The 14th Psalm reads as follows.
It's addressed to the chief musician, the Psalm of David. The fool
have said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt. They have done abominable works.
There is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven
upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand
and seek God. They are all gone aside, they
are all together become filthy. There is none that doeth good,
no not one. Have all the workers of iniquity
no knowledge? Who eat up my people as they
eat bread, and call not upon the Lord? There were they in
great fear. For God is in the generation
of the righteous. He hath shamed the counsel of
the poor, because the Lord is his refuge. Oh, that the salvation
of Israel will come out of Zion! When the Lord bringeth back the
captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall
be glad. This psalm, together with the
very, very similar Psalm 53, opens with these quite powerful
and strident words. The fool have said in his heart,
there is no God. The fool. And it goes on to describe
the children of men in their fallen state. They're corrupt. They've done abominable works.
There's none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven
upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand
and seek God. They are all gone aside. They are all together become
filthy. There is none that doeth good.
No, not one. Have all the workers of iniquity
no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not
upon the Lord? There's none that seeketh after
God. They're all corrupt, we're all
corrupt, and by nature we've all become fools, who in our
hearts live and act and say, there is no God. We live and act as if there is
no God, and our hearts say there is no God, whatever our lips
might claim. Now Romans, it's very much in
its early chapters, a commentary on this psalm, in Psalm 53. In setting forth the state of
man, Paul picks up on the words of David here in this psalm.
He shows forth man whether he be Jew or Gentile, under law
or not under law, whatever state he is, he shows forth the corruption,
the depravity, the fallen heart of man. And he shows how man
in his vaunted wisdom and arrogance thinks he is wise. when in reality
he has become a fool for man in his heart in the increase
of his knowledge and by his own natural wisdom says there is
no God when all around him everything says there is a God Paul says
there in Romans, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in
unrighteousness, or hold it back, hold it down, resist it. Because that which may be known
of God is manifest in them, for God have showed it unto them.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world
are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,
even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Because that when they knew God,
they glorified him not as God. Neither were thankful, but became
vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise,
they became fools. and changed the glory of the
uncorruptible God into an image made like the corruptible man,
and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Wherefore
God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own
hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves, who
changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served
the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. That's a terrible description
of what we have become, of what you are as a fool who says in
his heart there is no God. You may with your lips say there's
a God but all your life, all your desire, all your being is
such that in effect you have no thought no care no love for
God you say in your heart there is no God and the folly of such
a thought and such a life and such reason is that everything
says there is a God The invisible things of God from the creation
of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things
that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they
and you are without excuse. this world, the life within you
your very body, your very life, your very soul tells you that
you are made, that you are created, that there is a God to whom you
are accountable to and yet with your mind and your reason being
so darkened by the sin within you, you say there is no God
and live as if there is no God professing themselves to be wise,
they became fools. In generations past, they took
the glory of the incorruptible God and changed it into an image
made like the corruptible man and to birds and four-footed
beasts and creeping things. People made idols and worshipped
them. And modern man may look upon
these people of a former age and despise them but he does
the same thing. Modern man constantly invents
and creates and sells and markets that which he makes. And men
fall down and worship. both the creations, the inventions
of men, the ideas and the ideals of men, the cities and the societies,
the civilizations, the ideals, the thinking, the reason, the
knowledge, the science, the claims, the moralities, the philosophies,
all these creations and devisings and imaginations of men people
worship. They worship. The wizards and
the geniuses and the scientists who invent the things that they
make. The engineers. They gather with their crowds
to see the latest invention that's brought out and all the time
man with the being that God has created him with uses the energy
and the intelligence that God has given him to create things
which lead others further and further away. from God. All the time he uses that which
God has given him he shuts his mind to God himself. He says
I have done this, I have made this and never gives thanks to
God who gave him the life, the being and the wisdom to so do.
You in your life what are you working towards? What are your
desires? What are your ambitions? What
will you do tomorrow? What will you do when you're
older? Will you in all of it see the hand of God upon you? See the hand of God who gave
you life? Or will you take everything from
him and use it for your own ends and your own glory, professing
yourself to be wise but having become a fool? Paul describes
this wisdom of man which has led to his folly that causes
him to say in his heart there is no God when all around him
the creation and the speech of God declares God's eternal power
and Godhead. Paul describes both this and
the depravity of man. In the first three chapters of
Romans he goes on to prove that all men are sinners and he quotes
from this psalm in chapter 3 of Romans. There is none that understandeth. There's none that seeketh after
God. They're all gone aside. They're all together become filthy.
