You will find the title of my
message tonight in Micah chapter 7 and verse 4. Micah chapter 7 and verse 4. We'll begin reading at verse
1 and work our way down to verse 4. Now as we read this portion
of Holy Scripture, make certain that you don't make the mistake
of reading this or any other passage of the Old Testament
as though it were written by an old prophet a long time ago
for people who lived in a distant land at a distant time. Without
question, this was written by Micah for the children of Israel
with reference to the Babylonian captivity. warning Israel and
Judah of the certain judgment that God would bring upon the
nations because of their transgressions and their sins. Judgment that
God would bring for the punishment of the reprobate and for the
correction and the preservation of his elect. But if that's all
you find in the prophecy of Micah quite honestly, you just as well
rip it out of the Bible and throw it away. This book is not intended
merely to give history lessons about Israel and the Old Testament.
This is God's word to Don and Denise Ranere right now. It comes directly from God's
prophet this hour. as though it were written this
very hour and the ink is not quite dry. This is God's word
for you and for me. Always read God's word just that
way. This word from God is a sobering
word indeed. Woe is me, for I am as when they
have gathered the summer fruits. And as the great gleanings of
the vintage, there is no cluster to eat. My soul desired the first
ripe fruit. Now, this is figurative language.
Micah is not talking about starving to death. He's talking about
his soul being banished. He's talking about his soul being
hungry, hungry for fellowship with someone of kindred mind,
hungry for fellowship with someone who worships God, hungry for
fellowship with one who fears God. His soul is heavy because
he can find none around him to give him sweet communion and
joy, walking together in the ways of God. Micah here expresses
the pain of those who live in this world alone. All believers live with Christ,
yes. Believers walk in the fellowship
of Christ, yes. That's wonderful, that's blessed,
that's sweet. We would take nothing for it. But God's people are
very much isolated and live isolated lives in this world. You and
I have the privilege of coming here with a few other believers
three times a week. What a privilege it is to meet
together with God's saints. Some of you had the privilege
of seeing each other with some regularity through the week.
But even at that, even at that, you go to your work and you visit
with your families and you meet with your companions in various
walks of life. And there's just nothing in common. You. Go visit your sister, and
there's nothing for your soul. You sit down and take your son
or your daughter, family to dinner, and there's delight that you
can do that, but your soul aches because there's nothing in common
with them. And you live in isolation. And
then many of God's people throughout history and today live in utter
isolation. from other believers. I got a
call just yesterday evening, the day before yesterday, excuse
me, just as I was getting to Cottageville, a lady who calls
frequently, broken hearted, weeping. She said, Brother Don, I feel
so alone. So alone. You young people, I see several attended conferences
in various places. And I said to Brother Todd the
other day, this fellow visiting his place real often, and he's
driving about a thousand miles every time he comes. I said,
Todd, your preaching ain't that good. He's coming because there's
a pretty girl over there he's interested in and can't find
one where he is. And that's a good idea. That's
a good idea. several at conferences, go and
meet folks. Where else are you going to find
somebody who worships God? It beats the internet, I'll tell
you that. It beats dating services. The fact is God's people need
each other and many live in isolation. A scarcity of godly people is
a terrible thing in any society. But a scarcity of godly men throughout
the earth is indescribably terrible. And that's the state of this
age. And let others talk foolishly, as they dare, about the goodness
and godliness that they see in men. Godliness, you and I know,
is as scarce as gold in this generation. Micah's message suits
us well. Like Isaiah, We justly cry, who
hath believed our report? To whom is the arm of the Lord
revealed? Oh, my leanness, my leanness,
woe is me, the prophet said, for there is only as the shaking
of an olive tree and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done. God's people live in isolation
as loners in a crowded city. without companions. As our Redeemer
wept over Jerusalem, so we might weep for this generation. As
Paul wept over those enemies of the cross, you read about
just a little bit ago, he wept because there are many enemies
of the cross, so we might weep over this generation. And yet,
we should not, even now, be in utter despair. We should not,
even now, be greatly discouraged. Listen to this. You can look
at it later. In Isaiah 49, the Lord God says, Though Israel
be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious. Though Israel be not gathered,
yet shall I be glorious. We tend to think, we tend to
