It's so good to see you this
morning. I'm so thankful that I have the
privilege to be able to be here. I can't tell you what this means
to me. I feel like I'm home. I want you to take your Bibles
and turn with me to the 14th chapter of the book of Proverbs. Proverbs chapter 14. I'd like to read two verses of
Scripture, verses 20 and 21. Proverbs 14 and verse 20 says this, ìThe
poor is hated even of his own neighbor, but the rich hath many
friends.î He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth, but he that
hath mercy on the poor, happy is he." Let's pray together. Our Father, we thank You this
morning. Oh, for the privilege to be able
to call upon Your holy name by and in our glorious Savior, He
who ever liveth to make intercession for us. Lord, would you help
us today to worship? Oh, how wonderful it would be
to be able to hear, empower, and to hear the wonderful and
glorious message of our Savior. Lord, You can teach us if You
will. Would You help us for Christ's
sake? Amen. I've been going through the book
of Proverbs now for a while, and I'm reminded every time I
look at the next proverb when the Lord's disciples ask Him
one day. He's teaching in parables. He
taught in parables. And as he was teaching in parables,
the disciples asked him, they said, Master, why do you teach
in parables? Why do you teach like that? And he said this, he said, because
it's given unto you to know the mystery of the kingdom of God.
But unto them it's not given. If the Lord is pleased, we can
hear. He will teach us. I want to be
taught. I need to be taught. I want to
hear. I want to hear what the Lord
has to say. Oh, as we consider these Proverbs,
I know that there is a way, when you read the Proverbs, there
is a way that These blessed Scriptures can be read, and man, naturally
speaking, I mean, you can read some of these proverbs and men
would say, well, I understand that. I can see that. Well, there's a natural way in
which many of the proverbs can be understood. Oh, but I know
this. Within those proverbs is the
glorious gospel of our precious Savior. And He's who we're looking
for. If we see Him, we see a right. If we don't see Him, it's just
words. It's just words. I don't want
to hear just words today. I want to hear from the Master. I know He's here. He said, where
two or three are gathered together in My name, I am in the midst
of you. And I thought to myself many times, surely there's two
or three that's here. Lord, would You speak to our
hearts today? Verse 20 says, The poor is hated even of his
own neighbor, but the rich have many friends. Now naturally speaking, and I
always like to Look at the natural understanding of that. The poor
is hated even of his own neighbor. Now, here is the sad thing, but
this is true. The poor of this world, naturally
speaking, when the Scripture says they are hated even of his
own neighbor, because we are so selfish. And because we're
so hard and insensitive to people by nature, poor folks, to this
world, naturally speaking, they're a burden. They're a burden. You again, didn't I help you? You need some
more money for gas. But the rich, naturally speaking,
oh, they have many friends. Well, really, to the rich of
this world, they've got a lot of fair weather friends. These rich folks, those that
are less fortunate, humanly speaking, oh, these rich folks, they're
not a burden to me. I mean, they're an asset. I might need them. Oh, I don't want to make them
mad because whenever I need something, I won't be able to call them
up and say, hey, old buddy, how are you doing? This is your friend. You remember me. Naturally speaking,
the poor is hated even of his own neighbor, and the rich have
many friends. But if that's all we see out
of that Scripture, really is there any eternal profit? Let's
consider this in the light of the glory of our blessed Savior,
the poor, the poor in spirit. Those that have been blessed
with the kingdom of heaven, the poor, those that have been made
to see themselves as poor, by the grace of Almighty God, poor
in spirit, eternally chosen by Almighty God unto salvation in
the Lord Jesus Christ and made to see in regenerating grace
their true need. I'm convinced there are some
poor folks there, poor in spirit, those that absolutely Do not
trust in their flesh. Those that do not look back to
a point in time when they walked down an aisle or when they were
baptized and look at that as being, there's my salvation right
there. No, no, no, no. You that are
poor in spirit, you realize in me, that is in my flesh, there
dwells no good thing. Oh, but that Almighty God would
have mercy on one such as I. He's all my hope. He's all of
my stay. They're poor. When it comes to
the concerns of their soul, they realize, Lord, unless You do
something for me. Peter was walking on the water. And Scripture says, when he looked
at the water, he began to sink. He said, Lord, save me. I'm going to perish. These that
are poor, poor in spirit, they're conscious of the fact that before
God in themselves, as far as their debt to the law
of God, what have I got to pay? I don't have anything. I heard
Brother Scott tell me one time, he said, if Almighty God gives
a man a heart and an understanding that he comes to Christ empty-handed. He said that empty-handedness
is all he's got. That's all he's got. Unless the
Lord does something for me, what have I got? Ruined in Adam's
fall. Convinced that there's no salvation
in any other but in Christ Jesus the Lord. The Scripture says
the poor, poor in spirit, they are hated even of their own neighbor,
their associates, their family, their companions. Oh, they are
cut out of the same lump. There is no difference in one
man and another. Who maketh thee to differ? But
for the grace of God, where would we be? Oh, poor, poor in spirit. Those that the Scripture says
this world was not worthy of, stoned, sawn asunder, afflicted,
tormented, hated. That's what it says, the poor,
hated, even of their own neighbor. But let me ask you this. Now,
you've heard that before. The Lord told His disciples,
He said, the world hates you. They hated Me before they hated
you. Have you ever stopped and wondered why? Why? What is the very heart of the
matter of the world hating a believer? When it comes right down to it.
