We know the name Fortner is not real common. And I was raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and I knew there were some other Fortners around, but they were from the good side of the tracks and we weren't, so we didn't associate any. And I'd never met another Fortner in my life until 15 years ago when I moved to Danville. And I met a fellow there, you wouldn't believe it, his name was Don Fortner. But the only thing we had similar was we were both men. That's the only similarity about us. He was a little old short fella, wore a goatee, and the dumbest looking thing you ever see in your life is a white fella who wears an afro. I mean, he wasn't cute. That's just so hot. And he was an Armenian Methodist preacher.

Now, if you went to town and were looking for Don Fortner, And you stopped on the corner and said, do you know Don Fortner? And you asked the wrong folk. They'd say, yeah, yeah, he's right around the corner there at Methodist Church. And you'd say, that's questionable. Wouldn't expect to find Don Fortner at Methodist Church, not even on a bad day. But maybe, maybe. And then you walk around the corner and you knock on the office door, and there he comes to the door. You said, do you know Don Fortner? And you say, something's wrong. Something's wrong. He's got the same name. He's got the same name. But that's all. That's all.

And I want you to understand that the God of this religious world in which we live, the God of Arminian freewill works religion. I don't care what denominational name he carries. the God of this age does not even faintly resemble the God of Holy Scripture. And I'm telling you that all who worship at the altar of a helpless, frustrated, defeated, idle God are lost in their sins and on the way to hell. And the reason we insist upon preaching the gospel in clarity everywhere God gives opportunity is because men and women must know God as he's revealed in holy Scripture in the person and work of Jesus Christ or they can't be saved. Is that plain enough? That's exactly right.

Now I want to show you this morning the one, the one great attribute and character of God that's unknown in our society. Now you talk to folks about God, and everybody says God is love, and He is. God says that. Nobody understands what God means by His love, but everybody knows God is love. Everybody knows God is good. The good Lord bless you. All the good Lord, the older folks get, the more religious they get, talk about the good Lord, but they don't know anything about God's goodness. Don't know anything about the character of God's goodness. Everybody says God is holy and righteous. Now, nobody, I mean virtually nobody, understands anything about God's righteousness or His holiness, but they know He's holy.

But there is one attribute clearly set forth repeatedly throughout the Scriptures from Genesis 1 to the end of the book of Revelation, in which God shows forth himself and his character as distinct from all the imaginary gods that men have made, and that attribute is sovereignty. The God of Holy Scripture is God who is absolutely sovereign. That means he does whatever he wants to do. That's all. That's exactly what it means. We say, what do you mean that God's sovereign? I mean, He does exactly what He wants to do, always, everywhere, without exception. Look in the Scriptures. Psalm 135 and verse 6. Psalm 135 and verse 6. Here is the one attribute that distinguishes God from all imaginary gods. He is totally absolutely universally sovereign. God Almighty is the absolute monarch of the universe. The Apostle Paul said, all things are of God. What a statement. All things are of God. Everything. This is what David says right here in our text. Whatsoever the Lord please That did he in heaven well, I was knowledge that Can you think of anywhere that's not missing there Can you think of anywhere that's not making that Whatsoever the Lord please That did he in heaven, in the earth, in the sea, and in all deep places, yea, even in hell beneath. But whoever the Lord please, that's what goes on. That's what goes on.

In creation, God is totally sovereign. I want you to look at some scripture with me. And you follow with me. I know some of you, I can look at you and tell already you've got a perplexed look on your face. And you might not understand everything that's said. But I want you to look in the book of God and see if it's so. If it's so, believe it. If it's not, throw the preacher out and don't listen to him again. I'm dead serious. I'm dead serious. If what I'm preaching is not according to this book, don't you ever hear me again, because I'm a false witness of God. I'm dead serious about this thing. And don't you ever listen to another preacher preach who preaches contrary to it if he doesn't preach it. Is that good enough? Because he's a false witness of God.

Look in Proverbs 16. Why did God make this world? Contrary to what they teach me in school nowadays, He didn't make it so you can have a good time and enjoy life. God did not make the world for you. God did not make the world to make you happy. God did not make this world to make life pleasant for you. The scripture says here in Proverbs 16, 4, the Lord hath made all things for himself. You say, well, God's awful selfish. He has a right to be. He's God. It's right that everything be His. It's right that everything work for His glory. He made it. He owns it, and He's holy, and He's perfect.

