The book of Proverbs, Proverbs
chapter 6. Proverbs chapter 6, and we'll
be looking today at verses 16 through 19. These six things doth the Lord
hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto him. A proud look, a lying
tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, and heart that deviseth
wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord
among brethren. Let me just remind us this morning
that this book, the book of Proverbs, is part of the all scripture
which is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be truly
furnished unto all good works. So this is part of the inspired
Word of God. The man that God used to write,
the man that he inspired to write this book in the Bible, of course,
most of it was written by Solomon. And it was to him that we are
told that God gave him a wise and an understanding heart. And
many of the passages in the book of Proverbs are in the form of
a father instructing his son. In fact, I counted over 20 passages
which began with these two words, my son. You see it in this chapter,
chapter 6, verse 1, my son, if thou be surety for thy friend. And then in verse 3, do this
now, my son. And also, if you will, in verse
20, My son, keep thy father's commandment and forsake not the
law of thy mother. It's never easy, I'm sure, in
the history of this world. It has never been easy being
a parent and trying to teach and train your children. I heard
some parents recently talking about what is called social media
today and what a problem that is presenting for parents. I'm
sure it's never been easy, but can you imagine someone like
Solomon, a king, trying to train his children, raise his children
in the midst of so much wealth and so much power, and he had
so many responsibilities as a king over this great nation of Israel. And yet his greatest responsibility
was unto God, of course, and a responsibility to his children,
to his family. In the New Testament, of course,
the admonition is given like this. You fathers, provoke not
your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord. The nurture of the Lord. Bring
them up in the nurture of the Lord. When a mother nurtures
or parents nurture their children or animals nurture their young,
they take a lot of time with them, don't they? And that's
what we are told in the New Testament. And that's one of the problems
we see and we hear so much of today in our land, that parents
do not have the time for their children. They do not take the
time. But can you imagine Solomon,
all the responsibilities he had? And yet over and over and over
through this book he says, my son, my son. But we're looking
at these verses today where he said, these six things doth the
Lord hate. You mean God who is love that
he also has hatred? Absolutely. Absolutely. These six things doth the Lord
hate, yea, seven, are an abomination unto him. A proud look, a lying
tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, and heart that diviseth
wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief. false witness that speaketh lies
and he that soweth discord among brethren." Solomon named six
sins. Now the translators, you notice
they have inserted the word things. These six things. But we know
that these things are sins, which are mentioned here. These six
sins that the Lord hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto
Him. All of these things that are
mentioned here are transgressions. As the Scripture says in the
New Testament, sin is a transgression of God's law. That's what sin
is. It's transgressing God's law. And these things, these six things,
these seven things here are sins that are named by Solomon. Now, in looking at these verses,
I want to ask and try to answer these four questions. The first
question is this. Is there any sin that God does
not hate? Is there any evil that is not
an abomination unto the Lord? You know, as you read this verse,
you might assume or think, well, maybe there's some sins, maybe
there's some evils that are not hated by God and are not an abomination
unto the Lord. But that's not true. That's not
so. One thing that the Bible tells
us about God that He cannot do, there are four things the scripture
says that God cannot do, and I believe they're all Comprehended
in this one thing, God cannot deny Himself. He cannot deny
Himself. Paul said, if we believe not,
He abideth faithful. He cannot deny Himself. If there's any sin, if there's
any sin that God does not hate, if there's any iniquity that
is not an abomination unto the Lord, then God would deny Himself. You say, why do you say that,
Preacher? I say this because the God of the Bible, the God,
now remember this, please hear me now. The God that you have
to do with and the God that I have to do with is the God of the
Bible. He's not this God that people
imagine in their minds. Forget about that God. We're
talking about the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's the God with whom we have
to do. Scripture says, all things are
naked and opened unto Him with whom we have to do. All of us,
because we are His creatures, all of us have to do with the
God of the Bible. And the God of the Bible cannot
deny Himself, and the God of the Bible is holy, whole, W-H-O-L-E
as well as H-O-L-Y. He is holy, thrice holy. That's what the seraphims cried
in Isaiah's vision, wasn't it? They cried one to the other,
holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. God is holy. In the book of Habakkuk, one
of the minor prophets in the Old Testament. He tells us this
about God. He says, Thou art of pure eyes,
and to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity. Now that tells us that God cannot
look upon any sin, any evil, any iniquity with pleasure. But God hates Every evil is an
abomination unto the Lord. Arthur Pink in his chapter in
the Attributes of God, on the wrath of God, he made this statement. How could he, that is God, how
could he who delights only in that which is pure and lovely
not loathe and hate that which is impure and vile? Impossible. Impossible. How could He, that
is God, who delights only in that which is pure and lovely,
not loathe and hate that which is impure and vile? In the book of Jeremiah, God
said through the prophets to that nation of Judah, He sent
prophets unto them, warning them, And he said, Oh, do not this
abominable thing that I hate. What was he talking about? He
was talking about sin, iniquity. In their case, idolatry. Oh,
do not this abominable thing that I hate. Keep your places
here, but turn back a few pages to Psalm. Psalm 45. Psalm 45 and verse 6. Thy throne, O God, is forever
and ever. Now the God of the Bible, He
sits upon the throne. The throne is a place from which
men or women, in our case in this world, reign. They reign
from the throne. God reigns from the throne. And His throne is established
on judgment and truthfulness. That's the foundation of God's
throne. Justice, righteousness, and truthfulness. Thy throne, O God, is forever
and ever. The scepter of thy kingdom is
a right scepter. Now a scepter was a symbol of
power that a king would have and he reigned with that scepter.
