It is absolutely a great honor
to be asked to be here, and I am so thankful that the Lord would
bring us all together. I'm thankful for the message
last night. I pray that God be pleased to
bless us today, that we might truly be made to hear worship
I'm going to ask you to take your Bibles and turn with me
to the book of Proverbs chapter 21. Proverbs 21. I'd like to look at verse 9 and
then a few of the verses following primarily. My text will be verse 9, Proverbs
21, 9. It is better to dwell in a corner
of the housetop than with a brawling woman in a wide house. When Adam disobeyed God in the garden, He absolutely died, spiritually,
morally, and therefore was going to die physically, just like
the Lord told him that he would. When he ate of the fruit, he
was immediately captured. He was tried, found guilty before
God, a sinner. a rebel against God. Sin began then to work and his
members and the effects of sin became immediately evident. The eyes of Adam and his wife
Eve were opened, minds began to see. They knew, they knew
that they were now naked. naked before God and they stood
now before Him shamed and in need of a covering because of
their rebellion. Now they knew that. And what
they did is they did exactly what every man, every woman born
in Adam thinks he can do. They took some fig leaves and
sewed them together and made themselves aprons. hide their
nakedness before God. Now that mindset permeates mankind. He's born in Adam. That's what
man thinks he can do. He can hide himself from God. Obnoxious rebellion against God. God Almighty told him, you're
going to die. This is what man thinks. I'm
not dead. I have not truly died before
God. I have ability to do something. And what man thinks now is that
he truly is the author and finisher of his faith, salvation before
God. I can. It does not matter what
God says. That's the totality now. man's religion before God, summed
up. And the scripture declares that
thought to be nothing more than a harlot of unfaithfulness. This is man's religion as he's
born in Adam. Hold your place right there and
turn with me to Revelation 17. This is this is man. This is
man's religion. This is the world's religion
right here revelation 17 verses 1 to 5 Revelation 17 warning there came
one of the seven angels which had the seven vows and talked
with me saying unto me Come hither. I will show unto thee the judgment
of the great whore and that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the
kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants
of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the
spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sit upon a
scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven
heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in
purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious
stones and pearls, having golden cup in her hand, full of abominations
and filthiness of her fornication. And upon her forehead was a name
written, Mystery Babylon, the great, the mother of harlots
and abominations of the earth." Now, that is man's religion. Nothing more than a harlot, an
adulteress, unfaithful. This brawling woman spoken of
in Proverbs 21, she is the woman, the strange woman of Proverbs
7, estranged. Turn with me to Proverbs 7. Here
she is, right here, this woman of the night, this great harlot. who is estranged from God and
true godliness. Proverbs chapter 7 verse 9 in
the twilight in the evening in the black and dark night behold
there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot Subtle of
heart, she's loud, stubborn, her feet abide not in her house. Here is a woman set forth describing
man's religion. Man as he's born in Adam, dead
man religion, harlot religion. adulterous religion, a stranger
to God and godliness, stranger to Christ and His person, His
work, His glory, stranger to the Holy Spirit, His work, glorious
operation of effectually calling out God's elect, regenerating
them in power and keeping them, knows nothing of Him. She's the
brawling woman in Proverbs 21, verse 9. And the scripture declares her
to be that one, that mistress of seduction. She's loud, pouring
out foolishness and unchaste words to entice. Stubborn, rebellious,
self-willed against God. All that is right. A brawling
woman of contentious in a wide house. Now this is what is better.
It's better. And the amazing thing, it's not
until Almighty God gives man or woman light, they realize
it's better. Until then, they're perfectly
satisfied, stay right with her, stay with her, love her, enticed
by her. It's better to dwell in a corner
of the housetop than with a brawling woman in a wide house. What do you mean a wide house?
A house of enchantment. That's what it is. Of deception. Wide house. She is all false
religion. It's better, it's good to dwell,
to sit in this corner of a housetop, separated from the clutches of
this great harlot, the mystery babylon, than to stay with her.