The Lord has made all things for Himself. But what about all the evil that men do? What about all the wickedness that goes on? And what about men who blaspheme His name and will not worship Him? Yea, even the wicked. I'm not going to praise God, oh yes you are. I guarantee it. I'll never honor God's name. You may live with your fist in God's face, but when you die, you'll take it out of his face. You're going to meet God in judgment, and you're going to bow before his throne and acknowledge him as God, and you're going to praise his justice. That's right. God made everything for the glory of his name. Read the book of Revelation, chapter 4, verse 11. The Lord made all things hath made all things, and doth make all things for his praise, and they shall praise him.

" Let's look at the Word of God again. Turn to Romans 11 and verse 36. God is not only sovereign in his creation of the world, he's absolutely, totally sovereign in all the affairs of Now the whole religious world quotes Romans 8, 28. We know. Folks can be so blooming sticky and pious when they quote it. We know that all things work together for good. You can't know any such thing. You can't know any such thing. Just, oh we believe it, that don't mean anything. That don't mean anything. Well, how do you know that all things work together for good? Because I worship God. And God works all things together for good. To them that love God. To them who are the called, according to His.

If you don't worship a God who rules everything, you can't possibly believe that all things work together for good, can you? Something's out of His control. I don't even understand how anybody can believe a word in this book, or claim to believe it, any word of prophecy, or any word of promise, if they don't understand that God totally rules the universe. If he doesn't totally rule the universe, how can you believe he's going to accomplish what he says he'll do? Huh?

Give you an illustration. Two years ago, I was scheduled to be here and preach to you, make good words. All right, I'll be there. Yes sir, but he's down on me. Wrote it down in my calendar. Somebody called me up and said, could you come preach for us on January 3rd or 4th, whatever it was? Nope. Scheduled to go to Rescue California. Looking forward to going. God had other intentions. When y'all were being here, I was in the hospital. That's all right. That's God's purpose. That's God's purpose.

You see, I had a good plan. And I gave my word, and I'm an honest man, as honest as a man can be. I try to be honest. I try to do what I say I'll do. But I didn't have any control over the affairs of life. I had no control over the virus I got. I had no control over the weakness of my body. I had no control over the elements of the air. Do you understand what I'm saying? Therefore, you cannot trust my word implicitly. You can't do it.

I'm telling you, God Almighty doesn't absolutely control the world and all things in it. You can't trust God implicitly. But our brother just called on us to trust him implicitly. Look what it says here in Romans 11 36. In the affairs of providence, the good and the bad, the prosperous and the adverse, the sickness, and the health, the birth, and the death, for of him, of him." That's the word of origination. That's the word referring to the first cause and source, of him, of him, of him, of him. That's a word of union. That's the channel. That's the viaduct. That's the way it's done through him, through his wisdom and power, through his majesty and might. That's the ultimate goal. That's the aim. That's the purpose. That's the final thing, or all things, to whom be glory forever and ever. I like it that way, don't you? Everything came from Him. Everything is ruled by Him. Everything will play its role. God worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.

The psalmist David in Psalm 76 made this tremendous observation. He said, Surely the wrath of man shall praise Him. and the remainder of wrath wilt thou receive." What on earth does that mean? What on this earth does that mean? That means that God Almighty so sovereignly rules the universe that he even rules the hearts of godless, reprobate, wicked men and allows man to do nothing that he will not use for his pleasure. That's right. Nero can't put Paul to death except by God's decree. That's right. But what about all the evil that's in man? What God won't use, He won't let it do. Now if you can get a hold of that, that'll force your little boat across this water. I'm telling you, surely the wrath of man will praise this. and the remainder of wrath wilt thou restrain.

" Turn over to Exodus 34 for a minute, will you? Exodus chapter 34. I ran across this a few weeks ago, and I just kind of jumped up and down inside. The Lord is commanding the children of Israel according to law, telling every male among the people of Israel Three times a year, you gotta go up to Jerusalem to worship God. That means Norm Wells gotta leave his family unprotected, uncared for in his property, unprotected and uncared for. Three times a year for a week. That's the days before you had telephones and jet airplanes.

