again and turn with me to the
book of Proverbs, Proverbs chapter 10. Proverbs chapter 10. I'd like to look at one verse
of Scripture, verse 29, Proverbs 10, verse 29. Let's read our Lord's Word and
hear what He has to say, and then ask His blessings upon what
we've read. The way of the Lord is strength
to the upright, but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity. Let's pray together. Our Father,
again we ask, Lord, would You bless this Word to our hearts, Lord, would You comfort us with
the comfort that only You give. Cause us to see the Lord Jesus
Christ and to behold Him rejoicing in our hearts for Your unspeakable
mercy and grace, compassion in sending Your only begotten Son.
Lord, have mercy upon us for Christ's sake. Amen. This passage of scripture declares
that God has a way. God has, that word actually means
the road, the manner, the direction, the course of life, the way of
the Lord. Now, this way, and this is what
we do when we look at God's Word. We don't rest, W-R-E-S-T. We don't twist them. We don't twist God's Word. What
we do is we look at God's Word, that which He said, and we seek
to see the Lord Jesus Christ in that Word. Because this is
what Almighty God, by His Spirit, this is who is going to be set
forth every time. The way of the Lord. is, according
to that scripture, is said to be strength to the upright, but destruction
to the workers of iniquity. The word shall be is in italics. It's read just like this. Destruction
to the workers of iniquity. Now, his way has to do with acceptance and a walk before Him. The way
of the Lord is strength, power. And you know, I just don't think that there's
any scripture that I can think of that gives a clear revelation. concerning God's way. That's what it says, the way
of Jehovah. There's no Scripture that we
could quote that gives a clearer explanation setting forth of
God's way except John 14, 6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the
way, the truth. and the life. No man cometh unto
the Father but by Me. The way of the Lord is strength
to the upright." Now, you know, David, King David, under the
inspiration of God's Spirit, I know I say that a lot, but
we need to hear it a lot. Remember this, when we read these
Holy Scriptures, remember who the author is. This is God's
Word, the Word of God. All Scripture is given by inspiration
of God. David, under the inspiration
of God's Spirit, of God's way, the way of the Lord. And when
we see in light of God's way, God's way of acceptance, God's
way of approval, God's way of obedience, we would do well to
always take that word way if you just put in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Listen to David, Psalm 1830. His way is perfect. The Lord Jesus Christ is perfect. Psalm 25, verse 8, ìGood and
upright is the Lord. Therefore will He teach sinners
in the way.î He will teach them in Christ, taught of God. What did the Lord say concerning
who? the Spirit of God will speak
of. The Lord said, My Father will send you another Comforter,
and He shall speak of Me. Anytime you hear someone talking
about the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God speaking, if you
don't hear Christ magnified, that's not the Spirit of God
speaking. The Spirit of God speaks of Christ. Honor of Christ. Never are we honored. Never are we to be honored for
our merit, for our good, for our obedience. It is all of Him. All of grace. All of Christ. Psalm 2711. Teach me thy way,
O Lord. Teach me Christ. Teach me of Him. Let me hear
him. Tell me again. I've said this
before. Tell me one more time. Tell me one more time how God
Almighty put away my guilt. When we come to the end of our
life, we're coming and we have moments in this world Tell me one more time, before
I leave this world, you tell me how God put away my guilt. Tell me one more time how He
was my substitute. You tell me one more time how
He put away sin, and I stand before God Almighty, perfect
in Christ. Tell me one more time, because
that's all that matters. Nothing else. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and
lead me in a plain path. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
way of the Lord. And you know God's way has got
to be a way that's in agreement with God's character. God's holy. God is just. And there's no approaching Him
in any other way. I will be approached only in
my Son. This is my beloved Son whom I'm
well pleased. Now you hear Him. The Lord said, I'm the way. I'm the
truth. I'm the life. What about my works? He said, I'm the way. What about
my obedience? I'm the way. What about my will? I'm the way. Almighty God does not look with
acceptance upon anyone because they decided to accept Jesus. God has accepted His people in
Christ, and He tells them about it. And they believe God. I am the way. Job asked this great question,
Job 9.2, I know it is so of a truth. What he's saying is, what I'm
