Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs 16. Proverbs 16. I'd like for us to look at verse
1. Proverbs 16. The scripture sets forth that
the preparations of the heart in man and the answer of the
tongue is from the Lord. When there was nothing but God,
Genesis 1.1 says this, in the beginning,
that is in the beginning of time, there was no beginning of eternity. But in the beginning of time,
God created the heaven and the earth. And verse 2 says, and
the earth was without form and void. And darkness was upon the
deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Now, this is the way that God
created the heaven and the earth. This is
the way He made it. He made it void and without form. That's how He made it. That's
the way it was. That's how He created it. Now,
He created it that way on purpose. It wasn't an accident. It didn't
slip through His fingers. He made it void and without form
that He might display in glorious type. and picture His power and
grace in creating life out of nothing. He made this earth,
the way that this earth, the heaven and earth, in the beginning
God created the heavens and the earth. And He made them void
and without form that He might set forth His power Grace is kindness to create something
that was going to house, keep, sustain man. He was going to create light.
He was going to create dry land, vegetation, sun, moon, creatures
of the sea. Creatures of the land, fowls
of the air, the beast. And then he was going to make
man. He prepared everything out of nothing. Spoke it into existence. Everything in the creation of
this world had to be prepared to hold and to sustain that which
God made. Likewise, here is the truth concerning
man and his fallen state. Man, by nature, having fallen
in Adam, is void. No life. Here is the first point. Man needs preparation. for the reception of life. It's
like God made this earth. It doesn't matter. It doesn't
matter how man says this earth came into being. Big bang theory. No. God made this earth, bored
and without form. And then he created life in it. He created that which was substantial. He created that which housed
mankind. Life was there. He spoke it into
existence. Man needs preparation for the
reception of life. Man, by nature, is dead in trespasses
and sins, and he cannot give himself life." You know, when we start talking
about salvation, here's the first thing that we're going to be
reminded of continually. Man cannot give himself life. Life does not spring forth from
something that is dead. Man needs the glory of God, His
light. Man needs the light of the Lord Jesus Christ. But
there's nothing there but darkness, void, emptiness, There's nothing
there but death and unbelief that can do nothing. It doesn't
matter what false religion says that you have a free will. It
doesn't matter. The Scripture says that man is
dead in trespasses and sins. You let God be true and every
man is a liar. The epitome, hear me well, I
mean exactly what I'm getting ready to say. The epitome of
wickedness in this world is a false preacher. The epitome of wickedness. They make merchandise
of men's eternal souls. That's what Scripture says. Merchandise. The Scripture sets forth that
man by nature is dead, cannot give himself life. He needs a
heart of good ground. that is made able to receive
the word of truth that is sown by the sovereign sower. What we are doing this morning
is we are hearing the only message that God the Holy Spirit is going
to bless to the salvation of a sinner's soul. Men must be made receptive. They must be. Man by nature is
born with a heart. You know, you've heard the parable
about the sower that went to sow some seed. Some of it fell
by the wayside. Some of it fell among stony ground. Some of it fell among thorny
ground. Some of it fell on good soil.
Man by nature has got the heart that is described by the first
three. Man by nature has a heart whereby the seed of God's Word
falls by the wayside. It's just not a big deal. Take
it or leave it. You that know him not, I'm telling
you this is the way it is. You can take it or leave it.
It's not life. Man has a stony heart that may
appear to receive for a while, but when the afflictions of God's
Word are set forth, it withers. Why? There's no soil there. There's no good dirt there. There's
no heart there. Man by nature has a heart that's
filled with the forms of this world's care. And give it time,
the Scripture says. The cares of this world will
choke it out. And the cares of this world are
more important. Man by nature needs a heart made
alive that receives God's Word. He likes it. Man, by nature,
possesses the land that Hosea 1.2 says has committed great
whoredoms, departing from the Lord. Here's my first point. Man needs preparation for the
reception of life. It's like this world is. Secondly,
the preparation of a receptive heart is from the Lord. Now, this truth is the heart
of the difference between the grace of God and the works of
man. The preparation of a receptive heart is from the Lord. If you
would measure the truthfulness of preaching, ask yourself this,
who gets all the glory? Who gets all the glory for salvation? Did man react to the hearing
of the gospel because he exercised his so-called free will? Or did
the Lord give him life first? What comes first? Belief or life? Well, I can tell you this, technically,
they come together. Because when God gives life,
man believes. But he does not believe before
God gives him life. Man says, believe and God will
give you life. How? How do you believe and there's
no life there? When it's darkness, void. God gives life and He gives it
on purpose. He has eternally purposed to
give life to those that He's chosen to show mercy to. That's
what, Jeff, you just read. Romans 9, 6-4. That God Almighty is the potter. Man is the clay. And out of the
same lump, the potter has the right to make one vessel under
honor, and another vessel under dishonor. And then Paul the Apostle,
under the inspiration of God's Spirit, anticipating man saying,
wait a minute, wait a minute, are you saying, the Apostle Paul
says, who art thou, old man, that replies against God? Shall
the thing formed Say to him that formed it, why have you made
me thus? The Scripture sets forth that
salvation is of the Lord. And we can waste all kinds of
time refuting false doctrine, but I'm not going to waste time.
