Well, let us turn to the Word of God and to the chapter that we read in the book of Job, Job chapter 27 and verses 8 to 10. For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God? It's mainly from verse 8 that I'll preach a little this morning. I trust the Lord helping me. And so for a text, we take these very solemn words of Job 27 verse 8. For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?

Poor Job was vexed, with calamity upon calamity. His servants had been killed, his oxen and his asses had been stolen, fire had killed other of his servants and his sheep, Other servants had been killed with the edge of the sword, and his camels were stolen. A wind had destroyed his eldest son's house, killing the young men, Job's seven sons, there. And then, as if that wasn't enough, he was smitten with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. His wife spoke foolishly to him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity?

Curse God and die! His friends had come to visit him in his distress and to comfort him. But they were no comfort at all to him. Miserable comforters are ye all, he says to them. Why were they miserable comforters? Well, they had come to a rash conclusion and a rash judgment concerning Job because of all the calamities that had come upon him. They thought he must be guilty of some sin. and they basically accused him of hypocrisy.

There were things that Job said as well that led them to this conclusion. No doubt Job had on occasion spoken unadvisedly with his lips. The Lord himself had said as much. In chapter 38, Moreover the Lord answered Job and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? He that reproveth God, let him answer it. Sorry, that's the wrong chapter. Chapter 38. The Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? And Job acknowledged it too, that he had spoken unadvisedly with his lips. In Job chapter 40 verse 3, then Job answered the Lord and said, Behold, I am vile. What shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken, but I will not answer, yea, twice, but I will proceed no further. And again in chapter 42, the last chapter, he says, Well, because of all that had come upon him, and because of some of the things which he had said, his friends were ready to conclude that Job was a hypocrite.

But Job would hold fast his integrity. He strenuously denies the charge. He is adamant that he is no hypocrite. But ye should say, why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me, he says in chapter 19. And here, in chapter 27, verses 5 and 6, he says, God forbid that I should justify you. Till I die, I will not remove my integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast and will not let it go. My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. He is adamant that he is no hypocrite.

Satan, the accuser of our brethren, had accused Job of hypocrisy in the first chapter. Does Job fear God for naught? He is accusing Job of hypocrisy. Does Job fear God for naught? And then in chapter 2 we read, And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man? one that feareth God, and escheweth evil.

And still he holdeth fast his integrity, though thou moveth me against him, to destroy him without cause. The Lord again vindicates Job in the concluding chapter, and he reproves Job's three friends. chapter 42 verse 7 the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite my wrath is kindled against thee and against thy two friends for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right as my servant Job hath Job is thoroughly vindicated from that false charge of hypocrisy but we should consider from the words of our text this morning five things briefly firstly the hypocrite secondly his hope Thirdly, his gain. Fourthly, his loss.

And then fifthly, the antidote to hypocrisy. For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? Well, let us consider firstly, then, the hypocrite. What is a hypocrite? What is the meaning of the word? Well, the dictionary definition is a person who indulges in hypocrisy. So what is hypocrisy? Well, our word hypocrisy comes originally from the Greek, meaning the acting of a theatrical part. A hypocrite, then, is a stage player, an actor, who pretends to be something he's not. And many are the warnings in the Holy Scriptures against hypocrisy. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy, for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be known, Jesus said.

The Lord called the scribes and Pharisees by that very name. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Matthew 23 and verse 25. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye may clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

For ye are like unto whitish sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. What solemn words. Their worship was a pretense. Again in Matthew 23 verse 14. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayer. Therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

The Lord Jesus warns his disciples against hypocrisy in worship in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew chapter 6, Take heed that ye do not your arms before men to be seen of them. Otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine arms, do not sound a trumpet before thee as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.

Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. And verse 5 of that chapter, And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are. For they love to pray, standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. And verse 16, Moreover, when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. And so on.

