First turn with me this morning
to 2 Corinthians 2. 2 Corinthians 2. I want you to
look at verse 14 with me. 2 Corinthians 2, verse 14. Now
thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ,
and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every
place. In salvation, which is to triumph
in Christ, by the way, thanks and glory always, always goes
to God. Why? Because he always causes
us to triumph in Christ. God is the cause of our salvation. He caused us to triumph in Christ. He continues to cause us to triumph. Salvation is of the Lord from
start to finish. He's Alpha and Omega. He's the
beginning and the end. He's the first and the last.
Salvation is of the Lord. Aren't you glad the Lord's revealed
that to you? It's not by works of righteousness that you do.
Aren't you glad? There's no work of righteousness
that we can do in order to be saved. Salvation's of the Lord.
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And every sinner
that's been saved by His grace says with the Apostle Paul, of
whom I am chief, thank God He saves the worst of the worst.
Paul said God makes manifest. It's God that does it. He makes
manifest the savor of His knowledge. It's God that renders, God that
reveals, God that makes apparent. It's God that displays and makes
evident the sweet-smelling savor of His knowledge. And that word
savor in the Greek means fragrance. God makes manifest the savor,
the sweet-smelling fragrance of Christ. Why, He's the lily
of the valley. He's the rose of Sherah to the
chosen sinner. And this is the knowledge of
God that causes us to triumph. This is the knowledge of Christ
in whom we triumph. And this is the knowledge of
God in Christ. How does God make it manifest
unto us? Paul said by us, by us who boldly
and faithfully preach it. What is the means that God uses
to save sinners? Well, in the wisdom of God, the
world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. 1 Corinthians 1. God
reveals the Lord Jesus Christ who is salvation. And He does
so by the preaching of the Gospel. And that's why we're here today.
That's why I'm standing here right now. He makes this gospel
of Christ sweet. Oh, is Christ sweet to you? He
makes it sweet. And this denotes the acceptableness
of God's Word to revealed souls. Why is He sweet? Why do you love
Christ? Why He's sweet. He's sweet to
me, making Christ a sweet fragrance to the chosen sinner's smell,
sweet tidings to his ears, sweet food to his taste, sweet sight
to their eyes. He's sweet. And this sweet savor
of Christ is made manifest by God through the ministers of
the gospel that faithfully preach the gospel in spirit and in truth. And notice that this occurs,
Paul said, in every place. Every place that the true gospel
is preached. Not in every church, but in every
place the gospel is truthfully preached. You see, we can only
worship God in spirit and in truth. There's no worship of
God outside of the truth found in the word of God. Our commission,
our command, our instruction, not just mine, but yours too,
is to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. And it just so happens that Madisonville,
Kentucky is my part of this world. This is where God has sent me
to preach his glorious gospel. And it's been a long time coming,
I'm telling you. I've been here nearly 30 years. It's overwhelming. God in His
wisdom, will, purpose, and providence brought me under a faithful man
right here. And He taught me the gospel.
And in the course of those years, God sent other faithful men,
ministers, pastors, missionaries, who shared their experiences,
their wisdom, and even their struggles with me. And I see
now that God was behind it all. And all these things took place
to bring me to this very place, this very minute, to this very
message that I'm preaching to you right now. It's no accident
that you're here this morning. This may be the last message
I ever preach. I don't know. So I'll treat it
as such. As I preach to you this morning,
I preach to you for a verdict. You cannot remain neutral now.
You cannot remain neutral in the matter of redemption and
how God saves sinners. You just can't. I preach for
a verdict by asking you what think ye of Christ? What do you
think of God's Son? Who is He? Do you see what He's
done for sinners? Do you see that He's God? Do
you see that He's the one mediator, the one goal between God and
man? Will you believe in and on Him? Will you trust Him to save your
soul? I'm asking you for a verdict.