measure God's glory by what we perceive God is doing. We tend
to measure whether or not the Lord is being glorified by what
we perceive the Lord is doing the Lord God is constantly Glorifying
himself in the gathering of his elect though at any present time
We don't see Israel being gathered Now we know that this is the
meaning of Micah's words in verse 1 Because he says so in verse
4 our verse 2 rather look at it What's he talking about when
he talks about the gleanings and nothing in the field to harvest? He said, the good man is perished
out of the earth, and there is none upright among men. They
all lie in wait for blood. They hunt every man his brother
with a net. Yes, the godly are scarce. Few walk in the way of divine
truth, in the way of life and faith in Christ. Few walk after
the revelation of the gospel. And you will only do yourself
and others harm to pretend that folks walk in the gospel way
who deny the gospel. You will only do yourself and
others harm to pretend that others are walking with Christ when
they despise the gospel of Christ. The fact is few seek the will
of God. Few seek the glory of our Redeemer. Few are pilgrims in this world
seeking that city whose builder and maker is God. Yet this very
fact, the fact that there are few, few godly people. Few who believe God. Few who
walk with God. That very fact makes this a blessed
day in which to live and serve our God. If ever there was a
day when a faithful witness was needed, it's this day. If ever
there was a day that needed a gospel preacher to proclaim the word
of his grace, it is this day. If ever there was a day that
a church was needed to proclaim the riches of Christ's glory,
it is this day. Today, we have opportunity of
being beneficial to others. The more wicked the age, the
more the godlier needed. The more men forsake God, the
more they need someone to tell them about the Savior. Brethren,
see poor sinners around you, slumbering on the brink of woe.
Death is coming. Hell is moving. Can you dare
to let them go? If you don't, verse 3. These wicked, these ungodly ones,
they behave as they do that they may do evil with both hands earnestly. That they may do evil with both
hands earnestly. What a picture. That they may
do evil with both hands earnestly. The prince asketh, and the judge
asketh for reward. Now look at what Michael just
said. The prince, the ruler of the people, the judge, the fellow
who is supposed to execute justice, in order that he may do evil
with both hands earnestly. He says, what will you give me? He says, what are you offering
to get what you want? And the great man, he uttereth
his mischievous desire, and so they wrap it up. The great man,
the prince and the judge together doing wickedness with both hands
earnestly wrap up their evil plans and they work together
to accomplish their purposes. You mean, Brother Don, there's
a conspiracy? A conspiracy in this world against
God and his truth? Well, of course there is. Of
course there is. Now, I don't mean by that. I
don't mean by that that The fellows who run the newspaper and the
fellows who make the movies out in Hollywood and the fellows
who sit in Congress and the fellows who educate your children, they
have meetings together saying, what can we do to oppose the
gospel? I don't mean that at all. No,
no, no, no, no, no. No, they wouldn't do that. Well,
they would if they could get by with it. They don't have the
opportunity. Well, how then is there a conspiracy?
The evil of the depraved hearted man taken captive by Satan at
his will is constantly in opposition to God and God's truth. Always
has been and always will be. You needn't expect any better
or any different. In this day when both the politician
and the prophet is bought and bribed, when civil rulers and
religious leaders work together to do evil in this age of self-serving
dishonesty, injustice, and debauchery, greed, ambition, and the pursuit
of every lust obscene, how you and I ought to labor with both
hands earnestly to make God known. Labor with both hands earnestly
to make Christ crucified known in this age. Labor with both
hands earnestly to proclaim the gospel of God's grace. The best
of them, we read in verse four. The best of them. Who's he talking
about? The best men you could find. The best of them. Lindsay and
Diane live over in that section of town over there. Larry and
Carol live down yonder. We live back here. Some of you
live kind of crowded together. Some of you live out in rural
farming areas and you find neighbors and nice fellas. Nice fellas. They're just nice fellas. You
know, how many times do you say, oh, as far as human beings concerned,
men are as good as they get. We all know folks just like that.
All right, now listen to what prophet says. Listen to what
it says. These aren't my words, they're God's words. The best
of them is a briar. And the most upright is sharper
than a thorn hedge. Wow. Cody, I just said to you,
I'm so glad to see you back there with us. The best companion you can find
outside God's kingdom are a briar and a thorn hedge. You were down there working those,
that tree down there a few weeks ago. You say, I got to get some
gloves. Because you're going to get injured
if you get too close to it. Too many thorns sticking out.