The Lord Jesus warns his disciples against hypocrisy in worship in the Sermon on the Mount there and towards the end of that sermon in chapter 7 of Matthew he speaks of the straight gate with the narrow way which leadeth unto life and the wide gate and the broad way which leadeth to destruction there are the few who are the true and who are in the narrow way and there are the many who are the false professors and worshippers who are in the broad way he warns of false prophets verse 17 of Matthew 7 even so sorry verse 15 of that chapter beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves and he warns false professors. In verse 21 of that chapter, Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. What awful words to hear on the day of judgment!

And then in conclusion he speaks of the wise and foolish builders. Now both alike were hearers of the word of Christ, both attended upon the ministry of the word. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, he says, the wise builder was a doer of the word, He was a true disciple. The foolish builder, on the other hand, was not a doer of the word. Although he hears it, and although he attends a place where the word is preached, he is not a true disciple, he is a hypocrite.

And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And in many parables the Lord warns of hypocrisy. the wicked servant, for example, who would not forgive his fellow servants' debt, the five foolish virgins which had no oil in their lamps, the wicked and slothful servant who buried his talent in the earth, the branch of the vine that bore no fruit, and so on. Many, many times does the Lord warn against hypocrisy. And, of course, there is the solemn example in the New Testament of Judas Iscariot. Now there are two kinds of hypocrites. There are those who know that they are hypocrites and deliberately deceive others.

They're not self-deceived. They do not deceive themselves. They know what they are, though they may deceive others. And then there are those who do not realise that they're hypocrites, but they are self-deceived. They deceive themselves, although quite often they do not deceive others.

Those who know that they are hypocrites know that their heart is not right in the sight of God, but they never cry to God that they might be delivered from their state of hypocrisy and that their hearts might be made right in the sight of God. For whatever reason, perhaps for a variety of reasons, they make a profession of the Christian religion, or they attend a place of Christian worship, but there is no real faith and no real repentance, no conviction of the truth by the spirit of truth. Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron, they continue the deception, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. Oh, they may deceive others, but God they cannot deceive, who knows the hearts of all men, and who both will, in the day of judgment, bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.

By far the greatest number of hypocrites, however, the majority of hypocrites, are those who are self-deceived. they deceive themselves and they are deceived by satan they think that they are alright that they are right with god now this kind of hypocrite is one who blesses himself in his heart saying i shall have peace though i walk in the imagination of mine heart they are ignorant of themselves as sinners and they are ignorant of the god with whom we have to do God addresses them after this manner in such words as we have in Psalm 50. Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such and one as thyself, but I will reprove thee.

Well, we've considered something of the hypocrite. Let us go on to consider his hope. For what is the hope of the hypocrite? The hypocrite has a hope. He promises himself, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart. The hypocrite has a hope, but it is not that hope which is the sister of faith and charity.

It is not that hope which maketh not ashamed. It is not that hope which is saving, which Paul speaks of in Romans, for we are saved by hope. It is not that good hope through grace. It is not that hope which is as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil. No, the hypocrite's hope is of an entirely different nature. It is described earlier on in Job, in Job chapter 8. Job chapter 8 and verses 11 to 15. Can the rush grow up without mire? Can the flag grow without water? Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.

So are the paths of all that forget God, and the hypocrite's hope shall perish, whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web. He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand. He shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure. The hypocrite's hope is here compared to a rush or a flag.

Now, rushes and flags are types of bulrushes and reeds, and they can grow to quite a considerable height. Their natural habitat was the watery mire, bogs and marshes. And so the hypocrite's hope, though it might grow to a considerable height, grows from the mire of his own corrupt and graceless heart.

Contrast this with the blessed man of Psalm 1, and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. This is the sincere Christian. The rushes and flags are not planted by the freshwater mountain streams of God's free and superabounding grace.

No, they grow in the foul and muddy ditch of corrupt and fallen human nature. Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb, so are the paths of all that forget God, and the hypocrite's hope shall perish. The hypocrite's hope is likewise compared to a spider's web, whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web.

