The last three weeks, the title
to my messages in the 11 o'clock hour have been in the form of
a question. Three weeks ago, the question
was, why did Christ die? Two weeks ago, the question was,
did Christ die in vain? Last week, we considered the
question, who is Jesus Christ? And today, the question and the
title of the message is, who are the elect of God? In investigative
reporting along with police investigations, we've mentioned this before,
there's a method called the five W's that constitute a formula
for getting the complete story on a subject. Investigators often
ask who, what, when, where, and why. And it's my intention this
morning to prove to you from the scriptures, the doctrine
or the teaching of election, and to also answer clearly the
5W questions. And if you listen closely to
what God says from his word, not what I say, doesn't matter
much what I say or think, but it means everything as to what
God says and what God thinks. And I believe that if you'll
listen closely to what God says, that none here today will be
able to refute or deny the doctrine and the teaching of the election
without being in willful rebellion to God. No doubt that the scriptures
clearly and plainly reveal that salvation is of the Lord and
that salvation is caused by the choosing of God in Christ. First,
turn with me in your Bible to 1 Thessalonians 1, if you would
please. 1 Thessalonians 1. I'll begin reading in verse four
of 1 Thessalonians 1, verse four. So the first question is who? Who are the elect of God? Or
we could ask, who does the electing? Both are equally important. This
is something that we very much need to know. Here in verse four,
the apostle Paul writes, knowing brethren, beloved, your election
of God. This is something that God reveals
to his children. Verse five, for our gospel came
not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy
Ghost and in much assurance. So first we see that election
has something to do with being made a child of God. All the
elect of God are brothers and sisters in Christ. It's my privilege
to call you brothers and sisters. The reason that we do is because
we're children of God. Election has something to do
with being loved by God, the Father, Son, and Spirit. And election has something to
do with God coming to you, not you coming to God. Did you notice
that there in verse five, the gospel came not unto you in word
only. The gospel came to you in power
and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance. When the gospel
comes in power from God, you can be assured that it is effectual,
that it'll be effective. it'll be sure, it'll be certain. That's why I cannot handle the
preaching that God simply made salvation possible and then somehow
leaves it up to the sinner to make it effectual. That's not
what God says. That's not what this book declares.
God made salvation certain in much assurance. That means for
certain, doesn't it? Verse six, and you became followers
of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction
with joy of the Holy Ghost. So I see from this that election
has something to do with becoming a follower of Christ. Our Lord
said, my sheep hear my voice and they what? Follow me. Election
has something to do with following the Lord, but not just following
the Lord, following Him in much affliction, but at the same time
with great joy. You see, only an elect child
of God can know and understand what it is to follow Christ in
much affliction and at the same time with the joy of the Holy
Ghost. Because the Holy Spirit produces
in a believer that assurance and that confidence that comes
from being in Christ. Some say that election kills
evangelical zeal. Men say, well, if you believe
in election, if you believe God gonna save who God is gonna save,
then why do you preach? Why evangelize? And the answer
is really quite simple. I don't know who the elect of
God are. I don't, but God does. And I've been commanded to preach
the gospel to every creature, to all nations, to all sinners. God does the saving. That's His
business who God's elect are. Election is not salvation. Election
is unto salvation. God, by the foolishness of preaching,
has determined has purpose to save sinners who believe. And they believe only because
He determines to save them. But we don't know who they are,
so we preach repentance and we preach faith in Christ to all
men and women everywhere. Secondly, we have that second
question of W, and that's the question what? What does election
mean? It's not complicated. People
say, oh, y'all and I get into those deep things. There's nothing
deep about it. Election simply means to choose. Who are the
elect? They're the chosen of God. Who
does the electing? It's God that does the choosing.
It's God that does the electing. You know, when we elect government
officials, we choose them, don't we? We cast our vote for our
candidate and we elect them. And in men's elections of officials,
it's majority rules. Whoever gets the most votes gets
elected. But with the election of God,
there's only one vote. There's only one vote that counts,
and that's God's vote. There's only one who does the
choosing and who does the saving, and that's God. And that's not
hard to understand. Men just don't like it. There's
only one who elects, and that's God. And in our nation's elections,
a man or a woman running for office can actually cast a vote
for themselves. Men and women can vote for themselves,
but listen, in the election of God, men and women have no vote
in the matter, none whatsoever. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter
one, just a few pages back, Ephesians chapter one. Here in Ephesians chapter one,
verse three, Paul writes, blessed be the God and father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who had blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ, according as he had chosen us
in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love. Now this tells us
some things. It tells us that election has
something to do with God blessing the lost sinner. All spiritual
blessings and heavenly places come from God and they are in
Christ. And election has something to
do with God choosing us before we had a say in the matter, before
the foundation of the world. before the sinner was ever born,
before the sinner had done any good, before the sinner had done
any evil, that the purpose of God, according to what? Election
might stand. The proof of election is when
God did the electing. And that answers our third W
question, and that's when. When God elected a people. He
elected and chose a people before they could ever make a decision,
before they could ever walk an aisle, say a prayer, raise their
hand, come and bow at a mourner's bench, do a work of righteousness.
