This evening, dear friends, by
the help of God, we turn to the book of Proverbs for our meditation. I will direct you to the 18th
chapter. I read, seeking the help of God,
verse 12. The 18th Chapter in the Proverbs
verse 12 Before destruction the heart of man is watered Before
honour is humility The Proverbs have a very particular
and unique place in the Council of Jehovah with regard to the
manifestation of the mind and will of God. And it contains, as we know,
moral virtues on the one hand, and the contrary vices on the
other in other words there's a great contrast and the other
thing is this it's contained in short statements of truth
and yet these short statements are so full when by the Spirit
we are enabled to consider them. How different to man by nature
who is full of talk, and in the multitude of words
there wanteth not sin. and yet we come to the Proverbs
just a short statement a few words and what a fullness there
is and right through the 31 chapters
this principle is there and dear Solomon was divinely instructed
to write the Proverbs And we have his ministry in the
Ecclesiastes. That's his preaching ministry. This is his written ministry. And then we have the song. The
blessed song of Solomon. That song of love. So dear Solomon,
was used of God to a great degree. He was one who had the testimony
of heaven concerning Him when He was born. The Lord loved Him. The Lord
loved Him. Oh friends, could you have a
better testimony when we were born when our children
were born the Lord loved him and the Lord would use him in
a great measure having favoured him with wisdom and riches in
abundance he wrote these truths as divinely inspired but he had
to live to prove the truth he wrote concerning moral virtue
and their contrivances and you and I dear friends have to learn
the truth our life if we're the Lords will
be a life of teaching us from his words And sadly, it won't
be all moral virtue, totally and completely and entirely,
as it was not with Solomon. He was left to himself, mysteriously,
that he had to prove the truths he wrote regarding himself. And friends, it's the same today.
You read the Word of God. And what are you reading? You're
reading about yourself. It speaks of you, and it speaks
of me. And friends, those who minister
the Word, it's exactly the same. We have to prove in our ministry
that we are like the truth we read and preach. there is no
perfection in the flesh no I used to think when I was a lad about
religion in degrees I used to look upon the ministers as being
more holy and godly than anyone else and then the deacons were
a bit lower in holiness and godliness then the church members were
a bit less the members of the congregation were less in my
childhood innocence as it were or ignorance I should say that's
how I used to view people and I used to think the older they
got the more godly they would become I used to think that friends
the Lord has taught me different I know that in me that is in
my flesh dwelleth no good being I know that the spirit and the
flesh are at variance within the hearts and lives of God's
people. Nevertheless, the foundation
of God's stand is sure. The Lord knows them that are
His. And Solomon could never be cast away. He could never
be lost. Impossible, because he was loved. with an everlasting love and
he loved the Lord now as we consider these proverbs
these statements you see we see how these truths are verified
in our hearts and in our lives now the contrast must be realized
to comprehend the greatness of the blessing I said this afternoon
really to fully understand or to understand it further the
scriptures I feel it's right and proper and edifying to consider
a text in the light of a context then we have a greater knowledge
and a greater understanding of that truth as it is in Jesus
in the Proverbs then you see we consider the downside the
solemn side but that magnifies and exhorts that which is good
and thus we can safely conclude from the witness of the Spirit
the Spirit of Truth that we are humble souls now before destruction
the heart of man is haunted you see men left completely to themselves
they destroy themselves they destroy themselves man is
his greatest enemy left to himself he destroys himself oh he might
be religious he might be religious but he will still destroy himself
if he is left to himself there are some solemn characters in
the scripture and they were religious but they destroyed themselves
they were haughty they were proud and they destroyed themselves
what about Haman he deceived the king initially totally deceived
the king friends you see an ungodly person in religion may deceive
even the Lord's people for a season Judas Iscariot deceived the other
eleven apostles he completely deceived them the Lord knew but they didn't
Haman deceived King Ahasuerus And King Ahasuerus thought he
was a good man. Then he did what he said. And friends, that contract was
entered into to destroy all the Jews. Why was it? Because Haman was haughty. He was proud. He was arrogant. he wanted to be prized he wanted
to be honored he wanted to be worshipped and because dear godly
Mordecai refused so to do he turned against him and he wanted
to destroy him but not just destroy dear Mordecai but destroy all
the Jews how terrible what that the heart of man left to
itself is proud as proud as Lucifer as proud as Lucifer now our fallen
nature friends our fallen nature is guilty of pride it is it's
one of the failings of our sinful flesh to be prayed. But mercifully the Lord doesn't
leave his people to be swept away by the sin of pride. Because the grace of God will
subdue it and mortify it. The path of tribulation we'll
see to that the path of affliction we'll see to that oh the Lord
can bring a cross and a loss to mortify the sin of pride but
you see Haman he went the full length he was swept away on the
tide of pride and what did it do it drowned him in destruction he didn't think the day was coming
when all his vain thoughts and intentions would be completely
overturned he never gave it a thought but his proud heart was so full
of pride there was no room to consider anything else and you
see the wicked their hearts are full of what they want to do
there's no room in their heart to consider anybody else or anything
else and never consider God and so Satan was permitted to do
what he did in his sin in Haven's heart and he went to a great
length but friends it was his destruction And what did King
Ahasuerus say? What shall be done unto the man
whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought, this is me,
this is me. Who would the king desire to
honour more than me? And so he prescribed the very
best. And then the king said, go and
do likewise. to Mordecai, let nothing be lessened
of all that thou hast said, and Franz Haman was destroyed. That was really the end of him.
