Pursuing God's Glory

This is a difficult passage, I guess, it depends on how you look at it. If it doesn't fit my human concepts, it's a very difficult passage. But if I just take it as the word of God as for what it is, then okay, God said it, I need to listen to what he's saying. So we're going to read a little extensive part. We're going to read from verse 14 to the end of the chapter.

Okay. May it never be. For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

For the scripture says to Pharaoh, for this very purpose I raised you up to demonstrate my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth. So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires. You will say to me then, why does he still find fault? For who resists his will? On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God?

The thing molded will not say to the motor, why did you make me like this? Will it? Or does the potter not have a right over the clay to make this from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make his power known, endured much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And he did so to make known the riches of his glory upon the vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory. Even us, whom he also called, not from among the Jews only, but also from among Gentiles, as he says also in Hosea, I will call those who were not my people, my people, and her who was not my beloved, beloved. And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, you are not my people, there they shall be called sons of the living God. Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved. For the Lord will execute his word on the earth thoroughly and quickly. And just as Isaiah foretold, unless the Lord of Sabbath had left to us a posterity, we would have become like Sodom and would have resembled Gomorrah.

What shall we say then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith? But Israel pursuing a law of righteousness and did not arrive at that law?

Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in him will not be disappointed.

You may be seated. Let us pray. Father, we thank you for this great passage of scripture. We thank you for these truths that you have given to us. And Father, we recognize that we do not always understand or comprehend your word, and yet there are so many rich things here. Open our eyes and increase our understanding, increase our faith.

Let us trust you because you're the only trustworthy one and your word is true. Father, thank you for the fact that you are merciful and that you do exact justice, but that if we cry out to you, you are so merciful and so quick to answer and to come to meet our needs. Come, Lord Jesus, use this text to teach us, to grow us, to glorify your name. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

Following up on the text that I did before, but so I'm kind of I'm not trying to skip a difficult text is what I'm saying. OK, so but when I looked at this passage of scripture, I thought, well, what should I title this? We are all in pursuit of glory. Yeah, either I'm pursuit of my glory or man's glory or God's glory.

There's not much option here. So that's it. Whose glory are we seeking? And the reason I picked that title was is that God is merciful. That that that's glory to God. God is just. And that brings glory to God when he judges sin.

OK, but also what what drove me that was when we got to verse twenty three, he says there he did not. He did so to make known the riches of his glory upon the vessels of mercy, which he prepared, prepared beforehand for glory. God is working to exalt himself and to show us who he really is, revealing himself to us in the word of God. And he is a glorious and almighty, all powerful God. That is who our God is.

So now let me start the sermon. The the proposition is basically this, that God is glorified when we pursue him by faith. You'll notice that the last few verses there of that section we read refer to the the saving faith that is mentioned in scripture. So we're not out to seek our own glory or or some other thing.

We're to be seeking God's glory. And, you know, the background of this is Esau and Jacob. And that's a real difficult passage, you know, because God said he loved Jacob and he hated Esau.

But both of them are rascals. Both of them were not worthy of anything but judgment. But yet God did choose to work through Jacob and bring our Lord and Savior to us. And God does that. He he showed him mercy. And Esau was happy because he prospered.

He had a lot of good, good things in life. OK, but when we get to verse 14, there is a greater issue here involved. And that is if people pursue things to glorify themselves, even the things that are mentioned in the scripture.

And, you know, when when God created us, the scriptures teach us that God created us for his glory and for us to enjoy him. Well, that's just kind of get pushed that in the background when we come to this text. But that's really a main theme here.

And let's think about that. You know, this is that time of year when people start graduating from high schools and even even graduating kindergarten. But anyway, they graduate from all kind of places and colleges. And and you hear people get up and boast what if you can you just look out there, student, you can be anything you want to be. But you can't be a pilot and a medical doctor, you know, an engineer at the same time. OK, so we just put it that way.

So that people boast about what you can do, man. And Nelson Mandela, he had a poem that he liked, I was told. And I'm sure you heard this poem. This is a really interesting poem.

