Turn with me to Romans 16, please. Romans 16. The Apostle Paul, as we looked
at last week, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, had given or had that to be revealed
that must be done Not to promote division within
the body of Christ, because we never desire that, but to promote
union in the body of Christ. Mark them. The scripture says, verse 17,
which calls divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which
you've learned and avoid them. Mark that. which is not consistent with
Christ. And when I say mark that which
is not consistent with Christ, this is what I mean. Don't bear with, don't go along
with anyone that says, I believe that Jesus Christ is the way,
the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but
by Him. If a man says that, I believe
that Christ is the way, and in the same breath is saying, all
I must do is accept Him. He is the way, and I must accept
Him. You don't believe He is the way.
You believe you are the way. He's just the vehicle, the car
that you got in and you stuck the key in and you turned on
the ignition and you put it in drive and you drove away. You're saying the car is the
way. No, no. If you believe that, you're the
way. Mark them. Don't listen. Men, I'm telling you that are
preaching That which is contrary to the doctrine of Christ. Sovereign grace. You see, it's
gotten to a point in our life where we've got to qualify what
you mean when you say the gospel. Because everybody believes the
gospel, they say. Everybody believes in grace,
they say. Not according to these scriptures,
they don't. Mark them. Avoid them. Why? Verse 18, For they that are such
serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly. They don't
serve the Lord. They profess to be a servant
of Christ. Paul said, I am a servant of
Christ. Separated under the gospel of
God. The gospel that proclaims that
which God Almighty has done. So therefore, to avoid, to shun,
to stay away from, don't hear them. Don't patronize them. Don't encourage them. They serve
their own belly. They do what they do to satisfy
themselves. Filthy lucre. I had a woman at a business here
this week. Tell me that a local man, I won't even call him a
preacher, came and wanted to know if he could hold Bible studies
there at this place of business, and then in the same breath wanted
to know how much was she going to pay him. They do what they do for money. It's a job. They do it for the praise of
men. They do it, but they're dead in trespasses and sins.
I'm telling you, anyone that is not preaching the gospel of
sovereign grace, electing grace, particular redemption, irresistible
grace, preservation of the saints, That man is totally depraved.
He's impotent. Men don't think that men by nature
are impotent. You know what impotent means?
No strength. No strength. You know, a baby
has got some strength. It can cry. It can move. It can, I mean, dust. It's little. It's little strength. But it's
not without strength. One that is completely paralyzed,
paraplegic. Big blink his eyes. He's not
without strength. But the Scripture says when we
were without strength, none. Any man that does not preach
sovereign, saving grace, salvation that's apart from anything that
you can do. are apart from anything that
you're worth. I'm telling you that men that
are standing in pulpits this morning and preaching anything
other than sovereign saving grace, God didn't call them. They're
liars. They're merchandisers. They're
merchants of men's souls. That's all they are. Avoid them. Why? Because, Paul says, they
don't serve the Lord Jesus Christ. By good words and fair speeches,
they deceive the hearts of the sinful. It's just messages that
are just plausible, just satisfying to the carnal mind. They're deceptive. You watch them. They're deceptive to those that
can't discern their motives, their tactics, their hypocrisy. A believer wants to hear a message
that honors Christ. That's all he wants to hear.
He wants to hear the message that honors the Lord. Tell me
a message that honors my precious Redeemer. Tell me about mercy. Because if I'm really honest
with you, I don't have any ability to bargain with God. I don't
have anything to offer Him. That empty hand that Brother
Scott talks about, that Almighty God must give. If a man comes
as a beggar, you know why I've never been
out on the street begging, begging for bread? Because humanly speaking,
I've always been able to make it, you know. But I'm going to
tell you something. You let a man come to where he
doesn't have anything. He has nothing. Nothing. You say, I tell you one thing,
I'd never stood that low. Well, yes, you would, too. Yes,
you would. You would if you had to. And
you let God Almighty bring a man down. to where you've got to
cry. When I can't pick up the telephone
anymore and fix it, when I don't have anybody else that can pull
my chestnuts out of the fire, yeah, you'll call. Yes, you will. Oh, may God Almighty bring us
down to be beggars. Come unto me, all ye that are
weak." Heavy laden. You know why men don't come?
Because they ain't weak. Heavy laden. I can handle this. Don't
listen to them. Don't patronize them. Paul says in verse 19, "...for
your obedience is come abroad unto all men, I am glad therefore
on your behalf, but yet I would have you wise unto that which
is good and simple concerning evil." Paul says your obedience. What
obedience, Paul? You obeyed God. You believed
Him. This is the commandment of God. your obedience. Romans 6, 17,
But God bethanked that you were the servants of sin, but have
obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered
unto you. Paul says you obeyed. Oh, the preciousness of one that
God has given a heart to believe. To believe Him. They believe
God. 2 Corinthians 1, 3 and 4, Blessed
be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforted us in our tribulation. Comfort in our tribulation, if
you believe God. I believe that God Almighty has
ordered this day. That's what David said. This
is the day that the Lord has made. We're going to rejoice and be
glad in it. What if we had tribulation? Blessed be God, the Father of
mercies, who comforted us in our tribulations, that we may
be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort
wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. Do you know it's a comfort
to a believer? to behold the grace of God in
another believer that God sustains them and keeps them. You think,
you know what, that's, as Peter said, seeing the grace of God. Blessed be the Lord. Your obedience has come abroad
unto all men. I'm glad, therefore, on your
part. But yet I would have you wise
unto that which is good, simple concerning evil." I'm thankful, Paul says, you've
been taught the gospel. He said, but I want you to be
wise unto that which is good, wise unto the gospel, and simple,
harmless, concerning evil. Be harmless in the way you handle. the evil you see. Don't cause
greater harm by being unwise in your practice. See that you avoid causing contentions. Wise to good and harmless to
evil. You know why? Here it is. Verse 20, ìAnd the God of peace
shall brew Satan under your feet shortly.î We talked a while ago about Satan
being bound, and he is bound. But Iíll tell you this, he is in this world as a roaring
lion. And Iím telling you that he is
Godís lion. He is God's Satan. He is God's
means. Almighty God, Paul says, is going
to brew Satan under your feet shortly. He is going to put him
down. He is seeking whom he may devour,
but the God who has made peace, the God who is our peace, the
God of all peace, is going to bruise him shortly under your
feet. I can't bruise him. I don't have
any ability to bruise him. But the God of peace will. What
does that mean? I'm telling you there's coming
a time. He's hindered now. He'll be loose for a season.
