Every time I think about that
famine that God said he's going to send in those last days. The days are going to come. A famine of the hearing of the
word of God. Not not a little here and a little
there. They shall wander from sea to
sea, and north to the east, and run to and fro to seek the word
of the Lord, and shall not find it." He talked about great tribulation
for those that are on this earth, believers in that day. Except
those days be shortened, no flesh will survive. It is a blessed day. to be able
to see it and to hear the Word of God. Turn with me to Proverbs
chapter 2. Proverbs chapter 2. The scripture
this morning begins with a personal word, with a personal relationship. My son. Proverbs 2 verse 1. My son. Scripture says in 1 John
3, Beloved, now are we the sons of God. Right now. Sons by electing grace. Sons by redemption. Sons by quickening
grace. Sons by adoption. I think about
that every time I think about adopted. The one doing the adopting is
the one that makes all the decisions. The one doing the adopting makes
all the provision. The one doing the adopting is
the one that calls all the shots. Not the one being adopted. We're
adopted. Adopted. Sons of God. You know, this world doesn't
recognize God's people as being the sons of God. And I'll tell
you, to be honest with you, I can truthfully say that there are
times when even God's people can see no reason in themselves
to be called sons of God. That song we sang, what, last
week, can I deem myself a child, a son of God? Almighty God has been pleased because He loved
the order of man. I shall have a people." Out of
the arrangement of this world, God's got a people. There's life, eternal life. To those that have been everlastingly
loved of God, there's three proofs in this passage of Scripture,
five verses. I'll be brief. Five proofs, five grand proofs
of life. evidences of regeneration. And each of these marks, I'm
going to be frank with you, are found in every believer. And
in unbelievers, they're not found. Here's the first proof of life,
eternal life. My son, here's the first proof. A believer, here's what it is,
believes and seeks and longs to obey God. Now, I'll be the
first to agree with anybody that wants to make this statement
that there is nothing that we can do in obedience to the law
of God that establishes or maintains our standing of righteousness
before God. We do not establish or maintain
our walk before God. But I will tell you this, we
walk after Him, hungering after Him, seeking to obey. If there's someone in this morning
and they claim to be a believer and they have no heart after
obedience before God, and I'm going to deal with what I'm talking
about when I say obedience in just a second. Here is what this
first verse says, If thou wilt receive my words, and hide my
commandments with thee, so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom,
and apply thine heart to understanding. If there be this desire, when
I say that God's people Obey. To receive God's Word. If thou
wilt receive, if you'll accept it. Buy it without money. Lay hold on it. Someone says,
I can't do anything. I'll tell you this, God's people
receive God's Word. They sure do. They sure do. I can't do anything for God.
You can believe Him. I'm not going to give you a heart
to believe Him, but I'll tell you this. God's people, they
seek and long after to obey God. If you receive my words, hide
those words in your heart. Treasure them. Hoard them. The Lord Jesus Christ said in
his high priestly prayer, John 17, that I've given unto them,
that is, as many as you've given me, I've given them the words
which thou gavest me, and they've received them. I'm telling you,
there's some folks that are sitting under the sound of my voice this
morning that I'm convinced have received the Word of God. They
believe Him. They hold on to Him. Who hath
believed, I report, to whom is the arm of the Lord, the power
in Christ. Who is that revealed to? Who
is that? Those that God has given a heart. If you receive, take hope. Hide my commandments with thee. My precepts. 1 John 5 verse 3,
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments,
And His commandments are not grievous." Now listen to me.
Now if there is not a way in which we can, the Scripture says,
keep His commandments. Now what does it mean to keep? There's a word that will put
you under some bondage if you're not careful. What does it mean? Here's what the word keep means.
Enjoy. Attend too carefully. Now, I'll
admit, I've got a hard time admitting to anybody that I can in myself
when it comes to keeping the commandments of God. Love the
Lord with all your heart and mind and soul. But I'll tell you this, that
commandment in my substitute, in my representative, He who
has obeyed God for me. He whose righteousness clothes
me. He in whom I am accepted. Accepted in the Beloved. I enjoy that commandment. Love
the Lord. Oh, Lord, I love You. Not as
I will. Not as I would. But I do love
You. But when this body of sin is
gone, I'll see you. I'll see Him. And I'll be like
Him. And the body of this death won't be there anymore. And then
no more by faith. No more with the presence of
sin. There in absolute perfection in Christ. I'll love you. And I'll love you as I'm loved.
God's people love Him. Not in word only. Not only just
a possession or a profession is the word I was trying to say.
