection on one and pass by another one? Can you explain
that to me? What was it in you or me or anybody
else that would move the heart of God to show mercy to one and
leave another to a reprobate mind? Can you explain that to me? When
the Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross, you say, well, I know
this. I have some knowledge about this. He was made sin. Okay. Explain that to me. Explain that to me. When he went to the cross, I
know this in the Old Testament, that great high priest, the high
priest, I don't want to say the great high priest, the number
one great, the high priest in the Old Testament, in the wilderness,
he had that breastplate on. It had 12 stones. on that breastplate,
one for each of the tribes of the nation of Israel. Each of
their name had two stones, one on each shoulder, six names written
on this one, six names written on this one. He had a miter on his head and
had a plate on it that said, Holiness to the Lord. And he'd
go in and he'd enter in there to represent the people. He had
their names on his heart. When the Lord Jesus Christ said,
I lay down my life for the sheep, when he said to Jeremiah, he
said, before I formed you in the belly, I knew you. I knew
you. Our names were written in the
book of life before the foundation of the world. Hadn't been any
other entries made since then. All the entries made in the book
of life, the scripture says were made before the foundation of
the world. You say, I know that. Explain
that to me and explain it in the fullness. How much do you
know? Tell me what you know. I've got, I've got, I want to
ask four questions. Four questions concerning this
thing of having some knowledge. Jeremiah, uh uh uh uh, Proverbs,
Proverbs 17 verse 27 says, He that hath knowledge spareth his
words. Quiet. Let all the earth keep
silence before God. He that hath knowledge, and I've
already pretty well set forth how much we really know. He that
hath knowledge spareth his words. I want you to look here just
for a few more minutes, Jeremiah 32 and verse 40. And I think this verse gives
some great understanding concerning having some knowledge. Boy, I
tell you what, if you want to ask a man that truly has some
knowledge, ask him what he knows. Ask a man that's truly been taught
of God. Ask him what he knows. You know what he's going to tell
you? I don't know. I don't know. I want you to look at Jeremiah
32, verse 40. And out of this one verse, Proverbs 17, 27 says, He that
hath knowledge Spareth his words. I got four
questions and I'm going to ask them out of Jeremiah 32 and verse
40. Here's what Jeremiah 32 40 says. I will make an everlasting covenant
with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good,
but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart
from me. Now, these that have knowledge. The Lord said that there's some.
They have some knowledge. Here's my first question. Who are these that have knowledge? Who are they that have knowledge? Who are these My apologies to you. I gave you
Jeremiah 32. I'm sorry. Turn to Jeremiah 3.
I gave you the wrong scripture. Jeremiah 3, verse 14, 15. Jeremiah
3, verse 14, 15. From Jeremiah 3, not Jeremiah
32, Jeremiah 3. I mislooked. Jeremiah 3 verse 14-15 from these
two passages I want to show you concerning the knowledge of God.
Who are they? Eternal backsliding children
saith the Lord for I'm married unto you and I will take you
one of a city and two of a family. I'll bring you to Zion. I will
give you pastors according to mine heart which shall feed you
with knowledge and understanding there. My first question was
who are these? that have understanding. Who are they? Well, Jeremiah
3 verse 14 says, turn, O backsliding children. They're the children that God
has chosen to show mercy to. Who are these that are going
to be taught something of themselves? That's going to be taught something
of who they are in themselves and who God is. Who are they? They're God's elect. They're
God's elect. They're the selected ones out
of every nation, kindred, tribe and tongue. Who is God going
to teach something to? You say, well Marvin, where do
you get that concerning the election? Let's read Jeremiah 3.14 again. Turn, O backsliding children,
saith the Lord, for I am married unto you and I will take you,
one of a city, two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
Do you notice who said that he would do this? I will. I will take you of a city to
a family. I'll bring you to Zion. What
grace. Backsliding children with no
gratitude but children. Children of his choosing that
he chose to show mercy to. Eternal backsliding children. You say, well I don't consider
myself to be a backsliding child. Really? Really? Really? We don't even know ourselves. I can't even pray. I've told you that before. I've
tried to pray. Would you like to stand before
God and present to Him the most consistent and holy prayer that
you've ever prayed? Would you like to present to
the Lord the best thought that you've ever had? Would you like
to approach God on anything that you've ever done of yourself? This is, this is me by nature. I cannot not sin. And it grieves me. It grieves
me. I mean, I hear people, man, just
patting themselves on the back like they just, you know, they
and the Lord are just good old buddies, just like that. I mean,
we're tight. I'm telling you, man by nature has got a he's
got a an old man in him that does one thing. It rebels against
god. That's what Paul meant. Oh, wretched
man that I am. Now, there's a new nature. but
there's an old I am. It's backsliding. Turn old backsliding
children saith the children. Number two, why? Why would the Lord be pleased
to give them some knowledge and understanding? Back in 14, Jeremiah
3, 14, I'm married unto you. I'm married to you. I'm married to you. Lord, what was there in me that
merited you marrying me. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Almighty God chose to show mercy
to the ungodly. He chose to show mercy. He chose
a bride for the Lord. He was betrothed. He betrothed
himself in electing grace before the foundation of the world.
