If you would turn with me to
the first epistle of Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. Let's
begin reading in verse 4. In verse 4, Paul writes, knowing,
brethren beloved, your election of God. Do you know your election
of God? What does that mean? What is
it to know your election of God? Do you know that salvation is
an act of God the Father made in Christ Jesus before the world
began. That's simply all that means.
Do you know that salvation is of the Lord? That means that
salvation springs from God's sovereign will and purpose and
redemption is the effect of his love and his favor to chosen
sinners in Christ. I remember Brother Mahan saying
one time that he had preached at a free will church, free will
Baptist church, and he preached on the doctrine of election.
And he said when the service was over, there was an older
fellow that started coming from the back of the church saying,
I've never heard anything like that before. I've never heard
anything like that. But that's exactly how God saved
me. That's how God saves, according
to his own will and purpose that he determined before the foundation
of the world. That removes all doubt about
who does the saving, doesn't it? Verse five, for our gospel
came not unto you in word only, but also in power. and in the
Holy Ghost. And this is the foundation of
salvation by grace. The same gospel is preached. Two hearers hear the same words
of substitution. One hearer remains indifferent,
but the other hearer is saved by the power of God. The preached
word, the gospel, comes to some in word only. They hear the words
in their heads, but not in their hearts. But to some, the gospel
comes in power. And in the Holy Ghost, it effectually
comes because it comes in the power of God, the Holy Spirit. The seed of the gospel has been
planted. The seed of the gospel has been
watered. And it seems that out of nowhere,
the Spirit of God comes in power and gives the increase. It's
God that gives the increase. Who maketh thee to differ from
another? We know the answer to that, God does. And Paul goes
on to ask, and what do you have that you did not receive? You
know, that's a good question for us to ask ourselves often. What do we have that wasn't given
to us? And if we received it, why do
you glory as if thou hast not received it? You know, there
are a lot of folks in religion today who are acting as though
they made themselves to differ. But this is how we know our election
of God. The sinner is dead in trespasses
and sin. Now, does dead mean dead? Or
does it mean just wounded? That's important to know. The
Spirit of God comes in power to the dead sinner. The Spirit
of God gives that sinner life. That sinner is born again. Born
from above. Born of the Spirit. Made a new
creature in Christ. A new creation. We're not just
reformed folks. We've got to be made anew. In
no way does the sinner participate. Why? Because they were dead.
Dead in trespasses. And again, verse 5, for our gospel
came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the
Holy Ghost, in much assurance. When the gospel of God comes
in the power of the Spirit, it has to come in much assurance,
much confidence, and much hope, because it's a sovereign God
who works all things after the counsel of His own will that
sends it in power. Who can resist His will? None. It's effectual. His gospel can
be confidently believed. You can trust this gospel. His
gospel is full of assurance because of who He is. Paul continues and says, you
know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. Paul
had proven himself to be faithful to the calls of Christ and to
the word of God. They knew he was no harling,
but a true shepherd who had the sheep's best interest at heart.
And when your gospel comes from a sovereign God, it'll come with
much assurance. Because the Sovereign One can
be trusted with anything and everything. Isn't that what the
Scriptures say? I know you can do anything. Is anything too hard for the
Lord? No! Because of who He is, He's a
Sovereign God. He's One who can be trusted with
anything and everything. Now I grew up in a church where
preachers said things like, Make Jesus the Lord of your life.
Give your heart to Jesus. Let go and let God have His way
in your life. Cast a deciding vote to let God
save you. And you might think, well, that's
kind of a trivial thing. No, it's not. No, it's not. Did you notice that each of those
things involves something that the sinner must do? Make, give,
let, cast, do, do, do. Never done. And it is, it's never
done. If men and women are fallen,
now hear me on this. This is so simple, I think sometimes
it just goes right over our heads. If men and women are fallen,
if men and women are dead, if men and women are depraved, if
men and women love darkness rather than light, if the natural man
is enmity, that word means hostile, If we're hostile against God,
then God must initiate salvation or to never be given. God must
make men and women willing in the day of His power. God must
quicken and give chosen sinners life if they're ever to be saved.
