Bibles again and turn to the
book of Proverbs, Chapter 4. Proverbs, Chapter 4. The Scripture says that there
is a way which seemeth right unto a man
But the end thereof are the ways of death." A way that seems right to a man. But left to himself,
the end of that way are the ways, the Scripture says,
of death. Now, there's a way. And that way to a man is that
way that he in his mind thinks that a man is reconciled to God.
Here's what I mean. This one might think that it's
this way. And this one might think that it's this way. This
one might think it's this way. There's a way that seems right
unto a man. But the end thereof are the ways
of death. A single way that manifests itself
and is said to be the ways of death. What way is it that seems right
to a man? And here it is. It's any way
that a man thinks that he can do something to reconcile himself
back to God. Whatever a man thinks he can
do in order to or to be the source of his own reconciliation back
to God? It seems to be right. There is
a way that seemeth right unto a man. But those ways are the ways of
death. Whatever it is that you think
starts with you and your free will, whatever you think, Now, there's one source of hope. There's one source of understanding, and it's the Lord. Job 28, 23, The way and the place of reconciliation
back to God. How many knows that? The answer is one. Who is it? God. God understands this. God knows the place. And where is that place? And
what's the way? The Lord Jesus said, I am the
way. I am the truth. I am the life. No man cometh continually, continually,
as I said before. You that have come to Him are
still coming to Him. You got up this morning coming
to Him. You got up this morning. You were driving over here or
before you got up or just before you ate your breakfast or something.
I'm going to tell you something. You that have come to Christ,
you were still coming to Him in your heart. You thought on
Him already. And you're thinking on Him right
now. You're coming right now. I know you are. You that know
Him, you that have come, you're still coming. You never cease
to come. Since He called you out of darkness
and gave you a new heart, He gave you a new heart willing
in the day of His power, what? To come to Him. I want to come
to Him. I want to believe Him. I want
to have some intimate conversation with Him. I do. I want to talk to Him. Lord,
would You grant that I might be able to have some intimate
conversation with You? that the Lord Jesus is the only
way to the Father. How can I know that He is my
way? Now I know He said He is the
way, but is He my way? Now see, this is where it gets
real personal, Bob, with me. I know He's shown mercy to some,
but has He shown mercy to me? That's what I'm concerned about. I want Him to save my kids. I want Him to save my mama. But you know what? I want Him
to save me. Have mercy on me. How can I know that God Almighty
has done something for me? Proverbs 4, verse 11. says this, and remember, we started
this chapter a few weeks ago. This is the Lord Jesus Christ
talking to His people. They hear His voice. And here's
what He says to them. I've taught thee in the way of
wisdom. Isn't that a kind thing to say?
Isn't that the most wonderful thing you've ever heard from
Him to tell you, I taught you? I've taught you that. I've taught
you in the way of wisdom. I've led thee in the right paths. Lord, thank You for that. I was just so wayward. I was just so flippant. I mean, I just walked and just
wandered. I'm not like that little silly
toy that I remember as a kid. You'd wind up and lay it and
just kind of It seemed like it was a car or something and you
just hit the wall and it would turn around, you know, and you'd
go over here until you hit something. I'll go this way. I taught you. I led you. I taught you the Gospel. I gave
you a new heart. That was me. It'll all be taught
of the Father. I came into this world. The gospel is concerning me.
And Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. The
message of the declaration of what God's done and purposed
to show mercy. It's the power of God unto salvation
to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the
Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith. What does that mean, from faith
to faith? It means it's revealed by faith that it's all a faith. It's not revealed by your works
that it's a faith. I didn't drum it up. It had to
be given to me to believe. All men have not faith. It was
from faith given that beheld it to be a faith. That's what
he's saying. Is it written, the just shall
live by faith? It's only the regenerated sinner that realizes
and will acknowledge his former ignorance of Christ. Oh, I tell
you, there's just so much ignorance in me right now. I know. I know how ignorant I
am. But I do see. I see through a
glass darkly, but I see. David said in Psalm 25, 4 and
5, Show me Thy ways, O Lord, teach me Thy paths. Lead me in
the truth and teach me, for Thou art the God of my salvation.