Man has never been saved, converted under telling what a lie is.
The truth is what sets a man free. Salvation in its conception,
in its accomplishment, and its preservation is of the Lord. God the Father purposed salvation
in electing grace. I will have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy. Christ accomplished, secured,
In particular, redeeming grace. For whom did Christ die? Well,
according to the Word of God. All that the Father giveth me. I laid down my life for the sheep. Who did He die for? He said,
I died for the sheep. Is everybody a sheep? No. Who
said that? He did. He told some Pharisees,
he said, you believe not because you are not my sheep. My sheep
hear my voice and they follow me. They obey me. They confess
me. They love me and I love them.
God the Spirit is said to have brought this salvation to fruition
in regenerating grace and at no point in the Scriptures Is
man ever given any place or credit for salvation accomplished by
Almighty God? Do you know when you find out
that salvation is of the Lord? When God regenerates you. Until
then, you believed a false gospel. I did too. I did. I did. I believed that salvation was
of man. For there to be life, there's
got to be a life giver. Behind the working of salvation,
there must be Him who worketh all things after the counsel
of His own will. Before there's a heart response
to God's voice, there must be a new heart. You see, think about this. If
a man or woman believes that this old heart, this dead heart, has a free will and can respond
to God's desire to save you, if you believe that this old
heart can do that, you don't believe that there's a new heart.
You believe the old heart can do it. You believe that man has
the ability. But the Scripture sets forth,
Jeremiah 31-53, this shall be the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel. The true Israel. The spiritual
Israel. After those days, saith the Lord,
I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts
and will be their God and they shall be my people. I'll give you a new heart. A
new spirit. Born from above. Born again. Man was born once. Born dead. He was born physically dead. Physically alive. I'm sorry.
He was born physically alive. Spiritually dead. There's got
to be a new life given. He's got to be born from above.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. The Lord of heaven gives grace
to believe. Then He owns and honors that
Belief that he caused listen to this Proverbs 15 8 the prayer
of the upright is his delight Remember when Saul of Tarsus
rode to Damascus Pharisee He said in my mind He said there
wasn't anybody more spiritual than me. He said I just exceeded
everybody Man, I was born at the right time for the right
parents Concerning the law Boy, you talk about an arrogant heart.
Listen, he said, concerning the law, blameless. Blameless? You that know Him,
have you ever honored, praised, glorified the Lord your God with
all your heart, all your mind, all your soul? Have you ever done that? A believer
will say, not me. Not in myself. By faith, the
Scripture says, Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice
than Cain. Who got the glory for that? The
Lord prepares the heart of His people for Himself. He gives them a heart that says,
Psalm 115.1, not unto us. O Lord, not unto us, but unto
Thy name give glory for Thy mercy and for Thy truth's sake." The
Lord gives a heart, prepares a heart that desires to fear
and reverence His name. A heart that places absolutely
no confidence in the flesh. A believer will ever admit He
saved me by grace. He saved me apart from myself. All I did was brag and gave honor
to me. The Lord saved me in spite of
me. The Lord prepares a heart that
expects affliction because He's promised it. And a heart that
knows those afflictions are tempered to his perfect allowance. Now, as surely as the Lord must
prepare the heart of his people, he must also prepare the tongue.
Here is my last point. The Lord never leaves his own
to themselves. The latter part of our first
verse there in Proverbs 16 says, The answer of the tongue is from
the Lord. Matthew 10, 18-20. Matthew 10, 18-20. Here's a promise
from our Lord. You should be brought before
governors and kings for my sake for a testimony against them
and the Gentiles, but when they deliver you up, take no thought
how or what you shall speak. For it shall be given you in
that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that
speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you."
Many times, that verse has come back to my heart. Someone may
call and they'll ask me, you know, can I come by and talk
to you? And I say, absolutely. Just any
time. And my heart is drawn to this
verse of Scripture right here. Would you order my thoughts?
Lord, would you direct my tongue to say that which you have directed? Or give me instruction. I don't
know what to say. I don't know where to start.
How comforting to know that He providentially leads, guides
His people. moves upon their hearts to speak
in the hour of their need. Now, I do know this. I know we still possess an old
heart, a tongue that's set on fire from hell. It makes me sick
at my stomach. It makes me sick at my very soul
when I say something that's disrespectful. Disrespectful before God. Disrespectful
toward His people. This old tongue is a world of
iniquity. It just defiles the whole body
and sets on fire, the Scripture says, the course of nature. But
it doesn't rule. Man, I don't have to open my
mouth that quick. And I know it. I know it. And I think to myself, why can
I not just shut up? The Lord set a watch upon my
tongue. But that which is according to
grace, that answer that is honoring to Him and to the comfort of
His people, that tongue that blesses God and men in the hour
of adversity, that tongue is of the Lord. And I'll tell you
this, we're never going to have anything to boast in if we say
anything that has an air of graciousness to it. That wasn't us. It wasn't us. He said the Spirit
will speak. If we speak of any graciousness,
any honor, it's of the Lord. The preparation of the heart
in man and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. Lord, I pray, bless these words
to our heart for Christ's sake. Amen.