We read together again this morning, three verses only, in our text in Judges chapter 17. And I read again to you these words. There was a man of Mount Ephraim whose name was Micah. And he said unto his mother, The 1,100 shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursest and spakest of also in mine ears. Behold, the silver is with me. I took it. And his mother said, blessed be thou the Lord, my son. And when he had restored the 1,100 shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord from my hand for my son to make a graven image and a molten image. Now, therefore, I will restore it unto thee. Verse four, yet he restored the money unto his mother. and his mother took 200 shekels of silver and gave them to the founder who made thereof a graven image and a molten image. They were in the house of Micah. I have remained with the same overall title for our series of studies in this chapter. which we have weekly published in your bulletin. Without the King, no bond is sacred. But then additionally, not published in your bulletin, I have given title to the sermons as I have brought them. And so today, I simply bring you a message entitled, Repentance That Will Not Save. and saints that will not give. Repentance that will not save and saints that will not give. I must confess this morning that preaching expositionally through this chapter has been one of the most difficult seasons in my recent life. The examination of many broken bonds, detailed for us here and which I have shared with you, has opened many old wounds, Brother John, in my own heart. and thrown light again on my own catastrophic failures. More than a few times in seeking to get through this chapter, I have felt that my guilt would sink me to despair and that I should never occupy this sacred place again. very different attitude, very different conviction from my youthful days. Nevertheless, by God's grace, by my wife's help, and by your prayers, we have pressed on. And I've now finished, I hope. I hope we've finished the study of these broken bonds caused by the absence of the King, the absence of the law of God. Now today, as is my usual custom to do in my preaching of recent years, It has become my usual custom that when I have completed the exposition of any chapter, I go back and I pick up some fragments fallen from the table and draw out to our hearts some lessons which, for whatever reasons in my own mind and purpose, they seemed not to fit in the formal exposition of the chapter. And so I leave them late and then come back at the end. This has become my method, not through any specific design or intent. It seems simply to be the way it has fallen out in my studies. And so this morning there are two lessons here that seem to stand out to me that insist upon our notice. The first one this morning, I would point you to a great lesson that's to be learned just at the outset of this record. Verse 2, Micah said to his mother, the 1,100 shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursest and speakest of also, in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me. I took it. And his mother said, blessed be thou of the Lord, my son. Here in the space of only a few words, in one single very short verse, a mother pronounces on her son a profoundly damning curse. In the Hebrew, which I did not expand very much, I think I mentioned it, there is a very, this is no passing comment she made. She literally pronounces a damning curse. And almost in the same breath, as it were, a sober blessing. All apparently within a very short time. The money is realized to be gone. She, I'm persuaded, along with most commentators, that she had some very good notion where it was. And she pronounces a profound and damning curse, and the boy gives it back. And immediately, she says, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son. All within a very short time. She receives her money back and with nothing more than its arrival in her hand, she is ready to bestow on him her richest blessings. Indeed, she proceeds to bestow it all back on Him again. And that with her announced blessings. And not only hers, but she entreats the blessings of the Lord. And here I say to you, this morning is a great and timely warning. a great and timely lesson for us in God's church today. And here it is. Repentance that is true and godly sorrow. Repentance that needeth not to be repented of is a deep soul-changing work and ought not to be treated lightly nor the profession of it accredited too quickly. True soul-changing repentance is a work that ought not be treated lightly, nor the profession of it accredited too quickly. As it turned out in the story as you know it, as it turned out, there is no evidence from this text that his heart had any change at all, only his method. His heart didn't change, only his method changed. This idolatrous woman and her equally idolatrous son ought not to be taken this morning for an example of sound evangelical repentance. But in fact, just the opposite. It is a clear example of a repentance in unconverted pagans. I