Brother John read from Proverbs
chapter 9. I love the book of Proverbs. There
are 31 chapters in it, and I read a proverb for every day. I generally start my day with
proverbs. And you would think with all
the reading of it that I do, you'd think I would Learned a
little something, but I'm afraid I haven't learned much wisdom.
But God is reaching mercy. The true wisdom is the Lord Jesus
Christ. In this chapter, wisdom is represented
as having built a great house or palace for the comfort and
care of all who come into it. It has seven pillars. Seven is
the number of perfection. This is a perfect house. These
pillars are perfect. Everything about this house is
perfect. Wisdom hath prepared a great
feast for her guest. The house is so large and so
full of provisions that she sends out her maidens and invites others
to attend. This chapter is all is concluded
with the description of the foolish woman, the opposite of wisdom,
us. She's represented as being loud
mouth, simple and ignorant. and begs passengers that go by
her door and inviting them to partake of her dainties. And she fights. And the consequence which is
death for her guest. This world is the enemy of God. This world is the foolish woman. These foolish women represent
wisdom and folly, Christ and sin, new man, old man, house
of the wise, house of the wicked. Every moment believers are confronted
with this choice, serve Christ or serve self and sin. The first six verses speaks of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Wisdom hath built her house.
She has hewn out her seven pillars. The Lord Jesus Christ is wisdom. The Lord Jesus Christ builds
the house. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
house. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
foundation. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
pillar. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
beast made to be the sin offering. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
wine mingled. Jesus Christ and him crucified. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
table we feed on him. The Lord Jesus Christ sends out
his disciples. The Lord Jesus Christ
calls the simple. The Lord Jesus Christ says, come
and dine. All things are made ready. The
Lord Jesus Christ says, forsake the foolish and follow me. Like Proverbs 9, 10, the fear
of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of
the holy is understanding. In verse 1, of Proverbs 9 says,
Wisdom hath built her house. The Lord Jesus Christ is wisdom. Turn with 1 Kings chapter 4. 1 Kings chapter 4, Solomon is such
a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wonderful. 1 Kings chapter 4. In verse 1, So King Solomon was
king over all Israel. And down in verse 29 it says,
And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much
and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore. And Solomon's wisdom excelled
the wisdom of all the children of the east country and all the
wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than all men. He
was wiser than all the men of his day. And his fame was in all nations
round about. And he spake three thousand proverbs,
and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spake of trees,
from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop
that springeth out of the wall. He spake also of beasts, of fowl,
and creeping things, and fishes. And there came to all people
to hear the wisdom of Solomon. from all the kings of the earth
which had heard of his wisdom. He knew everything there was
to know. In Christ are hid all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge. Now let's go to 1 Kings chapter
10. Oh, I love this portion, speaking
of our King, the Lord Jesus Christ. First Kings chapter 10 verse
1 through 9. And when the queen of Sheba heard
of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came
to prove him with hard questions. And she came to Jerusalem, and
when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all
that was in her heart. Do we commune with our God? Do we read his word? Do we pray? Do we pour out our heart to him? Do we confess our sins and seek
mercy? Do we thank him for everything
that he has bestowed upon us? Do we pray for others? Do we
pray for our enemies? By nature, we're his enemies.
And he ever liveth to make prayers for us, intercession for us. Do we pray for the worship service?
Do we prepare our hearts to come and worship our Lord on a Wednesday
night? Do we pray for the preacher,
the teachers, the players, and the singers? Do we ask him to conform us to
his image? Oh, help us. And back in 1 Kings 10, verse
3, And Solomon told her all her questions. There was not anything
hid from the king which he told her not. And when the Queen of
Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he
had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his
servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel,
and his cupbearers, and his assent by which he went up into the
house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her. the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. When we hear the gospel and behold
the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, can we enter in? I just love this passage right
here, when she saw all that the Lord provided. He had He had
the meat, he had the tables, he had the cupbearers, and he
ascended up into his throne. And I just want to shout. I just can't hardly contain myself. I'm like a bottle. I'm like new wine in an old bottle. I'm about to burst. So back in 1 Kings 10 verse 6,
and she said to the king, it was a true report that I heard
in my own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit, I believed
not the words until I came, and my eyes had seen it. And behold,
the half was not told me. Thy wisdom and prosperity exceeded
the fame which I heard. I have not seen nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man the things which
God hath prepared for them that love him. In verse 8 of 1 Kings 10 it says,
Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants which stand
continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Do we not
love to hear of the honor and the majesty of God, our Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ, the wisdom of his words? So wisdom hath built her house. She has hewn out her pillars. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
house. The tabernacle that was out in
the wilderness is a picture and type
of our Lord Jesus Christ. From the outside it looked like
a plain brown tent. There's no beauty in it that
we should desire it. But, oh, inside of it, we see
the Shekinah glory of God in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ. Every furnishing in this tabernacle
is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. We had the brazen altar,
the laver for washing, The golden lampstand, the candlesticks,
the table of showbread, the golden altar of incense, the veil, the
Ark of the Covenant, and the mercy seat. All these things speak of our Lord Jesus
Christ. That there were no chairs in
this tabernacle because the priest's work was never done. The works
of man can never satisfy God. In Hebrews 10, it says, it is
not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away
sins. But this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool. For by one offering he had perfected
forever them that are sanctified. Amen. The Lord Jesus Christ builds
the house, his church. Except the Lord build the house,
they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the
city, the watchman waketh but in vain. For this man, the Lord
Jesus Christ, was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch
as he who had built the house hath more honor than the house."
