back to 1 Thessalonians 1. Frank Tate is going to be here
tonight and preach for us. He's here for somebody's birthday,
I think. Also, we've been on DirecTV for a year and a half. It goes to 22 million different
homes. Obviously, not that many people
are watching, but I've been very pleased with the response. It
is now going to over 50 one million homes. It's over doubled and
they've doubled the price. So I think we ought to continue
it, but I want to let you all know about that need. It would
be about another $1,400 a month that we would have to pay to
stay on direct TV. First Thessalonians chapter one. I want to read the entire chapter.
I've entitled this message, knowing your election of God. Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus
unto the Church of the Thessalonians, which is in God the Father and
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be unto you and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God. always
for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering
without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience
of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father,
knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. Our gospel came not unto you
in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in
much assurance. As you know what manner of men
we were among you for your sake, and you became followers of us
and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with
the joy of the Holy Ghost, so that you are examples to all
that believe in Macedonian Achaia. For from you sounded out the
word of the Lord, not only in Macedonian Achaia, but also in
every place your faith to Godward is spread abroad, so that we
not need to speak anything. For they themselves show of us
what manner of entering in we had unto you, how that you turn
to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait
for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even
Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. Now this epistle was written
shortly after Paul's first trip to Thessalonica. Would you turn
with me for a moment to Acts chapter 17? Hold your finger
there. This is what they heard when
Paul first went there. This is Paul's second missionary
journey. And we read in verse one, now, when they had passed
through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where
was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul, as his manner was,
went in unto them and three Sabbath days reason with them out of
the scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered
and risen again from the dead. And that this Jesus whom I preach
unto you is Christ. And some of them believed. and
consorted with Paul and Silas and the devout Greeks, a great
multitude, and of the chief women, not a few. Now, Paul comes into
this place. And there's some folks that believe
the gospel. These are the Thessalonians. Now, he ended up getting ran
out of town because of the opposition that this message brought. And
when he writes this letter to them, this is some think it was
three weeks, some several months after this took place. This is
the first epistle he wrote to them. Now, you noticed in that
passage in Acts chapter 17, what his message was. How that Christ
must needs have suffered. Don't miss that. That's so important. Christ must needs have suffered. He must needs have risen from
the dead. Now, why must needs? Christ suffered. Number one,
because it was God's purpose. It was God's purpose. He's the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Number two, he
must need suffer because he's guilty. The sins of God's elect
became his sins, so he actually became guilty of them. And he
must need to suffer. God's just. He's not going to
spare his own son if sin's found on him. Why must needs he be
erased from the dead? Because he rendered complete
satisfaction. He satisfied the father with
what he did. And he must needs rise from the
dead. Now, some people believe this
message. They believe that Jesus was the Christ. This Jesus I'm
preaching to you. He is Christ. They believe. And
we have the establishment of this church at Thessalonica.
And this is the first time he's writing to them after this initial
visit when he was there and they heard and then he got ran out
of town. Now we read in verse one, Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus
under the church of the Thessalonians, which is in God, the father,
and in the Lord Jesus Christ, what a secure place to be, to
be in God, the father, to be in the Lord Jesus Christ. And
that is the security of the church in Christ, in God. What security. Grace be unto you and peace from
God, our father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks
to God. Now let's stop there for a moment.
He's thanking the right person. And I've heard preachers thank
people for being here. I'm thanking you for being here.
Now I'm not going to do that. You ought to be here. Isn't that
so? You ought to be here. Now I'm
thankful you're here. I'm glad you're here. I wish
all of Lexington was here. I really do. I wish everybody was going
to hear the gospel and we're thankful for that. But who do
we thank? We thank the Lord. We thank God. He said, I think
we give thanks to God always for you all making mention of
you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing. your work of
faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in our
Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God our Father. Notice he
mentions faith, hope, and love. That's the three things that
abide. Now abide in faith, hope, and love. And he saw that in
these people clearly, their work of faith, their labor of love,
their patience of hope. And then he makes this statement
that I think is an utterly amazing statement. Knowing brethren beloved,
your election of God." Literally, knowing brethren beloved
of God, your election. Would you turn with me, hold
your finger there and turn with me to Revelation chapter 13. Now there's not a more important
verse of scripture than the scripture I'm going to read just now. Revelation
chapter 13. As a matter of fact, the whole
Bible and all of eternity can only be interpreted in light
of this verse of scripture. This is how important this is.