Remember in the book of Esther, how that the king, if he did
not hold out the scepter, when a person would presume to come
into his presence, even a wife, even Esther, presumed to come
into his presence, if that king did not hold out the scepter,
that meant that person would not come around the king anymore.
These kings reigned, and God reigns and rules. We talk about
the sovereignty of God, you look at that word sovereign and you
see the word reign in that word, don't you? He reigns, he rules,
his scepter. It is a right scepter. In other
words, it's a scepter of righteousness. He reigns in righteousness and
justice and in holiness. Thou lovest, now notice this
next verse, thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness. Therefore
God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above
thy fellows." Now, who does that refer to? Well, you know in Hebrews
chapter 1, this passage is quoted in reference to the Lord Jesus
Christ. He is God who is anointed with
oil of gladness above his fellows, that is, above the angels. He's
above all creatures. The Lord Jesus Christ, he said,
all authority, all powers given unto me both in heaven and in
earth. This man who was crucified in
weakness, the scripture says, speaking of his body, his flesh. But never think of him today
as being weak, as being somehow needing. The Lord Jesus Christ
is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and reigns upon His throne
and He loves righteousness and He hates iniquity. It doesn't surprise us that we
read in Psalm 7, I believe it is, that God hates the workers
of iniquity every day. How could He not hate the workers
of iniquity when He hates iniquity? These six things doth the Lord
hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto him. Now Solomon, in teaching
his sons, he may have thought that these six or seven abominations
were especially sins, transgressions that he needed to warn his sons. about, but hear me now, there
is no sin that God does not hate. If there could be and there can't,
he would cease to be God. He would deny himself as the
thrice holy being that he is. There's a second question. Is
there any person who is innocent of all the sins on this list? These six sins. Is there any person to be found
in all the world today or has there ever been any person in
this world who is innocent of all of the sins on this list? You notice if you've turned back
here to Proverbs chapter 6 that these sins which are mentioned,
which are listed here, are both outward and inward. Both sins
that are, we would say, are committed outwardly and sins that are committed
inwardly. Hands, hands which shed innocent
blood, now that would be an outward thing, an outward action. But
a heart devising wicked imaginations, that's inward, isn't it? Remember
before the flood, before God destroyed the world by a flood,
we are told that every thought, every thought, every imagination
of man was wicked. We know that the law of God not
only prohibits outward actions, but inward thought or desire. You see, these transgressions
that we do outwardly, they begin on the inside, don't they? That's
what our Lord said. The religious people of His day,
they had come to believe that the way to be holy is to be very
careful about what you put into your body. Don't be contaminated
by what you put into your body. I'm speaking about morally. Don't
be contaminated morally by what you put into your body. You've
got to wash your hands. And not just wash them, wash
them up to the elbow. Wash them according to the tradition
of the elders. And our Lord said, because they
looked at him and said, well, he eats with unwashing hands. What did our Lord say? It's not
that which goes into the man that defiles them. It's that
which comes out. For out of the heart. And these
sins that are mentioned here in this list that Solomon gives
us that are outward, they all begin in the heart. As all sin does. A man came to
the Lord Jesus Christ one day. He was a young man. He was a
wealthy man. He was a ruler. Came running. He came running,
kneeled down before the Lord. Good master, what must I do to
inherit eternal life? And our Lord said, why callest
thou me good? There's none good but one, God. This man did not recognize who
he was talking to. Don't call me good unless you
understand who I am. I am God manifest in the flesh. There's none good but one. And
then he said, you know the commandments. And the man said, well, all of
these things I have kept from my youth up. And then our Lord
put his finger on that one thing that he loved more than he loved
God. That was his money. Go and sell
everything you have and give to the poor and come and follow
me. And the scripture says he went
away sad because he had much wealth. But the point is, that man didn't
recognize. He said, I've kept all those
commandments. I haven't lied or stolen or committed
adultery. He had all that taken care of,
you know. And Paul was the same way. Saul
of Tarsus, he felt the very same thing. Some people believe that
was Saul of Tarsus, that rich young ruler. I doubt that he
