Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs 15. Proverbs 15. I've said so many times, it's
just such a blessing to be able to go through this blessed book
and take it verse by verse, praying that the Lord be pleased
to open His Word to our hearts I want to read, you just hold
your finger right there in Proverbs 15, I'm going to look at verses
1-4. But I want to read you this Scripture.
We've quoted it so many times, looked at it many times. Let
me read 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 and 17. The Scripture, speaking
of itself, says this, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. And it is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all
good works." All scripture is purpose in all of the Word of
God. Now I want us to look at Proverbs
chapter 15. I'm going to look, like I said,
at the first four verses. As we prepare to look at these
verses, I know that we are proud, selfish people by nature. I know we are. And I know that
naturally, we want to have the last word. And we want to justify
ourselves before others. You know, when things don't go
our way, we think that they should. We say, as Jonah said, Jonah
4.9, I do well to be angry. Well, this spirit of passion
and pride is going to raise itself at the drop of a hat. I know
it does in me. Sin dwells in me. And I know
it does in you too. And we need God's direction,
guidance. I need some instruction. I need
some help. I need for one to speak to me
that I can be assured this is good advice. This is good advice. I guess I use my kids a lot as
examples. Hopefully I learned a lot through
them. And hopefully, by the grace of God, they through me. But
I do know that whenever the kids call and have a question, have a problem,
I want to be able to speak to them from God's Word. I want
to. I want to be able to tell them.
As I've told you before, if it's just my opinion, What difference does that make?
Unless my opinion is based on the Word of God. And then it's
a conviction. Unless I have something to say
from God's Word, it has no eternal significance whatsoever. I know this. There's no area. where there needs to be greater
caution taken. And when it comes to dealing
with men, and dealing with them in light of eternity, the preaching of the gospel of
God's grace, I know that it is offensive in itself, the offense
of the cross. As we are by nature, I know I
must be and all men must be very cautious when they preach the
gospel of God's grace. Now, cautious in this light,
I don't want to add offensiveness to the gospel because of my pride
and my arrogance and my haughtiness and stuff like that. I had an acquaintance when I
was in Louisiana, and he made claim to believe the gospel of
God's grace. And time has proven that that's
questionable. And the thing that I remember
about him is that he just had a chip on his shoulder. It's
just arrogant. And let me tell you, knowing that the gospel is offensive
in the truthfulness of it, I know it goes 90 degrees. It's just perpendicular. to what
man by nature believes. I know, I know, I know that it's
offensive. I know that the preaching of
the cross is foolishness to those that don't believe. I know that.
Scripture bears that out. And I know that it's amazing, amazing. in Cottageville last Sunday.
And this thought came to my mind. I was talking about mocking God. Mocking God. And the thought
entered my mind at that moment that the epitome of mocking God
is men that do not believe. that they're going to stand before
God. They don't believe that. They just don't believe it. They
do not believe that Almighty God, apart from the Lord Jesus
Christ, is going to put them in hell. They don't believe that.
And I told the folks there, I said, empty pews. I said, now there's
the epitome of mockery. Man by nature does not believe.
I'm not going to stand before God. The books are not going
to be open. The book is not going to be open. And I'm thinking,
it is. But do you know, Pat, my attitude toward those that
oppose themselves doesn't add any effectualness to the gospel. Me being mad at somebody because
they don't believe. If Almighty God ever gives them
a heart, they'll believe. willing in the day of God's power. I want men to believe. I do.
I want them to believe. I want men to come. I want to
see. You that know Him not, I pray
God have mercy. I pray the Lord call you out
of darkness. But I know this, He's the only one that can. I
have no ability I know this, that we faithfully are to proclaim
the truth of God's grace. We pray, Lord have mercy. I've prayed and prayed. Lord,
save our young people here. Lord, call them out of darkness.
Lord, give them a heart. Save our husbands and wives and
our brothers and sisters. Lord, call them to Yourself. I know that the preaching of
the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. So therefore,
we're not ashamed of the gospel. Not ashamed of this. Somebody
said, Brother Scott one time, they said, you preach what you
preach and you're going to confuse people. Scott told them, he said,
they're born confused. This is the only message that
sets a man free. This is the only message that
God blesses. Like last week I preached on
the subject, does it matter where I go to church? Yeah. It matters
where you go to church. Yeah. We seek the Lord's leadership
in dealing with men while we witness and wait and pray. Lord
have mercy. Here's the first thing I want
us to look at. Our spirit, our attitude toward others. Proverbs 15, verses 1 and 2 says,
a soft answer. I'm not talking about men and
women that are weak and mealy mouthed. I'm talking about tender. Tender. Tender. A soft answer turneth
away wrath. but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise useth
knowledge aright, but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness." A delicate answer in submissiveness
unto the Lord. in answering those that oppose
themselves and the God of all grace, knowing that men are ignorant
of God by nature. And that grievous words stir
up anger. We're angry. We say things that we will wish
we hadn't said. I don't know if you will. I will.