There is none that doeth good. No, not one. No, not one. What a sentence upon the entire
generation from the first man, Adam. Upon all mankind, there
is none that seeketh after God. and there is none that doeth
good. They are all fools. You are a fool. The fool always believes what
is fleshly, earthly, that which he can see, touch, feel, hear
with the natural senses. He believes that which is earthy
and denies that which is spiritual. He denies all that which can
only be comprehended by faith. He denies that which is heavenly.
He denies that which is invisible. Even though, as Paul says, the
invisible things of God from the creation of the world are
clearly seen. being understood by the things
that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead. Yes, they
are invisible, but they are there. Much like the wind that blows,
you can't see the wind, but you can feel its effects. You can't
see God, but you can feel His hand when it strikes you. and yet you say there is no God
well these things are clearly seen so that we are without excuse
but the fool loves that which is of the earth and denies that
which is of heaven hence we see in various references to fools
and to foolishness throughout the scriptures this recurring
theme In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 Paul speaks of the resurrection. And there were many at Corinth
and other places who had come to deny the resurrection and
man by nature doubts the resurrection because he only believes that
which he can see. He sees people born, grow up,
live, die, buried, or burnt up and returned to the dust. And
he cannot comprehend of a life after death. Some will say, how
are the dead raised up and with what body do they come? Thou
fool! That which thou sowest is not
quickened, except it die. And that which thou sowest, thou
sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain. It may chance
of wheat, or of some other grain, but God giveth it a body, as
it have pleased him, and to every seed his own body. all flesh
is not the same flesh but there is one kind of flesh of man another
flesh of beasts another of fishes and another of birds there are
also celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial but the glory of
the celestial is one and the glory of the terrestrial is another
there is one glory of the sun and another glory of the moon
and another glory of the stars for one star different from another
star in glory so also is the resurrection of the dead it is
sown in corruption It is raised in incorruption. You see the
sort of questioning and mockery of the truth of the resurrection
that man's wisdom brings is, well what would we be raised
like? I'm a man like this, I die, will I be raised with the same
body? And he asks foolish questions as though it must be like that.
Whereas Paul makes it plain in answering that when you throw
a grain of wheat into the ground it dies and from that grain,
from that seed it grows up into something far different. The
seeds are sown in the ground in one state and from the death
of that there comes life in another state. So it is with man we will
die but there will life be brought forth after our death. And it
may be different, it may have a different body that we've never
seen before but it will come. And the fact that you don't see
the same body rising again doesn't mean there is no resurrection.
But man judges always on the knowledge he has. Always based
upon what he's seen. He cannot comprehend that which
he's never seen. He can't comprehend that which
is heavenly. He can't comprehend that which
is spiritual. So Paul calls him a fool. For
he is a fool. Earlier in Corinthians, in the
first chapter, Paul addresses the folly of man regarding the
preaching of the gospel. To man, the preaching of the
gospel is foolishness. Because again, man judges based
on earthly things and to speak of spiritual things, to speak
of life and death, to speak of the death of Christ, Bringing
life to those who were once dead is to man foolishness. The preaching
of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. But unto
us which are saved, it is the power of God. In Galatians, Paul
wrote a letter to believers who'd been led astray by those who
would take them away from the gospel and the free grace of
God. and they were led to return to the works of man for their
salvation, to their own strength, to that which they could do,
to that which they could control. being turned aside from looking
by faith forlorn unto Jesus Christ, to look into Him which is invisible
in this world, but is risen again and seated in glory, being turned
aside from heavenly things back to earthly things and the works
of man. And Paul addresses them as fools,
O foolish Galatians who have bewitched you. Even these believers