But indeed and in truth, they enjoy. David said in Psalm 119,
5, Oh, that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes. My son, if thou wilt receive
my words, hide my commandments with thee, so that thou incline
thine ear unto wisdom. Here's another evidence right
there. So that you incline your ear, a new ear, given by God,
ears to hear, so that you would incline your ear, attend to the
voice of wisdom. Who is wisdom? Christ. Christ, the wisdom of God. If thou will incline thine ear,
Lord, I hear you. I hear your voice. He said that
my sheep hear my voice. He said they follow me. Therefore,
I know it so." If you find yourself with an ear that hears the gospel
of God, the gospel of Christ that sets forth Him in whom alone
God is in Him, for Him, by Him, because of Him, God is pleased
with all in Him. Incline thine ear unto wisdom. Lord, speak. Speak to it. I'll be honest with you. I want
to hear from God this morning. Truthfully. I truthfully do. I want to hear from God in my
heart, in my mind, in my being. I don't want to just hear. I don't want to sit down and
just present a set of some doctrines that are just dry and cold, absent
from the blessing of God's Spirit. Words that are dead are dead
unless God's Spirit. I want to hear from Christ. I
believe He's here. Two or three surely are gathered
together in His name. I've said that before. Surely
they are. And Lord, surely You're here
in our presence. Lord, speak to us this morning.
Incline our ears to hear. Thou incline thine ear unto wisdom
and apply thine heart to understanding. Stretch out. Now, this is what
it means. Apply thine heart. Stretch out
or extend thy heart. You know, the world would say,
that's foolish talk. That's foolish talk. What do
you mean stretch out your heart? Not to a believer, it's not. I understand that terminology.
He said, I'll give you a new heart. A heart that can be stretched
out, not a cold, dead, stony, hard, self-centered. This new heart can experientially
understand. He understands. If thou climb
thy ear to Christ and apply thine heart to understanding, I want to see Him in every line.
That's what I'm looking for. This book of Proverbs, these
are parables that the Lord speaks to His people. Why? Remember
the Apostle said, why do you preach in parables? He said,
because it's given to you to know the mystery of the kingdom
of God. To them it's not. Do you understand? Do you understand what I'm talking
about? There's an intenseness of that
new mind that has a hearty, a hearty desire after Christ. I'll tell
you, a hypocrite can give lip service, but only a believer
stretches out his heart toward Christ. Psalm 119, 112, I have
inclined my heart to perform my statutes all the way, even
unto the end. Who but Christ could say that?
But I'll tell you this, believers enter in with it. They enter
into that. I have inclined my heart. Christ did it. And His people
long to hunger after. Here's the second proof of eternal
life. Verse 3 says, Yea, if thou cryest
after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding. Here's the second evidence of
true life. The believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ is one that seeks Him in prayer. They pray. And when you pray, prayer is
not up for debate. When you pray, Ezekiel 36, we've
read that before. The Lord says, I will. I'll give
them a new heart. I'll give them a new spirit.
I'll give them a new mind. I'll be their God. I'll write
my law on their heart. Yet for all these things will
I be inquired of. to pray. That regenerated spirit,
that heart, that new soul knows something of the need to pray. There is a spirit that longs
after and hungers after and never stops that hungering. I want
you to turn to Luke 11. I want to show you something
that is just Wonderful. Concerning prayer. The disciples
asked the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke 11. They asked Him this question. I thought this was wonderful.
They didn't ask Him, Lord, you know, teach us to witness. They
asked Him, Lord, teach us to pray. You that believe. Isn't that
a good request? Lord, teach me to pray. Luke
11, and it came to pass that as he was praying in a certain
place when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him,
Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples. And
he said unto them, when you pray, say, Our Father which art in
heaven, hallowed be thy name. Bow to the holiness of God. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done in heaven as
so in earth. Give us day by day our daily
bread and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone
that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil." Now, you know, if we stopped right
there, we would say, well, okay, then that's how we're to pray. We pray. We just quote that prayer. But starting in verse 5 through
verse 13, there's a blessed truth that's taught concerning being
taught to pray. And he said unto them, verse
5, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight,
and say unto him, Friend, lend me five loaves. For a friend
of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to
sit before him. And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble
me not. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in
bed. I cannot rise and give thee.
I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because
he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise
and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask, and
it shall be given you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock,
and it shall be opened to you. For everyone that asketh, Remember,
I've told you this, but when you say that E-T-H on the end,
it means continually, continually, never stopping. He that continually
asks, continually receives. And he that seeketh findeth. And to him that knocketh it shall
be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any
of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if you
ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he
shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being
evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much
more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them
that ask him?" Jeff, which one of your kids
are you going to mock when they appeal to your strength? When
they come to you appealing to your knowledge, wisdom, strength,
and your fellowship, which one are you going to mock? Teach us to pray. Listen, let
me tell you something. When you pray, pray with importunity. Lord, Lord, I'm asking. I know I just asked. Lord, I'm seeking. I continue
to seek. I'm asking. I'm seeking. I'm
knocking. Don't stop. Teach us to pray. You continually appeal to His
strength and to His mercy and His direction and His providence
and His purpose and His will. Teach us to pray. That's how
you pray. Do you desire that which you
have? Ask it according to His will,
according to His purpose, according to His mercy. according to His
strength. All things work together for
good to them that love God. Ask Him that way. Our Father,
which is art in heaven, hallowed holy, holy is Your name. Lord,
You direct. Give us, Lord, according to Your
good will and pleasure those things. And forgive us, Lord.
