All right, if you wish to follow
along, turn to Leviticus chapter 26. I will make reference to
some things in Leviticus chapter 26 and 27 this morning, and I
hope to close out this series on the book of Leviticus. One
thing I hope you understand by now, have maybe caught a hold
of, if God's been pleased to show it to you, Christ is throughout
all the book of God. We've looked at Genesis, Exodus,
and Leviticus, and Christ is the central theme. There are
a lot of themes or topics in the Bible, and these things are
to be dealt with, but they must be dealt with under the canopy
of Jesus Christ is all in all. My title for this message, and
I'll send it to most of you, Again, I'll tell you, if you're
not getting them, you need to give me your number because I
don't have it evidently. Here's my title, one more time,
Human Works or Free Grace. Now I started to put one last
time because this was going to be my last message in Leviticus,
but I thought I don't, I was gonna say jinx, Mason, but I
don't believe in jinxes. I hope this ain't the last message
I preach, especially if God leaves me here on this earth. If he
takes me, that will be great if this will be the last one.
But one more time, human works or free grace. Now the central
passage, and I do hope you took time to read Leviticus 26, 27
prior to this, but the central passage is found in chapter 26,
and I will begin in verse 40. Leviticus 26 verse 40, if they
shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers,
with the trespass which they have trespassed against me, and
that also they have walked contrary unto me, and that I also have
walked contrary unto them, and brought them into the land of
their enemies, but then read this next phrase, if then their
uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept the punishment
of their iniquity, then will I remember my covenant with Jacob,
and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham,
will I remember, and I will remember the land. In God's word, in God's word, we have Thousands
of commands. Some of these commands God gives
and God has no intention on enabling a man or a woman to do what he
commands. He merely commands because he's
the creator. We are the creature and he has
the right to command of us. But there are some commands that
when God commands, he gives the ability to do so. And one could
be found just a chapter after the text that Joe preached on
in Matthew 12, where the man had the withered hand. What's
the one thing that man couldn't do? Stretch out that hand. Right? Stretch out that hand. What's the one thing Christ commanded
the man to do? Stretch out thy hand. But that
was a command God gave, and he gave the ability with the command. Lazarus was in the grave, and
had been there long enough that his sister said he probably stinks
by now. Think about it. He stinks by
now. What's the one thing Lazarus
couldn't do? He could stink, but what's the
one thing he couldn't do? Lazarus, come forth. But when Christ gave that command,
To come forth, he gave the ability with the command to come forth.
Somebody says, well, what commands mean what? Which one applies
to which? I don't know all the time. And neither do you, and neither
can you. One day, God will command the
bodies of all human beings to come out of the graves, and they
will. the just and the unjust, believers
and unbelievers, and they will. God could raise the dead today.
God, in fact, does still raise the dead today, those who are
spiritually dead. But here's the point. Chapter
26, verse one through 13, if you read it, it teaches this,
and we'll sum up the whole 13 verses. Impeccable obedience
guarantees bountiful blessing. Go back and read it some other
time if you want. Listen to the message again if you want. Impeccable
obedience guarantees bountiful blessing. But chapter 26 verses
14 through 39 also teach us this. Disobedience guarantees terror
and Consumption, burning ague, or that is a shivering fever.
Maybe kind of even like what we're seeing going around today.
Something like that. And God's, God's disdain for
the people. You hear that? Disobedience guarantees
these things. How did this work for Israel? How did it work for Israel? they
constantly suffered in the land. Because mankind by nature does
not have impeccable obedience, but God demands it for bountiful
blessing. If you're looking at human works,
this is it. If you're looking at what you
and I produce in and of ourselves, this is it. There's only two
options. Impeccable obedience, which will
guarantee bountiful blessing. Disobedience will bring judgment
upon us. And then someone says, well,
but if we confess. Yeah, yeah, and you read it again
what it said? If they shall confess their iniquity,
confess their father's iniquity, confess their trespasses they
trespassed against me, confess that they walked contrary to
me, that's a mouthful already. And that I also, now here's something
most people don't even want to think about, especially the hordes
that walk forward every Sunday and come to some god-awful man-made
altar and confess that I also have walked contrary unto them.