Verse eight. And all that dwell upon the earth
shall worship him. Now that's not worshiping God,
but worshiping this false image. All that dwell upon the earth
shall worship him whose names are not written in the Book of
Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Now whose names are written in
this Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world? Now that's the names of the elect. That's the names
of those the Father gave Christ before time and again. There's
such a thing as the Book of Life. with the names of all of the
elect in it. Now, Paul didn't have access
to that book. I mean, you don't either. I've said this before, if I had
access to that book, you know whose name I'd be looking for
first? Mine. I'd look for you after that, but I'd be looking
for me first. But Paul didn't have access to
this book, yet he says, I know your election of God. Now, how can he do that? I know
your election of God. Now, first, let me ask this question. What is election? Good question, isn't it? What
is election? We'll turn to Ephesians chapter
one, just a few pages back. Verse four says, according as
he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him. Now let me
answer five questions regarding the election. Number one, who
chose who? Who chose who? You know what
it says? He chose us. Your second question, who's the
us? That's very important. If I just
say he chose us generically, I'm not giving the meaning of
election. The us are the ones he elected. Romans 9, 11 speaks
of two people 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. It was said unto her, the elder
shall serve the younger, As it's written, Jacob have I loved,
but Esau have I hated. That's God's word. The us are the people he chose. Third question, when was this
choice made? According as he hath chosen us
in him, before the foundation of the world, before time began. That's when this choice was made
in eternity past. Now here is the fourth question. Why did he choose the elect? Why? Was it because he foresaw
they would believe? I've heard that before. Well,
he foresaw they would have faith. Well, yeah, he did foresee they
would have faith. That's right. But how come he foresaw it? Because
he purposed it. If you have faith, the only reason
you have it is because he purposed for you to have faith. And you
know that if you got it. If you have faith, you know it's
not the product of something you worked up. If you believe
the gospel, it's because he gave you faith. And you know that.
And you rejoice in that. And his reason is not simply
because he foresaw you would have faith. He foresaw he'd give
it to you. But the reason you have faith is to the praise of
the glory of his grace. Amen. That's the only reason
you have faith. That's the only reason I have
faith. And the fifth question with regard to election is how? How does he make this choice?
Well, scripture says, according as he has chosen us in him. Election
cannot be separated from the person of Christ. God didn't
choose me and then put me in Christ. Somehow the elect, and
I don't understand this, but somehow the elect have always
been viewed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ be my first elect,
he said, then chose us in him our living head. Now, election It's so ingrained
in the early church that the word was used conversationally.
I love the way Peter opens up his general epistle, and you
know who he's writing to? The strangers scattered throughout
Pontus and Galatia and Apodosia, elect, elect. I mean, this is his initial greeting,
elect, according to the four knowledge of God. When he closes
up the epistle, he says, the church that's in the Bible, I'm
elected together with you, salute you. You see how conversational
it was used? John is writing a personal letter.
He says, the elder unto the elect lady. And he said, the children
of thy elect sister greet thee. The Lord said, if it were possible,
they would deceive the very elect. And when he returns with his
angels, his angels will gather his elect from the four winds. Turn to John chapter 17 for a
moment, because I want you to see how prominent this is in
our Lord's thinking when he's giving his great high priestly
prayer for his people. Verse two, this is the Lord praying
for his church. Thou has given him power over
all flesh. I love, I love that. You know,
the Lord's got everybody in his hand. He's got power over all
flesh. He's got power over your flesh.
Somebody says, make Jesus the Lord of your life. He already
is the Lord of your life, whether you know it or not. You're in his
hands because he is the Lord. He has power over all flesh. Why? That he should give eternal
life to as many as thou hast given him. That's the elect,
those the father gave him. Look in verse six. I've manifested
thy name unto the men which thou gavest me. out of the world. Look at verse 9. I pray for them.
