All right, let's open our Bibles
this morning first to Matthew 24. I'm going to bring you a message
that I delivered recently at our congregation at home. And the title of it for the tape,
Sammy, is Divine Election. and the effects thereof. When a person comes to believe
that God is sovereign in all things, in creation, in providence,
in trial, in blessings, that he's sovereign in creation, providence,
and salvation, that he saves whom he will by his power and
by his grace and by his blood, how does it affect them? What's
the results? What are the effects of this
powerful, powerful truth, the salvations of the Lord? Well,
let's see if we can find out. Now, here's my first point. When we preach divine election,
We do not lack for Bible text. The word elect, election, elected,
occurs in the Bible 27, 28, 29 times. Let's read some of them. Let's just, let God speak to
our hearts from his word about the doctrine of election. First,
Matthew 24, verse 22. Our Lord's talking about these
last days of apostasy. And except those days shall be
shortened, there should no flesh be saved, but for the elect's
sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say to
you, Lo, here's Christ, or there's Christ, believe it not. For there
shall arise false Christs, and false preachers, false prophets,
And they shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that if
it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. But that's
not possible. But they are God's elect. Now
look at verse 31, same chapter, Matthew. Matthew
24, 31. And he shall send his angels
with a great sound of a trumpet And they shall gather together
his elect, his elect, God's elect, from the four winds, from one
end of heaven to the other. Don't turn to all of these scriptures,
but let me quote several. There's so many. In Luke 18,
7, it says this, And shall not God avenge his elect, his own
elect? Shall he not avenge, vindicate
his own elect, which cry to him day and night? though he bear
long with them. John 15, our Lord said to his
disciples, John 15, 16, he said, you've not chosen me. Matthew,
Mark, Luke, John, you didn't choose me, I chose you. I chose
you, ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit. John
17, when he prayed that great I appreciate the prayer to the
Father, He said, Father, thou hast given me authority over
all flesh, that I should give eternal life to as many as thou
hast given me. Our Lord prayed that, John 17.
I would like for you to turn to Romans 9. I would have you
turn in your Bibles to Romans 9 because I'm going to read several
verses here. Romans chapter 9. several verses
having to do with God's election, divine election. Romans 9, verse
10. Romans 9, 10. And not only this,
but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even our father Isaac,
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 works, but of him that calleth. He chooses,
he calls. It was said to her before they
were born, the elder shall serve the younger. As it's written
in the Old Testament, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. Now what shall we say then? What's
our reaction? Is there unrighteousness with
God? Is God unfair? God forbid. He said to Moses,
he told Moses this, I will have mercy. Aren't you glad God has
mercy? There's mercy with God. But I'll
have mercy on whom I will have mercy. No one deserves mercy. If it's deserved, it's not mercy.
Mercy is sovereignly and freely given. And so he said to Moses,
I'll have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then It's not of him that
will it. It's not of him that run it,
work it. It's of God that shows mercy. Mercy is of God. Romans 11, turn over two pages
to Romans 11, verse 5. In verse 4, you know, Elijah
complained to God. God's prophet complained to God. He said, I'm the only one left.
I'm the only one in these parts that believe on you. You realize
that? Why don't you just kill me and
take me on, too? Because there's nobody that believes
God but me. Verse 4, what was the answer
God gave to that man? I have reserved, and listen,
I've got some volunteers out there. Nosa, he said, I have
reserved to myself. I reserved them. I've chosen
them. I reserved them. Seven thousand men, and I'm not
counting their wives and children, but I've reserved seven thousand
men who've not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so,
Paul said, it may look dark and gloomy to you, but even so, at
this present time also, there is a remnant according to the
election of grace. All right? At this present time. Verse 7. What then? Israel hath not obtained that
which he seeketh for. What was Israel seeking for?
They were seeking the life by their works. They were seeking
acceptance with God. Now what they did, their ceremonies
and their sacrifices and their tithes and all these things,
and their keeping the Sabbath, they were seeking to be accepted
of God. And it doesn't come that way. Israel hath not obtained
what he seeketh for, but somebody has. Who has? The election. But
the election hath obtained it. The election of God hath obtained
righteousness and blood and sacrifice and acceptance with God. And
the rest were blinded, left in darkness, not able to see. I am what I am by the grace of
God. One hundred 10 percent. Completely. Or 1 Timothy. And the Apostle Paul was 2 Timothy. He was put in jail. He was persecuted
and harassed. At this time he was in jail when
he was writing to young Timothy. 2 Timothy 2, verse 7. Consider what I say. and the
Lord give thee understanding in all things. Remember that
Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according
to my gospel, this gospel I preach. Worrying I suffer trouble because
of this gospel as an evildoer, even unto jail, bonds, fetters. But the word of God is not bound.
