In the sermon 'He Who Believes in Him Will Not Be Put to Shame,' Scott Brown explores the themes of righteousness, faith, and God's sovereignty using Romans 9:30-33. He contrasts the Gentiles, who attained righteousness through faith, with Israel, who failed to achieve it through the law. The sermon recounts George Whitefield's last sermon, highlighting the futility of works-based righteousness. Brown emphasizes that Jesus is the 'stumbling stone' for those seeking righteousness through works. The sermon delves into the doctrine of election, affirming God's sovereign choice and mercy in salvation. It addresses questions about God's righteousness and human free will, using biblical illustrations like Pharaoh and the potter's clay to affirm God's absolute sovereignty. Brown encourages believers to find comfort in God's sovereignty, particularly in the context of family salvation, and warns against pride and misconceptions about justification by faith. He concludes by urging believers to engage with the world humbly and to recognize God's pursuit of all individuals, using the metaphor of the 'Hound of Heaven.'

If you're turning your Bibles to Romans 9, I'll read verse 30 through 33. What shall we say then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith. But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why?

Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written, behold I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense, and whoever believes on him will not be put to shame. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your word.

Thank you for your promises in your word that we can trust that whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. We thank you for your promises and your word that we can trust that whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. I pray for Scott as he comes and brings your word.

I pray that you would speak boldly through him in order that we would be transformed, that we would be changed. In Jesus' name, amen. This text that Rick just read contains the word righteousness five times in two verses. I think that's the subject of this text. And verse 32 states that Israel did not seek a righteousness that was by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.

And this subject of how one is made righteous was addressed very, very passionately one day on September 29th, 1770. George Whitefield was headed to Exeter, New Hampshire to preach what would be his last sermon. He was worn out, he was 55 years old, he preached 18, 000 sermons to about 10, 000 people. He was sick. He could barely walk.

He could barely talk. And as he walks into Exeter, New Hampshire, he looks and they've built a big wooden platform for him, and there are thousands of people gathered to hear him speak. And they beg him to preach, and he agrees to go up onto the platform to preach. And as the evening wears on and night falls, there's a candle on the pulpit. And it finally goes out for lack of wax.

And he concludes his sermon and he walks into his bed chamber and he dies there that night. But in that sermon in Exeter, New Hampshire, he cried out for the righteousness of God. And One observer who was there in the crowd on that day writes that he cried out, he said, works, works, a man get to heaven by works. I would assume, try to think of climbing to the moon on a rope of sand. And that's what he said.

And that's what this text is about. You may as well try to climb to the moon on a rope of sand as to find righteousness by any works of your own. And this text sums up this great teaching that we've been going through in Romans 9. It's a summary passage of Scripture. And it declares that the Gentiles had no works and the Jews had plenty and neither did them any good at all." So Paul now, at the end of Romans 9, is rising up to give one last argument to sum up the things that have gone before.

And he first, as you've seen in this reading, he first speaks of the grace of God for the Gentiles, then he changes the tune to Israel And he speaks of the failure of Israel to attain righteousness by the works of the law. And then lastly, he introduces this last illustration. He's given us so many beautiful illustrations in this passage of scripture. And he concludes this one final illustration. And it is one of my favorite illustrations in Scripture.

The rock, the stumbling stone. Jesus Christ is the rock, and he is the stumbling stone over which all who desire to be righteous on their own would stumble over. And so Paul in this last section of chapter 9 introduces the question, really anticipating this question that we would have, what shall we say then? And this brings you to the first point. If you have an outline in front of you, you can see where we're going.

There are three simple points in this morning. And the first would focus on this summary question, what shall we say then? And He's bringing together, he's gathering up all that has been said before. Remember in the first five verses of Romans 9, Paul expresses his sorrow for Israel. Here's a man who believes in election, but his heart for the lost is so full and so passionate.

If you believe in election, it doesn't mean that you don't love lost people. And Paul says, I wish that I were accursed for the sake of my brethren. I wish I could be cut off if they would receive salvation. No, if you would believe in election, it should never dampen your passion for souls, as was with Paul. So he first expresses his desire for the salvation of his lost brethren.

Then he asks a question. He asks five questions. We just read the last question. But he asks five questions. And the first one is, has the Word of God failed?