When Almighty God opens up the eyes of the vessels of His mercy,
then they realize it's better. Why is it better? Well, look
at verse 10. It's better because this brawling
woman hates God. Now again, until the Lord opens
her eyes and teaches, nobody knows that. Everybody thinks,
I love the Lord. I love him. The scripture says
this woman, this brawling woman, the soul of the wicked, desireth
evil. His neighbor findeth no favor
in his eyes. Why? This woman, her soul, her
mind, her affection, her appetite of that brawling woman, that
wicked, desireth, always desires, and only desires wishes for nothing
but evil. And his neighbor, the companions,
the lovers, all that associate with him, the scripture declares
that the neighbor of this wicked findeth no favor in his eyes. Oh, she speaks of love. I love
you. We love you. This community,
we love this community. The scripture says absolutely
there's no favor, no favor, no love, no pity, no grace, no sympathy,
except for herself, self-centered. She covets and lusts after evil
against God, against others, and judgment for herself. That's
what she wants. It's better to dwell in a corner
of a housetop than with a brawling woman in a white house. Why? Because she hates God. I'll tell you another reason.
It's because she's going to suffer the wrath of God. It's better
to be separated from her. Come out from among her and be
separate. It's better. Because Almighty
God is going to deal with her in judgment. Look at verse 11
and 12. When the scorner is punished,
the simple is made wise. And when the wise is instructed,
he receiveth knowledge. The righteous man wisely considereth
the house of the wicked. God overthroweth the wicked.
For their wickedness when the scorner The one that makes a
mouth at that's what it's talking about what one when the one that
mocks And scoffs at god And that's what she's doing The scorner is punished and she
shall be She didn't think she would Man's a sinner against
god and thinks that he's going to get off. Hold your place right
there. Turn to Isaiah 47. Isaiah 47,
verse 7. Isaiah 47, 7. This woman that
dwells in this wide house, this house of enchantment, this house
of witchery, This is what God has to say, Isaiah 47, 7. And thou saidest, I shall be
a lady forever, so that thou didst not lay these things to
thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it. Therefore,
hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest
carelessly, that sayest in thy heart, I am. and none else beside
me. I shall not sit as a widow, neither
shall I know the loss of children, but these two things shall come
to thee in a moment, and one day the loss of children and
widowhood. They shall come upon thee in the perfection of the
multitude of our sorceries. for the great abundance of thine
enchantments, for thou hast trusted in thy wickedness. Thou hast
said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge,
it hath perverted thee. Thou hast said in thine heart,
I am, there is none else beside me. Therefore shall evil come
upon thee, thou shalt not know from whence it riseth. Mischief
shall fall upon thee, thou shalt not be able to put it off. Desolation
shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know. Stand
now with thine enchantments in the multitude of thy sorceries,
wherein thou hast labored from thy youth, if so be thou shalt
be able to profit. If so be thou mayest prevail,
thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the
astrologers, stargazers, monthly prognosticators stand up and
save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. Behold, they shall be as stubble. The fire shall burn them, they
shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame.
There shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before
it. Thus shall they be unto thee
with whom thou hast labored, even thy merchants from thy youth.
They shall wander every one to his quarter, none shall save
thee. Why is it better to come out
and be separated from a brawling woman because she is under the
judgment of God? The end of all false religion,
confidence in self. It's better to be separated because
he's going to be judged. Oh, but to deliver and to rescue
those made wise unto salvation. They're going to be instructed.
That's what the scripture says. When the scorner is punished,
the simple is made wise. When the wise is instructed,
he receiving knowledge. That righteous man, he wisely
considereth the house of the wicked. Whenever the vessels
of God's mercy are delivered from this brawling woman, they're
given understanding of themselves, what they are by nature. a sinner,
unable in self. They're given understanding of
God's judgment and justice against them, and they receive instruction.