But then it says, if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled. I read that. And you know what
I was reminded of? A fly in the soup. You ever went to a restaurant?
I know here lately, those of us who may have liked to go to
restaurants haven't really been able to go. Ever went to a restaurant
and ordered one of your favorite dishes and when you get it, there's
something nasty in it? What am I talking about, preacher?
If then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled. This is a caveat
placed right in the midst of the only hope for man and his
works. If you do screw up, you can confess. But you got to do it with a humbled,
uncircumcised heart. Now go try that one out. People look at this, Well, all
you got to do is confess, and that's the way this world and
religion lives. They live like they want, and
then just think and say, God forgive me, and God's got to
forgive them for it. I'm talking about human works
versus free grace, and this great caveat is introduced. If then
their uncircumcised hearts be humbled. This is the epitome of human
works. But I'll give you the negative,
but it's still true. When I say negative, I don't
mean it's untrue. I mean it's just the negative
side of the true equation. Proverbs chapter 20, you don't
have to turn. Proverbs chapter 20, I'm gonna
read one verse. Proverbs 20 verse nine, who can
say I've made my heart clean? The answer is rhetorical, no
one. No one, an uncircumcised heart
is an uncircumcised heart is an uncircumcised heart, and it
will always be what it is, uncircumcised. That which is born of the flesh
is what? It is flesh. And that's a negative
thing, but it's still the truth. Who can say I've made my heart
clean? I am pure. from my sin. You see, the first thing you've
got to do to be able to confess is to get your uncircumcised
heart to bow down in humility before God. And the uncircumcised
heart is desperately wicked more than anything else that's wicked.
That's a paraphrase, but that's what the book says. Desperately
wicked above all things. That's the negative, yet it's
true. Now here's another proverb from Solomon. Like I said, there
is nothing new. Proverbs chapter 16, the preparations
of the heart in man, and God doesn't prepare the uncircumcised
heart. The uncircumcised heart remains an uncircumcised heart.
He gives a good heart. God opened Lydia's heart so that
she attended to the things Paul was preaching, but he didn't
open up the uncircumcised heart. He gave her a heart which had
the capacity to hear and love and believe what or rather who
Paul was preaching. Proverbs 16, the preparations
of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue, where's that come
from? Where's it come from? It's of
the Lord. Leviticus 26 and verse 41 is
not talking about that which is of the Lord, free grace. It's
talking about that which must come from within man, human works. And that sticks us at the bottom
of the heap. A faithful servant once declared this very caveat. And they beat him with rocks
and killed him for it. You hear what I'm saying? He, a faithful servant, once
declared this very caveat. And I can't quote it. It's lost.
It left me. Acts chapter 7. There's a man
who's preaching the truth of God. He says this to some people
in Acts 7, verse 51. Luke records it for us. Ye stiff-necked
and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do What's that next
word? Always. Always. And what does the uncircumcised
heart always do? It resists. It resists. It resists. It cannot be humbled. It will not be humbled, but it'll
put on a good show. It'll put on a good show. It'll
raise up in a great religious facade. It'll walk aisles every
Sunday. It'll pray prayers every Sunday.
It'll read its Bible every Sunday. But deep down inside, that uncircumcised
heart wants its own way. And it says, I will not bow down
to Jesus Christ, even when God the Spirit attends the preaching
of the gospel. And men declare the authority
of Jesus Christ, the uncircumcised heart always resists. Always resists, just like your
daddy's. So do you. Now, teach your friends
that. Stress upon your friends that.
See how long they remain your friends. Don't take no for an
answer when you stress that caveat. And see how long they remain
liking you for who you are. The thing about it is, the uncircumcised
heart hates it because God Almighty, his only purposed way, yeah I
know he spoke to Abraham personally way back yonder, but he now speaks. through people who preach the
gospel of Jesus Christ. And people to the uncircumcised
heart, I'm not going to listen to that person because that's
just a person just like me. That's right. The heart with which I was born
by nature is still just as uncircumcised as it ever was. God is pleased
by the foolishness of preaching, to save them to what believes
the preaching they're hearing. Not just believe whatever they
want to, but you're gonna believe what's been preached to you.