I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given
me. Verse 11. And now I'm no more
in the world, but these are in the world. I come to thee, Holy
Father, keep through thine own name, those whom thou hast given
me. Verse 12. While I was with them
in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest
me, I've kept. Verse 24, Father, I will that
those whom thou has given me be with me where I am. You see,
when the Lord is praying, he's praying for those the Father
gave him. Paul writes this very young church,
and he says to them, knowing brethren beloved, your election
of God. Now it was ingrained in the early
church and it's ingrained in the church today. Not the false
church, but the true church. They all love God's electing
mercy. Now let me make a couple of statements
before we, well, four or five statements before we get to this
thing of what is the evidence? How is it that Paul knew they
were elect? He goes on to say how he knew. But did you know that you cannot
preach the gospel and not preach election? Let me repeat that. I want you
to think about it. You cannot, you cannot preach
the gospel, and not preach election. Now let me tell you why I'm saying
that. First, election is a declaration of the character of God. That's
why, this is not just a doctrine, this is who God is. He controls. He controls everything. He controls
who will be saved and who he's gonna pass by. This is who God
is. He really is God. He's the God
of glory. He's the God who's absolutely
sovereign. He's the God who's eternal. Everything about election
says God is God. And you cannot preach the character
of God and not preach election. Election shows us the true character
of man. Man is so totally depraved, so
sinful, so given over to evil, so unable that he will not be
saved unless God chooses him to be saved before time began. The Lord said no man can come
to me except the Father which has sent me. Draw him and I'll
raise him up at the last day. You can't preach the character
of God and you can't preach the character of man without preaching
election. You can't understand the work
of Christ on the cross without election. Christ wasn't making
salvation possible. He was saving. Everybody He died
for must be saved. You can't understand what Christ
was doing on the cross without some understanding of the fact
that who He's doing it for. He's doing it for those the Father
gave Him before time began. You know, I think of Paul saying,
The gospel is how that, listen to this, 1 Corinthians 15, three,
how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures. Well, he's talking about the
old Testament scriptures, and there's so many examples of that,
but my favorite is the Passover. Now, was that blood over everybody's
door in Egypt? No, no, it was over the door
of the Israelites. Now, here's the second question. Wherever that blood was, was
anybody damned anyway? If somebody was in a house with
the blood over the door, and let's say they committed some
kind of horrible sin that very day, if they were in the house
with the blood over the door, were they safe? Absolutely. Absolutely. What was God looking
for? When I see your faith, when I
see your sincerity, when I see your efforts to please me, no. When I see the blood, I will
pass over you. Now that, my dear friends, is
the gospel. You can't understand the work
of the Spirit apart from election. It's the elect God the Holy Spirit
gives life to. He doesn't offer life. You don't
decide, well, I think I'm going to become born again. No. God
the Holy Spirit comes in the power of irresistible grace and
says, live through the preaching of the gospel, through the word
of God. And there's life. You know, when you were conceived,
nobody asked you, do you want to be conceived? No. That's ridiculous,
isn't it? Nobody asked you to be born again.
You were birthed into the kingdom of heaven. And it is impossible
to believe that salvation is by grace and not believe election. It's impossible. And that's why
you can't preach the gospel. If you don't preach election,
you must preach election because I'm preaching election. You're
preaching the true character of God. You're preaching the
true character of man. You're preaching. what Christ
accomplished on the cross, you're preaching the proper work of
the Holy Spirit, and you're preaching salvation by grace if you preach
election as the Bible presents it. Now, I realize some people
can present election in a way that's not scriptural, and people
can become fatalistic and so on. Well, somebody says you need
to be careful about preaching something like that because people
will abuse it. Well, I know they will. I know
that you can write that down. People will abuse it. But do
you quit manufacturing ropes because somebody's going to hang
themselves with it? No, you don't. You preach the truth and you
know that the Lord will bless it according to his will. And
if people abuse it, well, they always have. They always have.
I can't do anything about that. It's it's remember this elections
and the holiness elections and the blamelessness. That's God's
purpose in election. Now, The God of election is the
living and true God. Anything else is an idol, a figment
of man's depraved imagination, a God who's a pygmy God, a weak
God, a God that's worthless, a God that's not real, a God
that's non-existent, a God that deserves nothing but contempt.
