What The Lord Alone Can Give

Q: What does the Bible say about spiritual death?

The Bible teaches that spiritual death means there is no life of Christ in a person, as seen in Ephesians 2:1. Spiritual death refers to a state where a person is devoid of any spiritual life in Christ. As indicated in Ephesians 2:1, we are told that we were dead in trespasses and sins. This concept underscores the gravity of humanity's fallen condition due to Adam's rebellion, where man, in his natural state, lacks understanding, love, and desire for God. Such a person is blind to their spiritual need and thinks they can bring forth good in themselves, although scripture asserts that 'there is none good, no not one' (Romans 3:12). It is only through God's revelation that one comes to realize this dire spiritual condition and the necessity of divine intervention for salvation.

Q: How do we know salvation is a gift from God?

Ephesians 2:8-9 asserts that salvation is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast. The truth that salvation is a gift from God is firmly established in the scriptures, particularly in Ephesians 2:8-9, which states, 'For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.' This illustrates the sovereign grace of God in salvation, highlighting that it is unmerited and solely based on God's grace. Furthermore, as Proverbs 11:21 notes the certainty of punishment for the wicked yet promises deliverance for the seed of the righteous, it reiterates God's election and purpose in saving a people for Himself, showcasing that salvation originates in God's will and not in human endeavor.

Q: Why is the righteousness of God important for Christians?

The righteousness of God is vital as it assures believers their standing before God, being clothed in Christ's righteousness. The righteousness of God is paramount for Christians because it is through Christ's righteousness that believers are accepted before God. In Isaiah 61:10, it is stated, 'I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.' This signifies that our justification is not based on our own merits but on Christ’s perfect obedience and sacrifice. Moreover, understanding that our righteousness is rooted in Christ protects us from the deception of self-righteousness, which the Bible compares to 'filthy rags' (Isaiah 64:6). Hence, relying on God's righteousness grants believers peace and assurance in their eternal security, knowing they are seen as righteous in His sight.

Q: How does God change the desires of a believer?

God gives believers new desires and affections through the Holy Spirit, altering their hearts to seek Him. God changes the desires of a believer by renewing their heart and mind in Christ. The scripture teaches that when one is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, they receive a new heart that longs for righteousness and the things of God. For instance, the Proverbs 11:23 states that 'the desire of the righteous is only good,' revealing that true spiritual transformation results in a desire for good and holy things. Theologians often refer to this as the 'new affections' granted to the elect, a change that stands in stark contrast to their former desires governed by sin. Philippians 2:13 also affirms this by stating, 'For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure,' highlighting that it is God's grace that cultivates these righteous desires within believers.

