I like his, all the hymns we sang, they're just good. If you'll notice there, teach me thy way and every one of those thy way, thy is capitalized and way is capitalized. Teach me Christ the way. All right, let's turn to Jeremiah chapter nine, Jeremiah nine. looking at the church at Corinth and what Paul had to tell them and that first letter to the church at Corinth I believe Paul just got through reading Jeremiah probably chapter 9 and he set that down and reached out for a pen or have somebody write for him to the church at Corinth I'm gonna quote him some but Maybe we can get a good handle on it. Jeremiah 9, verse 23 is where we'll begin. This is just one paragraph. It's two verses, one paragraph, and it stands alone. Jeremiah 9, 23. Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might. Let not the rich man glory in his riches. But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, saith the Lord. He begins, thus saith the Lord. And he ends with, saith the Lord. The Lord's speaking. The Lord's speaking. There's a colon there at the end of verse 23, and that means what follows will give us a better understanding of what was just said. It's going to expound that thought. But what is that statement? What's that instruction that we're given? Verse 23, thus saith the Lord. Oh, that we'd be given ears to hear him. God's gonna say something. Wouldn't that be something if we could hear it? He'd give us, I mean, to listen. My dad used to interchange those words. Don't just hear me, listen to me, and don't just listen to me, hear me. I wanna hear and listen. Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches. I was thinking, that's a long time ago from Jeremiah's day, isn't it? Is there anything different in our day? What do I glory in? What's the things I like? What's the things you like? There are three things that mankind's very interested in and all three of these means It puts us just a little bit above somebody else. Have you noticed that? If somebody's better at something than you are, you're like, mm, I don't like that. Yeah, but I know how to fly airplanes, right? They're in better shape than I am. Like, well, you know, I'd like to study a lot. Or if I study a lot, they say, well, I like to work out a lot. I've got to take care of this body. We want to be above somebody else. That's our nature. to know more, to do more, and to instruct. Everybody wants to instruct everybody. It blows my mind. I'm drowning in it. But we want something that puts one worm, this worm, just a little bit higher than the other worms on the dunghill, because that's what's happening in there. Ain't we all worms? Ain't the cause of God's mercy is why we're not consumed? Need to remember that, don't we? Wisdom. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom. Me knowing something and you not. Knowledge. That gives me an advantage over someone else. The wisdom to get ahead, right? To beat someone to the punch. Paul said there in 1 Corinthians 8, he said, we know that we all have knowledge. Everybody knows something, but knowledge puffeth up, but love edifieth. I know, I know. How about love? You ought to do this. You ought to love. You see that? Might, that's strength and health, yes, but also power. Might's also position, isn't it? Everybody's jockeying for position, to give ourselves titles over things and to have a hand in something. Pilate had that, didn't he? And Nebuchadnezzar. Pilate told our Lord, we just looked at that. He said, speakest thou not unto me? Don't you reply to me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee and have power to release thee? He told the God of all power, don't you know who I am? He was Pilate. He was the governor, wasn't he? But that knowledge and that position puffed him up. He didn't go to him in love, saying, I need to be loved. I'm unlovable. I need mercy. Puffed himself up. Riches, wealth, money, yes, but also rich in children. rich in friends, rich in experiences, rich in the abundance of the fruit, whatever it is, the increase, right? The Lord gave a parable, and I thought, man, what if I got up and preached and talked about them four types of ground? The parable of the sower and the seed. Either have ears to hear, let him hear. What if I heard a message like that? I'd be like him apostles. I'd say, Lord, tell me what that means. I heard you, but I want to pay attention to you. He spake a parable there in Luke 12. He said, the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentiful. And he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do? Because I have no room where to bestow my fruits. And he said, this will I do. I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there will I bestow all my fruits and all my goods. And I'll say unto my soul, soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease. You ain't gonna work no more. You've worked hard enough. Sit down, eat, drink, be merry. You did good, that's what he said. You've earned it. Treat yourself. But God saith unto him, this whole nation's wrapped up. in that, right? The time of ease that we well deserve to learn. God says, thou fool, this not thy soul shall be required of thee. Then