Why? Because man cannot and man will
not do it for himself. Who then can be saved? You know,
the disciples asked that question and the Lord answered. He said,
with men, it's impossible. It's impossible. Besides the
fact that the Bible teaches election, these are the reasons why I believe
in election because salvation with men is impossible. But with
God, all things are possible. I believe in election, God's
choosing, yes, because the Bible teaches it, but also because
God is God and man is man. Man has no ability for he cannot
come except God drawing by his grace. You know, God does not
save everyone, but thank God that he will not let everyone
perish. What mercy that is. Every fallen
sinner deserves death, condemnation, and judgment, but God has mercy
on those whom He will. For the Lord will not forsake
His people for His great name's sake, because it pleased the
Lord to make you, make you His people. You didn't make yourself,
He made you. He makes chosen sinners His people.
They didn't make themselves His people. And our Lord Jesus said,
I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou
hast hid these things from the wise and the prudent. Men today
think they've got God figured out. They're wise and they're
prudent in their own eyes. But the Lord said, I thank You
that You've revealed these things unto babes, even so, Father,
it seemed good in Thy sight. You see, friends, the whole of
the work whereby a lost, ruined sinner is brought from death
to life, from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God's
dear Son, is of God and God only. It seemed good in His sight to
save sinners. If man's fall rendered him spiritually
dead, if man's deadness rendered him unable and unwilling, if
the natural man's enmity, hostility is toward God, then God had to
divinely intervene to save any. Because a man would never choose
to be saved. Our Lord went on to say in Luke
chapter 10, he said, all things are delivered to me of my father
and no man knoweth who the son is, but the father and who the
father is, but the son and he to whom the son will reveal him. There's no revelation of God
or His Christ apart from divine intervention and divine revelation. I love how the Holy Spirit reveals
that wondrous truth in the book of Acts chapter 13 verse 48.
You don't have to turn there. Paul and Barnabas, they told
the Jews that it was necessary that the word of God be spoken
or preached unto them. They had put the gospel of Christ
away from them. By rejecting the gospel, the
Jews were said to have passed sentence upon themselves. And
because of that, Paul told them, we turn to the Gentiles. And
then we read, and when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and
glorified the word of God, and as many as were ordained to eternal
life believed. Did you notice the order there?
Those who were ordained, those who were chosen, those who were
elected to eternal life, they were the ones that believed.
Free will religion has tried for generations to make that
verse say as many as believed were ordained to eternal life.
Still trying to do it. Election, God's ordaining of
sinners before the foundation of the world is the cause for
believing. Believing has never been the
cause of God's choosing. God did not look ahead in time
and choose a sinner based on seeing if that sinner would choose
God. It's not so. Matter of fact,
that's nothing more than free will works religion. That's nothing
more or less than a sinner being rewarded for something that he
or she did. God just had to look ahead in
time to see what they would do. As many as were ordained, chosen,
elected unto eternal life believed their election, their ordination,
God's choosing of them was the cause of their believing. Their
believing was the result of God's election. Anything other than
that, I'm telling you, is nothing but man's works of filthy righteousness. Election is not salvation. Election
is unto salvation. God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation. I can remember so well falling
in love with the doctrine of election. Man, I just, I couldn't
get enough of it. I read everything that I could
get my hands on. But you know the day I remember
better than that? Was the day that I fell in love
with the Lord Jesus Christ. Big difference. Jesus Christ
is salvation. And I want us to consider and
understand some things as to why election is unto salvation. Election is not salvation. Christ
is salvation. Don't ever forget that. Yet,
if God had not predetermined to choose, to call, to justify
and glorify sinners, I'm telling you, no one would be saved. It's just a fact. But never forget
that it's in Christ and that it is Christ that does the saving,
not our election. Now I want to give you four things
this morning that I believe are absolutely crucial to the matter
of salvation. The first is this. There is no
salvation, none, apart from our union with Christ. Salvation
is not a union with the church. Salvation is not a union with
a religious denomination. Salvation is not a union with
a doctrinal position. Salvation is an intimate, personal,
living union with the Lord Jesus Christ. There can be no benefits,
no profit of soul, there can be no blessings, no saving grace,
no spiritual life, except it be in, by, and through our oneness
with Christ. The Lord Jesus said in John chapter
15 verse 16, he said, or excuse me, John 15 verse 5, he said,
I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I
in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me you
can do nothing. That's pretty plain, isn't it?