In his anticipation of destroying the Jews, the Lord turned, one
sleepless night, and the King turned the whole matter round. Hyman never thought of that,
did he? Never entered his head, never entered his mind. But his
heart was full of pride. And he was destroyed, utterly
destroyed. Oh, he built the gallows. He
was going to have dear Mordecai hung on the gallows. And he was
building them. He didn't realise he'd be the
first to hang there, did he? His pride never gave it a thought.
Pride, friends, is a terrible sin. It is. And it leads men
into all manner of different sins through the pride of their
heart. O may the Lord subdue it, mortify
it, crucify it in our flesh. So Haman was destroyed. Before destruction the heart
of man is The Lord's people, you see, the Lord can overturn
matters that we may have thought and planned and schemed through
the pride of our heart. The Lord overturns it, overturns
it. Why? To humble us under His mighty
hand. all the apostles who's the greatest? who's the greatest? who's the
greatest? friend what was there? it's a
pride of their heart who's the greatest? friends pride it lurks here it lurks
there Perhaps we think we're more gracious
and godly than our fellows, our brethren and sisters in the church. Perhaps we may sometimes almost
despise them, like the Pharisee. He despised others. He thought
he was self-righteous and despised others. Oh friends, sin works
in the members. Perhaps a minister thinks, well
I'm a better preacher than this one or that one. Ah, friends,
it won't do. The Lord won't allow it. The
Lord won't allow it, friends. Not for a moment. The Lord, friends,
and I realise this. I realise it. The Lord can close
a mouth in a moment. In a moment. And when the Lord
shuts, friends, no man can open. when the Lord opens no man can
shut up so solemn is this sinner pride but there's honour for the humble
this is God's word this thought has been on my mind or this truth
the last should be first or the first should be last in their
own estimation And the last shall be said. The Lord spake a parable when
they were upbidden to a feast. Don't take the chief seat, the
best seat. No, take the lower seat. There may be a more honourable
man than thou. Come at a guess. and then the
good man of the house will say give this man place and they
will begin with shame to take the lowest seat but when they
are bidden take the lowest seat and then friend come up higher
you will be honoured you will be honoured so the secret for
honour is humility and friends Let me say this, reverently,
soberly, graciously, there are no shortcuts to honour. None at all. None at all. There's only one way to honour
and that's humility. Humble yourselves therefore under
the mighty hand of God, that he may exhort you in due season. Everyone that exhorts
himself shall be abased, but he that abases himself, humbles
himself, shall be exalted, shall be exalted. Friends, the path
to honour is humility. We've got to be humbled and the
Lord will humble us under his mighty hand. And his dear people
will come under his mighty hand. They'll come under it, under
the chastening hand of God. they come under it in afflictions,
the waters of affliction, the fires of temptation, the sorrows
and the griefs of the world. The Lord uses these things to
humble us before the Lord. Now the grand example, the glorious
example of course is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, the dear Redeemer was the
eternal Son of God from everlasting to everlasting. Thou art God. But as the man Christ Jesus what
did he do? He humbled himself. not that it was ever possible
for Christ to be any other than humble, because He was holy, He was sinless, He was higher than the heavens,
so He could never ever no pride. But he humbled himself as the
man Christ Jesus under the divine will of God his Father. That's
the true meaning of his humility. He humbled himself under that
divine will and counsel of Jehovah that he would be the day's man
He would be a mediator. He would bear the curse due to
his church and people. And he humbled himself and he
became obedient unto death. But no ordinary death. No. No. One death. And one death only. The death
of crucifixion. because that was a mortifying
death, a humiliating death, the death of the cross. Oh it was. So he humbled himself under that
mighty hand of God the Father as he came to do the Father's
will, obedient to death, The day, even Paul says, the death
of the cross. Think of it. What a glorious
example. Set before the Church of God.