about to ask is a good statement. That's a good question, what
I'm about to ask. How should man be just with God? Now let me tell you
what he just asked. Just. How should man be just
with God? Justified. Same word. Justified. How should man be justified? Let me tell you one more time
so I can hear it too, because I want to hear this. Justification means this, the accusation is made against
a person. The law considers the accusation
and based on not plea bargaining, not underhanded lawyers, I'm
talking about absolute, unerring, unbending law. God's law looks and says no basis whatsoever of guilt. Not guilty. Not guilty. No guilt. No guilt. But I know what I am in myself. I know what I think. I know what
I've done. I know what I've... No guilt. What's the basis of that justification? I'll tell you what it is. It's
the imputed righteousness of Christ But in myself..." I know what
you are in yourself. That's what I am. "...but robed in His righteousness.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them that be in Christ Jesus." Let me read Job's question again. I know it is so of a truth. But
how should man be just with God? How? How? How? Of the thousands of transgressions that passed through my mind,
just don't even worry about what you saw me do or what I actually
performed, those sins of commission or even the sins of omission
that I should have done. This is what I ought to have
done. How? What I am in myself, how? How should man be justified before
God? How is it that the law of God
could look and consider the condemnation, I mean the accusations made against
me? white accusations too. I'm not saying I didn't do it. I
did it. I did it. I'm not justifying myself. I'm
saying that Almighty God justifies sinners. by the way, by Christ. He made sin. Scripture says, He who bore our
sins in His own body. We can go back to that word,
gravity, if you want to. How should a man be just with
God? The way of the Lord is strength.
The way of the Lord is powerful. The way of the Lord is effectual
to the upright. Chosen in God's way. Chosen in Christ. His obedience. My obedience. Are you saying, Marvin, that
what He did, that God charges me with His obedience. That's exactly what I'm saying.
The imputed righteousness, obedience of Christ. Well, that's good news. That's the gospel. That's the
gospel. His death put away my debt that
I hold His broken law. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness for them that believe. The way of the Lord
is strength. It's a fortified place. How fortified? How fortified? The way of the Lord is strength.
How fortified. I will never, no never, no never
forsake you. Because He was forsaken, bearing
our debt, bearing the debt of all that the Father had given
Him in that eternal election of mercy and grace, covenant
of mercy. David said, this is all my salvation. He made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things. Everything was in order and it
was sure. David said, Psalm 1831, Who is
God? Save the Lord. Who is a rock? Save our God. Psalm 95 1. We looked at this
the other day. Oh, come, let us sing unto the
Lord. Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
You know, I just I just can't find any comfort for my eternal
soul resting upon the shifting sands of my ability. Somebody
say, well, if you'll just be faithful to God, I can't. Well, if you just, He wants to
save you if you'll let Him. I can't. I just, there's sin,
just unbelief just so easily besets me. I just, Lord, if you
don't save me in spite of myself, I just can't do it. I just can't do it. I just have no ability. You tell
me about one who is able to save to the uttermost those that come to God by Him. How did He come? God made them willing in the
day of His power. He drove them. What if He wouldn't
have drawn them? They wouldn't have come. I've
got God's Word on that. No man can come, has to do with
ability, except the Father which has sent me draw him. No man can. You say, well, if
you just will, no man can. What's it going to
take? God Almighty is going to have
to say, you're mine. And I draw you. God's people do come, willing
to come in the day of God's power. He gives them a new heart, gives
them a new mind, a new will. That song, out of bondage, darkness,
night, Lord Jesus, I come to you. They do come. They do come.
They come willingly. But you remember who made them
willing. They didn't make themselves willing. Lord, hide me in your strength.
Hide me in Christ. The Lord is my rock, David said,
and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength in whom I'll
trust, my buckler, horn of my salvation, my high tower. Oh,
lead me to the rock that's higher than I, loftier, Exalted, exalted. Let me ask
you, where else can my soul find rest but in Him? The way of the
Lord is strength. To whom is He the strength? Well, it says to the upright.
To the innocent. Those that possess integrity.
