have to be together. I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Proverbs. I've
told you last time I've been going through the book of Proverbs.
It's such a blessed book. Proverbs chapter 18. Proverbs
18. I'd like to deal with verse 17.
Proverbs 18. In verse 17, the Scripture declares, "...he
that is first in his own cause seemeth just, but his neighbor
cometh and searcheth him." Now, you know we've always heard,
you've heard this truth. There's always two sides to every
story. Two sides. And that truth is
what's set forth in this verse. Two sides. He that is first,
that is, he that is first in time or place, in his own cause
or as a matter pertains to him, seemeth just." He seems to be
right. But his neighbor, that is another,
cometh and searcheth him or exposes him. Now this is what this verse
is saying. When one side of a story is told,
you listen to that side of the story as that person tells the
story. Well, the facts or the story
is usually told in such a way that the one that tells the story
usually presents it in such a way that it sounds right, you know. And you listen to that side of
the story and you think to yourself, I really don't see any reason
to even hear the other side of the story. I mean, how could
it be wrong? I just imagine how Potiphar's
wife told her side of the story to Potiphar. You remember the
story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife, and I just imagine that
when that story was told, and she figured, you know, maybe
I better tell my husband kind of the way it went. And as she
related the story to him, she said, you know, honey, you're not going to believe what
happened. That young fellow that you brought into the house, Joseph,
You know, I never did trust him. I could tell the way, you know,
he just looked at me, I never felt comfortable with him. You
may not have seen it, but I did. And sure enough, all of my fears
were justified. Here the other day when nobody
else was here but just me and him, He tried to take me. I fought him off valiantly. And I'm telling you, if I, in
fact, if I wouldn't have had just that coat, his coat in my
hand to prove he was trying to, you know, take me. I got his
coat, my screams, he ran away. And I got the proof right here.
Honey, it was horrible. Well, Potiphar heard that story.
Well, you know, that probably seemed right. I mean, just imagine,
you know something of the nature of a man. Here's a young man
and he just, it sounded right to Potiphar. Threw him in prison. But you know, in time, the Lord
exposed what was true. We've got God's Word concerning
what really happened. You take a man, That's first. It tells the story first. "...in
his own cause seemeth just. But a neighbor cometh and searcheth
him." Exposes him. Many are going to stand in the
day of God's judgment according to our Lord's Word. And according
to the Lord's Word, He said, that they are going to say. They're
going to speak first. Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in Thy name and in Thy name cast out devils, in Thy name done
many wonderful works? Now you listen to that side of
the story and it seems just. These people, preachers, working
for the Lord, casting out devils, striving for the salvation of
sinners. But another is going to speak,
the judge himself. And the judge is going to say,
I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of
iniquity. You know, when it comes to life
eternal, There's two stories that's being told. And let me
tell you, being born in Adam, fallen in Adam, we hear for the first time, the
first story that we hear because of our own nature. The first
story we hear is that we're not really that bad. There's a little good in all
men. That's the first story we hear by nature. We don't come
forth from our mother's womb believing the truth. We believe
a lie. Where did that lie come from?
Turn over to Genesis chapter 3. Where did this lie start? Where did it come from? Genesis
3 verse 1 to 7. Genesis 3, 1. Now the serpent was more subtle
than any beast of the field, which the Lord God had made,
and he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, You shall not
eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent,
We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the
fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God
has said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it,
lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the
woman, Now let me tell you something. Here's the greatest lie that's
ever been told. Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the
day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened. You shall
be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw
that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the
eyes in a tree to be desired, to make one wise. She took of
the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband
with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were
opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig
leaves together, and made themselves aprons." You're not going to die. You eat of that fruit, you'll
be as gods. You'll know good and evil, and
there was an element of truth in that. They did know good,
but not able to do it. They did know evil. They couldn't
avoid it. Oh, wretched man that I am. Apostle Paul in Romans chapter
7, verse 15, I'll read this for you. For that which I do, I allow
not, or I don't approve of. A believer has two natures, has
two men in a believer, old man, new man. And that old man, that
which is born of the flesh is flesh and it's never improved,
never made better. And Paul says, that which I do,
that's that old me, I allow not, I don't approve of it. Let me
ask you something, you that know him, Can you not agree with that? I see myself. Those things I think, those things
I do, those things that I speak, why'd I do that? Why'd I say
that? Why'd I think that? I don't approve
of that which I would follow after Him, trust Him, call upon
Him, believe Him. That which I would, that do I
not. But what I hate, that I do."
Oh, you're not going to die. God knows when you eat that fruit,
you're going to be like God's. You're going to have the ability
to please God. Galatians 5, 17, For the flesh
lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.
And these are contrary, the one to the other, so that ye cannot do the things you would. I know this by faith. In a believer,
there's a new man there that does not sin. I don't see that man. I'll tell
you the man I see, the one doing the things that I would not.
Because of man's rebellion, sin in that old man, sin in an unbeliever,
sin in that flesh reigns. The thanks be unto God. In that
new man, in regeneration, the Lord said, sin's not going to
have dominion over you. It's there. It's there. An unbeliever
believes the lie of Satan, that man can ascend into heaven,
reconcile himself back to God, and be righteous in himself. That's what that old man believed. That lie, that first lie. He thinks. Now let me ask you
something. By nature, when you hear, by
nature, in that fallen nature, does this not sound right? The lie of Satan. God is a God
of love. And He is in His Son. God loves mankind. God loves
everybody. God doesn't want anybody to perish. God wants to save you if you
let Him. He sent His only begotten Son
into this world lay down His life and pay for all the sins
of all mankind. And He wants to be merciful.