Friends, doesn't it make you desire to be a humble soul? A humble follower of Jesus Christ? To follow Christ in that humility? This is the pattern set. You
see, every exhortation for the Church of the Living God is set
before us by Jesus Christ. It's all in Him. And every exhortation
we are able to fulfil and keep and walk in by the grace of Jesus
Christ. By His grace, friends, You will
humble yourself unto His mighty hand, because He's God and we're
mortal, because He's holy and we're sinners. He's eternal,
we're creatures of time. Ah, friends, that will humble
us unto the majesty of God and the dear signs of old. You see,
they were humbled under the mighty hand of God. We spoke of John
this afternoon in his epistle. Dear John saw Christ in all his
glory. When I saw him, I fell at his
feet as dead, humbled under a sense of the majesty, the power of
Almighty God in the person of Jesus Christ. Then there was
dear Abraham when he pleaded with the Lord
for the righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah. Shall not the judge
of all the earth do right? Lord, thou wilt never slay the
righteous with the wicked. That be far from thee, Lord.
And when he pleaded with Almighty God, such a sense of the majesty
of Jehovah was upon his spirit, that he spake of himself, who
am but dust and ashes. There's humility. There it is. So a sense of Almighty God's
majesty and power fell measurably upon our spirit, will humble
us under his mighty hand it will indeed before honour before honour
is humility so friends this is the why there is no other why
all the schemings and plans of men will all fall apart come
to nothing like a bowing wall and a tottering pen. It will
friend, but a humble soul, a humble soul seeking salvation. Beautiful isn't it? Now the Lord has always worked
in this way in the church of God. Why? Because that no flesh should
glory in His presence. None at all. No flesh must glory. He will have all the glory. He
will have all the praise from a humble soul. Because you know
that your salvation rests alone and entirely upon the finished
work of Christ. Friend, if you know His pardoning
love, and His forgiving mercy, His compassion and pity. Then
what will be the effect? It will humble you before the
Lord. It will indeed. This is the sacred
effect of the Lord's dealings. When the Lord brings a poor sinner,
lays judgment to the line and righteousness to the plumber
in the heart. those solemn dispensations friends
that are humble you before almighty God because you know and believe
that the Lord could completely take you away in a moment take
away your breath and you would die but the chastened hand of
God you see is used of God to humble and it will and it does
Look at Manasseh when he humbled himself before Almighty God. Look at what he was guilty of.
