Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs 16. I'd like to look at verses
10 to 15. I was told in your place right
there in Proverbs, in studying ahead, I came across this verse in preparation
for messages that Lord willing will be preached here in the
next few weeks. And our Lord said in John 12, Verse 48, he
said, he that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one
that judgeth him. And the next words out of our
Lord's mouth was this. This is the one that's going
to judge. He said, the word that I have
spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. And I began
to think upon the grave responsibility that a man has in preparing and
preaching the gospel, in reading the gospel. The word that is set forth Though
it may appear as though it's really had no effect right now,
according to the Word of God, it shall and does. In the day
of judgment, that which is set forth is going to be brought
up again. This Word. And I realize that
this morning, what I'm about to preach, Mitch, is going to
be a witness for all that Almighty God has called out of darkness,
given them a heart, bowed to Christ, and against everyone
that's heard and refused to bow. But it's going to come up again.
So knowing that this message is going to come up again in
the day of judgment, I pray that Almighty God bless the preaching
and the hearing for the sake and the honor of the Lord Jesus
Christ and for the good and eternal glory of sinners. Proverbs chapter 16 and verse
10 through verse 15, a divine sentence is in the lips of the
King. His mouth transgresseth not in
judgment. A just weight and balance are
the Lord's. All the weights of the bag are
His work. It is an abomination to kings
to commit wickedness, for the throne is established by righteousness. Righteous lips are the delight
of kings, and they love him that speaketh right. The wrath of
a king is as messengers of death, but a wise man will pacify it. In the light of the king's countenance
is life, and his favor is as a cloud of the latter rain." The Apostle Paul wrote these
words. to 2 Timothy 1.8b, "...not thou
therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord." The testimony of our Lord, of His Person, who He is. This is who He is. He is God. all the fullness of the Godhead
embodied in human flesh. And as He took upon Him flesh,
He sits in heaven upon the throne of God right now, just exactly
the way He was when His apostles saw Him raised into glory. There
is a man sitting on the throne of God. A man. The man. Christ Jesus the Lord. The gospel
is the testimony of His offices. Who is He? He's the surety of the sheep.
He's the great high priest. He's the one in whom God is well
pleased. The gospel is concerning His righteousness as a man. He
perfectly obeyed God. That's what the gospel sets forth.
The gospel sets forth His suffering. What happened? He was made sin. The very essence of sin. He was made sin. His resurrection. God accepted what He did. Raised
Him from the dead. The gospel is concerning His
intercession. What is He doing right now, right
now? He ever liveth to make intercession
for His people. Amazing thought. I read these
words, making intercession, declaring, pleading, His worthiness, that God Almighty would forgive
us for His sake. We talk about forgiveness as
if that's just something that God Almighty could just do, just
because, just because. No sir. He's a just God, and
He will by no means clear the guilty. Oh, but He found a ransom. The gospel is concerning His
soon return. Soon in the sense, If for every
person born in Adam, they're going to die. Or His soon second
return, when all of the earth is going to see Him. And in that moment, when the
trump of God sounds, and every person that's ever lived, and
every person that's alive, and every person that has ever lived
and died, they're going to be raised from the grave at that
moment. when He returns. And they're
going to stand before Him and they're going to come out of
that grave. And it does not matter what people say about, well,
they've gone and they're dust and it's just scattered. They're
all going to come back together, every atom that there ever was
in that body is going to be brought back and they're going to be
changed. And every person that's alive is going to be changed
too. And stand before God. We shall all stand before the
judgment seat of Christ. And the books are going to be
opened. And this book is going to be opened. Can you imagine
being judged according to the strictness of everything this
book says? Every demand, every word, every thought, every tittle,
everything. Everything. According to this
book. That's what I just read. I'm
going to be judged. My words. Oh, that I have one that has
obeyed every jot and every tittle of this law that the Lord God
of Heaven would say concerning Him, this is My beloved Son. in whom I'm well pleased. You hear Him. You hear Him. Well, today let's consider what
He has to say. You remember these words right
here. I'm telling you what I just read.
