Reading again this evening from Proverbs chapter three. Now if there's one thing I've noticed in this last few days is the obsession with running. It seems like there are so many more joggers than there ever have been. And to be completely honest with you, they're driving me up the wall. They're driving me mad. We're supposed to be social distancing. You try and take a walk up the road to go to the shops, and they run into you. They're the worst social distancers around, I think, apart from cars that have been driving up onto the pavement. But it does strike me that so many people at this time at this time are more interested, as always seems to be the case, when people have time on their hands, they're more interested in the physical well-being, the physical body. They're more interested in fitness of this body, at the expense of the spiritual. The title of the message this evening is this, Restoration and Health. Restoration and Health. If only people would be drawn, if only their ears would be unstopped to hear, they would hear God's Word continually telling them there is a way of restoration, there is a way of health. It's not necessarily always a physical health, it's not necessarily a temporal health, it is that which is spiritual health, spiritual well-being. And quite often, not always, but quite often, Spiritual well-being precedes good health physically. But the most important health that everyone on this earth should be thinking about is the health of their soul. Is it well with my soul? Is it well with my soul? We don't need to keep repeating, but it is a fact that everyone on this Earth is going to have to keep that appointment with death. Everyone! Everyone! There is a hysteria at the moment being whipped up because of the fear that man has with death. Yet death is all around. Death is all around every day. Just as an aside, I think it has been an abomination and immoral, the fact that the starvation of millions around this world is forgotten at this time. Just because the Western world on the whole the Western material world has been affected by the threat of death. Just as an aside, we've got to be careful that we don't get carried away with the way the world looks on things. But one fact is, whatever way it comes, we are all going to expire from this life. And so we must, like that man, sorry unlike that man in that parable who built his bigger barns we should not be like that man building for the things of this life because tonight could well be that our soul is required of us whatever way that is the most important thing the most important Gift, if I could say it that way. The most important words that you could share as a believer with an unbeliever is to challenge them with their spiritual well-being. What shall it profit a man if he has good health in this life? Put it that way. But he still loses some. Proverbs chapter 3 says this, and we read from verse 7. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones. Now firstly, firstly, if there is one thing, if there is one thing which mankind generally is guilty of, each to a lesser or larger degree, it is the sin of pride. Pride certainly comes before a fall. It is pride, the sin of pride, that the devil himself sinned before he was cast out of heaven. And God's Word, God's Word warns the sinner. God's Word warns the sinner. Be not wise in your own eyes. He pronounces judgement upon such as continue in this foolishness, in this falling, to think, to think that one is so clever, so wise, so intelligent that they need not God. Isaiah 5.21 says, Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight, woe unto them. Do you remember someone else who said several times, even to the religious folk, woe unto you? The Lord Jesus. It is the Lord Jesus who said that, wasn't it? Woe, woe. And I would say, although this is for the third point, but I would just say as an aside, woe unto the Church. Woe, woe, woe unto the Church if we think we're so wise that we can change the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul says, woe unto himself, woe unto me. If I preach not Christ, man has, to the most part, forgotten God. And remember what God's words told us as we were looking at Psalm 9, just before all this crisis started to come to light. God pronounced his judgement upon the nations that forgot God. This is the collective state of all outside of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1 putting it this way, because that's when they knew God. The knowledge of God is to be seen all around. They glorified Him not as God. Neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. And this isn't just this age in which we live. This has been in every age. When the apostle was led of God the Holy Spirit to write those words, those foolish, foolish, foolish philosophers of the Greek world thought they knew better. and sinful men and women continue in this state of rebellion and hatred towards the Almighty. Thinking themselves, thinking themselves to be so wise, so clever, so advanced that they do not heed these words. They do not heed these words here to fear the Lord. To fear the Lord. There is no fear of God in this world. Not much. Just look around you. We will do this. We will do