But the Lord humbled him. And the Lord can humble any proud
sinner. He did Nebuchadnezzar. He had
to eat grass like an ox and in the field. What was it for? To humble him. And look what
he's saying. concerning Almighty God, He doeth
according to His will in the armours of heaven and amongst
the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand or
say unto Him, What doest thou? That's what the Lord did to proud
Nebuchadnezzar. And then He testified thus, those
that walk in pride, the Lord is able to abase. And that's
what the Lord did. the nebuchadnezzar. Friends,
the goodness of God will always humble a poor sinner. In the dust of self-abasement,
and friends that's our proper place, the Lord will be high
and lifted up and we shall be humbled. But you see it's the
pathway to honour. How do these truths sound to
us friends? Can we say Amen? The Lord I trust has humbled
my heart And given me a broken and a contrite heart That trembleth
at thy word To this man will I look To him that is of a broken
and a contrite heart And trembleth at my word The Lord will look
upon such a character with favour because he humbles himself. The Lord won't forget the humble
souls. No, the humble shall hear thereof and be glad. O magnify
the Lord with me and let us exhort his name together. I sought the
Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears. Friends,
a blessed testimony. of a humble soul. So it's a good
path, it's a blessed path, and it's the way to honour. The way
to honour. The Lord raised up the Immorticae
and Esther. Oh friends, the ways of God are
passed on, you know. But the Lord has never used a
proud man for His honour and glory in His service. He never
has and He never will. He uses humble souls like those
we've mentioned. Look at dear Joseph. He was humble. No mistake he was in the school
of Christ. Oh, he was humble. The word of
the Lord tried him. The frenzy came forth. He did
indeed. The Lord honoured him. The Lord
honoured him. what honour was conferred upon
that dear godly man. The Apostle Paul was humbled
under the mighty hand of God. Look how the Lord honoured him
and used him in an abundant measure in writing to the churches. Friends, what was that? An honour,
a great honour, a blessed honour. But he humbled himself under
that cross he had. that thorn in the flesh that
messenger of Satan to buffet what that really was we're not
told wisely so hidden from us and friends your cross your cross
is wisely hidden from the eyes of others people may think they know but
they don't they don't know the whole they don't begin to only
God sees the whole man looks at the outward appearance yes
God looks at the whole he sees he knows yes and friends that
cross and loss will humble you that will kill pride in a moment
it will indeed kill it The Lord knows, friends, how to bring
His people love, how to humble them. But, friends, it's a blessed
way, a good path. It's the path to honour. When the Lord honours, oh, friends,
then the whole Church of God will see it and acknowledge it. This is the Lord's goodness.
Ah, the Lord's work is wonderful, wondrous in our eyes. The whole
church of God knew when Joseph was honoured. The whole church
of God knew when Mordecai was honoured. The whole church knew
when Paul was honoured. And the whole church know that
Jesus Christ has been honoured by God the Father. because he
did that which was pleasing in the sight of God. I do always
those things that please my Father. Oh the Lord Jesus was honoured
brought forth from the grave by the power of holiness and
now that glorious mediator at the right hand of God as our
intercessor as our great High Priest, a better High Priest
than all the High Priests that went before under the Levitical
dispensation. Jesus Christ has a better name
than the angels, better sacrifices, better promises, better covenant. It's all better in Christ. And friends, the Lord's people
are better by what the Lord Jesus Christ has done and he'll honour
and people will acknowledge the honour they'll see it and it's
of God it's to his honour and glory because they've humbled
themselves and the Lord has raised them up and what's the greatest
honour friends that a child of God can ever know to be honoured
with eternal glory. Friend, come up higher. To be with Christ, which is far
better, because His people are seeking a better country that
isn't heavenly. Wherefore God is not ashamed
to call them brethren. So this word, friends, is good
before honour, is humility. So we must search our hearts
before the Lord, as the Lord mercifully humbled us, is he
humbling us under his mighty hand. We read concerning the
first part of our text and the second part in the lesson this
evening. Pride goeth before destruction,
the haughty spirit before a fool. Better it is to be of a humble
spirit with the lowly, Banned to divide the spoiled with the
proud Lowly, contrite, humble souls Humble souls who seek salvation
Through the Lamb's redeeming blood Well friends, you see you
go through the Word of God And the Word of God is so self-confirming
These humble souls, how they were honoured. Oh, dear Mary Magdalene, she
was humbled. She was a poor sinner, humbled
unto the mighty hand of God. But look how the Lord honoured
her. And he rose from the grave. Who did he reveal himself to
first? Mary Magdalene. Go and tell my
disciples that he has risen from the dead. You would think naturally she'd
be the last one. No, she's the first. The Lord
honoured her with his sacred presence to bear testimony to
the glorious truth. Because she knew the truth experimentally. Her sins, which were many, were
all forgiven. She knew the power of the righteousness
of Christ, the justified righteousness of Christ. The Lord honoured
her with His sacred presence, a risen saviour. What an honour! Friends, do you know the Lord
is risen? If you humble yourselves under
His mighty hand and have a little understanding and communion with