said a repentance in unconverted pagans. which, by the way, they remained, as you know from the story. Sometime in the 1800s, there came into common use among evangelical churches what they called the mourner's bench and the inquiry room. C. H. Spurgeon made use of these things and was a big proponent of them. But those practices moved quickly in America into what later came to be called the sawdust trail and the old-fashioned altar. and promoted by their use. Decisional regeneration. Where multitudes were inflated with a false security by the applause of gospel hucksters anxious to expand the numbers of their mighty achievements in soul winning. How often have I heard it, you've heard it, most of us in this congregation come from a background we've heard it. How often have we heard them at the end of a service say, bow your heads and close your eyes while I work my magic. Oh, how quickly were those involved gladly received and christened as true converts, who never had anything more than Micah had in this text. A fleeting moment's change in methods. I said how quickly they were gladly christened as true converts. Later in his ministry, C. H. Spurgeon, somewhere around the 1880s, began to despair of the thing himself. He penned these words. Spurgeon said, sometimes We are inclined to think that a very great portion of modern revivalism has been more of a curse than a blessing, because it has led thousands to a kind of peace before they have known their misery. Restoring the prodigal to the father's house and never making him say, Father, I have sinned. How can he be healed who's not sick? How can he be satisfied with the bread of life who's not hungry? The old-fashioned sense of sin is despised and consequently a religion is run up before the foundation is dug out. Everything in this age is shallow, says Burgess. Deep sea fishing is almost an extinct business so far as men's souls are concerned. The consequence is that men leap into religion and then leap out again. Unhumbled, they came to the church. Unhumbled, they remained in it. And unhumbled, they go out from it. Spurgeon, 1880. Oh, in our text this morning, ready she was, Micah's mother, ready she was to bless him whom she had only just now exposed in his sin. And that with the most spurious sense of remorse. First Thessalonians 5 and verse 21 warns us. Prove all things. Hold fast that which is good. Prove! Doce matzo. The word means to test, to scrutinize. Prove! By the way, That's the exact same Greek word used in 1 John chapter 4 and verse 1. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits. Prove! Try! Says the apostle. to that church in Thessalonica, prove all things, prove all things, try them. Oh, how very easy, how easy and how deceptive is a carnal repentance in an unchanged heart. Look with me, I give you only one example this morning to take to your heart. You know the story quite well and so I'll not read it, but I will review it in your mind. You know the story in 1 Samuel chapter 24. We read of King Saul and his vile passion for the blood of David. God's anointed Saul is not only at war with David, he's at war with God himself. None would argue, none would disagree that he was a vile man, that this was a vile purpose. Chapter 24, verse 1 says, It came to pass that Saul returned from following the flesh signs that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedot. Then Saul took 300 chosen men out of all Israel, went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. In hot pursuit of David, in contradiction to the work of God, the mouth of God, the word of God, Saul is in a desperate place of heart, sin, and evil. But then he falls asleep in a cave. You remember the story, David cuts the skirt off of Saul's garment, but then later his heart is rebuked for it. And he did it, of course, just to show Saul that he had him in his power, if he pleased, do what he would with him. But then he repents of it and he tells Saul what he did. And then Saul speaks, listen to what he says. In chapter 24, listen to his word, verse 16. Came to pass when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul that Saul said, is this thy voice my son, David? Saul lifted up his voice and wept. And he said to David, thou art more righteous than I. For thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. Thou hast shown this day how that thou hast dealt well with me. For as much as when the Lord hath delivered me into thy land, thou killest me not." Verse 20 and now. Behold, I know well thou shalt surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thy hand. Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me. Verse 22, David swore to him. I read you all of that to show you repentance. A false repentance, a carnal repentance. Because you see, in the evil that Saul sought to do against him, we hear in verses 16 through 20 what seemed like a great repentance. And we would say, Hallelujah! Look what has happened. He's turned. God has turned his heart. But no. No, it's vain. It's carnal. It's false. Chapter 26 and verse 1 verse 2, Saul arose and went to the wilderness of Zip, having 3,000 chosen men of Israel with him to seek David in the wilderness. What is he doing? Exactly what he was doing before. But I thought we heard a glorious testimony out of him. How God had spoken to him and showed him what was going to happen and he repented and all he asked for was mercy for his family. Wasn't that repentance? No, it was not repentance unto salvation. We find in chapter 26, verse 1 and 2, he's at it again. Oh, but wait, wait. Look at verse 21 of that chapter. He repented and said, Saul, I've sinned. I've sinned, return my son, David, for I no more do thee harm, because my soul's precious in thine eyes. And say, behold, I've played fool, I've erred exceedingly. My goodness, what a testimony this man gives. I mean, you couldn't have heard a better testimony in any of the revivalist tent meetings of the 70s and 80s. What a testimony! Hallelujah! All the saints are shouting, no doubt. But is it repentance? Go to chapter 27 and verse 1. David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There's nothing better for me than I should speedily escape into the land of the Christians and Saul shall despair of me." What in the world is he talking about? Saul's still after him. But he's already had two altar call experiences. He'd been to the mortar bench twice, been to the inquiry room, got in the altars. Here is carnal. repentance. It's only good for a moment because it is not spirit born conviction and conversion. Oh how quick we are to accept a hasty profession without time for testing. And what is the fruit of it? What is the fruit of this folly of ours? I'll tell you what it is. Multitudes hastening off into hell under a damning delusion fostered by a shallow false gospel. Multitudes. There are multitudes filling the pews of churches in America today I loathe to say it, but many of them are called Baptists, that their pews are full of people who are going to hell with a false delusion because their hearts have never been changed. Multitudes are hastening off into hell under a damning delusion fostered by a shallow and false gospel. Oh, listen to the words. Listen to the words of 2 Peter chapter 2 and verse 17. These are wells without water. Clouds that are carried with a tempest to whom the midst of darkness is reserved forever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh through much wantonness. Those that were clean escape from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the service of corruption. For of whom a man is overcome of the same he's brought in bondage for him after they have escaped, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome. The latter end is worse for them than the beginning. Oh, it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn, to turn, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. And it has happened, verse 22, that gray verse, it has happened unto them according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the sow was washed to her wallowing in the mire. One commentator commenting on that text in 2 Peter said, it is not to be wondered at that they are again entangled in and overcome by their former pollutions. when there never was a thorough change wrought in their hearts. Dogs and swine, which were beasts unclean by the law, they still were. Under the greatest appearances of reformation and such, they now show themselves to be by their apostasy. On that phrase, the dog is turned to his vomit again, Poole said, as dogs vomit up what is burdensome to them, but still being dogs and not having changed their nature by easing their stomachs, they lick up their own vomit again. So these, under a fit of conviction, through the power of the Word, disgorged those sins which burdened their consciences, but having thereby gotten some ease, and their old nature and love to their former life still remaining, they again returned to the same sins they had for a time, for example. It always happens. And then commenting on that phrase, the sow was washed, was wallowing again in the mire, he said, swine that naturally love the dirt and mire, if sometimes they be washed from it, yet still remaining their former disposition, they return again to it. By the way, did you know that the word translated sow in your Old Testament? is a Hebrew word that means return. That's interesting. Because the apostle picks up that thought and says that the sow that was washed is returned to wallowing in the mire. So likewise these here mention, however they may be washed from the pollutions of the world, and by the preaching of the gospel brought off from the former ways of sin and brought into a profession of holiness, yet still retaining their old nature and corrupt disposition, they're easily prevailed over and so relapse into their former abomination. Micah's mother was quick to deal and quick to bless. Oh, how quick we are in this age of instantaneous everything. How quick we are to accept a hasty profession without any evidence whatsoever. Blessed old Simeon strikes this chord again when he says, do