This morning we're going to look
at one verse of Scripture in the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew
chapter 7. I want you to look with me at
verse 6, or else listen carefully as I read to you the words of
the Lord Jesus Christ in what is commonly called His Sermon
on the Mount. Now, He is speaking to His disciples. His disciples. God's people. God's children. For He calls
them throughout this sermon. He says, Ye are the light of
the world. Ye are the salt of the earth. He says, Your father. He talks about their father.
He's speaking to His disciples. Though many people were listening
in, yet this was directed at his disciples. And he says to
them, or to all believers, all of God's people, in verse 6 he
says, Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast
ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under
their feet, and turn again, and rend, or tear I've entitled this message, based
upon this verse, Religion Gone to the Dogs. Now, to the world,
this is shocking and offensive, as all that Christ said and did
when he was upon this earth was shocking and offensive. to the natural man, especially
the self-righteous religious. Everything he said and did was
shocking. In the nearly last verse, when
he finished, it says that people were astonished at his doctrine,
were shocked, were amazed at what he said. Now, the Lord Jesus
Christ said, Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither
cast ye your pearls before swine or pigs." Is he speaking of the
four-legged creatures called dogs and pigs? No, sir. He is talking about people. The
Lord Jesus Christ calls some people dogs and swine. There was a woman, a Syropoenician
woman one time that came to him, a Gentile woman, and he said
it is not fit, not right to give the children's bread to dogs. And he calls people, some people,
dogs and swine. Now, the people were astonished. They were shocked by this. The
Pharisees and the scribes, these self-righteous religious leaders
and all of their followers, devoted followers, they were always angry
at him. But in another place, it says,
the common people heard him gladly. But the Lord says in strict command
to his disciples, Give not that which is holy unto dogs, nor
cast ye your pearls before swine. The holy things, the pearls he
is speaking of here, are the things of God. Holy things of
God. Pearls. God's word. God's gospel. Christ is the pearl
of great price, scripture says. And pearls, plural, are all those
things concerning Christ. Precious stones. He says, give
it not to dogs. cast it not before swine, who
will trample them under their feet and turn on you." Now, there's
no problem, really, in understanding what the Lord is saying here.
That is, if you have found knowledge, as Proverbs 8, verse 8 says,
it's all plain to him that understandeth and writes to them that find
knowledge. Everything the Lord says is very
plain to those that he reveals it to and writes. that is absolutely
right, the only way, to them that find knowledge. But gainsayers
and backtalkers, they argue and they find fault and they get
mad and angry at these things. But there is no problem in understanding
what the Lord is saying. He says, ìThe precious and holy
word of God, the gospel of Christ, is not to be given to just anyone.î
or cast out there, thrown about in a careless way. He cast it
out before men in a careless way just for them to walk all
over. Let me ask this question. Who are dogs here that he is
speaking of? Swine or pigs? Who is a dog? Well, Scripture speaks of dogs
several times. God's Word likens those of evil
character, uncircumcised Gentiles or worldlings to dogs. A couple
of fellows, two or three fellows in Scripture were called dog,
Goliath, Shimei and others. Dogs, men of evil character,
uncircumcised worldlings or Gentiles as opposed to Jews. Dogs are those of evil character
who bite and devour, who run wild, violent, beastly appetite. We call dogs domestic animals,
but they're not really. They're only domesticated when
we make them so. A dog is a wild animal unless
we tame it. That's man. That is every man
by nature. Romans 1 describes Gentiles,
that's the world at large. Romans 2 describes the Jews,
and he said they are no different. No different. All by nature. There is none righteous, no,
not one. None that understandeth. None that seeketh after God.
And none, it says, profitable. None that doeth good. And he
goes on to say there, feed her swift to shed blood, and so forth.
Just like dogs. Bite and devour, run wild. The
more you get together, men and women, the more of them you get
together like dogs, the worse they are. Violent. Beastly appetites. Dogs care about just a couple
or three things. Eating, drinking, and sex. And that's a natural man. Beastly
appetites. Dogs are the uncircumcised in
heart. Dog is an uncircumcised creature. And all those who are uncircumcised
in heart, that is, have not been operated on by the Spirit of
God and given a new heart, a circumcised heart, then they are no better
than a beast. They have no thoughts. Scripture
says God is not in all their thoughts. Just like a beast.
