and mercy shall follow me all
the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever." I was thinking about that last
verse he read. Surely goodness, the goodness
of God, and mercy. He shall follow me, for not because
of what I did, but because of what He was pleased to do. Turn
with me, if you would, to Romans chapter 9. We are going through
this blessed book, a letter that was written under the inspiration
of the Spirit of God. All Scripture is given by inspiration
of God and is profitable for correction and for reproof and
for instruction in righteousness, in the righteousness of God.
The Apostle Paul had previously set forth in the last study God's
right and choice to make his power
known by enduring with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted,"
that's what verse 22 is saying, to destruction, made up, prepared,
completely and thoroughly fitted. You know, we're talking about
this morning not who men think God is. We're talking about who
God is. The Lord is pleased also to make
known the riches of His mercy, His glory on the vessels of mercy. which
he had aforeprepared unto glory." That's what verse 23 says. You
know, if God has prepared some to be the recipients of His mercy,
then He's also fitted some to destruction. Now, I understand that according
to the carnal mind, that doesn't compute. I understand that. But we're not judging by what
computes to me or to you. we're judging by what God said
is so. And so therefore, it's right. It's right because God says it's
right. And let every man be a liar and let God be just. Let God
be true. This is the way it is. The Lord revealed in the Old
Testament through the prophet Hosea that the Gentiles that
were not considered to be His people by natural descent, the
Jews thought that only the Jews were the people of God. And for
a while it appeared to be that that's the way it was. If you
weren't a Jew, there's no possibility that you're going to be God's
child. But the prophet Hosea said that that's not the case.
He said that it would come to pass, and it did, that the Gentiles,
who of their nationality, race, you know. It was said at one
time by the Jews, you're not my people. He said, they shall
be called the children of the living God. Now, here's the way
it is. God has a people. He has a people. And He's everlastingly loved
them, and He's going to save them. And this morning, what
we're doing is, we're doing the only thing that the Lord instructed
us to do for the calling out of those sheep. This morning,
what we're doing here is, number one, we've assembled ourselves
together because Almighty God has ordained that it's through
the foolishness of preachers or what the world calls foolishness.
Surely you don't think that this is all that's going to be necessary
for the calling out of God's sheep. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. This is it right here. Our focus
is the preaching of the gospel. What else do you do? Well, by
the grace of God, nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Anything else
that we try to add to or improve upon is just going to be our
way of thinking. Not ashamed of the preaching
of the gospel of Christ. Why? That's what God has been
pleased to bless. It's the power of God. That's
where the power of God is manifested. And it's not foolish preaching. Foolish preaching. If any time
someone says, well, I was converted under a false gospel. I believe free grace now. But
I was converted under that different, that free will. No, you weren't.
No, you weren't. Just go ahead and admit, I was
lost. You know, men hate to say that
they were lost at one time. But a believer doesn't. A believer
will tell you, I was lost. When did the Lord save you? When
it pleased Him to reveal Christ in me. That's when it pleased
the Lord. Paul the Apostle said, God's
sovereignty is made, set forth to stand. And he's right. And God's people love it to be
so. The difference in a believer
and an unbeliever. What is it? A believer says he's
God. And an unbeliever, when they
hear of a sovereign God, they say, that's not God. That can't
be God. That just seems like to me, that's
just too hard. That's just too, that's just
not fair. You know God's Word. And His
conduct really is not held up as far as my scrutiny. His Word
is not held up to my account. His Word is His Word. He said,
My counsel shall stand. Any time that our mind sees anything
in God's Word that seems to be mysterious or questionable, And
God says it so. You recognize this. It's that
my understanding or my conclusion is defective. And I have no right
to bring God into question. Who art thou, old man, that replies
against God? David said in Psalm 39, 9, I
was dumb, silent, is what that word means. I was
silenced. Let every man's mouth be shut. When it comes to the sovereign
God Almighty, be quiet, be quiet, be quiet. It would be better
to keep your mouth shut. Call God into question. Quiet. I was dumb. I opened up my mouth. Why, David? He says, because
you did it. God is right. Man is wrong. Be quiet. You know, it's a noble sign when
a man bows to God's Word, when he submits Here is the message
of God's grace and choice and says in his heart, even so, Father,
for so it seemed right in your sight. You are right. Well, this morning we are going
to look at Paul's continuance in his setting forth the truth
of God's sovereignty God's right, verse 27, says this, Isaiah also
crieth concerning Israel, though the number of the children of
Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved. Now, as I said, the Israelites
had looked upon themselves as being because of their natural
lineage. They are all together. the people of God. What did it
take, according to a Jew, what did it take to be saved? What
did it take for God to find pleasure in you? Be born a Jew. Be born a Jew. Jews. They thought that because they
were Jews, because they were sons of Abraham, natural lineage,
that they were heaven-bound. What is it? But the Apostle Paul is quoting
from Isaiah 10, though the number of the children of Israel be
as the sand of the sea, a remnant. I looked it up, the remnant. You know what it means? A few.
