Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs 21. Proverbs 21. Proverbs 21, verse 21. He that followeth after righteousness
and mercy, findeth life, righteousness, and honor. It is absolutely impossible for
the natural man, and you know what I mean when I say the natural
man, that is every man, every woman, as they are born in Adam. Every person born into this world,
born in Adam, is born with a nature and a heart that cannot believe
God. And the reason is because that
heart is spiritually dead. That's what God meant when he
told Adam, in the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely
die. So, faith is the gift of God. It's got
to be given, in regenerating grace it is given, because without
faith, faith from above, faith of God's elect, that grace of
God by which a man or woman believes, without God giving that, And
every person that receives faith believes the gospel. That's all
they can believe. True faith has one object, the
Lord Jesus Christ as He's revealed in these scriptures. Sovereign. So if someone says, I believed, even though I believed a lie,
I truly believed and trusted God and loved the Lord. But I
believed back then that I was saved by my free will or by my
works. I truly believed though. Now
listen, listen. No you didn't. No you didn't. I know we think by nature that
we did, and that we just came to a knowledge of the doctrines
of grace or something. That's the terminology. I came
to the doctrines of grace. That's not scriptural language.
We come to Christ, but we don't come to the doctrines of grace. But to believe is to believe
the gospel, to believe sovereign, saving, preserving grace for
its Given, unto you it's given in the behalf of Christ. It's
what Paul said in Philippians 1.29. It's given. That is, it is graciously granted
to you by God's favor. That's what it means. It's given
unto you. Not only to believe on Him, but
also to suffer. Now this is a grace. This is
a grace from God. to believe and to suffer. You
say, you mean to tell me that it's given unto me, God's grace,
it's given unto me to suffer? For unto you it is given in the
behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer
for His sake. So now, it's no insignificant
thing. If Almighty God has taught you
the gospel and has permitted His vessel of mercy, whoever
He's saved, if He's permitted you to believe on Christ and
to suffer, if He's allowed you that privilege, you're a blessed person. That
grace of mercy is bestowed upon only those that He's chosen to
show mercy and compassion. Therefore, when you are ridiculed,
called to be foolish, told that you're deceived, that you believe
in some cult because you believe the gospel, You count that as
a true blessing from God. Because Almighty God has shown
you mercy and He's not left you to yourself. All that is being
revealed is that God has taught you something and has left another
to themselves. Pray for them. Pray for them. Let the Lord call them out of
darkness. Almighty God has permitted you to believe. Permitted you. It's given. It's been given as
a favor to believe and to suffer. And you're going to be hated.
You'll be hated. You're hated because you believe
that salvation has been ordained of God for His people. You're hated because you believe
that salvation is by God's sovereign grace. You're hated because of
that. You're hated because you believe that Christ only died
for the elect. You'll be hated for that. You'll
be called narrow-minded and foolish and you know. But my question
is always this. You may hate me because I preach
that. But is it going to change if
I quit preaching it? Would it change? Would John 10,
15 be then taken out of the Scriptures? When the Lord said, I lay down
my life for the sheep. Then told some Pharisees in about
10 verses. He said, you believe not because
you're not my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. So if
someone were to not preach it, Well, if they quit preaching
it, I can tell you this, it's because God never had them, because
God keeps them. But if Almighty God permits one to believe that,
and he's hated for it, if he were to say, I'm going to quit,
I ain't doing this no more, like Jeremiah did, would it change
anything? It's permitted. You'd be hated
because God chose you. You'll be hated because Christ
redeemed you, and you'll be hated because the Spirit of God affectionately
called you out of darkness. You'll be hated because you don't
believe that you have a free will. That's why you're going
to be hated. Because what you're doing is exposing something. Now, Scripture declares, by grace
are you saved through faith. What does that mean? you know
it by. By grace are you saved and you
know it by faith. Only way, that not of yourselves,
you didn't come up with that's gift of God. So how does one
know if the Lord has granted them true saving faith? Now, I'm gonna be honest with
you. Maybe not for you, but I can
just tell you for myself. That question crosses my mind
for me often. Have I truly believed? Am I truly? I know this. I know I know this in my head.
I know that. I know I know for a fact, but
have I truly believed? I have enough sense, hopefully
still, to know that, humanly speaking, I'm on the tail end
of this. I'm on the tail end of this life.
I know that. I'm close. My question is this. When I take my last breath, when all of a sudden that which
was mysterious now is plainly beheld. And I know then what
is on the other side. Can I have any hope right now? One way. One way. One that believes the word of
the Lord. They believe what Christ has
said concerning men. They believe what Christ has
said concerning Himself. They believe. Now, what has the
Lord said about men and Himself? Now, I'm going to just tell you
what turned to John 6, John 6, 63. You stay right there where you
are. Turn with me. John 6, 63. And let's just hear
what the Lord has said. I'm not going to tell you anything
new today. As Paul said, I'm going to repeat some things.