On Thee do I wait all the day. Isn't that the expression of
a believer? Lord, show me. I'm just an ignorant servant. Show me. This morning, you know
what? I know what's going through some
of your minds right now. You're thinking, you know, I
want to learn. I want to hear something today.
I want to learn. I want the Lord to teach me something. I want
to walk out of this building in a few minutes having received
something from Him. I've taught you. The believer
has been taught of Christ and he longs to be taught of Christ. Paul says, oh, that I may know
Him. and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings
being made conformable unto His death, to be shown Christ, taught of
Christ, led of Christ in the path of grace by the Gospel,
by the Spirit of God. That's the believer's comfort
and peace. They want to hear the Gospel
one more time. Tell me one more time. I know I've heard this
before, but tell me one more time how the Lord put away my
guilt. Tell me one more time how God
has everlastingly loved me in Christ. Tell me one more time
how God satisfied Himself. As Brother Scott says, that God
did something for Himself before He could do something for us.
Tell me again how the Lord satisfied His wrath and justice. Tell me again how Christ put
away the guilt of all of His people, His elect, His chosen.
Tell me that again. Because I love to hear that.
I want to hear that again. You see, I'm going to die. I'm
going to leave this world. I'm going to stand before God.
And when I stand before God, tell me one more time how God
satisfied Himself and then looked upon me in pleasure, everlasting
pleasure, everlasting love in His Son. Tell me again how Christ
has always stood for me. Tell me again how He betrothed
Himself to me. Tell me again how He's my husband
and how I'm His bride. Tell me again how He robes me
in His righteousness. His will is for me to be where
He is. Tell me again how I'm going to
be like Him. Tell me one more time how I'm
going to see Him. Tell me how this life, which
is but a vapor, tell me again with this Mortality is going
to put on immortality. And tell me how the Scripture
says I'm going to be changed and I'll forever be in His presence.
Tell me that one more time, because I don't ever get tired of hearing
that. I taught you. John 6, 40. Let me just read this for you.
John 6, 40. says this, this is the will of
Him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth
on Him may have everlasting life. And I will. I will raise Him up at the last
day. I will. Tell me how when they put this
body in the grave and it goes back to the dust and my soul,
my eternal soul goes to be in the bosom of Abraham, And tell
me how being found in Him, right there. Tell me how that soul
is going to be reunited with this body. This body that will
be changed. This body that will put off all
corruption. How this body, this body, this
body right here that will be changed, but it's going to be
this body The same body that Christ was buried in, Christ
came out of the grave in. Same body. And yours too. Tell me again how I'm going to
be in that changed but exact body. That's not right. Changed
but this body. United with that eternal new
man. Created in righteousness. And
I'm going to be in His presence. And I'm going to touch Him. And
I'll be with Him. And I'll have an eternal audience
with Him. All of His people. Tell me that
because that's an amazing truth that I find great comfort in.
I've taught you. I've heard you. I led you. Oh, what comfort does a taught
and led believer have? What comfort he has? What comfort
would he have if he had to keep himself? Lord, thank you that
I don't have to. How much comfort do I have that
you've led me and taught me? Well, verse 12 says, When thou
goest, thy steps shall not be straightened. When thou runnest,
thou shalt not stumble. When thou goest, when you walk,
as you're doing, that's what we're doing today. We're just
walking through this world. We're on our way. God's people,
they're just strangers and pilgrims, sojourners, here for a little
while. Thy steps shall not be straightened.