And Norm says, but wait a minute. If I do that, who's gonna look after my family? Lord, you must not have meant that. If I do that, how am I going to provide for my sons and my daughters? How am I going to take care of my wife? Who's going to look after the farm? Somebody has come to steal everything I've got.

Look at this. Exodus 34, 24. I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders. Neither shall any man desire thy land. And don't stop reading there. Because just read that, that's not so. Everybody around them tried to take their land all through their history. Everybody around them. But it says, neither shall any man desire thy land when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God three times a year. What's that mean? That means God controls even the wicked desires of reprobate men for the glory of his name. and the good of his people.

Now you go ahead and try to do anything you want with it. We're not going to stand before you. Not the church and kingdom of God Almighty. Why, when Satan said, I will lift up my, I'll exalt myself and I'll be the most high God. I'll be like you. I'll sit upon the throne of God. And he led his revolt with one third of the heavenly angels against the throne of God. There wasn't even a shake. God said, this is the purpose, it'll go out in all the earth. Behold, I will do all my work. All my work. I'm telling you, God always does exactly what he wants to do. And anytime you hear a preacher say the Lord wants to, forget it. I'm just forgetting. The Lord don't want to do anything, he don't I'm telling you, he don't want to do anything he don't do. He doesn't desire anything he doesn't get. He doesn't seek anything he doesn't have. He says, I will do all mine. All of it.

And in the business of salvation, that is most clearly demonstrated. Brother Jonah learned more down in Wellbetter Seminary than most others learned at the UCHD. He said, salvation is of the Lord. And it don't take God long to get you out of that. All he's got to do is take you to hell like he did Jonah. And when he delivers you from hell, you'll come out saying, salvation is of the Lord. And if you don't, you've never experienced it. That's right. That's exactly right. Salvation is of the Lord.

So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth. And when we declare that God is sovereign, we're simply saying God is God. He always does exactly what He wills. He always does all His pleasure. That which God brings to pass in time is that which God purposed from eternity, and that in which God has pleasure now and forever.

What on earth could have pleased God to do it? I'm real interested now. What's God pleased to do? I realize that we cannot open the book of God's decrees and read the book of divine predestination and say this is what God's going to do in the details. But I never was a real scholar so I never did look much to details. I like the overview, and I'm going to give you the overview. The secret things belong to the Lord, and I thank God they belong to Him. I don't know what tomorrow holds. Frankly, I'm not even interested in trying to find out. If I was, I'd probably shoot myself in the head before I got up in the morning. I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I do know the overview of what yesterday, today, and tomorrow holds.

for the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children. They're given to us that we might, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, have hope. So I want you to follow with me through the Scriptures, and let me show you five things clearly that God has revealed to be his pleasure.

Turn back in the beginning to the book of 1 Samuel. 1 Samuel chapter 12. I'm not going to make any effort at it. giving an exposition of these passages. Time wouldn't permit, and that's not my purpose. I want to just give you some highlights that'll help you through the day.

First Samuel, chapter 12, and verse 22. The children of Israel had rejected Samuel for being the prophet, and they wanted a king. They said, give us a king so we can have a king like other nations have, and we can look to our king and see the crown on his head, see his royal apparel, and say that's the king of Israel. And Samuel said, God, they rejected me. And God said, quit crying. Samuel, they rejected me, not you. But this is what he said, the prophet of God with a word from God, in the teeth of their sin, in the teeth of their sin, for the Lord will not forsake his people for his great namesakes.

What does it say? Because it hath pleased the Lord. Why are you sitting here worshiping God in his house today? And your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, your husband, your wife, your sons, your daughters have no interest in God Almighty. How come you're here? You weren't better than they are. God takes the foolish things of the world and the things which are not the things that are just the base, the off-scouring things, the things that nobody else had anything to do with. And he said to them in his kingdom, he said, these are my sons and daughters. He makes them righteous and holy. How come Gene Harmon said no worship in God? Because it pleases the Lord. That's all. That's all.