Now hear me. Any God that is not the God of
election is a God worthy of nothing but contempt. Listen to Elijah. Verse 27 of 1 Kings 18, you don't
have to turn there, I'll read it. And it came to pass at noon
that Elijah mocked them and said, cry aloud, he's a God. Either he's talking or he's pursuing
or he's in a journey or purgatory sleepeth and must be awaked. You see the contempt he felt
for their God? And there's nothing but contempt
for any false concept of God that is not the God of election. As a matter of fact, there are
really no other options. Atheism? Atheism is as unreasonable
and irrational as... Talking about blind faith, the
blind faith, you've got to leap to get to that place. A weaker
God, a God that's dependent upon us, that's not an option. The
God of election, the God of the Bible is the only God. Anything else is an idol. Now, back to our text, 1 Thessalonians
1. Knowing, brethren, beloved, verse
four, your election of God. Now, how do you know, Paul? How
do you know you have no access into the Lamb's book of life?
How do you know? For. Our gospel. Our gospel. The gospel of God. The gospel of Christ. The gospel
of the scripture, our gospel. Paul calls it in several other
places, my gospel, my gospel. Now, our gospel, the gospel that
lines up with the Old Testament scriptures. Listen, a gospel
that doesn't line up with the Old Testament scriptures is not
the gospel. You know, there are people who completely disregard
the Old Testament scriptures. The gospel that gives God all
the glory and salvation. The gospel that gives Jesus Christ
the preeminence in all things and says that he is all. The gospel that's consistent
with every attribute of God. Now, if your gospel is inconsistent,
With any attribute of God, you better get rid of it. It's not
the gospel of the scriptures. The gospel that meets me where
I am, not where I ought to be, but where I am, and saves me,
and keeps me saved. A gospel that saves the chief
of sinners. A gospel that I can fear death.
have no fear with regard to death and know I'm going to be accepted
by God. That's the kind of gospel. That's the gospel. Our gospel. Is that your gospel? The gospel
I've just been describing? Is that your personal gospel? Well, it is mine. It is mine. It's the only thing that's good
news to me. Now, let's go on reading. Verse five. Our gospel
came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the
Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. Our gospel didn't come to you
in word only. Now what's that mean? That means
when you hear the gospel, you don't hear it as the gospel.
It's not good news to you. It doesn't do anything for you. dull, dry, uninteresting. It's not good news to you. Now, how are you hearing this
message right now? Our gospel, does it come to you
in power? Well, if it doesn't, I mean,
you're not hearing as a sinner. That's exactly what that means.
You're not hearing as a sinner and therefore you don't see the
necessity of what's being said because you're not hearing as
a sinner. It's not coming in power to you. It's coming in
word only. Just words. Just words. I wonder if there's anybody in
here right now that this is coming as just words. Well, if it is,
ask the Lord to have mercy on you right now. Ask the Lord to
reveal himself to you right now. Do that. I'll ask Him to enable
me to preach the gospel where it's not just words. Not just
words. It didn't come to you in word
only, but also in power. That's talking about saving power.
The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness,
but unto us which are saved. If the preaching, the word, the
doctrine of the cross Who Christ is, what He accomplished, who
He accomplished it for, where He is now. That's the preaching
of the cross. It's the whole counsel of God.
It's the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. What
Christ accomplished is everything in my salvation. It's everything.
I don't have anything else but what He did. That's a good place
to be. It came in power. And in the
Holy Ghost, why did it come in power? Because it came in the
power of the Spirit of God. That's why. This is a divine
work. And it came with much assurance. Now that is not talking about
much assurance of personal salvation, okay? When I look to Christ,
I have assurance. I do. When I look to Christ,
I have assurance. When I start looking to see if I have assurance,
it leaves. And it happens that way with you, too, if you're
honest. If you look within and find reasons to believe that
you're saved, you've missed Christ altogether. You look to Christ
only, and you have assurance. If you start looking to yourself,
you're not going to have any assurance. You don't deserve
any. It's wrong. It's just wrong to look to, I've
got assurance, do you? Well, he's not talking about
much assurance of personal salvation. It's speaking about much assurance
that this is the gospel. This is the gospel. Now, I know
I have much assurance that what I'm preaching to you right now
is the gospel of God. It's the saving gospel. It's
the only gospel. Now, our gospel, it didn't come
into you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit. I love what The Lord said, the
words that I speak unto you, they're the spirit and they're
life. I tell you, you hear the word
of the gospel, the word of spirit, the word of life. It's the spirit
that quickens. The flesh profits nothing. In
what? The new birth. The flesh profits
nothing. It's the spirit that gives life. Verse five, as you know what
manner of man we were among you for your sake. Well, he tells
how they were in chapter, look over in chapter two for a second.