not the Scriptures tell us that many had already made shipwreck both of faith and a good conscience? And that in the latter times such defections would be very numerous? Paul's exposition with some of the Galatians, expostulation with some of the Galatian church deserves particular notice in this point of view. He said, now after that they have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? I am, said the apostle, afraid of you. lest I have bestowed on you labor in vain." Why are we so often and so urgently cautioned against being moved away from the hope of the gospel and falling from our own steadfastness if no such instance could occur? Is the case of Demas no warning to us? And have we not ourselves either known or heard of many who like him, after running well for a season, have been hindered? And like Lot's wife, become monuments and warnings to all around. Are the stony ground hearers and thorny ground hearers so rare in the church today? No. He says no. We never can sufficiently deplore the use which is made of human systems. Brethren, I thought much of the whole revivalist movement when I read this paragraph and my involvement in it. He said, we never can sufficiently deplore the use which is made of human systems. Men will attach themselves to some fallible creature like themselves and so adopt his sentiments as to reject even the Scriptures itself. When its declarations militate against their favorite opinions. There are in the Church of God not a few who would shut their ears against a faithful exposition of our text as much as they would against blasphemy itself. In truth, of this description are the great mass of nominal Christians throughout the world. If you take men's victory over the world as a criteria whereby to judge their piety, you will find amongst the professors of Christianity quite as few real Christians as among Jews or Mohammeds. Look, beloved, he says, look, beloved brethren, and see how your heart stands in these things. Have you ever had such views of the cross as have rendered the world and all its benedicts crucified to you? Where do you stand? I put it to you this morning, even as members of this church, I put it to you, where do you stand? Micah seemed to repent, but he didn't. Oh, our blessed Lord Himself preached to such fake believers. He preached to such fake believers Himself. Matthew chapter 23 and verse 25. Whoa! Pharisees, hypocrites, you may clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisees, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter. The outside of them may be clean also." That's Matthew 23, 25. You could read on all the way through verse 33. Vipers. serpents. How can you escape the damnation of hell? Oh, you've cleaned things up. Oh, yes, Micah. Micah gave the money back and his mother was ready to bless him and call down the blessings of God on him in all of his idolatrous professors, but unconverted. I had a man last week in the jail after Brother Jacob had preached a wonderful gospel message. They were lined up waiting to go out, and a man came over and sat beside me on the bench. He said, Preacher, I want you to pray for me. I said, For what? He's the one, Brother Jacob, who sat there saying amen the whole time. Saying amen, amen, everything he He said, I want you to pray for me. I don't know what to do. He said, when I'm not here, sometimes I preach the gospel. I'm a great preacher of the gospel. And then I go right back to my drugs. He said, I want you to pray for me. God will help me. And I did. I prayed for him. I prayed for him. God would help him. Give him repentance. Real repentance. Delivering repentance. hauled back to the wall. Just heard that testimony last week. Oh how Micah's mother here issues a solid evangelical warning to us even today. So quick to damn, so quick to bless. And all with absolutely no time for testing. Lesson number one. I give you very quickly and I'll close lesson number two. I said that the title of the message was repentance that will not save and saints that will not give. I give you a lesson from this pagan mother. who stands as a crushing rebuke to the pinching methods of our own hearts. She said in verse three, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord. She, a pagan, was set on generosity in her giving to idolatry, while we are often reluctant and even stingy in giving to the gospel. How very pastorally Did the beloved Roger speak to our hearts here when he said these words? Now it is said that all this money, while she had it in her possession, was stolen from her. He said nothing is said of the manner of how it was done, but barely and simply it's set down that it was done, it was stolen. This teaches us, among other things, how fickle and uncertain the having and enjoying the worldly goods is, and how soon they be lost, and how many ways, they being one man's today and another man's tomorrow. As Benadab said to Ahab by his serpent, thy silver and thy gold is mine. And very little while after, all that Benedet had, and he himself was Ahab's pleasure, and he was driven