Or will you turn your back on Him? Will you turn your heart
against Him? Many do. Many do. And that's
what Paul is telling us here in verse 15. He says, for we,
God's preachers, servants, ministers, voices crying in the wilderness,
that's all they are. Oh, don't put a preacher on a
pedestal. He'll fall off and you'll be disappointed. We are
unto God, though, a sweet, saver of Christ. And it's because of
our message that we are such. Nothing's sweet about me. We're
a sweet saver of Christ in them that are saved, and Paul says,
in them that perish. You see that? in them that are
saved, in them chosen by God unto salvation by His grace,
by His mercy, that they've received a free gift through Christ. Oh my, it's by grace are you
saved through faith. And that's not of yourself, friends.
It's the gift of God. This is God's gift to sinners.
in them that are saved, in them to whom the Holy Spirit has applied
Christ's perfect righteousness to. When I stand before God now,
God says, He's perfectly righteous. Perfect. In the eyes of God. With Him whom we have to do. This is speaking of them that
are kept by His power. Do you believe once saved always
saved? Yes, because God saved me. And I'm kept. kept by His
power, and them who trust in the only one who could ever keep
the law for them, the only one who could ever satisfy God's
justice that was against them, and them who find Christ to be
their substitute, their sacrifice, and their surety before God. Yes, God's messengers are a sweet
fragrance to them. How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of them that bringeth good news, that publisheth peace,
that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation,
and sayeth undesign, Thy God reigneth." My declaration to
you this morning, friends, is that God reigns. God's on His
throne. And He's purposed to save some
sinners. Are you interested? Are you interested
in how God saves sinners? Are you interested in who God
saves sinners? That's not wrong to say it that
way, is it? Salvation is in a person, and
that person is Christ. I'm telling you that God has
sent you a preacher this morning, and I'm preaching for a verdict.
And I know, listen, if anybody knows, it's me and my wife. And
that's just how sorry, sinful, and wretched that I am personally. And I'm telling you that I've
got to believe the same gospel that I preach to you. Friends,
I'm showed up to God's compassion, mercy, and grace, and redemption
that's only found in Christ, the same as you are. Paul said
it was a great concern. He had great concern that he
might preach Christ and himself be a castaway. Don't think that
any of God's preachers aren't concerned about that. God's true
preachers are. Oh, that I preach this glorious
gospel and myself be lost? Oh. Perished thought. May God have mercy on us all.
May God enable all of us here to believe. But Paul tells us
here about another group, and that is to them that perish. Verse 16, to the one our preaching
is the savor of death unto death, and to the other the savor of
life unto life. The gospel is a savor, it's a
fragrance unto them that perish, but it's not a sweet one. The
gospel preached is a sweet fragrance unto God, but not unto them that
perish. No, sir. It's a sweet-smelling
fragrance to God. Why? Because God's justice, God's
holiness, God's wisdom and righteousness are displayed even in the death
and destruction of those who without a cause hate the Lord
Jesus Christ. There are many who say that,
well, a God like that's not fair. Listen, this is God's Word. God's
holy. He doesn't have to be fair. If
you hate His Son, He has the right to hate you. If you hate
His Gospel as the Creator of all things, He has the right
to do with you what He will. To some He shows mercy, to others
He doesn't. He's God. He has that right. Is there unrighteousness with
God? God forbid. God forbid. The gospel we preach
is the means God uses to the quickening of souls and to the
giving of spiritual life and the maintaining of that life.
And that's why preaching Christ has the preeminence in this place.
If folks are interested in entertainment, music, plays, projects, and something
to do, then this is probably not the church for them. But
if you have an interest in Christ and Him crucified, we've got
the message that God saves sinners by. Let others play religion
if they must. But as for this house, we'll
serve the Lord and we'll do what's commanded and commissioned for
us to do, and that's to preach Christ and Him crucified. Everyone
here this morning is gonna fall into one of two of these categories. It's impossible, and I reiterate
it again with emphasis, it's impossible to remain neutral.
You'll either believe the gospel and rejoice in it and thank God
for it, or you'll reject God's word and forever perish in your
sin. And I understand this is not
a popular message. Folks don't like to think about
it. We need to think about it. We better think about it. Is
Christ a saver of life unto life unto you? Or is he a saver unto
death? He'll be one of the other. Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. He that
believeth on him is not condemned. But that verse doesn't stop there.