In verses 6 through 13, he says no, the Word of God has not failed. He's saying this, if the Word of God has failed for Israel, if the promises for Israel never were fulfilled, Well then how will they both be fulfilled for me or anyone else?" He's saying, and he's answering that question, has the Word of God failed because Israel rejected the gospel? And the answer to that question is no. He says, no, Jacob I loved and Esau I hated. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I'll have compassion upon whom I will have compassion." So he gives this illustration of Jacob and Esau coming from the same woman and their salvation was dependent upon the sovereign election of Almighty God.

And then he asked the second question in verses 14 to 18, Is there any unrighteousness with God? That's the question that's in our mind. Well, if Jacob I loved and Esau I hated, everybody in the whole world is going to think this. Is there any unrighteousness of God with God? Has God made us robots?

We've had very interesting discussions about this in our family. Does this mean that we are robots? And my ministry to my family is to say, to use the word robot would be wrong. Give me a biblical word. Give me something from Holy Scripture that explains that.

Robot is not the right word. It's not the right image. What is the right image? Well, the images are all right here. So he asks, is there any unrighteousness with God?

No. And he gives the second illustration from the Old Testament, Pharaoh. He's proving from the Old Testament, from God's interaction with Pharaoh, that God is almighty for salvation. And he hardens those he hardens. And he softens those he hardens, because salvation is of God alone.

We have no hope in our own righteousness, our own mental capacity, our own physical condition, our own family background. Your good family will not lead to your salvation. God Almighty will save you by His mighty, righteous right hand. And He's saying, He has mercy on whom He wills, and He hardens whom He wills. Then He asks the third question in verses 19 to 21.

How will he still find fault? How will he still find fault if he's the one doing the hardening and doing the softening? And then he gives the illustration, another illustration, A beautiful one right out of the book of Jeremiah. The potter and the clay. And he says, I am the potter and you are the clay.

And he gives us this image of the potter's hands Shaping the pot to be whatever it would be. God is sovereign to shape us. Are you unhappy with how God made you? Are you unhappy with how God made your wife, or your daughter, or your son? He shaped.

He is the potter. Don't despise what Almighty God has done in His wisdom, founded in eternity and will reign for all eternity. He has shaped you. He has made vessels for honor and vessels for dishonor. This is the work of a sovereign, almighty God.

And then he asks the next question. How shall, what if God wanted to show His wrath and His power and His mercy. That's the question. What if? It's a what if question.

What if God wanted to do three things? And the answer is, these three things God wanted to do, okay? What if he wanted to show his power? That's one reason. What if he wanted to show his mercy on vessels of mercy?

And what if he wanted to show his wrath towards sin? Those are the three things that God is doing in this world. He's showing His power to save the most despicable person, hardened person on the face of the earth. He is showing His mercy, that He would pour out His mercy on vessels who do not deserve mercy. But all their life long, He would save them, He would bring them into His church, He would give them a nursery for their souls, take care of them year after year, age 35, 45, 55, being cared for in the nursery of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and being poured in mercy day after day.

What if God wanted to do that? Would that be okay with you if God would want to choose vessels of mercy? Is it okay if God desires to pour mercy into a human being? Absolutely it is. And what if He wanted to show His wrath?

What if He wanted to declare sin for what it really is and expose the works of the devil. What if God wanted to take the devil and throw him into the lake of fire? What if God was going to right every wrong that's ever been done? That's what God will do. There won't be justice here in our own timing, in our own way.

But there will be justice for every single wrong that's been committed in this earth. Every rape, every dishonorable thing will be made right at the great judgment. What if God wanted to show His wrath? Do you want a God that will not show wrath against sin, really? All the sins committed against you by the devil, all the sins committed in your life, God will bring those to pass.

He says, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. Vengeance is His, not ours, but He will bring it about. So the question, what if God wanted to show his power and his mercy and his wrath? And then we come to this last question, what shall we say then? And then he gives another illustration, And that illustration is the illustration of the stumbling stone.

Isn't it amazing what God has done here to give us these graphic images to help us to get it? He just keeps with us. We don't really understand this doctrine very well because our minds just can't get around it. It's so gigantic. It blows all of our categories.

It messes with our own sensibilities. Why is that? Because we are mere men. We are dust. We are clay.

Does anybody think that they would understand everything about God? If you think you can understand the doctrine of the sovereignty of God, then you don't believe in God. God's mind is bigger than our minds. That's the issue. And that's what's being reclaimed here.