that. Where is God in their thinking? It has to be said, even Her Majesty the Queen, the other day in her address, however eloquent, however rousing, however well-meant, she professes to know God. She never mentioned God once. Not once! Yes, she went through the usual rhetoric that people say, those of faith and no faith, which means nothing. There is no fear of God, and that's why man acts the way he does. But when we read here, fear the Lord, it is better, it is better that the Bible should be translated as it is originally here. because many people have a notion of who the Lord is, of who God is, but they have no notion and no acceptance that this is the one true God, the only God. It is better to be put, fear Yahweh. Fear Yahweh. He's the only God. The one and only true God and judge of all the earth. fear him. The others are idols. We see again an accurate description, an accurate description given to us of the world today, as always has been since man fell into sin and refused God's rule in his heart. We see again in Romans chapter one and verse 23, Verse 22 says, professing to be wise they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man. That's the religion of this world. It's all man-centred. It's all man-centred. And much of so-called Christian religion is man-centred. It's not the Gospel of God. I don't care what they call it. and birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonour their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for all the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural, the natural use for what is against nature. Not allowed to say that anymore, are you? Be careful. Another aside, be careful who you get directed in your thoughts about politicians who you would prefer to be in the White House in America. All of the Democrat candidates, all of them, and especially the front-runner, are in favour of abortion, the killing of the unborn, They are in favour of bringing in all these unnatural things into law and making it illegal to speak against them. Be careful who you support. Don't get whipped up by the media and what you think people stand for. Likewise, also men leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error, which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting, being filled with all unrighteousness sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness, they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, who, knowing, the unrighteous, sorry, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things, what does it say? Are deserving of death. Not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them. Why is the world so, why is the world so surprised that God is not pleased. And anyone who is bold enough to say such a thing is labelled as unloving and a bigot and all the other things. But this is the Word of God. Do you believe the Word of God, dear believer tonight? Or do you believe the world? Do you believe the BBC Sky News? Or do you believe the Word of God? Who will you serve? Just as Joshua said, who will you serve? It's coming, it's coming, it's here already. It's at the very doors. Persecution is coming. Is anyone going to stand with me? Or will you leave me on my own? And others who proclaim the truth. We've got nothing else but the Word of God. We've got no other foundation but God's Word. Do we believe it? Will we proclaim it? Will we stand by it? Secondly, see that into such a world, such a wicked world, such a filthy world, into such a dark world, the Lord whose wrath and judgment is poured out, sends forth the good news of the gospel of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the greater, more desirable, valuable wisdom, which unlike the wisdom of man, which comes to naught, to nothing. His wisdom is unto life eternal. That's the good news. That's the good news. Have you noticed, have you noticed when you read those words in Romans 1, the first chapter of Romans, you see such bad news there. And yet, and yet we read, we read in Romans 1 It is not all bad news. God, in anger, has remembered mercy. Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. And we see, we see here in Romans 1, tucked, tucked away, somewhat, in the middle of all of this unrighteousness, we see, yet, Preceding those words, those bad news words, we see in verse 16 and 17, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation, to rescue, to redemption, to forgiveness. It is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes. for the Jew first and also for the Greek, for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the just shall live by faith, by faith on the Son of God. What a gracious God. And as we look just for a brief moment at verse 8 of our text, which we shall look at in a moment, seeking God's way, seeking God's way rather than your own, is the better way to be in. