A true preacher of the Word of
God only wants to do just that. Preach God's Word. Nothing more. Nothing less. As the aged apostle
told the young preacher named Timothy, preach the Word. Be instant. That is, consistent. In season. Out of season. He goes on to say, the time will
come when they will not endure sound doctrine. And he goes on
to say, they'll turn away their ears from the truth and shall
be turned unto fables, or that is, make-believe. So he says, preach the Word,
in season, out of season. And that is what the preacher
must do. That's what God uses. God's Word is His power, the
power of God unto salvation. is not our soul-winning tactics,
so to speak, not man's gimmicks or programs or powers of persuasion
or this and that and the other. But, well, God's Word itself
says we are born again, not by corruptible seed, but by incorruptible,
the Word of God. 1 Peter 1.23. He says again in
James 1.18, "...of His own will." Begat He us. That is, God's will. He begat or gave birth to us,
His people, with the Word of Truth. The Word of Truth. The Word of God. One and the
same. The Word of Truth. That is, the
truth of who God is, of what man is, of who Christ is. He is the truth of how we are
saved. Now, the unregenerate religious
person cannot understand how God saves people simply by the
declaration of the truth. They feel like you need to beg,
to plead, to try to persuade people, to get people to believe,
to do things, to bring them in and so forth. No, it is the straightforward
declaration of the truth which God commands us to do and which
God uses. the truth which glorifies God,
which glorifies Christ, which abases proud man, the truth which
the Holy Spirit, who is the teacher or spirit of truth, spirit of
Christ, takes and operates on a dead sinner, God's elect that
is, and quickens them, gives them life by the word of truth. He said in one place concerning
God's people, believers, he said, God, who caused the light to
shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Just as God one day, thousands
of years ago, spoke and things were created, the same it is
with salvation. God speaks the Word. Gives life. The Word of God. Opens eyes,
blind eyes. Opens deaf ears. Gives a new
heart. Takes away the stony heart. Ezekiel
36 goes on and on to tell this. Gives repentance. Gives faith. Gives a tongue to confess Him. That's just the declaration of
the truth. That's what God uses. The declaration of the truth.
If you'll read the account at Pentecost, And what really happened
there, that's what the apostles did, that's what God used, and
that's how the Holy Spirit moved. By the declaration of the truth
of who God is, what man is, and who Christ is, and where He is
now. 1 Peter chapter 1, if you want
to follow along, or if not, listen very carefully. This is a wonderful
example of God's word of truth. 1 Peter 1. I hope you believe this. If you
do, then you're a believer. If you don't, you're not a believer. And this was not written to you. In 1 Peter 1, verse 1, Peter
says, An apostle of Jesus Christ to the strangers scattered throughout
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Strangers.
That is, they were strangers to Peter. under inspiration of
God's Spirit, writing a general letter to believers everywhere,
some he did not know. They were strangers to Peter,
but not to God. All of God's elect, Romans 8,
29 and 30 says, are foreknown of God. For whom He did foreknow,
He did predestinate. Whom He did predestinate, He
called. Whom He called, He justified.
And whom He justified, He glorified. That's what Peter goes on to
say in verse 2. He says, "...the strangers who
are elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father." The foreknowledge
of God the Father. They are elect according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father. I don't know what you who listen
to this right now think about that. When I just read God's
Word. Now, this is God's Word. This
is not John Calvin's Word. nor my word, nor any man's word,
but it is God's word. And it says here, elect. How
does that word strike you? Do you hate the sound of it? Well, it's God's word. I'll tell
you who does not hate the sound of it, but rather loves to hear
of God's sovereign elect in mercy and grace. The elect do. Who
believes God's sovereign election? Why, the elect do. They are elect
according to the foreknowledge of God. Now, some imbeciles,
some idiots will say something like this concerning the foreknowledge
of God. They say, God looked down through
time with a telescope of time and saw who would believe and
then elected them. Is that not absurd or what? What is the point in Him electing
them Then, if they're going to believe, what does his election
have anything to do with? Why? That's absurd. Would God
be getting credit for something he didn't do? To foreknow means
to foreordain. Listen carefully. Acts 13.48
says this, Acts 13.48, when the Gentiles heard this, that is, who Christ was. They were glad
and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained
to eternal life believed. It does not say as many as believed
were ordained. It says as many as were ordained
to eternal life believed. Now listen, if you want to just
rationalize something, although we don't need to. But let me
say this, for something to be certainly known before it happens,
it must certainly come to pass, mustn't it? For something to
be certainly known without doubt, without the possibility of it
not coming to play, it must certainly come to pass. Is that correct?
