I have to admit to my folly,
this week was difficult for me in some areas, some ways. I seemed
like I would get up on the wrong side of the bed or in the flesh is what it amounts
to. So I was wrestling this week in the flesh or I was in some
kind of a funk, if you want to say it that way. It was unbelief. I looked at Spurgeon, that's
my normal routine, Spurgeon, Ryle, I looked at these guys,
I looked at Spurgeon, I looked at Ryle, I looked at Charles
Bridges, Philpott, and then I tried other things. I looked for reason
and understanding from one place or another to no avail. Then, why it took so long, I
asked myself, only my flesh knows. I simply went to scriptures.
To a familiar passage, Proverbs chapter 8. I hope you have some
familiar passages that the Lord has blessed you throughout your
life. And I usually go to those. Well,
to a lovely familiar passage, and after only a few verses in,
my joy in Christ was apprehended. I laid hold on Christ and His
peace through faith and achieved I was shortly therefore singing
praises unto my God just by myself in the corner of the house and
Linda didn't know anything was going on. So I said all that
to say this, go to the book first. Now I've got some good authors
and they're believers. And if Newton was to come walking
in here, I would yield to him and say, I want to hear a message
by you. If Gil were to walk in, I'd extend my right hand of fellowship. These books that I have, they're
invaluable. However, they're just books. This is the book. And this has happened to me before. And I'll read something. But
usually good authors and believers, same thing as fellowshipping,
the conversation it turns the person to the book. If it turns
it to themselves, that's not right. If it turns it to some
other, you know, but when we have good conversation and fellowship,
it turns them to the book. And so this is what I would implore
you to learn from my mistakes, is go to the book first. For
in these pages, God the Holy Spirit will work, God the Son
has already worked, and God the Father makes His will known to
His children. So when I looked at it, I just
was looking at Romans, Proverbs 8, and I thought, well, you know,
there's so much here, let's just peruse through it. Let's just
take a routine perusal. Nothing deep, but yet it is through
this chapter. As one writer correctly noted,
that it appears to me, he said, the whole contents of this 8th
chapter is concerning Christ as the God-man mediator set up
from everlasting. And another writer said, listen
we now to the calls of heavenly wisdom to the voice of the Son
of God. And another person who is usually
very wordy said it this, this chapter contains the instructions
of wisdom or Christ. So when you see the word wisdom Christ, the Gospel, and everything
therein. These men are right, but again,
we show for Scripture. So they were correct, but let's
look at 1 Corinthians 1. Let's see what the Bible says
about the best way to interpret Scripture is by Scripture. 1
Corinthians 1 and verse 30, That is, verse 28, God, but of
God are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us, every
child of God. Christ is made unto us wisdom and righteousness, sanctification
and redemption, that according as it is written, he that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord. So Christ is made to the believer
wisdom. Okay, go up to verse 24 of the
same chapter. Verse 23, But we preach Christ
crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness,
but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ
the power of God and Christ the wisdom of God. Turn back to Proverbs
chapter 8. We're just going to take this
in sections. Verses 1 through 4. not wisdom cry, and understanding
put forth her voice. She stands in the top of the
high places, by the way of the places of the paths. She cries
at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at
the doors. Unto you, O men, I call. My voice
is to the sons of men. This cry, Christ of the Son of
God, through his gospel, which the gospel is the good news about
Christ, is posed as a question. I asked myself this when I first
started reading this, and I ask us here, he that has ears to
hear, hear what it says. Can we not hear this cry, wisdom's
cry, in all manner and forms within the free and sovereign
substitutionary work of our beloved. Romans chapter 1 says that creation
speaks of the glory of God. Indeed, the whole volume, the
whole volume of Scripture is dedicated to the one eminent
thing, that scarlet thread, that one tree of knowledge, the Son
of God cometh. from beginning to end, alpha
and omega. Doth not wisdom cry, and understanding
put forth a voice? Well, I don't need to go to church,
I just kind of believe in a... No, every time you go out, and
every time you see the handiwork of God creation, whether you
understand it or not, every time it rains, and the sun comes out,
and you see a rainbow. Everything about what we are
and what we see reminds us that there is a God in heaven and
He is holy, just, and righteous. So from beginning to end, Alpha
and Omega, and I've said this many times, in the Old Testament
we see, where is the Lamb? In the Gospels we have, behold
the Lamb. In the Revelations, worthy is
the Lamb. So you've got bookends. Everything
concerns Christ and in Christ we have life outside of Christ
is certain death But look at what he says in verse 4 unto
you old man. I call my voice is to the sons
of men to men not to angels or devils or animals or other entities
man men women Boys, girls, need to heed this cry, doth not wisdom
cry. She stands at the top of the
high places, so her voice can be heard from near and far. For
all have sinned, men, and come short of the glory of God. There's
none good, no, not one, says Romans. We need the grand physician,
the true shepherd, the one who sticks closer than a brother.
