Boy, it's always good to be here.
It's almost like going home. Good to see old faces, dear friends. I was thinking as we were coming
down here, I probably came here the first time probably in the
mid-90s. I believe that's 20-some years ago. As the older we get,
we realize our life is just a vapor, just a puff of smoke. Only here
for a little while, then we'll vanish away. I'm so glad God
allowed us to be here this morning. I'm thankful that the Lord sent
Brother John here to keep a lighthouse in this dark place. He keeps his candlesticks where
he wants them. He walks in the midst of the
seven golden candles, that's his church. We was at a wedding
yesterday. Lady said something that made
us, made me think about something. The young couple, they're just, you
know, had their starting out and the young boy, he's done
a lot of work in the last little bit. Sandy's mom and dad would
keep us informed, trying to fix him a place to live. And the
girl's mama said, I've never seen nobody work so hard to prepare
a place for his new bride. And you know, I thought, he said,
I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself." You
think about all that he's done and all that he's doing for his
bride. And when the last one's brought
into the fold, he's gonna come take us home. What a day, what
a day. Open your Bible this morning
to the book of Proverbs chapter 27, reading one verse of scripture,
verse seven. Proverbs chapter 27, verse seven. The full soul loatheth a honeycomb,
but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. Here in our text, it describes
two groups of people. the full soul and the hungry
soul. The full soul, this describes
a self-sufficient man that is full of himself. This is one who is full of his
own wisdom, full of his own righteousness, who brags about his so-called
free will. He's just full of himself. Let me give you a few scriptures.
Naomi said in Ruth 1 verse 21, I went out full and the Lord
has brought me home again empty. Isaiah 2.8 says, their land also
is full of idols. They worship the work of their
own hands and that which their own fingers have made. Our Lord said to the scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites for you may clean the outside of
the cup and the platter, but within you are full of extortion,
and excess. Then he also said, you clean
up the outside of the cup and the platter, but within you are
full of dead man's bones. Now that describes the full man,
the full man. First Samuel 2.5, they that were
full have hired out themselves for bread. Luke 6, 25, woe unto
you that are full. Woe unto you that are full, for
you shall hunger. Woe unto you that are full, this
fool so. Romans 3, 14, it says, whose mouth is full of cursing
and bitterness. You think of someone that's full,
physically speaking. When their stomach's full, they
have room for nothing. As I thought about this, I remember
when I was just a boy, we used to spend some time with my grandfather,
my dad's father, when I was a young teenager. And my grandmother,
she died before I was ever born, so I didn't know her. So my grandfather,
you know, he lived by himself with his brother, but he was
a good cook. I remember one summer day, he
made the biggest pot of pinto beans and a big cake of cornbread. And I sat for lunch and ate all
the cornbread and beans and drunk about two big glasses of sweet
milk. Some of y'all know what sweet
milk is. But I was full as a tick. I remember my cousins, they came
by and they're wanting to run off down to the store. Any other
time, I would have been more than willing to go to the store.
They said, come on, we're going to go get some candy. I said,
I don't want no candy. I don't want to even think about
food. I mean, I don't think I've ever been that full. I didn't want anything. The full
so loatheth the honeycomb. Full, full. Self-sufficient. He that is full has no appetite
for that which is sweet. Full means that it's satisfied
with itself. Then it says, the full soul loatheth. That means to tread upon, to
trample under the feet. In Hebrews 10, 29, How much sore punishment, suppose
ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot the
Son of God, and had counted the blood of the covenant wherewith
he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despise
unto the Spirit of grace? They just make light the things
of God, have no time for Christ, have no interest in Christ, and
have no hunger for Christ. Why, they are full. Full. This describes one who has no
interest and no appetite for holy things. To them, the blood
of Christ is nothing. Nothing. What is it that the
fool soaks? What is it that it loathes? What
is it that it makes light of? The honeycomb. This honeycomb
pictures our Lord Jesus Christ. Honey in the scriptures always
spoken of as something sweet and something not man-made. Listen,
in Numbers, where this word is used, Lothar, where it is used
in Numbers chapter 21, listen. You remember the children of
Israel when they walked in the wilderness? It said, they were
discouraged because of the way. The way that God was leading
them, the way that God was directing them, they were discouraged because
of the way. And the people spake against
God and against Moses, said, wherefore have you brought us
up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread,
neither is there any water. Both of those statements are
a lie. They did have bread and they did have water. But they
said, there is no bread and there is no water. And our souls loatheth
this light bread. This bread that God sent, they
said, we just want to trample on. We just despise it. We don't
want it. We don't want Him. That's what
they're saying. They refer to manna just as light
bread. God called it bread from heaven.
