Today is the day of salvation.
Don't like Brother Carl just said, don't go back. Don't try
to go back. You don't remember. What do you
believe right now? What think you of Christ right
now? Turn with me to the book of Proverbs. While you're turning
there, I was thinking on that message I just preached out of
Revelation. on that four square city. I tell you what, if that city
is going to be measured by the plummet, I'm going to lay all
things to the line of the plummet. I'm going to lay all things to
Christ. I can take a level and I can go put it on that door
right over there. And I'm not saying it's not going to be perfect,
but the probability of that door being absolutely plumb is, you
know, This city's going to be laid to the plummet. It's going
to be measured by the plumb bob of Christ himself lying. If one
side is taller than the other side, then something's going
to happen to the top. You can't have a side here that's this
tall and this one's over here. And if this top's got to meet,
when you lay the plummet of God's justice to it, nobody's going to say, I think
I see something about this city that's out of square. No, they're
not. Boy, if I could just enter into
the depth of what I was talking about. Proverbs chapter 3. Oh, what a blessed book we've
been enjoying. The book of Proverbs. I'd like to look this morning
at the first four verses of the book of Proverbs chapter 3. Now there are four glorious truths
that are taught in those first four verses, four glorious truths. Here they are. I am going to
tell you what they are and then we will look at them for just a second.
We have a glorious command. Secondly, we have a glorious
promise. Thirdly, we have a glorious provision. And fourthly, we have a glorious
reward. First of all, let's look in that
first verse at a glorious command given by God. My Son, forget
not my law, but let thine heart keep my commandments. My son, how tender does the Spirit
of God speak. Now, this book of Proverbs is
a book given to God's elect. I know that. I know that that's
a fact. I know that the Lord said when
he was asked, we've quoted this scripture before when the apostles
asked him, why do you speak in parables? Proverbs. Why these
dark sayings? Why? because He said it's given
unto you to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, and unto
them it's not given. God is distinguishing in what
He says to His people. Now, that's just the way it is. My Son. My Son, by choice, in
electing grace, that Almighty God would choose to show mercy. My Son, by adoption, He adopts whomsoever He will. My Son, by quickening grace through
the blessed Holy Spirit, You that I have given a heart to,
call unto Me. All that come to the Lord, all
that come by faith, The Lord said, I will in no wise cast
you out. I'm not going to cast you out. I'm not going to cast away one
that has appealed to my mercy, my strength, my kindness, my
compassion. I'm telling you, somebody comes
to you that you love. Almighty God has everlastingly
loved His people. One comes to you sincerely in
true need, in need, not deceitfully, but comes to you and appeals
to you for help, mercy, and compassion. I've said before, which one of
you parents, which one, one of your children, been honest with
you, sincere with you, and they come to you in need and say,
I'm in trouble. Which one of them would you turn
away? I'm talking about one of your own that comes to you in
true need, sincerity. My son, forget not my direction,
my instruction, my teaching, my law, but let thine heart keep
my precept, my commandment, my charge. Now, God Almighty doesn't
mock His people. He's not mocking His people.
Forget not my law. Now, what law? Lord, what do
you mean, Lord, law? What do you mean? I know we're not under law. We're
under grace. What law? Hear me. Hear me. I need to hear what I'm about
to say. You're right. Paul is right. You know he's right. Speaking
under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. We're not under
law. We are not under law for the establishment by the keeping
of it perfectly in ourselves. Almighty God is not setting a
demand upon His people for the keeping and the maintaining of
righteousness before God. For the establishment or the
maintenance of righteousness before God by the keeping of
the law, no, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believes. But let me tell you something.
God's law, and I'm going to show you in a minute what he's talking
about, Lord willing. God's law is good. God's law
is holy. God's law is just. Christ came
into this world for the establishment of God's law. Tell me one of
God's laws. Tell me one word out of the mouth,
out of the heart of Almighty God that's not worthy to be respected
and kept. You tell me one. Tell me one
thing that God has said concerning His people that's not worthy
to be kept. There's not one. It's good. It's
holy. It's just. So don't speak of
God's law. What law? Forget not my law. What law? Well, I can tell you
this, that mosaic law, clean and unclean animals and
giving in symbols and types. I'm not going to sacrifice a
goat this morning. I'm not going to cut a bullock's
throat. There's not a brazen altar right
here. You know that all of those shadows
and types, symbols, all pointed to Christ. And all of it was
fulfilled. All of those symbols that were
perfect symbols and types of Christ that were kept, that continuance
of that Mosaic law that was given by God ended when? When? On the day of His crucifixion.