Who makes you different from another? What do you have that you've not received? Now I'll tell you how he did it. He did it by sovereign election. He said, I'll be their God. Now election is not something to be embarrassed about. It's not something to be ashamed of. It's not something to be talked about kindly over in a corner. Let's not talk about this. We might confuse folks.

Folks, Scott Richardson, I referred to him a couple of times already this week. He said, somebody said, that'll confuse people. He said, they're born confused. The election's not going to confuse anybody. And men don't, they don't get upset with elections. We make elections all the time. All the time. A couple of years ago, you fellas either voted for Mr. Perot, Mr. Clinton, or Mr. Bush, if you voted at all. You made an election. You fellas get mad, you go into a house and there's five lovely young ladies in a household. And you only go to court one of them. You made an election. You go to buy a car. And some of you want a Cadillac. Some of you want a Ford. Some of you want a Mazda. Some of you want something else. You just, you go get what you want. You make an election. Men don't get upset with elections. They hate the fact that God does the choosing. That's all. They hate the God of elections. Elections are confusing. Our Lord said, you've not chosen me. You didn't. You couldn't. You wouldn't. But I've chosen you. I've chosen you. And I did it before the world began.

I go down to Wichita Falls, Texas and preach to some folks. David goes some. And one of the ladies there is a very zealous witness. She passes out tapes and tracks. Just very, very zealous. Somebody asked her, said, why do y'all meet in your house over there on Sunday and watch videotapes? You think you're the 144,000? She called me up and asked me that, I said, tell them, yeah. That's right. That's right. We're the chosen people of God. And I'm not backing up with anybody. I'm telling you, we are here because he said, you'll be mine. You'll be mine. He made us his people by sovereign regeneration. You hath he quickened. That means if you're ever given life, it comes from somewhere besides you.

Faith in Christ, as our brother so beautifully described a minute ago, is not something by which we call God to save us and give us life. Faith is the result of God saving us and giving us life. He that believeth has everlasting life. If you believe Jesus Christ, God gave you life. That's right.

Well, but doesn't a man have to choose the Lord? Oh, yes. Oh, yes. You gotta choose Him. You gotta choose Him. If you don't want Him, He won't force Himself on you. He won't do it. No, sir. Except by the force of love and grace. Thy people shall be willing. You read the 107th Psalm. God in the arrangement of his providence and by the application of his word through the power of his spirit knows how to take the haughty, self-righteous, proud, arrogant, rebel sinner and bring him down into the depths of the sea until hell compasses him about and he cries unto the Lord. And then he says, I'll deliver you. And I'll tell you this, when God sets himself on you, he will not cease to work in your heart until he causes you in your heart to please the Lord. By his election, by his regeneration, and by the willing heart of faith and repentance in Him.

Now then, turn over to Colossians 1 and verse 19. Here's the second thing. Colossians 1 and verse 19. Kind of hard to pick out a verse here in Colossians 1. The whole first chapter just takes up one verse till you get down almost to the end of it. Or takes up one sentence, rather. But here in verse 19, the Apostle Paul tells us, For it pleased the Father. Now, quite literally, you will notice the words, the Father, are in italics. That means the translators added them in order to make the sentence read more clearly. That's what those italicized words mean in the English translation. Paul says, it pleased that in him should all fullness dwell. And I will suggest this, it pleased the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that in him the God-man mediator are sure to say, all fullness should dwell. God Almighty put all fullness in Jesus Christ the Lord.

As our brother said the other night, Brother Harmon, he was preaching here Wednesday night, and spoke concerning the Trinity, we are Trinitarian, absolutely so. There are three that are erected in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. But the triune God is revealed and known only in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God in human flesh. You can't know him any other way. You can't know him any other way. It pleased the Father that all the fullness of the triune God reside in that man who is a man like us, but a man who is himself God. Look here in Colossians 2. You got your Bibles open there? dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead in a body. Now that's more than my little brain can get hold of. I'm just telling you, God is the incomprehensible sinner. He said, heaven, the heaven of heaven cannot contain me. You're going to build a house for me to dwell in? God's the incomprehensible, infinite sinner. God is everywhere present. God is all-powerful, all-knowing. He is God infinite and He resides in a body just like the one you're looking at.