Beasts don't think about God. They don't have a mind, don't
have a heart, don't have the will to do so. Neither does man
until God quickens him by his spirit, until God does something
for him. Dogs will return to that which
made them sick. The Scripture says, like a dog
returns to its vomit. As gross as that may sound to
you, as sickening as that may sound, that's God's Word. will
lap up sin. It will go right back to the
very vile things that they gorge themselves on into sickness.
Dogs run in packs the more they are the worse. Dog. Swine. What
about swine? Swine is a pig. It is an unclean
animal. God forbade under Old Testament
law His people to eat or even handle pigs. That is a type of
God's holiness. how that he is of too pure eyes
to look upon sin, Scripture says, swine or pigs wallow in the mud. Well, that's man. He'd rather
wallow in the muck and the mire and the slough to spawn than
be clean, only unless God gives him a will to be clean. Sheep,
it's not the nature of a sheep to wallow in the mud, but it
is of a swine. Sheep has a different nature.
God calls His people sheep. Unbelievers are called swine.
They'll eat anything. Swine will. Pigs will. Anybody
out there have pigs? They'll eat anything you throw
to them, not sheep. Swallow anything. Dogs and swine
are unclean animals, and both of them represent unregenerate,
unconverted, uncircumcised unbelievers. And the disciples, like the priests
of Levi, We are told to make a difference between the clean
and unclean, use great care and discernment so as not to cast
the children's bread to dogs or pearls under the swine. Now,
as I said, the title of this message is, and the theme our
Lord is telling here, is religion has gone to the dogs. Pulpit
and pew are full of unregenerate people today. Not the church. The church is holy. harmless,
spotless, undefiled before God. That is God's people, the Church,
the true Church. But now, many who call themselves
the Church are not so, full pit and pew, full of dogs. Isaiah 56, verse 10, says, His
watchmen are blind, they are all ignorant, they are dumb dogs.
God is talking about those who are supposed to be His prophets
and those who claim to be. They're supposed to be his watchmen.
He said they're dumb dogs. They cannot bark. That is, they
wouldn't dare bark at somebody. They're too gentle. They're lap dogs is what they
are. Sleeping, lying down, loving to slump. Greedy dogs can never
get enough. That's a pretty good description
of the average modern well-known preacher. He's a filthy rich
dog. Dumb dogs. That's probably where
the two initials behind their name, D.D., comes from. Isaiah
56.10. Well, the holy word of God is
being given to dogs today. It's been handed out, applied
to dogs that don't give a flip about God, who could care less
what God's word is saying. The person and work of Christ,
which is that pearl of great price, is being cast about, thrown
out there, Not only to the dogs, but for swine to trot under their
feet. There are two things I consider
pearls. There are many pearls, but two
great pearls which are being cast about and trodden underfoot
by swine. God's love and Christ's death,
the blood of Christ. God's love, which is sovereign. sets His love on whom He will.
God loves whom He will. He doesn't love who you think
He will or who you think He should or who we, or all men for that
matter. God loves His people. Romans
8, 29 says the love of God is in Jesus Christ. Outside of Christ,
God is a consuming fire. God's love is sovereign. God's
love is electing. God's love is particular love,
saving love. God saves everyone He loves.
God's love is keeping love, preserving love. Eternal love. He said in Jeremiah 31 concerning
that man He loved, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.
That means whoever God loves, He loves them always. It's absolutely
absurd. It's a mockery of God's Word
to say that there are people in hell right now whom He still
loves. God's eternal love is eternal
love. sets His love upon, He loves
them with an everlasting love, and it is effectual love. Whomever
He loves, He saves them, He keeps them, He preserves them. He said,
I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee. As with cords of love, God lassoes,
God draws in all those He loves. God's love is reserved for His
people. The love of God is for His people. The blood of Christ
was shed for His sheep. And these precious pearls are being
cast out there and trodden underfoot by people who could give a care,
who could care less. No prophet or apostle or the
Lord Himself ever in a public manner said that God loved the
people. But he did it in a private manner
to his disciples. And the blood of Jesus Christ,
a precious thing, is not to be cast about what men would do
with it as they please. No, sir. It's too precious. Well,
may God give you eyes to see what this is saying. Amen. I don't know. Okay. I don't know what it is.