who shall those things be that thou hast provided? All that stuff that you've done, that's what we looked at last hour, wasn't it? Jacob had all that stuff, it's just stuff, it's his. The Lord gave that to him, it's his stuff. What's our improvisations? You did good. Nah, Joseph did it. Big difference. A friend of mine called me and asked me about that camel going through the eye of a needle. He said, I heard that that was the gate, that was the walk-through door, and it could have been a wind tunnel, you know, where the natural bridge, kind of, and they had to get down off oars and crawl. And I said, the apostles, who were commercial fishermen that had left that and got even poorer by being the servants of Christ financially, said, who then can be saved? They weren't millionaires. Maybe it ain't talking about money, huh? The Lord saved a lot of rich folks. He said, enough with all those things you provided, your soul is going to be provided or required this night. He said, so he that layeth up treasure for himself is not rich towards God. You're just babysitting. That's God's things. That's his money. That's his time, his children, his wisdom, his experiences. The Lord did that. He gave that to a man. Humans are very interested in these things. We glory in them. What does that mean? What does it mean to glory? Glory is a verb. Did you know that? It means to boast. We boast it. That's what we talk about. To praise, to celebrate, to commend, to applaud these things. That's what we focus on. We glory in them. Jeremiah 9.23 says, Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches. There are people that are wise, and there's people that are of ability, there are people that are of position, we all have position to something, and there's those that have plenty. And all that, those other people that have all those things, that's for our good, just worldly speaking. Did you know that? That's for the good of the believer. That's for the good of the Lord's people. Just because someone's rich doesn't mean they're going to use you. That doesn't mean they're mean. Just because someone's very strong, powerful, in position, or they got big muscles, that doesn't mean they're going to beat you up and take advantage of you. Just because someone's wise doesn't mean they're trying, they got an angle, or they're smarter than me, they must be plotting on me. That's paranoia, that's what that is. That's fear, isn't it? The super smart, the super powerful, the super rich. Are they not for our good? Are they not profitable for the glory of God? He's doing that. The Lord of hosts, that self-existent one, he said, don't glory in these things. Don't glory in these abilities. That's what Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 4. He said, who maketh thee to differ from another? What hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hast not received it, as if you didn't? Why do you glory? People don't want to brag on preachers or compliment them or tell them what a good job, what a blessing that message was to their hearts because they don't want the preacher to get puffed up fried. Let me tell you something, if they're God's servants, he knows how to keep his servants in line. I know if it's a blessing, God did it. He makes that painfully obvious to me. About 3.57 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Don't glory in those things. He did it. Any wisdom, don't get proud. God gave it. Any position, any health, don't boast in it. The Lord put you there. I'll go to the other end of the spectrum too. Any woes or sorrows, don't glory in that either. Lord gave that to you. Well, I must be a choice servant because he's been awful hard on me. He must love me more than other ones because he's beating on me. Don't glory in that either. It's a trial. Glory in the Lord, any abundance. That's what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3. So then neither he that planteth is anything, nor he that watereth, but God gives the increase. So I came in and I said that and then the Lord used somebody else to preach and they were baptized in a pool of water. I had to come tell you that that's what God commands. Who cares? That's a child of God coming to him. Good. I want to be an unnamed servant. Everyone all will glory in something. We're gonna look up to something. We're gonna pray something. We're going to promote something or someone and commend something. What should we glory in? It's gonna happen. What should we glory in? Verse 24, but let him that gloryeth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me. That don't say, that don't mean going around, I know God and I understand him. Get out of my way. That's not what he's talking about. Here's what it's okay to praise. Here's what it's okay to applaud and commend. That you understand and know me, he says. Child of God's faced with a strong trial. Or when we're faced with great ease and comfort. Sometimes they'll give the reason, the only reason this is is because I'm a child of God. Why did this great world, what the world calls benefit? How come the business has been blessed so much? How come the kids are done doing so well? How come