This is what Micah, no, this is what God the Holy Spirit tells
you. Listen to me, sons and daughters of God Almighty. You who are
young and you who are old. You can't get very close to the
briar and the thorn hedge without injuring yourself. That's just fact. Larry Brown,
you've been in business with briars and thorn hedges all your
adult life. Have I just spoken truth? You
can't get close to them without injuring yourself. Can't be done. It can't be done. I'm not lying. It cannot be done. The best of
them is a briar and a thorn hedge. This is what God says. Be not
deceived. Evil communications, that is,
evil companions, corrupt good manners. Well, I hang out with
these folks. I want to be a good witness to
them. They bring them to hear the gospel. Well, they won't do that. How
do you think you're going to be a good witness to them? Well,
I want to I I hang out with him because I want to I want to have
a good influence on him Please tell me how Please tell me how
Bring them to hear the gospel If you can't get that out of
them, you can't get anything out of them. Just that simple
Now what's the next line in verse 4? in the midst of this woeful
Horrid lamentation Micah says the day of thy watchman and thy
visitation cometh. Now shall be their perplexity.
For the ungodly, for the reprobate, when the day of Zion's watchman
and of Zion's visitation comes, it shall be, it always has been,
it is now and always will be a time of perplexity for the
reprobate. The ungodly, God sends a preacher,
the ungodly, the reprobate, the unbelieving. They can't understand
why on this earth You'll arrange your life to go hear somebody
stand here and preach to you 45 minutes or an hour, three
times a week. Can't understand why on this
earth you take your family on vacation, go to a Bible conference.
Can't understand why on this earth when you go visit somebody,
when you go visit somebody where you can worship God. It's a perplexity
to them. You can't make them understand
it. No need in trying. But for the believer, for the
believer, this is the day of God's visitation. When God is
pleased to send pastors according to his heart, to his people as
he promised he will, God sends his pastors as forerunners of
his mercy. God sends his preachers as forerunners
of his mercy. Now, write this down. Write it
down. It's worth remembering. When
God sets faithful watchmen upon the walls of Zion, look for him
to visit his people in grace. When God sets faithful watchmen
upon the walls of Zion, look for him to visit his people in
grace. I want to show you just two things
in this text. First, I want to talk to you
about Zion's watchmen and then about Zion's visitation. First, understand this. Whenever
the Lord God visits his people in mercy, he raises up and sends
faithful, gifted gospel preachers among them. Turn back to Ezekiel
chapter 33. Ezekiel chapter 3, excuse me,
Ezekiel chapter 3. Now, what's the connection in
these passages we're about to read between watchmen raised
up by God and grace bestowed by God? Ezekiel chapter 3 verse
17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman under the house of
Israel Therefore hear the word at my mouth and give them warning
from me come back to Isaiah 52 Isaiah chapter 52 Now watch the
connection between God's mercy and God's watchman between God's
salvation and God's watchman. Isaiah 52 verse 7. How beautiful
upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings,
that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth
salvation, that saith to Zion, thy God reigneth. That's God's
watchman. Thy watchman shall lift up the
voice. With the voice together shall
they sing. For they shall see eye to eye. Every one of them preach the
same message. Every one of them proclaim the same God. Every
one of them proclaim the same salvation. Every one of them
proclaim the same reigning Jehovah. They shall see eye to eye. When? When the Lord shall bring again
Zion. Break forth into joy. Sing together,
ye waste places of Jerusalem. For the Lord hath comforted his
people. He hath redeemed Jerusalem. The
Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our
God. Look at Isaiah 62, verse 6. Isaiah 62, verse 6. I have set watchmen upon thy
walls, O Jerusalem. Watchmen which shall never hold
their peace day nor night Ye that make mention of the Lord
keep not silence watch this and Give him no rest You watch you
watch me that God sets upon his walls Don't be silent and he's
not talking about being silent in the preaching alone, you know
being silent at the throne of grace Give him no rest till he
establish till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Give God
no rest. Give God no rest until God saves
his people so that all the peoples of the earth see that God has
saved his people. Look at John chapter 1. John
chapter 1, verse 6. There was a man sent from God. Oh, what a word. There was a
man sent from God, whose name was John. Talking about John
the Baptist. Why was he sent? The same came
for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through
him might believe. What's a preacher supposed to
do? What's he supposed to do? I have, I guess, two dozen books
sitting on the far distance shelf in my library in there. I had
to read them a long time ago. I had to read them when I was
going to school, telling what preachers are supposed to do.
Do you know what folks tell you a preacher is supposed to do?
It's the very last thing he's supposed to do. The very last
thing a preacher is supposed to do. He's supposed to go to
meetings and social clubs sip tea with old women and go to
the hospitals and hold people's hands and be a counselor and
visit and chase ambulances and get people to make professions
of faith and baptize folks and build up the church. No, no.