But he that believeth not is condemned already, for he hath
not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Friends,
there's a consequence to not believing. Not believing on Christ,
God's salvation. And did you notice the question
that Paul asked at the end of verse 16? He said, who is sufficient? Who's sufficient for these things?
Well, let me tell you right up front, I certainly am not. I'm
not sufficient. Who's able to search and find
out the reason for some believing and some not? No man can do it. It's ascribed only to the sovereign
will, purpose, and pleasure of God who hides the gospel from
some and reveals it to others. And the enlightened sinner can
only say this, Father, it seemed good in thy sight. It's lawful. It's right and good for Christ
to do what He will with His own. That's the only explanation for
it I can give. Because I'm not sufficient to
give you a further answer than that. Who's sufficient for the
preaching of the Gospel? No man is sufficient in and of
himself. And I know a lot of Gospel preachers. They'll all tell you the same
thing. They all feel the same way. Who's sufficient? I'm not sufficient. not sufficient
for such a responsibility. It's too great. It's too weighty. It's too vast. It's too important. And let me tell you something,
me included, we take it too lightly. We take it way too lightly. And that's why it distresses
a sincere God-called minister to stand before people with the
weight and the responsibility of the burden of God's Word and
see people uninterested. Oh, I'm telling you, it's so
discouraging to see people unmoved by the preaching of Christ and
Him crucified. Well, this is a matter of life
and death. And I'm not trying to preach works, but I'm telling
you that I find it alarming and distressing when professing believers
find other things to do instead of hearing the Gospel and attending
the worship of Christ on the Lord's Day. Why, He's worthy
of our worship. Is He not? Preaching the gospel
is a saver of life unto life to some, but it's a saver of
death unto death to others. Which is it to you? I'm asking
for a verdict. I'm not sufficient to cause you
to be faithful, and I'm not sufficient to make you believe. And I'm
not responsible for either, and for that I'm thankful. It's the
Lord who makes sinners to differ. But I am an ambassador for Christ. God made me one. And I will continue
to beseech you in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God. That's
the only hope that you have, dear sinner. And that is to trust
in Christ and Him alone for the putting away of your transgressions
and giving you His perfect righteousness. Making you righteous. Perfectly
righteous and holy and just. before God Almighty. There's
no hope other than that. What think ye of Christ? Yes, I'll plant and I'll water,
but God must give the increase. And let me add that he that planteth
and he that watereth is nothing. Nothing. Just voices. Just voices. Crying in the wilderness. Preparing
the way of the Lord. But I will tell you again that
not anyone is going to hear this glorious gospel and remain unaffected. Nobody's going to hear the declaration
of this gospel truth and leave unaffected. You'll be affected
to believe or affected to reject it. You'll be affected for glory
or affected for hell. But everyone's going to be affected.
Hell is much more than just fire. Hell is an everlasting fire,
yes. That rich man, you remember him?
He said, I am tormented in this flame. This is a real place.
Our Lord said, some will be cast into the fire that shall never
be quenched. Christ himself said that hell
is a place where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched. But I'm telling you, hell is
much more than that. I talked about this some last
week. The Lord Jesus said, fear not
them which kill the body but is not able to kill the soul,
but rather fear Him, speaking of God, which is able to destroy
both soul and body in hell. So hell is not only physical,
not only bodily agony, but spiritual soul agony. When that rich man
cried from hell, Father Abraham sent Lazarus to dip his tongue
in the water and touch my tongue. I'm tormented in this flame.
Do you remember what Abraham said? He said, Son, remember. Remember. Son, remember that
thou in thy lifetime received good things, and likewise Lazarus
evil things. But now he's comforted, and thou
art tormented. Now trust me in this, through
the eternity of hell, men will remember. I remember both Brother
Montgomery and Brother Mahan both saying that they believed
men in hell would remember the gospel that they heard and they
rejected. They'll remember the sermons
that they scoffed at. They'll remember the verses of
scripture that they mocked. They'll remember the good tidings,
good things that they received. They'll remember the sunshine.
