Turn with me, if you would, to
Proverbs 14. I was thinking about that passage
that Brother Carl just read. Verse 6 says, My soul waited for the Lord more than they that
watch for the morning. I say more than they that watch
for the morning. There's a sense, especially in the middle of the night, I don't
know what it is about the night. Have you ever noticed that things
are always worse? They're always worse. You start thinking about something
and your mind's fixed on it. It's hard, it's grieving, whatever
it is, it's the night. And you think if the sun would
just come up, if I could just see the daylight, it'd be better,
I'm sure. to the believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ. I know that we're in a dark world,
a world that in itself doesn't know our God. And we wait. We wait for the bright morning
star, don't we? We wait more than they did watch
for the morning. We know something of our hope.
And for Him we look. That was good, Carl, thank you. I want you to take your Bibles
and turn them to Proverbs 14. I want you to hold your place
right there and turn with me to 1 Corinthians while you hold
place in Proverbs. 1 Corinthians chapter 2. I want to read something to you.
1 Corinthians 2, I'd like to read verses 9 to 16. 1 Corinthians 2, 9 to 16, but as it is written, I have
not seen nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of
man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit. For the Spirit
searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what
man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which
is in him? Even so, the things of God knoweth
no man but the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the
spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that
we might know the things that are freely given to us of God,
which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom
teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches. Comparing spiritual
things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth
all things, yet he himself is judgeth no man. For who hath
known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? For we have
the mind of Christ. Verse 11, just reading that verse
again, For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit
of a man which is in him? Even so, the things of God knoweth
no man but the Spirit of God. Back in Proverbs 14. I'm going
to look at one verse of Scripture today. Proverbs 14.10 says, ìThe heart
knoweth his own bitterness, and a stranger doth not intermeddle
with his joy.î Now, a marvelous truth is set
forth in 1 Corinthians 2, that scripture we just read a moment
ago. Almighty God is pleased to reveal
that the heart of the regenerated center, the understanding of a regenerated
center, he possesses an understanding
that this world doesn't know. He understands something. deep things. Things that cannot
be known except God reveals them. Things about Himself. Things
about Almighty God. Things about this world. He knows
something about what's going on. Things that are hidden. from the wise and the prudent. Wise in themselves. They think
they're wise. They think they know something.
Things that are revealed unto babes. Things that God reveals
to children. Men and women growing up with
children. It's simple. God reveals to them. Things that the Lord Jesus Christ and for revealing them unto whomsoever
he will. How wonderful is the revelation
of Almighty God's love to his church. A love that absolutely had no
beginning. Every time I think of eternity,
none of us can, but we just can't understand Something never started. It's just a hallway spin. I've
loved you with an everlasting love. And I'm absolutely convinced
that there sits here this morning, some that Almighty God has called
out of darkness and has told us of things. I pray that I'm
one of them. I pray that God show mercy to
me. I believe He has. I believe He has. I know whom
I have believed. I'm persuaded. And while I'm
persuaded, I strive after to make my calling and election
sure. I constantly, every time I read something, I hear somebody
preach or something concerning the mark of a believer, man,
my ears just perk up. I want to hear that. I want to
listen to that part right there especially. I mean, has God taught
me something? shown concerning his blessed
Savior, that he's provided the surety of the sheep that has
forever stood as the federal head representative. He was made
flesh as the glorious representative before God Almighty, the one
that Almighty God would look to only. Now you think about
that. God Almighty, or since God Almighty,
is only going to look to the Son. Do you know what I want? I want to be found in the Son.
Oh, Paul says that I might know Him, that I might be found in
Him. That's God's people. They long
after Christ, they hunger after Christ, they seek Him. Oh, the martyrs. of Almighty
God's revelation to His people. The three-fold character of His
persons. Father, Son, Spirit. That God Himself, Father, Son,
and Spirit would reveal the things of God to His people. Preserving grace. Isn't that
a marvelous would reveal. These things have got to be taught. They've got to be taught. The
things of the Spirit are spiritual, and they cannot be perceived
by the flesh. It's just taught, revealed. Job 11.7 says, Canst thou by
searching Find out God. Thesau, find out the Almighty
unto perfection. Do you think that a man in himself
has the ability? Find out God. But God hath revealed them unto
us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the
deep things of God. We talk about things here and
we search them out in the Scriptures. We prove them. This is what we do. We look to
Scripture to prove Scripture. If you can't be like those that
were real, don't take anything I say at face value. You search
it out for yourself. They searched the Scriptures
to find out if that was so. Well, Marvin said, well, what
difference does it make if I can't back it up with Scripture? If
I can't back up what I'm saying with the Word of God, then don't
believe it. If it's not in the Word of God, don't believe it.
