Let's turn to Exodus 3. Verse 7. We'll pick up where
we left off last night. Exodus 3, 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 am come down to
deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, to bring them
up out of that land unto a good land at 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, I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou
mayest bring forth My people, the children of Israel, out of
Egypt." Now, the Lord is sending Moses to deliver the children
of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, and as He's doing so, God repeatedly
refers to them as My people. My people, the children of Israel. He said, I heard their cry. Not
the Egyptians, not anybody else in the world. I heard their cry. He said, I know their sorrow.
This is a distinguishing knowledge, a particular knowledge of a particular
people. Now, who are God's people? Who are God's people? Who are
the children of Israel? What I want us to see today is
the true children of Israel, The true people of God are those
that God the Father chose to save in Christ before the foundation
of the world out of every nation and people on earth. They're
His chosen people out of every nation and people on earth. Now, most believe that God's
people are the children of Abraham, the natural children of Abraham,
the natural children of Isaac and of Jacob. They believe that
political nation Israel is God's chosen people, the physical seed
of Israel. The Pharisees thought that. Remember,
they would say to the Lord, we're Abraham's children. And the Lord
told them, If you were Abraham's children, you would do as Abraham
did. You would believe on me. And
he told them, you're of your father, the devil. Another time
he stood with them and they blamed him for not being able to understand.
They said, how long do you make us to doubt? Tell us plainly
if you be the Christ. And he said, I've told you that
you believe not because you are not my sheep. You are not my
sheep. Turn over to Romans chapter 9
with me. This is one of those chapters
that is probably the least preached chapter in the whole Bible right
here. Romans chapter 9. And what we
learn here is the children of Israel are not all the natural
children of Israel. The children of Israel, the elect
children of Israel are not all the natural children of Israel.
Only God's elect. Verse 6, Not as though the word
of God had taken none effect, for they are not all Israel which
are of Israel. They are not all Israel which
are of Israel, neither because they are the seed of Abraham
are they all children. But in Isaac shall thy seed be
called, That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these
are not the children of God. That's what I mean when I say
natural children. The children of the flesh, these
are not the children of God. But the children of the promise,
of God's promise, are counted for the seed. They're counted
as children. For this is the word of promise.
At this time, God said, will I come and Sarah shall have a
son. Now hold your place right there
and let's talk about what we just read. Abraham had another
son named Ishmael. You remember? But God said that
Ishmael was not the elect child because Ishmael was the son of
the bondwoman. Ishmael was the product of Abraham's
wisdom and Abraham's works. And so he had to go. He was not
the chosen child of God. He would not be the heir. Isaac
was the heir. Isaac was God's elect. Isaac was one God chose in Christ
before the foundation of the world. Isaac was one that God
said, I will produce. I will cause him to be born.
I will bring him forth." And that's the case with all God's
elect. God chose them. God causes them
to be born again, to be created anew in righteousness and true
holiness. And He will do that for all His
children. for every one of his elect because
Christ died for the elect. Christ redeemed the elect. He
justified the elect so that justice demands they all be called out
and given life and faith in Christ. Now, let's read on here in Romans
9. He says there, verse 10, not
only this, he's going to give us now another example using
Isaac. Not only this, but when Rebekah
also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac. Now these
are twins, and they both have one father, Isaac. One mother,
Rebekah. Both natural? Well, they're both
children of Abraham. But Isaac was a chosen child
of Abraham. So does that mean both these
children are going to be the elect of God? Let's read it. Verse 11. the children being
not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand." Here's God's reason
for saving by divine election. that it's not of works, but of
God that calleth. That's the purpose. Not of works,
not of our works, but of God 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. Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated. When folks tell you God loves
everybody, This one verse proves that that's not the case. Jacob
have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Here's
the objection that men are going to come back with. That's not
fair. God's not being right to do that. Well, is there unrighteousness
with God? God forbid. For he said to Moses,
I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then, salvation is not of
him that willeth. It's not of our will. And it's
not of our works. It's not of him that runneth.
But it's of God that showeth mercy. Now be sure to get this,
God does not He did not choose everybody in the world. He didn't purpose to save everybody
in the world. God said, I have mercy on whom
I have mercy. I'll have compassion on whom
I will have compassion. Well, drop down to verse 27.