this is so great? How come everybody's on the honor roll? God did it. God did it. How come it's so bad? Why are we in such heaven? Why me? That's what the world cries, right? Why? God did this. He's on his throne. God sent this. We know him. And I don't know exactly what he's going to do, but I know whatever is done is his doing. You get that? It's his will. It's going to be accomplished. It's going to happen. He's for me. That's all right. That's what I went to the eye doctor, and I got some problems in this right eye. And he was apologizing to me. I said, don't. Lord, let me see a lot of things on this earth. I got a lot of use out of this body. It breaks down. That's all right. That's all right, Lord's been good to me. It's his eye. If he wants to put cataracts in it, that's his business, ain't nobody else's business. I don't apologize for that, it's good. As this time of bad things I've experienced in my life, and people said, how could you be so calm? And I said, the Lord's revealed himself to me. And then there was times in my life that everything was going really good. And they said, how could you be so calm? Why don't you buy some boats and get you a helicopter or something? And I said, no, because the Lord revealed himself to me. It's his stuff. Understandeth and, no, understand what? The holy God that's all wise. Understand that the holy God that's all powerful and strong. And he's rich in possessions. This whole universe is his. A cattle on a thousand hills is his. And that's not, well, what about the thousand and first hill? That's just the wording, right? He owns it all. He's rich in mercy, too. Not just stuff. He's abundant in grace. I understand, you understand that. Glory in that. Applaud that. Not your knowledge, him, a person. Promote that. Promote that. Not fear-mongering and division. Promote Him. But this understanding, it goes hand-in-hand with something that says there, and. Understand and knoweth. We have somewhat of an understanding of who the Lord is. We can grasp His names that we go through, we look at often, don't we? And we glory in that, we praise that. But also, you that have a new heart, you that He's worked in, you can promote that you know Him. not just the facts that he's on his throne, not just that Christ is the savior of sinners, I love him because he saved this sinner. Do you see the difference between the head knowledge, Christ is the savior of sinners, and the heart, that's what brother Eric wrote there in the bulletin, brother Ludd, Christ is the savior of sinners, that's up here. I'm a sinner and Christ saved me, that's here, that's in the heart. You see the difference? You want a glory in something? God showed me I was a worm, and he saved me anyway, because he's merciful. I understand he's merciful. I understand he's powerful, and he can. He shows love and kindness. What is it to know him? Knoweth him. We love him, and we're intimate. We're made one with him. Intimate. That's benevolence. That's what married husbands and wives get to experience, a oneness. We love him. Isn't that me boasting I love the Lord? No, it's not. Not if it's with understanding. Why? What do you understand? He first loved us. We remember his word, what he said. He loved us first. He laid down his life for me and I wasn't even on this earth yet. We were yet sinners, he died for us. He lived for us, he died for us. Right now he's on his throne, he intercedes for us. When I pray and I don't know what to pray and I just go, ah, the spirit intercedes with groanings we can't understand. When I say something I can articulate as words and I ought to be just moaning, the spirit says, he said, ah. You get that? Translates it for us. I understand that and I know it. I love it. I don't want any other way. You want another way? Move out the way. Let me talk to God. You talk for me. You intercede for me. I understand all things are for my good and his glory. I understand he is the wise one. He's the strong one. He's the rich one. And all power comes from him. And I love it that way. I do. I really do. I love it that way. I wouldn't have it any other way. Verse 24 says, But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, saith the Lord. The Lord delights in these things. He delights in these things. He exercises judgment, and you can use that because of the commas. He exercises loving kindness, he exercises judgment, and he exercises righteousness. And he delights in those things. He said so, saith the Lord. Have you ever heard someone phrase that? Now you do this, and I'll make God happy. It always benefits the person that's saying it, isn't it? Have you noticed that? It does. You children, the Lord says, children, by your parents, that's the first commandment with promise, you have a long life. But the parent that says, now, God's word says, husbands, you submit to me, I'm the boss. That benefits me, don't it? Do this, or do that, or don't do this, that'll make God happy. If we speak on behalf of the Almighty God of heaven and earth, I recommend you say what He says, not what you think, and not what benefits you, what benefits me. What does the Lord say He delights in? I want to know. I