But if it is in the Word of God, we best believe it. Let God be
true. Let every man be a liar. Oh,
these glorious truths. They may be acknowledged with
a mouth and a great tooth and a head, but without a heart for
it. There's no enjoyment. There's
no peace. There's no comfort. But if Almighty
God has settled my heart, if He taught me, as I said last
week, this is real. This is real. He stopped for
just a second. And I know, we just read it a
moment ago, I have not seen, I fear have not neither has entered
into the heart of man those things that God has prepared for His
people. But I do know this, though I see through a glass darkly,
by the grace of God I see. And I truly believe that there
will come a time when I will not breathe anymore in this world,
and I'm going to see Him. I'm going to see Him as He is. I believe that. I rest my soul Things that were foggy, perfectly
clear, perfect understanding, perfect sight, perfect hearing. I think of those that have gone
before us, some that have been in our midst, and now, based
upon a profession of their faith, I truly believe we've seen some
leave and gave a good hope. of God. This is real, real. We're here this morning to learn
some things, to be taught some things. To a believer in the
Lord Jesus Christ, his soul has a saving knowledge of Christ. There's a true acquaintance with
the God of all grace. There's an intimacy that this
world doesn't know anything about. In verse Corinthians we read
in 2 verse 14, the natural man receives not the things of the
Spirit of God, but God's people. They do. They hear. Man by nature, he doesn't seize
and hold on. But for those that know him,
they do. These things are foolishness
of some. but to those that are being saved,
their life, their peace, their joy. This new birth, what a miracle. What a miracle of God's grace.
And here's what we've learned. I'm going to look at this one
verse, and I'm going to take from 1 Corinthians 2, these things
that are revealed, that are taught, here's what we know. The heart
knoweth his own bitterness, and a stranger does not intermeddle
with his joy. The new man, that believer, he
knows something of himself. troubles of his soul, the bitterness
that he still sees in himself. Paul said, I see, I see in me,
I see in me there dwells no good thing. To will I would desire to be able to
just sit down and pray consistently. And I never cease to amaze myself
how inconsistent I am. Asking the Lord to forgive me
for inconsistency, and while I'm asking for forgiveness for
inconsistency, I'm wondering. If God Almighty charged an equity
to His people, I'm doing the same things in my heart. If not
outwardly, I'm doing them in my heart that any other person
does. And if Almighty God would mark
or charge me with it, how could I stand before God? The heart knows his own bitterness. He knows something of the presence
of sin against this new man. He knows something about the
inconsistencies, and it grieves him. I loathe myself. That joke is in there. I loathe
myself. Brothers may hear his words,
and they may hear what I'm saying right now. I hear what you're
saying, Marvin, but nobody knows the heart of a man but the man.
That's what we read in 1 Corinthians. No man knoweth the spirit of
a man, but the man. Nobody knows what goes on inside.
The regenerated sinner is in this world, but he's not of it. And I'll tell you this, seeing something and knowing
something of his own bitterness is a wonderful blessing. is a
wonderful blessing. That's what Paul the Apostle
thanked the Lord for. In Romans 7, that last verse
in Romans 7, I'll read it to you. He said, I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord, so then with the mind, the new man, the
new man, I serve the law of God. and draw that man, cast himself
afresh on God Almighty. Here I am admitting, I'll tell
you, I'll admit my own bitterness, I know, I know. But while I'm
admitting my own bitterness, I can readily say, I need Him. I need mercy. I need grace. I need comfort. I need for the
Lord to do something for me daily. Lord, just like you took that
basin of water and showed in that perfect example where you
took a basin of water and you were going to wash the disciples'
feet, and Peter said, Lord, you're not going to wash my feet. He
said, if I don't wash your feet, if I don't wash your walk, Lord,
if you don't continually bathe my walk, that is collecting the
dust that so easily hangs upon me. Lord, if you don't wash me
afresh of the precious blood and bring back to my memory that
which you've done for me, Lord, how could I walk? Lord, cleanse
me afresh this morning. The heart knoweth his own bitterness. We see in that seeing of bitterness,
We see something, our life, and our hope, and our joy. Listen to Paul, 1 Timothy 1.1.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our
Savior, and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope. Our hope. Yes, I do see something of myself.
I do know something about myself. I do grieve over that which I
see within myself, but I know this, seeing something of myself
and the bitterness of my old soul, my old heart, God's done
something for me. Because I know by nature I wouldn't
care. It wouldn't more bother me than
a man in the mountain. We just sang this song, I think,
or I read it yesterday, Gary, or something, years. I spent
vanity and pride. I didn't care that the Lord was
crucified. I didn't care. Oh, I'm not going
to come out and say that outwardly. I don't want anybody to think
I'm a heathen, but I didn't care. I just didn't care. But see,
the only problem is, is that God knew that He would show mercy
to me and give me a heart after Christ. It showed me what I am
by nature. That's what he told Peter. Peter
said, Lord, everybody else will forsake you. I'll never forsake
you. I'll never forsake you. And the
Lord told Peter, he said, Peter, Satan has desired to have you
in the siftiest wheat. Now here's Peter, a believer. Peter is a believer. and sift his wheat. But when
you're converted, strengthen the brethren. Here was Peter,
a believer, that denied the Lord three times. When you're converted, not in
the new birth, he was already converted. But when I show you
that what I'm saying is so, and you remember it, strengthen the
brethren. The third time the scripture
says that he denied the Lord. They said, you're one of them.