You can't put the word of God in jail. I endure all these things, persecution,
jail, bonds, harassment, wine, for the elect's sake. I endure
these things for the elect's sake, that they may also obtain
the salvation, which is in Jesus Christ Jesus with eternal glory."
You see, how can a man believe except to hear, and how do you
hear without preaching? So Paul said, I'm going to keep
taking the gospel, because alchonder, God's elect are going to hear
it, and they're going to believe. And then, you know, the Apostle
Peter exhorted us, make your calling and election sure. Let's
read that. Look, 2 Peter 1. 2 Peter chapter
1. I know you're familiar with it.
Let's read it again. 2 Peter 1 verse 10. Wherefore
the rather brethren, 2 Peter 1 verse 10. Wherefore the rather
brethren give diligence, to make your calling, God calls, the
Holy Spirit calls, calls by the gospel, and your election, sure. If you do these things, you'll
neither fail, but so in entrance you shall be ministered unto
you abundantly, overflowing into the everlasting kingdom of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Well, what is election? All right,
what is divine election? I believe Paul answers that question
in 2 Thessalonians. Let's turn over there to 2 Thessalonians
and see what Paul says here about election. 2 Thessalonians 2,
verse 13. What is election? Well, in 2
Thessalonians 2, verse 13, Paul says to the church at Thessalonica,
but we're bound to give thanks. always to God, for you, brethren,
beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation." Well, the first thing about election is
God chooses us. He chose us in Christ. The hymn
writers said, Christ be my first elect, God said, and then chose
us in our head. We're chosen in Christ. That's
what Paul said in Ephesians 1. Blessed be the God and of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in the heavenlies, in Christ, according as he chose us, in
Christ. That's, we want to establish
that first. What is election? God chose us. "'Tis not that
I did choose thee, Lord, that could not be. If thou hast not chosen me, I'd
have never chosen thee." I was incapable of choosing God. Let
me show you, turn, turn to, hold that second Thessalonians with
your finger there, and turn to Ephesians chapter 2 a minute.
We, we looked at this in the Sunday school class. But on further
down, he describes us by nature. We won't choose God. Christ said,
you will not come to me that you might have life. How often
I gathered Israel, but they would not. He knew him the world, and
the world knew him not. He came unto his own, his own
received him not. We won't come. And here's our
state, Ephesians 2 verse 12. At that time, in your natural
state, born in Adam, you were without Christ. You were aliens
from the commonwealth of Israel. You were strangers from the covenant
of promise, having what? No hope. And what? Without God. Well, that's a bad
state, isn't it? Without help, without hope, without
God. That's where we were. But He
chose us. He chose us. All right, back
to 2 Thessalonians. He not only chose us, but listen.
Chapter 2, 2 Thessalonians, verse 13. We're bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren, the loved of the Lord. Let me
tell you something. We not only didn't choose Him, we didn't
love Him. We didn't love God, God loved us. And God loved us
because his nature is love. You remember that verse I read
over there in Romans a moment ago when God said to Moses, I
will be merciful? Moses, there was what they called
the tent of meeting. There was this, there was all
the tents of Israel around and out yonder was a tent of meeting.
You read about this in Exodus 32, I believe. Exodus 33. And when Moses would go out there
to the Tent of Meeting to meet with God, to get directions,
God spoke to Moses as a friend. God spake to our fathers through
the prophets. And when he'd go out to that
Tent of Meeting, all the men would stand in their tent doors
And watch Moses go to meet with God. Solemn hour, solemn time. Moses go out to that tent of
Eden. Cloud would be over that tent. And God spoke to Moses. And Moses
asked God for three things in this particular chapter, Exodus
33. He said, Lord, show me your way. Show me your way. You know, in Psalm 103, it says
God made his ways known to Moses, his acts to the children of Israel.
The children of Israel saw God's acts, judgment, dividing of the
seed, death of the firstborn. They saw the acts. Moses saw
why God did it. the ways of God. He made known
his ways to Moses. Show me your way. Christ said,
I am the way. The people of God in the book
of Acts were called the people of the way. Remember that? They
found any people of this way, Paul said, I'd kill them. Saul's
father said, show me your way. Secondly, he said, Lord, if you
don't go with us, don't let us go. Show me your way. But if you don't go with us,
don't let us go." And then he asked the third question. He
said, show me your glory. Lord, show me your glory. And
God said, I'll cause my goodness to pass before you. My glory
is my goodness, and I will be merciful, and I will be gracious. See, God's nature is holiness. I know that. God's nature is
justice. God's nature is righteousness.