Christ said, I'm the true bread that came down from heaven. Now
listen in Exodus chapter 16, verse 31. And the house of Israel
called the name thereof manna, and it was likened to coriander
seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with
honey. And they said, we don't want
it. They're so full of themselves.
They don't want what God sent them. What God sent them, what
the grace and mercy that he gave them, they said, we just despise
it. We'd rather be back in Egypt. We'd rather be back in bondage.
The full soul finds no sweetness in Christ our Lord, none, none. When the Pharisees heard our
Lord preach, they received no sweetness. But those hungry souls,
no man ever spoke like this man. No man. The full soul, they despise
Christ and his gospel. They're full of themselves and
their so-called goodness. In Proverbs 16, 24, pleasant
words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul. and health to the
bones. Sweet to the soul and health
to the bones. Listen to this, let me just read
to you what Gil said. Man, he nailed it this time. He said, the gospel is this honeycomb. Now the full soul loatheth the
honeycomb. It is likened to honeycomb for
the manner in which that it is made. It is wrought and filled
by the laborous bee, which goes from flower to flower, gathering
honey, and it brings it into the hive, and there disposes
of what it's gathered. So laborous ministers of the
gospel gather their doctrines from the sacred scriptures, which
they diligently search, and go from one to another, gathering
something from each, and being richly laden with the fullness
of the blessing of the gospel of Christ, bring it to the hive,
the church, and there feed men with knowledge and with understanding. It's like I thought about, you
know, Ruth. I think Spurgeon had a devotion
the other morning. He said, you imagine Ruth walking
out into the field. Now this is Boaz's field. And
he dropped handfuls of purpose for her, but she's gleaning,
she's looking for something to glean. It's like we come to the
scriptures, we're looking for him. Here's a little bit, and
she picks it up and she gathers it. You imagine how precious
that little, what she found was. This is Christ. Look what I found,
I found him. If you ever find what this book
is about, it's about him. This is like honeycomb. It's
like the minister, he comes and he sees a little something and
he gathers it up and he gets something more and he brings
it to the hive. And he feeds his people, feeds
his people. He said, so the gospel is like
honey in the way that it's made, then also in the way that it's
communicated. By dropping freely, gradually,
and constantly, so gospel ministers drop the pleasant words of the
gospel freely and without pressing, having no other constraint, but
love the Christ and the souls of men. They do it gradually,
as men that are able to bear and constantly preach the word
in season and out of season. As the honey which drops from
the honeycomb is the choice honey, it's also called the life honey. Such are the truths of the gospel,
they are excellent things, the most excellent, like honeycomb. Mr. Hawker said, when thou hast
gathered from the sweet scriptures, like the bee from the flower,
all the honey it contains, take it home to thy innermost affections,
as the bee doth what he gathers to thine and live upon it from
your daily food." Like honey. It's not man-made. It's not man-made. The gospel is sweet to the soul.