Your speech betrays you. I know something about that.
Somebody say to me, you're not from around here, are you? How
do you know? Your speech betrays you. You
don't talk like you're from around here. That's what they said to
Peter. You were with him. You're one
of his disciples. I don't know the man. I don't
know. And the scripture says that third
time he betrayed the Lord, denied him. And that rooster crowed
that second time. And in one of the accounts, the
scripture says, and the Lord looked at him. He just looked. Can you imagine,
the scripture says Peter went out and wept bitterly. Peter,
when you're converted, strengthen the brethren. Lord, show in me
something of the bitterness of my soul and reveal to me your
mercy and grace and comfort to this sinner saved by your grace. The scripture sets forth in Luke
2, verse 25, 30. There was an old man named Simeon. And behold, there was a man in
Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. The same man was just and devout,
waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Ghost was
upon him. And it was revealed unto him
by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen
the Lord Christ. And he came by the Spirit into
the temple. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to
do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up
in his arms and blessed God and said, Lord, now let us thy servant
depart in peace according to thy word, for mine eyes have
seen thy salvation. A man that knows something of
the bitterness of his heart. And God has shown him the need
that he has of Christ Jesus. He's seen God's salvation. The
Lord is merciful to those that He reveals their need of Christ. Do you need Him? Do you see continually the bitterness
of your own heart? That's a wonderful, wonderful...
I remember what Brother Scott said one time. He said, a sinner. Boy, that is a precious thing.
Because there's so few of them. There's so few that you find. I'm not talking about just folks
that are just religious. Everybody's religious. Everybody's prospering. Everybody's a Christian. I tell
you, every sinner that I've found that needs Christ, they need
Him. They're going to follow Him.
They're going to long after Him. The heart knows its own bitterness. And knowing his own bitterness,
he knows his native Christ, his hope, his joy. And a stranger does not intermingle
with his joy. What does that mean? It just
means that a stranger to the glory of God, a stranger to the
grace of God, a stranger to the Christ, he doesn't mix with that
believer's joy. That's what it is. It's foolishness
under him. He doesn't share. He doesn't
partake of the joy of a child of God. Now, to perceive the
heart of a believer's joy, you must understand what I'm talking
about when I say joy. Joy. Joy doesn't necessarily
mean that I'm necessarily outwardly or inwardly happy. Brother Henry Mahan asked Brother
Walter Gruber one time, He said, Walter, you happy down here in
Mexico? He said, happiness doesn't have
anything to do with it. He said, I believe this is where God wants
me. He struggled, struggled, struggled, still struggling,
struggling, struggling. Walter Gruber, I heard it said
one time, he went down to Mexico. and died right there. He died. He died for himself, for us all. Was he a sinner? Absolutely he
was a sinner, saved by the grace of God. God Almighty gave that
man a heart. This is where God wants me to
be. And this is where I find my joy. In the midst of struggles
and strife, there's joy. Nehemiah 18, for the joy of the
Lord is your strength, the joy, that which makes glad. I thank God, that God Almighty
would allow me the privilege to be here with you this morning.
He left me to myself. There's no telling where I'd
be. I'm telling you. But I'm here in Katy, West Virginia,
like Brother Carl was talking about, a place where God's been
pleased to raise up And this taught this sinner,
saved by the grace of God, something of the Lord Jesus Christ and
His mercy and kindness to me, to reveal to me that Christ has
satisfied God's demand for righteousness and joy. Do we have struggles? Yes, we do. The believer is joyful in his
heart, thankful. He knows something of the struggles,
of the bitterness, and he knows that man by nature does not understand
him. A stranger does not intermeld
with his joy, but he knows who his hope is, and he rests. A believer can say, Psalm 359,
ìAnd my soul shall be joyful in the Lord.î And it rejoices
in salvation. Joyous, instead of not that feeling
of emotional, outward. Man, there's some folks this
morning I know that's hurting. They're hurting. They're struggling. They're struggling. And I know
you are. And my heart struggles with you.
I know you do. I know you do. But I'll tell
you this, in the midst of your struggles, you know to whom you
have believed. And you're persuaded that He's
able to keep you, aren't you? Yes, you are. Yes, you are. God's people. They know something
of the bitterness of this life, in this world, out of it. But
they rejoice in Christ. And they rest in Him, and they
know that they're kept by the power of God through faith until
the day of salvation. And they rejoice in the midst
of that bitterness, and they heartily thank the Lord's glory
for His mercy and compassion to keep them. Knowing that He's
everlastingly loved them. I love this. The scripture says,
and the Lord loved them to the end. He loved them to the end. Oh, may the Lord bless these
words to our hearts, for Christ's sake. Amen.