That's what it's saying. Most people say, well you just
hear preaching, then you believe whatever you want. That ain't
what it's saying. You're gonna believe what's being
preached to you, if that man is sent of God. And you'll believe
that or you'll perish. More important, you will believe
Christ or you will perish. Stephen did this and they killed
him for it. Didn't they? It said they run up and gnashed
on him with their teeth. They bit him. I mean, we see
some mobs today, do we not? We see it all over TV. And let
me just say this, these people don't care about the man who
was maybe murdered. They don't care about him. These
are rebels against authority. These are men and women who hate
government. They hate authority, and they're
looking for an excuse to rebel. But let me tell you something,
they are accomplishing God's will. You hear what I'm saying? Now, let's see if that gets some
hate mail or not. But God will judge them for the
very doing of that will. because they do what's in their
uncircumcised hearts to do. Just like the people who murdered
from the human side, they murdered, they tortured to death Jesus
of Nazareth. But they did exactly, exactly
what God had ordained before to be done. It's almost as if
they were opening the Bible, so what do we do next? And open
the Bible, okay, here's another, what do we do now? They did every
one of those things, but they did what was in their evil, wicked
hearts to be done. And they couldn't help themselves,
but they're still guilty. Because we love what we do by
nature. Now, this didn't work out for
Israel. The only time you see it working
out for Israel is when they were immediately in the land under
one man named Joshua. and they conquered under Joshua. But as soon as Joshua was gone,
what happens? Well, I believed in Jesus. I
made my decision. You ain't still believing in
Jesus? You ain't still making a decision for Jesus? You better
be. You better still be bowing down to him and believing him.
Human works are powerless. Human works are powerless, they're
there. They could be very, they could
put up a great facade. A great facade. Human works can
be very righteous on the outward. Human works can have a lot to
say about God, honoring God, Jesus. but down inside the uncircumcised
heart says, I will not have this man, Jesus of Nazareth reign
over me. Grace alone can prevail, and
free grace at that. Like Scott Richardson said, it's
like calling water wet. Having to say free grace or sovereign
grace is like calling water wet, but when somebody is ignorant
enough to not know water's wet, sometimes you gotta explain to
them what you just stuck your hand in, that's called wet. Now, bear with me, the older
you get, you find that out. Because you got to start wearing
undergarments to soak up the wet. And you can't help it. But you know what? This is God
Almighty showing he is in absolute sovereign control. I can't even
heal my own toothache, let alone heal my soul by my uncircumcised
heart. I can't even confess my guilt
by my uncircumcised heart. Only free grace can prevail in
this matter, yes? Repentance is confessing my iniquity,
verse 40, it is. And that's not, you don't hear
a lot today about repentance, do you? Confessing your what?
Inequity. Your inside problem, not just
your outside problem. Remember Christ told the Pharisees,
he said you clean the outside of the cup, the platter. But
inside, you're full of dead, corrupt flesh. My problem's an
inside problem. All the outside things would
take care of themselves if I could clean up the inside, but I can't
clean up the inside. I still can't. God don't save
you so you could clean up the inside. He gives you a new inside. And I know men argue about the
word you should use God calls it a new creation God calls it
a new man, and he comes he Because he is you comes right in alongside
He or you the old man and both are still there today They're
like this constantly constantly constantly Yes, repentance is
confessing my iniquity. Yes, repentance is confessing
universal guilt. My mommy and daddy are guilty
too. I love y'all, but I didn't come from good stock. And my children, they didn't
come from good stock. And your children, they didn't
come from good stock. because we're uncircumcised and
heart nears. And that always resists the Holy
Ghost. But it never can resist the sovereign
purpose of God. Because even the uncircumcised
heart, God holds it in his hand and he turns it whether so ever
he will, other than bowing to the person of Christ in the gospel. Joseph's brethren were doing
exactly what God had ordained for them to do. when they sold
him into slavery. And God kept him from doing the
one thing they really wanted to do, kill him, but still let
him do exactly what they still wanted to do when they couldn't
do the one thing they wanted to do. And Joseph said God meant
it for good. Yes, repentance is confessing
that God is offended. Religion don't teach this to
them. God's not offended. God's afraid of wringing his
hands. He's hurt. God's hurt. He just wants to
cry his eyes out. And he just wishes somebody would
humble their uncircumcised heart. No! Our God is in the heavens. He hath done and is yet doing
and will always do exactly what he has pleased to do. Yes, repentance is to confess
that my walk is corrupt. And even when I walk, after the
Spirit of God. There is corruption mixed in
with that good walk because the old man's still down in there.