Our Savior is a man and His body seated upon the throne of glory can only be upon the throne of glory. It cannot be in two places at one time. He's a man and He's right here with us. He's God everywhere. He said, Lo, I'm with you. Oh. He said, we're two or three gathered together in my name. Bear in mind the mystery. Our Savior came here in the form of a baby. A baby whose life depended upon the milk in his mother's belly. He couldn't survive without her. And he's God who puts milk in her belly.

Our Savior hung upon the cursed tree, under the wrath and justice of a holy God as our substitute. But He's God, He can never die. You understand that? In Him resides all the fullness of the Godhead in a body. All that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is, He is! For He's God over all. Blessed for that vow. In him is all the fullness of God's infinite, matchless grace.

Listen to this. You don't have to turn there. Someone read it the other night. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath. I love that word, hath. H-A-T-H. You know what that means? That means got it. It's done. Hath blessed God. With what? All spirits are blessed. That ought to kick the charismatics in the head. All spirits are blessed. That ought to kick the legalists in the head. All spirits are blessed. He hath from eternity, blessed us in Jesus Christ with all spiritual life, all of it. So that before the world began, before God said, let there be light, before the angels of God sang his praise, before he flung the stars into the heaven, God blessed us in a covenant head and representative, and the gifts and callings of God are without repentance. The blessings are immutable. Immutable. So he gave us everything in Christ.

And then Paul lists them. He says, according as he hath chosen us in him, he redeemed us, he forgave us, he called us, he justified us. All blessings even glorified us before the world began. And all the blessings and fullness of salvation are ye in Christ. Of God are ye in Christ. Who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. You need anything else? That's what God made Christ to be for us. Everything. Everything. And in Christ is all the fullness of heaven's glory.

I have a very dear friend. God saved him when he was about 70, 75 years old. His wife had been attending Bible Baptist Church in Madisonville, Kentucky for years. I preached to her for a long time. Her pastor, Brother Maurice Montgomery, is a dear friend of ours. Well, Brother Cavanaugh was converted a few years back. He's an old man now. And his brother's in one of these Baptist churches that you sell with a big B. You know, those are the fellas that think they're the only kind. I think you were one of those one time. And his brother said to him, said, now, Winford, what about your rewards? And Winford said, what you mean? He said, now, I believe you're a Christian. But you know, you got to work and earn your rewards or you'll be missing in heaven's glory. And he said, you reckon I'll have Jesus? He said, oh, yeah. He said, well, I ain't interested in nobody else. That's a pretty good answer. What you want besides Him? He's the glory of God. What you want besides Him, He possesses all things. What you want besides Him, the Father looks on Him and says, I'm wealthy. He gave all His glory to the Son. And the Son said, the glory you gave me, I've given to you. All fullness is in Christ.

All right, turn back to Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53, you know where I'm going? Verse 10, yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. Pleased the Lord. What on earth do you reckon that means? How many of you have been witnessing to somebody about the grace of God and they say, Quoting from Ezekiel 3 or Ezekiel 33, God says I have no pleasure in the death of him that I am. See there? Ain't so. Can't be so. Whoever imagined that God had any pleasure in the death of a woman? What does this word please mean? It has nothing to do with laughter, ha ha. Nothing at all to do with it. It means satisfaction. If God should send all of us to hell, we could never satisfy God's justice. And that's what he means when he says, I have no pleasure in the death of him that died. You can't satisfy God's justice. That's the reason hell's forever. You'll suffer the wrath of God forever under the judgment of God because his infinite justice cannot be satisfied by your finite suffering. It can't be done. His infinite justice can never be satisfied should the whole world suffer his wrath forever.

But the Lord God took his thoughts. And when the Lord Jesus Christ said, Father, it is finished. Into thy hands I commend my spirit. And he breathed out his life. The father said, that's enough. That's enough. Justice can require no more, for it pleads the Lord to bruise him. The bruising of Christ was the work of God's hand. It wasn't accidental. It wasn't a frustrated event that took place because God could do no better? It wasn't something that happened because men wouldn't let Jesus pretty please sit on a throne over in Palestine and be the king of that little peanut nation? Oh no! Oh no! It pleased the Lord to bruise Him. That's why He came into this world. And by means of His being bruised, He ascended up into glory and sat down on the throne of David and ruled all. It pleased the Lord to prove this.

