Sovereign Grace Chapel located
at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia invites you to
listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. So if
you would, turn with me to Romans 11. Romans 11. Romans 11 and verses 33 through
36 to start out with. Oh, the depth of the riches,
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are
his judgments and his ways past finding out. For who hath known
the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counselor?
Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto
him again? For of him and through him and
to him are all things to whom be the glory forever and forever. Amen. What man born of Adam can figure
out God? And we just read right there
in that passage and get but just a glimpse of his majesty. We
are also told there is no way we can know what God knows, and
we cannot figure out His ways. Which one of us will say to God,
let me tell you what I think. God needs nothing from us. He
is the self-existent one. Everything you can think of around
you, it's all for His honor and glory. He is in absolute total
control of all things. He has the right and the ability
to do as he pleases, so much so that the Apostle Paul tells
us in Romans nine, nay, but old man, who art thou that replies
against God? And say, why hast thou made me
thus? If you question why you are the
way you are, then you are replying against God. He is the potter
and we are the clay. And I want to give you a quote
from J.C. Philpott, quote, man's religion is to build up the creature. God's religion is to throw the
creature down in the dust of self-abasement and glorify Christ,
end quote. We cannot preach Christ, that
is God, Jesus Christ is God, but we cannot preach Jesus Christ
too high. His ways are high above our ways
and his thoughts are high above our thoughts. We see this in
Psalm 139 in verse six, and this is pertained to his work and
his purposes. 139, six says, such knowledge
is too wonderful for me. It is high, I cannot attain unto
it. He is all wise and his purpose
which never changes because he does not change. His purpose
has always been. But also we cannot preach man
too low. Just as we do not know the heights
and the depth of God, we do not know how low we are. I pray God
does not let me see how low I am. But think about this verse, and
you don't have to turn, but write it down for later. Galatians
6.3, it says, for if a man think himself to be something, I'm
guilty. I'm guilty of that, even now,
even today. For if a man think himself to
be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. There have
been times and are still times when I have thought of myself
as something. I deceive myself. If I ever get
to thinking that again, that is, that I am something, or have
actions that manifest for that thought, I am deceiving myself. If you would notice this when
it says here, when he is. For if a man think himself to
be something when he is, that word can be translated being. If you look at the word, you
can translate it being. Because some may see that and
say, well, there comes a time when I am something. Because
this is only when I am nothing. This flesh will think of anything
to deceive itself. We as believers know this world
thinks like this because we still have this old man with us. But
read it using the actual meaning of the Greek word. These three
words, when he is, as one word in the Greek, and it's translated
being. So we read it here. For if a
man think himself to be something, being nothing, He deceiveth himself. We are nothing, but we sometimes
think we are something. But we know God tells us we are
nothing and He is everything. If a man is sent of God, he will
preach what God says. We know Paul the apostle tells
us that he determined not to know anything among us but Jesus
Christ and him crucified. And that's a good thing for everyone
who proclaims his word to go by. That's good advice. In preaching
this, we have to tell what man is as well. I know I cannot say
this the best way, so I will let scripture do it, but if you'll
remember, Joe did a message on this, but turn with me to Isaiah
40, and this has to be said again. I don't mind copying off of somebody
else. When it comes to God's word,
so Isaiah 40, and I'm gonna read verses one through nine. Isaiah 40. Comfort ye, comfort
ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,
and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity
is pardoned, for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for
all her sins. The voice of him that crieth
in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight
in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked
shall be made straight, and the rough places plain, and the glory
of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. The voice said, Cry,
and he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the
goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass
withereth, the flower fadeth, because the Spirit of the Lord
bloweth upon it. Surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower
fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever. O Zion,
that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain.
O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with
strength. Lift it up, be not afraid. Say
unto the cities of Judah, behold your God. So he is told to cry something.
He asked, what shall I cry in verse six? The answer is, all
flesh is grass. Here today, gone tomorrow. That is all flesh. Man is nothing. But that is not all he cries,
because it also says, O Zion, that bringeth good tidings. When
we preach all flesh is grass, that, that is preaching all flesh
is grass, is not good tidings. So what else is he told to cry
in verse nine? Say unto the cities of Judah,
behold your God. Man is nothing, and God is a
glory to behold. So let's look at today just how
low man is, the highness of God, and is there a remedy? So just
how, number one, just how low is man? Ecclesiastes 3.19, we
read, for that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beast. Even one thing befalleth them.
As the one doth, so doth the other. Yea, they have all one
breath, so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast. For all is vanity. We have no
more importance than a beast as we are born in air. We all
die, even beast, and just as a beast dies, we die. Man compared
to man might look pretty good depending on who is being compared
to one another. But sinful fallen man is not
where the mark is. It is not what we must attain.