How about this one? Get their lives straight. Before
that, God elected a people. Man is not at all in salvation's
equation. God chose them in Christ before
he ever created the world. Before there was a sinner, there
was a savior. Verse five, having predestinated
us. having predetermined, determining
beforehand, that's what the word means, having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
to the good pleasure of his will. So election has something to
do with God predetermining to adopt some children. Which answers
the fourth W question, why? Why did God determine to adopt
a people? It was according to the good
pleasure of His will. As verse five says, that's why
it simply pleased the Lord to make you His people. Adoption
is according to the good pleasure of God's will. Election was God's
prerogative to carry out the good pleasure of His own will
in the adoption of a fatherless people. As most of you know,
I was adopted. When I was, my parents made arrangements
to adopt me before I was ever born. Before January 14th, 1956,
the adoption papers had long since been signed, and the decision
of my parents had already been made. That being the case, I
had no choice in the matter, absolutely none. I hadn't been
born. I had no say as to who my parents
would be. I didn't choose my parents. I
had not yet been born. It was according to my parents'
choosing. It was their will to adopt me. It was their purpose to make
me theirs. It was their choice to bring
me into their home. It was their choice to give me
their name. I didn't know until many years later that my birth
mother almost died in giving me birth. I was nearly 10 pounds. But my adopted father, having
the same blood type as my birth mother, gave blood so that she
might live. In other words, my earthly father
gave his blood in order to save me. Had Christ not shed his blood
for his people, they would have died in their sin. God not only
died for us, friends, God adopted us and translated us into the
kingdom of his dear son, according to Colossians 1.13. So why? Why did the Lord Jesus determine
to save his people from their sin? Verse six, to the praise
of the glory of his grace. Election has everything to do
with praising the Lord Jesus for the glory of his grace. You
see, He alone gets all the credit and all the glory. We can't take
any of it. We weren't born yet. It's to
the praise of the glory of God's grace that He made His elect
people accepted in the beloved. Now, child of God, listen. I
want you to see the importance of our election. Again, verse
six, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein, that's
an important word, wherein he hath made us accepted. And where are we accepted? In
the beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ. So we see that election has something
to do with being made holy and being made without blame before
God in love. Now, no sinner would have ever
been made what God required and that's holy and perfect had God
not purposed and ordained it to be so. That's just the truth. Only one who is holy is without
blame, and only the Lord Jesus Christ can present a chosen sinner
unblameable and unreprovable in God's sight. And in the doctrine
of election, we see that God determined to do this before
the sinner was ever born. Therefore, God gets all that
praise and all that glory. Paul told the church at Thessalonica
that it is Christ that establishes the believer's heart unblameable
in holiness. So we know that only one who
is holy is unblameable before God. And salvation has never
been about us accepting God. Can we just put that to rest?
Well, I accepted Jesus. No, you didn't. No, you did not. It's never been about us accepting
God. God must accept us in order for
us to be saved. And we must be made perfect in
order for God to accept us. Christ, the beloved of God, is
the one who makes us perfect and accepted. Accepted in Him,
the beloved of God. That's what verse seven tells
us. In whom? That's Christ. We have redemption
through His blood. The forgiveness of sins according
to the riches of His grace. This is all about Him. Election
has everything to do with redemption through Christ's shed blood.
Election has everything to do with the forgiveness of sins.