William Henley wrote this, published this in 1888. And I know you have heard this, so bear with me as I try to read this thing. Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winched nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance, my head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears looms but the horror of the shade. And yet the menace of the years finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how straight the gate, how charged with the punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.

That was a little bit of arrogance there, right? Well, we're leading on with Paul is talking here about Egypt and Babylon and Egypt and scriptures are sometimes pitched as the epitome of pride and rebellion against God. And God speaks of Egypt and he tells us of Egypt, that he's going to rule over them sovereignly.

He speaks very frankly about that. In Isaiah chapter 19, he talks about what he thinks of Egypt. It says the land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will be in the dread of it because of the purpose of the Lord of hosts, which he is purposing against them.

In that day, five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and swearing allegiance to the Lord of hosts. He says, these people are going to one day profess Christ. They're going to turn to the Lord.

And he's saying that in his own song. Now we see that also in Paul writing in Philippians. He brings it home to a very familiar verse of scripture. He says, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the father.

Very clear. Everything will bring glory to our God. So this background helps us understand. The boasting of man helps us understand Romans nine as we come to this passage of scripture. The scripture reveals what God wants us to know. But there are also things that God, that are secret in the heart and mind of the triune God that we do not know.

And he is not revealed to us. So that's like Deuteronomy 29, 29 says the secret things belong to the Lord, our God. But the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe the words of the law. There's a purpose in what God has revealed to us.

So the first point is, if you look at this first section here, it is really amazing what he's saying. I'm gonna read verse 14 to 18. What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there?

May it never be. For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the scripture says to Faber, for this very purpose, I raise you up to demonstrate my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth. So then he has mercy on whom he desires and he hardens whom he desires. So what this is, this is saying basically, these verses, I think we could summarize it in one sentence, and that is that God is glorified both in his judgments and in his mercy. He is glorified. And so there is a, we do question God's sovereignty and man's responsibility in these things, and we wonder about them sometimes and when people start resisting and saying, well, well, it's like this.

I think I think it was 1986 or 87. I was here in Charlotte for an evangelism training thing. We went out, we got some cards or something from people who visit this church.

I don't know why they visited based on their response. But anyway, they gave us this card and we went by to see this guy and we walk up to this guy and we tell him who we are. He finds out, I guess, that we're Presbyterian and Reformed. But anyway, he says, he says, ah, this go away. I can't change anyway. God's predestinate. I am done. That's what's going to happen.

He walks down the porch, goes in the door and closes the house and closes the door. You know, what about the means of salvation that God planned that too, right? So but anyway, you can get that kind of resistance from people. But Paul is asking the question and it is a good question. Can man innocently argue against God?

Can man innocently question God? That's a good question for you and I. We do.

That's what's going on here. And Paul is addressing that to a degree. But if you look at the examples here, he gives Moses and he has Pharaoh. And we know that the Exodus events that take place, he uses them as examples of his sovereignty and what he does. We cannot. We're not.

We can. God declares that he is merciful. He is truly merciful. And Paul is quoting Exodus 33 19. He says, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So he's pulling that right out of the book of Exodus.

All right. And on what does he have? What does his mercy depend? His mercy depends on whatever is inside the heart of God himself. God is merciful, but whatever he plans and whatever he thinks, that's sometimes ended in the in the council of the Triune God and may not be revealed to us.

All of that is not revealed. But yes, the secret things do belong to the Lord. Matthew Henry has this thing, makes this comment on this verse. He says the absolute perfection of God's will. That's what we're looking at when he says I will have mercy. His will is perfect. So we shouldn't be questioning his will there. Then he says, and it teaches us also that the about the absolute independency of God. God says, I will. He didn't come to need to come and ask us. We're his creatures.

He says, I will. He is totally independent of us. And so it is only God's grace and mercy that makes a believer any different from the rest of the world. It's only his grace and mercy.

OK. When the descendants of Jacob came into the to Egypt and then the tyrannical rule ruler came up, who didn't know Joseph and what Joseph had done, what happened? Slavery came.