Now then, read on. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. His seed, who's that? His chosen generation. God's elect. He'll see his seed. He'll see every one of them justified. He'll see every one of them sanctified. He'll see everyone of them glorified. He shall prolong his days. That means he's going to die, but he'll rise again. And the pleasures of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. What do you reckon is going on in this world? My soul between Bill and Hillary and the rest of the fellas up there and the stuff that goes on out here. What on earth is going on? The pleasure of the Lord is prospering in his hands. That's what's going on in this world. That's right. That's right.

But preacher, how do you interpret this thing here and this thing there? I don't know. I don't know. Your daughter's involved in that accident last year, year before. How on earth do you understand that? I don't know. I can't tell you. But I know this. That was just one tiny little pin of machinery of divine providence by which the pleasure of the Lord is done. That's all. And you can't pull out that tiny pin of the machinery. Do you understand that? Is that enough to content your soul? The pleasure of the Lord is now and shall forever be.

When you think about the death of Christ, don't ever imagine that somehow the Lord Jesus suffered as a victim of circumstances. He died as a sovereign king and a sovereign God. He said, I lay down my life. He died to the making of the full satisfaction of divine justice. The Lord Jesus said, I restored that which I took not away. He died as a substitute for a chosen people, for his sheep. He said, I laid down my life for the sheep. And all that he intended in his death, he shall accomplish. And that means he's successful. For it is written, he shall not face the bruising. Oh, I thank God for that.

I heard Brother Mahan years ago tell a story, a true story, about a missionary who came to their church at Pollard when he was just a young man. He'd been serving in India where they had leper colonies. He said this missionary told him one day going through the brush, he heard a faint cry. They helped him. It was the last people, barely above the group. And as the missionary fairly knew, he made his way through the brush and kept hearing that cry, help. And he got into the clearing and he saw an old man there who was a leper. The leprosy had eaten off his fingers, down to his wrist, had a hole where his nose was, and it just looked like death sitting there. There's nothing the man could do to help him. But the missionary said, when I saw that man, I thought if somehow I could go over there and just put my face on his face and breathe in his corruption and his death and take it into my body and breathe out my life and my strength and put it into his body. That's exactly what the Son of God did. He was made to be sin for us. He made us. And when He was made to be sin for us, He died as the object of God's holy wrath. God put Him to death as a substitute offering for sin.

How? How was Jesus Christ made to be sin? He never did anything wrong. He was made to be sinned by divine implication. Without doing anything, how can a sinner be made righteous? The same way. You can't do anything good. You're fooling yourself. You're lying to yourself. You think you can do anything good. You've never even thought a good thought. You're sitting here this morning in the house of God and you say, well this is good. Oh no, you're so full of sin and corruption, God wouldn't receive this on its own merit for anything. He'd never touch us. Our righteousnesses are filthy rags in God's sight. Oh preacher, how can we be made righteous? Without doing anything. By divine education. God, as He took our sin and made it to be His Son, He has taken His Son, And here we stand, the righteousness of God. It pleased the Lord to bruise them.

Now look in Galatians chapter 1. Galatians chapter 1. The Apostle Paul is telling us what he's experienced of grace and how it was that he experienced it. He says in verse 15, When it pleased God, when will God save a sinner? You got the answer right there. Right there. We keep hoping somehow God will operate on our timetable. And He won't operate on our timetable. You can't hurry it up. We as preachers sometimes are tempted in ourselves and sometimes we're Pressured by the people. Put a little pressure on folks. Let's get something happening. Let's get a decision. It's time this boy made a profession of faith. It's time this girl, time she joined the church. Time she did things right and came clean with God. Yeah, it's time you did so.

But I'll tell you when it'll happen. I'll tell you when God will save your sons and daughters if He saves them. And they don't deserve to be saved. No more than anybody else does. I'll tell you when God will save a sinner, when it pleases Him. At the time appointed, not a second early, not a second late, when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb.