And forgive us, Lord. And forgive us, Lord, as we forgive
and forgive and forgive. And don't stop. Don't you stop. Here's the third proof of life. To you that believe, Christ is
precious. He's all you've got. He's all
you've got. Look at verse 4, back in Proverbs. If thou seekest her as silver
and searchest for her as for hid treasures, What do you mean,
her? You remember we just looked at,
forsake not the instruction of your father and forsake not the
law of your mother. The law. The law of your mother.
What is her law? Faith in Christ. If thou seekest for her, if thou
seekest for Christ, wisdom, the law of your mother, Heavenly
Jerusalem, mother of us all, if thou seekest for her wisdom,
knowledge, understanding, all that speak of the Lord Jesus
Christ, you seek as silver that which is longed for. That's the
interpretation of that word silver, that which is longed for. and diligently search for her
as for hid treasures, secret storehouse. Psalm 119, verse 72, the law
of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.
Christ, I know, is not to be compared to this world's wealth,
but what A speaker here, Solomon through the Spirit of God, is
saying, if you seek, as the world seeks for this world's treasure,
and that's all they think about, the care of this world, that's
the way a believer spiritually seeks after Christ. I tell you, a believer is never
satisfied with skimming of the Word of God. I pray when I look into these
Scriptures, This is my need to begin to start
studying. Lord, would you open my understanding
to this word. Lord, teach me. Lord, I'm a frail
creature. I have no understanding of these
words save that which is revealed to me by the Spirit of God. Lord,
I stand before Your people as Your servant. to deliver Your
Word and they are Your people. Lord, You've commanded me to
comfort You, my people, saith the Lord. Lord, help me. I have nothing to say to comfort
except You bless the Word. Bless this Word to me and to
our people. Bless it to us. Help us. All of the blessing
and grace and mercy of Almighty God is found in him. If thou
seekest her as silver, searchest for her as for hid treasures. Oh, the depth both of the wisdom
and the knowledge of God. Oh, the depth of the worthiness
of Christ. That's what he said. How unsearchable
are his judgments and his ways past, find it out. Well, in closing,
Here's the promise to those who possess these marks of regeneration. Here's the promise. Verse 5,
Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the
knowledge of God. If those things be found, not
that you have the ability to generate them, but if God Almighty
has done something for you, They've given you a heart to receive
His words, hide His commandments with you. Those commandments,
the revealed precepts, the revealed Word of God. What are the commandments
of God? The revealed Word of God. That's what it is. Well, I can't
do anything. You can pray. I can't do anything. You can
receive His words. If He's given you a heart to
do so, yes, you can. Yes, you can. I can't do anything. You can
hide His commandments. You can hoard them. You that
believe, don't you? Sure you do. Sure you do. I can't do anything. You can
cry after knowledge. You can lift up your voice. For
understanding, you can ask. You can knock. You can do that. You can seek. If those things
be found in you, then thou shalt understand the reference of Almighty
God. Psalm 107.43 says, Whoso is wise
and will observe these things, even they shall understand the
lovingkindness of the Lord." Those that have been made spiritually
wise unto salvation. You can't do anything, not for
the establishment and the maintenance of your salvation and righteousness. Oh, I know you can't do that,
but I'll tell you this, you can act like a believer. And this
is what the Scripture says you'll act like. You will understand. You will be thankful. You can
do that. You'd be thankful. Thankful that
Almighty God has shown mercy and compassion to you. And you perceive the compassion
of Almighty God. Then shalt thou understand the
fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. That is, to know God. To find the knowledge is to know
God, to know Him. I understand, not in the fullness
and understanding of who He is, but I'll tell you this, you that
believe, you know Him. He's revealed Himself to you
by His Spirit through His Son. This is life eternal that they
may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou
has sent. To know God is to possess and
experientially know Him. That is to be taught by the Spirit
of God. You do know Him. To know God is to fear Him, respect
Him. To know God is to serve Him,
and His people do strive after obedience. 1 Chronicles 28, 9,
And thou, Solomon my son, know thou, that is, recognize thou
the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and
a willing mind. For the Lord searcheth all hearts,
and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts. If thou seek
him, he will be found of thee. But if thou forsake him, if thou
leave him, he will cast thee off forever. Serve him with a perfect heart.
Me? Not in myself. But I'll tell
you this. He who has served Him with a
perfect heart answers for me. To you, therefore, that know
Christ, to you that believe, Christ is precious to you because
He's all you've got before God. And to know God in closing is
to trust Him. Trust Him. Cast yourself upon
the mercy of Almighty God. I can't do anything. No. Not in myself to establish or
to maintain my righteousness. But I'll tell you what I can
do. I can call. I can pray. I can seek. I can hide. I can incline my
ear. Those are signs of life. Those
that absolutely do nothing are those that are dead. Now, a dead
man can't do anything. But those that are alive, they
do exactly what Almighty God says they do. And they realize
that He is their life. He is their hope. He is their
peace and their comfort. Bless this word to our heart
and understanding and to our comfort, for Christ's sake. Amen.