But let me tell you something. God is love. God is love. And love has to be expressed. This is believers. The love of
God's shed abroad in their hearts. And they have to love people.
God gives us a nature to love him and his people. He said if
any man loved not, he'd know it's not God. For God is love. See, that's the, it's the nature
of God. We're not loved by our fallen nature. We're, we love
because of our new nature. You see what I'm saying? So God
said, I will be merciful. God, I will be just. I will punish
sin. I will not clear the guilty.
But I will be merciful. This is election. God said, I
will be merciful to whom I will be merciful. It's something. So God chose us, and God loved
us. We didn't love him, he loved
us first. We love him because he loved us. You didn't start out loving God,
he started out loving you. Christ didn't come to get God
to love you, he came because God loved you. For God so loved,
he gave. He didn't give, he didn't start
laughing. He said, I'm going to be merciful, I'm going to
be just, and I'm going to be righteous. But I'm going to show
my love. And then thirdly, look at that
2 Thessalonians 2, 13 again. We're bound to give thanks always
to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning chosen you. Election, God chose us because
God loved us, and he did it before we were born. Somebody said, election is God
saw who would believe and he chose them. That's not honest.
That's taking credit for doing something you didn't do. You
see, the things in time depend on the choice of God in eternity.
The choice of God in eternity doesn't depend on what happens
in time. What happened in time depends on him who ordained it.
God did from the beginning choose you. Before there was a world,
Before there were the stars and the moon and the sun, before
all things, there was the Lamb slain. There was a people for
whom He was slain. He wasn't just the Lamb slain
for no reason. Why would He be slain? He was
slain for a people. So God did from the beginning.
And His covenant, His election, His grace, and what happens in
time depends on what He decreed in eternity. What is election? All right, look at it again.
God chose us. God loved us. And God chose us
and loved us. He loved us and chose us from
all eternity. And he did it that we might be
like him. Look at verse 13 again of 2 Thessalonians. We're bound to give thanks always
to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation. to salvation. Election, not salvation, is to
salvation. It's to salvation. Through the
sanctification, the divine quickening, awakening of the Holy Spirit
and belief of the truth, whereby he called you by our gospel unto
the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. You see,
let me show you an example of this over in Luke chapter 19.
Luke chapter 19. This is so interesting what our
Lord says. The statement our Lord makes here that is so very
interesting. In Luke 19, verse, well you know
the story of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a publican. Zacchaeus
was hated by the people. He was a Jew who worked for the
Romans. Some of you are old enough to
remember World War II. Some of the French people worked
for the Germans, and they were despised. There were some women
that collaborated with the Germans, and after the Germans were driven
out of France, they shaved their heads and marched them naked
down through the streets. People hated those people. Quislings,
they called them, who collaborated with the Germans. Well, Zacchaeus
was a hated quisling who collaborated with the Romans, a publican,
a tax collector. He was a Jew, but he was collaborating
with the Romans against his own people. And he wanted to see
this man, Jesus. This man, Jesus. When our Lord
Jesus Christ came through, he was short of stature, and there
was such a crowd there, such a... He ran ahead, the way our
Lord was walking, climbed up in a tree, so he could see. And when our Lord came under
that tree, listen, Verse 5, Luke 19, when Jesus came to the place,
he looked up and saw him, and said to him, Zacchaeus, nobody
introduced Zacchaeus to the Lord. Zacchaeus wasn't sitting there
wearing a name plate. The Lord knew him. Zacchaeus! Make haste and come down. Today
I must abide at your house. What? The most despised man in
the whole place? I must. The Son of Man must. Other sheep I have, them I must
bring." Listen, let's read on. And he made haste, and he came
down, and he received them joyfully. That's one of the effects. I'm
going to show you that in a minute. And when they saw it, when the
religious people saw it, they murmured. They said, well, he's
going to be the guest of a man that's a sinner. Worst man out
there. Zacchaeus stood, and he said,
Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. If
I take an inmate, any man, by false accusation, I restore him
fourfold." And Jesus said unto him, this day is salvation. Salvation? Eternal life? Eternal glory? Come to this house? What's this statement? For as
much as he also is a son of Abraham. Was the Lord talking about him
being a Jew? No, sir. There were thousands of Jews
there. But this man is a son of Abraham. Galatians says, they
that are of faith, the same are the sons of Abraham. They that
are of faith. You see, God chose this house.