Now, the Scripture says that you be hated. What is the very
foundation of that hatred? Now listen to this, John 15,
19. The Scripture says, our Lord
speaking, if you were of the world, the world would love his
own because you're not of the world. But I have chosen you
out of the world, therefore the world hated you. Do you know
why a believer is hated by this world? It's because Almighty
God is sovereign and He does as He will, with whom He will,
when He will, and how He will. The world hates you because I
chose you. Because Almighty God was pleased
to set His affection on you, you that know Him, you that love
Him. The world hates you. I wouldn't say anything to embarrass
Brother Henry for anything. But I've got an illustration
that I've got to use. And he doesn't know anything
about this. He's probably never heard this before. To show you
in illustrating that the world hates you because of God's sovereignty,
because God chose to show mercy. When I lived in Franklin, Tennessee,
I knew a lady there, and I had some dealings. I would see her. She was a very nice, very pleasant
lady. And one day she mentioned to
me, she said, you know, I'm from Ashland, Kentucky. I said, really? Ashland, Kentucky? She said,
yeah, I was born and raised in Ashland, Kentucky. I said, well,
I've got a dear friend from Ashland, Kentucky. She said, really? Who
is it? I said, Henry Mahan from 13th
Street Baptist Church. She said, oh. He sure did. I thought to myself,
you know why this world hates God's people? It's because God
has been pleased to sovereignly show mercy to them. And the world
by nature hates God Almighty being God. and hates God's people? John 17, 14, "...I have given
them thy word, and the world hated them, because they are
not of the world, even as I am not of the world." The natural
mind, the natural man loves those that are like him. They love
those that believe like they believe. But believers, are different. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ,
they're different in attitude, they're different in principle,
they're different in affection. They love Christ. They love God
Almighty being God. I love, I love hearing and reading,
musing upon God's sovereignty. God doing as He will in the army
of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and nobody stays
His hand. I love that. I love that He orders
all things after the counsel of His own will. I love that
He causes His people. He's going to bring His people
under the sound of the gospel. He's going to cause them to hear
the truth of Christ. And based on His Word, The Lord
Jesus Christ said, All that the Father giveth me shall come to
me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. I love that. I love that. I'll pray, Lord, would You have
mercy on my kids? Lord, would You save my children,
my grandchildren? Lord, would You save sinners? Safe sinners. That's who He came
to seek and to save. Sinners. The poor is hated even
of his own neighbor. But the rich have many friends. Well, as I said before, if this
meant the rich of this world, these friends, oh, that's just
conditional. That's just selfish. That's all
it is. What if my rich buddy loses everything
he's got? Am I going to stick as close
to him then? Maybe I'll find another friend.
Oh, but if the Spirit of God is setting forth in this Scripture
right here, those that are rich in faith, those that are heirs
of the kingdom which God Almighty has promised to them that love
Him, Those, if those are the rich that he's speaking to, they
do have many friends. They do. Those that truly love
them. Those that truly care for them.
Those that are truly concerned for them. All those that are
rich in faith, they realize by the grace of God, God the Father is their friend. He chose them. having everlastingly
loved them before the foundation of the world, and gave them to
the Son. They're yours. They're mine,
and you're responsible. The Lord Jesus Christ is their
friend, their surety, their federal head, the one that sits closer
than a brother, the one that loveth at all times Christ, their
Redeemer. Oh, what a friend. He said, I'm
your friend. The friend that will never leave
me, and he's never going to forsake me. He promised that. He promised that he wouldn't.
And he is the truth. He's the truth. The Spirit of
God. Oh, there's a friend to God's
people. The Spirit of God who regenerates
them by grace and power. The Friend, the Holy Spirit that
seals them and teaches them of the things of Christ, that leads
them and guides them, those that are led by the Spirit of God.
Oh, the believer's friend. How about the angels of glory?
These are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those
who shall be heirs of salvation. How about all the church of God?
