Sovereign Grace Chapel, located at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. So if you would turn with me to Proverbs 21 and verse 21.

Proverbs 21. And verse 21. He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honor. We have in this one short verse a lot of good news.

First, there is a righteousness that is followed after. This following is to pursue or run after. It is not a doing of righteousness. It is a pursuing after it. It's like that passage I read last Sunday from Philippians 3. Philippians 3, 10, 11, and 12. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus."

Paul is talking about pursuing after Jesus Christ. He knows it is Christ that has laid hold of him because he says, which also I am apprehended of Jesus Christ. But he also knows it causes us to be actively engaged in reaching for Christ. We do all this by his power, of course. But God's people, those who have been apprehended of Christ, pursue him.

So we also see something else here that is pursued, mercy. These are two things by nature we do not have. And because of who we are, these are two things we must have. We lack much more, but for sure, these two things we do not have by nature. And I want to be clear, it does not say we do righteousness and or that we do mercy. We pursue it as something we do not have. Those who are like this, that do pursue these things, do not presume on God. They know they neither have these things in and of themselves and they know they do not deserve these things.

So let's look at righteousness and mercy and the pursuit of those things. So first, I want you to think about this verse as it speaks about righteousness and mercy, and it's very familiar to you, Matthew 9, 13. But go ye and learn what meaneth. I will have mercy and not sacrifice, for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

This verse here confirms what has been said in Proverbs 21, 21. First of all, there are none righteous, no, not one. The only righteousness there is in this world is that righteousness which is righteousness in man's own eyes. But scripture is clear that even our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's eyes. If one were truly righteous, there would be no need of repentance.

So if you think you are righteous, Jesus Christ did not come for you. If you think in some way you can do righteousness, then Christ did not come for you. He did not die for you. There is no other way to see that. Jesus Christ must call us to repentance or we will never repent. If Jesus Christ does not call us, there will never be a time when we will turn to God from idols. That's repentance. That is a taking sides with God against ourselves, admitting that we are sinners. And that is admitting that I am a sinner. It's not a group think kind of thing. It is Christ coming to an individual and letting you know that you are a sinner and in need of righteousness because you have none.

We can also see here that mercy is for sinners. Mercy is kindness or goodwill towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them. Jesus Christ is willing and desiring to show mercy to those sinners who are miserable and afflicted. He wants to help them, just as he did with Nineveh. As Walter pointed out, Jonah got mad and did not want to go to Nineveh because he knew God would be merciful to them.

The people of God know that their God is a merciful God because they know what he has done for them. That is a stark contrast to men and women today who think God owes them mercy. They think that if they do something, and you can plug in quite a few things there, but they think if they do one of many numerous things that God must show them mercy. A child of God, by the grace of God, does not presume God will show them mercy. God's people continually cry out for mercy because their sin is ever before them. It is not ever before a righteous, merciful God, but it is before them. In seeing their sin daily, they cry out for mercy daily, because they know they need it daily if they are to serve him.

God is a merciful God. Jonah did not want them to be shown mercy, knowing that God is a merciful God. Men and women today expect God to show them mercy. They think they deserve it. Mercy is not something that is deserved or earned. Mercy is something that is shown from one who has the ability to show it, and that to another who does not have it, does not deserve it, and has not earned it.

The reason they need mercy is because they are sinners. What has made them miserable and afflicted is that they are sinning against God. He is absolutely righteous and holy and we have offended Him. Do you see yourself as offending a righteous, merciful God?

But see something else in our verse in Proverbs. Those who pursue after righteousness and mercy find something. They are pursuing these two things, and in the course of pursuing those things, they find something. They find things that they did not have before. First of all, life. Now, it's not just that they get life, but they find life. When those who by God's grace pursue God's righteousness, they find where life is. They find Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the only place life can be found. Outside of Him, there is no life. So your only hope is to be found in Him. in whom dwelleth all life from God. If you are in Him, if finding Him, and you will only find Him if He first finds you, but if you find Him, you will find life from the dead.

What else? You pursue righteousness and mercy, you will find righteousness, or justice is what the word means. There's only one place where you will find that, you will not find it in your doing. In fact, there, you will only find death. And that's why you're pursuing after righteousness and mercy. But Jesus Christ is the righteousness of God without the law, the scripture says. So if the righteousness and mercy you seek does not find that righteousness, you have not found righteousness. If your pursuing of righteousness and mercy does not point you to a person, and that is the person of Jesus Christ the Lord, the righteousness and mercy you have found is not a true righteousness. It may be a righteousness that is filthy rags in God's sight, but it is not true righteousness.

We have one other thing here that is found when a person is made to pursue righteousness and mercy. honor, or that is, glory. There is no greater glory than seeing Jesus Christ. For such a dead dog as I, to be enabled to see him, it is a glorious sight. The three in one God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And I mentioned Jesus Christ being glorious, but then I mentioned the three in one God, why? Because Jesus Christ thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Because he is God. If we see God, it will be in the face of Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Whose eyes do you think he was beholding? It was none other than the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ.

Turn with me to Exodus 33, very familiar to you all. Exodus 33. We'll see some of this glory. Exodus 33 and I'm gonna start in verse 12. Exodus 33, starting in 12.

And Moses said unto the Lord, See thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people, and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight, and consider that this nation is thy people.

And he said, my presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, if thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? Is it not in that thou goest with us? So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee. and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

And he said, Thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man see me and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock, and it shall come to pass while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cliff of a rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by. and I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts, but my face shall not be seen.

