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. If you would, you want to follow
along, turn to Psalms 139. The 139th Psalm. I'm going to
begin reading in verse 13. For thou hath possessed my reins. Thou hast covered me in my mother's
womb. I will praise thee for I am fearfully
and wonderfully made. Marvelous are thy works and that
my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from
thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the
lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance,
yet being unperfect, and in thy book all my members were written,
which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of
them. Oh, excuse me, how precious also
are thy thoughts unto me, O God. Great is the sum of them if I
should count them. They are more a number than the
sand When I awake I am still with thee I'm gonna stop right
there That's what I want to speak on
today if I can God's thoughts God's thoughts I have been pondering I Thought
about saying mulling but Tim James uses that word some I've
been pondering It's pretty much the same thing. I Have been pondering
about the thoughts of God for a while Because to be honest,
I suppose it's been for about 37 years now Now I know a lot more than when
I started However, I also know that that's not saying much. But I can say to you today that
I knew it all because of one thing. 37 years ago, he revealed
himself to me and I knew him. And right today, none of that's
changed. Everything else that I have learned
from this book, from his preachers, From studying, from pondering,
his word shows me the same thing. Jesus Christ is God. I'm sure you might be familiar
with the statement, the further I go, the behinder I get. Well, that's the way some of
my pondering seems to take It becomes more true as I study
the more that I learn of God The more that I learn of Christ
the more that I learn of the Holy Spirit the more that I learn
I need to learn Because here's the thing the riches of Christ
are truly unsearchable That wasn't a joke. That wasn't just an adjective
somebody threw in there. That's the way it is The unsearchable
riches of Christ I have glimpse fathoms depths that I don't understand
Walter and I've come to understand that there are fathoms and depths
that I don't know anything about I Don't even have an inkling of
their existence I The more that I learn the more that I learn
is that I am nothing but an earthen vessel I'm a clay pot in some
days a leaky clay pot a forgetful clay pot However Here we have
the words of David in verse 17 How precious also Thy thoughts
unto me Oh God Precious Paul spoke on that a
couple weeks ago The word keeps coming up in the Scriptures precious
and it's a good word When you're dealing with the things of God
the things of Christ and the things of the Holy Spirit Precious
is a very good word Because what does it mean? Well, here in the
Hebrew, it means two words. It means valuable, and here's
a funny thing, rare. It's rare. Now, they are valuable just for the
simple fact that David's talking about the thoughts of God. They
are of infinite value. We don't know how valuable they
are. We get a glimpse of them, but
that's about it. But his thoughts are precious. They're valuable in that they're
perfect, they're holy, they're righteous, and they're good.
But his thoughts are rare. Not rare in the sense of scarcity. There's not a lack of God's thoughts.
There's only one source of God's thoughts. That's the rarity. There's only one source of the
knowledge of God, and guess what? That ain't you. It ain't me. It's not Walter. It's God. Valuable and rare are the thoughts
of God unto me. God is the source of all that
is truly precious. Lamentations 4 and 2 says this
God is the source is what I said the precious sons of Zion Comparable to fine gold How are
they esteemed as earthen pitchers But wait a minute the works of
the hands of the potter. The only reason the sons of Zion
are precious is because they're the work of the hands of the
potter. But they are precious. They are precious. Precious are
his thoughts and precious are the sons of Zion because here's
the thing, believers are precious in the sight of God. We're not
boasting, I'm not boasting. I'm not talking about how good
and wonderful you are. Although to me, people are good
and wonderful. But that doesn't count for anything
with God. The only preciousness about us,
including myself, is the work of the potter. Is the work of
the potter. Hath not the potter power over
the clay? who's able, willing, and powerful
enough to make of the same lump one vessel unto honor and another
vessel unto dishonor. You understand the difference
is the work of the potter. The preciousness is in the work
of the potter. Now I know some people, and it
becomes evident, you've been around them, I'm sure, who have
a tendency to think that they're a little precious in themselves.
They're wrong. Now I'll confess, I was there.
And sometimes I might get a little stupid in my thoughts still. But this is the thing. There
is nothing precious in man, naturally. Naturally. Jeremiah tells us
in Lamentations, they are precious, but they're still earthen vessels.