They'll remember the cool, fresh air. Hell is separation from
God. And if that's all hell is, I'm
telling you, that'd be enough. Separation from everything that
is pure and holy. Separation from everything that
is good and righteous. Separation from everything that
is just and honorable. Separated from God to never hear
His voice. To never see His face. To never
come into His presence. That's hell in itself. Now I want you to turn with me
to Proverbs chapter 1. These are the words of Solomon,
the wisest man that ever lived, of course, besides Christ Jesus. And here in Proverbs chapter
1, the reason Solomon wrote these Proverbs is found in verse 2. He tells us why. I'll give you
a moment to get there. Proverbs chapter 1. While you're
turning, let me tell you that a proverb is advice in truth. It's truthful advice. That's
all a proverb is. Solomon gave this truthful advice
for men and women. And in verse 2, he said, I do
this so that you might know wisdom and instruction to perceive the
words of understanding. Solomon's talking about the Word
of God here. Verse 3 says to receive the instruction
of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity. That's talking about
the gospel. No doubt in my mind. The gospel
is about the wisdom of God. How God can remain just and justify
the ungodly. That takes godly wisdom. Verse 4, to give subtlety, to
give caution and warning to the simple, to the young man knowledge
and discretion. Discretion here means to speak
and act in a way to avoid causing offense or being offensive. Listen, we have all offended
God. Every one of us. In our sin we've offended Him.
Solomon is talking about how we become inoffensive to God.
And he says in verse 5, a wise man will hear and will increase
learning. And a man of understanding shall
attain unto wise counsels. Listen, there is none wiser than
Christ. Where else would we go? That day when many of His disciples
left Him, He turned and looked to His 12 closest friends and
He said, will you leave Me also? And Peter said, Lord, where would
we go? Where else would we go? Thou
hast the words to eternal life. Friends, these are the words
to eternal life. Our Lord in heaven, our God Almighty
said, this is my beloved Son, hear ye Him. We better hear Him. We better hear Him. Solomon said
in verse 6, to understand the proverb and the interpretation. the words of the wise, and their
dark sayings." You know, this is talking about the words of
the writers of Scripture. Their words to a natural man
are dark in the sense that they're difficult to understand. They
are dark sayings because the natural man receives not the
things of the Spirit of God, they're foolishness to him, and
neither can he know them because they're spiritually discerned.
They're spiritually darkened. Yet to a spiritual man, to a
wise man, one who's been born of God and given knowledge, sees
and he understands these glorious truths of the gospel. The first thing that they understand
is this, look at it, verse 7. The fear, and that word means
reverence. The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of knowledge. But fools despise wisdom and
instruction. To revere, respect and honor
God and His Christ is the beginning of wisdom. This is where wisdom
starts. Knowing who God is. Knowing Him
as our Creator. Knowing Him as our Master. Knowing
Him as our Lord and Savior. He's a just God and a Savior. I'm so glad He's both. No hope
for me standing before a just God. But this same just God is
my Savior. Have you ever heard anything
so wonderful? But there are many who have no
interest in revering God. And Solomon says, like fools,
they despise wisdom and instruction. Which are you? Huh? Which are you? To them, Solomon
asked in verse 22, and I wish we had the time to look at all
these verses individually. Maybe we will in another study.
But in verse 22, Solomon asked, How long, you simple ones, will
you love simplicity? And how long will scorners delight
in their scorning? And how long will fools hate
knowledge? Solomon hears reproving sinners
for their folly and their sin. And his question to them is,
how long? How long? I asked some of you
the same question this morning. How long? How long will you simple
ones love simplicity? And that word simple in the Hebrew
means silly, foolish, seducible, lacking intelligence and common
sense. This is speaking of a simpleton.
Have you ever heard that term? You see an old boy walking around
talking to himself, and you say, well, he's the town simpleton.
He's silly, foolish, seducible, believes everything that he's
told. He lacks intelligence and common
sense. He's a simpleton. Let me tell
you, that's what an unbeliever is. Who is it that this wisdom reproves? Simple ones that love simplicity. Silly, foolish, seducible men
that love silly, foolish, seducible things. Simple ones that love simplicity,
not the simplicity that's found in Christ, but silly and foolish
men and women who love silly and foolish things. They are
seducible fools who find comfort in deception. They're silly sinners
who flatter themselves in their sin and their wickedness. How
do I know that? Apart from God's grace, I am
one. Solomon says in verse 22, scorners
that delight in scorning, meaning critics who delight in criticizing.