We must be holy for God is holy. The mark is the righteousness
of God, and we miss that mark all the time. Compared to God,
we are nothing. Isaiah 40, 15 reads, behold,
the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as
the small dust of the balance. Behold, he taketh up the isles
as a very little thing. Drop of a bucket. One drop in
a bucket isn't worth the effort to pick up the bucket. When you're
thirsting, one drop will not quench your thirst. We are counted
as the small dust of the balance. And what does that mean? We are
good for nothing as we are born in Adam. We don't make a difference. We add nothing to God and we
take nothing away from God. But it gets worse. Isaiah 40,
17 says, all nations before him are as nothing, and they are
counted to him less than nothing and vanity. We are, in fact,
nothing. In fact, we are counted to him,
and this is what matters, is my count or worthiness to God. But this says we are counted
less than nothing and vanity. This is a hard pronouncement
to take. In fact, none of us would take this pronouncement.
That is, we know we wouldn't be okay with this pronouncement
on us and we wouldn't bow down to this truth if it were not
for his power and his will. We would actually deny it and
think we are something and deceive ourselves. If it were not for God intervening,
There are some who will never accept this pronouncement about
themselves, even though the creator tells us this himself. The scripture
is inspired of God. Men wrote as the Holy Spirit
directed them. He says we are less than nothing. Some might say, I don't think
anyone here would say this, but some who hear me say this might
say, I'm not less than nothing. I'm something before God. Okay,
let's see what scripture says we are before him. Here is man
being something, and if you would, turn with me to Job 25. Job 25. Job 25 in verses four through
six. From your passages, I've went
to a lot of these already before in other messages, but Job 25
verse four. How then can man be justified
with God? Or how can he be clean that is
born of a woman? Behold, even to the moon, and
it shineth not. Yea, the stars are not pure in
his sight. How much less man that is a worm,
and the son of man which is a worm. We do not shine in his sight,
and we are not pure in his sight. Man as he is born in Adam, and
let me be clear, I mean mankind, so this is men and women. But
man is not justified with God. He is certainly not clean. But
this says, we are a worm. And as I've said here before,
the word here for maggot means, worm means maggot in the sense
of breeding. So we are worms and all we do
is breed other worms. And that's, these maggots feed
off of death. That's all they do, feed off
of death. Because of what man is, he will do nothing, nothing
that will gain him any merit before a thrice holy God. But
let me show you a picture of what we do from scripture. Now
if you would, you all turn to Jonah 1. I've got it right here
in my notes. So if you want to, Jonah 1 verses
3 through 5, I'm going to read. Hopefully it won't take as long
this time. Jonah one, verse three through five. And Ellen had just
mentioned this about Earl saying this one time and I just, I love
this. But let's look at it. Let's see
what common theme we can look at this passage here in Jonah. Three through five. Jonah one,
three through five. But Jonah rose up to flee into
Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. and went down to Joppa. And he found a ship going to
Tarshish. So he paid the fare thereof and
went down into it to go with them into Tarshish from the presence
of the Lord. But the Lord sent out a great
wind into the sea and there was a mighty tempest in the sea so
that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners were
afraid and cried every man unto his God and cast forth the wares
that were in the ship into the sea to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into
the sides of the ship and he lay and was fast asleep. So what is the common theme here
when it comes to man and his way and his doing? Man goes down,
down, down. Man is not seeking God. He is
doing just as Adam did and Jonah did here. Man is always trying
to flee from God, trying to hide himself from God. But God be
thanked, some who flee from God are running smack dab into God. Jonah thought he was running
from God. Had he succeeded, things would
have been different. But God bethinked, God's will
and purpose will stand because his ways are high above our ways
and his thoughts are high above our thoughts. Had he not exercised
his sovereign control on me, I would still be running from
God, shaking my fist at him saying, I will not have this man reign
over me. But our God is sovereign. But
let's look at some of his glory in scripture. Can we see the
highness of God? Number two, the highness of God.
Back in Isaiah 40, when we are told that we are less than nothing,
what does it say in the next verse, Isaiah 40, 18? To whom
then will ye liken God? Or what likeness will ye compare
unto him? There is no one to compare to
God. We are, that is mankind born
from Adam, we are less than nothing and worms. How high is God? He is much higher than we can
even imagine. In fact, we can't really know
the heights of his thoughts and his ways. Our text in Romans
tells us he is unsearchable and his ways past finding out. There
is no one to counsel him. None can stand before him. What
did Isaiah find out in Isaiah 6? Turn back with me to Isaiah
6, if you would. In a lot of my messages, I'm
just repeating things that people have told me. Joe, we were talking
out on the porch one day, and Joe pointed this out to me, and
it was good. Isaiah 6, 1 through 5. In the year that King Uzziah
died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted
up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims,
each one had six wings, with twain he covered his face, and
with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And
one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
of hosts. The whole earth is full of his
glory. And the post of the door moved
at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with
smoke. Then said I, Woe is me, for I
am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell
in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For mine eyes have seen
the King, the Lord of hosts." In Isaiah 5, we read Isaiah pronouncing
woes on them. Back in the previous chapter,
he's pronouncing woes on them. This is what Joe pointed out
to me. Woe to them, he says. But then we get here in Isaiah
6 and he sees who God is and what is his pronouncement now.
Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell amongst
a people of unclean lips. What does he mean? I'm bad and
they are bad. Put us all together and there
is no good that will come from it. God is holy, there is no
one like unto him. He is totally separate from anything
we can think of. God says to Job, he says, where
were you when I laid the foundations of the world? Mankind did not
exist. Who made it all work together
as it does? Not man, we were not even there. What holds it all together? Not
man, and man does not know how it is done. What does Nebuchadnezzar
say? When my understanding returned
unto me, what did he see? Him that liveth forever, he doeth
according to his will, and none can stay his hand or say unto
him, what doest thou? What does this tell us? If you
have understanding, what will you confess? He, that is God,
doeth according to his will. And none can stay his hand or
even say unto him, what doest thou? But man will do nothing
to get back to where he was with God before the fall. He has no
strength of his own. He doesn't know where the garden
of Eden is to get back to the tree of life, right Joe? This is where the but God comes
in. What is the remedy? So number
three, what is the remedy? In short, the answer is the glory
of God is the remedy. He is an infinite, holy, just
God. We are the earth earthy, nothing
finite. But not only that, we have trespassed. We have trespassed this holy
just God who will not at all acquit the guilty. Scripture
says we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. He
is not making his pronouncement on our guilt or innocence now.
That great judge has made his decision and from that, judgment
is certain. The sentencing will be carried
out to its fullest extent one day, although it has already
been decreed death. He told Adam, in the day that
you eat thereof, you shall surely die. And he did. We know he did
not die physically, although his body did begin to die. But
he died spiritually, so that there was no more communion with
God. In his flesh, that is, in Adam's
flesh, this flesh is what we have. Light has no communion
with darkness. The two cannot exist together. Being in death, we offend the
holy God of heaven. And not only will we not do those
things that please him, we cannot do those things that please him.
Romans 3.10 says, as it is written, there is none righteous, no,
not one. And verses 11, 12 says, there
is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. They are all gone out of the
way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that
doeth good. No, not one. The problem is we
are below. He is above. There is a great
gulf between us. We cannot go to him for scripture
tells us no man will look up on him and live. He cannot come
to us for he is spirit and we are flesh. He is life, we are
death. We have trespassed and sin will
not just be swept under the rug. God is holy and just and here
is where the good news comes in, a kinsman redeemer. We have a kinsman redeemer. We
have one that is likened to us. The scripture puts it this way,
Romans 8, 3. For what the law could not do in that it was weak
through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of
sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. We have a man. This man is flesh and blood.
He sweats like I do. He grieves like I do. He feels
pain like I do, yet without sin. This is how high God is. What
he would do magnifies his name even further. So how high is
God? How high is that one who has
created everything? That one where it is said in
Genesis 1, in the beginning God created, and it goes down the
list. We are told in Colossians that
he created all things. So how high is God? Here it is,
here's how high God is. He was made a little lower than
the angels. His thoughts are high above our
thoughts and his ways are past finding out. Jesus Christ came
down, he took on our flesh, he walked on this earth, and he
perfectly obeyed the holy law. He did not struggle to do this.
He did this because it was in his nature, because Jesus Christ
is God. He said, I and my father are
one. He had to do something, something
that you and I could not do. The scripture says, the soul
that sinneth it shall die. This death we are talking about
is a death suffered under the judgment and wrath of God. And
we need mercy. But the only way to do that is
for someone to pay the price so that we might go free. And
we are told in Habakkuk 3, Habakkuk 3, 2, O Lord, I have heard thy
speech and was afraid. O Lord, revive thy work in the
midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make
known In wrath, remember mercy. Our Lord, the Son of God, God
Almighty manifest in the flesh, suffered the wrath of God in
our stead. That which was meant for us,
he took our place. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
against the one that is my fellow. The sword has failed. Wrath has
been poured out on him, this being done for those chosen from
before the foundation of the world in him. So much so that
he cried out, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? This
he did in my place. I will never be forsaken of God
because he cried, it is finished. What he did was for certain and
sure and it accomplished what he came to do. What he did was
take my sin. This he done in his own body
on that tree. He carried them far away so that
God no longer sees our sins or our sin. Salvation is done because
of all of this, we read in Colossians 1, Colossians 1 verses 17 and
18, and he is before all things, this is Christ, and by him all
things consist. And he is the head of the body,
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he might have the preeminence.