Because I don't want you to get the best of me. I want to one-up
you. If you say something to hurt
me, I'm going to, by nature, I'm going to say something to
hurt you more. And then I'm going to be proud of it. And then I'm
going to feel bad. And I'm going to ask myself,
why didn't I just shut up? Why didn't I just be quiet? Submissiveness to the Lord is
exhibited according to these scriptures by the truth tenderly
being set forth. I think of Brother Scott. Boy,
I tell you what, we learned a lot from him too, didn't we? By the
Lord teaching us. Remember him talking about taking
corn and feeding chickens? They said, you know, you can
take some corn and just come over and just drop a few little
kernels here and there. Chickens will come up to you,
you know, ducks or whatever. But he said, if you take it and
throw it at them, just a handful, just throw it out, you just scatter
them, you know. It's impossible, I know, to always
know the right thing to say and when to say it and when to be
silent. But here we're taught something
concerning our spirit or our attitude toward others. I know,
according to His Word, that His Word is not going to return unto
Him void. I know that it's going to accomplish the purpose for
which it was sent. Lord, when I set forth the Gospel,
let me set forth this Gospel having spoken to You first. Lord,
would you make me tender? Lord, help me. I don't want to. And I know that there's times,
and I'm sure that every pastor that's ever stood and preached
would say this. Lord, there's times that you
want so desperately for somebody to hear what you're saying. And
you say things, and you say, Say it in the Spirit. It's just
not. There's no need in that. The Word of God will take care
of itself. God's Word speaks. And it's going to speak. My sheep
hear my voice. And I'm telling you, me having
my attitude or a chip on the shoulder is not going to make
any difference. All that's going to do is just
cause me to go in rebellion against what Almighty God says. A soft,
a tender, a delicate answer. Turneth away wrath. It's the
Word of God that's sharper than any two-edged sword. That's not
my ability. That's not my attitude. We trust
Him. The Scripture says concerning
the Lord, who when He was reviled, Reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not, but committed himself, his cause, to him that judgeth righteously. Committed his cause unto him.
Lord, you know. Lord, you have a people. Lord,
you're going to call your people out. Lord, teach me this day. The Lord Jesus Christ, He was
in this world, suffered at the hands of men that reviled Him,
called Him a devil and a wine-bibber and friend of sinners. He didn't
revile again. He committed Himself unto His
Father. I do always only those things. Pray for grace to commit ourselves
to the situation. that's being governed and ruled
and regulated by Him who is all-powerful, who does as He will in the army
of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, He's going to do
right. He's going to do right. 1 Thessalonians 5.15, See that
none render evil for evil unto any man, but ever follow that
which is good, both among yourselves and to all men. But when we're
tried, here's the confidence that God
Almighty is our shield. Verse 3, the eyes of the Lord
are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. Don't think that the God of all
grace is ignorant of the abuse toward His people. He knows.
He knows. You remember when David was riding
through that city and that fellow come out there and he's picking
up rocks and he was just throwing rocks at David and cussing him
and everything. And one of David's mighty men
said, you want me to go over there and take his head off?
I'd take his head off with one swipe. David said, no, just leave
him alone. The Lord sent him. The Lord said,
you go cuss David. God sent him. The Lord knows not only the open
assaults against His people, but He knows the secret plottings
to do evil toward His own. He knows. He knows. Let me read this in Acts 9. Acts
9 verses 23 to 25. The Lord knows what's going on. Acts 9.23, after that many days
were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill Paul. And their laying awake was known
of Saul. And they watched the gates day
and night to kill him. Then the disciples took him by
night, led him down by the wall in a basket. God knew. This was a chosen vessel of the
Lord. He was going to take that man
right there, Saul of Tarsus, going to call him out of darkness.
There he was, just had letters of authority from the chief priest.
