Let's pray together again. Our Father, again, we thank You
for the blessedness of Your Word, Your kindness and Your grace
to show us of Yourself and of Your mercy toward us. Help us
this morning again as we continue to look into Your Scriptures.
Teach us of Yourself. For Christ's sake, Amen. Turn with me to Proverbs chapter
10. Proverbs 10. And let's take up
where we left off last time. Proverbs chapter 10. Last time we finished with verse
9, in the latter part of verse 9. Proverbs 10 says this, but
he that perverted his ways shall be known. He'll be known especially
in the day of judgment. But I'll tell you, there's a
sense, truth that those that are perverted in their ways and
that pervert their ways are known now. They are inconsistent with the
Scriptures. Verse 10 says, He that winketh
with the eye causes sorrow, but a prating fool shall fall. You know, we have been told,
He that winketh with the eye causes sorrow. We looked at that
back in Proverbs 6, 13. It said the same thing. Same
thing. He that winketh with the eye.
And it means just exactly when you think about it what it says.
When somebody says something and they, you know, willful deception. That's what
it means. He that winketh with the eye.
Now you know what I mean. You're with me on this, aren't
you? You know, somebody will pull something over on them. And a prating fool, chattering fool. That's what
verse 8, we just looked at that in verse 8. Why does the Spirit
of God often write something over and over and over. It's
because we're so prone to forget. We just forget. Maybe the Lord
said that previously, but it's not relevant now. No. Be reminded. Remember. This morning I'd like to speak
on the subject of the speech and the life of a believer. Now
to verses 11 and 12, the speech and the life. Last time we looked at the desire
and walk of a believer. Today it is the speech and the
life. Now listen to what the Scriptures has to say about a
believer's speech. Verse 11, ìThe mouth of a righteous
man is a well of life. The mouth that speaks out of the abundance,
out of the treasure of his heart. That's what the Lord said in
Matthew 12, 35. A good man out of the treasure of the heart
bringeth forth good things. People talk about what they love. And if you want to know what
a man, what a woman loves, listen to them. Listen to them. They'll tell you what they love. A believer's speech, a well of
life, a good man out of the treasure of his heart, good only by being
found in the Lord Jesus Christ, good only being imputed and His
righteousness imputed to Him. I know that there is none good,
not in themselves, but in Him. Holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling. One of the old writers, William
Jay, said this concerning a believer's speech. This is how a believer
talks. Mr. Jay said, first of all, he
speaks of Christ, desiring and loving His perfections, His works, His Word, His promises. That's how he speaks. He speaks
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, he speaks for Christ. He's a mouthpiece. I know John
the Baptist said, I'm just a voice. But by the grace of God, he was
a voice. By the grace of God, he had a
mouth that did speak. By the grace of God, he did have
a heart that said something. But he speaks. for the Lord Jesus
Christ to others. I know that we often think that
only preachers, you know. Well, the preachers are called
of God and they are a great blessing according to God's Word. A great
gift. God would send a preacher, give
him a heart that would want Study God's Word and seek God's favor,
seek God's message and set forth God's favor in Christ to others. But I'm telling you, for all
of God's people, all of God's people, they speak for Him. Mouthpieces, earthen vessels
have a treasure, a treasure, in an earthen vessel, and it
speaks forth. Proverbs 25, 11 says, A word
fitly spoken, timely or seasonably, a right to right word, is like
apples of gold in pictures of silver. That word that is profitable,
that word that is pleasant, comforting, Refreshing. You know, there's
nothing to a believer that refreshes and comforts them like the Word
of God. I mean, as providentially as we go through this life, it's
a struggle. Oh, the comfort of hearing the
Scriptures speak. These Scriptures that speaketh
lively." Right now. These words are just as alive
right now as they will ever be. They'll ever be alive. Speaking. God Himself. You say, well, that's
just, these were written. These words are life. This is not just a book. This
is the Word of God. They speak. ever speaking, but
also the mouth of a righteous man. He doesn't speak only of
God and for God, but he speaks to God. Now, I'm going to tell you that
right here is probably the best evidence of life. You can probably
fool A lot of people speaking of the
Lord, for the Lord. Many can do that. But I'm telling
you, it takes the grace of God. It takes life. It takes the impartation
of a new heart to speak to Him. Prayer. The response of a new
heart that longs for fellowship and communion with the source
of His life. prayer. The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world made flesh.