Contemptuous haters who delight in showing contempt. Disrespectful
men and women who love to disrespect God. Haters that love to hate
God and His people. Does this not very well describe
you and I by nature? Solomon says again in verse 22,
fools that hate knowledge. Fools that have no interest in
growing in the grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you have an interest in growing in the grace and in the knowledge
of Him? Only the worst of fools hate
to be instructed. Solomon asked, how long will
you do so? How long? And God asks the same
question. He asks it in a different way,
but God asks this question, why will you die? Why will you die? Does that question not imply
that God desires conversion and the reconciliation of sinners?
Why would God ask that if He didn't? Why will you die? If
God had no concern for the lost, why would He ask such a thing?
God finds no pleasure in the ruin of sinners. Now there are
many who think, and I don't know why, but there are many who think
that when you declare God to be sovereign in salvation and
election, when you declare a God who has mercy on whom He'll have
mercy, that we somehow think that God loves to condemn the
wicked. That couldn't be further from
the truth. God Himself declares that He finds no pleasure in
the death of the wicked. God desires and tells the sinner
to turn from his wicked ways. Turn from your wicked ways and
live. Why will you die? God asks. God commands sinners
to repent. Look at verse 23. He says, Turn
you at My reproof. This command is plain. Turn. Repent. Change. at my reproof. Oh, lost sinner, may you, like
the prodigal, return to your senses, return to your Father,
return to your God. That's what repentance is. It's
a change of heart, a change of mind, a change of God's. The promises here in verse 23
are very encouraging. God says, I will pour out My
Spirit unto you. He says, I'll make known My words
unto you. Who will? God will. God is going
to take that in order to be saved. God is going to have to pour
out His Spirit and He's going to have to make known His words
unto you. And again I say, salvation is
of the Lord. He has mercy on whom He will. Our turning is not the cause
of these promises. Our turning is the result of
these promises. We turn because God pours out
His Spirit on us. We turn because God makes His
Word known unto us. We turn because it's God's gospel
and the preaching of it that reveals the truth to us. And
look at verse 24. God says, because I have called
and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded. Christ called unto them, but
they refused. He stretched out His hand, and
no man regarded." Now hear me on this. I'm not going to keep
you much longer, but hear me on this. I believe in invincible
grace. I believe in irresistible grace. I believe that when God sets
His love and affection on a sinner, that sinner will be made willing
in the day of God's power, and he will come to Christ, I believe
that God's calling is effectual, that none can resist His will,
but I also believe that God calls some and they refuse to come.
You see, many are called, but few are chosen. Christ says,
I've called and you've refused. There's an external call that
men refuse. Some call it a general call.
Call it what you like. Our Lord told us that a certain
man made a great supper, and he bade many to come. And it
was time to come and eat. He said, come, for all things
are now ready. And they all with one consent
began to make excuses. That was a general call. That
was an external call. But God gives another call, friends,
to His elect. And it's a quickening call. It's
an inward call. It's an invincible call. It's
an effectual call. And those whom He predestinated,
He called. And those whom He called, He
also justified. There are the ones who are called
from death unto life. These are the ones who are called
out of darkness into God's marvelous light. These are the called according
to His purpose, whom God works all things together for their
good. Do you know why many refuse God's call? They don't see their
need. When Christ walked on the water
and Peter saw Him, Peter said, Lord, if it be You, bid me to
come to Thee on the water. And Christ said, come. And Peter,
he'd come out of that ship, and he began walking on the water,
and you know the story. He saw the wind boisterous, and
he was afraid, and he began to sink, and he cried, Lord, save
me. And immediately, the Scripture
says, Jesus stretched forth His hand and caught him. That's what
the Lord did to me. I was sinking deep in sin, far
from the peaceful soul. And the Lord Jesus enabled me
and caused me to cry, Lord save me. And He immediately stretched
forth His hand and He caught me. You know why Peter cried out?