He was going to Damascus. He was going to take all that
were found of the way, going to bind them up, haul them off
to jail. That's what he thought. And there,
that very one that was doing exactly what he wanted to do,
Almighty God stopped him. to call him to himself. And irresistibly,
Saul of Tarsus had no more power to resist God's call than a butterfly
would be able to stop the sun shining. Saul! Saul! Who are you, Lord? I'm Jesus
that you're persecuting. Hard for you to kick against
the bricks. What would you have me to do?"
They just led him right on into Damascus. The Lord sent a preacher
to him. I loved him. Ananias came up
to him. This is how he approached him.
He said, Brother Saul, Brother Saul, Almighty God knows. He is our shield. That's what he told Abraham.
I am your exceeding Great confidence. Your shield. I'm your defender. I'll take care of you. I'll watch
over you. We know that men, unregenerate,
I know that their heart is to do evil against God's people.
But knowing that the eyes of the Lord, that's what verse 3
says. This scripture is given by inspiration
of God. It is profitable for correction,
reproof, instruction in righteousness. The Scripture says that the eyes
of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
Now, I know that's so. I know that in ourselves we'll
question, Lord, have you forgotten? Lord, have you forgotten like
when Martha was talking to the Lord concerning Mary? It was
Mary sitting at the feet of the Lord. Martha came up and said,
Lord, do you not care? Do you not care? He who has everlastingly answered
stood for them as their surety, soon to go to that cross as their
substitute. Do you not care? Do you not care? Martha. Martha. The eyes of the Lord are in every
place. And he sees the evil and the
good. He knows. And I know this, based
on God's Word, a book of remembrance. Physical book? The book of God's
omniscience? I don't know. I don't know. But the Scripture says that a
book of remembrance shall be opened in the day of judgment.
As He has beheld the evil of men, and they're going to be
judged out of those books. It's going to be opened. And
here's the way it is. And this is what you did. And
this is what you thought. And this is what you intended.
This is what you didn't do. And they'll be judged out of
those books. And a book will be opened. The book of life Himself. And everyone It's not found written
in the book. It's going to be cast into the
lake of fire. Now, I'll tell you, I know this. Men scoff now,
but in that day, there will be no place to hide. Isaiah 29,
15, "...woe unto them that seek deep, to hide their counsel from
the Lord. And their works are in the dark,
and they say, Who seeth us? And who knoweth us? The Lord. I know this. Here's the confidence
we have. He who sees the evil also sees
the good. He sees His Son. And those that
are found in Him, in me, that is in my flesh, I know there
dwells no good thing. But I know this. Found in Him. Known in Him. Viewed in Him. He sees his people who are in
this world. He sees us accepted in the beloved,
in the holes of precious blood that is ever fresh, that ever
covers us. Oh, how comforting to know that
the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon those that
hope in his mercy. He takes notice of his heritage.
According to His good providence to do us good, His arm is stretched
forth for our protection, our help, our deliverance. And in
times of temporal and spiritual need, He keeps us on. His eyes are continually upon
His people. And then lastly, the evidence
of submission. to the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's
the evidence of it. Verse 4. A wholesome tongue is
a tree of life. But perverseness therein is a
breach in the Spirit. Here's the evidence of submission. A wholesome tongue. Wholesome
means healing. A healing tongue. submitted to
the Lord Jesus Christ, looking unto Him, seeking Him, asking
Him, Lord, have mercy on me. Proverbs 3.18 says, speaking
of wisdom, the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, it says, wisdom,
she is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy
is every one that retaineth her. Those that know Him, Speak of
Him. Honor Him. Exalt Him. And they wait on Him. Wait. Oh, the sweetness of that attitude
toward Him. And speaking of His goodness
and mercy and grace. Lord, as David said, put a guard
on my tongue. I want to speak aright. I do.
I do. But I'm disappointed I want to. Lord, keep me by your grace.
When Almighty God has put grace in the heart, there's healing. That's what it means. A wholesome
tongue, a tree of life. There's healing in the tongue.
The speech of Him is gracious, seasoned with salt. Salt preserves. When the gospel is preached,
But perverseness, distortion therein is a breach, is a fracture
in the spirit. A false gospel, I can tell you
this, that's the assurance of destruction. The truth set forth
is the means of life through the preaching of the Lord Jesus
Christ. A soft answer. Soft. Lord, help me. Lord, teach me. Lord, keep me.
Lord, that I might honor you. For Christ's sake. Amen.