And sometimes, I'll be honest with you, I don't know the difference.
There's times like Tim James said, I thought I did pretty
good and I find out it's shot full of hell. Bunch of self in
it. And other times I thought I just
miserably screwed up and somebody comes along and said, I appreciate
that. Why? Because God gets all the glory.
Even for the good that's in us by grace, God gets all the glory
because, Joey, I'm about like you, I wish I wouldn't quote
it every time, because it's God that works in his people both
to will and to do of his good pleasure. Repentance is God is just to
disdain me, verse 41. It is, that is repentance. Repentance
is verse 42, it hopes only in God's mind and God's covenant.
but you can't repent by your own uncircumcised heart. And
that's all you got by nature. Oh God of all grace. Turn me. Turn me. Like Jeremiah said of Ephraim.
Ephraim was a wicked boy. And a wicked man. And so were
his descendants. Unclean doesn't bring forth clean.
Exactly. Ephraim is, remember it said,
what is it? He's a cake half turned. What's
that mean? He's baked on one side and raw
on the other. That's right. Matter of fact,
if he's unturned, he's burnt on one side and he's raw on the
other. And I heard the prophet, I heard
Ephraim bemoaning himself. Turn me, who's he crying out
to? God. Turn me and I shall be turned. And after I was turned, after
God did the turning, then I did what? Repented. And he's even as wicked as Ephraim
was, God said he's my dear son. He loved us. even though we are
unlovable. You know that? There was nothing
in us that could have moved God to love us. And if we do love
Him, it is because He first loved us. It doesn't say God loved
us first, then we loved Him. That is true in order, but it's
more deep than that. No one ever comes to love God
unless God has first loved them. And if God first loved them,
they will come, be brought to repentance toward God. They will love him. Oh, God turn
me. But this is no one time religious
decision. I don't know how many people
you talk to. If you really, if you get a chance to sit down
and talk to maybe one person. Usually when you have two, then
it's on. Usually we'd have two, it's on. But you get to talk
to one person and you're both cordial to one another. I know
God help us to be cordial, gracious to people. We can't shove the
truth of God down their throat. Just like Paul said, we just
preach Christ. We leave the results up to God. We ought to. We don't always do that, but
we ought to. Now where was I at? I forgot
where I was at. It ain't just a one time decision. He talked
to people and said, well, I gave my heart to the Lord way back
yonder. Now there's a lot of problems with that. But the main
problem ain't even the heart, giving your heart to the Lord
problem. Everybody's always looking back to something they did. They're not looking presently
unto Jesus Christ. They're looking to some decision,
some emotional decision, some religious decision, or some doctrinal
decision they made way back yonder. And it's according to what denomination
they're under as to what doctrine they really hold to. Well, I
was baptized way back yonder. Well, I was convinced of eternal
security way back yonder, and I believed in Jesus. That don't
cut it. That don't cut it. This turn is by free grace. and free grace only. Only. This turn must be by free grace
and it affects every facet of life. Chapter 27. It affects
every facet of life. 27, and the Lord spake unto Moses,
saying, speaking of the children of Israel, and saying to them,
when a man shall make a singular vow, the person shall be for
the Lord by thy estimation. Think of that word. By thy estimation. Yes, we all began with a singular
vow. There is a place where we all
began to experience conversion, salvation, but it don't stop
with a one-time event. If it did, then it wasn't God
doing it, something else did it, and it ain't no good. Yes, we all began with a singular
vow, but I want you to notice the word, by thy estimation,
and then it goes on to start listing all kinds of things.
Does it not? Do you remember reading it, 27?