Then they do. They've received instruction
from God. They know something of where
they've come from, where God's delivered them from. They've
been cleansed from the filthiness by the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and delivered from all their idols, and given a new
heart, a new spirit. And now, not before, it's better,
but they didn't know it, but now, having been given instruction,
the scripture sets forth, the righteous man now wisely considereth
the house of the wicked. You that's been delivered from
the brawling woman, of false religion, where we all, I know
I did, sat convinced, convinced, I was right, I was right. You couldn't have convinced me
that I was wrong but having been taken out. Now, he looks and
wisely considers where the Lord has delivered him from, that
house from which he's been taken. Now they know that wide house
of that brawling woman was built upon nothing that would stand
the judgment of God. Look at Matthew 7. Hold your
place. Look at Matthew 7, 24. Here's what they wisely consider. The Lord giving them some wisdom.
Matthew 7, 24. Therefore, whosoever heareth
these sayings of mine, And doeth them, I will liken him unto a
wise man, which built his house upon a rock, and the rain descended,
the floods came, the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and
it fell not. For it was founded upon a rock,
and every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them
not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon
the sand, and the rain descended, the floods came, the wind blew,
and beat upon that house, and it fell. And great was the fall
of it. Now, that man made wise, that
righteous man wisely considering the house of the wicked. What's
going to happen to it? God's going to destroy it. Now
that wise man knows that God's just will by no means clear the
guilty. Now he knows wisely that that
brawling woman, that harlot, that deceiver, she'd been lying
to me. She lied to me because she was
of nothing more than the devil himself who is the liar. And
now all of the proclamation of her liturgy God, he was no God. And now they know, by the opening
of their eyes and their mind, now they know that that brawling
woman withheld. It's better to dwell on a rooftop,
corner of a rooftop, it's better. Stay in a wide house with a brawling
woman, a house of deception and enchantment, it's better. Why? because she withheld that which
was absolutely necessary to the salvation of God's elect. She
never preached the gospel to him. Verse 13, whoso stoppeth
his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but
shall not be heard. Whoso stoppeth his ears, whoso
will not hear, will not proclaim, that is needful to the spiritually
poor, the poor in spirit. That one who refuses and stops
his ears is going to cry one day and he's not going to be
heard. What is that great need? What
is it that we desperately, we must hear right now? The message
of life in Christ. Tell me who I am being born in
Adam. Tell me that I am a sinner against
God. And tell me of the God of all
grace. Tell me of the electing God.
Tell me of that predestinating grace that Brother Don preached
on last night. Tell me of Him who saves His people and redeemed
them by particular redemption. I lay down my life for the sheep.
Tell me the truth. Tell me of regenerating grace. Tell me of the Spirit of God
that blows as the wind. Tell me when God Almighty crosses
the path of a sinner as they hear the gospel. How are they
going to hear? Tell me of a preacher sent by
God to tell me the truth. And what's the reason? Why would
one? It's better to come out because
he that stops his ears at the cry of the poor, he's going to
cry. Turn with me to Matthew 25. I'll show you the importance.
Why is it better to come out from one that has stopped their
ears to the truth and will not proclaim? Why is it better? I'll
tell you why. Because it's going to come up
the day of judgment. Matthew 25. Matthew 25, verse
31. when the Son of Man shall come
in his glory, and all the holy angels with him. Then shall he
sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered
all nations, and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd
divided his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep on
his right hand, but the goats on his left. And then shall the
king say unto them on his right hand, Come, be blessed of my
Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry,
you gave me meat. I was thirsty, you gave me drink.
