Exodus chapter 3. You can mark this because both of
the messages today will come from this chapter. Let's begin
reading in verse 7. And the Lord said, I have surely
seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have
heard their cry. by reason of their taskmasters,
for I know their sorrows. And I have come down to deliver
them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of the
land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk
and honey. unto the place of the Canaanites,
and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites,
and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry
of the children of Israel is come unto me, and I have also
seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppressed them. Come now therefore, and I will
send thee, speaking to Moses, Come now therefore and I will
send thee unto Pharaoh that thou mayest bring forth My people,
the children of Israel, out of Egypt." Now it's absolutely amazing
that so many in religion who claim to study the Bible deny
the truth of electing grace. It's amazing that they do because
my people, mine elect, is one of the names that God uses more
to address His people than any other name. Mine elect. What I want you to see from this
passage, the only sinners God saves, the only sinners God saves
are those that He elected unto salvation in Christ Jesus. Now, first of all, the people
in verse 10, see there in verse 10, the people He calls My people,
the children of Israel. They are those God the Father
chose in Christ before the foundation of the world. I think you all
are familiar with Ephesians 1. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings. How? According as He chose us
in Him before the foundation of the world. Why did He do it? The Scripture says according
to the good pleasure of His will. It says to the praise of the
glory of His grace. Grace is not something, it's
not you being gracious and kind. It's God choosing whom He will
without anything in you to cause Him to do so. It's grace, unmerited
grace, free grace, sovereign grace. And by doing this, He
made us accepted in Christ, in the Beloved. Most believe that
the political nation Israel is God's elect. Most in the world,
our government believes that. And most in religion believe
that the political nation Israel is God's elect people. That's
what the Pharisees thought too. They were of natural Israel and
they thought because of that they were true elect children. They thought because they were
sons of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, they were God's elect
people. In John 8.39, It says, the Jews answered Christ. And
they said, Abraham is our father. And Jesus said to them, if you
were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.
If you were God's true elect people, you would do the works
of Abraham. He said in verse 44, you are
of your father the devil, and the lust of your father you will
do. and to make it even more clear, as if that wasn't clear
enough, on one occasion he told many of the natural sons of Abraham,
he said plainly, you believe not because you are not my sheep,
as I said unto you. So turn with me to Romans 9.
I want to read quite a bit of this, almost the whole chapter,
but I think it's needful. Romans chapter 9. And this clearly
declares that not all the natural children of Israel are God's
children of Israel. Not all the natural children
of Israel are God's elect children of Israel. Only those God chose
and promised to save. Look at Romans 9.6. Not as though
the word of God had taken none effect. For they are not all
Israel which are of Israel, neither because they are the seed, the
natural sons of Abraham, are they all children of God. But in Isaac shall thy seed be
called, that is, they which are the children of the flesh, natural
born children, children only born the first time, these are
not the children of God. but the children of the promise
are counted for the seed, for this is the word of promise.
At this time, God said, will I come and Sarah shall have a
son. You see, all God select are children
that God chose, children that God promised to save by God's
divine election and by His grace. He promised to produce these
children in Christ. And so, by Christ's work at Calvary,
He made His people righteous. And then He comes and He makes
each one to be born again, created anew in righteousness and holiness,
so that before the law, we are the work of Christ, and in the
new man, we are the work of Christ. So He gets all the glory and
we get none. But none of God's elect are born of the flesh.
That's not how they became God's elect, by being born of the flesh,
by our first birth, or by blood relations, or by our will. It
is by God's mercy. You remember Romans 2, He is
not a Jew which is one outwardly. Don't you know that shocked the
natural Jews to hear that? He is not a Jew which is one
outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh.
But He is a Jew which is one inwardly. And circumcision is
that of the heart in spirit, not in the letter, whose praise
is of whom? Whose praise is not of men, Men
don't get to boast in this. The praise goes to God. God only. Look at Romans 9 now verse 10.
Romans 9 verse 10. Not only this, but when Rebecca
also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac. Now here
you got two children born of the same father and he was a
natural son of Abraham. Does that make them alert? Both
of these children are elect then, are they elect of God? 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 is written, Jacob
have I loved, but Esau have I hated. God elected Jacob in Christ. There's where the love of God
is. It's in Christ. All spiritual blessings are in
Christ. He loved Jacob and He gave him everything he needed
in Christ. And this hatred of Esau was simply
this. God didn't give him any of that.