Then He gives us a word from Isaiah the prophet. Romans 9.27,
Isaiah also crieth concerning Israel. Though the number of the natural
children of Israel be as the sand of the sea." There was lots
of children in Israel. But an elect remnant shall be
saved. An elect remnant. Look at verse
29. As Isaiah said before, except
the Lord of Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts, the Lord of the armies
of heaven and earth, except He had left us an elect seed, a
chosen seed, we, Israel, would have been like Sodom and been
like Gomorrah. He said except God had an elect
people in the middle of all these children of Israel. If it wasn't
for that, he said we would have long ago been wiped off the map
just like Sodom and just like Gomorrah. You know the reason
this world is held in store right now? The one reason that this
world, the reason God didn't destroy it when Adam sinned in
the garden. One reason. One reason it's held
in store right now. Because God has an elect people
that he shall call to repentance and faith in Christ. Peter said,
he said, the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some
men count slackness. He's not lied to us about his
promise, but he's longsuffering to us-worth, to the elect of
God. He's longsuffering because God
is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come
to repentance. And you've probably heard people
say, see there, that shows you that God wants everybody to be
saved. God of glory, God of heaven and
earth does not want anything. God of heaven and earth does
His will according to His eternal purpose. He does all things according
to His will. Nobody can stop Him from doing
what He's willed to do. When it says He's not willing
that any should perish, it means He's not willing that any of
His elect should perish. It's just what we read Isaiah
said, because God has an elect remnant in this world. That's
the reason He's sparing this world. That's the reason this
world's already not been judged like Sodom and Gomorrah. And
I can prove that to you, because Peter said in 2 Peter 3, 15,
after he said that, that God's not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance, because he's longsuffering, to
us who believe, to us who are the elect, he said, an account,
impute, reckon it to be so, that the longsuffering of God is salvation. The longsuffering of God shall
end in the salvation of all His chosen people. He won't lose
any. He will not lose any. The reason
I go and preach, the reason God's preachers go and preach is because
we're on the trail of those lost sheep. And one of these days,
I think of this every time somebody comes to me and says God saved
them and they want to confess Christ in believer's baptism.
I always think of this. What if this is the last one?
One day it's going to be the last one. And when it is the
last one, that's when Christ is coming again. And this whole
thing will be wrapped up and done with. Because he's going
to continue until he saves his elect. Now, what we've been seeing
here, nobody is God's elect because of who their parents are. Abraham
was an elect child of God. Ishmael wasn't. His son Ishmael
wasn't. Isaac was an elect child of God.
His son Esau was not. You're not going to be an elect
child because mom and daddy weren't. That should do away with this
thing of household salvation. That ought to do away with this
thing of covenant relationship between a parent and their children.
You're not going to be the elect child of God because your parents
were. God chooses whom He will. It's God that has mercy on whom
He will. Nor is anybody an elect child because of what nation
they live in. Not Israel, not Egypt, not any
of those Canaanites or Hittites or any of those. If it was based on that, that
would be something based on us. There would be something in us
that made God choose us. And that would be works. And
that would do away with grace altogether. If it's of grace,
it's no more of works. Otherwise, grace is not grace.
If it's works, then it's no more grace. Otherwise, works are no
more works. They're mutually exclusive of
one another. And so God saves freely by grace. But now God does have a nation. He does have a nation that he
loves. He has a nation that he chose.
It's called in 1 Peter 2, 9, God's holy nation. He said, you are a chosen generation,
a chosen race, God's race. You are a royal priesthood, a
holy nation, a peculiar treasured people that we should show forth
the praises of God, that we should glory in God who called us out
of darkness into His marvelous light. Now, why tell people this? Why preach this to people? Because there's at least two
vital reasons we preach the doctrine of election. Number one, it's
because we declare Christ is victorious. It declares Christ
is victorious. Because Christ didn't come and
just die for this ambiguous you know, die for everybody in some
sort of ambiguous way. He came to lay down His life
for a particular people. He came to bear the sin of a
particular people. He came to make righteous a particular
people that God gave Him. And so by declaring that He laid
down His life for the elect and He redeemed the elect, we're
saying Christ's death was victorious. He accomplished what He came
to accomplish. He didn't make it possible. He
accomplished the salvation of His people. Go over to John 17
with me. Christ only intercedes. He only
gave Himself for us. and intercedes for those who
are His elect. And He saves those He intercedes
for. That's what we're declaring by
the doctrine of election. Look at John 17.2. Christ says, "...as Thou, Father,
hast given Him..." He's talking about Himself. "...as Thou hast
given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life
to as many as Thou hast given Him." Now look at 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 now get this, this
is key, and I am glorified in them. This is the whole purpose. You know, Romans 8 says this
is the reason why God predestinated, He foreknew His people and predestinated
us to be conformed to the image of Christ, that Christ might
be the firstborn among many brethren. He did it to give Christ the
preeminence. He did it to show His glory in
the salvation of His people. And Christ says here, I'm glorified
in my people. And look down at verse 20. Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word."