Election has everything to do with the riches of God's sovereign
grace in Christ. Verse eight, wherein he hath
abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. Here we see election
shows us something of God's divine wisdom. You know, only God could
have devised a way for him to remain just and still justify
the ungodly. Oh, that takes a divine mind
and divine wisdom to devise such a way. God can't just sweep sin
under a rug. It would make him unjust. God
purposed a way that he could remain just and still justify
sinners like you and I. Election shows us something of
God's divine prudence. That word prudence here means
good providence. It shows us something of his
good providence and his management of all things. Everything is
working together and working together. Man, we can't even
fathom that. But he's working all things together
for his elect good. The scripture says they are the
called according to his purpose. Only one who is in control of
all things can make all things work together. Verse nine, and
having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according
to His good pleasure, which He has purposed in Himself. You
see, the election of God has to do with the mystery of His
sovereign will. No man can figure this thing
out on their own. It's got to be divinely revealed. the good pleasure of His sovereign
purpose, which He purposed in Himself by Himself. You see, our redemption is accomplished
in, by, and through the perfect work of righteousness that Christ
Himself did for us. Now look at verse 10, that in
the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together
in one all things in Christ. both which are in heaven and
which are on earth, even in Him." So election has something to
do with God's dispensing in His determined time, the gathering
together of His people in Christ. What God purposed in eternity,
He always brings to fruition in time. Did you hear what I
said? Whatever God purposes in eternity,
He always brings to pass. He said, have I not thought and
shall I not also do it? Have I not purposed and shall
it not come to pass? He's God. Whatever He decides
and wants to do, He does. Our God's in the heavens. He's
done whatsoever He's pleased. God the Father gave Christ the
power and authority of all things. Again, verse 11, in whom? Christ
Jesus. Also, we have obtained an inheritance
being predestinated. There's that word again. According
to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel
of his own will. Now, can I ask you a question? Where do you come into that statement?
Being predestinated according to the purpose of him. Him who
works all things after the counsel of his own will. Where's what
David does in that? Election has everything to do
with God's children inheriting what is his. Now you think about
that for a minute. Everything that is God's is his
people's. He purposed it. He worked this
inheritance out after the counsel of his own sovereign will. That's
what it says. He works all things that way
and all things for good to who? His elect. The called according
to his purposes, we just quote. You know, my father worked out
my inheritance and he put it in a last will and testament. Friends, this book called the
Holy Bible is God's last will and testament. And it's to and
for his elect. Again, why did God elect a people
before time ever was? Look at verse 12. That we, his
elect people, should be to the praise of his glory who first
trusted in Christ. Now, all that I received from
my earthly parents in my inheritance was to their glory, not mine. Why, I didn't do anything to
deserve it. It was all the result of their
hard work. My dad worked two jobs most of
his life. My mom worked her life. They
didn't have much, but all that they had, they worked for. Yes,
God gave it to them. I'm not excluding that, but I
sure didn't have anything to do with it. I helped them spend
it, but it was the result of their hard work. How much more
so is that true concerning God our Father? No child of God deserves. No child of God earns or merits
God's gracious gift of grace and faith. Well, to think that
we can do something to merit His mercy, His grace and love,
it's blasphemous, really. It's just that. It's a gracious
gift. But by grace are you saved through
faith. That's not of yourselves. It's a gift of God. Not by works,
lest any man should boast. It's not our works, it's God's
grace. We deserve death, we deserve
condemnation, but God gives us an inheritance of everlasting
love, mercy, and grace. It's His to give. He can give
it to whom He will. Are we gonna say that's not fair?
You give it to them and not me? No, they deserved death and condemnation
too, but God and mercy and grace saved them. Look at verse 13. "...in whom..." Boy, we're seeing
that a lot. This is about Him. "...in whom
ye also trusted after ye heard the word of truth, the gospel
of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." Verse 13 here tells
us very plainly that election has to do with trusting in the
word of truth. has to do with trusting in Christ,
who is the Word of Truth. Election has to do with trusting
in the gospel of your salvation. Christ Jesus is the good news
of the gospel. Election has to do with trusting
in Christ alone, in whom is in Him. And election has to do with
being sealed. Do you see that there in verse
13? You were sealed. It has to do with being sealed.
That word means preserved. With God, the Holy Spirit of
promise. I know many of you have canned
things before. I remember I used to help my
mom and dad occasionally can tomatoes. You know, you'd put
them in that jar and you'd put the top on. A little bit later,
you'd hear pop, pop, pop. And mom said, there's another
one sealed. It's sealed. That means it was preserved.
That's what God the Holy Spirit does to and for His elect people. He preserves us in Christ. Election not only has to do with
being saved. Oh, this is glorious, friends.
Election has to do with being saved forever. Well, do you believe
that you can be lost after God saves you? No, sir, I don't.
Not if God saves me, I don't. If I'm saved, I'm always saved.
Why? Because He preserves me. He saves
me and He keeps me preserved. Pop! Election has to do with
being loved with an everlasting love. That's what the Lord said.
I've loved thee with an everlasting love. How long is everlasting,
Adel? Everlasting. Election has to do with being
purchased. Look at verse 14. Which is the
earnest of our inheritance. until the redemption of the purchased
possession and to the praise of His glory. It has to do with
being purchased by Christ. Jesus Christ paid it all. Jesus
Christ paid it in full. We're saved right now because
of that. There is therefore now, right
now, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. Being
sealed and preserved by the Holy Spirit. I love to think about
that. You see, I can't do anything to be saved, and I can't do anything
to be lost. Not if I'm in Christ. My actions
may prove that I never was saved. I'm not discounting the importance
of that. But being sealed and preserved
by the Holy Spirit of promise is my God's earnest, so to speak,
it's God's down payment, on the believer's eternal redemption.