could be deceived by those who would lead them in the flesh
back to earthly things. Earthly things in religion. O foolish Galatians, who have
bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth, before whose
eyes Jesus Christ have been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you
receive ye the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing
of faith. Are ye so foolish having begun
in the spirit are ye now made perfect by the flesh. Oh the folly that had come in
amongst this people but it's a foolishness which shares at
its heart the same folly which is in all men, that it cannot
rest, trust, see and believe that which is spiritual. It always
looks and rests in that which is earthly. It shuts its eyes. The understanding is darkened. Foolishness. is spoken of with
regard in Matthew 7 to that man who builds a house upon sand
rather than rock. The natural man. will never go
to Christ. And he'll never build upon the
rock which is Christ Jesus. He doesn't receive the revelation
of Christ Jesus. His eyes and his understanding
and his hearing is shut to the truth. And all his life, all
his building, all his works are built upon that which is natural
that which he builds up in his own strength but he gets to the
end of his days and when storms come upon him when the storms
of life come upon him when the storms of death come upon him
he finds that he is built upon sand and all that he hoped in
all that he loved all his ambitions all his desire all his achievements
are washed away. Christ calls him a fool. He's
a foolish man to build upon sand. If he was wise, he'd have built
upon rock. You may spend your life building
your ambitions, but if you know not God, And if you know not
that your sins have been washed away, then you will pass from
this world with no hope. For there is a God, though your
heart may say there is no God. And you will stand before that
God, whatever others may have told you. Whatever you may have
embraced with your natural wisdom, you will stand before that God. And your riches and your power
and your achievements that you've built up in this world will be
long gone. You cannot take them beyond the
grave. What does it profit a man if
he gains the whole world but loses his own soul? Oh, how often
you see men in this world. Rich men, powerful men, growing
older. And as they grow older, they
keep hanging on to their riches and to their power. They don't
know when to step down. But that's because it's all they've
got. It's all they've got. And they
walk backwards towards death, looking at what they've got,
trying to keep hold of it. Because in their foolishness
they've said there is no God, all they can see is this earth.
So they walk backwards looking back at this earth, trying to
keep hold of this earth. And they've never once thought
of that to whom they walk, of Him to whom they walk. Their
life is moving as a journey. Every day, every year, every
hour that goes by, they are journeying closer to eternity. and you can
walk towards eternity facing eternity or you can walk towards
eternity facing this world but if you face this world you're
built on sand and the sand won't keep you up when death and the
waters of death come upon you it will wash you away we're reading
Matthew 23 of the foolishness of man in religion We've spoken
of the Galatians, well in Matthew 23 we read of those from whom
the corruption that came upon the Galatians stemmed, the scribes
and the Pharisees. Several times over in Matthew
23 Christ refers to them as fools because of their religion which
is built upon the earth. They had no comprehension, no
understanding of the reality of God. They spake of God. They spake of holiness. But they
did not know God. They could not see God. All they
had was outward. All their religion was outward. And despite all their study in
the scriptures, they didn't see a thing. They spent years with
a profession of religion, years reading the scriptures, and they
knew nothing. They were fools. Well, what of
you? Have you got religion? Have you
heard the gospel? Do you claim to follow Jesus? Is it all outward? Is it all earthly? Is it all
just about going to a place of worship on a Sunday and meeting
with others and singing and reading and doing? Is it all about what
you do and what you think and what you say? Have you ever seen
God? Have you ever heard his voice? Have you ever met with him? These
fools hadn't. In Matthew 25 the Lord spake
in a parable of ten virgins who were called to a wedding and
five had oil in their lamps and five others didn't. And he warned
of those who had no oil that they would not be allowed in.
And they were with the others. They were in the company of those
who would go in. They associated with them. They were, as it were, with God's
people. They went to the right place.