It was a negative hatred. He let him go. He passed him
by. He didn't give him anything. Now understand, God opened heaven
by election to Jacob. But God didn't close out heaven
to Esau. He did nothing to Esau. Why does
Esau perish? Why was he turned over in reprobation? Why did he fall away in apostasy?
Because he earned it. He did it by his own sin. What
I'm saying is, election is by God's grace and mercy saving
His people. and condemnation, reprobation
and condemnation is by the sinner's sin. He earns that. God can't
be blamed for that. Election is God opening the door
for a chosen people. Let's read on now. What shall
we say then? Is there unrighteousness with
God? God forbid. For He said to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that shows mercy.
Look down at verse 27. Again we are told that not everybody
in Israel is God's elect. Isaiah also crieth concerning
Israel, though the number of the natural children of Israel
be as the sand of the sea, an elect remnant shall be saved. You see that? Verse 29, and as
Isaiah said before, except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us an
elect seed, we, Israel, had been as Sodom and been like unto Gomorrah. Look at Romans 11. Romans chapter
11. This is so clear. God's elect
are those He chose. They are those He creates anew.
I say then, hath God cast away His people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite of
the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin, Paul said. God did
not cast away his people which he foreknew. That qualifies who
these people are. They are people by God's discriminating
grace. the people which He foreordained,
which He chose in Christ and predestinated to the adoption
of children by Christ Jesus. That's who He foreknew. Not that
He foreknew something in them, it's that He foreknew something
that He would do for them. And He knew them, look, in Christ. You know not what the scripture
says of Elias? How he made intercession to God
against Israel. saying, Lord, they have killed
Thy prophets, they dig down Thine altars and I am left alone. And
they seek my life. There are no other elect children
in Israel anymore. I am the last one. But what saith
the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself, I
have elected unto myself, I have chosen to myself 7,000 men and
because of that they have not bowed the knee to the image of
Baal. Even so, Paul said, then at this present time there is
a remnant according to the election of grace. And if it's by grace
and it's no more of works, otherwise grace is no more work, no more
grace. You see, it's by grace. But if
it's of works, it's no more grace. Otherwise works, no more work.
What then? Natural Israel hath not obtained
that which he seeketh for. but the election hath obtained
it, and the rest were blinded." You see that? This is God saving
whom He willed. None are God's elect children
because of who their parents are. It's because God chose His
children before the foundation of the world. None are God's
elect based on the nation they're born in. None were elect because
they were Israelites by their first birth. That didn't make
them God's Nor did it make anybody elect because they were born
in Egypt, or Canaan, or of the Hittites, or the Amorites, the
Perizzites, or the Hivites, or the Jebusites. God does have
a holy nation though. He does have a holy nation. They
are those made up of those that He chose by His electing grace. They are those Christ redeemed
by His blood. They are those called out by
the irresistible grace of the Holy Spirit. He said to And they
are called out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation
and made into His holy nation. He called them that in 1 Peter
2.9. You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a peculiar, a treasured people. Now this doctrine is vital for
two reasons, at least two reasons. Number one, it declares Christ
victorious. That's the chief reason. He declares
Christ victorious. Go to John chapter 17. He declares
Christ victorious because He does not intercede in vain. When
He came down, when He went to the cross, when He ascended to
the Father, when He praised the Father on our behalf, that is
Him interceding for His people. And He does not intercede in
vain. Those He intercedes for, He saves. And He only intercedes
for the elect. That is all. John 17, verse 1,
these words begged Jesus and lifted up His eyes to heaven
and He said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify Thy Son that
Thy Son also may glorify Thee as Thou has given Him power over
all flesh that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou
has given Him. As many as Thou has given Him. Verse 9, I pray for them, I pray
not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me. For
they are thine, and all mine are thine, and thine are mine,
and here is why this is so important, I am glorified in them. Christ gets all the glory for
saving God's elect and He does it victoriously. That's why this
is so important. Look down at verse 20. Neither
pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe
on me through their word. That's Christ praying for you
and me right here who believe today. And who shall believe
tomorrow and next year and next year. Till the last one is called.
He said, verse 24, look there. Father, I will that they also
whom thou hast given me, that's the elect, be with me where I
am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for
thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. You see, this is
who he intercedes for and he never intercedes in vain. Therefore,
we're declaring by divine election Christ died for the elect and
he redeemed them. He succeeded in saving them because
he does not intercede in vain. And then secondly, this is vital
because those God saves have got to be brought down to the
dust. This is offensive to the pride
of a man who thinks he's saved by his own will and by his works.