He saw his need. He saw his need. He saw he was
in trouble. Do you see your great need? Do you see your great need of
Christ? To those who don't, God says
in verse 25, look at it. But ye have said it not, all
my counsel, guidance, and direction, and would have none of my reproof,
none of my chastening. You know that word chastening?
I've got an article in the bulletin today. That word chastening means
training, He chases those he loves. He
trains those he loves. Like a parent trains their child.
He does so because He loves them. The parents love them and they
don't want any harm to come to them. It's the same with the
Lord. But to these who reject, God says in verse 26, I'll also
laugh at your calamity, your oppression, your misfortune,
your destruction. That's what calamity here is.
He said, I'll mock, I'll laugh to scorn, I'll ridicule and scoff
at you when your fear cometh. You see, calamity brings fear.
When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as
a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Now
listen to me again. This is a solemn and a sobering
truth, but nonetheless true. May God use it to convince you
to come to Christ now. right now, this very moment. In verse 28, look what God says. Then shall they call upon Me,
but I will not answer. They shall seek Me early, but
they shall not find Me. One of these days, those who
are lost are going to call, and one of these days their fear
is going to come, And you can't stop the whirlwind of God's judgment. It's coming. God's judgment is
coming and then there'll be a time when those call on Him and say,
Lord, have mercy. There'll be no response. It'll
be deafening, deafeningly quiet. God says you're going to call
and I won't answer. You're going to seek Me and you're
not going to find Me. The Scriptures tell us in Hebrews
3 that today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts
as in the provocation. But with whom was God grieved
for 40 years? Was it not them that had sinned,
whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? Was it not with them to whom
He swore that they should not enter into His rest? They shall call upon me, but
I will not answer. Take heed, brethren, lest there
be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief." So let me ask you
in closing. Moses asked this question. Who's
on the Lord's side? How long, Elijah asked, will
you halt between two opinions? And I suppose the most horrific
words ever spoken by our Lord in the scriptures was, leave
them alone. Leave them alone. God said of
Ephraim, Ephraim has turned to his idols. Leave him alone. Don't talk to him anymore. Don't
persuade him anymore. Don't, leave him alone. The disciples came to Christ
and they said, Lord, the Pharisees, the religious leaders, they were
angry. They were upset at what You said. And the Lord Jesus looked at
them and He said, leave them alone. Just leave them alone. There are many today Maybe even
some of you here that do not like this sovereign message of
grace. Maybe you don't like Christ's
substitutionary work. You're bound and determined and
set to do something yourself to be saved. Oh, how I pray that He does not
say of you, leave them alone. Leave them alone. You know, a
matter of fact, I pray that the Lord will trouble you. That the
Lord will afflict you. Well, that's a heck of a thing
to pray. I'm praying it. Lord, disturb
them. Don't give them any peace until
they come to Christ in order to be saved. Verse 29, for they that hated
knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would
none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof.
Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own doing and
be filled with their own devices. Lord, don't give us our own way.
Don't let us be filled with our own devices. Verse 32, for the
turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity
of fools shall destroy them. To turn away from Christ, it
will slay you. You reject Christ and the prosperity
of fools shall destroy you. But here's the gospel. Verse
33, but whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely and shall
be quiet from fear of evil. And that word safely here, you
know what it means? It means refuge. That refuge is Christ. Whoever
hearkens to the gospel shall dwell in Christ, the sinner's
refuge. And that's not all. They shall
be quiet from fear of evil. And that word quiet means in
peace. Oh, there's a peace, friends, that passes all understanding.
And it's in Christ Jesus our Lord. It means to be put at ease. It means to be made to rest. We've got to be made to rest,
don't we? Made to rest from any fear of
evil. That's what Christ our refuge
does for us. Oh, that God might right now,
right now, reveal Christ to them that are without Him. Save them,
Lord, not because they deserve it, but save them for Thine own
name's sake. Save the lost for Your sake,
the sake of Your beloved Son who came into the world to save
sinners and gave Himself for them. Even so, Father, may it
seem good in Thy sight.