I'm telling you, that veil was rent. God ripped it from the
top down to the bottom and it was open. The Lord said, it's
finished. There's the Lamb. There's the
Lamb. We don't go back to symbols and
types. People are talking about they're
going to start sacrificing animals back in Jerusalem again. What
a disgraceful, what a disgraceful. The fulfillment has come and
there He is openly displayed. We're not sacrificing animals
this morning. God's Lamb has been slain. And
there He is. And we don't go to the weak elements. of those pictures and types anymore.
The law spoken of here is all of the instruction and direction
by Almighty God that's given in the Scriptures. Here again,
I'm getting there. The whole Bible is God's law. Every precept, every direction,
every instruction is given for God's glory and man's obedience. Forget not my law. Whenever the Lord said, I've
given them your words and they've kept them. What do you think
he's talking about? Let me give you a couple of examples
so you can understand where I'm coming from. Here's a law. Here's a word. Here's a precept.
Here's a command. Here it is. Come to Me. Come unto Me. All ye that are weak and heavy
laden, I'll give you rest. That's law. That's God's Word.
That's God's precept. I'm not going to look at it today,
but look at Proverbs verse 5. Chapter 3, verse 5. Here's one. Here's one. Trust in the Lord
with all thine heart. Lord willing, I'll look at that
next week. That's law. That's God's Word. Cast all your
cares upon Him. He cares for you. The Lord said,
I've given them your Word. They kept Him. You that believe,
do you come? Are you coming this morning?
Trust in the Lord. Do you trust? That's God's Word. That's God's Law. You see, we
get it in our mind that somehow, well, we're not under law. You're
not under law for the establishment of your righteousness. Christ
has established righteousness by keeping perfectly every jot
and tittle of God's Word. There's not one word that Christ
ever failed to keep. But I will tell you this, God's
people love His Word. You just start, you know, At
what point is God's Word not worthy to be kept? My son, this
relationship was started in the garden. He told Adam, he said,
Adam, you may eat of all the trees of the garden. And the day that you eat of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you're going to die. I tell you, in that day of Adam's
disobedience, All mankind died spiritually, and his heart became
that day spiritually dead before God. Cold and hard and a stone
of insensitivity. This is the way it is. In time, God gave Moses his law. Now think about how God gave
Moses his law. Moses went up on a mountain.
The people stayed away. Moses went up there and he met
with God. And Almighty God gave Moses what? Two tablets of stone. Have you
ever wondered why were they written on stone? What was God saying? What did God show the people? Here was a fit picture of the
perfect law of God. Name me one of those laws that
God gave, those Ten Commandments. We read the Ten Commandments.
You tell me one of those laws that wasn't worthy. Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all your heart. What's wrong with
that law? Don't steal. Don't kill. Don't commit adultery. Don't
covet. Don't envy. Name me one of those
that's wrong. There's not one of them that's
wrong. Not one. They're good. Here's the Law
of Almighty. The Word of God Himself. And
from those Ten Commandments, it just goes and goes and goes. Name me one of them that wasn't
right. But God wrote those Ten Commandments and He put them
on stone. And man by nature, that's how
he receives them. The perfect law, Word of Almighty
God. Almighty God set forth His demand
for obedience in life His law. But that law, after Adam fell
in the garden, wasn't loved. It wasn't respected. I grew up in false religion. I heard some of this. I heard
some of these passages right here. I heard John 3.16. I heard passages. You know, what was wrong with
the Word of God. Nothing. Nothing wrong with God's
Word. You know how I heard it? It was
just written in this stony heart. I just didn't care. Had no love
for it. No respect for it. Written in
stone, just like my wicked heart. And I'm telling you, this is
exactly the way that man by nature hears it. an unbeliever, here's exactly
what I'm saying right now. There's two types of hearts in
this congregation. There can only be two. There's
either going to be a heart of stone or there's going to be
a new heart. And I'm telling you, God's Word is written on
both of them. One of them is just on a heart
of stone. You hear it? Just like that sower that went
out to sow and he sowed it and some of it fell by the wayside
and the birds came and got it. You know, the only one that's
going to hear is those that God Almighty has given some new heart,
good ground. Written on a stony heart. False
religion tries to make it appear to love God's Word, God's precept. I'm talking about the truth,
the gospel. He tries to say he loves it,
and he tries to say, I love God's instruction. But Almighty God has settled
the issue. He said in Matthew 15a, this people draweth nigh
unto me with their mouth and honoreth me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me. Man without a new heart. Man
not born again. What is it? Just heart stone. It just, he hears it. And he
says, I hear it, I hear that, I hear what you're saying. He
just doesn't love it. This is exactly the way God's
elect even heard it before God called them out of darkness.
