I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Proverbs 16. Proverbs 16. I would like to
read verse 7. I've heard this verse quoted
many times. Lord willing, I'd like to deal
with it today and pray that the Lord give us understanding. Proverbs 16, verse 7, When a
man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be
at peace with him. Now, this Scripture When we first
read it, and we know it's so. No doubt about it being so. This
is the Word of God. And so it's right. It's so. But
that the Lord would give us understanding concerning this Scripture. But
when we first read that Scripture, it seems to be Contradictory. Concerning verses that we also
know ourselves. Listen to this, 2 Timothy 3.12,
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution. John 15.20, Remember the word
that I said unto you, the servant, is not greater than his Lord.
If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my saying,
they will keep yours also. Although the Scriptures set forth
the certainty of the world's hatred of God's people, And here's
the reason. Listen to this Scripture. Now,
the Lord reveals through His Word that God's people are hated. And you say, well, I don't really
think. The Lord said that this world
hates God's people. You may not recognize it at first. It may not openly manifest itself. But what's going on inside is
revealed by this Word. Now listen to the reason why. John 15, 19. If you were of the
world, the world would love His own. But because you're not of
the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, Because I have chosen you out
of the world, therefore, the world hateth you." There is a
hatred by this world, by this world's religion, of God's sovereignty,
God's right to do what He will. Now this scripture that we just
read, Proverbs 16, 7, this scripture, sets forth a truth that is absolutely
to be rested upon. When a man's ways please the
Lord, he, the Lord, maketh. He does something. That word
maketh, it means to do. The Lord does something. He maketh even His enemies to
be at peace with Him. When a man's course of life,
when his road, I was looking up that word, when a man's ways,
his course of life, his road, his action, when a man's ways
please the Lord, When God Almighty is pleased with that man, not
because of what that man was able to do, but when God Almighty
is pleased with a man because of obedience. But whose obedience? His obedience. Obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When a man's ways pleases the Lord because of a satisfied debt. When God is pleased because justice
has been satisfied. When a man is accepted in the
beloved, When a man is pardoned by the blood of Christ, the Lord
continually makes his enemies. That hates him. Hates him by
nature. When the Lord is pleased with
a man, all because of what Christ has done for him. Remember, Almighty
God is pleased with one. When God's ways are pleased, He maketh His adversary to be
at peace with Him. That is, to dwell safely with
Him. For amends to be made with that
man. Now, I've got three points that
I want to make here. Three questions. concerning this
verse. Number one, what way does a man please God? In what way does a man please
God? Secondly, who are a man's enemies? And number three, how
is it that the man whose ways always please the Lord a believer,
a new man. How is it that that man whose
ways pleases God, because of the imputation of the righteousness
of Christ, because of the substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the putting away, how is it that that man whose ways pleases
the Lord is at peace with his enemy? When we've read Scriptures
that says the world is going to hate you, they'll hate you. They'll draw you before the councils.
They're going to persecute you. They're going to despise you.
They're going to talk about you. Number one, what way does a man
please God? When a man's ways pleases the
Lord, how? Well, I know this, Titus 3, 5,
not by works of righteousness, which we've done. But according
to His mercy, He saved us by the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Ghost. Now, obviously, there is a way
that pleases God that has absolutely nothing to do with me. Charged to me. Imputed to me. I wasn't the source of it. When
a man waves, pleases the Lord. Hebrews 11.6 says, without faith
it's impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must
believe that He is and that He's a rewarder of them that diligently
seek Him. Romans 4-5, but to him that worketh
not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly. His faith,
now listen to this, the object of his faith, his faith, it is
not because of my faith, it is the object of my faith, his faith
is counted for righteousness, the object of my faith, Christ
Jesus the Lord. Why does a man's ways please
God? One reason. The Lord Jesus Christ. Accepted in the Beloved. Almighty God is pleased when
His will is obeyed. That pleases God. John 6.40.
And this is the will of God that sent me. That everyone which
seeth the Son by faith, believeth on Him, may have everlasting
life, and I will raise Him up at the last day. I want you to turn to Psalm 69.
While you're turning there, God is pleased to save His people. When a man's ways please the
Lord. And my friend, if we're going
to look for the ways in which God's pleased, don't look here. Don't look here. I'm going to
have to have ways that pleases Him. Psalm 69. Verse 29 to 32. Let me give you the evidence. This
is what God says about being pleased. Psalm 69, verse 29. The Scripture says, But I am
poor and sorrowful. Let thy salvation, O God, set
me up on high. I will praise the name of God
with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also
shall please the Lord better than an ox or a bullock that
hath horns and hooves. The humble, the meek shall see
this and be glad, and your heart shall live that seek God." What
pleases God? How is God Almighty pleased?
