We can meet together tonight.
And we're going to continue in our study of the tulip. And tonight is You is for Unconditional
Election. Or I've put this title to it
too, God's Involvement to Save His People, described. All that have ever been saved
by the grace of God have been given some knowledge of the total
depravity of man as God has described it, as the Almighty God has placed
it in the Word of God. Abel understood this great problem
of his. It was a very short time from
the fall of his father. It wasn't Adam's words that caused
him to see the great problem that they were in. It was revealed
to him by the Holy Ghost in salvation. Abel declared to everybody on
the earth at that time that his sin was of such great magnitude
and had affected every system created by God, including him,
that the only hope he had was in a substitute. He offered a
sacrifice. He offered a lamb. This was a
picture of his Savior. He knew more than to trust the
Lamb for his salvation. He knew about salvation in Christ. As he is an example of people
being saved, we can go to the scriptures and we find that wherever
we go, Old Testament, New Testament, People were saved by the grace
of God. There was not one person saved
by keeping the law. There was not one person that
was good and could just go into heaven on their own righteousness. The gospel was preached unto
them as well as unto us. And many there in Israel, it
wasn't effectual, faith was not given to them, and so they all
died in unbelief. Abel would be able to agree with
the words that we're going to read tonight. And several of
them are contained in the Psalms when it comes to salvation, when
it comes to where salvation comes from. And so I would encourage
you, I'd ask you tonight to turn with me to the Psalms, Psalm
37. Psalm 37. And there in verse 39, Psalm
37 and verse 39, the scripture says, but the salvation of the
righteous. Now we're unrighteous by nature. We're only made righteous by
the new birth. We're only made righteous in
the righteousness of Christ. So the salvation of the righteous
is of the Lord. The only way that anybody could
ever pass from death into life from darkness to light, and all
of the other descriptions that God gives us through the Spirit
of God, and was written down by his secretaries in the 66
books, was for this very thing, the salvation of the righteous
is of the Lord. He is their strength in the time
of trouble. Backing up just a little bit
here in the Psalms, Psalm 3, Psalm 3, there in verse 8 Once again,
the psalmist says salvation belongeth unto the Lord thy blessing is
upon thy people Sela Salvation belongeth unto the Lord it is
his own He owns it. He gives it. He gives it by grace. He gives it not out of merit.
Salvation is given by God to everyone that He has chosen in
Christ before the foundation of the world. Their names are
written down in the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation
of the world. God has loved him with an everlasting
love from the foundation of the world, and Jesus Christ in time
came and laid down his life, a ransom for many, for everyone
that were chosen in him before the world began. All that the
Father giveth me shall come unto me. In Psalm 68, would you turn
there, Psalm 68, we find again as the psalmist, and these were
put into to be chanted or to be sung. What a wonderful message
is contained in these Psalms. Psalm 68, and there in verse
20, we read, he that is our God is the God of salvation, and
unto God, the Lord, belong the issues from death. He that is
our God is the God of salvation, and unto God, the Lord, belongeth
the issues from death. So once again, we have here the
psalmist writing this, put in the language to be sung in its
original form, to be chanted in its original form. He that
is our God is the God of salvation. Can you just hear those words
put to a tune? Jeremiah chapter three, Jeremiah
chapter three. Would you turn there with me?