But he said, not grievous to him. He said, for all of us,
it's safe. Now this is, I want to do something
that's safe for us today. I want to remind us of something.
Because this is something I need to be reminded of. John 6, what
has the Lord said about man? Now this is what the Lord said.
Now listen, just whatever else we've ever heard, let's just
say this. Tell you what, let God be true
and let every man be a liar. How about that? Okay, whatever
the Lord said. Now if this goes contrary to
what somebody else has told me, then I'm gonna tell you this,
whatever somebody else has told me, then it's just gonna have
to be a lie. Now this is the truth here. What has the Lord
said about man? John 6, 63. It is the spirit
that quickeneth. It is the spirit that causes
to live. It's the spirit that gives life. The flesh, The flesh, the will,
the desire, the flesh, the natural man, the flesh profiteth nothing. What does that mean? That means the flesh is of no
use. It has no advantage. None. None. All you have to do, one
will say, is. The flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you,
they are spirit, that which animates or gives life, and they're life. So concerning man, this is what
the Lord has said. Man is spiritually impotent,
and he contributes nothing to salvation. Nothing. No use. No advantage. And concerning himself. Now what
is the Lord saying? Now there's man. Now here's the
totality of man. He's useless. How do you add to that? What
else do you want me to say? You're nothing. We're nothing.
We can do nothing. We can think nothing. We are
absolutely spiritually impotent, dead, powerless. Now, concerning
the Lord, John 6, 64, here's what he said. But there are some
of you that believe not, for Jesus knew from the beginning
who they were that believed not and who should betray Him. Now that thought right there,
listen, If you know not the Lord, you're not fooling God. You're not fooling the Lord.
He knows. He knows. And then he said in
verse 65 concerning himself and man's inability, therefore said
I unto you, no man can come unto me. No man has the ability except
it were given unto him of my Father. Now that statement concerning
man's spiritual impotence and God's sovereignty, man is going
to do one of two things with that. Now let me tell you what
everybody in this congregation is doing right now, and everybody
that will even listen to this message. Let me tell you what,
every one of us, we're going to do one of two things with
that. He said, therefore I said unto you, no man can come, you
cannot. Well I can, no you can't. No
you can't. No man can come except, here's
what's going to happen. Man's reaction to that statement
right there is going to reveal what that man or where he is
concerning the Lord. The first reaction is man is
not going to believe it. I don't believe that. That's
the first thing he's going to do. No man can come except it were given unto him
of my Father. And the evidence of that is in
verse 66. From that time, many of his disciples went back
and walked no more with him. Now here's what happens. If someone
hears the gospel of God's sovereign grace, that God chooses, God
redeems, God regenerates, God keeps, and you don't do anything,
and you hold on to that, what we all possessed, done, done. That's all it was. You hang on
to what you think you did years ago. You hang on to that. Paul
said, all of that mess, he said, I counted it as refuge. It was nothing. It was nothing.
Why except for pride? Why except for pride would someone
want to hang on to something that the scripture says is dumb?
I'm hanging on to that. I was sincere. I meant it. I was doing the best I could.
It's done. It was done. And a believer will
say, that was nothing to me. Somebody will come up and pat
you on the back and say, oh, but you know what? You were such
a good boy. You were a good girl. You did, you know. Except for the grace of God,
this is what's going to happen. Many of his disciples went back
and they walked no more. I'm not going to hear that anymore. The second one is revealed in
verses 67-71. Here's the other one. Then said
Jesus unto the twelve, Will you go away also? Will you go away?
Will you also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, To whom shall we go? Thou hast
the words of eternal life, we believe, we're sure. You're that Christ, the son of
the living God. Jesus answered them, have not
I chosen you twelve? One of you is a devil. Spake
of Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, for he it was that should betray
him, being one of the twelve. How can I know? I either believe
the word of the Lord, or I don't. That's one of two things. I'm
not asking about how sincere you are. I'm telling you, I am
so embarrassed on my sincerity, on my consistency. But here's one thing that I,
by the grace of God, can say, Lord, I believe that. I believe
that. And what is going to be the standard? When I stand before God, the
books are open. And they're going to be, Revelation
20, 12 says, the books are going to be opened. And God who knows,
the Lord knew from the beginning who they were, would betray Him. He knew, He knew. It's all recorded. How it's recorded, I don't know.
It says a book. The books are going to be opened.