The reserved, the remaining. I think about, I've said this
before, my mama used to when I'd watch her sew. And she'd
get through after she'd made a dress, and she'd pick up the
remnants. And it was trash. It was junk. That's all in the world. It was
junk. I mean, it's just a few little old slivers. I mean, some
of them were weird, strange-shaped stuff. Nothing usable. Can you make something else out
of that? I don't know if he was really talented, I guess, making
a quilt or something like that. I mean, when she got through
with it, it was junk, remnants. That's what this is. That which
to this world is not worth anything. But I'm telling you, the Almighty
God who has looked upon His people in the person of His blessed
Son, they're precious. They're precious. Trash as far
as this world is concerned, but precious to Him. And precious
because of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's
not who they are, it's who they're in. It's who they're considered in
and who they're looked upon as being The promise that God had given
to Abraham concerning his natural generation was that they were
going to be as the stars, as the sand, Genesis 22, 17, that
in blessing, God said, I will bless thee. And in multiplying,
I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, as the sand
which is upon the sea. There was a lot of Jews that
was born. But though the number of the
Israelites be as the sand of the sea, this is what Isaiah
said, though the number, verse 27, of the children of Israel
be as the sand of the sea, a few of the remnant of scrubs,
a remnant, just a few of them, the reserve, the rescued shall
be saved. Paul says in Romans 11, 5, even
so then at this present time. Also, there is a remnant according
to the election of grace. There's a few out there. And
they're God's. And He's everlastingly loved
them. And I know this. This is the message. The message
of God's free and sovereign grace. This is the message that He's
going to bless to call them out. And I just preach. And I wait. What else do you do? Nothing.
What else can I do? I can't convince you. What if
one of your kids is one of them? What if your mom or your dad
or your brother or your sister, what if there's one of them and
God hadn't called them out yet? What are you going to do? Well,
by the grace of God, we'll be here next time. What if He calls
one of them out? Wasn't it worth it? What if He
does? If He's everlastingly loved them,
He will. And I just wait. Oh, to hear one of God's own
come up and say, you know what? I think God saved me. He's given
me a heart for Christ. Man, what words could you tell
somebody that's been preaching? I mean, what else could you tell?
I mean, what could you say that would give them more joy? I'd
inherited a million dollars. What if a man gains the whole
world and loses his soul? What do you got that a man would
give in exchange for his soul? Verse 28, For he will finish
the work, Paul says, and cut it short in righteousness, because
a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. Now, the Lord
is going to bring to a finish. That's what He's going to do.
He's going to fulfill, finish the work What work is He talking
about? His Word. His Word. Heaven and earth are going to
pass away, but what's going to remain? The Word of God. All of this stuff is going to
be gone, but what's going to be left? God's Word. His work,
His speech, His decree. Psalm 3311 says, The counsel, the advice. That's what that
word means, the advice. God's counsel shall stand. The counsel of the Lord standeth. It abides. It remains. It continues. It's appointed.
How long? Forever. The thoughts of His heart, the
purpose, the intention of His heart to all generations, to all ages. What God has said is so. Isaiah 46, 9 and 10, Remember
the former things of old. For I am God, and there is none
else. I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end
from the beginning. You think about this. When God
said, My counsel is going to stand.
I have chosen a people, Ephesians 1. Read it. What does it say?
He said, I have chosen a people. Chosen in Christ. What? That
they should be holy. And without blame, before me
in love." 2 Thessalonians 2.13. I hadn't quoted that in a while.
You know, we're bound to give thanks to you, brethren, for
you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has from the
beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification setting
apart by the Spirit and belief of the truth. Now, you know what
he just said? He said, I'm telling you, this
is going to be the end. All that the Father giveth me, what are
they going to do? They shall come. They shall come. They shall come. Everybody that
is standing in a pulpit today trying to tell men, God wants
to if you'll let... They're liars. They're stinking
liars. They're liars. They're false
prophets. They're liars. But you're so
sweet. I don't care. I don't care. They're liars. This is what God
said. My counsel is going to stand,
declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things
that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I
will do My pleasure." You know what I know is going to happen?