I was a stranger, you took me in. I was naked, you clothed
me. I was sick, you visited me. I
was in prison, you came unto me. Then shall the righteous
answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hunger, and fed thee,
or thirsty, and gave thee drink? Or saw thee a stranger, and took
thee in, or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick,
or in prison, came unto thee? And the king shall answer and
say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you've done
it unto one of the least of these my brethren, You've done it unto
me. In the day of judgment, Almighty
God, the Lord Jesus Christ is going to separate the sheep from
the goats. He's going to turn to the sheep
on his right hand, and he's going to say unto them, enter in. Enter in. Because. Because. Look at verse 35. The first word
of verse 35. You enter in for because I was
hungry. I was hungry and you did to me
as you did it to my people. You've done it unto the least
of these my brethren. You've done this to me. I was
hungry for the bread of heaven, the bread of life, and you gave
me meat. You told me in my people of the
bread myself. That's what he's saying. I was
thirsty for the hearing of the water of life, the fountain of
life, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, I was an alien
and stranger to the covenant of promise and you took me in,
you joined yourself, associated with me and told me of the haven
of rest myself. I was naked and you clothed me,
you told me, you told me in my people of myself and of my righteousness
imputed to them. You told me in them of the covering
that's accepted. I was sick from the crown of
my head to the sole of my foot because of the fallen Adam of
my people. And you visited me. You told
my people, and you did it to me, of the great position of
life. I was in prison, I was bounded,
trespasses and sins, and you came unto me, and you told my
people, you preached the gospel to me, to my people, and you
told me of a strong man who came in and bound one that was strong,
but the stronger bounded me. And the deliverance of the captives, whenever Stephen was preaching,
to the Jews and he related the story of God's sovereign grace,
mercy on Christ and told them as he stood there, he said, you
stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart, you who always do resist
the Holy Ghost as your fathers did, And those who were betrayers,
murderers of the just one, and the scripture says Acts 7.54,
when they heard these things they were cut to the heart, they
gnashed on him with their teeth, they cried out with a loud voice
and stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord and
cast him out. The Lord said, you, back in Proverbs
21, you who did not shut your ears to the cry of my people.
You. You who preach the gospel to
them. You there. You did that to me. You enter in. You who have life
and told them of life. But to all that stoppeth their
ears to the cry of the poor. refused to feed the spiritual
hunger and thirsty, those who are spiritually naked, sick and
imprisoned. He said, you're going to cry
yourself. And you're not going to be heard.
Lord, Matthew 7, we prophesied in your name. We
cast out devils in your name. We did many wonderful works in
your name. I never knew you. Depart from
me, you workers of iniquity. It's better, it's better to dwell
in the corner of a rooftop than in a wide house of enchantments,
lying deception with a brawling woman. It's better. I know it's better. But how am
I going to be taken out of her? How am I going to be delivered? I must be delivered because I
can't deliver myself. Oh listen. He who everlastingly
loved his people. Turn with me and in closing Ephesians
chapter 2. He who everlastingly loved his
people and chose his people in Christ. Gave them, charged them
to the surety. Put them in Christ. And Brother
Scott would always say, where God puts a man, that's where
God keeps a man. Put them in Christ. And the surety,
who everlastingly stood for them. And Almighty God, Jehovah, the
Father, who looked at the surety, and none but the surety, and
delivered them by the shedding of His blood, imputed His righteousness
to them, having made them righteous before God in Himself. How did they get out? How did
they get out of that brawling woman? It's better, but, Lord,
you want to take me out? I can't get out myself. I'm the
one spiritually dead in trespasses and sins. Ephesians 2 verse 1, you have
bequeathed who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past
you walked according to the course of this world. But that brawling
woman of deception, according to the prince of the power of
the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience,
among whom we all, we also, we all had our conversation in time
past in the lust of our flesh. fulfilling the desires of the
flesh and the mind, and we're by nature the children of wrath,
even as others, against God, just like them all. But God,
who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved
us, even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together
with Christ, by grace, are you saved and hath raised us up together
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in
the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace
and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus for by grace are
you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift
of God Not of works, lest any man should boast, but we of his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which
God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them." It's
better. It's better. It's better. But
Almighty God is going to have to do something for a sinner
that he can't do for himself. May the Lord bless His Word to
our hearts for Christ's sake.