Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs. Brother Neal was reading that
scripture, I was thinking, his ways are not our ways. He's
done all things well. Oh, it's the same grace of God
that keeps a man, keeps a woman. and all these things, Job said
not. Lord have mercy on me. This morning I'd like for us
to look at the last three verses of Proverbs 13. What a blessed book. I never want to favor to remind all of us of Lord's words concerning
preaching imperatives, problems, mistreatment. Why Lord? Why do you preach like that? Because it is given unto you
to know of the kingdom of God, not to them, it's not given.
Can you imagine? Almighty God would
be pleased to speak to anybody and reveal anything of who man is, who God is, how
God's faith centers. This morning, as we look and
consider the Lord Jesus Christ in these scriptures. If we don't
see Him, we've missed the message. Proverbs 13, 23, much food is
in the tillage of the poor, but there is that is destroyed for
want of judgment. He that spared his rod made it
his son, but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes, the righteous
eateth to the satisfying of the soul, what the belly of the wicked
shall want." There's no sense of joy, there's
no assurance of peace or limit to the desire of thankfulness. from the regenerated child of
God as when the Holy Spirit assures him of the object of the Lord
Jesus Christ as being all of his hope. And that God has not
cast him off. Boy, don't you know when I was
thinking about what Neil just read, I mean, think about this.
I mean, humanly speaking, religion does set forth that if you're
right with God, you're going to have a lot of money, you're
going to have good health, everything's going to blossom, everything's
going to prosper. I don't find that in the Word
of God. I'll tell you this, here's the
promise we do have. In this life, you're going to
have tribulation. You're going to be chastened. In this life, we're going to
suffer. But I'll tell you this, this
is the worst that it's going to be for a believer right now.
This is the worst. Now isn't that comforting? This
is the worst. And the worst for a believer
is in the midst of him saying, I'll never leave you. I'll never
forsake you. I'll never. Lord, there's been
some long nights. There's been some restless days.
There's been some troubled times. I'll never leave you. I'll never
forsake you. Lord, as you say. I think about those last words
when it said that Joe Didn't sin with his mouth, I think. Lord, give me a heart like that. One that's sanctity, thankful,
walks before you. While we struggle in this world
with the presence of sin, we find ourselves constantly agreeing
with the Apostle Paul, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver
me. from the body of this dead. How
long, Lord? How long? We don't foolishly deny that
we find ourselves with that old heart that wants to walk away. We don't say, we never say that
we don't find that nature in ourselves. We know we do. Paul
says, when I would do good by the new man, evil is present
with me by the white water. We're just like the bride described
in the Song of Solomon, five, two, and three, I sleep. Think about right now. Think
about how many times we've kind of, our minds, you know, thought
about, you know, what you did yesterday or what you got to
do tomorrow. This afternoon, I've got some
things, you know, I'm standing here and I'm preaching. And in
myself, I've struggled with the same thing. The bride says I
sleep, but my heart wakes. It's the voice of my beloved
that knocketh, saying, open to me, my sister, my love, my dove,
my undefined. For my head is filled with you
and my locks with the drops of night while God's people are
in this world struggling, seeing the struggle within themselves. He said, I've been there all
the time. During the time of your strugglings within yourself,
I've never left you. Boy, how often do we forget that? Oh, how dreadful even to hear
the answer that the bride gave him. I continued to look at that
passage after he said, open to me. And here's what she said,
I pull off my coat. How shall I put it on? I've washed
my feet. How shall I defile them? You
know, you think about sit down, or maybe go to bed.
Oh, something come up, you know. Would you, would you, let me
call you. Would you mind going over to so-and-so's home? We're just like that. We're just
like that. All that over. Nature, that continually
wars. But thanks be unto Him, that
He always Faithful. Faithful. Here we are today. Ready. Here in this sentence. But when
he says, I'll never leave you, I'll never forsake you, what
and how does he deal with those that he promises to never leave? How does he deal with them? What
does he do? I just preached a minute ago on Christ being the bread
of life. I am the bread of life. He that
eateth me never perisheth. I'm the bread that came down
from heaven. Not as the bread and wilderness, life. Life itself. How does God deal with His people
in never leaving them, never forsaking them? What is going
on? As He said, I'll never leave
you, I'll never forsake you. Here's what it is. As long as we can continually
eat upon Him, feast upon Him who is the bread. I'm talking
about our hungry souls that always If He's created life in you,
you always hunger and always thirst after righteousness. Always. In the midst of whatever. Right
now. Do you long to eat with Him?