For something to certainly come to pass, it must be foreordained."
God's election is the language of Scripture. It's the language
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He calls His people God's elect. And He goes on to say, "...elect
according to the foreknowledge or foreordination of God the
Father through sanctification of the
Spirit." That is, elect of God are sanctified. The word sanctified
means set apart. Sanctification of the spirit
and belief of the truth, it said, until obedient. Listen to 2 Thessalonians
2, verse 13, if you want to look at it. I wish you would. 2 Thessalonians
2, verse 13. Again, he is writing to God's
people, the church at Thessalonica, believers. Not writing to everyone
indiscriminately. But he says in 2 Thessalonians
2 verse 13, We are bound to give thanks to God for you, brethren,
beloved of the Lord, that is, those who are loved of God, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. Did you read that with me? Did
you hear it? We are bound to give thanks always
to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation." See? God's people
thank God for choosing them, for saving them. And false preachers
and religionists thank people for doing something for God.
But he goes on to say, God hath from the beginning chosen you
to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth. That is, through sanctification, setting apart of the Holy Spirit
and belief of the truth. The Holy Spirit, how He separates
God's people, is by the truth. That's what Christ said to the
Father in John 17, Father, sanctify them through Thy truth. Thy Word
is truth. This is what sets apart God's
people from the rest of the world. True believers from unbelievers,
they believe the truth. In this same chapter it says
that the devil, with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that
perish because they receive not the love of the truth, and God
sends them strong delusions, they believe a lie. Religious
lie. They believe not the truth, he
said. Who does? Who will believe the
truth? Those who are set apart by the
Spirit of God. And verse 14 says, He called
you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ. And it goes on here in 1 Peter
1 to say that the Holy Spirit sanctifies unto obedience. That is, obedience to the faith.
What is it to obey God? It is to believe God. To believe
God's Son. It is to repent and believe God's
Son. unto obedience and sprinkling
of the blood of Jesus Christ. Sprinkling of the blood, while
the Hebrew says that the blood is sprinkled on the conscience
of God's people. Their conscience is sprinkled
with the blood of Christ, and they are washed from dead works,
that is, thinking that their works have anything to do with
their salvation. They know this in their conscience,
that one thing, one thing, puts away their sin. The blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ. So he goes on to say in 1 Peter
1, 2, Grace unto you and peace. Grace. Sovereign, electing, saving
grace that is a gift, not offered, but bestowed by God upon the
objects of His love and saving grace and peace. Peace by the
blood of Jesus Christ. be multiplied, infinite, eternal
grace and peace. And he goes on to say, Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed God,
who according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us. Mercy
means not getting what we deserve. The wages of sin is death. That's
what we deserve. Man doesn't deserve to be saved.
Listen to me, people. Men don't deserve a chance to
be saved. Men deserve hell. God doesn't
elect people to hell. They're headed there anyway.
He elects them to save them from it. He chose the people to save them
from what they deserve. Bless God according to His abundant
mercy. Salvation by sovereign mercy. Mercy means not giving what we
deserve. Sparing those who deserve His
wrath. According to His abundant mercy,
have begotten us, that is, given us birth. We don't get ourselves
born. God gives birth unto a lively,
that is, real and living hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead. Read on, "...to an inheritance
incorruptible, an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that
fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you." An inheritance
reserved for these elect of God. An inheritance reserved, not
offered, reserved. Who, verse 5, are kept by the
power of God. Kept by the power of God. By
God's actual keeping power, by God's Word, by God's Gospel,
by the Spirit of God which is His power through faith. That
is, believing the unseen. Oh, it's evidence of things not
seen. Ready to be revealed, he said.
in the last time, that is, ready to be declared, presented to
God by Christ, who will say, Behold I and the children which
God, which thou hast given me. Do you believe this? Then you
are one of God's elect. Oh, bless God, He has chosen
you, blessed you, sanctified you, and is preserving and keeping
you to the praise of the glory of His grace. Amen.