We need Christ. Why is this unto you, O men? Because men have sinned. Women
have sinned. Boys have sinned. Girls have
sinned. We need Christ, and we need His
salvation. Verses 5 through 11. O ye simple,
understand wisdom, and ye fools, be of an understanding heart. Hear, for I will speak of excellent
things, and the opening of my lips shall be right things. For
my mouth shall speak truth, and wickedness is an abomination
to my lips. All the words of my mouth are
in righteousness. There is nothing frail or perverse
in them. They are all plain to him that
understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge. Receive
my instruction, and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice
gold, for wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things that
may be desired are not to be compared to it." It's just plain. I mean to me, that's why I'm
not going to, it's just good to read the scriptures together.
This is who we are. Verses 5, Oh ye simple and fools. Well I'm not a fool. Yep, yeah
you are. Yes I am. And simple. So, so
simple. And I'm so thankful. And I tell
this to Melinda and we talk about it frequently. I'm so thankful
that I have one message. Because I'm not a complex guy. And when you start speaking in
this highfalutin language and this and that, I'm like... And
I told you, part of my theory or my theme is as George Whitefield,
I dare not preach an unfelt Christ. Heart. Heart. So this is what we are. We're
simple. And we're fools by nature, by birth and practice. We're
truly unconscious, says one writer, of our misery. Until he makes
known our misery. And what we are. That we're simple. And fools. Let us not stay with our normal
state, but rather ask for, as he says, understanding. O ye
simple, understand wisdom. Be of an understanding heart. Hear, it's hearken. Behold, as
it says in the Old Testament, hearken, for I will speak of
excellent things. May we pray for understanding.
Ask for mercy. Ask for forgiveness to learn.
Excellent things. Well, what subject do you want
to talk about? Grace? That's excellent. Remission
by blood sacrifice? That's an excellent thing. He
says, truth, excellent things that open in my lips shall be
right things. For my mouth shall speak truth. Truth. Christ dying
on Calvary's tree to set the captives free. That's truth.
That's truth. The Scripture says in the New
Testament, never a man spake like this man. I want to listen
to what he's got to say. And I don't add anything. As
Joel Terrell said, it's like an author who's written a book.
He's signed it. He's sealed it. He's edited it. He's read it. He's confirmed
it. It's done. Cover to cover. It's done. You can't add anything
to it. You can't take anything away
to it. And all we do is open the book and retell. Tell me the old, old story. He
says in verse 8, he says, all the words of my mouth are in
righteousness. Christ's in my place, which Bruce just read
in 2 Corinthians 5.21, imputing to me His righteousness and therefore
justifying me before God. He's speaking in righteousness
and that's all that He can speak because He is righteousness.