Here at Central Grace, we preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We preach not ourselves, but
Christ Jesus the Lord. We promote the head, not the
body. We preach Christ and not our
church. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's
sake. Wherefore should the heathen
say, where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens.
he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Jesus Christ is the
foundation of his church. Ephesians 2, the church is built
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone. In Matthew 16, our Lord Jesus
Christ asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that I, the Son
of Man, am? And they said, Some say thou
art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of
the prophets. And he said unto them, But whom
say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and
said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus
answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for
flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which
is in heaven. And I say unto thee that thou
art Peter, And upon this rock, upon this truth, upon this confession,
I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it. Peter is not the rock. Christ, the son of a living God,
is the solid rock. He's that nail in a sure place. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
pillar and the ground of truth. There were seven pillars. These seven pillars could be God is. God is holy. God is all-powerful. God is all-knowing. God is everywhere. God is just. God never changes. There are so many attributes of God. I looked at
Arthur Pink and he had listed 45, and I'm sure there's a whole
lot more than that. So wisdom hath hewn out her seven
pillars. To hewn out something is to cut
and carve and form and shape. That's what hewing means. In Philippians chapter 2, it
says, let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus
who being in the form of God thought it robbery to be equal
with God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him
the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore,
God also has highly exalted him and given him a name which is
above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the
earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Seven is the number of perfection,
complete. All of God's people are complete
in the Lord Jesus Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in him, which is
the head of all principality and power. As the pillars of
a house hold up the roof, the pillars of a church hold up the
truth. Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ,
is the head of the church. In 1 Corinthians 11 3, But I
would have you know that the head of every man is Christ,
and the head of the woman is the man. And the head of Christ
is God. Psalm 27, one thing have I desired
of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the
house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty
of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For in the time of
trouble, he shall hide me in his pavilion, in his house. In the secret of his tabernacle
shall he hide me. He shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted
up above mine enemies round about me. Therefore, while I offer
in his tabernacles sacrifices of joy, I will sing, yea, I will
sing praises unto the Lord. Proverbs chapter 9. Wisdom hath
built her house. She hath hewn out her seven pillars. She hath killed her beast. She
hath mingled her wine. She hath furnished her table. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
beast. In this chapter, he is the sin
offering. He was made sin. who knew no
sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God. He's a
sinner substitute. The soul that sinneth, it shall
surely die. Man has sinned against the holy
God. Man cannot satisfy God's holy
justice. All his works are evil. Only
God can satisfy His holy justice, but God cannot die. So God became
a man. In the likeness of sinful flesh,
and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit. Leviticus chapter 17 says, For
the life of the flesh is in the blood. I have given it to you
upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls. For it is the
blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. The blood of Jesus
Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin. She has killed her beast, she
has mingled her wine, she has furnished her table. The Lord
Jesus Christ provides for all the needs of his people. Wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. His people feed
on the gospel. Christ and him crucified, they
eat his flesh and drink his blood. We consume Christ like it's our
necessary food. Just so. Proverbs 9 verses 1 through 3. Wisdom hath builded her house,
she hath shewn out her seven pillars, she hath killed her
bee she has mingled her wine she has also furnished her table
she sent she has sent forth her maidens she cried upon the highest
places of the city the lord sends out his servants to preach the
good news of the gospel go ye and into all the world
and preach the gospel to every creature They cry upon the highest
places of the city. A man can receive nothing except
it be given him from above. So what do they cry? Oh, everyone
that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. And he that hath no money,
come ye, buy, and eat, and come. Buy wine and milk without money
and without price. Wherefore do you spend money
for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which
satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and
eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself
in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto
me, here and your soul shall live. I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have
given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander
to the people. Seek ye the Lord while he may
be found. Call ye upon him while he is
near. Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon." Saul turned to Matthew chapter
22. I read a lot of scripture. Because that's
where I find my comfort. The Word of God sheds a lot of
light on commentaries. I read some of these commentaries