As we look at this subject of unconditional election, and we
back up to the point of where this came from. Who are we going
to thank for all of these blessings that we have with salvation? We cannot thank ourselves. We
cannot thank our parents. Adam was unable to deal with
it. No one was able to deal with it that is in human flesh. The
only one is the Lord Jesus, and he came in the likeness of sinful
flesh, yet without sin. Here in Jeremiah chapter 3 and
verse 23, truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills and
from the multitude of mountains. Truly in the Lord God, our God
is the salvation of Israel. He's just saying in figurative
language there is no hope in anything else. It's not because
we're on the high ground. It's not because we have a multitude
of people that believe something different and we're going to
change God's mind. But salvation truly in the Lord
our God is salvation. Jonah. after he'd been swallowed
by that great fish and taken down to the very depths, confesses
there those wonderful words that sum up most of the Bible. Salvation is of the Lord. Let
me back up on that statement. Sums up all the Bible. Salvation
is of the Lord. And in the book of Acts, Acts
chapter four, Acts chapter four, we read these words. Acts chapter
4 and verse 12, these wonderful words about the Lord Jesus and
that there is no salvation in any other. Neither is there salvation
in any other for there is none other name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be saved. These words, from the
very beginning to the end, salvation is of the Lord. He must, as we
must, ask the question, when did God become the salvation
of His people? After the fall? Before the fall? We will look into the scriptures
and we find that God was interested in the salvation of his people
before the world began, and he took all the steps that were
necessary to save his people from their sins. For centuries,
this wonderful teaching has been summed up in these few words,
unconditional election. Election is not based on any
foreseen faith. If you've talked to many people,
no doubt you have had them say to you that they believe in election,
but election to them is that God saw who was going to believe,
and God saw who was going to trust Him, and therefore He chose
them on that. And we find that there is no
way that that was going to be happening, because God's not
going to change His mind about anything, and nobody is going
to do anything that merits God's attention. Did not choose. Election is not
based on foreseen faith. But if we really think about
it, it is based on foreseen unbelief. God knew that we would be unbelievers
left to ourselves. That we would go astray. That there would be nothing in
us that would turn in his direction. We don't have a spiritual mind
for it is dead. We don't have spiritual thoughts
for they've been taken away from us. We don't have spiritual light
for we are in darkness. All of these things by nature.
God, on his own purpose, has from eternity determined to save
a definite number of mankind, as individuals, not for or because
of any merit or work of theirs, nor of any value to him in them,
but of his own good pleasure. Election is that eternal act
of God by which is His sovereign pleasure, and on account of no
foreseen merit in them He chooses certain ones out of the number
of sinful men to be the recipients of the special grace of His Spirit
and to be made voluntary partakers of Christ's salvation. Ephesians
shares much about election, as do many other places in the scriptures,
but would you turn with me to the book of Ephesians chapter
1. Ephesians chapter 1. This wonderful book of Ephesians,
I keep repeating that, wonderful book here, wonderful verses there,
they are such a delight. And I remember when I was in
religion, the Bible was historical, and there wasn't much spiritual
there, and you could hardly find anything. And once the Lord saved
me by his infinite and marvelous grace, the Bible became a new
book. It was the book of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Christ is the issue and everything
here redounds to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and he
receives ultimate glory in the work of God before the foundation
of the world in that he chose a people. Ephesians chapter 1
and there in verse 4 according as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love. It appears, as we
look into the scriptures, as the Lord Jesus Christ brought
up this subject of his sovereignty and of his election, especially
to the Jews when he talked about Gentiles being saved or God dealing
with the Gentiles, it makes people so upset. that God is in charge
of all of salvation, that they have no part in it. We are not
the participants, but we are the glorious recipients of His
grace. And this is brought out in the
Scriptures. He elected a people before the foundation of the
world. He chose them in Christ. Jesus said this about it. He
said all that the Father has given me we read about the names
being written down in the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation
of the world that they were the names of his people were put
on the palms of His hand, graven on the palms of His hand. Everything
that we read concerning the truths of the gospel are contained in
these thoughts that God was interested in saving the people before He
ever created Adam and before He ever allowed the fall. this took place, God was interested
in saving a definite number of people. In 2 Thessalonians 2,
we read here in verse 13, 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 13 But
we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you
to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth. I'll never forget a friend of
mine reading this passage of scripture, the book of 2 Thessalonians
chapter 2, and then later by his pastor being accused, he
just can't, you just got to read the E word. You've got to read
the P word, predestination. You've got to read the E word,
election. Well, once the Lord has revealed these great truths
unto his people and they realize that it's by the grace of God
and the grace of God alone that they're saved and that they're
such a sinful sort, that they are sinful in body, mind, and
spirit, that they have sinned to the very depths of their soul
and their heart is deceitful above all things. When God reveals
to them that He was interested in their salvation before the
foundation of the world, then there's not a problem with it.