God's mind is bigger. He knows more. He's smarter. And He is going to express His wrath and His mercy and His power so that He would be glorified. So here's the question.

What shall we say? Now I just want us to make that a personal question. What will you say to this? What will I say? Little children, What will you say?

What can you say to this layout of God's might and His power? What will you say, children, that God is the potter and you are the clay? What will you say about that? What will you say that God has determined vessels for wrath? What will you say?

Here's what we say. Here's what I would trust we would all say. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, God, that it is this way. Do you want your salvation dependent on your family background?

Does anyone want their salvation dependent on how great a father they had? Would you like your salvation dependent on the perfections of your mother? Absolutely not. You do not want that. Let's thank God that it's this way.

Let's not despise the mercy of God toward us, that He would take us out of these terrible, imperfect backgrounds and lives. All the silly, stupid, evil people we knew that had an influence. Aren't you glad that your salvation is not dependent on your relationships? That God gave you in this world? You were just born into a neighborhood with reprobate people all around you.

Aren't you glad that your salvation is not dependent on that? Aren't you glad your salvation is not dependent on your intellect? I am. I'm extremely glad for that. God is preparing vessels for mercy, for wrath, and for power.

And I want this to be a time of rejoicing this morning. Can we rejoice with all of our hearts that God has done this for us, that there was not one ounce of righteousness in us. Can we throw off our hats to the air and be thankful and jump for joy at this great salvation that God has given us? And So here before us, we see the struggle with free will and predestination and the knowledge that God will bring us to completion. God will bring us.

He opened up our hearts and He will take us to the end. He will bring us there. One man, as we were talking about this on Tuesday morning in our Bible study, we were talking about the comforts of the doctrine of the sovereignty of God in salvation. And he said this, I'll never forget it, I wrote it down and I've told it many times since I heard it last Tuesday. He said, I know I'm saved because someone keeps pulling me back.

He keeps pulling me back. I drift and he brings me back. He is sovereign. He keeps coming after me. This is the comfort of the sovereignty of God.

It also deals a death blow to all human pride. God would see to it that we would not be put to shame. He who believes in Him will not be put to shame. So after asking this question, what shall we say? And I just want to suggest the answer to us.

Praise God. He moves to the Gentiles. The Gentiles did not pursue righteousness by the law, but by faith. Verse 30. And the key phrase is, well there are several key phrases.

Here's one key phrase I want to camp on here in this line. The key phrase is, they did not pursue. The Gentiles did not pursue. They were saved even though they did not pursue. They were being pursued by God.

Paul is a prime example of this. What was Paul pursuing when he was converted? What happened to Paul? Did he hear a wonderful sermon? And he realized that it was all so logical, and he chose Christ?

No. No. He was pursuing the death of believers. That's what he was pursuing. But God was pursuing him.

He was pursuing a righteousness through performances. But the Gentiles did not pursue righteousness by the law. The Gentiles were despicable pagans. You know, when Paul is speaking of the Gentiles here in the presence of these Jews who were there in the Roman church, the Jews were thinking of these pagan, despicable people, these Gentiles, these dogs, these goyin. They were worse than dogs.

They were lawless. They were without God in the world, they had no law, they were had no morality, and they were not they were not pursuing righteousness. Have you ever known people like that? They're just not pursuing righteousness. They hate God.

They're pursuing whatever they want. They have no regulations. I'll never forget the day I hired an employee and after a few conversations with him I realized he was an atheist. He seemed like a real live atheist. I thought I would look at him out in the manufacturing floor and I would look at him out there and I would say, there is a man who has no government.

Nothing governs his soul. Scared me to death. Absolutely terrified me. But that's the Gentiles. They're pursuing, they're not pursuing righteousness at all.

It's a fearful, terrible thing to be in that condition. And that's what Paul is talking about. The Gentiles did not pursue righteousness. How many of you were in that condition? You were just Gentiles.

You were not pursuing righteousness. You are pursuing whatever. Whatever came to your mind, whatever caught your eye, whatever warmed up your heart for that second. That's what we were doing. But God is pursuing.

They are running, they are not pursuing, but they are being pursued. To know that God can rescue you even though you are not pursuing Him, What does that do to you? What does that do to you now? To know that you were not pursuing God? He was pursuing you!

