1 Corinthians chapter 4. You're familiar with the context
of the letter Paul wrote to the church at Corinth. These questions
that he asked in verse 7 of chapter 4, he did so in order to remind
them that they had nothing at all to be proud of. And at the
time Paul wrote this, they were strutting around like a bunch
of peacocks. Look at me. Look at me. And Paul
said, you have no cause, no grounds for that. Pride was the root
of all their problems. Now, there were some serious
problems Paul dealt with throughout this epistle in each chapter,
some very serious problems. But I don't think I'm mistaken
in saying that the root of every one of them was pride. That's
why Paul addresses this first. Who made you to differ from anybody
else, he asked. And it sure wasn't Paul. Look,
if you will, back in chapter 1, here in 1 Corinthians chapter
1, what Paul says. Now this I say to everyone, verse
12 in chapter 1. Now this I say, that every one
of you sayeth, I am of Paul. I like his preaching. I won't
listen to anybody else. And I of Apollos, and I of Cephas,
and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified
for you? Or were ye baptized in the name
of Paul? Now look over in chapter 5, or
chapter 3, I'm sorry. Chapter 3, verse 5. Along the
same line, Paul writes in verse 5, Who then is Paul, and who
is a Paulist, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the
Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered,
but God, but God gave the increase. Yes, planning is necessary. Watering
is necessary, but God makes it effectual. God gives the increase. So then, neither is he that planteth
anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that
watereth are one, and every man shall receive his own reward
according to his own labor. For we are laborers together
with God. You're God's husbandry. You're
God's building, not Paul's, not Apollos', not Peter's. Look what
he says in verse 6 of chapter 4. And these things, and what
he's referring to is those things we just now read together in
the verses. And these things, brethren, I have in a figure
transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes that ye
might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written. Not to think of them at all,
not to be thankful for God's servants, but don't give them
credit for what God alone can do. Not to think of men above
that which is written, that not one of you be puffed up, puffed
up for one against another. Why? Why should they not be? Turn back, if you will, in chapter
1 again. And this is why. No man should
glory in man, because look what Paul says in chapter 1, verse
30. But of him, that is God, God's
done this, but of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is
made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. God's done that. No one else. You are in Christ, not Paul,
not Peter, not Apollos. Therefore, with that in mind,
it is with good reason that Paul asked this question in verse
7, these three questions. For who maketh thee to differ
from another? Back in chapter 4. And what hast
thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? I need reminded of that often. That's just the truth. Don't
you? And you've all heard this expression. There's pride of race. There's
pride of place. There's pride of faith. And we
had nothing to do with any of those things. Where we were born,
to whom we were born, we didn't have anything to do with it.
But pride of grace, that's the most groundless pride of all. Proud of grace. It just doesn't
gel, does it? They just don't mix. Grace, God's
unmerited favor. I recently read an article by
dear brother Jack Shanks, who's with the Lord now, but it was
entitled, Smell the Roses. Smell the Roses. In Ecclesiastes
3, the wise man wrote, God had done or created all things beautiful
in his time, done all things well. But Jack wrote, after quoting
that text, how long has it been since you took a walk without
rushing to get it done? And I thought, ouch, ouch. How long's it been since you've
taken the time just to stop and pause and remember who's made
you today. Looking out on God's creation
and being able to say, I know Him who did it all. I think it was while I was making
that list of these announcements that I wanted to make that my
phone rang last night and it was my granddaughter, Laura.
I've mentioned her a time or two to you, haven't I? If you were standing here, you'd
be talking about your grandchildren. But anyway, she said, Pawpaw,
I want to ask you something. And I thought to myself, man,
I really kind of pressed for time. But I said, what is it? And I'm so glad. I'm so glad
I listened. She said, my birthday. There's three things that I can't
decide which one I want. And mommy and daddy, her little
sister Allison, she said they've all voted for one vote for each
thing. And I said, what, do you want
me to cast a deciding vote? She said, yeah. Her birthday's
not till May, May of next year. And she said, I want a pet, a
lizard, a parakeet, or a fish. She said, Pawpaw, what do you
think? I said, I'd vote for the parakeet. I vote for the parent
committee. She said, okay, thanks, and hung
up. And I thought, that's just exactly
what Jack Shanks was talking about. That was so refreshing
to my soul. That was providential, that conversation
with my granddaughter. It just blessed my soul and I
thought, oh God, give me grace. Don't let me be in such a rush,
in such a hurry that I go right by like a man with blinders on
and miss out on so much beauty that you've created. The glory
of God's creation. Jack wrote, that cold, clear
water of a running river, does it not remind us of Christ, the
water of life? Those roses, he said, do smell
sweeter as they remind us of the rose of Sharon. The believer,
the believer, By God's grace, sees Him, God, in everything. The lost man, of course, blind.