What is it going to take for a man to not forget God's law,
God's word? Now, I'm going to be the first
one to tell you, there's not a believer sitting in this room
this morning that's going to actually admit, nobody would
be so foolish to admit, I can keep the precepts of God perfectly
without deviation. Now, you know that's not so.
But I will tell you this, there's not a believer sitting here today
that doesn't love what they hear concerning God's Word. Come to
me, Lord, I want to come. God, I come. I trust in the Lord. Lord, I trust You. I don't trust
You. Lord, I'm just as honest with
You as I can be. Lord, please don't leave me to
myself. God, help me. Lord, show mercy to this. You're
trusting the Lord. You're trusting the Lord. You're
not trusting yourself. You're trusting Him. You're coming
to Him. You're not coming to your profession.
You're coming as a beggar. That woman had an issue of blood.
If I can get to Him, if I just touch the hem of His garment,
I'll be made whole. I tell you, those that don't
forget God's law, they've got some respect for it. Before they
didn't, before God called them out of darkness, they didn't. The Lord told Nicodemus, verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot
see the Kingdom of Heaven. All that's left in darkness,
this is what the Lord told him, all that's left there cannot
see by faith. When He says the Kingdom of God,
that means that you cannot without a new heart, without being born
again, you can't see what Almighty God is doing in this world calling
out His elect, His Kingdom. Except you be born again, you
can't see what God is doing in regenerating grace. You don't
know that. You don't understand it. It's got a heart of stone. That's what it is. What's it going to take for me
to not forget, to not have respect for, for me not to long after
God's law? Turn with me to Ezekiel 36. We've
looked at this before. Let's look at it just a second.
Let's read it. Ezekiel 36. Ezekiel 36, verse 25. Ezekiel 36, 25. Then will I sprinkle
clean water upon you. That is the blood of Christ.
That's Hebrews 9, 13, if you'd like to look at it, the blood.
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean
from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse
you. A new heart also will I give you. And a new spirit will I
put within you, and I'll take away the stony heart out of your
flesh that rains." Well, I'm telling you, that flesh is still
there, but that stony heart, it doesn't rain. And I'll give
you a heart of flesh, pliable. I'll put My Spirit within you
and cause you to walk in My statutes. You didn't before. You will now. You should keep My judgments
and do them. Look at Jeremiah chapter 31.
Jeremiah 31 verse 31. Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, that I'll make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant
that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by
the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. With my covenant
they break, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord, but
this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel after those days, saith the Lord. I'll put my law in
their inward parts, and I'll write it in their hearts, and
will be their God, be my people." Not going to be written in stone
in the regenerated saint. Not in stone anymore. He said,
I'm going to give you a new heart. And I'm going to write my law
now on your heart. And you'll know me. You'll trust me. I'll be your God. You'll be my
people. Oh, here's the blessed promise of Almighty God to His
people. I'm going to wash you from your
filthiness in blood, the blood of Christ. I'm going to remove
the reign of that stony heart that you acquired By Adam's fall
and by your own disobedience. My law is not going to be written
in stone anymore. It's not going to be cold and
hard and indifferent. I'm going to give you a new heart. A receptive heart. And I'm going
to write that law another time. I'm going to write it now in
what I've given you. I'm going to give you the spirit
of life. He's going to cause you to walk after My statutes.
I'm going to keep My judgment. That is, you're going to heed
what I have to say. Long to obey Me. Boy, I tell
you, this is a glorious command right here. And God's people
know something about it. Oh, they see the frailty of their
life. They see the frailty. There ain't no bragging here.
There's no bragging rights here this morning. Oh, I've kept the
law of God perfectly in my heart. No, you have not. Don't you lie. A believer is not going to lie
like that. But I tell you this, you do have regard for it. You
do trust it. You that believe, you do trust.