And He's made salvation. He's handed it to you. Wes, there
it is. All you have to do is take it. Every man has an element of good
and if you'll just accept it, He'll save you. He wants to bring
you to glory. He wants you to spend eternity
with Him. But it's up to you. If you perish now, it's your
fault, because, which is true, but God wants to save everybody. And you know what? The unregenerate
hears that and he said, well, I believe that. And I don't want
to go to hell, but I'm just not ready to, you know, give it all
up today. But before I die, that appeals
to the flesh. You know the only problem with
that? It's a lie. That's the only problem. It's
just not so. But that's the first story we
hear. That's the essence of what man,
fallen in Adam, believes first. That God loves everybody and
that Christ died for everybody. That's the summary of what man by nature is hearing,
false preachers are proclaiming. The devil knows that God has
a people. Revelation chapter 12. I probably
read this last time I hear it. Turn back there. Revelation 12.
Where did all this false religion, where did it come from? Where
did all these lies? You know where it came from.
Revelation 12 verse 13. Let me tell you what the purpose
of all false religion is. And I don't care what you call
it. Whatever shingle is hanging out in front of their building,
what do they call it? It's all works, no matter what
you call it, and here's the purpose of it. Revelation 12, 13 to 17. And when the dragon, that is
the devil himself, saw that he was cast into the earth, he persecuted
the woman which brought forth the man-child. And to the woman,
to the church, to the bride, were given two wings of a great
eagle that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place
where she's nourished, kept for time and times and half a time
from the face of the serpent, preserved. Preserved. She's in this world. She's not
of it, but she's in it. And here's what Satan knows.
He knows that if she doesn't come to Christ through the hearing
of the gospel, He knows that. He knows that the gospel is the
power of God unto salvation. He doesn't believe it, doesn't
trust Him, but He knows it. Demons believe. Demons believe,
and they tremble. But what's He going to do? Let
me tell you what he does. The serpent, verse 15, cast out
of his mouth water as a flood after the woman. False religion. Lies, lies, lies. You're not going to die. You're
not going to die. You eat of this fruit. You take this fruit. You're going
to be like gods. knowing good and evil. The serpent cast out
of his mouth water as a flood after the woman that he might
cause her to be carried away of the flood." This is the purpose,
I'm telling you, of every false preacher standing in a pulpit
today. It's Satan's attempt because
he's not going to keep God from saving his people. Satan's bound. He can't stop God. Stop God from
saving His people. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. And him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. I lay down my life for the sheep.
I give unto them eternal life. They're never going to perish.
I've got sheep. They're going to be saved. Satan,
he cast out all of this false religion. But look, 16th, the
earth helped the woman. The earth opened her mouth, swallowed
up the flood, which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the
dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the
remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God and have
the testimony of Jesus Christ. You that believe, you know why
you believe? Because God has shown mercy to
you and given you a new heart and given you a mind and love,
regenerated you, gave you a new man, put His Spirit in you, Christ
in you, the hope of glory. The reason you believe it was
not by your own power. He has given you faith to believe. All these lies, the earth, the
world, helps the woman. And Almighty God gives a man
exactly what he wants, a lie. He believes it. But God's going
to keep His people. So that first, in closing, I'm
going to tell you, the first thing that a man believes, a
man, his first cause, what he hears for the first time, it
sounds right. But let me tell you what has
happened by God's grace. Almighty God from before the
foundation of the world loved the people and He chose them
because it pleased Him. There was nothing in you or me
that merited God's choice. He saw fit because it pleased
Him to set His affection on His people. And He gave them unto
His Son as the surety, as their representative, as their husband. Gave Him a bride because the
Lord said, it's not good that the man should be alone. That's the most
amazing thing. It's not good that the man. And
the exhibition of God's mercy and grace and compassion is going
to be exhibited in her salvation. And the Lord Jesus Christ, according
to God's everlasting covenant of grace, came into this world
made of a woman, made under the law, born as we are, flesh, in
the likeness of sinful flesh, yet without sin. And in flesh, in flesh, in that
body, dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. It was
like that little bramble bush that Moses saw, that little bush
A picture of His flesh and a fire that burned and it wasn't consumed.
That's a miracle. That in flesh that God prepared,
a body was prepared for Him. And in that body indwelt God. God Almighty and
God Almighty came into this world And as a representative of His
people, live before His own law, live before His Father, the Son.
And He did always only those things that pleased Him. And
earned by His obedience, righteousness. As a man, the God-man, the man,
That righteousness that He earned, God imputes to His people. They stand before God Almighty
in their blessed Savior, holy, in Him. We make no claim in ourselves
to that. When He laid down His life, He
laid down His life as the substitute of His people. of His sheep. He died. I lay down my life. No man takes my life for me.
I lay down my life for the sheep. And He put away forever by one
sacrifice. He hath perfected forever. Steve, that's all my hope. This
is all my hope right here. It's all my salvation. That when
He died, He died for me. He finished the work, and He
died. Being made sin, was buried, and
three days later, God raised Him from the dead for, or because
of, our justification eternally. The Father who ever saw the Son
slain, the Lamb, the blood shed, And he said, when I see the blood,
and he's ever seen it, when I see the blood, I'm going to pass
over you, you for whom that blood was shed. I'm going to tell you something.
The first story that was told puts all the responsibility for
salvation on the sinner. All I ever did was rebel against
Him. But let me tell you, another
comes, a neighbor comes and searches him or exposes that lie. Here's the glorious revelation
of the truth. Salvation is of the Lord. Lord
bless these words to our heart for Christ's sake.