He doesn't see God in anything, anywhere. But all the child of
God, he sees God everywhere. Friday night, about midnight,
I sat outside at the house. And man, the temperature had
dropped. The humidity had dropped. It was comfortable. It felt good. And there was a pretty brisk
wind blowing through those tall pine trees, just whistling through
the pines. And the stars above just shining
down so bright. And I could not help but think,
oh, Lord, my God, Lord, when I in awesome wonder Consider
all that thy hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling
thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed. Did you notice in the reading
of Psalm 29, it seems that David goes from outside to inside. He speaks about the marvel of
God's creation as evidence of our great God and Savior, the
Creator. But then in verse 9 he says,
in the second half, and in his temple, he goes from outside
to inside, that everyone speak of his glory, his glory. Where two or three meet in my
name, there am I. Is that not glorious in the midst
of them? Therefore, therefore, may God
enable us to do the same as we have gathered here, to look above God's creation to our great
God and Savior, the creator of all himself. And remember this,
who made you to differ? And when I think, Joe, when I
think, and God help me that I don't think of it as often as I should.
No, I sure don't. Oh, but when God allows me, gently,
sweetly, lovingly forces me, slow down, remember, remember, and then
My heart, my soul sings, I identify with these words and when I think
that God, His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can
take it in that on the cross my burden gladly, gladly for
the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross. My burden
gladly bearing, He bled and died, can He? took away my sin took
away my sin as far as the east is from the west so far have
I removed thy transgressions took away my sin no wonder Paul
wrote he that glorious let him glory in the Lord And the psalmist
said, in his temple does everyone speak of his glory. Then sings my soul, how great,
not Paul, not Cephas, not Apollos, not Larry, not Don, not any man,
how great thou art, O Lord my God. The title of my message
is Grace, Grace, God's Antidote. I had a pretty good idea what
the definition of anti or anti meant, but I looked in the dictionary
anyway, and it says it's a prefix from a Greek word. A Greek word. Now, that I didn't know. And Don, I think, during his message
at the conference, Don Fortner mentioned he referred to Greek
and said the only Greek he knew was the fellow that made hot
dogs. I think he's referring, when
he lived in West Virginia, I knew the same fellow. And that's the
only Greek I know. That hot dog stand is still there.
Tom's Footlongs. He was Greek. But anyway, the
Greek that this word is taken from The prefix of it means against
or the opposite of. The opposite of. Oh, is not grace
the very opposite of pride? Opposed to pride? The antidote. The antidote for pride is God's
grace. The antidote means to prevent
or to counteract. For example, a medicine counteracting
the effects of poison. So consider the grace of God
as our antidote for pride. for discouragement and for despair. Those three things. There's many
more, but those three things, and we won't be long with each.
First, God's antidote for pride. I received an email, some of
you did as well, from Frank Hall, that young man, very gifted preacher
in the church at Danville. He's been here several times
and preached. But in his email, he said this. Reflecting upon
the events of the day, I stand truly amazed at the unfailing
faithfulness of our God. He graciously slaps me down by
bringing my secret sins to the surface of my experience day
by day so that I am confronted with the humiliating fact that
I'm not as good as I pretend to be. Tell me, do you know anything
of this humbling grace?" he asked. And I answered his email. And
I said, Frank, yes, I do. Yes, I do. I do know and have
that experience just like you, and I thank God. I thank God
that he doesn't leave me alone. He loves me too much, and he
reminds me constantly, as Frank says, by slapping me down to
remember. as Paul asked that I have nothing
that I did not receive. I am what I am by the grace of
God. Oh, God has a way of doing that,
doesn't he? Do you remember that proud king
during Daniel's time, Nebuchadnezzar? He walks out on his balcony one
evening. Can't you just picture him puffed
up, just like these that Paul wrote to, just puffed up. Man,
his head was He had to walk outside. I don't suppose his head was
so puffed up he wouldn't fit inside. But he looks over at
the balcony of his palace and he says, look at this. Look at
all this that my hands have made. Great Babylon. I did this. This is my kingdom. It was all
I, I, I. This is in Daniel 4. But God
The next verse tells us, after that bragger said those words,
God said, God, just like Daniel had told this king what happened,
God said, the kingdom is taken from you. The next picture we
see of that proud king, he's out in a field down on all fours,
out of his mind, grazing like a cow. And then God in His mercy
and grace restored His sanity back to him. And Nebuchadnezzar
was singing a different tune then, Mike. It wasn't I, I, I. It was God, God, God. And he said, I learned this,
that the God of heaven has His way. that all of us, all men,
no matter who they are, are like grasshoppers in the sight of
Him, are nothing in the sight of Him. And I learned this, He
said, those that exalt themselves, He's able to abase, He's able
to bring down. Very, very necessary. I was reminded
of this several times in the course of one day. a couple of
days ago that I have nothing that I didn't receive, Joe. I was sitting down eating in
a restaurant by myself and a man and a woman came in and sat down
in the booth right in front of me. And it was obvious that this
poor man was suffering from some sort of dementia, Alzheimer's
or something, because this woman, whom I assume was his wife, most
likely, had to do everything for him, had to order for him.