Here's how He's pleased. The Lord is pleased to save His
people, to reveal it to them, and have them acknowledge it.
Lord, I am what I am by Your grace. Lord, I've never done
anything That's pleasing in your sight. Lord, all that I am, all
that I have, all that I ever hoped to be is because of your
mercy and your compassion that you were pleased to give. Lord, your Son has saved me by
the shedding of His blood. Lord, all of my righteousness,
I'm poor. I'm sorry for what I am, but
Lord, that You have robed me in the righteousness of Christ.
Lord, have mercy on me." This pleases God. When a man's ways, the course
of his life, the inclinations of that new heart, pleases the
Lord. When a man looks to Christ by
faith, Looks to Him for mercy with no confidence in His flesh. Almighty God is pleased. And
He maketh, He continually makes, even His enemies to be at peace
with Him. Now here's my second question.
Who are a man's enemies? I know what it takes to please
God. It's going to take His Son. And His Son is going to put away
my guilt. And His Son, His righteousness is going to robe me. That pleases God, because He
is pleased with His Son. But who are a man's enemies?
Well, I know this, the first enemy that I can list, and this
is no particular order. I can change the order of them,
but I know this, I know the world is our enemy. Because the Scripture
says, according to John 17, 16, we're not of it. Our Lord praying
the great high priestly prayer, praying unto His Father, praying
for His own, said they're in the world, but they're not of
the world. Believers are born, just like
anybody else, they're born lost. They're born rebels. But in regeneration,
There's a new man that's put there. Life. A new creation. They're born from above. Not
born from within themselves. Life does not come from inside
me. Life must come from outside of
myself. It must start from outside of
myself. It must originate. with one other
than myself. I cannot give myself life being
dead in trespasses and sins. A believer possesses a new attitude,
new conduct, new love, and a walk that does not agree with this
world. And this new man, this new walk,
this new attitude is hated because it's of a different kind. Like
likes like. I like people that like me and
likes what I like. It's nature. But you take something that is
contrary, that is opposed to, that's in competition with, That
is the foundation of hatred and resentment. I know the world
is my enemy. I know this flesh is my enemy.
I'm walking around in this flesh, and it's not just this skin,
I'm talking about the nature of an old man that's still there. And that old man, that old nature
does not please God. Does it love God? Does it seek
God? Listen to Romans 7.18 concerning
this old nature. Romans 7.18 says this, For I
know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. For to will is present with me
because of a new man. But how to perform that which
is good, I find not. There's an old man there. Competition. Romans 8.8 says this, "...so
then they that are in the flesh..." Unbelievers. Paul said, you're not in the
flesh. In spirit. The Spirit of God lives in you. You're not in the flesh. "...they
that are in the flesh..." An unbeliever. Cannot. Cannot. Cannot. Cannot please
God. Cannot. There's nothing there
that pleases God. Nothing will ever come out of
it that pleases God. Never. Something must be done
from outside of this flesh. Outside of Christ. There is nothing
that we think, say, or do that pleases God, the elect, or accepted
in the Beloved. Apart from themselves, their
flesh is my enemy. The new man's enemy. This world
is my enemy. This flesh is my enemy. Satan
is my enemy. He's the one that we're admonished
to be sober, be vigilant, watchful. That's one of the qualifications, requirements,
I guess you'd say, if a man desired the office of a bishop, that
he be vigilant, watchful, watchful. As I've told people before, pastors
are a little bit more sensitive than sometimes people think.
They see more. They know more than you'd think
they do. Not much, but a little bit more. Vigilant. Because your adversary,
your arch enemy, that's what that word means, your adversary.
Your arch enemy. The devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about seeking whom he may devour. I know Satan is my
enemy. Death, hell, the grave. These
are the enemies. But all these enemies are because
of one thing. Sin. Romans 5, 12, "...Wherefore,
as by one man's sin entered into the world, and death by sin,
so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned." Sin is
that body, the body of death, the body of sin that is completely
contrary, opposite to the nature of Almighty God. that it's all holy and just and
good sin. I don't even know how to truly
define sin. I know the Scripture says it's
a transgression of the law, but I don't even know how to enter
into that. I don't have a mind that's capable of grasping hold
of that. But I know this. It's my enemy. Sin. Satan. His flesh. The world. So here's my third question. How? How is it that the man whose
ways please the Lord, and I know what that is, That's His righteousness
imputed to me. Him putting away my guilt. Him giving me a heart that believes
Christ and looking not to myself, having no confidence in my flesh. How is it that a man's ways that
pleases God can be at peace with his enemies? when his enemies hates him, despises
him. Here's the key. It's the understanding
of what the word peace means. It doesn't mean agree or to love. Now when we think of the word
peace, we think love. Love. Let me read. a verse of
Scripture to you and tell you what this word means. Colossians
1.20. Listen to this. Having made peace through the
blood of His cross by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself.