And here is going to be what's determining my eternal state,
the revelation of God's word, listen to this scripture, John
12, 47, 48. If any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge
him not, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth
him the word that I've spoken. The same shall judge him in the
last day. A man or a woman that rejects
this message right here, that rejects the message of the truth
of salvation by grace, holds on to a lie, rejects Him, the
Word of the Lord Himself is the standard by which every man is
going to be judged. So back now in Proverbs. He that followeth after righteousness. Righteousness. Not mine. The scripture says that my righteousness,
your righteousness, is filthy rags. Minstrel cloths. That's what it is. That's what
we're hanging on to. We're hanging on to that. Filthy
rags. He that followeth after righteousness. And I went back this morning
and I looked up again that word followeth. He that followeth. And here's what it is. And I
know the struggles that we all have. But he that fervently Constantly. Needfully. There's the word I
was looking for. He that needfully. Lord, I need. I need. Your righteousness imputed
to me. I need that. Lord, don't leave
me to myself. Lord, don't leave me to the blindness
of an old heart. It's deceitful. I know it's deceitful. He that followeth after righteousness. And mercy, mercy. Lord, you told Moses, I will
have mercy and compassion on whomsoever I will. Lord, I'm asking. And Lord, I
can find no scripture where any sinner ever came to you and asked
for mercy, and you refused him. Because Lord, you said, He that
cometh to me, casting everything else aside, I will in no wise
cast him out. Lord, you said that. You said
that. And Lord, I don't have anything
else. I'm a helpless, needy sinner. I don't have sense enough to
get out of the rain. But Lord, if I die and I leave
this world trusting you, and I'm cast into hell, I'll be the
only one that that ever happened to because you said, you said,
I'll never forsake you. Lord, I need you. I don't have
anything else. So continually to follow after
righteousness and mercy. is to needfully, consistently,
fervently, I know what I am in me. So I'm not even looking to
that, you know. John said in 1 John 2, 1, My
little children, these things write I unto you that you sin
not. Don't sin. Don't disbelieve God. That's what, to sin not. Don't
disbelieve God. And if any man sin, when we do,
when we do, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ,
the righteousness, pleading his own merit, pleading his own merit,
declaring his own merit that he's died and paid the debt of
my unbelief. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.
Lord, I believe. Yeah. The righteous one in whom
the Lord The father is well pleased. He pleads for his people. He declares himself the advocate,
the mediator, the redeemer. I paid the debt. These children,
and don't ever think that we're not sinning. If we say we have
no sin, we make God to be a liar because God says you do. Paul
said, I see in me, in my flesh, that dwells no good thing. I
know what I am. So I'm asking, I'm asking, Lord,
following after you. Asking, have mercy. They follow. The scripture declares, he that
followeth after righteousness and mercy. How does he follow
after? How does he follow after? They
follow after. Desiring to hear. Needing to hear. My sheep hear
my voice. They follow me. I want to hear
this. I'm not telling you one thing
I've not told you before. But it's just as alive right
now as it was the first time you ever heard it. He that followeth
after righteousness. They hear his voice. They hear
this voice. You hear the gospel of God's free grace and you think,
you know what, that bears witness to my heart. That's the truth.
That's the truth. I hear what he's saying about
man, about myself. I know that's the truth. I know that. And when there's
silence, there's silence. When there's a lack of hearing
the truth, faith cometh by hearing. And when there's silence, when
there's a leanness in hearing the truth, I'm going to tell
you what a believer does. I've got to hear that again.
You tell me one more time. They follow because they know
Him. They follow because they're His sheep. They follow because
they know. They're accepted of the Father
in Him. They know. They follow because
they know. He said, I'm His bride. He said, He's married to me.
He said he's going to provide for me. He gave himself to me. I believe that. Lord, tell me
that again in my heart. Teach me. Teach me that one more
time. But to follow after mercy, what is that? It's to know that
I need it. I'm unable to produce a righteousness
that God's going to accept. I need mercy. He who follows after righteousness
And mercy is one that cries out like the publican. God, be merciful
to me, the sinner. And for everyone that's found
with a heart to seek after righteousness and mercy, here's the promise
from the Lord that they are going to find that which they seek.
If he's given a heart to cry out for mercy, Turn with me in
closing to John 1. The Gospel of John chapter 1
verse 41. John 1 verse 41. John 1 verse 41. And he first findeth, well look
at verse 40. One of the two which heard John
speak and followed him was Andrew. Simon Peter's brother. And Andrew
says in verse 41, he first findeth his own brother Simon, went to
Peter, and saith unto him, we found the Messiah, which is being
interpreted the Christ. We found him. We found him. He that, back in our passage,
he that followeth after righteousness and mercy, findeth. Now what does that word findeth
mean? They find it. It is pointed out to them. It
is revealed to them. He that seeketh, he that followeth,
I'm sorry, after righteousness, the righteousness of Christ,
the mercy, it has been revealed to them what true life, what
true righteousness and what true honor is to be called the sons
of God. They didn't earn it. They didn't
deserve it. But they found it. It was revealed
to them that Almighty God has chosen to show mercy. Lord, I
want that. Lord, I need that. Lord, reveal
that to me again. And teach me one more time, Lord,
of your kindness and compassion and longsuffering to this needy
sinner, Lord. And I pray you do it for my eternal
good, but for your sake. Amen. All right, let's take a
break.