Christ purchased it with His own blood. And I'm His, and He's
mine, and I'm my beloved's, and my beloved's mine. And again,
it's under the praise of His glory. So again, who are the
elect of God? Is it the whole world? Is the
whole world God's elect? No, sir, they are not. Turn with
me to John chapter 17, and I'll finish up by trying to get out
of the way as Christ himself tells us who the elect of God
are. John chapter 17. Beginning in verse six, the Lord
Jesus says, I have manifested thy name unto the men. And when we see that word men
in the scriptures, it means women too. I've manifested thy name
unto the men, the women which thou gavest me out of the world. That's who the elect of God are.
He says, thine they were, and thou gavest them me. and they
have kept thy word." That's who God's elect are. Verse seven,
now they, God's elect, have known that all things whatsoever thou
has given me are of thee, for I have given unto them the words
which thou gavest me, and they, have received them and have known
surely that I came out from thee and they have believed that thou
didst send me." That's the elect of God. In verse nine, the Lord
Jesus said, I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but
for them. Who? The elect of God. Those
that He chose before the foundation of the world. which thou hast
given me, for they are thine, and all mine are thine, and thine
are mine, and I'm glorified in them." That's who the elect of
God are. And now I am no more in the world,
but these, there it is again, are in the world, and I came
to thee, Holy Father. I came to thee, Holy Father,
keep through thine own name those, the elect, whom thou has given
me, that they. God's elect may be one as we
are one. And while I was with them, I
started to count these and I didn't wish now I had it. There's a
bunch. I was with them, the elect in the world. I kept them in
thy name. Those, the elect that thou gavest
me, I've kept and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition
that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now I come to thee, and these
things I speak in the world, that they, the elect of God,
might have my joy fulfilled in them. And I have given them thy
word, and the world hath hated them. because they are not of
the world, even as I am not of the world." That has to be talking
about God's elect. I pray not that thou shouldest
take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them
from the evil. And they are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth,
thy word is truth. And as thou has sent me into
the world, even so I have sent them into the world. And for
their sakes, I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified
through the truth. Do you see who that's talking
about? Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also, which
thou, which shall believe on me through their word, that they
all may be one as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that
they, also may be one in us, that the world may believe that
thou hast sent me, and the glory which thou gavest me I've given
them, that they may be one even as we are one. I in them and
thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one and that
the world may know that thou has sent me and has loved them
as thou has loved me. Father, I will that they also
whom thou has given me be with me where I am that they may behold
my glory which thou has given me for thou lovest me before
the foundation of the world. "'O righteous Father, the world
hath not known thee, "'but I have known thee, "'and these have
known that thou hast sent me, "'and I have declared unto them
thy name, "'and will declare it that the love wherewith thou
hast loved me "'may be in them, and I in them.'" Again, remember
the five W's. Who are the elect of God? every
them, they, and these that we just read. They are the elect
of God. Do you fit the description of
one of God's elect? That's the question of the hour.
If you do, it was God that chose you. Secondly, what does election
mean? Well, it simply means just that,
God chose you. Our Lord said, you have not chosen
me, but I've chosen you. Our Lord said that we love Him
because He first loved us. That's why we love Him. When
were you elected? I think that's pretty obvious,
isn't it? Before the foundation of the world. Before you were
born, before you had done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God's election might stand. Not of your works, but of Him
that calleth. He chose you, He called you,
He saved you. Why? Why were you elected? It's simply please the Lord to
make you his people. People say, why? Because he wanted
to. It's the only answer he has to
give. It seemed good in God's sight.
You see, he's got the right to do what he will with his own.
Our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he pleased. None can stay his hand. None
can say unto him, what doest thou? Whatever the Lord pleased,
that did He in heaven and in earth and in the seas and in
all deep places. You can't go anywhere in this
vast universe that God's not ruling and reigning and on His
throne. Where did this election take
place? In heaven? On the throne? In the heart of God? In the work
of Christ? The question, dear sinner, is
really not whether you believe in election or not. The question
is, are you one of God's elect? I've shown you to the best of
my ability in the Word of God who the elect of God are. Do
you fit the description? May God enable you to give diligence
to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things,
Peter said, you shall never fail. May God be pleased to make it
so for the honor and the glory of Christ's sake. Amen.