How is a spider's web produced? It is spun out of the spider's own belly. Some spider's webs can actually appear to be quite beautiful. You may have seen them in the garden in the morning, in the morning dew, with the glint of the early morning sun shining on them. They can appear quite spectacular. Their purpose is, of course, to catch flies and bugs and insects. The spiders depend on their webs, but they are easily broken, aren't they?

Well, so it is with the hope of the hypocrite. It is spun out of his own bowels. It is produced out of his own sinful heart. It is not that which is produced by the acting of the Holy Spirit upon the heart and working out a salvation which aims first and foremost at the glory of God. No, it is the acting of the sinner out of his own sinful heart for his own glory.

The web is spun to catch the praise and the applause and the admiration of men, as the spider's web is spun to catch flies. His religion and his works may appear quite beautiful, and as in the case of the Charismatics, for instance, quite spectacular. As the spider depends on its web for food, so the hypocrite depends on his outward religion to feed his inner pride. But all their works they do for to be seen of men.

You know, spiders' webs are actually made of silk. It is feasible, it's perfectly feasible to make fabric out of it. In 2012, in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, there was on display a cape and shawl made from silk harvested from more than a million golden all-weaver spiders. So it's possible to make clothes out of spider's silk. Perhaps Isaiah is referring to this when he says, They hatch cockroach's eggs and weave the spider's web. He that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.

Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works. Their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. As Adam and Eve tries to cover their nakedness with fig leaves so the hopeless sinner tries to cover his nakedness with a religion or with righteousnesses spun out of his own bowels like clothing weaved from a spider's web and so Isaiah says again but we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags though they may appear beautiful to men, and can be put on display like the cape and shawl in the Victoria and Albert Museum, yet they are not so in the sight of a holy God, and they are not so in the sight of the sinner when he is awakened to see himself and his works as they really are, an unclean thing, filthy rags, the spider in his web, the hypocrite and his works.

And just as the spider's web is easily broken by a gust of wind, well so the hypocrite's hope shall be destroyed in the storm of God's judgment. So are the paths of all that forget God, and the hypocrite's hope shall perish, whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web. Again in Job, at the end of chapter 11, But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost. Such is the hypocrite's hope. Well, let's go on to consider his gain. For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained? Something is gained. So what does the hypocrite gain by his hypocrisy?

Well, it may be filthy lucre, Paul warns Titus of this, doesn't he? For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially they of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. We can look at the Roman Catholic Church and the vast amounts of wealth it has accumulated through its hypocritical religion. Or we can look at the established church, How many have gone into the ministry in the Church of England in an unregenerate state for a good and a comfortable living? We can think of the evangelicals, particularly the American hyper-evangelicals and the TV evangelists, and the charismatics with their mega-churches, their pastors driving around in limousines, flying hither and thither in private jets, Remember how Peter faithfully warned the flock of God in his second epistle, and through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you, whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. But it is not just filthy lucre that the hypocrite might gain, it could also be the good opinion of others. the approval of others, to be highly thought of by others.

Ahithophel was highly regarded, as was his counsel in the days of David, you remember. 2 Samuel 16 23 And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the counsel of Ahithophel, both with David and with Absalom. But Ahithophel turned out to be a traitor and he was involved in the conspiracy with Absalom. And what of Judas Iscariot? No doubt he was highly thought of among the apostles. We read of him that he had the bag and bear what was put therein. He had been entrusted with the money.

He was so well thought of and his such was his reputation among the apostles but he was he was false he was a devil a thief and a traitor he betrayed the innocent blood a hypocrite then may gain a good reputation the good opinion of others but he may also gain a good opinion of himself there are many who have and and who do hold a good opinion of themselves and of their works, but they shall be excluded from the kingdom of heaven. many will say to me in that day lord lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils and in thy name done many wonderful works and then will i profess unto them i never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity now in this connection Beware of having a good opinion of yourself because you've been brought up in a strict Baptist family. Because your parents and grandparents were good strict Baptists. This was the Jews' boast. We have Abraham to our father. See the rich man in hell. He was of the seed of Abraham. He could boast of having Abraham as his father.