Let's take our Bibles again and
turn to Proverbs 11. Proverbs chapter 11. I'd like to look at verses 21 to
23. I've entitled this message, What
the Lord Alone Can Give. You know, this is only known
by divine revelation, what I'm about to say. Only God can teach
this, that a man, as he's born in Adam, is spiritually dead. Now, only a believer knows that.
A man by nature thinks he's not. A man thinks he can. The Lord says he can. And when
we say spiritually dead, we've heard that term, you know, they're
dead in trespasses and sins. Now, this this is what it means.
There's no life of Christ there. When you talk about spiritual
death, that's what it means. There's no life. There's no.
Lord said I'm the way, the truth, the life, life, life is in Christ,
life, true life. I know I know what we talk. You
know, we're. Physically, I know that there's a physical life,
but spiritual death means that there's no life of Christ there.
Now, when Adam rebelled against God, he died spiritually. That's why he didn't die immediately.
He didn't die physically then. Eventually he did. But we die
physically because we're spiritually dead in rebellion against God
and that sin, That sin that we still have the presence of, we're
going to die physically. But spiritual death is no life
of Christ is there. Man by nature has no spiritual
life, he has no covering for his spiritual nakedness, and
he has no desire for God, no understanding, no love. If a
sinner possesses anything good, All good and perfect gifts come
from above, from the Father of lights. There's none good, don't
I want. There's nothing good. I know
that there's, even in carnal man, I know that there are some
things that we might consider commendable. You know, well,
that's a commendable. You know, that's a commendable
attitude. You had a, you know, that's commendable. But when we talk about good,
as God is good, then there's none good. No, not one. So there's nothing good. So I
want to look for a few minutes this morning out of these Scriptures,
verses 21, 23, Proverbs 11, and consider Blessings that are given in Christ
to those that God Almighty saves by His grace. Now, these are
gifts that only the Lord can give. The first one is God gives life
and salvation. It's a gift. It's the gift of
God. The gift of God. Life. Now, look at verse 21, Proverbs
11. Though hand joined in hand, the
wicked shall not be unpunished, but the seed of the righteous
shall be delivered. Now, though hand join in hand,
the wicked shall not be unpunished. That's the first part we're going
to look at. The word hand there, it means power. Power. Not all power. You know that all power is given
unto the Son, but it means a false sense of power. It's where you
think. You know, man thinks. Though
hand, though power, a false sense of power. Though a false sense
of power joined hand, a false sense of power, it's going to
prove to be the unregenerate's downfall. Now, a rebel against
Almighty God is going to think that he's got the ability to
do something. He's going to think, in his mind,
he thinks that he's got power. Now, listen to this. Isaiah 28, 15. Because ye have said, we have
made a covenant with death, and with hell we are at agreement. When the overflowing scourge
shall pass through, it shall not come unto us." Now listen to what they say.
Listen to what they say. We have made lies our refuge,
and under falsehood have we hid ourselves." Now let me tell you
what just happened. The Spirit of God just gave revelation
to what they were really saying. Nobody is going to stand up today
and say, I have made lies my refuge. You're not going to say
that outwardly. You know why you're not going
to say that outwardly? It's because your heart is desperately wicked
and it's deceitful above all things. And you can't know it. I can't know it either. Not the
wicked heart. It's desperately wicked. There's
nothing that's more deceitful. Here's what man says. We believe
that there is a God. Well, as I've said before, the
devils believe that. We believe that man is going
to die. We've looked around and we've
seen other men dying. We believe, probably going to happen to me
too. We believe that there's going to be a judgment. We believe that hell is real.
But I know this, judgment is not going to come to us because
We've made a refuge. We've got ourselves a refuge.
It's a refuge and a foundation upon which we've built our house.
Now you think about this. Think about what all men by nature
are going to say in their heart. Wherever they go, you know, man's
religious by nature. I won't tell you the story again
about the Mayans. I've told you that so many times.
Man's religious. He's a religious creature. He's
going to worship. He's going to worship something.
And he's going to build him a foundation, a house upon a foundation. And they're going to say, man
by nature says, I'm going to tell you what my foundation is.
It's either my denomination or it's my profession of faith or
it's my self-righteous works or it's my faithfulness to my
religion." Now you know that man by nature
is going to say, I've got a hope. And there's only two messages
that's being preached. It's either works, man's works,
or it's grace. And as I've said, it doesn't
matter what the name of the denomination is. If it's not that salvation is
all of grace, that salvation is of the Lord, that God's sovereign,
that God does as He will in the army of heaven among the inhabitants
thereof, if it's not that, then just listen to it and I'm telling
you, it's going to be worse. It can't be anything else. Where
else are you going to go? Either God does it all, Or man's
got a part in it. It can't be anything else. Where
else are you going to go? Now, the false religionists,
and I'm telling you that we're all born like that. All of us
think like that. Every one of us. It's not until
God gives a new heart that a man sees things in light of God's