They went into slavery. But in the time of Moses, God sent a series of plagues. He sent 10 plagues and the number of completion is 10. And there were mighty plagues. And they were declared God's sovereign rule over all of the gods and goddesses and over Pharaoh, who thought himself to be God as well. And but, you know, God was merciful because when all those 10 plagues took place, the land of Goshen, separate from the Egyptian neighborhoods, was never touched by those plagues.

The people were not touched. God was showing mercy to his people while he was showing judgment and his power and his might to the Egyptians. It was a great testimony. And I want you to notice something. If you look, when you when you get down to that passage, he says.

Right here. So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. God is not our salvation doesn't depend on us. That's what John 113 says. Right. That that that God has saved us, not according to the will of man or to the flesh, but according to God's will.

It's the same message. He is God and he is merciful. Now, when we then we look at the example of Pharaoh that's presented in here, the heart hardened for judgment.

That's what we're looking at. He has a heart that is hard for judgment. We know that he hardened his heart and we know that God hardened his heart. But if God was doing this for a purpose, he was perfectly just. Now, it's Ezekiel has this to say. And say this, thus says the Lord God, behold, I am against you, O Sidon, another area that was in rebellion, and I will be glorified in your midst.

Then they will know that I am the Lord when I execute judgments in her and I will manifest my holiness in her. We are seeing God who is holy and who is just exercising his judgment in Sidon now. And as he did with Pharaoh in Egypt, that we meet that anywhere in the New Testament. The Book of Revelation says this. After these things, I heard something like a loud voice of great multitude in heaven saying, Hallelujah, salvation and glory and power belong to our God because the judgment his judgments are true and righteous. For he has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality.

And he has avenged the blood of the bondservants on her. So God does judge and his judges judgment is right and just and true. And it brings him glory. So in Exodus. We kind of went about who is in charge here, who is the Lord, who are the pharaohs?

What about God Almighty? Well, this was what God said in Exodus 10, verse one and two. Then the Lord said to Moses, God, God, God, go to Pharaoh. For I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants that I may perform these signs in mind of mine among them. And that you may tell it in the hearing of your sons and of your grandsons and how I made mockery of the Egyptians and how I perform my signs among them. That you may know that I am the Lord. God's judgments come on this earth to declare who he is, that he is holy and pure.

And we're the ones who need to bow to knee to him. The plays demonstrate that the Lord God is the God of scriptures is sovereign, is holy, he is pure. And, you know, the gods of Egypt, the many of the gods had different animals that symbolized who they were. And they would put a statue of that God.

And and that's who would represent this particular particular one. And in Exodus eight, 15, it says, But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, what does that mean? Well, the plague of the frogs was ceased. And so after it's over with, OK, now you can't go, you can't go worship.

He's off the hook. So what does it does? He hardened his heart and did not listen to them as the Lord had said he would. Well, who were the frogs? Well, the frog represents the heket, the goddess of fertility. And so all these frogs came out and well, guess what? Those frogs have no power.

Heket has no power. The God of the scriptures, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he is the living and true God. So despite all those repetitious acts of judgment, Pharaoh and his servants, they hardened their hearts repeatedly against God. They relented. Oh, you can go worship. The men can go worship.

No, he relented. So this reminds us that that God God is the creator. He is the Lord of lords and Christ is the head of the church. And he rules over all of his creation. And yet there is manmade worship. And that's why when you look at Romans Chapter one, you see the spiral down of the judgments that are there.

You see, it's getting more and more serious. And God finally says to them, well, I'm just going to turn you over to your sin. And that's what he did with, in a sense, with the Egyptians. You saw all of these demonstrations of the power of God.

OK, go, go your way. He hardened their hearts and let them go. Now, has that ever happened before? Well, there was a little guy who had pretty much control of most of the world in Mesopotamian area. And that was Nebuchadnezzar. And you remember what happened in his life. He was very proud. He was walking around the city and the empire just boasting about what he had. And then God struck him with what is called today, Boanthropy.