Luke 16.24 And he cried, and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things.

But now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. A Christian upbringing is a good thing and not to be despised, but nevertheless it is not to be trusted in either for salvation. Timothy's mother and grandmother were both unfeigned believers, but through the Holy Scriptures Timothy himself was brought to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Another gain which the hypocrite might gain by his hypocrisy is the damping down of the convictions of conscience again in the words of Deuteronomy 29 19 that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart he promises himself peace as a sop as it were to appease his guilty conscience Well, we've considered the hypocrite's gain. It may be a pecuniary gain. It may be the gain of a good reputation. It may be the gain of a good opinion of oneself. Or it may be the damping down of the convictions of conscience.

For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained? Well, having considered the hypocrite's gain, let us go on to consider his loss. For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? What an unimaginable and unspeakable loss this is. I'm reminded of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, for what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Oh, he's gained the world, but he's lost his soul.

He has gained a worldly Religion is where he's gained the good opinion of others. He has gained a carnal, fleshly religion, being dead in a profession of faith, or dead under the means of grace, not having made any public profession of faith. But when he dies, when God taketh away his soul, he must endure the second death. So it is written in the book of the Revelation, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

All that gains the praise and the admiration and the applause of men, they love the praise of men more than the praise of God, and so they will never hear the praise of God, that well done thou good and faithful servant. but rather those awful words of condemnation, and cast ye out the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Oh, the unspeakable loss of the soul! For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? What then will become of that good opinion of himself, which he had gained through his hypocrisy, when God taketh away his soul? It will then be like his hope, as the giving up of the ghost. Hypocrisy is a disease of the soul, which, if left untreated, will result in the second death. And so in the fifth place, let us consider, most importantly, the antidote to hypocrisy. And we all need this. We all need this antidote to hypocrisy. What is the antidote to hypocrisy? Is it not a well-grounded faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Is not hypocrisy a religion which is devoid of the Holy Ghost? Is it not church or chapel attendance without the spirit of the living God?

There are those, we've known such. who do not meet in a church or chapel. They despise the church. They despise the chapel, the gathering of the saints. There's no church good enough for them. And they form themselves into their own I am right sect. We've known such. But they still have a religion which is devoid of the Holy Ghost.

The antidote to hypocrisy is a living faith in the living Redeemer. In the words Of the two verses following the words of our text, verses 9 and 10, the Holy Spirit actually gives us three marks of true faith and of the true believer when he speaks these words concerning the hypocrite. You see, true faith is the very antithesis of hypocrisy. And so here in Job 27 verses 9 and 10 we can discern through the Spirit's teaching the marks of true faith.

Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God? The first mark is what we might call soul trouble. Verse 9 Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him? The hypocrite experiences no soul trouble until That is, until God takes away his soul. When God taketh away his soul, will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him? Oh, he has been at ease in Zion. Ah, but now his woe comes upon him. And it is not until then that he cries to God. What a solemn that word that is in the Proverbs. Proverbs chapter 1, verse 28.

Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer. They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. For they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. Oh, there is no soul trouble, no crying to God until it's too late. And the door was shut. The true Christian, however, the sincere believer, is brought into soul concern from the moment of his new birth.

I remembered God and was troubled. Hear what Asaph says there in Psalm 77. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord. My sore ran in the night and ceased not. My soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God and was troubled. I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed, Selah. Thou holdest mine eyes waking. I am so troubled that I cannot look up. Perhaps his chiefest concern is whether God is favorable to him or not. This seems to be Asaph's complaint. Will the Lord cast off forever, and will he be favorable no more? Is his mercy clean gone forever? Does his promise fail forevermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies?