By the way, there are no seekers out there. God is the seeker. He is the one. We are dead in our trespasses and sins when we are saved. It's not our intellect, it's not our wisdom, it's not our logic that gets us saved.

It's a God overwhelming us with his mercy. Now, think of it this way. I was trying to think, how can you capture this? I was thinking about the pursuit that happens before marriage. Pursuing that woman that you love.

And many of you who are married here went through a period when your husband was pursuing you, but you were dead to him. Don't raise your hands. Do not raise your hands, but how many of you women were dead to that man that you are now married to? He was pursuing you. He lost his mind over you.

All he could think about was you. And he would dream about it in the day, in the night, and all the times in between. But you were cool. You were dead to him. You did not know him.

You did not want to know him. He was a geek to you. You were not, he was nothing to you. And you did not, you just could not see it. It made no sense.

And this is how it was with the Gentiles. They did not pursue, they were my own wife, her heart, though her heart was not cool toward me, she was not pursuing. Me. She was not pursuing. But when I began to pursue, she began to respond instantaneously.

She was not cool to me, but the moment I pursued, she responded. Now my wife was very young when she was being pursued. Love came early. When she was 13, though she was not pursuing, she was also not cool. So that when I did pursue, many years later, she warmed up quite rapidly.

Now I pray that that would be the truth among us, that there would be early love, that God pursuing and the responding would come early among all of us here in this room. Perhaps God is pursuing you now in your nine or five. My own wife was saved when she was five. She knew that God was her Savior at five. And I believe that you can know that early.

But where are you? Where are we now? God is pursuing, you know, He is the Hound of Heaven. There's this great poem by Francis Thompson, who was a failure. He was an opium addict, and he wrote a poem called The Hound of Heaven at the turn of the century.

In the poem, the hound symbolizes God who follows after the rabbit, who symbolizes the human soul running, running away from God. The hound is never ceasing. The hound is always drawing a little bit near, but never hurrying, following after the hound of heaven. Unwearyingly and finally in the pursuit, the soul turns. That's what the poem is about.

Let me read this. I fled him down the nights and down the days. I fled him down the arches of the years. I fled him down the labyrinthine ways of my own mind, and in the midst of my tears, I hid from him an under-running laughter. Up-visted hopes I sped and shot, participated down titanic glooms and chasm fears.

From those strong feet that followed, followed after, but with unhurried chase and unperturbed pace, deliberate speed, majestic instancy they beat, and a voice beat more instant than the feet, he said, all things betray you who betray me. The hound of heaven demonstrates this. I will harden those whom I harden. I will have mercy on those whom I will have mercy. This is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy regarding Israel and all those who would be pursued by God.

Isaiah 65, 1-4. I was sought by those who did not ask for me. I was found by those who did not seek me. I said, Here I am, here I am to a nation that was not called by my name. I have stretched out my hands all day long to a rebellious people who walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts, of people who provoke me to anger continually to my face, who sacrifice in gardens.

They burn incense on altars of brick. They sit among the graves. They spend their nights among the tombs, they eat swine's flesh and the broth of abominable things in their vessels. These are the haters of God. God is pursuing the hound of heaven.

He seeks those who do not ask for them, for Him. And that's what this is about. This should just make us think about ourselves and understand that it is the mercy of God only that has caused us to be saved. And you know, it's funny, Spurgeon had an interesting take on this. He, when addressing the doctrine of election, that God would elect you before the foundation of the world, he said, he said, I know, I know that God chose me before I was born, because He never would have chose me after I was born.

And that's the truth with all of us here. So those are the Gentiles. The Gentiles did not pursue righteousness by faith. They didn't pursue righteousness by anything at all. But they got it.

They got righteousness, which is the subject of this text, righteousness, and how you would have it. Number three, the third item in this amazing summary. Israel pursued righteousness wrongly by the works of the law. Verse 31. But Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.

They tried, but they didn't attain. Why, He says in verse 32. Do you see that? Isn't it funny how Paul asks the question that comes to your mind? Why?

Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. So Israel is pursuing the law of righteousness. They're not seeking it by faith. And so God puts a stumbling stone in their way, the rock, the Lord Jesus Christ, that they would stumble over him. This is the offense of Christ.