Without me you can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he
is cast forth as a branch and is withered, and men gather them
and cast them into the fire. You see, our relationship with
Christ is a vine and a branch relationship. We being the branches,
we derive all our life, all our nourishment, all our strength
from Christ the vine. For our Lord said, without me,
you can do nothing. If we don't abide in Christ,
what? We're cast forth as a branch
and we're withered and we're burned. And it's astounding,
I'm telling you, it's astounding how often this great truth of
our union with Christ is taught throughout the Scriptures. To
whom God would make known what is the riches of His glory of
this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope
of glory. That's the hope of glory, Christ
in you. Your union with Christ. You being
one with Him. In Galatians 4 verse 19, Paul
said, My little children of whom I prevail in birth again until
Christ be formed in you. Again in 2 Corinthians 5.17,
you know the passage. Paul said, Therefore if any be
in Christ. Where? In Christ. He's a new
creature. Old things are passed away. And
behold, all things have become new. Now salvation is not to
be in the church, but to be in Christ. The Lord Jesus said,
Father, neither pray I for these alone, but for them also, which
shall believe on me through their word, through their preaching,
that they may be one. One. As thou, Father, art in me, and
I in thee, I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfect
in one. Friends, you've got to be perfect
to be accepted of God, and there's only one way you can be, and
that's to be in Christ. In Christ. Well, that's all you
preach, preacher. Thank you. Thank you. In Galatians chapter 2 verse
20, Paul said, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I
live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. Do you know what's missing in
this day of man's free will religion? a living relationship and union
with Christ. Boy, it's missing. I'm telling
you, men and women are in church, but they're not in Christ. Men
and women are in religion, but they're not in Christ. Men and
women are in the Word, but not in Christ. I had a man tell me
not long ago, he said, brother, I'm in the Word. He said, I am
in the Word. Heavily in the Word, he said.
What he meant was he's always studying. He's always reading.
But you better be in Christ. Big difference. That Ethiopian was up on that
chariot. And the disciple said, do you
know what you read? He said, I don't have any man
to show me. And he began to show him Christ in the passage he
was reading. You can be in the Word and not
be in Christ. Oh may God enable you to be in
Christ. If Christ and I are one, I live
because He lives. If Christ and I are one, I am
accepted in the Beloved and He is the Beloved. If Christ and
I are one, I'm holy because He's holy. Do you see what I'm getting
at here? If Christ and I are one, I am
seated with Christ at the right hand of God. Who He is, what
He is, where He is, I am also because I'm one with Him. You
can't be separated. Who can separate us from the
love of God? Christ and His people are inseparably
united. Christ and His elect are eternally
joined together. We are in a living union with
Him. And that's why Christ in you
is the hope of glory. To be one with Christ is not
to just believe some facts about Him. It's to know Him, to walk
with Him, to be one with Him by new birth. It's to be a new
creation by which we personally live with Him. Just the same
as there's no salvation apart from a union with Christ. That's
my first point. Secondly, my second point is
that there is no living union with Christ apart from faith
in Him. We cannot be in Christ except
by faith. In John chapter 1 verse 12, the
beloved John lets us know that right up front. He said, but
as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons
of God, even to them that what? Believe on his name. That's what
faith is, it's believing. Faith, believing in and on Christ,
is the gift of God. For John went on to say, which
were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of
the will of man, but of God. Salvation, our union with Christ,
is according to God-given faith. Faith is a gift of God's grace. Did you know that? It truly is. For you're saved by grace through
faith, and that is not of yourself. It's what? It's the gift of God.
It's not of works, lest any man should boast. I'm so glad that
the Lord told us that, because you know what? I'd be boasting.
I'd be boasting. Look at my great faith. No salvation, our union with
Christ. is by God-given faith. It's not
a blood-inherited thing. It's not something that our flesh
can produce. It's not something that our will
can provide. Isn't that what he said? Not
a blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man.