and health to the bones. You remember when Jonathan, he
was in his father Saul's, Saul was king, he was in his army,
and Saul one day told his armor bearer, he said, come, we're
gonna go over here and fight some of these Philistines. And when he gets
over, his daddy, Saul, told everybody, he said, listen, we're gonna
go fight, but don't anybody eat anything. How foolish, how stupid. Don't eat anything. But it said,
but Jonathan, 1 Samuel 14, 27, but Jonathan heard not when his
father charged the people with the oath. He didn't hear Saul. He didn't hear when he made the
oath and the charge. Wherefore, Jonathan put forth
the end of his rod that was in his hand, and he dipped it in
a honeycomb, and he put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes were
enlightened. He was hungry, and God provided
this honeycomb, and he dipped, and he partook of it, and his
heart was enlightened. That's the way the gospel does
to God's people that are hungry and thirsty. Remember then when Saul found
out about it, then when they won the, he wanted to kill Jonathan.
And the people that said when they came and they were so hungry,
they began to eat the flesh with the blood. They were starving
to death. Look what Christ did for Israel
in Deuteronomy 32, 13. He said he made them ride upon
the high places of the earth that he may eat the increase
of the field and he made him to suck honey out of the rock
and oil out of the flinty rock. You remember Samuelson? and he
was going down to get him a bride. Remember the lion that was in
the way? And he slew the lion and never
told anybody about it. Well, then he goes down to get
his wife and then he comes back and he returned, he found bees
had made a nest inside the carcass of that lion. And he said, and
after a time he returned to take her and he turned aside to see
the carcass of the lion. Behold, there was a swarm of
bees and honey in the carcass of the lion and he ate of that
honey. And he took it and gave it to his mama and daddy. Do
you think if he'd told them where he got that honey, they'd eat
it? I doubt it. And remember, then he told the
riddle. From the lion came forth sweetness. Our Sapson Christ
defeated the lion, and from it brought forth great sweetness. What blessed hope we have. The
scriptures represent the sweet promises of the scriptures. That's
what we as believers enjoy as Christ, in Him crucified, in
Him alone. The gospel is pleasant, it's
satisfying. His mouth is most big. No man
ever spake like He did, no man. But the full soul loatheth the
honeycomb. He has no interest for the gospel.
He has no interest for God, for Christ. But listen, but to the hungry soul, every
bitter thing is sweet. Somebody said hunger is the best
cook. It's the best sauce. You ever
really been, you know, when you're really hungry, when you're, I
mean, really hungry, I'm ready to eat. And it's, you long for
him, you long for Christ. Someone that is hungry would
break through a wall to get to food. Somebody that's hungry,
somebody that wanted, somebody that's spiritually hungry, you
cannot stand in their way. They're gonna make where the
gospel's preached. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst
after righteousness, for they shall be filled. And only God
can create that hunger. Only God can do it. Luke chapter
one, verses 51 through 53. He has showed strength with his
arm. He has scattered the proud in the imagination of the heart.
He has put down the mighty with their seats and exalted them
a low degree. He has filled the hungry with
good things. He is. Psalms 107, a great Psalm where
God brings about things to bring men to the place of their utter
desperation. They bring them to the place
of their wits end. In Psalms 107, beginning in verse
four, they wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way. They found
no city. They found no city to dwell in.