That is, they'll not be distressed. When thou runnest, Not going
to stumble. Mount up on wings of eagles. God will keep you, sustain you. They that wait on the Lord. Isaiah
40. Let me read that for you again.
Isaiah 40. That's what it says. This is
what's going to happen. Isaiah 40, verse 31. They that wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength They'll change their strength, that's
what it says. They shall mount up with wings of eagles, they
shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. A believer waits on the Lord
while he's walking. That's what you that believe,
that's what you're doing right now, just waiting. What are you waiting
on? The Lord. This is the day that
the Lord's made. You know what's going to happen
today? Whatever God has eternally purposed is going to happen.
It's going to be brought about today. Just stand back and watch. Watch what God has purposed to
do. They that wait upon the Lord, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, they shall be renewed daily,
realizing that His strength, His thinking, is a continual
operation of the indwelling Spirit of God, they that wait on the
Lord. And I'll tell you this, God's
going to keep them. They'll walk, the Scripture says. They won't
faint. They won't. And lastly, I must have some
comfort in the midst of this world. Verse 13 of Proverbs 4
says, Take fast hold of instruction Let her not go. Keep her. For
she is thy life. Here is the great commandment
given to God's people. Isaiah 40, verse 1 and 2, Comfort
ye, or console ye my people. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem. Speak to the heart. As I've said
this, I can't, but He can. But if I'll preach what He's
ordained that I preach, the gospel of Christ, the Spirit of God
will speak comfortably to Jerusalem. Cry unto her. Declare unto her
that her warfare is accomplished. Her appointed muster. You that's
been in the military, you know what muster is. The time of your
hardship. fulfilled. Tell her that her
warfare is accomplished, that you're not at war with God anymore. Aren't you glad? God has given
you a new heart. Aren't you glad? I know the presence of sin is
there. I think we dealt with that this morning. But I'll tell
you this, there's a heart that's not at war with God. I want to hear what He has to
say. I want to walk after Him. I want to follow Him. I want
to trust Him. I want to come to Christ. All
that the Father has given me shall come to me. And He that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Do you know what I
want? I want to come to Christ. How do you come? By faith. A
man that comes to Christ believes Him. and trusts Him, and waits
on Him, longs after Him, and hungers after Him. Tell her that her iniquity is
pardoned. For she hath received of the Lord's hand double for
all her sins. That is, she has received abundantly
that which is required for her atonement. She has received double. all that is required. So how is a believer comforted
in this pilgrimage? That is what he said in that
13th verse. Take fast hold of instruction. Seize Christ. Seize Him as He is revealed in
the Scriptures, not as my little fickle mind says He ought to
be What men says He probably is, what sayeth the Scriptures? The Scriptures. The Scriptures.
What does the Scriptures say? Take fast hold of instruction. Hold Him as your peace, your
pardon, your wisdom, your righteousness, your holiness, your sanctification,
your redemption. Let her not go. Boy, a believer hears that. Hears
the Word of God say, don't turn loose. Don't turn loose of the
instruction of Christ. And a believer says, Lord, by
Your grace I won't. Lord, if You keep me, I won't.
Lord, I don't have the ability to keep. I know the tendency of my old
heart. I'd quit. I forsake it. Lord, don't let
me go. If You don't let me go, Lord,
I won't let You go. But Lord, if You don't hold me,
I'll not be there. Let her not go. Don't depart. Don't waver. Don't be indifferent
to it. Keep her, for she is Thy life. The word she there is interpreted
this. This is thy life. This is the evidence of thy life.
That's what it is. Holding fast to the instruction
of Christ, holding fast to the gospel of God's free grace, holding
her wisdom, the wisdom of Christ, that's the evidence of life. This is God's means of quickening
dead sinners out of spiritual darkness. The instruction of the Lord Jesus.
What a sweet word of comfort. Lord, teach me and I'll be taught.
Lead me and I'll be led. Keep me and I'll be kept. Love
me and I'll be loved. Hold me. I'll be healed. And I'll hold to you by your
grace, by your power, by a new heart. I won't let you go. By your power, by your good pleasure,
I won't let you go. For Christ's sake, Amen.