Innocent people. But is this innocence or this
integrity, is it found within myself? No. Paul says in Philippians
3, 3, For we are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit
and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. None. The uprightness, the innocence,
the integrity, the perfection of the objects of God's mercy
is found only in the Way Himself. Jeremiah 23, verse 6, In his
days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. And
this is his name, whereby he shall be called the Lord our
righteousness. Did you ever notice how whenever
we talk about salvation, God never gives any honor, any glory,
or any praise to anybody except His Son? That's it. This is my
beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. He didn't mention anybody
else. You hear Him. You hear Him. But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus
who of God is made unto us, wisdom. What do we know about God? Our
wisdom taught us. Righteousness. How much righteousness
have I got before God? The Lord our righteousness. Our
sanctification. Who set us apart? He did. By His Holy Spirit, the Scripture
says we are sanctified in Christ Jesus. Redemption? Who gets all the glory? The way
of the Lord is strength to the upright, but destruction, ruin
shall be to the workers of iniquity. See, this scripture has to do
with doing something. Doing something
for the acceptance before Almighty God. Doing something. Way of
acceptance and obedience. And it is the way of the Lord. Strength. But destruction shall
be to the workers of iniquity. There's a way, Proverbs 14, 12
says, that seemeth right unto a man. It just seems that that
ought to be so. I've always heard that the Lord
wants to do something if I let Him. as a way that seemeth right
unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." The ways
of self-will and self-righteous work seems right. It seems fair. In my spiritual ignorance, it
seems as though that it should be right that those that do the
best they can should While they're striving for a
good standing before God, surely God understands if I'm doing
the best I can. In God's sight, there's none good. How perfect do you have to be
to be accepted of God? Now listen. As perfect as God. As perfect
as God. How? How can I be as perfect
as God? Only as being accepted in Christ. His body. In myself. I am nothing but rebellion and
sin." And he took what I am and made it his own. Go back and
read Psalms. He said, my iniquities have taken
hold of me. And God Almighty dealt with him as my substitute. And he put away the guilt. charged me with His righteousness." Never is our righteousness before
God ever separated from Christ. Never. We are accepted in the
Beloved. Holy Brethren, Paul says. Holy
Brethren. Only in Christ. Don't you ever
think that you're going to approach God apart from Him. Don't you
ever think that God's going to accept you on your own merit. Don't you ever think that God
will accept you on your own works. The workers of iniquity. Who
are those? Everyone that's not found in
Christ. The workers of iniquity. What
is it? Ruin. Ruin. Only in Him. In closing, Psalm
24, 3 and 4, who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Alright,
let me tell you what it just said. Who is going to approach God?
Who is going to approach God? Who shall ascend into the hill
of the Lord, into Jehovah? Who shall stand in His holy place? Let me tell you who it is. He that hath clean that is innocent
and free from guilt, pure, he that hath clean hands, and a
pure or a beloved and proven heart." Faithful, faithful, faithful. All that will stand before God
Almighty accepted is going to have innocent, pure, guiltless
and a proven heart that never deviated one time before God. A proven heart, never deviated
one time, never thought one thought of disobedience before God. You say, well, I just didn't
know that the standard was so high. I didn't realize it was
that high. I thought, He who hath not lifted up his
soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. How is it that God Almighty is
going to accept? How should a man be just with
God? I'll tell you. The way of the Lord is strength. What do I do? What do I do? Come to Him. Come to Him. Believe Him. A man or woman that comes to
Christ, I'll tell you this, will forsake everything they ever
trusted in. I made a profession of faith
when I was nine. Are you trusting in that profession?
Are you trusting in Christ? Are you looking to your works?
Are you looking to Christ? Are you looking to your baptism?
Are you looking to Christ? Who is your hope? The way of the Lord is strength.
The ruin is to all the workers of iniquity. May God Almighty
have mercy on us. You know what I need? I need
Him. I tell you this, God doesn't
save preachers. You know, He saves sinners. And that's what I am. I'm a sinner. And I need a Savior. I need God
Almighty to have mercy on me. When I stand before God, I don't
want to stand pleading my own righteousness. Oh, that I might
be found in Him For Christ's sake, God have mercy on me. For Christ's sake, Amen.