Word. as he's born in Adam, says, and
his conduct reveals it, we've joined hands and we've entered
into a pact. I've entered into a pact with
my religion. I've entered into a pact with
my works. I've entered into a pact with my deeds and with my thoughts. And this vile process is witnessed
every day, and you know what I'm saying is so. Man by nature,
he joins hands. The Scripture says, with death
and hell. That's why He said, because we've
made a covenant, we've entered in. You got my hand on this one. We've entered into a covenant
with death and with hell. We're at agreement. And they're
saying, We know that death and hell, we're good with this because
we have, and they'll start naming off, though hand joined in hand. When the overflowing scourge
comes through, it's not going to hurt us. God said, you've made lies your
refuge. Though hand joined at hand, the
wicked is not going to be unpunished. Listen, you join hands with your
self-righteous works. You join hands with your denomination
or you join hands with anything other than dropping all that you have. As Brother Scott used to say,
if a man can come to Christ empty-handed, that empty-handedness is something.
He's coming as a helpless sinner. I'm not joining hands with anything
in this life or by my ability. I'm looking to Christ by faith.
Though hand joining hand, power joins power. The wicked is not
going to be unpunished, but the seed of the righteous shall be
delivered. I want you to turn to Psalm 22. I'm going to just show you what
he's talking about when he says the seed, the seed of the righteous. Psalm 22, verse 30. Psalm 22,
30. Here is what the Scripture says.
A seed shall serve him. It shall be accounted to the
Lord for a generation. A seed shall serve him. Turn over to Isaiah 53. Isaiah
53, verse 10. Isaiah 53, 10, Yet it pleased
the Lord to bruise him. Now, you listen. Here's the Lord
Jesus Christ upon the cross, made sin. Paul the Apostle said,
I was crucified with Him. All of God's elect there in Him. Boy, there's a mystery. All God's
elect, I was crucified with Christ, Paul said. There I was getting
exactly what I deserve in a substitute. It pleased the Lord. It pleased Jehovah to bruise
Him. He hath put Him to grief. And
when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall
see His seed. He shall prolong his days and
the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. The seed
of the Lord, the very life of Christ Himself in all of his elect, a seed shall
serve him. God's got a people. A seed. And the Scripture sets
forth, the seed of the righteous shall be delivered. God's going
to deliver them. God's going to save them. God's
going to redeem them. God's going to have them. The
Father chose them. The Son lived for them and died
for them. And they died in Him. There the
justice of God, Almighty God, was pleased to bruise the Lamb. And the seed was delivered in
Him, died in Him, buried with Him, rose with Him, ascended
with Him, seated with Him. Though hand joined in hand, The
wicked shall not be unpunished, but the seed of the righteous
shall be delivered." They're going to be saved. Isn't that good? Salvation is
all of grace. My sheep hear my voice. I know
them. They follow me. I give unto them
eternal life. They shall never perish. Neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand. They're going to
be delivered. Here's the second thing that God gives. He gives
spiritual beauty and absolute righteousness, the righteousness
of God. Look at verse 22. As a jewel
of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without
discretion. Now, that which is without discretion
describes that fair woman. I'll show you what it's talking
about right here. This fair woman, and let me just tell you who
I believe the Scripture sets forth her to be because of that
which is without discretion. But if it had just said a fair
woman, well, I mean, we could say, well, that could be the
bride of Christ. But this is one that's without discretion,
without grace, without understanding, without perception, spiritual
perception. This fair woman is actually Mystery
Babylon. It's false religion, the mother
of harlots, abominations of the earth. You say, but it says she's
a fair woman. Well, yeah, she's a fair woman
that is without discretion. The bride's got discretion. They've
got some understanding. They know something. Let me read
Revelation 17 for you. was arrayed in purple and scarlet."
This is Mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots. She was arrayed
in purple and scarlet colored and decked with gold and precious
stones and pearls. And she was fair to somebody.
She was fair to somebody. Let me show you who she was fair
to. Revelation 18. Turn there. Revelation 18. We studied this
a couple of times. Revelation 18, verse 8. Revelation
18, let me show you who she was fair to. She was fair, but she
was fair without discretion. She was beautiful to somebody. Who? Revelation 18, verse 8,
Therefore shall, this is in her destruction, her plagues come
in one day, death and mourning and famine, and she shall be
utterly burned with fire For strong is the Lord God who judges
her, and the kings of the earth who have committed fornication
and live deliciously with her." The great harlot is all false
religion. And everybody that worships her,
they're going to see they live deliciously with her. They shall
bewail her and lament for her when they shall see the smoke
of her burning standing afar off. for the fear of her torment,
saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city,
for in one hour thy judgment is come." You know, over in Proverbs 7,
I won't read it, but you turn back there. Proverbs 7 is the
proverb that set forth this strange woman. She was the strange woman, you
know, flatters with her mouth, the one that was loud and stubborn.
She lies at wait at every corner. She catches the simple, seduces