He couldn't hardly do anything. And she did so, I couldn't help
but notice, she did so with absolute patience and love. She didn't
seem frustrated at all. But, as I couldn't help but notice
that, I thought to myself, Because I'd walked in without any assistance. I sat down, ordered my meal.
Things I just take for granted all the time, Louie. And I thought,
who made me to differ from another? And after I ate and was driving
home, there was a young man practically in the road. That's why I could
see him so clearly. He's coming toward me and his
clothes are dirty. And he had a blank look on his
face. He wasn't really, he was staggering
more than walking and his eyes were just glazed over and it
was obvious he was on drugs or something. And as I drove by,
I saw a picture of myself when I was about his age, in the same
condition, just like that. And I thought of friends that
I had that died of overdoses. I did the same thing they did.
And seeing that young man, this verse came to me, I thought,
Larry, who's made you to differ from another? What do you have
that God's not given you? Why do you glory as if you didn't
receive it as a gift of his grace? Now secondly, brothers and sisters
in Christ, God's grace is an antidote against discouragement,
isn't it? Regarding ourselves and regarding
our loved ones, our lost loved ones. Regarding ourselves, remember. Remember what our faithful redeemer,
that great shepherd and bishop of our souls, remember what he
said. Nothing can change this. This
is always true. Oh, how this ought to encourage
our souls all the time, all the time. In the darkest night, it
doesn't faze the words of our great shepherd. I give them eternal
life, Mike. My sheep, hear my voice and follow
me, and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Oh, but I'm a wretched man. They
shall never perish. Oh, but against thee have I sinned,
O God. Oh, they shall never perish. Never. No one, nothing shall
ever pluck them out of my hand. Isn't that an antidote for discouragement? And here's another. Here's another.
He that's begun a good work in you will perform it until the
day of Jesus Christ. Here's another. God has laid
up for you, has reserved for you in heaven, in heaven. Turn, if you will, to 1 Peter.
Let's read this one together. We quoted the others, but let's
look at what Peter writes here. Several verses. And this is true
right now, child of God. No matter No matter what you
may be passing through now or tomorrow, it will not touch the
promises of God. It will not alter God's purpose
whatsoever. In 1 Peter 1, he writes, Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according
to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again into a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance? People say, what do you got in
the bank? What kind of riches? Well, okay, I'm going to read
it to you right now. To an inheritance incorruptible
and undefiled that fadeth not away, reserved, not at the first
national, oh, but in heaven itself. Reserved in heaven for you. And in the meantime, until you
arrive there, who are kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time, wherein ye
greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, not unnecessarily,
but if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. Man, that's good medicine, isn't
it? That is from the hand of our
great physician. He prescribes and gives and gives
and gives more grace. More grace. Listen. Listen, weary, weary pilgrim. Listen to these words. I will
never leave you nor forsake you. Our dear friends in Crossville, Tennessee, the
Bales. For her soon, her suffering will
be over. Just as Martha said to her sister
in John chapter 11, Mary, the master is come and calling for
thee. And brothers and sisters in Christ,
God help us not to lose hope for our lost loved ones. God,
help us not to lose hope, not to be discouraged, not to cease
to pray for them. I know you, like myself, have
prayed long and hard for your sons and daughters, and the devil
has tempted you, as he has me, to doubt if they'll ever be saved.