They heard the right messages. They heard the gospel preached. But they had no oil in their
lamps. They were foolish. They were earthly. They heard
outwardly but never heard inwardly. We read of another parable in
Luke 12 of that man who was given and used what he was given for
his own ends. He spent what he was given and
he ate and he drank and he was merry. as those who eat, drink
and marry for tomorrow they die but he never thought of what
was to come he never he never thought of God and like the fool
of Psalm 14 he had been given much riches by God as it were
and he'd used it all for his own ends and his own devices
he'd eaten, he'd drunk and was merry but he never thought of
God he never gave God thanks he never brought anything to
give to God he lived as though this world was all he had much
riches in this world but he had nothing in the next he was a
fool a fool his master says thou fool unto him When you come to
stand before God, how will He address you? How will He address
you? Is there any reason at all, any
reason why He should not speak to you and call you a fool? What possible reason do you have? What grounds have you got that
God should not call you a fool? That God should not say away
from me ye worker of iniquity? That God should not write an
eternal sentence of damnation over your head? For what reason
should he not? What have you ever done to deserve
anything else? Why should he have mercy upon
your soul? What arrogant thoughts do you
harbour of your own righteousness or your own self-worth that God
should care anything for you? Will you throw yourself upon
the fact that God is a God of love? Well why should the God of love
love you? How many men, women and children
walk backwards towards the grave? effectively saying there is no
God but with a contingency plan as it were in their pocket that
says well if there is a God I suspect he's a God a sort of Father Christmas
God a loving God who will lend take who will offer me heaven
anyway I know I've not done much for him I know I've hardly set
foot in a church I know I've lived a different life But surely
if there is a God, I'm better than many and He'll reward me. Well, what a fool you are! If
there is a God, what possible reason, what possible cause is
there for Him to show you any good when you've just shown Him
the hatred of your heart all your days? You shut your ears
to His truth, you shut your eyes to His truth. You've despised
his word, you've despised the scriptures, you've despised the
gospel, you've despised his son and you've despised his people. The psalmist says here, have
all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? Who eat up my people
as they eat bread and call not upon the Lord? Through your life
have you called upon God? Have you cried out for mercy?
Have you cried out for salvation? What have you done with those
who follow Christ? What have you done with those
who speak of his salvation? Have you eaten them up? Have
you eat bread? Have you been a fool? Even the disciples Christ's disciples
who lived and walked with him all those years when he was crucified
their foolish hearts came to the fore and what they were by
nature was evident. Those two disciples who journeyed
to Emmaus full of doubt, full of fear, their lord had been
taken away, he'd been crucified and despite all that he had told
them despite what he preached unto them of the gospel despite
the fact that he told them that he must die and that after three
days the temple would be built again by which he spake of himself
despite the fact that he preached the resurrection unto them when
he was crucified they thought that was the end and he walked with them to Emmaus
And he said what had come to pass. And he said that the women
had come to the tomb and he was not. And Christ said unto them,
O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets
have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered
these things and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses,
And all the Prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures
the things concerning Himself. But until He spake, and until
He opened their understanding, they were as fools. And until
He speaks in His Gospel, and until He opens your understanding,
you will be as a fool. And they drew nigh unto the village
whither they went, and he made as though he would have gone
further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us, for
it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went
in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat
at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and break, and
gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and
they knew him. and he vanished out of their
sight. And they said one to another, did not our heart burn within
us while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to
us the scriptures? He took bread and blessed and
breaking gave to them and their eyes were opened because in the
taking of the bread as he had taken the scriptures he was taken
the Gospel and breaking it to them He was making the truth
known and He was making Himself known as that bread of heaven
which was broken for them that bread of heaven which was broken
for them He was taking the preaching of the cross and preaching Himself
broken upon it the sinners by which their eyes were opened. Why is man such a fool by nature? Why are we so blind? Why even
when we have Christ stood before us in the flesh performing miracles
Speaking with the wisdom of God, why even when Christ stands before
us do we remain blind? These disciples knew nothing
until God opened their eyes, God opened their understanding.
Many others who lived in the day of Christ saw and heard him
and saw nothing but a man. Why are we so foolish by nature? Because of the fall. because
of the fall, because of how far man fell. When Adam disobeyed
his God in the garden, the effects were cataclysmic. How far he
fell is quite astonishing. And our trouble is, is that we
have no idea how far we have fallen. The natural man might
at times acknowledge that he's not perfect, that he gets things
wrong, that he's finite, that he doesn't always act like he
should, but he doesn't comprehend how far he's fallen. He's utterly
depraved. He's utterly turned his back
upon his maker. God says they are corrupt. All men, all women, all children,
they are corrupt. They've done abominable works.