him with her lies. She's fair to the unregenerate.
You know, the good man's gone. Lie with me. Oh, let's take our
fill of loves. She sounds right. She looks good. But she's without discretion.
Oh, I'm telling you, Just listen. Let me turn on the television.
Linda will ask me, she says, why do you watch that? She said,
do you just do you just want to get mad? Evidently. It's going to make me mad and
I'll watch. And to the unregenerate, what
could sound more right than God wants to bless you all? God wants
to bless you. He wants to open up the windows
of heaven and just pour out a monetary blessing upon you. This is your
day of liberation. Today there are 1,400 lines available. Just call. Send your money. Give your money to God. We'll
give you our address. It sounds right. Surely God does
want to bless me. all of this out for beauty. It's
like a jewel of gold in a swine's snout. You put an expensive jewel in
a swine's snout. Now let me ask you something.
Does it really make the pig look any different? It's just a pig. You put a jewel
A swine's snout. And you think, I'm going to make
this beautiful. That's a beautiful pig. Check
out that jewel in that swine's snout. You dress up false religion
and array her with purple and jewels and gold. Magnificence,
and you use God's name, and you say salvation, and you speak
of Jesus Christ, and you try to dress it up all that you want
to, and to the carnal mind, it looks good, but it's odious. It's out of place. But, oh, what truly makes one
beautiful. There's one thing that makes
one beautiful. I will greatly rejoice in the
Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my
God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He
has covered me with the robe of righteousness." A glorious
church, not having spot, blemish. There is what God says is beautiful.
You put a gold jewel or diamond jeweled in a swine's snout, and
that's all you've got. It's not beautiful. It doesn't
do anything for that pig. But you robe a man or a woman
in the righteousness of Christ. And the Lord said, You're beautiful. Thirdly, the Lord gives a new
longing and a new delight. The desire of the righteous is
only good, but the expectation of the wicked is wrath." What can the wicked hope for? Based on joining hand in hand, they're not going to go unpunished.
You try to dress up. false religion, and you try to
make it beautiful in whose eyes? Now, you have to understand something. What looks beautiful to you or
to me in my carnal mind and what's beautiful to God is two different
things. I might say, man, I tell you
what, I don't know about you all, And I'm telling you, I'm pretty faithful. I'm pretty,
you know. What looks good to carnal man
has nothing to do with it. God Almighty's got to give me
new eyes to see. A jewel in a pig's snout, that's
not beautiful. The robes of self-righteousness,
that robes The man trying to earn his righteousness before
God, he goes, look what I built me, a robe. Here's my robe. God said, that's filthy rags.
Ain't it beautiful? The expectation of the wicked
is what he's going to get, the wrath of God. But the desire of the righteous
One made so by the grace of God. Not righteous in Himself. You
know that. We don't establish, we don't maintain our righteousness
before God. We are righteous robed in Him. We are regenerated by His grace. We are kept by the power of God
through faith. God Almighty keeps the expectation,
the desire of the righteous is only good. David said, One thing
have I desired of the Lord that I will seek after, that I may
dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold
the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple. Let me
ask you something in closing. Do you desire Him? Now let me ask you this. Do you desire Him above all things? I pray God give me a desire like
that. And I'm telling you, I ask that
question to you, and I'm telling you, my heart just, oh, Lord,
I'm so sorry. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. I want Him. I do. I want to know
Him. As Paul said, oh, that I might
know Him. I believe I know Him. I believe
I do. I believe God's done something
for me. But I'm going to tell you something. I need the sweet
whispers of His assuring grace today. Lord, speak to my heart. Don't leave me alone. Lord, draw
me to Yourself. Lord, keep me. Lord, help me.
I need so desperately. I need the Lord to do something
for me. I get so sick and tired of my stupidity. If you only knew how I struggle
with myself. I make myself so sick. Somebody
says, well, man, you're kind of hard on yourself, Marvin.
Not hard enough. I justify so much. Delight thyself also in the Lord,
and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." The literal
of that last part is, thy heart's desire. Delight thyself also
in the Lord, and he shall give thee thy heart's desire. Oh, that I might know him. Though
hand joined in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished. The
seed of the righteous shall be delivered. As a jewel of gold
in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman that's without discretion.
The desire of the righteous is only good, but the expectation
of the wicked is wrath." Brother Gary, you come.

What The Lord Alone Can Give

What does the Bible say about spiritual death?

How do we know salvation is a gift from God?

Why is the righteousness of God important for Christians?

How does God change the desires of a believer?

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About Marvin Stalnaker

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What The Lord Alone Can Give

What does the Bible say about spiritual death?

How do we know salvation is a gift from God?

Why is the righteousness of God important for Christians?

How does God change the desires of a believer?

Sermon Transcript

About Marvin Stalnaker

Comments

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