Turn to Job 33. Job chapter 33. He speaks, all the words of His
mouth are in righteousness. There's nothing frail or perverse
in them. Look at Job 33. And verse 23, if there be a messenger
with Him, an interpreter, this message is Christ, this interpreter
is Christ, one among a thousand, to show unto man Christ's uprightness. Not man's uprightness because
he doesn't have any. Then, God is gracious unto him
and says, deliver this sinner from going down to the pit. I
have found a ransom. And old Ed Hale, a ransom was
found. This is old Twangy when he was
at Henry's. Not at Henry's, but Henry knew
him and introduced the songs of him to us. A ransom was found. Yes, a ransom was found. But he says going on in our text,
then he is gracious. He's found a ransom. His flesh
shall be fresher than a child. This is the center. He shall
return to the days of his youth. He shall pray unto God and he
will be favorable unto him. He shall see his face with joy
for he will render unto a man his, whose, Christ's righteousness. He looketh upon men, and if any
say, I have sinned and perverted that which is right, and it profiteth
me not, he will deliver his soul from going down to the pit, and
his life shall see the light. Lo, these things worketh God
oftentimes with men." Today, if you'll hear His voice, if
you'll hear the cry, hard not your heart. God works this oftentimes
with men, and we are so thankful. that we can be numbered with
those who know and love and adore our merciful Redeemer. And look
at verse 9, they are plain, these words of wisdom, these words
of righteousness, these words of truth, These excellent things
that I speak, the Gospel of God's free and sovereign grace, there's
only one Gospel. There's not two or three or four.
There's only one Gospel. Look at verse 9. They are all
plain to him that understands and right to them that find knowledge.
Now, we could spend a lot of time here, but the point is that
if you understand the Gospel, if you've heard wisdom's cry,
you know the truth and subsequently are set free. Now we can be beguiled,
like those in Galatians. They had the teachers of the
law coming in and trying to... and that's why Paul wouldn't
stand for it. But, when you hear the truth,
and I've heard this from several folks in my lifetime, they said
that one man had come, and he'd been bouncing around church after
church after church after church, and he came and I remember I
was sitting next to him, and he said, that's it. What that man, this is it. What
he's preaching, this is it. And I ain't going anywhere. I'm
gonna be here till I die. Unless he changes the message. We know God should have damned
us, but only because of His sweet electing love do some of humanity
know Him and follow Him. And we know that He died for
them and will keep them forever. And now we trust Him because
He first loved us. Verse 10 and 11, receive my instructions,
not silver, not gold, for wisdom, for Christ, for Christ in the
gospel, for fellowship in the gospel. For a church that preaches
the gospel is better than rubies and all the things that may be
desired are not to be compared to it. It's the best of all things. Nothing can compare. As I've
said many times, just go through Songs of Solomon, and don't look
at any commentators, just read it. It's a love relationship
between a church and the Lord Jesus Christ. There is nothing
that can be compared to Him. Verses 12-17, I wisdom dwell
with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The fear
of the Lord is to hate evil, pride, arrogancy in an evil way. And the froward mouth, do I hate.
Counsel is mine, sound wisdom. I am understanding and have strength.
By me, kings reign, princes decree justice. By me, princes rule
and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. I love them that
love me and those that seek me early shall find me. Prudence,
which is discretion. or responsibility, or in a margin,
it's subtlety. Christ is not merely a giver
of wisdom and discretion, but He Himself is wisdom and discernment
or discretion of all truth. He says in verse 14, I am understanding. Understanding, true understanding.
And I'm not saying there's not intellectual folks here who understand
medical situations and horticulture situations and all these different
things. But true wisdom and true knowledge
and true prudence is Christ, is Christ. So again, if we have
Christ, we have all. Bruce read that in Corinthians.
If we have Christ, we have all. And real wisdom, knowledge, counsel,
understanding is the reality that in reality is no one else
but in Christ who is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. It's all
found in Christ. In verse 15 and 16, by me king's
reign and by me prince's rule, we note the total dominion of
our Savior over all flesh. Our God, like I read with Pink,
is totally sovereign. Or as Scott Richardson says,
either God governs all or He is governed. That's the only
two things you can have. And we know that He governs all.
In verse 17, struck a chord with me, those that seek me early shall
find me. Now, this is for the boys and
girls. This is for all of us, but it's
for the boys and girls. Oh, to seek Christ early in your life,
to pursue Christ before the world and all its glitter and all its
supposed charm, come in and choke things out. Scripture memorization, reading
the Scripture, praying, all these different things. Oh, I cannot
encourage those who are on the call end, those who are listening
wherever they may be. Oh, I cannot read this. Those
that seek me early shall find me. What a blessing it is to
serve All the writers on this that I read, every one of them,
said, oh, what a blessing it is for young folks, children,
whatever, to understand the gospel and understand. Doth not wisdom
cry? It's crying throughout this whole
chapter. Verses 18 through 21. Riches and honor are with me.