Selah. Oh, he feels the corruptions of his fallen nature and sin working in his members, and this causes him often to cry out, as it did the Apostle, O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Oh, he's deeply suspicious of his own heart. When the Lord Jesus told his disciples, verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me, you remember what they all said? And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? Lord, is it I? Perhaps the greatest fear of a true believer is that he will prove a hypocrite at last. Lord, is it I? If that's how you feel, then you're in good company. They began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? You are no hypocrite. You are no hypocrite. Oh, what troubles does the true believer in Jesus have to endure in this world? Many are the dangers and difficulties and trials and temptations that a believer must go through before he sleeps in Jesus.

In the world ye shall have tribulation. but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. This tribulation will often cause him to cry out to his God and Deliverer. This is the very reason why the humbling trial is sent. And call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

The true believer is one who calls upon God in his trouble, especially when he is brought into soul trouble under conviction of sin. The second mark of the true believer, the sincere Christian, we see in verse 10. Will he delight himself in the Almighty? The true believer delights in God.

This is something that the hypocrite never does and can never do. Remember how the Lord spoke to the Jews in their hypocrisy. For I know you that ye have not the love of God in you. This, you see, is the very essence of true religion. The love of God. Without this, religion is nothing. Without this, all church and chapel attendance is nothing.

The true believer delights in God as the Almighty. That is, Almighty in creation, in providence, and in salvation. He delights in the absolute sovereignty of God, and in the freeness of his grace, especially to his own poor unworthy soul. He delights in the doctrines of grace, in the ordinances of God's house. He loves the people of God, the word of God, and the ways of God. He loves the Lord's Day. He calls the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable, and thus would delight himself in the Lord.

The hypocrite may delight in showing his face every now and then in the gathering of the saints, but the true believer would delight in communing with God in the secret place. You know the Psalm, Psalm 91. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in Him will I trust. He loves to commune with Christ like the bride in the Song of Solomon. as the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the suns. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. Or does your soul pant after God? Is this the language of your soul? As the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God.

Would you say again with the psalmist, who have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee? Can you say with David, or do you long to be able to say with David, concerning the covenant of grace, and concerning the ever-blessed mediator of the covenant of grace? For this is all my salvation and all my desire.

Answer you, therefore, which believe he is precious? Or is Christ precious to you? If so, then it is evident that you are no hypocrite. The third mark of a true and sincere believer we also see here in verse 10. Will he always call upon God? The word always indicates a habitual daily practice. The hypocrite does not habitually call upon God, but a true heaven-born soul does. The Holy Spirit, which is always at work in the true believer's heart, is a spirit of grace and of supplications. The true believer will often be at the throne of grace.

He will often be pouring out his heart to God. He will often be breathing out prayers to God. not only at the stated times of prayer in the house of God, not only at the time of family prayer, but at other times also. Sometimes spontaneously, even as he is walking down the street, his heart is a house of prayer. This calling upon God may also be speaking of worship, of course.

In Genesis 4.26 we read, Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord. This is the beginning of the gathered church. These are the sons of God, spoken in the sixth chapter of Genesis. A true believer is a true worshipper. The true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit, that is, with the whole heart, and in truth, that is, sincerely. For the Father seeketh such to worship him.

We learn then from these two verses, following the words of our text, that the true believer is the very antithesis of the hypocrite. Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God? The only antidote against the deadly disease of hypocrisy is a true and well-grounded faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Saviour of sinners. And this is something which only God can give. this well-grounded faith.

James says concerning wisdom, but the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Perhaps you feel your need of this wisdom and of this antidote. I know I do. And that's a good thing in itself. You see, James had said previously in his epistle, if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.

In 2 Corinthians chapter 6, Paul speaks of receiving the grace of God in vain. Strange phrase, isn't it? I've often pondered what that means. What is it, to receive the grace of God in vain? Well surely it is to be under the means of grace, under the preaching of the gospel, under the preaching of the word of Christ, only for there to be no effect in heart or life. There is not the obedience of faith. And why is there not the obedience of faith? Because there is no real faith at all, that's why.

We then as workers together with him beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Well may we then be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving our own selves. May we thus prove to be true Christians indeed. May the Lord bless His word to each of our hearts, for His name's sake. For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he have gained, when God taketh away his soul? Amen.