How about the saints? Those in heaven, those on earth,
one in Christ, bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh. And I'll
tell you this, God's people love one another. By this shall all
men know, you're my disciples, you love one another. I guarantee
you, you meet a believer. You talk to them. Never met them
before. Somebody introduces you to them. Here, this is my friend
right here. This is Brother So-and-so. This is Sister So-and-so. Oh,
faithful, faithful people. And you meet them, and you talk
to them, and you listen as they speak. And their speech just
has the savor of grace. And you know, you listen to what
they're saying, your heart just rejoices. And you say, that's
what I believe, right there. Somebody comes and tells me,
oh, I tell you, Almighty God revealed Himself to me under
the preaching of the Gospel. And the Lord showed me that I
was nothing in myself. And the Lord called me out of
darkness. He's taught me of Christ. He's kept me and He's sealed
me. And I realize, but for the grace of God, where would I be?
And I'm thinking, That's what I believe right there. That's
what I believe. You're my friend. I love you. I love you. Oh, the poor is hated even of
his own neighbor, but the rich have many friends. He that despises
his neighbor sinneth. Going back and keeping in the
context with where we are, he that despises his neighbor sinneth. He that hates the poor in spirit.
Those that hate and despise God's people, they hate and despise
God. Psalm 51, 4, all sin is against God. David
said, against thee and thee only have I sinned and done this evil
in thy sight. Saul. Saul. Why persecutest thou me? He that despiseth his neighbor
sinneth. But he that hath mercy on the
poor, happy is he." Oh, with that last part of that
verse, that 21st verse, let's fly to the honor of him who deserves
all honor. Let's speak of Him who said,
I will have mercy. On whom I'll have mercy, I'll
have compassion. On whom I'll have compassion,
Moses said, Lord, show me Your glory. I told you this before. I looked up that word, glory,
and it comes from the root word that means opinion, to think. Moses asked Him, Lord, what do
You think? I want to know what You think.
Show me Your glory. And that's what the Lord said.
I'll have mercy on whom I'll have mercy. Oh, he that hath
mercy on the poor, happy is he. He who is of pure eyes and to
behold iniquity, said to those who in themselves are deserving
of being despised. He who is of purer eyes said
concerning those that deserved in themselves, they deserved
to be despised in themselves. But what did He say? Deliver
them from going down to the pit. I found a ransom. I found an
atonement." That's what he said. David said in Psalm 113, 5 and
6, Who is like unto the Lord, our God, who dwelleth on high,
who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven
and in the earth? Oh, he who has mercy on the poor. Happy is he. He who has everlastingly
loved His people. Those who are in His precious
Son. He who has mercy. I remembered hearing, I know
I've got a lot of thoughts and illustrations concerning Brother
Scott, but boy, I tell you, I learned a lot from him. One of Brother Scott's sons. was in court one day. And the
judge said of Brother Scott's son, he said, I'm going to throw
the book at you. And Brother Scott said, is there
no room for mercy? And that judge says he doesn't
deserve mercy. And Scott said if he deserved
mercy, it wouldn't be mercy. I felt. He who has mercy on the poor. Those that don't have anything.
Those that can't pay. Those that have absolutely nothing
to merit salvation before God Almighty. He who has mercy on
the poor. Happy is he. He raises up the
poor out of the dust. Psalm 113, 7 and 8. He lifted
the needy out of the dunghill that he may set him with princes,
even with the princes of his people. He who has mercy on the poor.
Happy. Blessed. That's what that word
means. Blessed. Oh, I tell you, He who
has mercy on the poor in the incarnation of our precious Savior,
He was blessed of His Father because His Father was pleased
with Him. He who has mercy on the poor,
our precious Savior that came into this world and lived before
God Almighty, Obeyed in every jot and tittle of the law. He
did only, always those things that pleased His Father. He's
happy. He's happy. Oh, the Lord Jesus
Christ as the Servant of Jehovah. This is what He said. He said,
My meat, My food, My will, My joy. For the joy that was set before
Him. My meat gets to do the will of
Him. that sent me." He's happy. He's happy. At His crucifixion, having completed
the work of redemption, that's what He said, it's finished. It's finished. Finished. Completed by His shed blood. Redeemed all that the Father
had given Him. In electing grace, Hebrews 12,
2 says, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God. Happy is He. He's happy. Right now, interceding for His
people, ever living to make intercession. His blood ever answers. He's
happy. Happy. And soon, He's coming
back to receive us unto Himself. He who prayed in His high priestly
prayer, Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast given Me
be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which Thou
hast given me, for Thou lovest me before the foundation of the
world." Oh, how blessed is he, how happy
is he by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory. to make the captain of their
salvation perfect through sufferings. He said, I'm not ashamed to call
you my brethren. Oh, he who would declare openly
before the Father, behold, I and the children which thou hast
given me, happy is he. And you know what? His people
are too in Him. We're happy today. Lord, thank
You. Thank You that You would call
one such as I am. Thank You, Lord, that You would
teach me who You are. Thank You that You'd allow me
the privilege to sit under the gospel one more time and, Lord,
to bask Oh, in the unsearchable riches of your grace. Lord, I'm
happy. I'm happy in you. And to know
that you're happy and that you're blessed. Oh, how that thrills
my soul. For Christ's sake, amen.