There is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven
upon the children of man, upon you and I, to see if there were
any that did understand and seek God. And he found that they are
all gone aside. They are all together become
filthy. There is none that doeth good,
no, not one. All have sinned and fallen short
of the glory of God, as Paul says in Romans. All have sinned. And in the foolishness and the
folly of our sin, we eat up God's people as we eat bread. And we call not upon the Lord,
the one that we should call upon. We call not. When trouble comes
our way, when death approaches, when we see the grave approaching,
we turn to this one for the help and that one for help. We turn
to this book for help and that book for help, this religion
for help and that religion for help. The wisdom of man! But we don't call upon the Lord. We walk backwards towards the
grave. There were they in great fear,
for God is in the generation of the righteous. In the generation
of man by nature, the children of men, the children of Adam,
There is nothing but darkness, sin, death and folly. We're fools. But God has a people. He has a generation of righteous
people. He has a people who he will bring
to life. He has a people to whom he will
speak wisdom. He has a people whose understanding
he will open. He has a people to whom He brings
His Gospel. He has a people to whom He reveals
His Son. He has a people to whom He comes
with the Gospel and says unto them, live and they live. He
has a people whom He washes from their sins and makes them clean. He has a people whom He says
they are righteous because He's blotted out their sins. He has
a people just like others, just as sinful, just as foolish, but
a people whom he's chosen, whom he seeks with his truth and his
gospel, for whom he has given his own son as a sacrifice for
their sins. For whom he has given his son
as a sacrifice for their sins. And he says unto that people,
hear wisdom. Hear wisdom speak, hear my son. Ye have shamed the counsel of
the poor because the Lord is his refuge. The poor are brought
to hear the wisdom of God in Jesus Christ and find him to
be a refuge. a refuge from death, a refuge
from judgment, a refuge from those storms and waters that
come upon the houses of the foolish and wash them away because they
built upon sand but because they've built upon this refuge because
their house is in Christ built upon Christ they are delivered
for the Lord is their refuge O that the salvation of Israel
would come out of Zion, when the Lord bringeth back the captivity
of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. And he will bring the captivity
of his people, he will deliver them from captivity, they shall
rejoice, for they shall find the Lord to be their refuge,
for they shall hear. And as fools by nature, what
they hear is the voice of Jesus Christ in the gospel. They hear the wisdom of God. Turn to Proverbs in chapter eight.
Proverbs in chapter eight. They hear the wisdom of God. There in Proverbs eight, wisdom
is personified and wisdom cries and speaks and this wisdom is
the Lord Jesus. who cries and speaks in the darkness
of this world. We are without excuse because
there is a speech which is constant, a speech which is unrelenting,
a speech which has spoken since the foundation of this world,
a speech which will go on until the close of this world. There
is a daily speech emanating from heaven of Christ in his gospel. Proverbs 8 reads, Doth not wisdom
cry, and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the
top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She
cryeth at the gates and the entry of the city, at the coming in
at the doors. Unto you, O men, I call, and
my voice is to the sons of man. O ye simple, understand wisdom,
and ye fools, be ye 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 froward 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. If you have Christ, you have
all riches. If you have his wisdom, you have
that which is better than rubies. I, wisdom, dwell with prudence
and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The fear of the Lord
is to hate evil, pride and arrogancy. And the evil way and the froward
mouth do I hate. Counsel is mine and sound wisdom. I am understanding. I have strength. Do you have understanding? Do
you have any understanding? Any understanding of the things
of heaven? Any understanding of the kingdom
of God? Any understanding of eternal
things? Any understanding of salvation?
If you have understanding, you have Christ. For he says, as
wisdom, I am understanding. By me, kings reign and 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. Riches and honour are
with me, yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is
better than gold, yea, than fine gold, and my revenue than choice
silver. I lead in the way of righteousness
in the midst of the paths of judgment, that I may cause those
that love me to inherit substance, and I will fill their treasures.
The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way, before
His works of old. I was set up from everlasting,
from the beginning, wherever the earth was. Christ always
was. Wisdom always was. Before ever
man fell, before ever man became a fool, wisdom reigns. Wisdom has always been there.