Endurable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold,
yea, than fine gold. My revenue than choice silver.
I lead in the way of righteousness in the midst of paths of judgment
that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance and I
will fill their treasures. The result of Christ loving us
and we loving Him is that we will cherish, adore, love, worship
Christ over And above, treasure. We have to have treasure to pay
our taxes. We have to have treasures to pay our people who we have
more or whatever. I'm not saying that, but the
believer adores and loves and worships Christ over treasure,
happiness, substance, positions, friendships, mother, father,
brother or sister is what he says. He's not saying not to
love these. He's saying you love me more.
You love me more. Why? Well, we know in the New
Testament because He must and He will have the preeminence.
He must have the heart and He'll take the heart. Happy indeed
are we who have found the pearl. It doesn't say pearls, the one
pearl of great price. The one pearl of great price.
He says, my fruit would be love, charity, All these things that
he says in the New Testament, his fruit, and I had one man
say that what's called fruits is usually the fruits of unrighteousness,
but it's only called fruit, it's singular when it's talking about
grace. And I looked that up and I think he's correct there. But
regardless, we know what we're talking about. His fruit, my
fruit, whose fruit? Wisdom's fruit. Whose wisdom?
It's the Gospel, it's Christ. And in Him is excellent things,
things of truth, all these things that as we look in the Word we
find out about Him as He reveals Himself to us. His fruit is better
than gold. What do men count most precious?
Gold. Yea, then find gold. And my revenue,
choice silver. I lead the way of righteousness
in the midst of the paths of judgment, that I may cause them
that love me to inherit substance, and I will fill their treasures."
He says, seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and He'll add all these. Well, He knows we've got to have
clothes. He knows we've got to eat. He
knows that people are gregarious for the most part. And so He
provides friendships, but most importantly, fellowships and
churches. The ground and pillar of the
truth, He says in the New Testament. Oh my! It's the pearl of great
price. Now this is where I usually go
when I go to Proverbs chapter 8, because I love this. The next
section, 22-31. Now this, He kind of changes He's still talking, but he's
speaking wisdom or Christ. He's more personal. He's speaking
to his church and to the Father, to his Father. The Word who was
in the beginning with God and was God, John 1, verses 1 and
2, now stands before us in our text. The Lord possessed me in
the beginning of His way before the works of old. I was set up
from everlasting, from the beginning, wherever the earth was. When
there were no depths, I was brought forth. When there were no fountains
abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before
the hills, was I brought forth. While as yet He had not made
the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust
of the world, when He prepared the heavens, I was there. when
He set a compass upon the face of the depths, when He established
the clouds above, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep, when
He gave to the sea His decree that the water should not pass
His commandment, when He appointed the foundations of the earth,
then I was by Him as one brought up with Him, and I, Christ, was
daily my Father's delight, rejoicing always before Him. Let's look at a couple of passages
in John. John chapter 10. John chapter 10 and verse 30. Christ Himself
said, I and my Father are one. John chapter 17. John 17. And verse 5, in his high priestly
prayer, And now, O Father, says Christ, glorify Thou me with
Thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before
the world was. Colossians. Colossians 1, verses 14, 15, and 16. In whom? Who is this? We're referring to verse 13,
in His dear Son. In the Son, we have redemption
through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins. Who is the image? Christ,
the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by Him
were all things created, that are in heaven and on earth, visible
and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities
or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things and
by Him all things consist. Now, go back to our passage in
Proverbs. I've never ever seen this. I'm going to read you a passage
out of the Old Testament. Zechariah 6. Zechariah 6. And verse 12, like
I said, go back to Proverbs. And speak unto him, saying, Thus
saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, the man whose name is the branch,
so that's Christ, he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall
build the temple of the Lord. And look at verse 13, listen,
even he shall build the temple of the Lord, he shall bear the
glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne, and he shall
be a priest upon his throne, and the counsel of peace, the
counsel of peace shall be between them both. God the Father and
God the Son. The counsel of peace. So in this,
back to our text in Proverbs 8, 22 through this verse 30,
actually 31, the father and son agreed to this wonderful blueprint
of salvation, all guaranteed to the seed of the remnant of
his heritage. That's what he's saying. Everything
that the father said, the son agreed and the spirit as well.