Oh. He said to Jeremiah, before I knew you, I mean, before you came forth out of your mother's womb, when you were in her belly, I knew you and I sanctified you and I ordained you a prostitute."

My wife, I was out of town last week preaching and I called her one day and she had been reading Matthew Henry's commentary in Exodus about Moses. She was telling me what she read. She said, Matthew Henry said, God had ordained Moses to be a deliverer for Israel from the He said he was born to bring Israel out of Egypt. And he didn't know anything about it for 80 years.

God separated me from my mother's womb. He brought me forth into this world for a purpose. Who in his sovereign, preeminent grace, ordered every step of my life. They say, preacher, what about your past, your sin and your rebellion? I've caused so much pain and heartache to so many people, so much misery to myself and more to those around me. My heart breaks at the memory of it. My heart breaks at the memory of it.

But if I could change anything, I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't change a thing. God, who separated me from my mother's womb and ordered my steps to bring me to this place and called me by his grace. What Paul says right here, it pleads God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace to reveal his son.

I like this word now, not to me, Not today, but in the future. Salvation does not come by making a decision. Salvation does not come by saying a prayer. Salvation does not come by being confirmed in the church. Salvation does not come by getting in the waters of baptism. Salvation does not come by changing your life. Salvation comes by divine revelation when it pleases God to reveal His Son in you.

And here we stand that not one thing on this earth any of us can do to reveal Jesus Christ in the heart of man. We can make things happen. We can get folks to let you. We can get drunk to turn sober. We can get thieves to be honest. And we can get harlots to become moral. We can do all kinds of things, but we can't reveal Christ in a sinner. It can't be done by man. Only God Almighty can do it.

Well, how does He do it? Let me show you one more text. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. A fellow said to me the other day, he said, Preacher, honestly, I want to be saved. How can I be born again? How can I have faith in Christ? I said, Tim, if you're serious, if you're honest, if you're not playing games with God, this is what I recommend to you. Park yourself on a seat in the house of God every time you have opportunity. and listen to the word of God and ask God to speak to your heart. Boy, that's not much instruction, is it? Best I can give.

Well, shouldn't you tell men to pray? God never told anybody to pray to be saved. They didn't. Find that in the book. He never did it. Shouldn't you tell a fellow to read the Bible? Well, that's good, and you ought to pray. But God said, faith comes by what? Hear it, and hear it by the Word of God. Here in First Corinthians 1, 21, the last verse, it pleads God by the fruit of His hands that be laid.

Folks say all the time, if I believed what you fellows do, I wouldn't preach. Now, if you believe what we did, you're sure enough preach. You see, we're out here preaching the gospel. And we give our lives to it. You folks support the ministry of the gospel with your generosity. And we carry tapes and tracts and bulletins and books. And we get them out wherever we can. David's congregation is sending out that paper. Thousands of them every month. Why on this earth? Oh, we hope maybe somebody is pretty pleased here and believe on Jesus. No. No. Because God's got the people in this world whom He's chosen. whom he's redeemed by the blood of his son, and he's going to call them by his name through the foolishness of preaching.

I keep praying every time I get up to preach, Lord, if it can freeze you, give somebody faith now. I have a fellow in our congregation He used to come and sit down in church. He told me many times, he said, he was raised in a Southern Baptist church. I ain't picking on Southern Baptists. They're no worse than any other pagan. But, and I'm dead serious. I'm dead serious. Armenian religion, paganism, I don't care what name it wears. He said, I sat down and listened. I'd go home and I'd tell him, well, I can't see it. I can't see it. He'd come listen again. I can't see it. I just can't see it. He'd come listen again. I just can't see it. I just can't see it. One day he walked out the door and said, I see it. I see it! And he loves it. He loves it.

Do you see? Do you see Jesus Christ and the glory of God in Jesus Christ? By which God, through the sacrifice of his Son, is just in the justifying of sinners for the glory of Jesus. I see it because God sent a preacher out. Just like he sent a preacher to you this way. He told me the truth. And he took his word and the power of his Spirit and revealed his Son in me. And first thing I knew, I believed him. I just believed him. One minute it didn't believe him, next minute it believed him.

For he did not say, O may God be with you. According to the riches of his free and sovereign grace in Christ the Lord. Amen.