By Him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in
heaven. Having made peace by the blood of His cross. That
word peace right there means harmony, love, togetherness,
peace. Peace. Having made peace by the
blood of His cross. Harmonize. The word back in Proverbs
16.7 means this. Safe. Safe. I am not in harmony with this
world. I'm not in harmony with Satan. I'm not in harmony with my flesh. I'm not in harmony with this
world's religion. I don't want to have anything
to do with it. And this world's religion and
Satan and my flesh is not in harmony with me, the new man. But the word peace there means
I am safe from. When a man's ways please the
Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be restraint for that man
whose ways please the Lord to be safe from. It's the word that
meets complete sound. Let me give you an illustration.
I was thinking on this. What kind of illustration could
I give that would give the meaning of this word, peace? December 7, 1941. A lot of you
know what happened December 7, 1941. The Japanese bombed Pearl
Harbor, and this country was thrown into war. 1941, 1945. This country was
in a world war, fighting on two fronts. And the Pacific was fighting
Japan. Europe was fighting Germany,
Italy. Something happened, though, at
the end of that war. The United States, by the grace
of God, defeated these two countries. And on a battleship, the USS
Missouri, As far as Japan was concerned, they met one day. General Douglas MacArthur and
the other dignitaries were there on that battleship. A declaration
of peace was signed. Now I can tell you one thing,
I guarantee you, all the parties involved weren't in harmony. They weren't in harmony. There
was some animosity there. But do you know what was established?
Safety. Now the newspaper read, Peace! Peace! Peace! What was it? An enemy had been defeated. And
the United States was safe. Now why? Because they didn't
have anything else. Their ability to conquer this
country was stopped. Why? Because one mightier than
they had defeated them. Do you know how a man's house
is spoiled? Scripture says, one comes in
who is stronger than the strong man. Because the strong man spoils
his goods. The Lord Jesus Christ came in
to the stronghold of Satan because of man's rebellion in sin. Satan,
the strong man, had to be bound by one stronger than he, the
Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord Jesus Christ led
captivity, those that were captive to Satan, He led them captive. They're His. Always been His. His people. And now those that
He has rescued, that's what salvation means. Rescued. Those that He's rescued, they're
safe. When a man's ways please the
Lord, That man is safe from his enemies. He's not in harmony
with them. Not the word peace over in Colossians
1. No believer is in harmony. No
believer loves his adversary the devil. No believer loves
this world. The Lord Jesus Christ wouldn't
even pray for it. But when a man pleases the Lord,
man's ways pleases the Lord. When Almighty God, by His eternal
Purpose, grace saved a man. Rescued him. Gave him faith to
believe. New heart, new mind. Causes him
to call upon the Lord. Crying unto Him, Lord have mercy
on me. Mercy has already been shown.
The man's ways please the Lord. He maketh, he maketh, he maketh
even his enemies to be restrained. Peace. Sin, the Scripture says, shall
not have dominion over you. Sin has dominion over many, but
not over those that the Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed, the
Holy Spirit has regenerated, and Almighty God has kept. We are more than conquerors through
Him. that loved us. God Almighty has
given us the victory through Christ Jesus our Lord. That man, complete. He's sound. He's safe. All of his enemies are restrained
from eternally stealing that man's soul back. Can't do it. Peace has been made by His blood. That's true. It's not that we don't struggle.
Oh, we struggle. We struggle in this world. But
we live without fear of eternal damnation. Last verse. 1 John 4.18, When a man's ways please the
Lord, maketh even his enemies be at peace with him, restrained,
held back. 1 John 4.18. There's no fear in love. but perfect love casteth out
fear. Because fear hath torment, he
that feareth is not made perfect in love." We love Him because
He first loved us. My friend, if you want to know
what it is to be at peace with your enemies, the enemies of
God's people, Here's the key. They don't have
any power over you to eternally damn your soul. Almighty God
has put away, He has destroyed, death held in the grave's power
to kill God's people eternally. Lord, bless these words into
our heart for the sake of Christ. Amen.