It is always there to be heard. Yet our ears are shut. When there were no depths I was
brought forth. When there was 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 depth, when he established the clouds above, when he strengthened
the fountains of the deep, when he gave to the seas his decree
that the water should not pass his commandment, when he appointed
the foundations of the earth, then I was by him. Christ is
everlasting. As one brought up with him, and
I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing
in the habitable part of the earth, and my delights were with
the sons of men. Now therefore, hearken unto me,
O ye children, for blessed are they that keep my ways. 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 findeth me, findeth life. and shall obtain favour of the
Lord. But he that sinneth against me, wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death. My voice is to the sons of man. I speak. Wisdom speaks. God won't leave his people in
their folly. He won't leave them as fools. If you're one of His, though
you've been a fool, though you are a fool by nature, He won't
leave you there. He will speak. He speaks in the
darkness of this world. He speaks in the darkness of
our souls. He speaks. And He shines forth
His light. And He says unto those that dwell
in darkness, Whoso findeth Me, findeth life. Christ speaks. Wisdom speaks. He speaks in His
Gospel. His Gospel declares the wisdom
of God. His Gospel declares Christ. In the preaching of the cross,
that which man says is foolishness, God says is wisdom. He makes
known his wisdom in the preaching of the cross. That wisdom of
Christ in which he laid down his life for his own that they
should not perish but should have everlasting life. That they
should be found in Christ. That they should be made one
with Christ. that it should be said of them,
of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification and redemption. He's our wisdom,
He's our righteousness, our sanctification and redemption. We're justified
by Him, we're set apart under God by Him, we're redeemed from
the captivity of sin by Him. All is in the cross, all is in
the gospel and all is preached. which is why Christ is speaking
wisdom throughout the ages even today to fools like you and I. Just as we read in Luke 24, when
He met those men on the Emmaus road, He took the Scriptures
and He opened it up unto them. He preached Christ unto them. He took that bread and break
it. He made known unto them that
He, the bread of heaven, the bread of life, was broken in
His death. He was broken in his death for
them. He died for them because he loved
them though they were fools. Has he taken bread and broken
it and given you to eat? You'll never know Him until you
see Him dying for you. You'll never know Him until you
see this bread broken for you. You'll never know Him until you
see this wisdom in your place at Golgotha. Until you see the
fool that you are being crucified with Christ upon the cross that
you may with Him rise again from the dead as the wisdom of God. Blessed is the man that heareth
me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of my door. Where are you watching and where
are you waiting? If you're watching men, if you're
watching the wisdom of men, if you're watching this world you
will be led to destruction. If you're waiting upon man, if
you're waiting upon the wisdom of man, if you're waiting upon
the strength or the works or the will of man, you will be
led to destruction. But if you find Christ, if you
hear Christ, and watch daily at his gates, and wait at the
posts of his door, then you will find life. The posts of his doors,
his gates, the cross. Where is the door into everlasting
life? Where is the gate which leads
unto salvation? Where is the entrance into heaven's
glory? It's not in religion, it's not
in the riches of this world, it's not in the wisdom of this
world, it's in that which men call foolishness, the cross.
Christ said I am the door. and all that enter in by Him
will have everlasting life. The sheep hear His voice and
they enter in and they'll never be turned away and they'll never
be taken from His hands and they'll never perish. Where are you waiting? Where are you entering? Where
are you listening? Have you come unto Christ? Have
you come to the door? Have you entered in? How shall
you enter into life? Through here. through the cross,
through the cross alone, through Christ alone, Christ crucified
at the very meeting place of time and eternity, where time
and eternity met upon the cross. Now is the judgment of this world. Now is the final hour. Here is
where time meets eternity. How will you enter into eternity?
Through the cross. Blessed is the man that heareth
me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my door,
For whoso findeth me, findeth life. O may God give us wisdom,
To turn from the folly of this world, And our natural understanding,
And to hear wisdom cry. to hear understanding voice,
to hear the voice of Christ. We'll close in a moment by singing
hymn number 743. This hymn of John Berriges that
sets forth the experience of the believer that's brought to
this place. He writes, My business lies at Jesus' gate. where many
a lazar comes, and here I sue, and here I wait for Murphy's
falling crumbs. My rags and wounds my wants proclaim,
and help from him implore. The wounds do witness I am lame,
the rags that I am poor. the Lord I hear, the hungry feeds,
and cheer if soul's distressed. He loves to bind up broken reeds
and heal the bleeding breast. His name is Jesus, full of grace,
which draws me to his door. And will not Jesus show his face
and bring his gospel store? supplies of every grace I want,
and each day want supply, and if no grace the Lord will grant,
I must lie down and die. Oh may the Lord lead us to this
door, this grace, this saviour, this wisdom, that we should not
lie down and die, but that we with his people should enter
in having found Him and having found life. Amen.