That's when you think that you're a cow or ox. And he did eat grass for seven years. But after that, he he stood up and praised the God of heaven because he had been humbled and he knew God was alive. He knew this was the living God, not just the idols that they had. The same thing happened in the New Testament. And I remember going down there by the seashore on a trip to Israel and said, oh, that's the amphitheater.

It's in disrepair, but it's an antique, you know, an ancient amphitheater. And that's where Herod stood as he was addressing the people inside Sidon and Tyre. And they were they were dependent on Herod for some of the some of the benefits that he rendered. And so the people were standing there as he gave his speech. And they said this, the people cried out, said the voice of the God and not of a man.

And so he said, yeah, that's right. And then what happened? God struck him and he got sick right there and he died.

He was eaten up with worms internally. God's judgment came on Pharaoh, came on Nebuchadnezzar. He corrected Nebuchadnezzar and he took Herod out. So salvation is of the Lord. Yeah, that's when we look at verse 18. So then he has mercy on whom he desires and he hardens whom he desires. That is frightening to me. But yet it is the time to cry out, God be merciful to me, a sinner.

That's the time. So there are a lot of objections and there are questions. So we see that God has said he will receive glory through acts of judgment and mercy, but also God will see glory in another segment here. And that would hit when he on vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy.

That's what he's going to go to now. And people, the question sort of ask here. You will say to me, why does he not find fault or who resists his will? Paul didn't answer that question. Why should he could have answered it?

But that's not the point. We're looking at God's glory. We're looking who God is. We're not we're not man centered on our quest for answer man. You've got to answer man about everything.

No. Who is God? You need to stop and think about him and questioning him. And so, God, we are the we are the creatures. He is the creator. We who are believers are the new creation in Christ Jesus. We didn't do that ourselves. God changed our hearts.

And so it goes on. So it doesn't make sense that we would we would object. Actually, one person said right. He said the objection is not fitting. It is just not fitting for us to object against God Almighty.

So but there's one thing about those that kind of question is that is really irreverence. And also it's a presumption that that it's a presumption of the creature against the creator. And that's out of order. So man asserts God is in a sense saying, God, aren't you an obligation to save people? Well, if it's obligation, it's not grace, is it? If God, if you're trying to say, well, you ought to save everybody. That's not grace.

That's a requirement. So God is sovereign. And Jeremiah Chapter 18, six, it says this. Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does? Declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand.

So are you in my hand, O house of Israel. Maybe this is the verse that Paul was reflecting on when he went to this illustration of the potters making a vessel for honor and for common use. But anyway, it's the same message that Jeremiah had. And it illustrates that God is the creator and the creator has creator rights, just like the potter of the who molds the clay, they have the right to make whatever they want. And if they want to keep it, they keep it.

They throw it away. You know that they are the potter. They are the creator.

They are in control. And so we need to realize that. Yet, you know, we resist that idea. It grates against us because we still have some simple human nature with us, don't we? And it grates against us because we resist the idea of God not allowing our friends and family or someone else we know to get into heaven, even though they haven't repented.

We still want them there. Regardless, that's the way we think that with our resistance to the thought of God's mercy and his will, even though they've rejected Christ, we still want to see them in heaven. And that's not our attitude is wrong. We've got the wrong attitude.

We should have a need to work on my attitude on this, too. So the fact is, is that you remember the centurion who came to Jesus and he says, my servant's sick and I want you to heal him. And he says, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof, but just say the word only and my servant will be healed. What an amazing attitude of authority that trusts Christ, whom he's just heard about. He's trusting Christ and his authority to do what is right, if he will. He's not putting pressure on him.

He knows he's not worthy. The same thing happened in another case. The Phoenicians, of course, ruled all up along the the Lebanon and Israeli areas for years and years and for centuries. And so there was a flower of Phoenician woman from Syria and Phoenician. She came to Jesus and he's got to put her off because I came to the house of Israel to speak. But she said, yes, Lord, but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their master's table.

A very depreciating comment. But she says she's saying you're the master. You have the power. You have the grace. Her attitude was the same attitude she had we should have toward the master.