Everything God says so. Everything that God says is going
to happen. For He will finish the work. He is going to finish
what His Word says. You'll finish it. "...and cut
it short in righteousness." What do you mean, cut it short in
righteousness? Because a short work will the
Lord make upon the earth. This is what it means. That word
short right there means quick. Speedy. Speedy. Executed quickly. That's what we was talking about,
Carl. How quick is it going to be? Let me tell you how quick
this is going to be. You know, we talk about the Lord
and every eye will see Him and stand before God. And somehow
we get it in our mind that we'll see the Lord and we shall. Every eye shall see Him. Every
eye is going to see Him. Dead, died, raised, white throne,
the books will be opened and the book will be opened, the
book of life and the judgment of God And the sheep are on one
side and the goats are on the other. And men shall try to justify
themselves before God. And we've done all these mighty
works in Your name. And we've prophesied in Your name and with
this and the other and stuff. And He'll say, bind them hand
and foot. Let me tell you something. The
length of time that it took me to tell you that just then, a blink of an eye, a man will be
in hell. And what happened? Christ came back. He cut short
this word. It was quick. It was speedy.
It was executed. And men were judged and the sheep
said, you know, welcome. Well done, good and thankful
servant. And all those found without Christ
will lift up their eyes in hell and how did I get here? It will
be over. He shall cut short. He will finish
the work and cut it short in righteousness. Why prolong it? Oh, we go through,
you know, man caught now, you know, and he robbed, you know,
he raped somebody, he just sat, you know, and the process and
the appeals and all this kind of, not with God. It's over. It's over. It says that this
rich man died and he lifted his eyes in hell. Gone. Gone. Before you thought about
it, before you realized it, it was over. Jonathan Edwards preached a message
called Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. And he described
them as just men hanging over the abyss of hell like on a spider's
web. What's hanging on? The grace
of God's only thing is keeping you out of hell today. And he
lifts up his eyes and his heart in rebellion against God. God's
going to cut this thing short. Cut it short. The Lord has eternally
determined to leave some to themselves, and they come forth and they
act according to the dictates of their wicked heart. God has
justly found them to be guilty, and immediately He will execute
judgment upon them. Verse 29, And as Isaiah said
before, except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been
a sodomite. and been likened to Gomorrah.
I tell you, if there's ever been a verse that has been found that
sets forth the indescribable goodness and mercy of God and
electing grace, this is it. This is what Brother Scott and
I were talking about the other night. You know, you talk about
the mercy of God. If you deserved it, it's not
mercy. Mercy is for the undeserving. Yeah, but you don't know what
they did. Mercy. Mercy is for those that
do not deserve it. What have I ever done to merit
the mercy of God? Nothing. Why? Because every thought
of the imagination of my heart, everything that I could possibly
imagine, was evil continually. What did I do? Nothing. What
did God do? In setting forth His mercy upon
anybody, He chose to do it. Nothing else. Nothing else. Unless
the Lord saw fit, unless He was pleased to show mercy and chose
out a remnant according to His grace a seed preserved out of
all humanity, every nation, kindred, and tribe, and tongue. We'd all
been just like Sodom and Gomorrah. The judgment of God fell on it.
How many of them got out? A lot. A lot's wife, a lot's
two girls. How many died? All of them. That's
it? That's it. God destroyed that
whole city, all the plain. Sodom and Gomorrah and all the
cities of the plain. Why? Because He's right. Why? Because they were guilty. Why? Because God left them to themselves
to do what they wanted to do. Is it right for God to do that?
Yes, it is. Well, what about those that got out? God was merciful.
Lot's wife turned around and looked back Turned her into a
pillar of salt. What if God leaves you to yourself?
You're going to perish. Whose fault is it? Yours. What
if God shows mercy? That was His goodness to you.
Whose fault is that? That's God's goodness. Verse
30, what shall we say then? that the Gentiles which followed
not after righteousness have attained unto righteousness,
even the righteousness which is of faith." What's the conclusion
of this? Well, here it is. The Gentiles
who were not following after righteousness, who had no outward
manifestation of pressing toward following after the Lord of Scriptures.
Let me just break this down and just tell you what he just said.
What shall we say then? The Gentiles would follow not
after righteousness. I came up in false religion. Went to confession. Did my, you
know, ten Hail Marys and one Our Father, which shows you where
the emphasis is anyway for them. You know, I went to catechism.