The same came for a witness to bear witness of the light. That's all. That's all. To bear witness of the light
that all men through him that is all men through Christ the
light might believe. That men everywhere might hear
the word of the gospel and believe. The preacher is to give his life
to the business of pointing sinners to the light. That's all. That's it. That's his business.
Give his life to pointing centers to the light. He has no other
function. He has no other business. He
has no other work. And let him do this work with
both hands earnestly. Giving his life to it. He was
not that light. And he didn't think he was. But
he was sent to bear witness of that light. The preacher has
no high opinion about himself. He has a mighty high opinion
about the Savior. He thinks of himself as he ought
to think. He understands that he is a sinner
in need of mercy, and he thinks of the Savior as he ought to
think. He continually cries, he must increase, but I must
decrease. John 3, verse 30. Long, long time ago. Before Brother
Larry ever moved down here, Brother Larry Chris, he preached for
us here at one of our conferences, and his text was John 3.30. He
must increase, but I must decrease. That's the attitude of the heart
of every man, sin of God, to preach the gospel. And that statement
could be rightly translated a number of ways. And when he finds something
in scripture that could be translated rightfully numerous ways Always
try to remember each of the ways because it means all of those
things He must be increased. That's our business lift up the
Savior and I must be decreased Because Bob if he doesn't decrease
me, I won't decrease myself It's not my nature He must increase
himself because if his glory is known, it must be made known
by him. And I must decrease myself, make
an effort continually not to show my name, but his name, not
my honor, but his honor. He must be increased by himself
and I must be decreased by him. Son of God, oh, our Redeemer. Magnify Your name. Increase Yourself. Decrease us in our own opinion
of ourselves. Decrease us that You may be increased
in our hearts. What a blessing it is when God
sends a man to preach the gospel of his grace to any people. This past weekend, I can't tell
you how many people said this to me, and I hear it all the
time. When you go home, be sure to
tell those folks in Danville how much we appreciate them sharing
their pastor with us. When you send your pastor out
to preach the gospel, I ask you to pray for me, knowing that
no man can preach the gospel, not effectually, except he be
sent to God. But didn't the Lord send you?
Oh, yeah. But Lindsay, I can't preach to
your heart this hour unless God sends me to with a message for
your heart this hour. How can I communicate this to
you? Preaching is not just. Putting together a sermon. Preaching
is seeking a message from God for you on this occasion, this
hour for the good of your soul and the glory of God. And I can't
do that unless God, the Holy Spirit sends me to you by his
grace. How shall they preach except
they be sent? Pray for me then, as those of
old, that I might be filled with the Holy Ghost and speak as the
Spirit gives me utterance. Pray that utterance may be given
unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery
of the gospel, that God would give us a door of utterance to
speak the mystery of Christ. This much I know, this much I
know. When God is about to visit his
people in mercy, in love, in grace, when God is about to do
something for his people, he sends him a preacher. He sets
a watchman upon the walls of Zion. God does not work in the
hearts and lives of men apart from His Word. He sends them
a preacher. And when God raises up watchmen
upon the walls of Zion, He's about to visit Zion. Zion's watchmen
faithfully wound. You remember in Song of Solomon,
The bride says, I went to the watchman. I said, have you seen
him whom my soul loveth? And she said, they wounded me.
You need that. And they took away my veil. I
was hiding. And they took away my veil, exposed
what I am to me. God's watchmen are men who faithfully
point you to the Savior, faithfully declare his word and his salvation. Turn to Jeremiah chapter 31 for
a minute. Jeremiah 31. Verse 3. John the Baptist was the forerunner
of the Lord Jesus. And wherever you find a man sent
of God, I promise you the Lord Jesus will soon appear. Jeremiah
chapter 31 verse 3. The Lord hath appeared of old
unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love. Therefore, with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Again, I will
build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel. Thou
shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and thou shalt go forth
in the dances of them that make merry. Thou shalt plant vines
upon the mountains of Samaria. The planters shall plant and
shall eat them as common things. Verse six. For there shall be
a day that the watchman upon the Mount of Ephraim, upon the
Mount of Ephraim, shall cry, Arise, ye and let us go up to
Zion unto the Lord our God. Verse seven, for thus saith the
Lord, sing with gladness for Jacob and shout among the chief
of the nations, publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy
people, the remnant of Israel. And God says, behold, I will
bring them from the north country and gather them from the coast
of the earth and with them the blind and the lame, the woman
with child and her that travaileth with child together. A great
company shall return thither. They shall come with weeping
and with supplications will I lead them. I will cause them to walk
by the rivers of waters in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble. For I am a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my firstborn. Whenever God sets watchmen upon
the walls of Zion, He's about to favor Zion with the visitation
of His grace. I turn to the book of Isaiah
for a minute. Micah tells us, The day of thy
watchman shall be the day when thy visitation cometh. And for every chosen redeemed
sinner, there is a day of divine visitation fixed by God when
he will come to visit his own. Look at Isaiah chapter 2. That day of divine visitation
is a day of Holy Spirit conviction that lays us low before our God. Look at Isaiah 2 verse 11. The lofty looks of man shall
be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and
the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the
Lord of hosts shall be upon everyone that is proud and lofty. and
upon everyone that is lifted up, and he shall be brought low."