Eat of Him? Eat of Him? Yes, I do. How about in the midst of trouble? How about in the midst when you
get that call? I need to eat with you, Lord. I need to eat of you. Lord, I
need to feast on you. I need to taste you. I need to
taste and see that the Lord is good. Always continually eating
upon Him. How does He deal with those that
He loves? They continually eat upon Him
by His grace. And this scripture right here
teaches how God Almighty has done that for us. I am so thankful
that He does not even leave the eating up to me in the power
of my flesh. I know what I will do. I know
what I will do. I need for Him to do something
for me. Without me, He says, you can
do nothing. You can do nothing. Lord, you
mean even eat of you? That's right. Faithful is he who calleth you,
who will also do it. Lord, are you telling me that
you, who are the bread of heaven,
that you don't even leave my feasting upon you to myself? Yeah, that's what I mean. This
is what's taught right here. This is what's being taught.
In our context today, We're going to see how Almighty God, by His
grace and mercy and power, causes us to feast upon Him. Salvation,
my friends, from start to finish, is all of grace. All of grace. Not of works. Let any man should
boast. I'm telling you, if you would...
He'd leave it up to me to feast I've come to a point where I
say, well, I know He called all of us by grace, but I'll be honest
with you, I think more than you do. I hear something glorious. Here's what I know first. Christ
is the sustenance and promise to all needy sinners. Christ
is the sustenance. Verse 23 says, Much food is in
the tillage of the poor, but there is that is destroyed for
want of judgment. Much food is in the plowing of the poor. I know this by the
grace of God. God's made some poor. Poor in
spirit. Blessed, blessed are the poor
in spirit. Those that see themselves by
the grace of God, that are poor in themselves, that's blessed
people. We're talking about some food
here. Much food is in the tillage of the poor. Labor not, John
6, 27, for the meat which perishes, but for that meat, that food
which endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall
give unto you. For him, that's God the Father's
people. That much food, right here, much
food, that's Christ. He's the bread. There's no other
food. No other food. He's the meat.
He's the bread. our salvation, much food. So realize this, when we're talking
about much food, there is no other food. There's no other
much food. There's no other food. He is
our life. Much food is in the tillage of
the poor. He's promised that. He's promised. He said, you will. What do we come to in there?
Our hope, our life, our food, our bread. Much food is in the
tillage of the poor. In the cultivation of the poor. By the Holy Spirit. Remember
the parable that says there were four that had to sow some of
the seeds that were sown. Some of it fell by the wayside. Some of it fell on stony ground. Some of it fell among thorns.
Now, left to that point, man's best efforts are described right
there. Wayside, stony, thorny. You know the parable. Nothing
lastingly was produced. You know that, don't you? Now
think of it. Some of it sprang up for a while.
Some of it looked good. Some of it had some promise.
cares of this world, Satan plucked it away, no worth, no room, no
fruit, no fruit. But some of it fell on good ground,
killed ground, killed ground, made good, made receptive to
receive the seed of God's Word, the fruit of God's Spirit was
brought forth. Some 100 folds, some 60 folds,
some 30 folds. Fruit was brought forth. But
let me ask you this. Where did that fruit come from?
It came from God. God's Spirit. And Almighty God
sets forth right here. There's much food in the tillage
of the poor. But listen, my friend. We're
not the one doing the tilling. Almighty God has by His mercy,
power, and grace, and compassion, and everlasting purpose, made
you good. If He's made you to be good soil,
Paul says, I am what I am by the grace of God. I have nothing
to boast in. All honor and glory and praise
The believer never takes the credit for killing himself. I
mean, think about it. Here's the word preached. If
the pillage right here was left up to me, then I'd have something
to boast about. That'd be the same thing as me
saying, well, I've done that by my own free will. I went out
there and plowed myself. When you were dead, When you
were dead and trespassed and sinned, you prepared yourself
to receive the Word of God? You killed yourself and made
yourself good, made yourself receptive, so that when the Word
of God fell upon you, you'd say, well, where'd the tillage come
from? God. Almighty God. We are what we are by grace.