Human works rises with pride and says, I like that fair price. Thy estimation. That phrase or
something like it is mentioned 22 times in chapter 27. So it's
evidently important. The word merely means fair price. Now we all like fairness nowadays,
don't you know? Let me just drop that word. We
all like fairness nowadays, don't we? Remember now, scriptural
words must never be divorced from scriptural truth. A lot
of people are using Bible words like Henry Mahan used to say,
they're using a different dictionary. You have the explanation for
them words. Here's the question. Okay, there is to be fair price,
fair price, fair price, fairness, justice, equity. Mason, truth,
Mason, right and wrong. They're to be clearly delineated,
right? But who determines the actual
estimations? He calls it thy estimations,
but then God gives you the price. If you read it. According to
if you're this old, here's the price. If you're that old, here's
the price. If you're this old, there's the price. So my estimation
really don't mean squat. Does it? Did you read it? The
price is already set, and if it ain't set, guess who does
it? You don't get to do it. I don't get to do it. God's priest
does it. Now guess who that's speaking
about? Jesus Christ the Lord. In all areas of life, see, what
I'm saying is when God saves you by free grace, you begin
to recognize it's all his. It's all his. Let me be brief. Whether it's
your age, you're as old as you are right now today, because
God determined you make it this far. Neither hell nor high water
can stop that. You understand me? But you don't
have the guarantee of tomorrow. Unless God purposed you tomorrow,
then you're guaranteed of it, but he ain't gonna let you know
about that till tomorrow. I believe it was Henry Manning,
he said, take a deep breath, do it. Everybody take a breath.
Hold it. Hold it. That's all you got. God's gonna
have to give you the next one. Now some of you didn't even hold
it that long, you didn't breathe out, so I'm giving up. I'm giving
up. We call it involuntary muscle. Right? Your body will, even if
you pass out, generally unless you're choking or something,
your body will begin to start breathing again. You will start
breathing again. That ain't involuntary muscle! That's God Almighty. That's God Almighty. It's God
Almighty. He kills, He makes alive. And even that woman knew that
way back yonder in the Old Testament when they didn't have very many
books of the Bible at all. Whether it was your age, whether
it was a beast, whether it was a house, whether it was a field,
whether it was sacrifices, whether it was tithes, whether it was
seeds, whether it was fruits, whether it was flock, God makes
the estimation. God determines what's right and
wrong. God determines what's right and
wrong. I remember, I just got to give you this one. O. A. D.
Muse, he was a preacher back when Henry Mahan was young. and
first been converted, and of course Henry was in his 20s,
but old A.D. Mews was one of the preachers back then, and
he said this about tithing. I think I've given you this before,
but I like it. A man that tithes is a legalist. A man that don'ts
a rebel. Now go and chew on that for a
while. I like that. I like that. A man that tithes is a legalist.
A man that don'ts a rebel. That's true. And Leviticus chapter 26 and
27 is true. We just can't do it by our human
works. It takes free grace. I said Jesus
Christ determines it all. Turn to Ephesians chapter one
and we will read that. Just one verse. Ephesians one
verse 11, in whom this Christ in whom also we have obtained
an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of your free will. Is that what that says? Now there
are people that read that and then turn right around and run
to free will. That's nowhere, you can't read
it like it is and believe it like it is and have your will
anywhere in the equation free or not. free or not, who worketh
all things after the counsel of what? His own will. I don't care whether it's leprosy
or your soul. Oh God, enable me to cry out
like that one fellow did. Lord, if thou wilt, if you will,
you can make me clean. He had no doubt of his ability
and right The only thing he didn't know was, was he willing or not?
And you know what Jesus Christ said and did? I will. Mason, that wasn't no itty bitty
pincy weensy little will, now. This is the will of God Almighty.
So much so he could say, I will. And what'd he say? Be thou clean. And bless God, he was. Now, take your pick. Make you
a decision if you want to. Pick your human works or God's
free grace. Knock yourself out in it. Knock
yourself out. Mack, would you close us in prayer,
please? Father, we thank you for the time you've given us
and been together to study thy word. Thank you so much for the
messages that we've heard, the truth of the gospel. Father,
we realize that so little of this is heard today. Heavenly
Father, thank you for the opportunity to hear the truth. Yes, Jesus,
bless our church and those that are sick and have been aged. Give them strength that they
might serve Thee better. Amen. Father, forgive us of our
sins because we fail Thee daily and we know all flesh is sin.