And when I was eight years old, somewhere in that general vicinity,
my mama and daddy decided that we weren't going to go to that
church anymore. We were going to go to another church. So I
started going to another church and realized the fallacy of my
ways. So I gave my heart to Jesus when
I was nine years old. Well, actually, the only reason
I went down was because my cousin went down. And if he went down,
I thought I ought to go down. So I went down, and I shook the
preacher's hand, and I prayed this prayer that he told me to
pray. And he asked me if I was sorry for my sins, and I said
I was. And he baptized me. And a few years later, I realized
the fallacy in my ways. And I realized I'd just gone
down there because my cousin had gone down when I was nine
years old. So when I was about 12, 13, 14 years old, something
like that, I rededicated my life. I went down and just, you know,
I was really sorry this time. I wasn't coming down because
he was. I realized that I had to come
down because it was myself. So I decided the Lord was wanting
to save me. if I had let Him. So this time
I really meant it. I really, really meant it this
time. So I came back down and I was
rebaptized. You know, because now I truly
meant it. And years later, when it pleased
God, the Lord caused a preacher of the gospel of free grace to
cross my path. And I realized for the first
time I was lost. I was lost. And I realized if
Almighty God would have left me to think like I'd always think. And I was sincere. Don't you
think for a second that I wasn't sincere. I taught a Sunday school
class. I was like the youth-like director. And I led the singing too. And
I mean I was sincere. lead those songs, Gary, I'd pray
over them. And I was sincere. But as I've said before, I can
be sincere and be sincerely wrong. And Almighty God was pleased
to reveal Christ to me. And I knew lest God showed me
mercy, I would go to hell probably one of the most religious people
that I knew. I didn't want you to know my thoughts, that I thought,
but outwardly I was religious, and don't you kid yourself. What shall we say then? That
the Gentiles which followed not after righteousness. I was not
following after the righteousness of Christ and seeing and beholding
and realizing by faith that the only righteousness that I could
possess that would cause me to stand before God uncondemned
was imputed righteousness of Christ, that God would charge
me and look upon me. I thought it was left up to me.
What shall we say? Paul says, here's what happened.
God did not leave some of Jews or Gentiles to themselves to
follow after the stupidity. that they were religiously in.
Men are proud. And I'm telling you they're proud
of their worship. And they're proud of their appearance.
And they're proud of their honor. And they're proud of this. And
they're proud of that. And when He revealed Christ to me or to
you or to anybody, pride is abased. And you realize this. And I am
what I am by the grace of God. God left me to myself. Here's
the way it is. Those that were following not
after righteousness, but God's righteousness, they were following
after their own righteousness. They have attained to righteousness,
what? The righteousness which is a
faith. Righteousness that is perceived by faith. Let me say
it like that. Not merited by faith, but perceived
by faith. But Israel, verse 31, which followed
after the law of righteousness hath not attained to the law
of righteousness." Now listen. Listen to what he said. Israel,
which followed after the law of righteousness, the law of
righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
What were they doing? Well, here's what they thought.
They thought that because they, in their mind, were keeping the
law, we made it. We made it. Ask Saul of Tarsus. Saul, do
you think you've attained to the law of righteousness? What
do you think? He said, I'm a Hebrew of Hebrew.
I'll circumcise the eighth day. I'm blameless before the law. You don't catch me missing synagogue.
You don't catch me out there. No, no, sir. Israel. which followed after the law
of righteousness." Look over Romans 10.5, probably on the
same page you're on there. Romans 10.5, "...for Moses describeth
the righteousness which is of the law." That's what Paul just
said. "...But Israel which followed after the law of righteousness."
Moses described righteousness which is of the law. What is
it? "...The man which doeth these things shall live by them." Are you going to tell me that
you have absolutely kept perfectly the law of God? Totality? Are you talking about the Ten
Commandments? I'm talking about everything. Well, Ten Commandments, yeah,
I could just say the Ten Commandments and you didn't do it, you know.
You've never caught me, you know, stealing. Liar. You ever stolen a man's character?