was, but anyway, Saul believed that about himself until he said
the commandment. The law came to him with power
and the power of the Holy Spirit. The law convinced him of sin. It's not just the outward actions,
it's that very beginning, that first beginning in the heart
of impure desires and lust. That's sin. For all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. Now I did notice this in
looking at this list. I see that in this list that
there are some things, some sins, which we see in Adam's fall in
the Garden of Eden. Because after all, it should
concern us, how did we become sinners? How did we get into
this mess? Well, you notice there's some
things mentioned here that we see in Adam's fall in the Garden
of Eden. First of all, a lying tongue. Do you see a lying tongue there
in the Garden of Eden? I do. Who was it? It was the
father of lies, Satan, the father of lies. He lied and he said,
you, you shall not surely die. God said, if you eat that fruit
in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt die. In dying thou
shalt die the death. But Satan comes along a lying
tongue. You shall not surely die. And
then I see there is an appeal to pride, a proud look. The scripture says that's the
first thing on the list, isn't it? A proud look. And Satan appeals
to our parents as you shall be as God's. You shall be as God's. We're not content to be the innocent
creatures that they were, but He appealed to their pride, You
shall be like God. That's what got Satan into trouble
in the beginning, wasn't it? He wanted to be like God. And also see here, innocent blood is shed. Now,
not literally, but Adam and Eve, they were innocent. They were
created in innocency and they died. Adam, remember this, Adam
is the only man who ever has or ever will become a sinner
by sinning. See what I'm saying? He took
that fruit from his wife and he ate. Disobeyed God, he became
a sinner by his action. The rest of us, we come into
this world and we already have that sinful principle. We're born with it, called original
sin. In the New Testament, the Apostle
James tells us this about the law. We've got six sins, yea
seven, which are an abomination unto the Lord. But James tells
us this about the law. If you offend in one point, you're
guilty of the whole law. That's what he says. You offend
in one point is to be guilty of all. Now again, I say Solomon,
he may have seen the need to especially warn his son about
these seven sins. But there has never been any
person who is innocent of all the sins on this list. I say
there's never been any person. There has been one person. Thank
the Lord for him. But here's the third question.
Is there any sin that will not keep a person out of heaven? Is there any sin? that will not
keep a person out of heaven. You know, man, over the years
they've categorized sins. People say, well, that's a little
sin, that's a big sin. Religious man, they've come along
and they say, well, that's a mortal sin, that's a venial sin. Then there was a monk, I believe
in the fourth or fifth century, he came along and he said, there's
eight deadly sins. And one of the later popes reduced
that down to seven. Seven deadly sins. But the truth from the word of
God is that all sin is mortal. All sin deserves death. All sin, there's no little sin
or big sin, all sin is committed against God and God is infinite. And all sin merits and brings
death. The soul, the scripture says,
the soul that sinneth, it shall surely die. Now it really will. That's what God says. The wages of sin is death. You
know, the last verse in our Bible says this concerning heaven.
My question is, is there any sin that will not keep a person
out of heaven? Is there any sin that we may
be guilty of and still go to heaven? No. The very last verse in the Bible
says concerning heaven, there shall in no wise, no wise, enter
into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination,
or maketh a lie. Now again, Solomon may have seen
the need to especially warn his son about these seven sins. But there is no sin. that will not keep a person out
of heaven. And that brings me to the fourth
question. Is there any way to be cleansed
from all sin? See, we're all guilty today,
no exceptions. Is there any way to be cleansed
from all sin? I want you to look over in Proverbs
chapter 30, another proverb written by Solomon. In Proverbs chapter
30, in verse 12, we read, There is a generation
that are pure in their own eyes. and yet is not washed from their
filthiness. Solomon speaks about a generation,
people, who are pure in their own eyes but are not washed from
their filthiness. A man must be washed from his
filthiness. He must be washed from his filthiness,
from his sins. God declared in the book of Zechariah,
in that day. He's speaking of a day that was
future when Zechariah prophesied. In that day there shall be a
fountain open to the house of David and to the inhabitants
of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. God opened a fountain. He only opened one fountain.