It's not something that the will of man can achieve. Only God
can produce faith in a sinner. He was in the world and the world
was made by Him, but the world knew Him not. But as many as
received Him by faith, as many as believed on Him, as many as
trusted their souls to His care, to them, to them, and only to
them gave He the right, the privilege to become sons of God. Without faith, without believing,
it's impossible to please God. You can't please God apart from
faith and Christ. He didn't say it was difficult.
He didn't say that it was unlikely. He said it's impossible. It's
impossible without faith to please God, for he that cometh to God
must believe that He is. That He's what? That He's God.
that He's on His throne, He's ruling and reigning, He's saving
whom He wills by the counsel of His own will and purpose.
He gave a number that no man can number to Christ before the
foundation of the world, before they were born, before they had
done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to election
might stand. Not of Him that willeth, not
of Him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. I love to
think about that. He's a rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him. You know, that's the only time
the word rewarder is used in the Scripture, and it's used
in reference to God. And the word rewarder means remunerator. I think I'm saying
it right. That means one who pays for a
work or a service done. Christ is the one who pays and
does the work for those who diligently seek Him. How do we know that
there's no living union apart from faith in Christ? Paul said
this, he said that Christ may dwell in your heart by faith,
by faith. That's how Christ dwells in our
hearts, by faith. There's no salvation, no redemption
apart from a union with Christ and faith in Him. If you miss
that, then you miss salvation completely. That's why salvation's of the
Lord. God lays hold of a sinner by choice. Christ calls that
sinner by his spirit. He makes that sinner willing
in the day of his power. He draws that sinner by his goodness. It's the goodness of God that
leads thee to repentance. He calls that sinner with effectual
mercy. But the sinner lays hold of Christ
by faith. Turn to John chapter 3 with me,
will you? I'm not going to keep you long.
John chapter 3, I want you to look at verse 14. Very familiar passages of Scripture. I think sometimes we look over
the most simple things that we that we memorize. Verse 14 of
John 3 says, and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Verse 15, that whosoever
believeth, whosoever has faith in Him should not perish but
have eternal life. For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son. And men get so wrapped up in
who that world is, and they read right over that whosoever believeth,
whosoever has faith in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. That's the issue. Verse 17, for God sent not His
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
through Him, where? Through Him, believing Him, having
faith in Him, might be saved. Verse 18, he that believeth,
he that has faith on him is not condemned, but he that believeth
not is condemned already, because he hath not believed. He didn't
have faith in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Look
down at verse 36. He that believeth on, he that
has faith in, on the Son, hath everlasting life. And he that
believeth not on the Son of God shall not see life, but the wrath
of God abideth on him." Do you see the connection here between
faith and salvation? When that Philippian jailer cried,
what must I do to be saved? You remember what Paul said?
He said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
be saved. So let's quickly review. What
have we seen thus far? Well, there's no salvation apart
from a living, vital union with Christ. Boy, that's so important. No salvation at all apart from
that. This union is given to me by God as a gift of faith. Without faith, it's impossible
to please God. Without faith, it's impossible
to have a living union with Christ. Then the third thing, there can
be no faith, no faith without the preaching of the Word of
God. Our Lord said, you shall know
the truth and the truth shall make you free. Paul said, study
to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not
to be ashamed. How, Paul? By rightly dividing
the word of truth. Paul said, woe unto me if I preach
not the gospel. For it's the gospel that's the
power of God unto salvation. Now listen. A man cannot be brought
into a living union with Christ without faith. And he cannot
be brought into true faith without hearing the gospel of God's free
grace in Christ. Turn over to Romans chapter 10.
I want you to see these things in your Bible. Romans chapter 10, look at verse
13. In these two verses is our first
three points. Look at this. Verse 13, for whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him
in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in
Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? Verse 13, whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. That's a living union
with Christ right there. I didn't call upon Him just once. I continue to call upon Him.
Lord, help me. Lord, save me. Verse 14, and
how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?
How can any sinner believe? How can any sinner have faith
in and on Christ if they don't hear Him from the preached Word? How shall they hear without a
preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sinned?