You ever murdered him in your heart? Thought evil of him? You
ever thought about taking anything? You ever thought about whether
you not? You ever cheated on your taxes? Have you? I have. What? Don't tell me. Don't tell me. Don't tell me that there's one
thing that you've ever done That is right before God. Don't
ever tell me that. Because you know what? I know
that you're a liar. Because I'm a liar. And we're
all in the same boat in our flesh. There dwells no good thing. None. Those that were following
after the Law of Righteousness, what did Paul say? They've not
attained to the Law of Righteousness. What does it mean? You didn't
keep it. Verse 32. Wherefore? because they sought it not by
faith, but as it were by the works of the law. They stumbled
at that stumbling stone. They sought a righteousness before
God that could never be attained. They couldn't. The righteousness
that answers to the demands of the law is the righteousness
of God, and that's the only righteousness that God will accept. And whose
righteousness is it? It's Christ's. It's his. They stumble at Christ. Men say
the only righteousness of God they accept is the righteousness
of Christ. What? Are you saying that I've never
done anything? I've never done anything that
would be accepted by God and myself? That's exactly what I'm
telling you. Are you saying I've never said
anything right? That's exactly what I'm telling you. There's
not one thing that you've ever said or thought or done. I'm
telling you, if God does not look upon you and consider you
in His Son and see the righteousness of Christ imputed to you, you're
gone. You're gone. Yeah, but I believe
the gospel of free grace. Well, you believe that by the
grace of God. But I'm telling you, your belief is no merit
before God. Your belief is an evidence that
God has shown you mercy. That's all it is. So whenever
you start being proud in your belief, think it through again.
They stumbled. As it is written, verse 33, Behold,
I lay in Zion a stumbling stone, a rock of offense, and whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed. As it is written, As
the Scriptures has foretold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone
and a rock of offense. This rock, this stone, this is
the sure foundation. The Lord said, I put him there.
I sent him. He's my messenger. He's chosen. Christ is God's elect. I lay
in Zion a stumbling stone, the precious cornerstone of the church. And he shall never fail. He shall
save his people. It was prophesied that he would
keep the everlasting covenant that God had made with him. God
made a covenant with him. But you say, I thought David
said, he hath made with me an everlasting covenant. He made
with David an everlasting covenant in Christ. But he made that covenant
with himself. This is a covenant of God's grace. God, as Brother Scott says, God
doing something for Himself before He could do something for me.
I lay in Zion. But while the rock of our salvation
is our only hope, He is a stumbling block. He is an obstacle against
one dashing his foot. He is a rock of offense to all
that are left to themselves. What are you saying? I'm saying
that men by nature hate God's Christ. Why? Because He's God. They hate God because He's God.
What I mean is, when I say they hate God because He's God, I
mean because He's sovereign. Let me say it like that. Does
that make it easier to understand? They hate God because He's sovereign.
But listen to this. Whosoever believeth on Him, whosoever
God has given a heart." Whosoever God has given faith. Whosoever. Whosoever. Who is that? Whosoever. Who are they? All of God's. How
do you know them? They believe God. How do you
know them? They believe on Him, Neil. They believe Him. What
does that mean to believe? Rest on. Trust. What if you thought you was going
to die today? I'm going to leave this world and my flesh is kind
of kind of wrestling with this, but I'm going to tell you something.
I don't have any other hope. What else are you going to rest
on? If you thought that today was your last day, what else
could you do? I mean, you start thinking about
the alternatives, okay? You say, you mean to tell me
if I left and all I've got is him, Man, if all you've got is Him,
you've got it all. You think about that. If I left
today, what else could you do? You're going to start going back
on your... What are you going to do? That's what He told the
apostles. Are you going to leave? Where
are we going to go? You have the words of eternal
life. Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. Before who? Before God, before
God, whosoever believes on Christ is not going to be ashamed in
that day that we talked about in that great day of judgment
when it's over and the books are open. Yeah, but if my name is written
in his book, the book of life, the book of Christ, the book
has been written from the foundation of the Lord, before the foundation
of the Lord. If that book finds my name there,
the other books don't matter. Why? Because he took those books. He took that record. He took
that guilt. And he made that his own. That
was his. And now I possess something. His righteousness. Man, what
an exchange. or in exchange, and to stand
before God and to hear Almighty God look upon me and say, well
done. But you say, He could only say
that about Christ. I know. And He says that about
me if I'm in Him. Well done by good, good and faithful
servant. Let's have a word of prayer. Our Father, we thank you this
morning for this time to be here. Lord, I pray you'd bless these
words. Bless the word to your honor
and to your glory. Lord, I don't know anything else
to ask. I just ask you to help us. Bless this word calling out
of your people for the comfort of your people, for the blessing
of your people, the instruction of your people. And we pray this
in accordance with Your Word that You've told us. Preach the
Gospel. Preach it to all men, whosoever
believes. It's not going to be a shame.
Thank You, Father, for Your mercy and grace for Christ's sake.
Amen.