Turn with me, if you would, to
Romans chapter nine. Romans chapter nine. I sincerely
pray the Lord would let me convey my sincerity in this this morning. Romans chapter nine. Let's read
verses 11 to 16. For the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God according to election might stand. Not of works, but
of him that calleth, It was said unto her, the elder shall serve
the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses,
I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Now I've made this statement
many times. many times. This is actually
a question. You have heard this many times. If God has revealed himself to
you, you have experienced this question. You've personally thought
and wondered this question. But I got up Friday morning And
I mean in sincerity. This hit me like a ton of bricks. Why me? Why me? I'm wanting to really enter into,
rather than everybody just saying, yeah, that's right. I mean really.
Why me? Verse 15 says, For he saith to
Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will
have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Why me? Why me? Listen to this song. This is a song that's out of
a little hymnal called the Gadsby's Hymnal, a song hymnal. This says,
come saints and sing in sweet accord with solemn pleasure tell
the covenant made with David's Lord in all things it was ordered
well. A covenant was made. This covenant
stood ere time began that God with man might dwell, the impossible. Eternal wisdom drew the plan
in all things it was ordered well. This covenant, O believer,
stands thy rising fears to quell. sealed by the surety's bleeding
hands in all things it was ordered well. Twas made with Jesus for
his bride before the sinner fell. Twas signed and sealed and ratified
in all things it was ordered well. Now listen to this one.
When rolling worlds depart on fire and thousands sink to hell. This covenant shall the saints
admire, in all things it was ordered well. In glory soon with
Christ their king, his saints shall surely dwell, and this
blessed covenant ever sing, in all things it was ordered well. Now the only thing I disagree
with in that psalm is, I don't believe it's gonna be thousands
sinking to hell. I believe it's going to be a
number that I could never describe. I could never know. Our Lord
said broad is the way that leads to destruction. And everybody's wanting to go
there. Everybody wants to make it on Broadway. leave it all
and commit to Broadway. Broad is the way that leads to
destruction. He said straight is the gate
and narrow is the way that leads unto life and few there be that
find it. Why me? Why me? Is it because my heart
is right? I deeply, sincerely want to live
with Him for all eternity. Is that the reason why? Look
at verse 16. So then it is not of Him that
willeth. Not of Him that willeth. Is it because I'm fighting the
good fight Run in the race set before me,
pressing toward the mark. We cry, brethren, let's press
toward the mark. Is that the reason? Verse 16
says, so then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that
runneth. Well, then why me? Why me? I want to show you two verses
of scriptures. And I want to show them together. I want us
to read one of them and enter into it. And then let's immediately
turn to another one and let's consider these two together.
The first one is in first Timothy chapter one. Hmm. First Timothy chapter 1, look with me at verse 15. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners of whom I am chief. Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners. Now turn with me to Romans chapter
3. Romans chapter 3 verse 23 says, For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. Look at verse 10 right here in
Romans 3. As it is written, there is none righteous. Christ came
to save sinners, the unrighteous. There is none righteous, no not
one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. They are all gone out of the
way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good. No, not one. Does that hit home? Why me? Christ came to save sinners. We're all sinners. We're all
sinners. Why me? Is there anything in me that
attracted him to me? Anything in me that stood out,
that made him choose me? Look with me at Romans 9 again. Verse 21 says, Hath not the potter
power over the clay of the same lump? Every single one of us,
every man and woman that has ever been born comes from the
same lump. The same lump. Is there anything
different about me? Anything that is eye-catching
about me? Verse 21, hath not the potter
power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto
honor and another unto dishonor? Why me? Why you? You want me
to tell you the answer? The answer, I mean the one and
only answer, why me, why you, is in 1 Samuel chapter 12. Turn
with me to 1 Samuel chapter 12. First Samuel chapter 12 verse 22 says, for the Lord will
not forsake his people for his great name's sake because it
hath pleased the Lord to make you his people. It pleased the
Lord to make you His people. It pleased the Lord. Why am I
counted one of His? Why am I counted to be a child
of His, one of His sheep? It's because it pleased the Lord
to make me and you His people. It pleased the Lord to do this. What's the rationale behind it?
It pleased the Lord. It pleased the Lord. Ultimately, what makes me to
differ? It pleased the Lord. It pleased
the Lord. Look with me at Psalm 135. Psalm 135 verse 6 says, whatsoever
the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven and in earth, in the
seas and all deep places, the deep places of this heart, the
deep places of this soul, he does as he pleases. Isn't that wonderful? He does
as he pleases. None can stay his hand or say
unto him, what doest thou? None, none. The amazing thing
about salvation, the amazing thing about mercy, we talk about
mercy, the amazing thing is that he would show it at all. That's the amazing part of grace. It's that he would show it at
all, considering what all men and women are, knowing what we
are, considering what it took to show mercy, considering what
the price was. It's amazing that he had mercy
and compassion on any of us, any of us. Look with me at Isaiah
53. This is obviously talking about
our Lord Jesus Christ. We know this chapter very well.