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones. Now we must of course Look at these words spiritually first and foremost. If you look again at Romans you will see then, the hope, the hope. God has not left us without hope. In the midst of mankind's folly, being wise in his own eyes, preferring darkness to light, there is a wonderful moving of God's grace still by divine power. Did I hear an amen to that? That will make an effect. It will bring about a change, a turnaround. whenever he is at work. That's what the word says then. The gospel of Christ is the power, divine power, it's the almighty power of God unto salvation. Unto everyone who believes. If God's at work in it, he most certainly be assured, he most certainly will bring about a change. No doubt. Yes, into this sorry state of the world whereby God continues to pour out his wrathful punishments. Because remember, God's wrath, God's judgments are continuing day by day, year by year. There's many things coming to pass in this world, many calamities, and they will continue to come to pass until the Lord Jesus comes again. Let's not get bogged down in talking about just one instance. There are many things coming to pass in this world, and they have been since these words were written. God's wrathful punishments continue to be poured out upon this world. Speaking forth, speaking forth this warning to flee from the wrath, the worst wrath, the wrath that is to come. And as the word says, he has sent his son, Jesus Christ, the true wisdom of God. And this is seen at the cross of Christ. And the word of God in the gospel, proclaimed for such as must be saved, is able to make them wise and salvation. Yes, there is restoration and health in the Gospel. Thirdly, the child of God, the child of God, trusting Christ, is to be cautioned by these words too, here in Proverbs 3. Do not be wise in your own eyes, believer. Do not be wise in your own eyes. You still live in the body of this flesh. Be not wise in your own eyes. No believer on the Lord Jesus has any ability, has the wisdom to discern between good and evil, between the right path and the crooked one, without God's leading. You need the Lord's leading. That's what 1 Corinthians 2 says. These things are spiritually discerned. You need the discerning of the Spirit of God leading you and guiding you. Walk not in the flesh but in the Spirit. Quite often the elect of God are warned to depart from evil. Depart from it. Depart from evil. Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and depart from evil. To withdraw. To withdraw. to avoid, to come out from among bad influences. Do not be fooled believer, however nice, the world lieth in wickedness. C1 Corinthians 15 33 Do not be deceived, evil or sinful company corrupts good habits. As God's people, us who know the Lord Jesus, we are to have a holy awe and reverence toward our great God. Where is the reverence for God today? Where is it? Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Sorry. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear Yahweh. Fear Yahweh. Fear the Lord. It's unfashionable now to talk about that in churches, the fear of the Lord. But we are. We are. To have such a reverence, such an awe, such a respect, not only to the name of God, that we do not name him blasphemously and misuse his name, oh my god and such like should not be on your lips but not only that we should have reverence and awe for his person for his very being Hebrews 12 puts it like this Hebrews 12 verse 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." Not self-righteousness. There's a difference between self-righteousness and true reverence for God. for our God is a consuming fire. You see, the church over many years has been influenced by Gnostic thought, who have this view of the Old Testament God, this vengeful God, as being a wicked God. And they've changed the God of the New Testament to be a different God from the Old Testament. And so there is no reverence, there is no consuming fire of a God. Those tentacles are in the church today, to a lesser or larger degree. Just go into some of these congregations and see what goes on there. The behaviour. Where is the reverence for the Almighty in the worship of the church today? How can we expect the world outside to reverence God if we treat Him thus? People turn up slovenly Scruffy, making no effort for God. No effort for God. That's unpopular, that thought, but it's true. God must have our best. And the church in many respects has turned aside to their own wisdom. To their own wisdom. Just all this thought about slovenliness and scruffiness. This has been exacerbated in this rush to go online and have live streaming weeks ago before we were kind of pushed into it. And I've looked at people online in their live streaming, people who should know better. They make no effort to stand to preach the word of God. And they most certainly do not dress as they would normally have done had they been in a church building, sitting slovenly in front of a computer, high guys, Shirt open, no tie. Jeans on. That's the world. That's the world influencing us. The church has turned aside to its own wisdom and away from the sufficiency of preaching Christ and Him crucified. That's why I read from 1 Corinthians 2 earlier. The Apostle Paul said, determined to do nothing else than to proclaim this message. That's not the spirit of the age in many churches today. If there's one thing that's good that's come of this, from this time of not being able to gather in buildings, is this deplorable, despicable abomination of messy church. I hope we've seen the end