You do come. You do call. You do listen. You do see. You
do hear. Forget not my law, but let thine
heart keep my commandments. Here's the second thing. We have
a glorious promise. That first one was a glorious
command. And I'm telling you to keep that command. It's going
to take the grace of God. It's going to take the power
of God. It's going to take a new heart. You that believe, you
know what I'm talking about. Secondly, we have a glorious
promise. For length of days and long life
and peace shall they add unto thee. Boy, I tell you what. Oh, is that promise found in
this life? No. Length of days. What does that
mean? Length of days. For length of days and long life
and peace shall they add to thee. Listen to Psalm 21 for this gives
us a good idea of what it means. He asked life of thee, and thou
gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever." That's
what length of days means. Eternal. Eternal. What promise is there given by
Almighty God concerning those that the Lord has given a new
heart to? A new heart that trusts Him,
that loves His Word, Loves His law. Loves His commands. Loves
Him. And admits their frailty. Admits
what they are. They know what they are. Frail
creatures of dust. Earthen vessels. What promise do they have? Well,
they know that length of days is not as far as this. This is
not. This is not our home. David said in Psalm 90, verse
12, So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts
unto wisdom. What is your life? It is even
a vapor that appeareth for a little time, then vanisheth away. It is just length of days. Eternal life is what he is saying.
And he says, In peace, shall they add unto thee." In this
world, what peace is there in this world? Well, I tell you,
John 16, 33, our Lord answered that. These things have I spoken
unto you that in me you might have peace. In this world you
shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have
overcome the world. Length of days, long life, peace
is only found for the believer as he is found in Christ. This is my great and exceeding
reward, the Lord Himself. Length of days and long life
is promised because of His obedience, because He forgot not God's law,
because He kept His commandments, all of His obedience that I love
and I long after. Let me ask you this, you that
love Him, do you desire to obey Him? Now just be honest about
this. Do you admit your inability to
obey Him as you ought? Sure you do. But do you want
to? Is there anybody here that claims
to be a believer that says, I just don't have any desire to obey
God? I just don't want to. Well, I'll tell you this, you
don't know him. I don't care for his word. I don't care for
his people. I don't care for any of it. I just don't care. You don't
know him. I'm telling you a believer is
tender. And they want to. They want to obey. They long
to. length of days, long life. Turn with me to Psalm 91. I want
to show you something. Psalm 91, verse 9. Psalm 91 concerning this length
of days, long life, peace. Psalm 91, verse 9, Because thou
hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High,
thy habitation. Let me tell you this, what we're
about to read is concerning Christ. And you'll see, you'll know it
as soon as I start reading a couple more verses. And I'll tell you
this, even Satan himself attributed this verse to the Lord Jesus
Christ. Even Satan did. This is concerning Christ. Listen
to this. Verse 9 again, Because thou hast made the Lord, which
is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation, there shall no
evil befall thee. Neither shall any plague come
nigh thy dwelling, for he shall give his angels charge over thee
to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their
hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread
upon the lion and the adder, the young lion and the dragon
shalt thou trample under feet, because he hath set his love
upon me. Therefore will I deliver him. I will set him on high, because
he hath known my name. He shall call upon me and I will
answer him. I will be with him in trouble.
I will deliver him and honor him with long life. Will I satisfy
him and show him my satisfaction? I'm sorry. Did I read the wrong
word? I'm going to go back there. I
turned it too early. Just forgive me. Show him my
salvation. I turned it and I just didn't
remember that word. I'll show him my salvation. You
know, as the Lord, engaged his whole heart, his whole soul in
the service of his Father. Jehovah here sets forth the reward
and the inheritance that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to
have. Length of days. Peace. Life. For all that He represents This
is our great promise, great provision, great word of comfort. This is what I'll give you. This
is the Lord's reward, and it's ours because we're heirs of God
and joined heirs with Him. And our glorious promise from
Him, John 17, 24, Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast
given Me Be with me where I am that they may behold my glory
which Thou hast given me. For Thou lovest me before the
foundation of the world." Oh, what a great promise. Thirdly, in Proverbs 3, verse
3, here is a tremendously great provision given in Christ. Let
not mercy and truth forsake thee. Bind them about thy neck. Write
them upon the table of thine heart." You know, what could be possibly said when it
says, let not mercy and truth forsake thee? How can it be that
He who is mercy and truth would forsake one that He has everlastingly
loved? He who said, I will never forsake
thee. Never. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out. Let me give you the literal writing
of verse 3. The literal interpretation. Mercy
and truth will not forsake you. That's what it says. Mercy and
truth will not forsake you. The Israelites were commanded
in the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 6, verses 6 to 9, to bind the
Word of God, bind the Word of God's law in their heart, teach
their children diligently concerning God's Word, and to let those
words be ever before their eyes. The high priest, in the Old Testament would bind
those stones I told you about last week, a week before. He'd
have those two stones, one on each shoulder, and six names
of tribes and six names of the other six tribes of the other
twelve tribes be on that shoulder. And he had those twelve stones
on his breastplate right here, and the name of each tribe was
written in a stone. And he would walk and bear their
names, bear it upon his heart before as he entered in. intercede. Mercy and truth. The Lord Himself
will not forsake His own because we are bound to Him in everlasting
love. A covenant. Bound to Him by covenant,
by covenant. His Word. I've given you My Word. If I give you My Word, may the
Lord help me to keep it. If I promise you something. If
I don't do it, I'm not meaning to not do it. Frailty of my flesh,
I may not. But God's Word, He said, is not
going to return void. It's going to accomplish everything
that I've sent it to. But these words in verse 3, this
glorious provision that we have, let me tell you something, these
words, bind them about thy neck and write them upon the table
of thy heart, is the Father speaking to the Lord Jesus Christ. You
write that down. If they were concerning me, I'd mean to do them. But how
is it that mercy and truth will never forsake one of His own. How is it? I can tell you exactly.