They're still earthen vessels. Thank God the sons of Zion Believers
the congregation of God the true congregation of God the Church
of Jesus Christ is the work of the hands of the Potter Believers
are precious why because they are in Christ Jesus They have like precious faith
His faith. They have precious promises in
Christ Jesus. They are redeemed by his precious
blood. And they are precious in God's
sight because they are on his precious cornerstone. They are on the sure foundation
They are on the precious son of God But here precious are
also thy thoughts And this is David saying that the thoughts
of God are precious to the believer In this day where we are surrounded
by people who are so flippant about the Word of God that You
wonder if anything's precious to them. And I can answer that, because
I used to be one of them. And the answer's no. Ain't nothing
precious to an unbeliever except that unbeliever. You understand? I've been reading some British
novels. I don't know why, but I like
them. Here's the thing. They have a tendency to mention
the Church of Scotland and the Church of England in there. And
they ask these religious questions every once in a while on these
things. And he says, why do good things or bad things happen to
good people, right? Or why do good things happen
to bad people? The one answer this person keeps
putting forth every now and then, he'll just throw it out there.
He says, well, that's where blind faith comes in. And I thought,
what? The one thing, the one thing,
that faith is not, is blind. It's not. He talked about it
last week. The man who was blind from birth,
the Lord Jesus Christ gave him his sight. And then he gave him
someone to see. And he revealed himself to it.
You understand, we sing that song. Blind unbelief is sure
to err and scan his works in vain. That's the truth. Unbelief
is blind. Faith ain't blind. If you think
there's blind faith, you don't know what faith is. Anyhow, his thoughts are precious. The
thoughts of God are precious. Why? Well, I can tell you exactly
one reason why here. I got a couple, but I wanted
to tell you this one. The thoughts of God save The thoughts of God
save his people look at if you want to follow along Isaiah chapter
55 Seek ye the Lord this is verse
6 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. Then what does he say? Why is this possible? For my
thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways my way,
saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts higher than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down in
the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the
earth, and maketh it bring forth, and bud that it may give seed
to the sower, and bread to the eater, What so shall my word
be that goeth forth out of my mouth? It shall not return unto
me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall
prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it. For ye shall go out
with joy and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the
hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the
trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn
shall come up the fir tree instead of the briar shall come up the
myrtle tree and it shall be to the Lord for a name for an everlasting
sign that shall not be cut off You seek him call upon him while
he is near and God will have mercy on the wicked God shall
pardon the unrighteous. Folks, that's us. That's us. Now granted, you're not gonna
turn to him until he's come to you. We'll get to that in just
a minute, but I wanted to throw it in there now. Because here's
the thing. Seeking him doesn't make you
not wicked. Calling upon his name does not
make you righteous. God makes you righteous. What
my thoughts are not your thoughts. My ways are not your ways. His
thoughts are different than mine. Because why, he's got mercy for
the wicked. He's got, he has grace for the
unlovely, for the ungodly. for the unrighteous sinner that
I am. You understand? If I was God, I wouldn't have
anything to do with me. That's the kind of person I am,
you understand? People who are wicked, people
who are unrighteous, and unrighteous, wicked, to me, I stay away from. And that's just the way I am.
God sought us out when we were his enemies. His thoughts are not my thoughts.