hungry and thirsty. Their souls fainted in them. Then they cried unto the Lord
in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distress, because
they were hungry and thirsty." You know, to the hungry soul,
every bitter thing is sweet. And you think about David, King
Saul sits on the throne and reminds me of Psalm 73, their eyes without
fatness. They have more than their hearts
could desire. Look at David, he's being hunted
like a dog. And then after Saul, Absalom
is raised up and Absalom wants to take away the throne. And
listen, 2 Samuel chapter 17. beginning in verse 27. Now David,
he's an outcast, absolutes in Jerusalem. And it came to pass
when David was come to Nunmayinahim that Shobot, the son of Nahash,
and Rahab, the children of Ammon, and Mekir, the son of Ahimehel
of Lodibar, and Barzaleah of the Gilead, a knight of Rogel,
watch this, they brought beds. and basins, and earthen vessels,
and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans,
and linoleum, and parched pulps, and honey, and butter, and sheep,
and cheese of kind for David and for the people that were
with him to eat. For they said, the people is
hungry, and weary, and thirsty. In the wilderness, God turned
that which was bitter into that which was sweet. Can you imagine
what David thought? Brought him everything they needed,
God sent it to him. God provided for him. If you're
hungry, everything just seems to taste better. The hungry will
bless God for the bread and the water, when those that are full
think the greatest dainty's scarcely worth even giving thanks for. Without the bitterness, now listen,
without the bitterness, we would not appreciate the sweetness. Without the bitterness, we would
not appreciate the sweetness. When God, what God sends may
be a bitter pill, but if we are hungry to glorify him and his
gospel, it's all sweet. It is the greatest blessing when
food and appetite meet together. Those who hunger are those then
who know the sweetness of Christ. But they must do more than that. Being hungry, they must be fed. For though the text does not
say it, it very clearly sets forth that being hungry, being
hungry doesn't make the meat sweet. It's only sweet when you
ate it. You can have an appetite. You
can stand and look at the table all day long, but it's when you
partake. I can't eat for you, and you
can't eat for me. But to the hungry soul, every
bitter thing, every bitter thing is sweet. Listen to this. Ruth chapter one, remember Ruth.
Naomi, remember where they found Ruth at. Naomi and her husband,
they leave Bethlehem, Judah, because there's a famine. And
he thinks, well, I guess I'll save my whole family and everything
I've got. Well, I'll just move to Moab,
that accursed place. And they go down. And their two
sons married two Moabite girls, Ruth and Abimelech, I mean her
sister-in-law. Now listen, Ruth chapter one,
so they two went until they came to Bethlehem. This is Ruth and
Naomi. They leave in Moab. And it came
to pass when they come to Bethlehem that all the city was moved about
them. And they said, is this Naomi? And she said unto them,
call me not Naomi, call me Myra. Bitterness. For the Almighty
hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the
Lord hath brought me home again empty. When I went out, when
we went out, it was my husband and my two sons and we had everything
you could ever want. We were full, we were satisfied. But God has brought me home again,
empty. Empty. Why then you call me Naomi? Seeing
the Lord had testified against me and the Almighty hath afflicted
me. So Naomi returned and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law
with her, which returned out of the country of Moab, and they
came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest. Why did they
come? I tell you why, they're hungry. They're hungry. Why did they leave Moab? Because
they're hungry. You know when people leave Moab when they leave
this world? When they get hungry. when they get hungry. When God
creates a hunger and a thirst, they'll leave it all behind.
They'll leave it all, it won't matter. They'll leave it. Naomi
heard that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.
And she comes to Bethlehem, the house of bread. You know, it was a bitter pill
when Naomi's husband died. It was a bitter pill when she
lost her two sons. And it was a bitter pill when
one of her daughter's-in-laws, you know, she thinks she's converted. She goes with him for a little
while, and then she turns and goes back. But to the hungry soul, every
bitter thing is sweet. Now you think about where Naomi's
at. It's just her and Ruth. That's what she thinks. And Ruth
goes and gleans in Boaz's field. She has no clue it's Boaz's field. He owns the field. And then eventually
he's going to marry Ruth. And in the last part of the book
of Ruth, in chapter four, beginning in verse 14, and the women said
unto Naomi, blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this
day without a kinsman. that his name may be famous in
Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer
of thy life and a nourisher of thine old age. To the hungry soul, every bitter
thing is sweet. When we see that everything
that God brings about to bring us to himself, it's sweet. He shall be a restorer of thy
life and a nurser of thine old age for thy daughter-in-law,
which loved thee, which is better to thee than seven sons hath
bore him. And Naomi took the child, And
they laid it in her bosom, and she became nurse. And to that
child, to the hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet. When you see him, you see him
as your redeemer, the one that, the restorer of your life, the
giver of eternal life, and you look to him, every bitter thing
is sweet. Well, that's sweet. I'm glad I got over that. And had him bring the message
this morning. That was so good. So good.