He's talking about his elect in future generations. He's talking
about you and I who believe. I pray for them who shall believe
through their word. Look at verse 24. Father, I will... Do you think Christ is going
to get what He will? Do you think Christ will get what He asked
God the Father for after everything He's done to glorify the Father?
Of course He will. And He said this, Father, I will
that they also whom Thou hast given Me 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. Now that, my friends,
is why we preach election. Because Christ said, I laid down
my life for the sheep. He said that all the Father giveth
me shall come to me, and him that come to me I will not cast
out. Because this is the Father's
will that sent me, that of all which He's given me, I should
lose none of them. And He says, so I won't lose
any of them. So that's the first reason. I
don't want you just to learn adoption. I don't want you just
to learn the doctrine of election. So what if you just learn the
doctrine of election? I want you to know Christ in
whom God chose His people. Because Christ is the spiritual
blessings that He blessed us with when He chose us in Him.
Because they all come to us through Christ. And He is the sum and
substance of the blessing. And it's for His glory. Now here's
the second reason we preach this truth. Those that God saves are
going to have to be brought down. And this message is humbling. This doctrine is humbling. This
is the message through which God is going to speak into the
heart of His people and give a new broken and contrite heart. We come into this world proud,
and we go through life proud. Nobody's going to tell me what
to do, and I'm going to do what I want to do, and I'm free to
do what I will. You take a man that's in a jail
cell. He's free to do whatever he wants to within the confines
of those four walls. He can walk, get up, bounce,
jump, flip, flop, do whatever he wants to within the confines
of those four walls. Well, those four walls or our
sin nature. We can't do anything but what
our sin nature dictates we do. That's all. You know, that's
why certain animals eat certain food and other animals eat other
food and they don't eat each other's food. Because it's not
their nature to do it. You gave them a different nature,
you gave a buzzard a different nature, he would start grazing
in a field with a cow, if you gave him that nature of a cow.
So we're as free to do what we will, but only in the confines
of our sin nature. The Scriptures are clear that
we can't believe on God until He gives us a heart to. And so
this is the message through which He gives the heart to bow to
Him, because this is the message that gives Him all the glory.
It's the message that declares it's not of our will. It's not
of our running. It's of God's mercy. It's not
of our doing, it's of God's choosing by grace. Not based on anything
in us, good or evil. Simply by grace. Free and sovereign
grace. That's humbling. That's humbling. That brings a sinner down. That's
why men hate this doctrine so much, is because it gives God
all the glory and gives man none. And that's offensive to man.
So that's why we preach it. And let me finish up the rest
of this passage in our text. Let's go back there to Exodus
3. I've said all this, but let me
show it to you now. Not only does He have an elect
people, God's going to bring that people to cry out to Him.
Listen to what He says there, Exodus 3, 7. I've surely seen
the affliction of My people. God's eye is always upon His
elect. He knows right where they are.
Do you remember, Paul wanted to go to one place to preach,
and the Spirit of God told him he couldn't go there. He forbid
him to go there. And He sent him down to the river
where Lydia was, because that's where His elect child was. God
knew His elect child was there. Christ knew that child was there.