He's got to be brought down to see salvation is by God's mercy
and grace. You can't earn it. You're a sinner
and I'm a sinner and we can't do anything to bring ourselves
to God. We have to be saved by God alone. And when you're brought down
to the dust, you'll give God all the glory. You'll give Him
all the glory. And that's what's offensive.
Natural man wants some part in his salvation and he won't give
God all the glory. But God's going to have it so.
God's going to have it so. So that's why we preach the doctrine
of election. It's for the glory of God in
Christ Jesus and the salvation of His people. Now look, secondly,
not only does God have an elect people, God brings them to cry
unto Him. He brings that elect people to
cry unto Him. God's eye is always upon His
people, directing all things for the good of His people. Look
there in our text, Exodus 3 verse 7. He said, I have surely seen
the affliction of My people. When you read through there and
you see Him speak of My people and their affliction and their
sorrow and their oppression, you don't hear Him say a word
about Egypt, anybody in Egypt. Because He didn't have any elect
in Egypt at that time. Just He had some elect in Israel.
And His eye was upon them. And God saw their affliction
because God appointed it and He brought it to pass. He knew
it because He brought it to pass. Well, how is affliction good
for His people? Because God does not save His
people against our will. He really doesn't. He does not
save His people against our will. But none naturally are willing. Most men, well all men naturally
will hear this, hear about God saving by grace, by divine election,
and they immediately are filled with wrath. That's not fair.
Paul said, is God unrighteous? God forbid. It's right for God
to do with His own what He will. It's right for God to save a
people who deserve nothing. God is right because it's right
because God does it. Well, how is it good for Him?
He's got to make us willing in the day of His power. So what
He does is He gave them an evil Pharaoh who made their lives
bitter with hard bondage. At first, they had the best of
everything and the Pharaoh loved them and he knew them and they
gave them the land of Goshen. But when the time drew near that
God had appointed to bring them out, God made their life bitter
with hard bondage. He gave them that Pharaoh. God
made their hearts heavy with all their labor. Their hearts
became heavy. He made them to fall down. And
He made them to see that there was nobody who could help them
but God. That's what God is going to do
when He saves a sinner. That's why that affliction is
so good for you. Listen to Psalm 107.11. Psalm 107 and 11, listen
to this. Because they rebelled against
the words of God and contemned the counsel of the Most High,
therefore He brought down their heart with labor. And they fell
down and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the Lord
in their trouble. And He saved them out of their
distresses and He brought them out of darkness and the shadow
of death and break their bands asunder. Oh, that men would praise
the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the
children of men. For He hath broken the gates
of brass and cut the bars of iron asunder. You see how blessed
this doctrine of election is? Because of it, God is going to
come to His children in bondage and set them free. Make us cry
to Him. And God's ear is always open
to the cry that He has produced. Exodus 3, our text says, I have
heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters. He heard it.
He produced the cry. He heard the cry. Christ Jesus,
the man of sorrows, is acquainted with the griefs of His people.
He says, for I know their sorrows. I know their sorrows. Surely
He carried our griefs and bore our sorrows. Our sin in His body
on the tree. He is acquainted with our sin. He knows our sorrow, brethren.
Touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He who knew no sin
was made sin for us. And therefore, he was smitten
of God and afflicted. He was wounded for our transgression
and bruised for our iniquities with chastisement. Did you read
there, because they rebelled against the Word of God, because
they rejected His counsel? God chastened them. He sent forth
an evil Pharaoh to afflict them and make their life bitter. And
Christ knows what that's like because when He was made sin
for His people, the chastisement that was from God the Father
that was necessary for our salvation, that chastisement fell upon Him.