Why would he choose to show me anything of myself? He said,
I'm married to you. There's some things that you'll
share with your spouse that you won't share with anybody else.
Look at Psalm. Psalm 25, 14. Psalm 25, 14. Psalm 25, 14, the
secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, that respect Him. And He will show them His covenant. He'll show them His covenant.
My friend, there's some things that God's been pleased to teach
us concerning mercy, grace, and what we do know, as I've said
before, I can't say this enough. What we know, we know in part. We don't know the fullness. At
coming a time, the scripture bears out that we're gonna see
Him as He is and we're gonna know Him as we're known. I can't
even imagine that. I can't even enter into that
thought. That we'll know him as we're
known and that we'll be like him. What do we know? Why would he be pleased? He said,
I'm married to you. I'm going to teach you. I'm going
to show you my covenant. Remember when Abraham He was
approached by the Lord and two angels. The two angels were getting
ready to go to Sodom and the Lord came to Abraham and he said
this in Genesis 18, 17, the Lord said, shall I hide from Abraham
that thing which I do? That almighty God would teach
us anything this morning. And what he teaches us, these
precious, precious truths. how little we know. But the scripture
says, he that hath knowledge. Here's the third question. How
shall this knowledge and understanding be given? Like Jeremiah 3. Here's
how it's going to be. Jeremiah 3, 15, I will give you
pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge
and understanding. How is it that we're taught? How are we taught? The Lord said, if what the Lord
said, I'll give you pastors under shepherds, guides, bishops, teachers. I'll give you pastors according
to my heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. First Corinthians, I'll just
turn to this. First Corinthians 121. Scripture sets forth this
truth. For after that in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. He pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. How does God
teach his people? How does he teach? Through preaching.
Preaching. declaration of his truth, a declaration
of who he is. I remember years ago, I've heard
this all my life, I've heard people say, well I tell you,
I don't have to go to church, I can be out in the woods, just
beholding all of the, you know. I can be just as close to God
being out, you know. I don't have to come, I don't
have to assemble here. I don't have to go to church.
I don't have to sit under the gospel. I don't have to, you
know. Are you kidding me? Do you think
you know more than God? who said that it pleased God
through the foolishness of preaching. This world goes about with all
their little gimmicks, trying to reform and the Lord, but for
His grace, leaves them to themselves. It pleased God through the foolishness
of preaching, what the world calls foolishness. How is this
knowledge and understanding The Lord blesses the preaching of
the gospel to His people, blesses the assembling of His people
together to hear what He has to say through His preacher. And any other way is to despise
God's Word. I had somebody ask me something
one time about this. I want you to turn to Luke 4,
14-16. Luke 4, 14-16. The safest thing that we can
ever do If you've got a question about
the habits or something that you want to do, what did the
Lord do? What did His apostles do? What
did the apostles do? You say, well, they were just
men. When it comes to instruction, when the Lord taught His people,
ask yourself this, what did the Lord instruct His apostles to
do? What did He do? Luke 4, 14-16. And Jesus returned in the power
of the Spirit into Galilee, and there went out a fame of Him
through all the region round about. And He taught in their
synagogues, being glorified of all. And He came to Nazareth,
where He had been brought up. Now look at these next words.