But look at verse 31, and this always touches my heart. Not only was Christ brought up
with God as one brought up with Him, and the Son was daily His
Father's delight, rejoicing always before Him. But look at this,
you and I, His elect, His church, we're included. What would we
do? Nothing. but sinned, and we still
sinned. We still sin against knowledge.
We still do things that, as Henry said, we sin more than we want
to. Rejoicing in the habitable, verse
31, rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, and my delights
were with the sons of men. You can hardly read it. Now,
this is hallowed ground. Let us look at it with humbled
reverence. This habitable part of His earth,
this was the grand stage where the grand story was to be played
out. In the Middle East, not here,
but I don't care where it was played out. If it was played
out for me who understands wisdom's cry. who have asked for understanding,
who have asked for grace, you who have asked for grace, you
who have asked for mercy, know that we do not deserve it. This
was the hallowed part of his earth is what he says in the
first part of verse 31. This is where the stage and the story
was to be played out. Man's fall and God's foreordination
to life. secured by the voluntary sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus Christ for His chosen people, and then them
to be enabled by the great and glorious Spirit of God. Sometimes when you can't say
it very well, you read somebody else. This person who I'm reading,
Mr. Spurgeon said, is the best work
he's ever seen on proverbs. And I don't know about that,
but I know it's pretty good. Let me read this to you. Yet,
for their sakes did Christ make humanity a temple of the deity,
for them did he exchange the throne of glory for the accursed
cross, the worship of the seraphim for the scorn and buffeting of
men, inexpressible joy for unknown sorrow. Yes, Thou adorable Redeemer,
nothing but the strength of Thine own love could have brought Thee
out from the bosom of effable delight to suffer such things
for such sinners. But this was the joy that was
set before Him, which unfathomable love. Thou was content to endure
the cross and despise the shame, for this love Thoughst Thou inherit
Thy Father's justly proportioned reward, on this foundation is
Thy people's confidence, rest, and security." Yes, to say the
least, that is so. So let us close, and we close
in verses 32 through the end of the chapter. It's almost starting
over. Wisdom's cry, listen, pay heed,
hearken. Now therefore hearken unto me,
O ye children, for blessed are they that keep my ways. How do
we keep His ways? We're in Christ and He's kept
them for us. Hear instruction and be wise
and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth
me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors,
for whoso finds me, finds life, eternal, free, everlasting life,
and shall obtain favor of the Lord. That's grace. That's what
favor is. But he that sinneth against me
wrongs his own soul. All they that hate me love death. So we close. Hearken. Listen. By God's grace, act. Believe. Mr. Bridges said, Wisdom's children
will ever be familiar with Wisdom's gate. The local church. Uniting under his banner. That's
just how he has. That's just how he... That's
his order. And I understand that there's
folks that... And that's why we have the call-in. And that's
why there's live streaming. There's these different things. He says, blessed is the man,
the woman, the boy or girl that hears me watching daily at my
gates. And that watching daily at the
gates and waiting at the post of his door, it refers to all
Old Testament, mostly Old Testament. When you would bring your sacrifice,
you couldn't go in and sacrifice that on your behalf. You'd sit there and you'd wait.
You would wait by the post or you would wait by the tent of
meetings on the outer court or you would wait But in the temple,
you would wait and then you would see if you saw that high priest,
you saw that priest, he came back with nothing, blood on him. Oh, it was accepted. It was accepted. And we come here and we hear
of the slain lamb, the lamb that was slain before the foundation
of the world. So wisdom's children will ever be familiar with wisdom's
gates. local church, uniting under His
banner, one another. I close with these two thoughts.
Seek Him, find Him, and you have life. Seek Him not, and you love
death to your eternal ruin. May God give us grace to hearken
unto wisdom's cry. what joy, what joy will fill
your soul, what peace that passes all understanding. I'm not going
to say it's easy because it isn't. It isn't. Greater is He that
is in you than he that is in the world. There's a certain
few verses that's all you need really. Our God reigneth. And I'm so glad. Brandon, would
you close this?