The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. And by His stripes
we are healed. So better than you and I know
our sin and our sorrows and our grief that's caused by our sin,
Christ knows it. Christ knows it. Because He says,
I know thy sorrow. He came and felt everything His
people felt. He knows them better than we
do. He was without sin. You and I have never been anything
but sin. Now, thirdly, not only does God have and elect people,
Not only does He bring them to cry unto God, but when they do,
God also delivers His elect. God said He came down to do three
things for His elect. Christ Jesus, Son of God, came
down, first of all, to deliver God's elect out of the hand of
the enemy. God Himself came down and He
took flesh and He delivered His people by His own blood. 1 Thessalonians
5, 9 says, God hath not appointed us to wrath, that is divine election,
but to attain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ who died for
us. That whether we are awake or
alive when He returns or whether our bodies are asleep in the
grave when He returns, we shall live together with Him. Do you
see the certainty of it? We shall. Because He came down
to deliver His people. And then second thing He says
there in our text, God in Christ came down to bring His elect
out of that land. God is going to deliver everyone
of His elect out of the land of oppressive taskmasters. You
can bet on that. You're sitting here as proof
of that. You were under taskmasters in religion and out of religion. And God brought you out of that
land. and He is going to bring you out of the land of wicked
companionship and out of the land of idolatrous religion and
out of the land of servile bondage. God is going to bring His people
out. And then the third thing He says in our text is He came
down to bring His elect unto a good land and a large land,
to a land flowing with milk and honey. Canaan, that physical
earthly land of Canaan was like that earthly, natural, Israel.
It was just a picture. It was a picture of God's true
Canaan. The true Canaan. God came to
us in mercy and grace and revealed Christ in us and by that work,
you know what He did? He brought us into this land
right here, this great large land right here in Christ where
we are feasting on the milk and the honey of His Word, His Gospel,
of all that Christ has accomplished for us. And one day, He is going
to bring us into that good and great land of Heaven's glory.
And He is not going to lose any of His elect. You see, here is
the point. Election is not a truth to be
hated, brethren. If you ever bear witness to men
and you speak of divine election, be sure to tell, election is
not a truth to be hated. If God had not chosen His people,
none of us would have chosen God. Election is God throwing
open the door to heaven. Election is God glorifying His
Son. He is the first elect of God. God chose him. He said, behold
mine elect in whom I delight. He chose him and he chose his
people in him. So everything about election
is declaring the victorious, successful redemption of God
for his people, the salvation of his people, where he gets
all the glory for his grace, for working his will and saving
his people. So it's not a doctrine at all
to be hated. We're thankful that God chose
a people. We're thankful He brings them
to cry unto Him. And we're thankful He delivers
them. And who do we glory for this? Who do we praise for this
work? Praise God. God alone. We won't ever, a man won't ever
praise God. He won't ever worship God. until he is brought to behold
and believe on God as being the sovereign God who alone does
the saving. As long as a man is thinking
he did something to choose himself, or redeem himself, or make himself
cry out, or make God call him, or anything like that, he is
not worshiping God. Because you can't worship any
God but the sovereign God of salvation. That is the only way. Worship is bowing down. And if
we think we are being saved by our work, we are not bowed down. But here is the truth. Blessed
is the man. He is blessed by God and he is
a happy man. Whom thou choosest and causest
to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy courts. We shall be satisfied with the
goodness of Thy house, even of Thy holy temple. God makes you satisfied, don't
He? As satisfied with Christ as God is satisfied in Christ.
I'm satisfied. Are you satisfied? We're content. We're satisfied. Alright, let's
pray together. Father, thank You for this most
magnificent truth. It's an amazing, amazing grace,
Lord, that You would choose a people for Yourself. Lord, make us cry unto You. Use
this message and this truth to bring some lost sinner down.
Bring his heart down with hard labor. Bring him down, make him
fall. Make him see that nobody can
help him but You. Make Him cry out to you, Lord,
and deliver Him from that wicked bondage that rebels against the
truth and rejects the truth and hates the truth and will not
come to God that He might have life. Oh, Lord, would You please,
we ask You now, according to Your will, according to Your
promise, call out Your lost sheep. Glorify Yourself in their salvation. Humble your people to see you
as so sanctified and holy and above all. Lord, for those you have done
this work for, we pray now that you would do it all over again
for us. Make us bow. Make us praise you
alone. We pray, Lord, for our brethren
everywhere. We pray for those who are tempting to preach Your
Word this morning. We pray for those who are trying
to hear it. Lord, we need You to make it effectual. We need
You to make us preach it and hear it. We pray for them. We pray for our sick brethren,
our hurting brethren. Lord, that You would ease their
pain with that one and only consolation, Christ Jesus the Lord. And we
pray, Lord, You'd be with our brethren that are down south,
that you'd bring them back safely, without harm. And Lord, we ask
you if it's your will to continue to bless us in this place and
keep us for Christ's sake, for his honor, and for his glory.
We pray in his precious name. Amen. All right, my brethren.