This imagery is very interesting. We could talk a long time about it, but it talks of the offense of Christ, that He is a rock of offense. You think you can speak about Mohammed, you can speak about Buddha, you can speak about all kinds of religious leaders and philosophies, but mention the Lord Jesus Christ and watch the sparks fly. Watch the laws rise up. Watch the people cry, H-E-L-U!

That's what will happen if you mention the name of Jesus Christ. Because Christ is the rock of offense. He does offend and he causes people to stumble into perdition. The gospel is foolishness to some. But you know, let's just think for a moment about this image of the rock and really the preciousness of it.

God puts something in the way to stop you on your way to hell. He puts the Lord Jesus Christ there in front of you. He opens your eyes and you stumble there and that stumbling will either cause you to turn to Him or not. But this imagery is so amazing. Think about the I AM statements in the Gospels.

I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall not hunger. I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Or how about I am the gate.

If anyone enters through me, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. Or how about, I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Or how about, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me shall live even though he dies. Or how about I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father but through me. Or how about the vine? I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. And how about this one? I am the rock, the stumbling stone, the rock of offense.

Jesus is the Rock. Now I know most of you are not old enough to know this, but last week someone died. The father of Christian rock, Larry Norman, he had a song called Jesus is the Rock and He Rolled My Blues Away. Now when I was studying this text when he died, and I was reminded of that song, and His statement, Jesus is the rock and you roll my blues away, it gets only part of the meaning of this rock of offense. It does get part of it.

Yes, it does. But we get the whole picture here in the book of Romans, he is far more than the rock that rolls your blues away. He justifies you by faith. And This is what the Jews missed. There's a great doctrine here.

It's the doctrine of sola fide, by faith alone. The whole of Christianity rests on this doctrine that's in these three verses. Righteousness, by faith alone. This is one of the five solas of the Reformation. This doctrine is a towering presence here in Romans chapter 9.

There's a great debate over the doctrine of justification by faith and there are some running around today are saying you know really honestly since Augustine we've really not understood the doctrine of justification by faith the reformers got it wrong NT Wright and his disciples in the new perspective of Paul are now proclaiming that they have finally discovered, they finally understood the doctrine of justification by faith. And it's really, it's really, it's a little bit of Roman Catholic theology and a little bit of Protestantism mixed in. That's what it is. We'll develop this later on as we move into Romans 10, because the attack against the doctrine of justification by faith, as the church has always understood it, is formidable and it's real and we should understand it. The Roman view of justification by faith, how many of you are former Catholics?

How many of you are former Catholics? You already know all this. The Roman view of justification by faith is that justification is a sacerdotal matter. Christ plus rights. Here's the Roman Catholic doctrine of justification.

It's administered by the church and by the priests with the sacraments and by Christ. A justification begins with the sacraments of baptism in the Lord's Supper. In baptism, the grace of justification is infused into the sacrament and poured into the soul. And the grace is called the righteousness of God. And This does not justify completely the recipient because the receiver must cooperate and give assent to the grace by entering into a state of grace that is uninterrupted by mortal sin, as distinguished from venial sin.

There are two categories of sins. Mortal sins, the really bad ones, we'll just leave it right there. The really bad ones and then the not so bad ones. The venial sins. Now where in your Bible will you find that?

I don't know. You'll have to help me find it. But it's not there. But there are two classifications of sin. Mortal Sin kills grace and you lose your grace from a mortal sin, according to Catholic doctrine.

The Council of Trent says that a person can have real faith and not have justification. They can have faith, but because these other sacraments and rites have not been performed, and because perhaps there was mortal sin, then there is no true justification. Once mortal sin has been committed, another sacrament comes into play. What is that sacrament? It's the sacrament of penance, which is just another plank of justification.

So if you've lost your justification for mortal sin, Another baptism is not going to do it. Something more. You get it by penance and priestly absolution. And the final part of the works of sanctification is what's called congruous merit, which is distinguished from condign merit. Condign merit is merit that is gained from your own work.

You must have some of both of this kind of merit. Congruous merit is lower than condign merit, and it would make it fitting for God to restore you to the grace that you need. If you have enough merit, it can restore you. And if you're really righteous, your merit, your excess merit, is poured out into the account of those others who don't have enough. So Rome teaches that in order for a person to be justified, they have to have faith.