They are bound about His neck and they are written upon the
table of His heart. How is it that Christ will not
forsake you that believe? I tell you, as our everlasting
surety, we are written upon the table, the memory of His heart. We have a great high priest that
has passed into the heavens, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is able to save to the uttermost
them that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make
intercession. He who will not forsake His own
has revealed that to His people. I'm not going to whine. They're
bound about Him, bound upon His heart, written upon His heart. Or this is for our comfort and
peace. What security do I have? Here's what I got. When David
said that, we quoted that scripture so many times. This is all my
salvation. He's made with me an everlasting
covenant. Here's what it is. I am bound about his neck and
written upon the table of his heart. I will not forsake you. Lord, thank you. Thank you for
that. Thank you that you've kept me,
that you've shown me. And lastly, verse 4, we have
a glorious reward. So shalt thou find favor and
good understanding in the sight of God and man, knowing that
the Lord has given us a new heart that longs after and keeps He
said, I've given them Your Word and they've kept it. They regarded
it and loved Him who spoke it. But knowing that we've kept it
in Him, you better always remember that. When the Lord says, I've
given them Your Word and they've kept it, that can never be said
in absolute perfection except by His righteousness imputed
to me. Never. Never. I love it, but I tell you this,
I know just enough about myself to be honest about it. Paul said in Romans 7, he says,
the will is present with me, but how to accomplish that which
I would, I find not. Oh, wretched man that I am. The
battle that goes on, fights, struggles. Knowing that our length
of days, eternal life, long life and peace is assured because
we are joined heirs with Him. Knowing that He is not going
to forsake us. Knowing that He has bound us
about His neck and upon His heart. We will then realize this last
glorious reward. That that is ours by our association
with Him. Our favor and good understanding,
our good success that is in the sight of God and man is by being
a joint heir with Him. This glorious promise is given
to Christ and is ours by our association with Him. So shalt thou find favor and
good understanding in the sight of God and man being found in
Him. Luke 2.52 says this, Jesus increased
in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. What
an amazing passage of Scripture that reveals that the Lord in
His human nature, true and a proper man, who was in all points tempted
as we are, yet without sin, He who must be a surety in our nature,
subject to God's law. Subject. As I said last week,
week before, here was Mary and Joseph growing up in subjection
to them who was their Lord. And in this nature, the Scripture
says He increased In wisdom, He progressed is what the Scripture
says. What do you mean He increased
in wisdom and stature and age? The word is progressed. And this is the meaning. Daily,
the holiness and the purity of His life became more obvious. He increased in our sight. He progressed in it. It became
more obvious. truly God, truly man, subject
to the frailties of this life, but God's obedient servant, rewarded. And I'm telling you that a believer
in the Lord Jesus Christ finds favor and good success in the
sight of God because of the imputed righteousness of Christ, who
is our righteousness. I know, in closing, that there
are many that hate the Lord of Glory and therefore hate God's
people because of God's sovereignty and God's right to be God. But
the believer is truly loved by those who have also been regenerated
by the grace of God. By this shall all men Know that
you are my disciples if you have love one for another. What a
glorious command. Glorious command given us, my
son. Forget not my law. What a glorious
promise. Length of days and long life
and peace shall they add unto thee. What a glorious provision. mercy and truth will not forsake
you. Why? Because you are bound about
His neck and written upon the table of His heart. In a glorious
reward, you shall find favor and good understanding in the
sight of God and men. May the Lord bless this word,
this dark saying this proverb, this parable, to those to whom
it was given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God.