We never claim to make ourselves poor? Much food is in the tillage
of the poor, that's where it's found. Those that are poor in
spirit, Lord be merciful to me. That old blind barman, when he
heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, here he was,
side of the road, blind, beggar, the Lord Made that man to have
tilled ground. Prepared his heart. When that
heart was prepared, Almighty God had already done something
for him. Or he would have never come. The Lord himself in regenerating
grace calls us a believer to see what he is in himself. The Lord tilled my heart. It's already
been tilled. Lord, show me yourself. He already
has. Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner. He's done that. Almighty God,
who is the food of God's people, in grace and mercy, He comes,
He teaches what He's done for you. Can you realize this, Lord? has made this sinner receptive
to his word. What do I have to offer him? Much food is in the tillage of
the poor, but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment,
for lack of understanding of how God can be How can a man be just before
God? A man, by nature, is going to tell
himself, all my hope is in myself. And that seed that is sown falls
by the wayside and plucked up, destroyed. Lack of understanding,
lack of judgment. Almighty God is the sustenance
of His people. the Lord must make the sinner
needy. I just said that the Lord makes
the sinner needy. How does he do that? Well, verse 24 says, he that
spareth his rod hateth his son, but he that loveth him chasteneth
him to realize what he is in himself. He's a spirit that's raw, that's
hated, that's disowned. I know, humanly speaking, this
is right. I know this is right. It's right. In love and compassion, there's
times that As I would always say, I would
try to maintain control of myself. For an accident, I would try
to tell myself, for an accident, that my children would not be
spanked, that they would not receive spanking, corporal spanking. I would spank them for one thing,
disobedience, disobedience. whenever a parent is brought
to a position to where they're compelled to spank a child. I'll tell you this, it is absolutely
for that child's good. I've said before, children love
to know where the lines are. They love to know the boundaries.
Establish those boundaries Keep it. If you love that child, you're
chasing that child. If you love that child, punish
that child when it's needed. I know it's hard. Man, there's been times that
I think to myself, please, would you please listen to what I'm
saying? I don't want to have to do what I'm going to do. I'm
going to do it. If I tell you, I'm going to do
it. I did it too, didn't I, Granny? Humanly speaking, we've got to. It's imperative, imperative. I'm thankful that the Lord would
teach me that. Scripture says, humanly speaking,
I'm not just telling you, you parents got kids, I'm telling
you the best thing in the world you'll ever do. I've had parents
tell me, say, well I've never thanked my child. I think, oh
my, I don't want to be around them. No, I just give them time
out, folks. Foolishness is bound in the heart
of a child, but the rod of correction should drive it far from him.
Proverbs 19, 18, Chasten thy son while there is hope, and
let not thy soul despair for his crime. Proverbs 29, 15, The rod of reproof
giveth wisdom, but a child let himself bring his mother to shame
so I know this I know that I can I can see that human history
I know that that's that's good that's good advice but I'm looking
at this scripture on how does God make a sinner poor how does
almighty God set forth that he is the sustenance much food is
in the tillage of the poor There is the sword for wall of judgment.
He that spares his rod, hateth his son. And almighty God has
never hated his son. He's never hated his son. This
is my beloved son concerning Christ, whom I'm well pleased.
And all in him, he's everlastingly loved. And will not leave them
to themselves. So what is almighty God going
to do in teaching them their need of Him. I'll tell you what
He's going to do. He's as fair as His rod, as fair
as His son, and He's not going to do it. Every object of God's
mercy is going to be crossed with the gospel of God's grace,
the rod of correction, the rod of truth. This Word is profitable,
that's what the Scripture says, for correction, for reproof,
for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly,
that old word, I know a lot of times we say thoroughly, and
it means the same thing. The fact of the matter is he's
thoroughly, thoroughly furnished unto all good things. What is
he going to do for me? He is not going to allow those
that He's everlastingly loved to go through this world in rebellion
against Him. He's not going to spare the rod
of correction, the gospel of God's grace. This message right
here, that sword that comes out of His mouth, the Word of God
Himself that stops His people in their tracks of rebellion
against Him. Saul of Tarsus was on his way
to Damascus. Letters of authority is going
to take those who are of the way. And he that everlastingly loves Saul
of Tarsus wasn't going to let him go. This is how far you're
going. This is the end of it right here.