Mark it down. Mark it down. When God visits
His people, when God visits His people, He
lays us low before Him. He causes men to quit speaking
highly of themselves because they cease to think highly of
themselves. The lofty looks of man, he lays
low. Look at chapter 11 of Isaiah. When the Lord God visits his
people, when he visits in grace, he comes to reveal himself in
the face of his son. Look at verse 10. In that day,
there should be a root of Jesse which shall stand for an instant
of the people, to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall
be glorious." Hanging up out there on that
flagpole is an American flag. In times of war, battalions have
someone carry the flag, and wherever If the flag falls, somebody will
hazard his life to raise the flag up so that men can see the
flag and rally to the flag. That's what Isaiah is talking
about. Christ is the flag, the ensign, the banner of his people. To it, to him, the banner of
Jehovah shall God's elect seek as he's lifted up and held high
before men. And when we seek him, His rest
shall be glorious. The prophet is speaking about
our Savior's rest as our finished, our substitute who's finished
the work of redemption committed to him. He has entered into his
rest and his rest is his glory. And he's talking about our rest
in him. Resting in Christ Jesus. We rest in Christ our Sabbath
and his rest is glorious. We come to Christ as God visits
us and reveals his son in us, causes us to understand who he
is, what he's done, and brings us to him afresh. And we rest
in him. We rest in him. Some of you come
to me with difficulties, heartaches, and wonder what to do. And my counsel is always the
same. And it's not light counsel. It's not something I take lightly. What do you do when your life
is full of confusion? What do you do when you can't
explain what's going on and the pain and the hurt? What do you
do when your soul is empty and your heart is hard? What do you
do? You seek the Savior and take refuge in Him. And when he will give you rest
in himself, rest. Oh, Merle, his rest is glorious. It is glorious. Come unto me,
all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me, and you shall find rest unto your souls. And when the
Lord Jesus comes in a day of divine visitation, then he gives
us faith. Look at Isaiah 25. I'm not talking
about merely, what a horrible way to put it, merely the first
experience of faith. Nothing merely about that. I'm
talking about, Tom, if we would believe him, he must
make himself known right now and give us faith in him. Do
I speak the truth or not? You try to believe God in the
midst of difficulty. And you want to believe God.
You want to. And you can't. Until he visits
you with his grace, by his word, and you find yourself trusting
him. Brother Tommy Parker and Brother
Johnny had in Spring Lake, North Carolina, their dads in hospital
in bad shape. And Tommy said to me, yesterday
afternoon when I talked to him, he said, I heard you say one
time, the only time we ever praise when we have to. And he said,
I found that so. He said, I've heard you say we
can't believe God unless He enables us to believe Him. I said, Brother
Todd, I want so much to believe Him. Me too. And I'll tell you when you shall.
when God comes by His Word, reveals Christ in you, pours out His
Spirit upon you, lays you low before His feet, and gives you
faith. Look here at verse 9, Isaiah
25. It shall be said in that day,
O, this is our God. This is what I've been waiting
for. We've waited for him. He will save us. This is the
Lord. We've waited for him. We will be glad and rejoice in
his salvation. To the reprobate, to the unbelieving,
to some of you probably, to many who will hear this message, this
is perplexing. Just perplexing. There's nothing
there about faith I can understand. I know it. I'm fully aware of
that. Unless God gives you faith. And
then you'll find yourself resting in Him. And oh, you will find
His rest glorious. May God give you that rest this
hour for Christ's sake. Amen.