A fountain that was open for sin and for uncleanness. And that fountain, we know, was
opened when the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified at Calvary. God opened that fountain. He opened it. He predetermined
the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though men were guilty in His
crucifixion, they were doing exactly what God had determined
to be done before the foundation of the world. He was a lamb slain
from the foundation of the world in the purpose of God and in
the fullness of the time God set forth His Son. God set forth
His only begotten Son. that He might be the propitiation,
that one sacrifice, that sin-atoning sacrifice by which God washes
and cleanses from all sin. In Isaiah 1, remember, God said,
Come now, let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool. There is a fountain. We sing
that hymn sometimes, don't we? Written by William Cowper. There
is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins. And sinners, sinners, plunge
beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stain. And I especially
like that verse that says the dying thief. The dying thief,
I mean in the very last hours of his life, the dying thief
rejoiced to see that fountain in his day. And there may I,
though vile as he, wash all my sins away. There's power, power,
wonder-working power in the blood of Jesus Christ. I want you to
look with me at one other place, if you will, in 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians chapter 6. How is a person washed? Saying
that no one is going to enter into heaven that has any sin
upon him. And the only way a person may
be cleansed from all sin is to be washed. How is a person washed? Look here in 1 Corinthians chapter
6, beginning with verse 9. Let me just remind us that Corinth
was a city like Houston. It was a very wicked city. There was actually a phrase to
Corinthianize that was to make a person double evil or wicked. I mean, this city was known for
its evil, its wickedness, and it was incorporated into their
religion. They had a temple here. Now listen,
they had a temple here with a thousand prostitutes that served in this
temple. If you think man is not a depraved
person, just open up your eyes and see the depravity of man
that has been manifested in religion. And it's still here. It hasn't
disappeared from off the face of the earth. This was a wicked city. And now
Paul, in writing this letter, God's grace had reached this
city. The gospel had come into this
city. Remember, God told Paul, I have much people in this city,
Paul. Don't be afraid to preach. Paul
didn't know who they were. They didn't even know that they
were God's chosen, God's elect at the time, but God knew them. Preach! Preach the gospel! And in that debauched, wicked
city, God called many of His chosen to be washed, to be cleansed,
to have every sin put away. Notice in verse 9, Know you not
that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? You're
not going to go into heaven with sin. Isn't that what it means? The
unrighteous, wicked, the sinful, they're not going to go into
heaven. There's got to be a way that the sinful may be made righteous,
that the The filthy may be made clean. Know you not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived. Don't deceive yourself about
this. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with
mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers,
nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such
were some of you." You really were. I don't think Paul took
any joy in reminding them of what
they had been, but he takes a lot of joy in telling them what God
had made them. This is what you were, some of
you. Maybe no one was guilty of all of those things. Some
of them were guilty of some of them. But all men are guilty
of sin. So that's where some of you,
not us, but you are washed. Where? How? How? How is this possible to be washed
in that sin-cleansing fountain that God opened up? Not only are you washed, but
you're sanctified. You're set apart. God sets you
apart before the foundation of the world in eternal election. And Christ set you apart at the
cross when He redeemed you, and the Holy Spirit set you apart,
sanctified you when He called you. But you're washed, but you're
sanctified, but you're justified. Now there's
three things, right? Washed, sanctified, justified,
and all in the name of Jesus Christ. the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit
of our God. The writer of Hebrews tells us
that by one offering, one offering. But what an offering that one
offering is. It's the offering of the God-man. by one offering, by his death,
his soul being made a sacrifice for sin. For by one offering
he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. The Lord Jesus Christ had to
take the place of the guilty. And my friends, He had to take
the place of the filthy. Think about sin. It's filthy
in God's sight. It's filthy. It's ugly. It's abominable. God hates it. He had to take the place of the
filthy. The sins of His people had to
be laid and charged upon Him that we, His people, might be
cleansed, healed by His stripes. He gave Him His life. He's the
Good Shepherd. He said the Good Shepherd giveth
His life for the sheep. Now here's the all-important
question. Am I one of his sheep? Am I one of his sheep? Let me
tell you this. This is what he said about his
sheep. He said, my sheep hear my voice
and they follow me. Am I one of his sheep? Have you
heard his voice? In the gospel, when the gospel
is being preached, does he call your name? He calls his sheep
by name. You say, what name is that? Sinner. Sinner. Sheep, their ears perk
up, right? He's talking to me now. He's
got a message for me now. He's talking to sinners. My sheep hear my voice and they
follow me. They come to me. They love me. They serve me. They obey me. I pray that the Lord would bless
this word to all of us here today.