We relish delight and glory in that very thing. All that the
Father giveth me is found in the book of John chapter 37. John chapter 37. Let's read those
words from the mouth of our Savior. John chapter 6. And verse 37,
he says these words about the folks that he's going to die
for. John chapter 6 verse 37, all that the Father giveth me
shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out. I remember going into a Bible
bookstore one time and this verse is on a plaque, or I should say
half of this verse is on a plaque. Him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out What a travesty to quote the last half of a verse
of scripture just so it will agree with your theology when
the scripture says all that the father giveth me shall come to
me and Him that cometh I will in no wise cast out Many people
go right to Ephesians chapter 2, 8, 9, and 10, or 2, 8, and
9, or 2, 8, you know, they're very careful about this, but
they'll go to chapter 2 and read those verses and say they believe
that, but they will entirely skip the first chapter of the
book of Ephesians, and if you skip the first chapter, you have
no right whatsoever to claim what is in chapter 2. If you
skip God's action, God's desire, God's purpose, God's deliverance,
God's choosing, God's election before the foundation of the
world, and it's unconditional, it is not based upon anything
that we do, any merit that we have, any good thing that we
might have done. In our mind, that is not based
on that. It is only based upon His free
grace and sovereignty. So, we read in Acts chapter 13
and verse 48, the Gentiles, Acts chapter 13, once again, One of those verses that we just
love to read because it is so glorious that these people that
were Paul was preaching to now in the Paul and his company I'm
in the wrong verse chapter 13 and verse 48 All right here we go and when the Gentiles
heard this and They were glad and glorified the word of the
Lord, and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. I had
a person one time, when I read that passage of scripture, said,
well, that passage of scripture should be turned out around the
other way. This is the correct way it should
read. is what we find here in Acts
chapter 13 and verse 48, where we don't believe and then we're
ordained to eternal life, but we're ordained to eternal life
and then we believe. How can someone that is dead,
graveyard dead, believe anything? They can't. We must be made alive. We must be born again. We must
be quickened. We must be raised from the spiritual
dead. before we will ever believe God. And He's the one that creates
that life. He's the one that raises us.
And then we believe and we don't have any trouble with the Word
of God. A person that says, well, I just
don't believe that. I understand because you're an
unbeliever. And you believe not because you're
not of my sheep. Now we can be in that boat, be
lost sheep. We can be sheep before God gives
us the call and all that. And we say some foolish things.
But after God saves us, we will quit saying, I don't believe
it. We will say, I don't understand it. I don't comprehend it. But
never will one of God's people ever say about a passage of scripture
in the word of God, I don't believe it. If you believe that in your
heart and you leave this world without it, you are, as Jesus
said concerning, you believe not because you are not of my
sheep. The reason, and I'm gonna state
this, the reason That we have elections so often mentioned
in the scriptures is brought out in 1st Corinthians chapter
1. Would you turn there with me? 1st Corinthians chapter 1. 1st Corinthians chapter 1. And
there in verse 26. 1st Corinthians chapter 1 in
verse 26. For ye see your calling, brethren,
When I was growing up, we had a neighbor by the name of Mr.
King, and Mr. King had a grandson named Bobby,
Bobby King. And we were good friends. We
lived out in the country together. We did a lot of things together.