His ways are not my ways. His thoughts are so different
from mine to where I can't understand half of them. Jeremiah tells us this Because you will never I said
it you will never seek the Lord Until he thinks about you Thy thoughts are precious unto
me Jeremiah 29 Verses 10 through 14 he says for thus saith the
Lord that after 70 years Be accomplished at Babylon. I will visit you
and perform my good ward good word towards you in Causing you
to return to this place now. Yes, I understand this is talking
about the captivity But I also understand this is talking about
how God deals with his people His chosen people in Christ verse
11 for I know The thoughts that I think towards you saith the
Lord What? Thoughts of peace and not of
evil to give you an expected end. Now this ain't the end you're
expecting, this is the end God's expecting. Then, then, then shall ye call
upon me and ye shall go and pray unto me and then I will hearken
unto you. But you understand what came
first of that? God's thoughts. God's thoughts. That's where
God's thoughts are precious unto me. And here's the greatest thing
yet. And ye shall seek me and find
me. Ho! is amazing when you shall
search for me with all your heart in verse 14 and I Will be found
of you Now how in the world is that possible that us red worms
maggots Nothing less than the small dust of the balance God's
gonna let us find him You know how it's possible It's only possible
because of God's thoughts toward you are of peace. God's thoughts
are precious. Then I will be found of you and
I will bring you home. And that's why I'm saying the
thoughts of God save. Thy thoughts are precious. Let me show, well, you don't
have to turn there, First Corinthians is where I'm going. Chapter two. The last verse, verse 16. As
I remember reading this verse, Walter, decades ago, and it amazed
me then, and I'm still amazed today. For who hath known the
mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? Well the answer
is nobody But Paul continued on this is the amazing part to
me we have the mind of Christ Now look at that word, and it
means it's not we have Christ my it said we have the understanding
of Christ and He's the one that gave us the understanding you
can find that at the end of Luke It's not hard to find you just
look for it then he opened their understanding of the scriptures.
And listen, if he's opened your understanding of the scriptures,
he's opened your understanding of the scriptures speaking about
him. You know, it's not that, oh, I know what the candelabra
look like now. Or not a candlestick, not candelabra.
Oh, I know what the mercy seat look like now. No, I don't, I've
seen it on TV, but that don't count. He has given us His Spirit, beareth
witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And
His Spirit takes the things of Him, of Jesus Christ, and shows
them unto us. How? In His Word. In His Word. He gave us the Word too. This
whole book, right here, from beginning to end, is the thoughts
of God. whether we know it or not, whether
anyone knows it or not. Oh, they are precious, they are
valuable, rare thoughts of the Lord, and they are toward his
people. I think thoughts of peace, which
is, that's glorious right there. But he says, I think thoughts
of peace to you, and to you. And to you, that's an amazing
work of grace right there. He thinks thoughts of peace toward
me and not evil. What do you mean? Not what I
deserve. Not what I deserve. Then you'll seek me and not before. You can pretend you can fake
it. You can go to churches seeking But not this kind of seeking
not till he thinks towards you Then I'll be found of you who
have known the mind of the Lord Verse 10 of Corinthians chapter
2 1st Corinthians 2 but God hath revealed them unto us by his
spirit What? the things that God has prepared
for us. Oh, but as it is written, I have
not seen nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart
of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love
him. And some people want to stop right there. Paul didn't
stop right there. He said, but God's revealed them
to us. How? By spirit and by his word. Yea, the spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. What man knoweth the
things of a man save the spirit of a man which is in him even
so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God
Now Right now We have received not the spirit of the world,
but the spirit which is of God That we might know the things
that are freely given to us of God which things also are speak
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God He may hear him. He may be taught him. He may
even write a scholarly paper on it But he says he can't know
them for they are spiritually discerned For who hath known the mind of
God, but we have the mind of Christ and We've received the Spirit of
God that we know what God has given
to us freely. The same thoughts of God that
we are thankful for, the same thoughts of God that we try to
preach forth to the natural man, those thoughts of God are foolishness. And that's the best I can do
for you. They react in two ways. It's
either a stumbling block or it's foolishness, depending upon whether
you're religious or not, or how religious you are. Because trust
me, the more religious people are, the more offended they will
be. And the stumbling stone becomes
a brick wall and they'll ram their heads right into it. to
the point where they will deny the scripture boldly. I've heard it done. I've seen
it done. They've done it to me. That doesn't
say that. Well, that doesn't mean that. Or my God wouldn't do that. My
God's a gentleman, Walter. But listen. Here's the beautiful
thing here from David, the words of David. What? Thy thoughts. Wait a minute. How precious also
are thy thoughts unto me. Unto me. Unto me. You're saying this isn't dry
doctrine to David. No. You're saying this is not
dusty systematic theology. Now I got nothing against doctrine,
I got nothing against theology. But I think Walter said it last
week. Doctrine and theology aren't gonna save you. Matter of fact, they might do
you more harm than good without knowing Christ. Well they will,
everything will. Because doctrine and theology
are of no value without him. Because David is saying right
here that this is his personal, living, given faith in action. In action. Thy thoughts are precious
unto me, O God.