Him, in fellowship with Him, in His sufferings, He'll honour
you with His justifying righteousness. What is that? Well, it's pardon
and peace. That's what it is. Peace of God
which passeth all understanding in your soul. Is that an honour? Friends, if you've been burdened
with sin, and then the Lord brings you into gospel liberty, is that
an honour? Oh, friends, what greater honour
could you have on the earth, to know the peace of God which
passes all understanding, that your heart and mine might be
stayed on Christ? humble souls that all belong
unto. I said earlier, reverently, soberly,
graciously, there are no shortcuts in vital godliness. We are walking
the way the Saviour went. We are walking that narrow way
that leadeth unto life. Few there be that find it, but
friends, the Lord's people find it. But broad is the road wide
is the gate that leadeth unto destruction many go that way
through the pride of their heart the pride of their heart wants
everything this world can offer a humble soul wants Christ and
all that he has done on and for behalf of his dear people That's
the vast difference. The pride of man is never satisfied. Always wants more. If a man's got a million pounds,
he wants another million. He's never satisfied. The eye
is never satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing. Man's
proud heart always wants more and more and more of the world. And those people, the humble
souls, are satisfied completely with Christ and all that he provides
and all he bestows and all he gives as a God of providence
and as a God of grace. The Lord honours his dear people
and he supplies all their needs spiritually from the fullness
that's in Christ Jesus our Lord and he supplies every need providentially
He does indeed, because the world is His, and all things there
is. And He can send the ravens to
feed Elijah. He can find a piece of money
in a fish's neck. The Lord can do it. He supplies
every need to His humble souls. Ah, blessed be His holy name. I have not seen the righteous
forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He supplies every need,
because everything is His. It's all at His command. And
those that serve Him and honour Him and love Him in their spiritual
life and in their providential path, the Lord honours them with
His blessing and favour in their souls. and supplies all their
needs. It's an honour, friend, to have
all your needs supplied. Say to come and say, well, you'll
soon be finished now. Soon be finished now. No, friend,
no. The Lord honours those that honour
Him. Yes. He that honoureth me, I
will honour. And the Lord honours his dear
people with those spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. He honours his
servants, what with signs following the preaching of the Gospel.
And those who can testify the Lord's dealings in their soul
graciously and sovereignly through the ministry of the Word. The
Lord is honoured, friends. and his dear servants and his
people know that their labour of love is not in vain in the
Lord and his dear people they suffer tribulation here below
they suffer tribulation here below as the Lord said and then
the Lord honours them in death hell with his sacred presence
Oh friends I knew a dear godly aged
woman what a trying path she walked what a cross she carried
what humility she had or being humiliated I found it mysterious
why the Lord permitted it to take place but she bore it for
Christ's sake and when she came down to die the Lord honoured
her with his sacred presence and blessing as she was brought
down into the valley of the shadow of death. He honoured her with
his sacred presence. a greatest honour will be conferred
when the Lord ministers an abundant entrance into His everlasting
Kingdom. What an honour! What an honour! What an honour! Friends, but
it's a path of humility, following Christ, honouring the Lord. And you see, the Lord has the
end in view. The dear man of God Solomon said,
better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof. What
a crowning blessing, what an honour to be favoured with the
presence of Christ in the soul when we are brought down to die
so that death is swallowed up in victory. What an honour, may
it be so, to be forever with the Lord. So a very solemn searching
statement first to search our hearts and try our roads and
then the balm of Gilead, the divine blessing that follows
before honour is humility. Well may the Lord favour us with
the grace of humility and to be honoured. It's not for what
we have done or what we have said. It's all for Christ's sake,
for the Lord's sake. God the Father honours His dear
people for Jesus' sake, for His dear name's sake. The Lord exalted
the dear Redeemer, gave Him a name that is above every name. that
at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and his dear people
their name is saying written in the Lamb's book of life friends
and it can never be erased never be erased and their names are
there the Lord knows them and he will take them to himself
I see the time has gone this evening beloved friends. Oh may
the Lord bless us with the grace of humility and favour us with
his honour. Amen. Our closing praise this evening
is hymn 1136 and the tune is Brunard 690. Saviour, follow with thy blessing
truths delivered in thy name, thus the word thy power possessing,
shall declare from whence it came, Mighty, lest thy gospel
be, cess the burdened sinner free. Number 1136. as it shall declare from whence
it came. Mighty let thy gospel be, set
the burdens ever free. to nourish her tomb the rest
of thy life. Let thy painful spaces flourish,
may they live today forever. And now may the grace of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the eternal love of God the Father,
and the sacred communion of Thy Holy Spirit, the Divine Comforter,
remain and abide with us this night and forevermore. Amen and Amen.