understand Him, I love Him, and I want to know what makes Him happy. If you love somebody, you want to know what makes them happy. I'll try not to tell it, but it happened. I gotta be careful what I say, what I like. I mentioned I like a certain kind of backpack. I know somebody else did the same kind of backpack. And we was talking about that brand. And I said, well, this model, they don't make it no more. And that's when I wanted, but we'll wait and see if they make another one next year. You know what showed up at my house the other day? That backpack, they don't make no more. I don't know where they got it from. I looked hard. And I thought, what if I'd already found one and bought one? Didn't say nothing. They'd have sent it anyway. They wouldn't have cared. Why? They knew I liked it. I delighted in those things. They said to me, they said, love me. I love him who first loved me. And I want to know what makes him happy. I want to know what delights. He delights. Don't you want to do that for the ones you love? I love him. What does the Lord delight in? Exercising loving kindness. Not a cold definition of loving kindness, but doing it. moving through it, loving kindness. He creates loving kindness. He's the source of it, and he exercises it. That means he performs it. He doesn't just say he loves it. He does something about it. You can be kind to someone and not love them, but you cannot love someone and not be kind to them, not have compassion on them. And we're sinners. The Lord said, your son asked you for a fish. You don't give him a scorpion, and you're full of sin. You're evil. How much more my heavenly Father? You can't love someone and not be compassionate on them. You can't love someone and not care for them. Love does something. You want me to tell you what it does? It bears all things. He exercises loving kindness, doesn't he? Love bears all things. It believes all things. It hopes all things. It endures all things. It lasts to the end. Paul told us that in 1 Corinthians 13. That's why I said I think he's reading Jeremiah. He said, love suffers long. It's kind. Love doesn't envy. Love volunteers in all itself. It's not puffed up. It doesn't behave itself unseemly. It doesn't seeketh its own. It's not easily provoked. It thinketh no evil. It rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in truth, bearing all things, believing all things, hopeth all things, adoreth all things. Charity never faileth. Love doesn't fail. Well, that love failed. Maybe it wouldn't love. Well, no, I thought I really loved him. Maybe we ought to learn what God says love is. That's where I was in my notes. I thought I was going to jump ahead. I was going to do it anyway. What's love? In this was manifest the love of God towards us. God loved the people. And John says in 1 John, I'm going to tell you exactly what this means. Because God sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through him. He's dead. He's going to die. He sent his son here in his love, not that we love God, but that he loved us. And love does something. What's it do? He sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. What's propitiation mean? Acceptable bloody sacrifice, the mercy seat. He sent his son to be the mediation for us, to be forsaken because he's for us. That's love. That's love. You find some criminal somewhere that I don't, have anything in common with and I hate and they hate me and they said sacrifice one of your children for him. Ain't no way. Ain't no way. I ain't wired that way. We was enemies with God and he sent his son to lay down his life for us. That's love. That's what he delights in because that's what he did. In John 13, he loved his own which was in the world. He loved them to the end. All the way, all the way. He delights in exercising judgment. He exercises loving kindness. He delights in exercising judgment. I thought of there in Ezekiel, it says it three times. He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. I've been accused of things of what I believe. Here's what God says. I believe what he says. He said in Ezekiel 18, for I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord. Wherefore, turn yourselves and live ye. He said, it doesn't make me happy to send people to hell. Bow to Christ. Live. But they won't. They won't. Lord said, I took you underneath my wings like a hen takes its chicks underneath her, but you wouldn't. You said, I won't have this man rain on me. I know. I know what's right. It's what we've always done. How can he delight in judgment? He delights himself in justifying his people. He loves judgment. It's His holy law, and you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna be just, and I'm gonna justify those that I love, and all that judgment's gonna be satisfied, because I'm gonna put it on my son. For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son. And the judgment for those in Christ, those He's represented, it took place on Calvary, didn't it? That's where it took place. And we look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy, The joy, that's exercising love and kindness, isn't it? For the joy set before me endured the