Verses 10 to 15. Proverbs 16. These words, these
are they. He said, speak of Me. Testify of Me. I've entitled
this message, The Gospel We Preach. Here's what I know. The origin
of it. Where did it come from? Where was it born? Verse 10 says,
A divine sentence is in the lips of the King. His mouth Transgresses
not in judgment. If you have a margin in the middle
of your Bible, if not, I'll just tell you what, that word is translated
and translated correctly. It says that word, a divine sentence
is a divination. Divination. Not in a bad way. I know a lot of times we hear
a word and we say, that's a bad word. Not this word. It's a word
that means God's judgment. Divine. Divine mission. God's thought. God's will. God's gospel. As revealed by
the lips, by the language of the King. A divine sentence,
a divine statement is in the mouth, the language of the King,
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The King of all kings. The capital
L, Lord of all the little l lords. God Almighty. The Word of God. In the beginning was the language,
the divination, the divine sentence of Almighty God. The Apostle
Paul said in Galatians 1.11, But I certify you, brethren,
that the gospel which was preached of me is not according to man. Advertisement a couple of nights
ago on the History Channel. They're going to do something
on the Bible. And there's this woman talking. And she says,
well, the hand of man is all over the Scriptures. And he brought
up that Scripture that says that he was born of a virgin. She
said, that's just a mistranslation. I thought, that's a lie. You're
a liar. You're a stinking liar. He was
born of a virgin. The divine sentence. Our Lord
said concerning His speech, John 8.38, I speak that which I have
seen with my Father. He was ever with Him. As one
brought up with Him, ever His delight. Listen, the Lord Jesus
Christ, He was made flesh in time, but He always was. He was always speaking of Himself. I have wisdom. I was ever His
delight. When the Scripture says, and
the Word was made flesh, that right there tells you He was
already there. He just came into being, taking
upon Himself the form of sinful flesh. The form of it. Not in
Him. No sin in Him. But He always
was. John 12, 49, I've not spoken
of myself independent of myself, of my Father. But the Father
which sent me, He gave me commandment what I should say and what I
should speak. Here is the humility of Him. Humble Himself. God Himself humbled
Himself as the obedient servant. Everything that was demanded
of us, He did. Concerning the heavenly message
of the Lord, the gospel that He calls to preach, His mouth
transgresseth not in judgment. His mouth does not cover up. That's what transgresseth means.
His mouth does not cover up God's God's judgment, God's law, God's
Word, God's right. The gospel is not hidden to His
people. If it's hidden, I'll tell you
this, the God of this world, if hidden, God's left them to
themselves and they're blinded. But it's not hidden to God's
people. God's people know. They know He's God. The Gospel
exposes God's rule. Government. I love the thought. I love it that God Almighty is
in control. That this world is not just haphazard. People say, it's just going to
hell in a handbasket. No, it's not. By God's people. Almighty God rules. reigns. A man goes to hell, he goes to
hell because he wants to go to hell. But I'm telling you, he
doeth as he will. This gospel, I know this, the
gospel we preach is from above. A divine sentence is in the lips
of the King. There's a second thing I know.
This gospel that we preach reveals God's justice. What do you mean? I mean God
is fair. He's fair. He's fair. I know what men say. I know,
wait a minute now, if God chooses to show mercy to one, And he passes by another. And
if that person that he passes by cannot, cannot come, unless
God draw him, Paul, under the inspiration of
God's Spirit, answered that question. Do you know how he answered it?
Is there unrighteousness with God? Are you insinuating that
God is not fair? You filthy mouth rebel. Who art thou that replies against
God? You remember, man rebels because
he wants to rebel. Almighty God said, I'm a just
God. And can the thing formed, the maggot,
Say to him that harmed him, why have you made me thus? God Almighty,
the Scripture says, made man upright. So who went where? That's the
classic. The guilty one is going to put
the blame on somebody. It wasn't my fault. That wasn't
my fault. Somebody else did that. Look
at them. The Scripture says in verse 11,
a just weight and balance are the Lord's. All the weights,
the stones of the bag are His work. Justice belongs to God. Justice. He is the origin. of the right verdict. What's right? Whatever God says. How do I know the difference?
What did God say? Isaiah 45, 21, There is no God
else beside Me. A just God and a Savior. There's
none beside Me. Nobody knows anything about right
except what God Almighty reveals is right. Take His side against
yourself. Take His side against all others.