But there's coming a time, I'm telling you, when the Scripture
reveals that he's going to be bruised under our feet. That's what Scripture says. God
will bruise him. I have nothing to do with the
work, but I will share in the victory. We're in this world right now.
We're sojourners, pilgrims, trials, temptations and afflictions. What can I do? I can't do anything. And Almighty God is bringing
His people to Him. And Satan, who at this moment
appears to be victorious, He's not going to be. Not over God's
people. A roaring lion singing, he may
devour, but he ain't going to devour them. Oh, you may think sometimes he
is. But we are as Daniel was in that
den with the lions, and God just shut their mouth. of peace shall bruise Satan. Almighty God, who has everlastingly
loved us, chose us in Christ, Christ who has redeemed us by
His blood, the Spirit of God, who eternally covenanted to quicken
us in time, the Church of God is well. Because
we are built upon a foundation that is sure. The rock. This whole world, heaven and
earth, is going to pass away. But not His Word. He said, you'll
never perish. I'll never forsake you. You're
mine. How long is it going to be before
this is done? Well, this book that was actually penned thousands
of years ago, Paul said shortly. You say, well, this has been
thousands of years, but in light of eternity. Now, this was thousands
of years ago, and concerning our life, our life is but a vapor,
just a little bit right here. Why don't you do it now, Lord?
Why doesn't the Lord do it now? Why are we going through what
we're going through? Why are we having to suffer now?
Why doesn't the Lord just save us, take us out? Listen to this, Deuteronomy 7,
22, 23. Let me read this to you. And the Lord thy God will put out, that is, pluck
off those nations before, little by little. Thou mayest not consume
them at once, lest the beast of the field increase upon thee.
But the Lord thy God shall deliver them unto thee, that is, before
your face, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction
until they be destroyed." Now listen, we are suffering in this world
today. Man is a few days. The Lord teaches us to number
our days. Many afflictions. If you be without
chastisement, you are not the Lord's. Why, Lord? Why do we have these
sufferings? Why are we going through what
we are going through? Why is Satan not bruised yet? Lord, this is hard. It's hard. Why? Why has it got to be shortly,
Lord? The Lord wisely knows that which
we need. I'm telling you, why is it that the presence of
sin is still with me? Why? Why is the presence of sin
with me? Why is Satan still? Why? Why? If there were no foes within, no temptations without, to make me trust Him, I wouldn't. I'm telling you, if there was
no beast, if there was no wretched man, have you ever thought about
why God has left the presence of sin? Why is Satan still here? Why are we still struggling today? The Lord says, I'm going to consume
those nations little by little. He said, not at once. That's
what He told them in Deuteronomy. Almighty God, knows how to keep
me under subjection. I'll tell you this the way it
is with me. When I find myself in trouble,
that's when I call. How wisely He has left these
things in this world. How wisely we struggle in this
life. He's weaning us away from this
world. I'm telling you, a believer is
being taught their need of God, their need
of Christ, their need of Him, the need of His grace and mercy
and power. And they're being taught, this
world has got nothing for me. This world is a place of misery,
and we're going to behold the indescribable mercy of Almighty
God to keep us and to sustain us. And we're going to know what
we've been redeemed from. Thou hast redeemed us out of
every kindred, tribe, tongue, nation. The Lord knows how to
keep His people. He knows how to draw them. I think about one of my kids
one time. I told him, I said, ìLetís go.
Time to go.î They were back there in the back of the house. I said,
ìTime to go. Come on.î I didnít see them immediately. And I turned the light off. And,
buddy, you ainít never seen a kid come that fast. to see my need of Him, that's
when He draws me and He knows how. Satan shall be bruised under
your feet shortly. Satan is in this world right
now used of God to prove God's people. You say, what do you
mean prove? Show that they are the Lord's.
You think back on Job. Job told the Lord when the Lord
asked him. He says, how about my servant
Job? Have you considered him? Satan said, oh yeah, well. Sure,
he's your servant. He said, I'll tell you this.
You touch what he's got and he'll curse you to your face. The Lord said, OK, I'm going
to remove. Satan said, you got him handed
him out. No wonder. He said, I'll tell you what,
he said, you can touch his body, you can take his life. God proved
God's faithfulness to Job by allowing Satan to touch him. What did Job say? The Lord giveth
and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
His wife came to him in affliction. The wife told him, she said,
why don't you just cuss God? Get it over with. But Job and all those things
did not sin against the Lord, not in his heart, not in his
mouth. Almighty God is proving His people
in trials and tribulations. He is showing them His faithfulness. He is showing them that God Almighty
is going to keep them in the midst. The God of peace shall
brew Satan under your feet shortly. Then Paul says, The grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. God Almighty has been gracious
to His people, given them a promise. Trials and afflictions, yeah. Trouble, chastisements, yeah. But I'm going to tell you something.
Is he going to leave his people? No. The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ be with you. The Lord Jesus Christ has been
gracious to you. And Paul said, Amen. So be it. Amen.