And as our federal head, as our representative, he spoke, he
prayed. And the Father heard him for
his sake. According to his honor, according
to his obedience, the Father told him. The Lord says, Father,
I know that you hear me always. And when a believer prays, he
prays as being found in Christ, doing what he does, doing what
he did on this earth. Now, I'll tell you this, he is
right now, there is the man Christ Jesus. He's seated right now on His
throne. And He said that we'll be seated with Him on His throne. I'll admit, these are too high
for me to understand and to perceive. And one day, by the grace of
God, we'll see these things. We'll see Him as He is. We'll know Him as He is. We'll
be like Him. We'll understand all of these
things. I see through a glass darkly, but I do know this, that
the prayer of a believer is found and finds its source
from He who prays. He who ever liveth to make intercession
right now, praying in a way that while on this earth, He prayed
as we pray. By faith, perfectly. And here we are, praying, striving
after, to commune with God, to speak to Him. Prayer is not an
option. The Lord said, and when you pray, don't begin your day without
prayer. Don't end your day without prayer.
Or you say, well, that just seems like it's so obvious. I need
to hear that. I need to hear that. Pray without
ceasing. That's Scripture. Lord, bring
back to my memory, a believer prays. The speech of a believer,
he speaks of God and for God and he speaks to God. But violence
covereth the mouth of the wicked. Oh, we were told the same thing
back in verse 6. But again, how much we need to
be reminded of that. Violence covers the mouth. Nothing
edifying is what it is. Nothing edifying. Violence. Nothing edifying comes from the
mouth of the wicked, only that which is hurtful, only that which
is lying, only that which is deceit. A believer speaks like
a believer. He speaks of the Lord, for the
Lord, he speaks to the Lord. Secondly, a believer's life. Paul said, The Church of Philippi,
Philippians 121, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. For me to live is Christ. In this life, this is the life
of a believer. It's a life of struggle. It's a life of joy. It's a life where we learn patience. It's a life of hope, looking
unto Him who is our hope, who is our expectation. It's a life
of great disappointment in this world, great disappointment,
but of the looking of the expectation of being with Him. This is the
life of a believer. It's a life of faith. We walk
by faith. We believe God. We struggle. We know that things that come
our way are coming our way by the good providence of God. But
we're convinced. As we looked just a moment ago,
we're sealed unto the day of redemption. We're sealed to the
day of salvation. Thanks be unto God what joy it
is to know that He's not going to leave us. But a believer's life, here's
the scripture, hatred, verse 12, stirreth up strifes, but
love covereth all sins. Now let me try to make good on
what I'm talking about when I say the life of a believer. Before conversion, Here's the
life of a rebel against God, unconverted rebel. Hatred stirreth
up strife. By nature, a man hates God. He
doesn't hate the God of this world. He doesn't hate the God
of man's imagination. He loves the God that men describe
as trying to do something. He loves that God because he
made him. He made him. It's like scripture
that talks about men that would take a piece of wood and they'll
cut a tree down. They'll take a piece of wood
and they make some of it and make them some firewood out of
it. And then maybe they'll take a piece of that wood and they'll
saw them up with some boards and maybe make them a door out
of it. Put it on the house, you know. Then they might take part
of it and carve them out an idol, set it up there and worship it.
That's my God. That's my God. My God hears me. But He's dumb. He can't speak. He doesn't hear. He can't do. But when you hear, when a man
by nature hears, of a God that is in heaven, that is sovereign
and does as He will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants
of the earth. A God that has the right to take
out of the same lump, take a lump of clay and make one vessel under
honor and another under dishonor because He chose to do that.