She recognized him as being divine. His authority. What a humble attitude. So when we read this text here, we realize maybe my attitude is wrong. Maybe I'm trying to just boast what I want, but not seeking the glory of God. And so the in this we see the patience of God in his treatment of of people and of the righteous and the wicked. The way he treats the vessels of wrath and vessels of Murphy, the vessels of wrath. God will be glorified in his judgment on them. And it shows his justice. It shows his hatred for sin. It shows the seriousness of our sin and our. But yet it also shows God's long, long suffering. You know, it says there he endured with much patience. Vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. And so there's a little bit about the patience of God's here.

He's waiting. You know, it's real, though. His judgment is real and his wrath is real. I mean, somebody mentioned this in Sunday school this morning.

It was already in my message. And that was Matthew 20, 23, where Jesus is talking to the scribes and the Pharisees. These were well read, well educated, well trained and men of authority, sitting authority recognized publicly already. They had all these credentials and all this public reputation. And yet God says to them, fill up the measure of the guilt of your fathers, you serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of hell?

Pretty blunt. But God is a God of wrath. He does carry out wrath. He has vessels of wrath, those that are truly resistant to him.

And these men truly were that Jesus was talking about. Yet God is a has compassion on the vessels of mercy. And God will be glorified in the mercy that he shows. So it does talk about God's sovereignty here. God intends in this passage of scripture here, when he begins, he begins to save a remnant of people, a remnant of believers out of this world.

Ezekiel puts it this way as he describes God's patience and desire for repentance. Now listen to the heart of God in this one. Say to them, as I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live.

Turn back, turn back from your evil ways. Why then will you die, O house of Israel? He was warning them of the judgment that was to come. And this plea from Ezekiel to the people to recognize who God is. And God was preparing those people and drawing people to himself.

Some hopefully through the message of Ezekiel. But God is preparing us. God is preparing his saints for everyone who believes. God has called every believer for a purpose. And that purpose is primarily to glorify God. The vessels are mercy are prepared for to bring glory to our God. And what is the chief end of man originally to bring glory to the Lord. So God will be glorified by those who are not his people and those who are remnant.

Two different groups. And so when we think about the visible church, we think about the fact that these are God's people, that we're the assembly of God's people. But yet we have to realize that there are tears among the wheat. There are those who believe that they believe, but yet they really don't understand.

They still have some blinders on. And that's why we need to preach the gospel all the time. It's a joy to a believer, but it's also to those who may not really have caught on yet that God is going to be glorified. And God is calling us to faith in him. So the church universal, the Jews and the Gentiles, the people who are you would expect to come and those whom you say, well, those people could never be believers.

They're not our kind of people, you know. But God says, no, my people. He's going to call them. And what is interesting about this, he uses Hosea. He goes to Hosea and he says those who are not his people are going to be called to glorify him. That is amazing.

Hosea, you know, that prophet who was told to go take a wife who had a moral reputation, and he took her as a wife and he modeled the unfaithfulness of Israel before the people. That was the purpose of that. And yet it was, you know, here was Gomer turning away from her husband. He says, well, you are like Gomer.

You're running around. You're looking after other gods. Your heart's not true.

It's not committed. And so Hosea 3, 2 says, so I bought her for myself for 15 shekels of silver and a Homer and a half of barley. That is horrendous.

It's hard to believe that. But yet God put it in the heart of Hosea to do what he said to do. And he went and brought his wife back. And William Henderson in his commentary on this, he compares it to us today. He uses a different illustration, a pretty good illustration. He says, like having a fine piece of furniture. I mean, not IKEA, but something else. I like IKEA. But anyway, it's something that's really fine.

Quality mahogany, just polished, no dents, no scrapes, nothing. But yet on the inside, it's eaten out with termites. That's how God sees the nation of Israel. It could be the way he sees us as individuals or our nation or whatever. But God is is is calling a people who are not his people to become his people, even in the midst of the trouble. So Paul uses this illustration of Hosea to also apply to Gentiles as well. These are not God's descendants of peoples from the line of Abraham, but he's calling them out. So God's judgment does come and it will always come in God's timing. But God also saves a remnant. The remnant are come out of the visible church.