Let God be true and every man's a liar. Buddy, I'll tell you
what, that's some good advice right there. Somebody says, well,
the way I see it. Well, if the way you see it is
not the way God declares, then you're wrong. This universe was formed and
operates upon the absolute justice of God. This universe operates
absolutely according to God's right and rule and justice. I'll tell you what you do. Once you go and pick out a big
building and stand on the edge of it, and jump off. And let me ask you if the law
of gravity is going to absolutely take over. God Almighty has established
the rules. A just weight The stones, the
weights, the standards of justice are held in the bag, that is,
in the cup or the purse of His sovereign hand. By the Gospel, we see nowhere
more clearly than the cross of His absolute substitutionary
work His sacrifice. Nowhere else do you see more
clearly the penalty where sin is found. The Lord Jesus Christ. God. God. Made flesh. I'm telling you, sin was there. He was made sin. And what happened? God killed Him. God killed Him. But in His death, He redeemed
His people. Let me ask you this. If God spared
not His own Son where sin was found, let me tell you what the
flip side of that is. Do you know the only reason that
any redeemed, regenerated sinner has any hope? Because there is
no chargeable sin there. He's justified. No charge. No charge. No charge. No condemnation. Pure. Holy. How? Robed in the righteousness
of Christ. There's no guilt there. And they're
holy. They're holy. And what does God
Almighty do? Well done. Well done. Thirdly, the gospel
reveals everything that is false. The gospel reveals its origin. The gospel sets forth that which
is just. And the gospel sets forth that
which is a lie. Verse 12, it is an abomination
to kings to commit wickedness. For the throne is established
by righteousness. It is an abomination. It is disgusting. It is disgusting. It is an act
of idolatry. That's what that means. Abomination. It is an act of idolatry to kings. That word there, kings, it means
to those who give counsel. Whether it be meaning someone
sitting in a political office, I think it means especially false
preachers in this sense. It is an abomination to kings,
those who give counsel, to commit wickedness or to declare wickedness. To declare that which is not
right. If it's a judge sitting on a
bench in a courtroom, for him to declare that which is unjust,
unfair, that's wrong. That's wrong. There was a judge
in Franklin years ago, a woman judge. And buddy, let me tell
you something. She was tough. But I'm telling
you, she had the reputation. She was fair. And I'm telling
you, if you came in there and you stood before her, you knew,
if she doesn't show mercy to me, I have no chance. She did not have the reputation
of being lenient, but she was respected. She was respected. Raising my kids, By the grace
of God, I tell them, say, listen, if I don't punish you, I am disrespectful
to God. He told me if I spare the rod,
I'm going to spoil you. So I don't plan to. But for preachers,
these counselors that stand up, these kings, those who give counsel,
Those that preach a false gospel. Those that fail to give God all
the glory. Those that fail to give God all
the glory. Those that fail to set forth
that salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is all of grace. Those
that set forth that man has some say in salvation. That man has
some rights What rights? Man gave up all of his rights.
This false gospel that makes God to be one is waiting on man
to make a decision. That disgusts God. It's disgusting. I hate to hear it. It makes me
sick. Makes me sick. Why? For the throne. The throne of God. God's throne. The only throne is established
in righteousness. In virtue. It's established. It stands and is fixed. God's throne. To do as He will
according to His holy right and character is fixed! It's fixed! The merit of Christ
has set forth its fixedness. And any message that does not
give God all the honor, all the honor and glory to His precious
Son as God's salvation disgusts Him. Hold your place right there. Turn with me to Galatians 1-6. I was reading over this passage
this morning. Galatians 1-6-9. The Apostle
Paul, he said, that ye are so soon removed from
him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another
gospel. Which is not another, but there
be some that troubled you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we or an angel from
heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let it be accursed. As we said before,
so say I now again. If any man preach any other gospel
unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." If it was possible, if it was
possible for one of God's regenerated
sheep to be lost, then they really didn't have eternal life that
the Lord said He gave them. I give unto them eternal life,
and they shall never perish." The Lord said in Matthew 24,
24, they'll come deceivers. And if it were possible, they
would even deceive the very elect. Evidently they're preaching a
gospel, Kevin, a false gospel. It's so close. It's just so close. But you listen to it, and what
it'll do, it'll have a little leaven in there. Just a little
bit of works. God's elected you. God's chosen
you. But you still have to... Whatever's
coming out here is going to be wrong. Just a little leaven.
Leaven's the whole lump. So these right here. Paul had
been evidently convinced that they were truly called. He was convinced that they were. But obviously, they weren't because
God's sheep are kept by the power of God. Don't even think that
there's a possibility. No man plucks any of my sheep
out of my hand, not even themselves. But something happened right
here that just put Paul in a state of wonder. I marvel that you
are so soon, how speedily the hearers at Galatia that you're
so soon removed, turned aside, what happened? God had not given him a new heart. Let me tell you, a man will sooner
leave in his consistency of his walk than he will in the profession
of his mouth. He'll hang on to this. But if
you want to know what a man believes, what does he do? What does he
do? That's what he believes. How
many have sat under Brother Scott? How many have been here and then
appeared as though that they'd heard something and they left? Why did they leave? Well, they
weren't of us. Had they been of us, surely they
would have remained. But it's a marvel that any would
hear the gospel of God's grace, hear the message that sets forth
that salvation is all of grace, it's all of God, that you'll
read it. When the Lord says, without Me,
you can do nothing. No man can come. All that the
Father giveth me shall come. Him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. He'll never leave me." And then
they leave. And Paul said, I marvel. What do you go to? Boy, you go
back to the vomit that you came from. You go back to the mire. You go back to that false message,
that gospel, that false gospel where people pat you on the back
and tell you that there is a little good in every man and everything
that contradicts this. No. The Scripture sets forth
that His alone is established in righteousness. Fourthly, the gospel is a beloved
message to God's people. Verse 13, "...righteous lips
are the delight of kings, and they love him that speaketh right." Those that give counsel and those
that hear the counsel of the truth, they love to hear the
gospel. Let me tell you what you're listening
for. I want to hear His honor. I want to hear Christ's honor.