He's whispered to you, man, how many years have you prayed for
that rebel? And the more you pray, the more they rebel. Listen,
listen. For by grace are you saved through
faith. Is that still true, Mike? As
long as salvation is of grace, we need not despair of any rebel. I don't care who they are. If
they're still breathing, They're still breathing. God Almighty,
His mighty grace and the blood of Jesus Christ still reaches
deeper than the stain has gone. There was one dangling right
over the jaws of hell. With his last breath, his dying
breath, he said, Lord, remember me. And King Jesus took him in
his mighty hand and that very evening marched into glory, a
trophy of his sovereign grace. Oh yes, by grace are you saved
through faith. Is this still true? He's able
to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God by him. Free, sovereign, unmerited grace
gives us all reason, all reason to pray, all reason to hope,
as long as salvation is up to Him, the mighty God, and not
up to them. You say, well, Larry, my loved
ones, my children, my grandchildren, they go to a place where that's
what they hear. It's up to them. That's sad,
and that's not so. But that doesn't change the power
of God Almighty to still reach in and bring them to the footstool
of sovereign grace. As you well know, as you well
know, a few weeks ago, many of you saw this, I'm so delighted,
and I sent pictures the other day once I found out they were
available, but I stood in the baptistry in Grace Baptist Church
in Danville just before the service started during the conference
on Saturday morning with my youngest son, the most rebellious of my
three children. Man, I prayed for that boy. There
was a country song out some years ago, wasn't there, Louie, saying,
I became a father in the spring of 81, and there was no doubt
that that stubborn boy was just like my father's son, a chip
off the old block, a rebel just like I was a rebel. And I thought,
as I followed him down the steps into that water, I thought, my soul, what a miracle. What a miracle of mercy. I couldn't
help but think as we went down into the water how often I had
prayed for that young man. And how it seemed, and some of
y'all know something about this, it seemed that the harder I prayed,
the more he rebelled. So that all I could do was call
God, bring him down. I can't do it. I can't do it. I can't get his attention. And
then there we stood, one rebel, this rebel, this prodigal, baptizing
another rebel, another prodigal, and that prodigal being his own
son. And God Almighty, in infinite
matchless mercy and grace, hath revealed his son to my son. Glory to his name. Glory to his
name. We are debtors to mercy alone,
are we not? Of covenant mercy we must sing.
Oh, top lady went on to write, the terrors of law and of God
with me can have nothing to do. My savior's obedience and blood
hide all my transgressions from view. Last of all, let me address
this question to any that don't know our God, to the lost. A word to you. God's grace is
an antidote against despair. Against despair. Be warned. Don't presume on God's grace. Don't presume on God's grace.
That so-called gospel, that popular so-called gospel today that is
not the gospel but another, as Paul said, for all practical
purposes makes man his own savior. And it has that tendency to make
men presume. Why not presume, Jeff? Why not? Why not presume? If what I heard
through God taught me better, what I had heard was true, that
God had done all he could and it was up to me, why not presume? Why not live my life like a rebel? And then before I die, I'll say,
God save me, I'll accept Jesus. And if what I've heard all my
life was true, he has to do it. No, that's not true. Don't presume
that it is. I've had, I don't know how many
times people say to me that I've been trying to witness to, well,
Larry, you know, I'll just wait. Remember, that thief was saved
on his deathbed. And I said, yes, that's true. But there were two things. There
were two. Yes, it's true. One was saved
by God's matchless grace. And that very day he went to
glory. But the other, the other, that
same day, went to hell. And he's still there. And he'll
be there forever. Don't presume on God's grace. However, If any sinner, if any
sinner, any man, any woman, from his heart is crying, oh, depths
of mercy, if these words of the old hymn describes what you're
feeling, oh, depth of mercy, can there be mercy still reserved
for me? Can my God his wrath forbear
and me, the chief of sinners, spare? The answer is yes. Yes, he can. Yes, he can and
will show mercy. You need not despair. Christ receiveth sinful men. You've been listening to one.
You're looking at one right now. He saved me, John. Do brothers
and sisters in Christ, do we need any more evidence, any more
reason to pray for the salvation of sinners, any sinner? than the evidence we see when
we look in the mirror. My soul, He saved me. He can save anyone. Why not you? Yes, may His grace,
that's all that can do it, make you to differ. You noticed that,
didn't you? Who maketh thee to differ? God helps you to differ. No,
no. Who maketh you to differ? May
God do for you what you can never do for yourself. Make you a new
creature in Christ. Make you born again. Only He
can. Another hymn, and I'm done. A
quote, just a few verses of it. This old hymn, Bobby, sometimes
sings at my request. It's got many more verses than
than what she sings or what I'll quote, but by a man named Robert
Murray McShane, you'll recognize him. He wrote, when this passing
world is done, when has sunk yon glaring sun, when we stand
with Christ in glory, looking o'er life's finished story, then,
Lord, shall I fully know, not till then, how much I owe. when I hear the wicked call on
the rocks and hills to fall, when I see them start and shrink
on the fiery deluge brink." Our Lord one time looked at those
Pharisees and said, if you don't believe I'm He, if you don't
believe I'm the Christ, you're going to die in your sin. I hear
those words just about every time I stand to preach, No matter
where it's at, Lord, am I looking into the face of people that
will die in their sins? God forbid. God forbid. When
I hear the wicked call on the rocks and hills to fall, when
I see them start and shrink on the fiery deluge brink, then,
Lord, shall I fully know not till then how much I owe. When
I stand before the throne dressed in beauty not my own, when I
see thee as thou art, love thee with an unsinning heart, then,
Lord, shall I fully know, not till then, how much I owe. Larry, Chris, don't you ever
forget, and God forgive me because I
do, who's made me to differ from
another. God bless you. Thank you for
your attention.