and they're way over my head and I just can't comprehend it. It's too much. Too much at one
time. But anyway, in Matthew 22, there's
a wedding happening here. And Jesus answered and spake
unto them again by parables and said, The kingdom of heaven is
like unto a certain king which had made a marriage for his son. And he sent forth his servants
to call them that were bidden to the wedding, and they would
not come. Again, he sent forth other servants
saying, Tell them which are bidden, behold. I have prepared my dinner,
my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are made ready
coming to the marriage. But they made light of it and
went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise. In this world are two kinds of
people, believers, unbelievers. wise, foolish, wheat, tares,
sheep, and goats. Sheep here, goats but. God's people love God's word. They that are of God hear God's
word. But there are those who scorn. They mock. Let it not be said of us. So
back in Matthew 22, verse 6, and the remnant took his servants
and entreated them spitefully and slew them. But when the king
heard thereof, he was wroth, and he sent forth his armies
and destroyed those murderers and burned up their city. Then
saith he to his servants, the wedding is now ready, but they
which were bidden are not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways,
and as many as ye shall find bid to the marriage. So those
servants went out into the highways and gathered together all as
many as they found, both bad and good. And the wedding was
furnished with guests. Our God has a people chosen in
Christ before the foundation of the world. All that the Father
has given him shall come. And him that cometh to him he
will in no wise cast out, no matter how bad they are. And when the king came in to
see the guest, he saw there a man which had not a wedding garment. And he saith unto him, Friend,
how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And
he was speechless. We all know what this wedding
garment is, the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rope in righteousness, not my
own. So, back in Proverbs chapter
9, it says in verse 1, Wisdom hath builded her house. He now her seven pillars she
has killed her beast she had mingled her wine she had also
furnished her table and she had sent forth her maiden she cried
cry upon the highest place of the city who so is simple let
him turn in either as for him that one is understanding she
say it's not to him. eat of my bread, drink of the
wine which I have mingled. For you see your calling, brethren,
how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not
many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise. And God has chosen
the weak things of the world to confound the things which
are mighty, and base things of the world, and things which are
despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to
bring to things that are, that no flesh should glory in his
presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification
and redemption that according as it is written, he that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord. Amen. This is a faithful saying
worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. He came not to call the righteous. The law of the Lord is perfect,
converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is
sure, making wise the simple. The Lord preserveth the simple. I was brought low, and he helped
me. Has he helped you? The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. For by me thy days shall be multiplied,
and the years of thy life shall be increased. As they were eating, in Matthew
26, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread, and blessed it, and break
it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is
my body. And he took the cup and gave
thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it, for
this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the
remission of sins. In Song of Solomon, In verse
5, verse 1, I am coming to my garden, my sister, my spouse. I have gathered my myrrh with
my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb with
my honey. I have drunk my wine with my
milk. Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink
abundantly, O beloved. Do we feed our heart, soul, mind,
and strength on Christ and Him crucified? Do we hunger and thirst
after His righteousness? So we have here Proverbs chapter
9, wisdom hath built her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars,
she hath killed her beast, she hath mingled her wine, she hath
also furnished her table, she hath sent forth her maidens,
she crieth upon the highest places of the city, Whoso is simple,
let him turn in hither. And as for him that wanteth understanding,
she saith unto him, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the
wine which I have mingled. And in verse 6, it says, Forsake
the foolish and live, and go in the way of understanding. In 1 John chapter 2, it says,
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life,
is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth
away, and the less thereof. But he that doeth the will of
God abideth forever. Let's all turn to one last passage. Matthew chapter 7. Matthew chapter 7. Okay. Matthew chapter 7 starting in
verse 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,
and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that
house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the
floods came, and the winds blew. I just read that. I'll just skip
it again. And everyone that heareth these
sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a
foolish man which built his house upon the sand. The rain descended,
the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house,
and it fell, and great was the fall of it. And it came to pass
when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at
his doctrine, for he taught them as one having authority and not
as a scribe. Seek ye first the Kingdom of
God and all His righteousness, all these things, all this stuff
that our flesh seeks after shall be given us. I pray that the
Lord's Word has blessed your heart tonight. Good night.