Tell me again how God is sovereign. Tell me again. Tell me one more
time how when I see how inconsistent I am. Tell me again about how
every time I treat Him disrespectfully, Can you imagine if God treated
us one time like we treat Him all the time?
Can you imagine the hopelessness of that? Tell me again how He's
not going to let me perish. Tell me again how I'm kept. Tell me about electing grace.
Tell me about particular redemption. Tell me about that effectual
calling. Tell me one more time. Tell me
how in that day when I leave this world and I'm preparing,
if I'm aware of it, tell me about that grace that He's not going
to leave me, not going to forsake me. Tell me again about that
keeping. Tell me about dying grace. Tell
me again how the Lord is God. The lips, the voice of Christ
is righteous. My Word, David said, is very
pure. It's tried, that's what it is.
Very pure. It's tried. It's experienced. God's people know something about
it. Therefore, thy servant loveth
it. God's people love His Word because they love Him who first
loved them. You that know Him, you love the
gospel. You love the gospel of Christ
because you love Christ. You love Him. Righteous lips
are the delight of kings. They love Him that speaketh right. And you love the pastors that
tell you the truth. You love them. You love them. Because God has sent them. He's
given them a heart. to set forth the truth. Fifthly,
only in the gospel is God's atonement revealed. Fourteen, the wrath
of a king is as messages of death, but a wise man will pacify it. The wrath of anyone in authority
This is messenger of death. Here again, there are so many
examples. But let's just go to the heart
of the King Himself, the One who is the King of every king. Considering that verse concerning
the Lord, the Lord God Himself, Psalm 711, God judgeth The righteous. That is, God vindicates. God
defends. But then the second half of that
verse, Psalm 711, and God is angry. He abhors and foams at
the mouth with the wicked, the condemned,
every day. The wrath of a king? The wrath
of a king is messenger of death. I tell you, a man under the wrath
of God, his wrath, there's the message right there. You're going
to die. You're going to die. Oh, but
a wise man. Tell me about that wise man one
more time. Tell me about wisdom himself
that has pacified eternally so that there was never any wrath. against those that God eternally
loved. There never was in the heart
and the mind of Almighty God who never changes. How could
there have ever been wrath against God's elect if God never changes? There never was. Why? Because
He saw the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world.
Almighty God sees the end from the beginning. Every one of God's children born
out of the same lump of corruption as every other, centered but
not viewed that way. I've always loved you. Why? Because a wise man. Christ Himself
pacified. And lastly, the gospel reveals
Him who is our peace. In the light of the King's countenance
is life, and His favor is as a cloud of the latter rain. In the light, in the brightness,
in the illumination, in Christ Himself, The life of the glory
of God in the face, in the countenance of Jesus Christ, in the light
of the King's countenance is life. Life. Life that God's people know something
about right now, but life that they shall know perfectly very
soon for the believer. beholding the brightness of the
King's glory. God's glory. You know, we talk
about that Christ is the brightness. I wanted to know exactly what
that word meant. It means the off flash. It came off. Off flash. of the invisible God's glory,
the off flash, the brightness of God's glory, the revealer
of God's reconciliation and peace toward His people by His shed
blood. There's life in His favor toward
His people through His dear Son The Scripture says His favor
is as a cloud of the latter rain. You know, they had a former and
a latter rain. And that latter rain was the
rain that fell just before the harvest. There was a former rain,
Mike, and all this stuff started coming up, and there was another
rain just before the harvest. Just a freshness. He just filled
those ears of corn and wheat and everything. Just filled with
the fullness of God's moisture and rain. He said His favor is
as a cloud, ever shielding, ever protecting, ever under, just
before He sends. That harvest. The end. All is well. Oh, dear brother,
sister in Christ, look up. Your redemption draweth nigh.
Lord, bless these words to our heart for Christ's sake. Amen.