For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance into you, that it
was not in vain, but after that we had suffered before and were
shamefully entreated, as you know at Philippi, that's when
he's thrown in jail and beat, and that's where the Philippian
jailer was saved. We were bold in our God to speak unto you
the gospel of God, which much contention for Our exhortation
was not a deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile, but as we were
allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak,
not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. For
neither at any time use we flattering words, as you know, nor cloak
of covetousness, God is witness, nor of men sought we glory, neither
of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome
as the apostles of Christ, but we were gentle among you. Even
as a nurse cherishes her children, so being affectionately desirous
of you, we were willing to have imparted to you not only the
gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because you were
dear unto us. That's what type of men we were among you. And
you know that. You know that. That's how we came. Now back
to our text. Verse six. And you became imitators. That's
what the word followers is. Imitators of us and of the Lord. You became followers. Paul said,
follow me as I follow Christ. And I say that same thing to
you. Follow me as I follow Christ. He says, you became imitators
of us and of the Lord, having received the word. Look at chapter two, verse 13.
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because
when you received the word of God which you heard of us, you
received it not as the word of men, as a man's opinion, but
as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh
also in you that believe. You received the word. How did they receive it? having received the word in much
affliction because of the controversy that was surrounding it, Paul
ended up getting ran out of town and with the joy of the Holy
Ghost. When you receive the word, you
saw the conflict it produced. Did it make you stop? No, you
received it in the joy of the Holy Ghost. Now, what is that?
What is the joy of the Holy Ghost? Paul said in Romans 14, 17, For
the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, it's righteousness
and the peace that comes from being saved by his righteousness
and joy in the Holy Ghost. When you find peace from being
saved only by his righteousness. You really believe that's the
only righteousness you have is the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
You really believe that. And you know what you get from
that? You get peace. If you look to yourself in any
way, you won't have any peace. But oh, if you believe you're
saved by his righteousness, there'll be peace. And you know what's
gonna result in that peace? Joy in the Holy Ghost. Verse seven, so that you were
examples To all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia, for
from you, from you, here's the example you said, from you sounded
out the word of the Lord. You believe this gospel, this
is the gospel you preached. Not only in Macedonia and Achaia,
but also in every place. Your faith to God were to spread
abroad so that we not need speak anything of you. For they themselves,
verse 9, show us what manner of the entering in we had into
you, How that you turn to God from idols to serve the living
and true God. Now this is so important. Notice
the order. It doesn't say you turn from
your idols to God. Nobody ever does that. It doesn't
happen. It says you turn to God. And
the reason you turn to God is because he turned you. You know
that. Turn me and I'll be turned. You
know he turned you. And when He turned to you, only then did
you see your idols for what they were. You didn't understand there
were idols before then. You thought it was true. You
thought it was real. But when God made Himself known
to you, when you were turned to God, you saw your idols for
what they were. Pure idolatry. Do they themselves show us what
manner of entering in we had? And do you how you turn to God
from idols to serve the living and true God? You see, when somebody's
one of God's elect, this is what they do. They turn to God. They've
been turned to God. They turn to God and they see
their idols for what they are. Nothing but religious idolatry
and nothing more. That's what happens. To serve the living and true
God and to wait to wait for his son from heaven. Now we just
read in Psalm 130. I wait for the Lord, my soul
doth wait. I said it three or four times
in that 130th Psalm. I wait for the Lord. Now what
does it mean to wait on the Lord? There's a song, one of the phrases
is this, it's called Eternal Questions. When it's time for
you in judgment, will you be full of fear? or will Christ
stand when your name is called? And for you say, I'm here. Let me repeat that. When it's time for you in judgment,
will you be full of fear or will Christ stand when your name is
called? And for you say, I'm here. Present and accounted for. Father,
I'm here. Now let me tell you what I'm
going to do in this thing, waiting. When my name is called, I'm going
to wait for him to answer for me. And until then, I'm waiting on
his return. I look so much forward to his
return. Even so, come Lord Jesus. And
I'm waiting for him as my intercessor, even right now, to make me acceptable
before God. I'm not gonna try to run into
God's presence on my own. I'm coming in Him. I'm waiting
on Him. Now, this is what God's elect
do. They wait for His Son from heaven,
whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us
from the wrath to come. Now I'm waiting on that one who
delivered, not who made deliverance possible, but who delivered us. He actually delivered us. When
he was raised from the dead, all the elect were delivered.