When he sent him to Corinth, he said, you stay here and preach
because I have much people in this city. He knew he had people
in that city because he saw them. He went right to where Zacchaeus
was. He knew right where Zacchaeus
was and knew his name and said, come down. He sent Philip out
on that back road on the way out of Jerusalem, on that back
road out in the middle of the desert because he knew where
his elect child was, that Ethiopian eunuch. He sees his people. And by his sovereign eye and
his sovereign hand, he afflicts his child for our good. Now, why is that good? It's because we're not willing
to call on him. We're not willing to call on Him. And by hedging
us up to where we have no choice, He's going to give a new heart
that was not there and make His child willing to call on Him
to be saved. He said, speaking of Christ,
Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power. Blessed
is the man whom Thou choosest and causest to approach unto
Thee. So his eyes on his child like
his eye was on these children of Israel. And here's what he
did. Remember, they were in the land of Goshen in Egypt, the
best land. They had a Pharaoh that knew
them and was very nice to them. And when the time came, 400 years
had passed, according to God's Word, he told Abraham, I'm going
to bring them out 400 years after they've been there. He raised
up a Pharaoh. to declare His name, to show
His power and declare His name. He raised up a Pharaoh that didn't
know those children. And He made their lives bitter
with hard bondage. And so God, by doing that, the
psalmist tells us this in Psalm 107.12, God brought down their
heart with labor. He brought them down. And it
says, they fell down and there was none to help. And then, They
cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out
of their distresses. You see how good that affliction
is? God hedges you up to where you have no choice. You know
whenever, if you go and read that passage where everybody
says, Joshua said, as for me and my house, we're going to
serve the Lord? If you read that passage, the quotation opens. Joshua is speaking the Word of
the Lord. And you read the quotation opens,
and it comes down, and it's still the Lord speaking when Joshua
says that. It's not Joshua speaking, that's
the Lord speaking. And the Lord says, here's your
choice. If you still have a choice to
make, here's your choice. Choose which false god you're
going to worship. That one on the other side of
Jordan or those on this side of Jordan. If you still have
choices to make, those are the choices you have between false
gods. But Christ said, as for Me in
My house, we shall serve the Lord. He makes it so His child
doesn't have a choice. And we don't want a choice. We
call out on Him to save us. And that's a blessing. And when
He makes you to call out, He hears the cry that He's produced. The next verse there in Exodus
3. I've heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, for I know
their sorrows. He brings us to cry unto Him,
and He hears the cry He put in our heart. That gives Him all
the glory, doesn't it? If somebody doesn't like what
I'm preaching, well, let me ask you this. Why don't you like
it? Do you not want Christ to have
all the glory? Because this gives Him all the
glory. The only reason somebody would not like this message is
because it's giving him all the praise and him all the glory
and not giving them the glory. Now look, here's the last thing.
God always delivers His elect. Look at verse 8. He said, I came
down to deliver God, mine elect, out of the hand of the enemy.
He always delivers His elect. God has not appointed us to wrath,
but to attain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. And He said,
I came down to bring mine elect up out of the land. God's going
to bring us out from among false religion. He's going to bring
us out from among our vain companions. He's going to bring us out of
legal bondage. He's going to bring His people
out. Here are some of you sitting here. And you were in that. And you were under those oppressive
taskmasters. And He brought you out. That's
what He's going to do. And then He says here, And I'll
bring my elect to a good land and a large, unto a land flowing
with milk and honey. Canaan is a type of the church
of God below and the church of God in heaven. That's what it's
a picture of. He brings His people out from
false religion and brings them into this good land right here
where you feast upon the milk and honey of the Gospel. And
He carries His people all the way through this wilderness,
and one day at last, He's going to bring us into heaven's glory,
our heavenly Canaan, where His church is going to worship Him
and give Him all the glory for doing that. So you see, Election
is not a doctrine to be hated. Election is a doctrine that is
a very blessed doctrine. If God didn't choose His people,
we would have never chosen Him. This is God opening the door
to heaven. God's not shutting people out
by election. Election is not reprobation.
Reprobation is reprobation. Election is God loving His Jacobs. Hating Esau is God not doing
anything for Esau, just passing him back. Reprobation is when
Esau came forth and he hated God and sold his birthright and
didn't want anything to do with God, God said, okay, you can't
have anything to do with me. That's reprobation. Election
is God opening the door to save his people. So there's nothing
to be hated about it. We say, not unto us, Lord, not
unto us, but unto Thy name give glory because of Your mercy and
Your truth. So it's a blessed doctrine. All
right, brethren, let's pray together. Father, we thank You for Your
Word. Thank You, Lord, that You've made us to cease arguing against
Your truth. You've made us to stop putting
ourselves on the side of the non-elect and calling you unfair
and unreasonable. And You've made us to see, Lord,
by Your grace that You chose us freely apart from anything
in us and saved us freely by Your grace. Lord, we owe everything
to You. We owe everything to that free,
free grace. And how we do thank You, Lord,
that You chose us in Christ and You sent Him forth to work out
a salvation for us perfect in every way. Lord, bless these
people now, we ask You. Bless them and keep them. And
if it's Your will, Lord, provide a pastor to them after Your own
heart, according to Your prophecy. We pray, Lord, that You'll do
that, that they might be fed with truth, kept, and that this
work might be one that you bless. Lord, be with us now as we try
to worship You in the second hour. We thank You, Lord, and
ask You to forgive us our sins in the name of our Lord and our
Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.