" Moses desired to see the glory of God. Who is it that you think Moses saw? It was none other than Jesus Christ the Lord. Moses saw that it was a man passing by. Moses knew he was seeing the Messiah. What a glory to behold. God came down, the three in one came down. I know I don't get this glory completely. I can't even tell you completely the fullness of this glory. I know this world does not see this at all. But it was God Almighty the one who is righteous, holy, undefiled, and all wise and all powerful. It is he that came down. This man took on the form of a servant and was made a curse and sin for his people. And this just amazes me. Sin and that offense against this righteous holy God, but sin causes the wrath of God to be kindled.

So you think all have sinned and come short of the glory of God? I know this, I have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Here's what God tells us in his word about his wrath. Psalm 212, kiss the son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are they that put their trust in him. It only takes but a little wrath from God to destroy you, to destroy the whole world. We cannot even fathom his wrath. Psalm 90 11 says, who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. Sin, that's what I am, and that's what I do, and that sin kindles the wrath of God. If you think that wrath of God is against what you do but not against you, you know, you've heard people say that. God hates sin but loves the sinner. You know, smile, God loves you.

Listen to this in Isaiah, Isaiah 13, 9. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh. cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate, and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it." It says here, he shall destroy the sinners. Not what they do, but they themselves, sinners.

But yet there is mercy found in God's wrath. It is found in his glory. You all know this passage quite well, as Walter has brought this out quite ably. Habakkuk 3, 2. O Lord, I have heard thy speech and was afraid. O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make known. In wrath, remember mercy.

But let's look at this verse a little and ponder it as it concerns our text in Proverbs. It first says, oh Lord, I have heard thy speech. What speech are we talking about? His word, his word tells us that sin and the one that does sin must be destroyed. God abhors sin and those who commit sin.

Does that not make you start to think about God's statement where he says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The glory of God being spoken of is not the law of God, although it was glorious. But there is one who is much more glorious, and it is he who is the glory being spoken of. The glory we have come short on is the glory of Jesus Christ the Lord. We do not deserve to see him. We in fact by nature do not seek him.

It calls us such a one who by God come to this place where they hear his speech. What happens to them? They become afraid. Why? because of his wrath is kindled but a little. If his wrath is kindled but a little, he will certainly destroy them forever, destroy me forever.

But when they are brought to this place, and not all are, some are left to themselves, but yet others are brought to this place where they see his wrath, but they cry out to God. Oh Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make none. What is this saying? God calls me to see your work, not my work. My work will condemn me and cause me to be consumed in your wrath. I want to see your work. What is that work? That work is the glory of God.

Christ the Son came down and was given. Jesus was born, born under the law that he might redeem them that are under the law. God Almighty himself who has been offended because of my sin against him came down. It is he that done the work needed to save a people. He did not leave this work undone because he said it is finished. If God says it is finished, then the work is finished.

His work was this, in wrath, remember mercy. God the Father's wrath came down on Jesus Christ the Son in his people's stead. He was their substitute. I thank God he was my substitute. I could not, I cannot stand His wrath. If God's wrath caused God the Father to turn His back on the Son, how much more do you think the Holy God will forsake a sinner like me? If God the Father's wrath put the Son to death, how much more do you think His wrath would kill me and that forever? Because I am no perfect sacrifice. I would be consumed forever by his wrath.

But because the Son did what he did, mercy comes to those to whom Jesus Christ came to die for. You think God loves everybody? You think God loves everybody? You better start concerning yourself with this. Does God love me? I am a sinner undone, unclean before him. Oh, but if he might be merciful to me. I know he is a merciful God, but will he be merciful to me?

First Chronicles 1634, we read, Oh, give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. I know if I am ever to see his wrath, I will be consumed forever. But if the Son took my place, I will see His mercy and that forever. Mercy is not earned by us. Mercy is not deserved by us. Mercy is given to us, and that only if I am in Christ. Those who pursue righteousness and those who pursue mercy do not pursue it thinking they deserve it or they have earned it.

Here is what it is to pursue righteousness and mercy. Psalm 4.1. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness. Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress. Have mercy upon me and hear my prayer. God will reward us according to our works. either our works in the flesh, or if He was pleased to place you in His Son from before the foundation of the world, then you will be judged by the works of His Son, them being your works by substitution. The work that we now do are those works that He has ordained for them that love Him, and those that He both works to will and to do of His good pleasure.

But here's Psalm 62, 12. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy, for thou renderest to every man according to his work. I pray he does not render to me according to the works of my hands. I am doomed forever if that be the case. But if he renders to me the work of his son, then what God sees is the son. What does God see? Life, justice, and glory. Life, righteousness, and honor. If I am to see Him, it will be He that does this. To see Him is the work of God. What does the scripture tell us? This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom God hath sent.

If you see any of your works as gaining you favor before God, then you do not see His righteousness and mercy. Let's look at a few examples of those who receive mercy. Very familiar, Matthew 15, 22. And behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coast and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David. My daughter is grievously vexed with the devil. She was told by the Lord himself, in 24 he said, but he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. She had a need and she knew that the only one who could provide such a need was Jesus Christ. She was not going to do anything for Christ, only worship him. That is, bow down to him and worship him, verse 25. Then came she and worshiped him, saying, Lord, help me.

If you can be easily dissuaded from worshiping God because you are told you are not worthy, then you are not bowing down to him and you are not believing him. To believe him is to know that you can do nothing of yourself. and that if he should do nothing for you, all hope is lost. What does the Lord then say to her? In verse 26, but he answered and said, it is not meat to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs. Does this dissuade her or cause her to leave? What does she do in 27? And she said, truth Lord, yet the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table. She takes her rightful place as a dog, but a dog of the king. Because just one crumb coming from him is mercy to my soul.

Now we have Mark 10, verses 46 and 47. Let's read this one. And they came to Jericho, and as they went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. He heard that it was Jesus passing by. He did not want Jesus Christ to pass him by because he knew he needed mercy. He has the inability to help himself, but he knew that this one and only this one could help him.