Isaiah 53 verse 10 says, Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. Why him? Think about that. Why him? Why him? I'm standing here saying,
why me? Why you? Why him? Why did it
please the Lord to bruise him? Looking at him, seeing what he
is, why him? Verse 10 says, 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 of the travail of
his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall
divide the spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his
soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he
bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."
God gets all the glory in every salvation, every single one. Christ our God gets all the glory
in every salvation. When it comes to who he saves
and why he saves, who and why, the only response that we can
have and the only response that we want to have is, it pleased
the Lord to do so. It just pleased the Lord to do
so. Well, now he really did straighten up and fly right, you know, and
he did. It pleased the Lord to do so. Who is God going to save? Whoever
it pleases Him to save. Whoever it pleases Him to save.
He is God. He's God. He does whatever He pleases. I know this is a lot of turning,
but we're almost done. Go with me to 1 Corinthians 12. First Corinthians 12 verse 18 says, but now hath God
set the members, every one of them in the body as it hath pleased
him. God laid hold of the members
and God set them in the body as it has pleased him. It is
the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good. It's the Lord. Now,
here's our comfort in his sovereign will. That right there is a sovereign
will. It's a sovereign compassion,
a sovereign mercy. He said, I'm gonna have mercy
on whom I will have mercy. That's a sovereign mercy. And
he said, I'll have compassion on whom I'll have compassion.
And here's our comfort in it. While the unbelieving world hates
all things being in his hands. I mean hates the thought of that.
Hates the thought of that. All things are in his hands. Whatever he pleases to do. If
he saves me, if he damns me. While the unbelieving world hates
that and while they cry, that is not fair. God reveals to his
people that fair would have been for him to save nobody. That would have been fair. All
have sinned, right? All have sinned, rebelled against
him, come short of the glory of God. That would have been
fair. If salvation would have been
left in our hands, Man by nature wants salvation in his hands.
If it would have been left in our hands, none of us would have
been saved. None of us. If God ever reveals
to us that salvation was total, complete, 100% mercy and compassion
from him, that's what salvation is. Absolute mercy and compassion
from God. If God ever reveals that to a
sinner, That sinner is going to find a token from him. That
is the token that God chose that sinner. If God opens a sinner's
eyes to it, if he reveals the truth, man is so blinded to that
truth. And if God really opens the eyes
that it's in his hands, why me? That's what he was pleased to
do. That's what he was pleased to do. If God reveals that, then
that sinner is going to love all things being in his hands.
We do, don't we? Don't you love all things being
in his hands? This will be the resolve, this
will be the heart conviction that God will put in every one
of his children. Last one, go to Galatians 1, Galatians chapter
1. Galatians 1 verse 15 says, when it pleased God, that's when,
when it pleased God, He separated me from my mother's womb and
He called me by His grace to reveal his son in me, to reveal
what his son did for me and did in me. That is the heart resolve
of every believer. When it pleased God, when it
pleased God, he separated me from my mother's womb. He gave
life to me physically. November the 9th, 1976, that's
when it pleased God to separate me from my mother's womb. And
then when it pleased God, He called me by His grace. And I
don't have a date on that one. I don't know when, I think He's
still calling me. I hope He's calling me right now. He gave me spiritual life. Every
time I hear about Him and every time I hear about what He's done,
if He blesses that to this heart, spiritual life takes place. And you know it. You know it
when that life is responding. And when it pleased God, He revealed
His Son in me. He gave me life, and then as
I'm an infant growing in His grace and in His life, just like
our children do, we grow in knowledge and we grow in understanding,
and He reveals His Son in us more and more and more. That's
my story. That's our salvation. I ultimately
don't know why me. The answer is why me. I really
don't know. I really don't know. I don't
have the answer to that. I don't know why you. You never know
who the Lord's going to save, do you? It's usually the one
that you go, it's not going to be that guy. Surely it's going
to be that guy. You never know. God's people
don't have a big E on their forehead. Somebody asked Charles Spurgeon,
if you believe only the elect will be saved, why don't you
just preach to the elect? We don't have a big E on our forehead.
I'll preach it to whoever walks through that door, and then we'll
wait and see who it pleases God to save, who it pleases him to
give a heart conviction to sit down and listen to the message
of Christ. And I don't know why, I don't
know why me, I don't know why you, but all we all can say is
thank God. Thank God, thank God for his
mercy, his compassion on us. We were not owed it, we sure
didn't deserve it, but thank God it pleased the Lord to give
it to us, didn't he? All right, you're dismissed.