He delivered us from the wrath to come. Now let me say a couple
of things about this. There is a wrath to come. don't push this behind. There is a wrath to come. And I don't know what all to
say about it. I know God is holy. God is all powerful. I can't
tell you about what all is involved in that wrath, but it's, it's,
I don't want to go to hell. I don't want to experience the
wrath of God. I know it's a holy wrath. I know
it's a just wrath. I know it's a part of who He
is. He's a holy God. And if I'm outside of Christ,
there will be a wrath to come. If you don't bow the knee to
Christ, if you don't believe on Him, there will be a wrath
to come. I don't like, I can't stand it
when preachers do what they call hellfire brimstone preaching
where they're just trying to make everybody afraid and they
almost talk like they're glad God's wrath, you know, they get
all the veins poke out and they're mad. No, I'm not talking about
that. I hate that kind of stuff. But
I know there is such a thing as the wrath of God and there
is a wrath that will come and he'll execute vengeance on all
people outside of his son. He's a holy God. Now that being
said, there is mercy for anyone who comes to Christ. Him that
cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. Whosoever, that's a
good word. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. Lord, save me. When I'm calling
on his name, it just doesn't mean I'm giving his name audibly. I'm talking about His attributes.
His name is His holiness, His sovereignty, His justice, His
love, His grace. All of His glorious attributes.
Lord, save me as an act of Your sovereignty. Will my salvation. Save me in a way that honors
Your justice. All of His names. There was a woman once who said,
Jesus, thou son of David, Have mercy on me, my daughter is grievously
vexed with the devil. And the scripture says, he answered
her not a word. He ignored her. And she continued crying, that
didn't stop her. You know, if you ever need mercy,
nothing is gonna stop you asking the Lord for mercy. I mean, nothing
will stop you. If you really need mercy, if
you really need Christ, nothing will stop you from seeking him.
She continued crying and he said, I'm not sent but to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel. I have only come for the elect. That's exactly what that means.
I'm not sent, but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. I didn't come to save everybody.
Now, what did this do to this woman? Scripture says, then came
she and worshipped him. Then came she and worshipped
him. You'll only worship an absolute sovereign. If you can manipulate
him, you ain't gonna worship him. You'll only worship an absolute
sovereign. Then came she and worshiped him
and said, Lord, help me. And he said, it's not right to
take the children's bread and to throw it out to dogs. What
are you saying to that woman? You're a dog. You're not worthy
of my mercy. Did she get mad? Did she turn
on her heels and go away and say, well, What's the point?
No, she said, that's the truth, Lord. That's the truth. If I ever heard the truth, that's
it. I'm a dog. But the dogs are completely dependent
to stay under the table and take the crumbs that fall their way. I'm not claiming to be a child.
but I am your dog. And I'm not looking for a place
sitting, but I would be so grateful for any drop of grace that falls
my way. And the Lord looked at that woman
and said, oh woman, great is thy faith. Be it unto thee, even
as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole
at that very hour. Now the Lord used election with
this woman, didn't he? You know, people say, don't preach
election to lost people below me. That's exactly what they
need to hear. They need to hear that God is
God and they're in his hands and he can do with him whatever
he's pleased to do. It's the most highly evangelical.
You can't preach evangelism and not preach election. Knowing,
brethren beloved, your election of God. You're waiting. You're waiting on his son. To
stand for you. As your great high priest and
representative. Let's pray. Lord. We thank you for who you
are. We give thanks for all you are. And Lord, we ask in Christ's
name that we might be enabled to be just like this woman. Jesus, thou son of David, have
mercy on us. Cause us to say, Jesus, thou
son of David, have mercy on me. Reveal your gospel to us. Enable us to believe on your
son. Teach us to preach your gospel in this generation. In
Christ's blessed name we pray, amen. Dwayne, could you come,
please, in closing here?