cross, despising the same, and he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. He was risen because it was just. The Lord said, I delight in justice and judgment. I delight in love and kindness. How could a just and holy God exercise love and kindness and judgment? Because it was exercised in righteousness. He delights in righteousness. How was righteousness exercised? Where did justice and mercy meet? In the person and the work of Christ on Golgotha's heel. Perfect judgment, justice, holiness was all maintained at the same time loving kindness and mercy and compassion was exercised to an undeserving people. The Lord said in Isaiah 53, yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief, when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. Satisfied by his knowledge. What about our knowledge? By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. That one that knows that revealed himself to his people. He revealed himself to me. Glory in that. That's something glory in it. Do you understand him? Do you love him? Then you praise, exalt, glorify his name. You want to glory in something, glorify in him and him. Turn over to first Corinthians. So did Paul's like he's reading that first Corinthians one. Verse 26, Paul's writing to those brethren, brethren at Corinth. It's in 1 Corinthians 1 verse 26. For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh Not many mighty, not many noble are called. There's some, ain't there? Not many, though. I mean, we got it made. We are, right now in this country, the lower class has it better than Rockefeller had back in his day, the health care, medicine, everything else. We got it made. We're all but noble, ain't we? A friend of mine, I made this reference a couple weeks ago. He asked me the other day, and I thought, well, I'll just type it out, because instead of just trying to text or something and email it to him. But there's a Christmas dinner. years ago, and they was going around the table, and they were saying what they were thankful for. They didn't have Thanksgiving in that country, but they were saying what they were thankful for. And in attendance was Queen Victoria. She was there. And everybody went around the table, and most of them mentioned their health, and their wealth, and their diligent queen. They even thanked, well, we're thankful for you. That's what I'm thankful for, and just being a kiss up, you know, trying to smooch on the queen and gain benefit. But it was Victoria's turn. Came to Queen Victoria, and I said, Queen, what are you thankful for? And she goes, I'm thankful for the letter M. What? You ain't thankful for this big palace, or being a queen, or this, or that. You're thankful for a letter? M? Not even A? Thankful for letter M? Why? They were just perplexed. And I said, why are you thankful for the letter M? And she said, the scriptures say that not many noble are called. She said, if it said not any, I'd have no hope. She's thankful for the letter M. We might meet her one day. I don't know. She might be up for it. Verse 27. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. the base things of the world, to the things which are despised hath God chosen. Yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught the things which are. That, he did all this, that no flesh should glory in his presence. Don't you glory in your wisdom, don't you glory in your might, don't you glory in your riches, because no flesh is going to glory in his presence. If that's of you and your riches, your might, your wisdom, your knowledge, your understanding. Ain't gonna happen. But, of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made of us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. That, there's a reason, what's it say there in your Bible? That, according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. I think that's what Paul was reading, don't you? He had a bunch of it. People talk all about his health, and if he's tall or short, if he's hunched over, and eye problems, and cataracts, and all that stuff. But he was a man of position. He had some power. He had some upward mobility in this world, didn't he? The tribe of Benjamin circumcised the eighth day, and he said, you think you kept that law? You better look out, buddy. I got more to boast in than you do. And he said, I count it all but dung. Go look that up in Webster's Dictionary and send me words. We have an hour a day to consider that. That's what it is. Dung. Everything. That I may know him. I want to know him. I want to understand him. Do you? Do you? I know him and I understand him. And you know what? I want to understand him and know him more. I do. All right. Let's pray together. Father, thank you for revealing yourself to us sorry sons of Jacob. Worms. It's unimaginable, Lord. You delight in love and kindness. You delight in judgment. You delight in righteousness and mercy and grace. Lord, we do too. Christ in us, our hope of glory Make us look to Him, Lord. Make us glory in those things and what You've done and Your will and Your purpose and not in ourselves. Turn us from ourselves and turn us to our Redeemer. It's because of Him we ask it. Amen.