And that He has the right to show mercy and compassion to
whomsoever He will to whomsoever he will, he hardeneth." Man by nature hates that God
because of a heart that is of the devil. The Lord told the
Pharisees, He said, you are of your father, the devil. He was
a liar from the beginning and so are you. Man by nature hates
God, He hates His Word, He hates His Christ because He's dead
in trespasses and sins. I will tell you the truth. Nobody, nobody, nobody that Almighty
God calls out of darkness and gives a new heart A new mind,
a new spirit. Nobody that has Christ formed
in them. Nobody that has the Spirit of
God given them. Nobody where the Spirit of God
dwells. Nobody hates God's sovereignty. Nobody. Nobody hates Almighty
God, as He's revealed in this Scripture. Not that new man. We love Him because He first
loved us. We love Him. We bow to Him. Lord, as You say You are, You
are. Job says, if He slays me, I'm going to trust Him. Now I
tell you what, that takes grace to say that. Nobody that God Almighty has
given a heart for Christ, a new heart, hates God Almighty as
He set forth in this book. But on the other hand, nobody
that God has left to themselves in unbelief loves God as He set
forth. The carnal mind is enmity against
God. Scripture says, Hatred stirreth
up strife. To be carnally minded, Paul said
in Romans 8, 6 and 7, is death. But to be spiritually minded
is life and peace because the carnal mind is enmity against
God. It's not subject to the law of God. Neither, indeed,
can be. Every believer can look back and has a remembrance of
something concerning the pit from which he's been taken. He
knows something about it. We all ran in arrogant disobedience
and unregeneracy, sinning with a high hand, religious, no doubt
about that, religious, but ignorant of God, ignorant of God's mercy,
ignorant of God's goodness, ignorant of God's grace, ignorant, dead. trespasses and sins. Paul says we hated the God of
the Bible and were by nature children of wrath, even as others. As I've said before, not under
the wrath of God, never. God's elect have never been under
the wrath of God. That's not what that scripture
means. It means that we were children of wrath and hatred
and anger toward God. We hated him. He said concerning
his people, I've always loved you. He's always looked on us
in mercy. But God, who is rich in mercy
for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace
ye are saved and hath raised us up together and made us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Oh, the grace of
God that would save a sinner. His blood that atoned for our
sins. That blood that the Father says,
when I see that. And He's always seen it. You
know that. You know that. There's never
been a time that the Father didn't see the blood. Not the blood
of Him that was slain from the foundation of the world. How
could He not have seen it? He chose us in Him. Trusted Him. Hatred stirreth up strifes."
Hatred, resentment. But, oh, love, love covereth all sins. The love of God. What is it going
to take for Almighty God to put away the guilt of one sinner. Love. And God is love. You want to know the heart of
the love of God? Looking unto Him. The Lord Jesus
Christ. The author and finisher of our
faith. Here is the life of a believer
summed up in this Word. We see Him. We believe Him. This is the life
of one that God has called out of darkness. They walk after
Christ. Struggling? Yes. Desiring to
be with Him? Looking unto Him? He is the hope
of the sheep. We walk by faith. We believe
that that which God Almighty draws, brings us through, drawing
us through this desert, this wilderness of a life, we believe
in God. This is the life of a believer.
This world is not our home. The world is looking unto this
world as its source of comfort. And there is none. The life of
a believer, for me, Paul says, to live is Christ. It's Christ. We say, well, that's
it? God said, if you've got Him,
you don't need anything else. For me to live is Christ who
loved me and gave Himself for me. What if all of this crumbles? It's going to. What if the stock
market falls? It's going to. What if all of this perishes?
It's going to. But here's the life of a believer. Job says, in that day, I'm going to see
Him. I'm going to see Him for myself
with these eyes. In my flesh, I'm going to see
God. And the older we get and the more
we realize the frailty of this life, we look with anxious anticipation. I remember, and you do too, in
those last few days before our brother was taken out of this
world, he looked. He looked just like Abraham.
Abraham was no different than any other believer. He looked
for a city that had foundations, whose builder and maker was God. In the struggles of this life,
Almighty God is pleased to reveal to His people, this is the life
of a believer. They walk by faith. Lord, that
which you've done, you've done for your honor and my good. Thank
you for Christ's sake. Amen. Okay, Gary.