They are are are those who are who are brought into God's kingdom. And yet despite the the disbelief of the apostasy that taking place here and there, God has a remnant of faithful people. And Isaiah says this, unless the Lord of armies had left us a few survivors, we would be like Sodom and we would be like Gomorrah. And that is true. If God had not shown us grace and mercy, we would be really wicked people. And we would be not just we would just be detestable.

But you notice there is a seed. There is a remnant by God's sovereign grace. That's going to bring glory to him. And why?

Why would that be? Only because of God's sparing grace. He's sparing us. We could have become like Sodom and Gomorrah, but he has left a seed. Maybe it's a small group at this time in history, a small group at this place on the earth. But yet he has that remnant that he is saving to bring him glory. So those who only profess Christ with their lips may be very different from those who possess Christ and are possessed by Christ. There is that visible, invisible church situation. But God will always leave a seed, a remnant due to his grace.

It's not because of us. It's because of his mercy, because of his grace. And he will be glorified. So God's election is still having its effect and goes on and on and on. God is still saving his lost sheep from around this world and the nations. God's kingdom will outlast local governments. He will outlast global governments. God's kingdom is eternal.

And he is the king. So we are still called on to glorify our God. And we glorify God also by boasting in the salvation by grace through faith alone.

This is what a privilege. You know, Israel failed. We have failed God many times, but we're reminded of failures of individuals, of nations. And yet even people who had a lot of knowledge about the Old Testament or New Testament and they failed, they walked away from the faith. So how do can we miss the gospel the way the Jews did with all the Old Testament revelations and prophecies before them? How can we miss those kind of things? How can we miss the gospel when we have the New Testament in our hands and we heard it on the radio and other places? How do we miss it? One way we miss it is by seeking salvation by following after the law of righteousness. We're seeking salvation by doing good works.

It does not work. It fails in misery. So men and women are lost because they do not pursue Christ by faith. You can trust in the measure of your deeds. You trust that, oh, God would never do that to me.

And we have the idea. We had this hope that maybe blindly my works will be good enough. Maybe, maybe, maybe God will be permissive enough and forget those things and and I'll be all right. But failing to trust in the work of Christ alone, pursuing your own righteousness is is is the way to death. Believers, on the other hand, joy in God's glory. We we are glad that Jesus is glorified.

We want to glorify Christ. The believer experiences the only righteousness that is not by works. You experience the only righteousness that is not by works is given to you, granted to you.

Counted to you, accredited to you. We experience the blessings of being covered by the works of Christ. And salvation is through faith in Christ alone.

Well. These who know Christ by faith. They have a spirit of repentance, have a spirit of intercession for those who are yet to believe. There is a desire for the reign of Christ in people's hearts. There is a thirst and hunger for the word of God and after his righteousness. And Christ is the believer's cornerstone, not their stumbling stone.

The opposite is true for some. Those who are offended at Christ, who who balk said, well, we don't we don't go back to those ancient and outdated rituals and thinking about people as bloody sacrifice and somebody dying for somebody. That's not that's not modern world.

That's not our world. And they despise the cross of Christ. They rather esteem their own self righteousness and and their own human claim to worthiness. But we claim the cross of Christ, very son of God, who gave his life to redeem us. We rejoice in his mercy. God's acts of judgment and mercy, they give him glory.

The vessels of wrath and mercy both glorify God. When those who are not God's people become children of God, God is glorified. When a remnant of faithful believers differs from the rebellious church, God is glorified. When anyone trusts not in their works, but puts their faith alone in Jesus Christ, God is glorified. We are called to pursue God's glory by putting our faith in Christ alone.

God is glorified when we always continuously pursue him by faith. Let us pray. Father in heaven, we thank you for your grace and for your mercy in bringing us to yourself. It is not of ourselves.

It's not of our anything worthy of us. In fact, we stood judged guilty. But yet Christ has taken that guilt. And now we glorify you because you are righteous. You are holy. Everything you do, every decision you make is righteous and good and pure. Oh, Father, let us learn to know you better and to know and recognize you as our sovereign God, our gracious Master and King. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.