And Mr. King could whistle, and you could
hear that whistle a mile away. And as soon as Mr. King whistled,
it meant for Bobby to head for home. Now our mother did it the
same way, only she just hollered, Norm, and I knew to come. It was a direct invitation, but
God, but you see your calling brethren,
your calling, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not
many mighty, not many noble are called, but God has chosen the
foolish things of the world to confound the wise, And God hath
chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things
which are mighty, and the base things of the world, and the
things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which
are not to bring to naught the things that are." Now here is
the real reason we find that God reveals election to us. that no flesh should glory in
his presence. Hear that again, that no flesh
should glory in his presence. Those who do not believe in unconditional
election have great hope in their flesh that they've done the right
thing, they've worked hard enough. And if you've ever been in religion,
you know what I'm talking about. But when you hear the gospel,
and God saves you by His grace, we realize it was nothing, and
we do not want a glory in our flesh or in our self, but we
want a glory in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Savior of His
people. He's the Keeper of His people.
He's the Redeemer of His people. So, this passage tells us why,
that no flesh should glory in His presence. Why hath God chosen? God is the
first cause of all things. No one would ever be saved without
it. No one will glory in their own
righteousness. Over in the Old Testament is
a passage of scripture that Jesus brings up in the New, but I'd
like to go to the Old Testament first. If you'd turn with me
to the book of 1 Kings. 1 Kings chapter 17. And I'd like to read verses 8
and 9, 1 Kings chapter 17, verses 8 and 9. And the word of the Lord came
unto him, saying, Arise, get thee up to Seraphath, which belongeth
to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow
woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate
of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of
sticks. And he called to her and said,
fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel that I may
drink. And you can read the rest of
the story. But let's go over to the book of Luke for just
a moment. In the book of Luke, chapter 4. Book of Luke chapter 4 verse
25 But I tell you of a truth Jesus
is teaching here many widows were in Israel in the days of
Elias when the heaven was shut up three years and six months
when great famine was throughout all the land and but unto none
of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon,
unto a woman that was a widow." Now these folks knew what was
in the Old Testament and this record of this prophet going
to this specific widow as he was directed by Almighty God
And they want to put that aside, just like people don't want to
deal with election today. They want to deal with free will.
They want to have election as it's up to me. They want sovereignty. If we allow God to be sovereign
and on and on the words go, we do not by nature, want to let
God do what he said he would do, and that is save his people
from their sins. Now when Jesus quoted this Old
Testament passage that was in their Bible, it says, And all
they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled
with wrath. Why? Because they were used to
Glorian in their flesh, and when Jesus taught them about the wonderful
doctrine of election. that all of these others were
passed by, and this one, a Gentile widow, was chosen by the Lord
to receive the blessing from this prophet, they were upset. It happens today. People will
bite their lip, their fingers and joints will turn white, and
they'll just Have absolutely nothing to do with the truth
of the gospel And so once again over here in the book of Romans,
would you turn with me to the book of Romans? the book of Romans
chapter 8 just a couple of more verses here as we look at this
wonderful subject of Unconditional election Romans chapter 8 and
and there in verse 28 Romans chapter 8 verse 28 and we know that all things work
together for the good of them that love God to them who are
the called according to the his purpose for whom he did foreknow
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover,
whom he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called,
them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Ah, glorious election by God! It is the result of this that
he has his rich blessings to pour out upon us. In Romans chapter
8 and verse 7, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for
it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
I understand now why people don't understand the teachings that
are contained in the Bible. If they're unregenerate, If they're
not born again, they've never been saved, they will chafe on
these subjects that are contained in the scriptures. They will
fight against God having all the glory and salvation from
beginning to end. He's the author and finisher
of our faith. Now over in the next chapter,
the book of Romans chapter nine, Romans chapter 9, for the children, verse 11, Romans
chapter 9, verse 11, for the children being not yet born,
neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of
God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him
that calleth. That's what he said about Jacob
and Esau. That the purpose of God according
to election, it wasn't based on merit. It isn't based on merit
and it will never be based on merit. It is based on God's great
grace and sovereignty. On his purpose. He saves people
on purpose. Well, thank you and may God bless
you through the remainder of this week.