You know, there are a lot of men preaching today. And I'm
not trying to be ugly. But many of them are not sin of God. They're not telling
the truth. Did it please God by the foolishness
of preaching true preaching to save them to believe. And when
Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel for the gospel is
the power. That word means dunamis. It means
dynamite. The power of God unto salvation
to everyone that what? Believes. Believes. Well, God had to set some dynamite
underneath me to get me to believe, I'm telling you. God doesn't reveal Himself to
sinners in dreams and in visions. God Almighty calls a sinner by
His Word. God Almighty reveals Himself
in this Word. That's why we give preaching
the preeminence here, Christ in preaching. That's what saves
the lost, His Word, God's declaration of His free grace and mercy and
a substitute and a Savior. You'll find it nowhere else,
dear friend. You remember what the rich man
asked Abraham from hell? Father Abraham, he said, send
Lazarus back to the earth that he may preach to my five brothers.
He said, I got five brothers still on earth, still living. And in this awful place that
I am, there's no hope for me. And you've said that there's
a great gulf fixed between us and no man can come to me and
I can go to no man. But I've got five brothers that
are still on earth. Send Lazarus back from the dead
and let him preach to them." And do you remember what Abraham
said? He said, they have Moses and the prophets. They've got
the word of God. They have the scriptures. They
have preachers on earth. But the rich man insisted and
he said, but if one rose from the dead, Oh, that would be climactic,
wouldn't it? That would be something to talk
about. If one rose from the dead, surely they would hear him. And
again, do you remember what Abraham said? Son, he said, if they will
not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe, though
one rose from the dead. And he's right. He's right. That's a fact. You know how I
know? Because one did rise from the dead, and they didn't believe
Him. I've had people often say things
to me like, well, brother, don't you believe that people should
see Christ in us? You know what? I would give anything
if folks could see Christ in me. But the truth of the matter
is, they didn't see Christ in Christ. They didn't believe Him
after He rose from the dead. So, how are sinners born again? Well, Peter said, being born
again, not of corruptible seed, but by the word of God, that
liveth and abideth forever. The Jews said, we have Moses.
And Christ said, if you'd believe Moses, you would have believed
me, for Moses wrote of me. The Pharisees said, Abraham is
our father. And the Lord Jesus said, Abraham
was glad to see my day. That's recorded in the Scriptures. Are you saved? That's the question. Let's just bring it all down
to this. Are you saved? Well, there's
no salvation apart from a perfect union in Christ. Do you have
a perfect union? Living union with Christ? Do you have faith? There's no
union with Christ apart from saving faith in Him. Do you love
the preaching of the gospel? There's no faith given apart
from the preaching of God's holy word. And then lastly, the fourth
thing is all the preaching in the world, now listen to me,
all the preaching in the world cannot reveal Christ to the heart. All the preaching in the world
cannot convince men of sin. All the preaching in the world
can never bring about true repentance and true faith unless and except
that preaching is accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit.
And that brings us back to our text. The gospel does not come to one
of God's elect in word only. For years I said and I listened
and I listened And I listened, and I wasn't moved. We were talking
in the men's room there about how one man once made the comment
that he heard Brother Mahan preach for 18 years, I think. And he
said, I couldn't tell you anything he said. I could tell you how
many towels there were on the ceiling. By the way, there's
642 on this one. No, I'm only kidding. But one day, God spoke and I
heard. Why? Because He sent His Word
in power with dynamite. And I couldn't help but to believe. God's people are saved by the
purpose of God according to election. Only God can save sinners. Salvation
has to be of Him. Salvation is by the sovereign
choosing, calling, justifying grace of God in the Lord Jesus
Christ. And with that, I rest my case. I rest my I rest my hope, I rest
my confidence, I rest my assurance, my certainty on Christ, who was
made sin, that me, the sinner, might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. Now, is that your hope? Is that
your confidence? Is that your assurance? Well,
you'll find none apart from that. I'm so glad that salvation is
of the Lord. The fact that it is of the Lord
causes me to see that I can do nothing to obtain it. And that
I can do nothing to lose it. God accepted the work of my perfect
Redeemer. And He's satisfied. Forever,
eternally satisfied. You believe in one saved always
saved, don't you? When it's this God that saves
you, if salvation's in Christ, and it is, then I'm always saved. For Christ cannot fail. No wonder
our gospel comes in much assurance. May God enable you to trust in
Christ. That's my prayer for you this
morning. May God enable you to trust in Christ.