But faith is not sufficient. Faith is not sufficient for salvation. It's faith plus merit plus Christ. You need Christ to become righteous, but your righteousness that is inherent with you also makes you righteous. So it's grace plus merit plus faith that saves.

Now this is sound doctrine in Romans 9, 30 to 33. This is a righteousness by faith alone. This is the doctrine of justification by faith. That there is this idea of penal substitution. In other words, there is a court case and there is a declaration of righteousness because of the blood of Jesus Christ with no merit attached to it at all.

No family background, no merit, no absolution, no priestly favor, no prayers of Mary, none of that. Only one thing, faith. Faith alone. This doctrine of justification by faith is always being misunderstood. It was with the Jews and it also was with the Gentiles and it is today.

In the last days of Luther's life, he said that this doctrine would be challenged, and it would cause dissension in the church. And so it's possible that in every generation this doctrine will have to be protected and defended by Holy Scripture. And we're here, here before us is God's Word on it. And these illustrations from the Old Testament and these principles from the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ that arise out of this page as He Himself is the Rock should be enough to help us press the reset button on justification by faith alone. So Simeon said that, Behold, this child is destined for the fall and the rise of many." And that's what this rock of offense is all about here.

Well let's go to the application of all this. What can all this mean for us? First of all, I think this should help us with the question, what should I do? What should I do about this? Now, I want to give you a couple of things, but we'll start with this.

I want you to consider this. I want you to consider a great comfort regarding your family. I want this to be a great comfort regarding your family. God is sovereign in salvation. Your children are in good hands.

Your children are in good hands. If your children's salvation is going to be based on how perfect you are as a father in executing your duties. I think that would be scary. But your salvation of your children is not dependent upon that. You can cast a vision of the beauty of God in your home.

You can make your home, as it were, a little kingdom of heaven. You can do that. But I know that you will fall short in it. And all fathers pass down some silly ideas to their children. And all fathers have their days of duplicity.

And all fathers sin against their children. If the salvation of your children was dependent on your righteousness, then be depressed. But if it is not, take heart. Thomas Fuller, who was the chaplain to Oliver Cromwell, wrote this. It's called A Father's Hope and A Father's Warning.

Let me read it to you. I trust that it will do two things. Chill you to the bone and warm you right back up. Okay? Here's what he writes, Lord, I find the genealogy of my Savior strangely checkered with four remarkable changes in four immediate generations.

Number one, Reh-e-Boham begat Abijah, that is, a bad father begat a bad son. Number two, Abijah begat Asa, that is, a bad father begat a good son. Number three, Asa begat Jehoshaphat, that is, a good father begat a good son. Number five. Oh, I'm sorry.

Number four. Jehoshaphat begat Joram, that is a good father begat a bad son. And he interprets this this way, and I think it's the right way. Lord, I see that my father's piety cannot be entailed. That is the bad news for me.

But I also see that actual impiety is not always hereditary, and That is good news for my son. The doctrine of election should be the most comforting thing to parents that they've ever heard. It is good news for your daughter, for your son, that God is sovereign in salvation. So you are either saved because of election or because of your own works. You can't have it two ways.

If you were not elected, the only alternative would be to credit yourself or someone else for your salvation. If I say, it was my belief, it was my belief that saved me. And I understand that the other man over there did not have belief. I had something and he did not have it. What was it?

What was that thing? What was it about me that enabled me to understand and not Him? Well, there must be something better in me than Him, right? But how are you different? How did you get different?

How were you so understanding and he not so understanding at all? And you say, well, I don't know. I don't know, I just am. And that's exactly the point. You don't know, You can't know.

You can't do it. It just is. And that's the doctrine of the sovereignty of God in salvation. You do not determine it, do you? You were born that way.

And So in the end it comes back to this, either you believe in accident, either you believe in chance, or you believe in God. It just comes right back down to that. So take comfort. Take comfort, husbands and wives, parents. Take comfort, children, that your salvation is not dependent on the righteousness of your mother or your father, but on God who would open your heart.

You might sit in church for years and years and your heart would be cool that the hound of heaven has been coming after you. And one day your heart warms and you say, I do believe. I love Jesus Christ. I believe He is the Good Shepherd. I believe He's the bread of life.

I do believe it with all of my heart. Oh Lord. Thank you. Thank you for saving me What is that? That's just the evidence of the work of the sovereignty of God.