And he stopped him on the road to Damascus and he spoke to him
verbally. Saul! Saul, why persecutest thou
me? Who are you, Lord? Saul of Tarsus
that claimed himself to be so religious and listed all of his
credentials over there in the book of Philippians that he,
by the grace of God, said these things that I counted but gain.
I count the loss done with the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ. How does God Almighty bring His people to see their
need of Him as much tillage There's much food in the tillage of the
poor. How does he make them poor? He
does not spare the rod of corruption. He called that sinner Saul of
Tarsus just like he calls every one of them under the preaching
of the gospel. He taught Paul that. Paul said,
I'm not ashamed of the gospel of God. That's the power of God,
unto salvation, unto everyone that believeth. Therein is the
righteousness of God revealed. I know this. If God's going to
show mercy to anybody, it's going to be under this message right
here. This is it. There's no other hope. There's
no other rod of correction. There's no other truth. The gospel. This is the gospel that we preach
that sets forth the Christ that we feast upon. That we eat of. Tell me again. Tell me again. Tell me again of Him. Holy Spirit,
reveal the bread of life to me again. Let me eat again of Him.
God's Word. David says, Psalm 119, 105, Thy
Word is a lamp unto my feet, light unto my path. And God's
people are thankful. Thankful. Thankful. Thankful. If I know that that's the only
rod of correction David said, it's good for me
that I've been afflicted, that I might learn of your statutes. It's good. I told you about Gabe telling
me, big old strapping boy right now, telling me he's standing
taller than I do. He told me one day, he said, Dad, best thing
you ever did for me is for me. He said, I thought I was somebody.
He said, thank you. That's what a believer says to
the Lord. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. That you would not leave me to
myself and to go through this world thinking that I would come
by you. He that spares his rod hateth
his son, but he that loveth him chasteneth him quickly. There will be times, often, and
I'll tell you this, Since He's called us out of darkness, He
corrects us with the same gospel. The Spirit of God takes that
message, draws us to Christ. Lord, if you'd lead me along,
how many times would I go? And then lastly, the Lord will
continually feed those that He makes needy. Verse 25, the righteous
eateth. to the satisfying of his soul,
but the belly of the wicked shall want." Well, that's one of those
you can just almost just read it. You understand it then. Understand where the Lord is
in teaching us. I know that there's times, the
right to eat is to the satisfying of the soul. You know, a lot
of times in the scriptures it talks about believers that live
hunger physically. You know there was a man named
Lazarus and he was just a poor man laid outside the door of
a man that was rich and very sumptuously every day. Lazarus
all he wanted was the bread that fell from the table of a rich
man. Lazarus died and went to the
bosom of Abraham. The rich man died and looked
his eyes out of hell. And you know the story, how the
rich man asked the Lord, Father Abraham of Lazarus, to come and
just dip his fingers, cool his tongue. He said, no, I know that
there are times when believers suffer in this life. I know that
it's like joke. But the scripture says, the righteous
eateth to the satisfying of the soul. It's so He eats of the bread
of heaven, always feasting, times of trouble, times of plenty,
times of... Oh, fear the Lord, ye His saints,
for there is no want to them that fear Him. The young lions
do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall
not want anything. Good thing. Good thing. I tell ya, I know that there's
a lot of things that we might want. I put a little article
in the bulletin today written by Bob Coffey. I thought it was
just outstanding. I just encourage if you didn't
read it, read it. Bob's a dear friend, dear friend of this church.
Old Bob, he's a... I think the Lord taught him something.
And that taught me through him. I like that. I know that sometimes,
you know, we talk about wanting this, maybe we didn't have this,
that and the other, but the scripture sets forth the righteousness,
the satisfying of the soul. If we come today and Almighty
God has fed us Our soul has been satisfied.
Our soul is made whole. But the belly, the heart, the
longing, the desire of the wicked shall want, be in need, but not
God's people. The Lord Jesus Christ is our
sustenance. Almighty God, is going to teach
us that we must eat of Him. As you do that, He's going to
correct us. He's going to show us. And we'll always feast. We'll always eat of Him. Isn't that a precious promise?
Isn't that a wonderful thought? Lord, feed me of Him. Feed me of Christ. Lord, let
me feast upon You. Set the table of Your blessed
Son before my heart. thing, the Christ thing.