And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath
day and stood up to read. Now let me ask you this. What is the right thing concerning
being instructed, taught of God? What's the right thing? As his custom was, he went into
the synagogue. Is it necessary to hear the Word
of God preached? Is it necessary to assemble ourselves
together? Forsake not the assembling of
yourselves together, as the manner of some is. As the manner, as
his manner was, he came together on the Sabbath day. Here's my last question. What's
the characteristic of one taught of God? Now back in Proverbs
17, 27. What's the characteristic for
one taught of God? He that hath knowledge spareth his words,
And a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. He that hath knowledge, when
it says spareth, it's holds back. Holds back. Proverbs 10, 19 says,
in the multitude of words, sin is not lacking, but he who restrains
his lips, his wise. Have you ever had anybody that's
got just, I mean they're going to give you their opinion whether
you really want it or not. And after a while you get so
tired of hearing it. You know why they've always got
an opinion? Why they? Because they just think themselves
so wise. The scripture says, he that hath
knowledge spareth his words. It just spares his words. holds back. Job 9.20, Job said,
if I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me. If I
say I'm perfect, it shall also prove me perverse. Peter, John healed a lame man
in Acts 3. The people wanted to give them
all the honor Peter said, you men of Israel, why marvel ye
at this? Why look ye so earnestly upon
us as though our own power or holiness we made this man to
walk? A man that has understanding,
spares his words, especially concerning giving himself honor,
especially bringing glory to himself. Paul the apostle said,
who was taught of God, Paul the apostle, who the Lord translated to the
third heaven. Here's the amazing thing. Paul
said it was in paradise, in the very place that the Lord told
the thief, today you'll be with me in paradise. Into the very
place of the saint's abode with the Lord himself. Paul was translating. He said, I heard things that
can't be uttered. Paul, the apostle, taught of
God. And here was Paul's summation
of his stand before God. He said, by the grace of God,
I am what I am. Proverbs 17, 28 says, even a
fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise. And he that
shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. I'm going
to sum this up. I've gone too long, but I've
got to tell you this. Years ago, and I'm going to tell
you, I came up, until I was eight years old, I went to the Roman Catholic
Church, and that's all I knew. Mama was Catholic, so I was Catholic.
And wherever my mama goes, that's where I go. And gone through
confession, gone through the catechism, and then got into another free will
just as I've said before, out of the frying pan, into the fire,
six one-half dozen of the other, just free will, just man-centered,
man-honoring. I was leading a singing in a
so-called revival, we was having a revival, and the guy doing
the preaching was up in the front seat, pastor of that church,
he was driving, I was sitting in the back seat. I heard the
man that was doing the preaching say this. Now you have to understand,
I didn't know anything. I knew absolutely nothing. Free
will, just works centered, man honoring, self-righteous religion. And I heard this man sitting
that was doing the preaching and he made this statement. He
said, the Lord revealed to me that I've only sinned twice today. And I didn't know anything, Pat.
And I thought that was the stupidest statement I'd ever heard in my
life. I knew nothing of the grace of
God. Even a fool, when he holdeth
his peace, is counted wise. He would have been better off
to have not said anything. And let me even think that he
had some wisdom than to open his mouth and, as they say, remove
all doubt. A man that God's taught something. He holds his peace. Last verse,
Matthew 27. Matthew 27, verse 11. You think of this, what we just
read, he that hath knowledge spareth his words. And I've already
set forth what we know concerning our Lord saying, my people, they
not know me. You thought I was one like yourself. He that hath knowledge This last
verse is concerning him that is knowledge, that is the truth. What did he do? When he stood
before Pilate, Matthew 27 verse 11, Jesus stood before the governor. The governor asked him saying,
Art thou the king of the Jews? Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.
When he was accused of the chief priest and elders, listen to
this, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest
thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he
answered him to never a word, insomuch that the governor marveled
greatly. He that hath knowledge. Our Lord knew when it was best
not to say anything. He knew when it was best not
to say anything. He was getting ready to go to
the cross for his people. He was getting ready to die.
He must go to the cross. He must go to the cross. He must
be condemned by this mockery of a trial. And he spared his
words, did not defend himself. He who knew no sin, who trusted
God, waited on God, Oh, that the Lord might teach us. That he might teach us something
about sparing our words. To be of a meek and quiet spirit. Lord, teach me. Hold my tongue. Lord, may I behold
something of who you are and what you've taught me by teaching
me to be quiet. Wait on the Lord, for Christ's
sake. Amen.