It's a result of Sovereignty What a blessing it is that God is the ruler of this universe and not you or I, our intellect, our family background, our friends, the neighborhood we grew up in, the nation that we were born into. What a tragedy it would be. How terrible That would be. We don't want a salvation of our own. We don't want it.

If you want it, then that's what you get. You're on your own. Enjoy it. If you want a righteousness by works, then you might as well try to climb to the moon on sand. Number two.

This whole chapter breathes of the sovereignty of God. It does not depend on the man who wills on the man who runs but on God who has mercy Let's let's take this deep into our souls. Why? Because we need to we need to ask this question often daily Are you continuing to be a worrywart? Are you worrying?

Is there worry in this room? If we just calculated all the worry in this room, what would it look like? All of us, you know the term worrywart. You know, there's something that is seen here. There's something visible about it.

But if we could see your worries and your fears, I don't know what your worries and fears are, but I know that every man and woman and boy and girl has fears that no one else knows about. What are you afraid of, really? That God is doing His work should help you with your fears. He can deliver you from all of your fears. David said, I sought the Lord and He answered me and He delivered me from all of my fears." Yesterday a brother at the conference handed me a citation from a book that contained this verse of scripture and when I read it I thought I must read this tomorrow.

Psalm 33, 18. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear Him, and upon them that hope in His mercy. Think of His affection toward you. Think of the fact that He goes before you. Think of this, that He hems you in behind and before.

He's laid His hands upon you. You hope in His mercy. Hope in it with all of your heart. Be delivered from your fears. Let's leave these fears.

Let's let the light of the Word of God Burn away all the fears in this room today. I think that if we could see all the fears in this room, it would break the windows in this barn and blow out the skylights. It would just come out. Let's get rid of the fears. Let's let the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and His great sovereignty do business with our fears today.

What are you fearing? Name them one by one. Put them before this view of Almighty God who loves you. He's been taking care of you all of your life. What evidence do you have that He's going to stop?

It's madness that we think this way. Let it go. Why? Why? The answer is in the last sentence of this text.

Those who believe on Him will not be put to shame. Those who believe on Him can quit running. They can quit their hastening. That's really an aspect of the meaning here They can quit being on the run. No the hound of heaven is there He's there to take you to grab you and hold you all your life long.

He is there. So let's let it go. Next let's beware of the attacks against the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Let's not pretend that our righteousness would help us to stand above another believer in anything. That there would be no pride in this church.

People have said, you know, I hope your church doesn't get proud. Well, I trust that that prayer would be answered. Let there be no pride here for anything, not one single thing. We have nothing to boast about. Paul has already asked the question, where is boasting?

Answer. Can we say it together? Let's just say it together. Where is the boasting? It is excluded.

Right, there you go. We know that. We know that on our heads. But do we walk in this door with boasting and condemnation of some other person for some reason? Absolutely how inappropriate that is.

Knowing who God is and knowing what our salvation is based upon. Beware of the attacks against justification by faith. There are people advocating that the church was wrong about it and that the reformers didn't get it and now there's something just so fresh. Forget that. Again, we'll talk about that later.

And then lastly, let's be so careful, brothers and sisters, about the way that we relate with the pagan, the ungodly, the gentile, and the religious people of this world. Let's be so careful that we do not treat them wrongly. Revival can come from the most unexpected places. God can turn any heart. Your most reprobate friend is a prime candidate, as prime as anyone that ever lived.

Your nasty neighbor who speaks wrongly, dresses wrongly, lives wrongly, is paganized day after day, is a candidate for the hound of heaven. He is pursuing that hound. You can't see him. But he is on the trail of some of your worst pagan friends. Don't forget that.

Let that fill your heart with joy when you are in their presence. That the hound of heaven is big enough to go get them. And all you need to do is deliver the mail with the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't let someone's paganism put you off. Don't let someone's tattoo send you running.

We dare not do that. Well the end of the story is proclaimed here. Those who believe in Him will not be put to shame. And this is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Would you pray with me?

Lord, we are so amazed at the beauty of these words. Let us rise in reverence before them all our days. I pray, Lord, that you would help us with our fears. How many times do we have to learn this lesson? That you would deliver us from all of our fears.

And Lord, raise us up as a humble people that work in the world for righteousness which is by faith alone. In Jesus' name, Amen.