to beg for his life. 1 Kings chapter 20. Oh, how uncertain are our possessions, and yet we are so loath to part with them for the work of God. Paul instructs Timothy in 1 Timothy 6 and 17, charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain riches. But in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. We all had a... I had written this days ago. having no idea that on last night we'd all have quite a scare. Alarms going off on every device in my house. Tornado, tornado, tornado. Voice comes over the warning speaker, take shelter immediately. Everything could have been gone in an instant. Trust not in uncertain riches. Elipso. Trust. That is to hope with confidence. Epi. Adelotes. Uncertain riches. Plutos. Have no hope or confidence in that which is uncertain. By the way, that word translated uncertain there is used only one time in the New Testament, and that's here in this text. 1 Timothy 6, 17. Trust not in uncertain riches. The word is abundance, fullness, plentitude. Here it is. Here's the whole doctrine. Here's the whole lesson in a word. In one word, Matthew 6 and verse 19, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. You know I'm not preaching against them. Wise use of resources, care for your family, go to the aunt thou sluggard. who makes preparation for the winter. You know I'm not criticizing that. But I am touching on how pinchingly we sometimes give. How very reluctant we are to give. You'll remember the text in 2 Samuel 24. 24 and 25, David bought the field. He said, I'll not give to the Lord that which doth cost me nothing." What a rebuke. Oh, how painful is this, that an idol-worshiping pagan should serve to rebuke our hearts. She said, I had all this silver put up to give to the Lord. We know it was perverse. We know her heart was shot through idolatry. But it doesn't change the fact she had put up silver to give to God as she would prescribe. I'll give you one final warning. I didn't make it a separate lesson. But I cannot help but from this lesson to give you a warning again. His mother had cursed because someone had taken her silver. And essentially, if I could put it into my own colloquial English in verse 3, she essentially said, well her words are, I had holy dedicated silver to the Lord from my hand. She's simply saying, I had intended to do this for God, but somebody stole it from me. Stay with me now. I intended to do this for the Lord, but somebody stole it from me. Isn't that interesting? She didn't say, you know, I intended to do this for the Lord, but somebody stole it from me. But I'll make it back. I'll get it back. I mean, I'll make the money again. I'm still going to do it for the Lord. I'm going to do it. I'm just going to have to start over. She didn't say that. She just raged and raved and cursed I intended to do this for the Lord, but my son stole it from me. That thought pierced my heart. I wonder how many of us have said, I'm going to do something for the Lord, but I was going to live for the Lord, but my husband bound me up and I didn't get it done. I was going to live for the Lord, but my wife forced me out of it. I was going to do something for the Lord, but my children stole it. Oh, but wait, here's something. I was going to do this for the Lord, but my job took up all my time and I just didn't have time. Stole my time. My job stole my time. I was going to do this for the Lord, she said. But my son stole the money. I wonder how many times I've said I'd do a thing for the Lord, but then I let something steal it. Oh, God help us. God help us. God help us. It will not do. It will not do. This will not do. Whatever the excuse is, time, your job, your wife, your husband, your children, it won't do. Luke chapter 14, verse 17. A certain man made a great supper, made many, sent his servants at supper time to say to them all, come, all things are ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said, I bought a piece of ground and I must need to go and see it. I pray thee, excuse, have me excused. Another said, I bought five yoke of oxen and I go to prove them. I pray they have me excused. And another said, I've married a wife, therefore I cannot talk. I'm telling you, it will not do. It will not do. You purpose to do a thing for the Lord, you better get on with it. You better get on with it. We know from that story, excuse will not do. This pagan woman committed the money to the Lord, she said, she said. And so ends our chapter and our studies from it. Much, much. much more. I have had to force myself to leave much behind in every chapter, lest we be forever in a book. So ends our chapter. And so in anticipation of chapter 18, I leave you with this sad words of one writer who came to the end of this chapter and anticipating the story in the next chapter had this to say, an avaricious mother and a dishonest son, so begins Dan's descent into idolatry. This whole chapter summarized in those simple words, an avaricious and a dishonest son, here the stage is set for the whole tribe of Dan to go into idolatry. And so we shall see. God bless.