of it. This could be the end of me, couldn't it, after tonight? No more friends. There is in many cases no reverence for God's infinite holiness. in the altering of the Gospel. As I said earlier, if they considered for one moment that which the Apostle Paul said was the testimony of God, they would think twice in altering it. They would think twice in fiddling around with it, in adding to it, in making it so man-friendly that it ceases to be God's Gospel. God is calling today, this day, for all his elect to reverence him in all things. It has been well said, it is a biblical thought, judgment begins with the house of God. And so God's people must not be wise in their own eyes. we must fear God first and foremost, reverence Him, and depart from the wicked ways of the world. And fourthly, the Lord God, our God, the God, Yahweh, the only God, that's right, there's no faith or no faith, God Almighty Yahweh, the God of the Bible, the only God, Jesus Christ. The same God has been imprinted upon the consciences nonetheless of every man, woman and child in this world. And this God who is imprinted upon their consciences commands all to depart from the way of self from the way of what they would consider to be right and wise to be a fool in their own sight humbling yourself before the living God God commands this it's not an option it's a command It's not an offer, it's a holy command from God Almighty. The only message to be heard at this time, the only message to be heard at this time from the true church, at this time in which so many are laid low or fearful of this virus or any other thing, is this. Fear the Lord. Fear the Lord. Fear the Lord. There's good news in that. Reverence your Creator, to whom you must give an account one day. in your prayers for our Prime Minister. Think on this, it came to my attention yesterday and it's amazing how God answers prayers as we would not see them to be answered or plan them to be answered. We prayed Sunday morning, like so many, like so many. We prayed that the Prime Minister, even in the goodness of God, that God would grant him wisdom and bring him humbled before God. It came to my attention yesterday that as we consider the Prime Minister who we pray for, that he has been brought low, literally, physically, into hospital, one of the primary carers in that section dealing with infectious diseases is a renowned doctor who's a believer who attends the Metropolitan Tabernacle in Elephant and Castle. Could that be the answer to that prayer that so many prayed? We don't see the answers to our prayers to be as God would see them. Whatever means God will use, he will still bring him face to face, we pray that he'll bring him face to face with the gospel in some way, shape or form, through this man and we know the gospel is unto condemnation as well as salvation, but nonetheless that prayer being answered. Pray for that man in his witness in general, in that Hospital in St Thomas' Hospital. It is as Psalm 111 verse 10 declares, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of Yahweh, the only true God, is the beginning of wisdom. Not this wisdom, this supposed wisdom, wise in our own eyes, but the Wisdom, the wisdom that is good wisdom. It is the beginning of being pointed to the very wisdom of God. To the cross of Christ Jesus. That's the wisdom this world needs to hear. And by the way, not just once a year, Those who heed the voice of God, in His word, hear saying, be not wise in your own eyes, yes, turn from your own way, turn back to God. Such ones will be caused to reverence, to reverence, to fear the Lord. And in so doing will be brought to the place of wisdom, where sin, is cleansed, where healing of spirit is made. It will be health to your bones and strength, sorry, health to your flesh and strength to your bones. The spirit is talking specifically here of spiritual life. It's picturing spiritual life. even as those dry bones that were prophesied to by Ezekiel. It's speaking of new birth. It's speaking of salvation. It's speaking of eternal life. It's speaking of forgiveness with God. It's the wisdom of God, as 1 Corinthians 1, 18-21 says. Yes, it's foolishness to man, but it's the wisdom of God, the cross of Christ. That's where wisdom is to be seen. That's where someone is to know themselves wise, bowing to God in Christ Jesus. Who knows? Who knows? I know not whether if multitudes, if multitudes around the world turn from their sin and repent toward God by Jesus Christ, whether God will restore many to physical well-being and health. I know not, I'm no prophet, but I do know, I do know on the authority of this word, I do know that there, that as these words most importantly mean, many shall be spiritually restored to God. And that is the greatest need. For those laid low in heart by the Spirit of God shall be healed within. Don't you desire to see that? Healed within cleansed from all sin, by the wondrous work of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world. He who breaks the hearts first, who breaks the hearts of sinners, bringing them to fear the Lord, unto salvation, says these words, and we close with these. For I will restore health unto you. and I will heal you of your wounds, says the Lord. Amen.