And Christ came to this house. And salvation came to this house.
And this house believed. He believed. For the Son of Man
has come to seek and to save that which is lost. If God, from
all eternity, loves and chooses a house, the Spirit of God will
come to that house. And the Gospels come into that
house. And that house will receive the Lord. He received Him gladly. How does a person know if he's
one of God's elect? Well, turn back to 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians, verse 4. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, verse
4. How does a person know he's God's
elect? Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. Knowing,
brethren beloved, your election of God. 1 Thessalonians 1, 4.
Do you have it? Paul said, I know. He's writing
to the Thessalonians. Thessalonians said, I know you're
God's elect. How do you know they're God's elect, Paul? Well,
listen. Because our gospel came to you. Our gospel came to you. God sent the gospel to you. He
sent the gospel to the Ethiopian Union. He sent the gospel to
the Philippians, the gospel. Not a gospel, the saving gospel
of God's grace. Our gospel came to you. How did
it come? In power. Whose power? God's
power, the Holy Spirit's power. And in the Holy Ghost, quickening
and in much assurance. It came to you meeting your need,
saving your soul, and you knew it. You knew it. Fellas said
to me one time, said, well, I need to talk to you. How will I know
when I'm saved? I said, how do you know you're
lost? He said, God showed me I was lost. I said, God will
show you you're saved too. That gospel will come to you,
you won't regret it. You're in assurance. You'll say, that's it! That's
it! That's the gospel. And much assurance. You know what manner of men we
were among you. And secondly, verse 6, you became
followers. That's how a man knows he's God's
elect. He loves God and he loves God's people. He becomes a follower
of the Lord and of his people. And you receive the Word. And
you receive it in much affliction. Folks will start shooting at
you when you believe the gospel. They'll start shooting at you.
They'll find fault with you. We had a fellow saved, brought
to the Lord, the knowledge of the Lord. He was pretty rowdy
and rough, and he had a bunch of brothers and sisters. raised
up in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. And he, the Lord said,
Barney, you say he well saved. The Lord saved that old boy.
I mean, he loved the grace of God, the gospel of God's grace.
You know what his brothers and sisters said to him? We liked
you better before you saved. We liked you a lot better before
you saved. Because you's like us. But you're
different. If you were of the world, the
world would love you. But Christ said, I've chosen
you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. The world
hates those whom he chose. I have chosen you out of the
world. If he hadn't chosen you out of
the world, they don't hate you. That's exactly right. But the
world, if you were of the world, the world would love you. But
I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates
you." But it hated me for it hated you, he said. In verse 7, you were examples.
That's what Rick was reading a while ago, and what he said
in his prayer. God changes people, doesn't he? He saves them. He
makes them new creatures. You become examples. Old Brother
L.R. Shelton used to say, if God saves
a man, the old yellow dog in the backyard will know it. He
won't kick him so much. He'd be better to his dog. He'd
be better to his wife, to his children, his neighbor. Like that, that's scripture you
read. Wisdom's Christ, isn't it? And when you have Christ,
you're different. You're generous and kind, and
not by nature we're not, but by grace we are. I love that
chapter. And everybody saved loves that
chapter. It's a delight, and you become examples in verse
8, from you sounded out the word of the Lord. Verse 9, the last
line, look, you turn from God, you turn to God from your idols,
to serve the living God, and you're waiting for Christ to
come. That's how you know you've got to let Him. He said, listen,
my sheep hear my voice, I know them, they follow me, I give
them life. That's how you do it. All right,
here's the closing remark now. What are the effects? You know,
I'll tell you what effect election has on some folks. It makes them
downright mad. It brings out the worst in them.
They just, oh, my goodness. Some of the things I've had said
to me are the same thing they say to you. They're unprintable. One man said after I finished
preaching a sermon, In his church, he's a pastor, a white-haired
man. I preached on for whom did Christ
die, for the elect. And I left there, and the members
told me later that he got up in the pulpit the next service.
And he said, I'll tell you this, old brother Denny, M.C. Denny,
white-haired, 70 years old, I guess. He said, if Christ only died
for the elect, he's no savior of mine. They're mean. One man said to Barnard one day,
and your God's my devil. Well, our God reigneth. Saints
of the heath, our God reigneth. And I'll tell you the effects.
When you come to see God's on the throne, absolutely sovereign. Saves whom He wills. By His grace. By His grace. By His mercy. Something happens. Number one,
you glorify God. You glorify God. What's the cheap
end of man to glorify God? That's the cheap end of man.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said, Father, glorify thy son, that thy son
may glorify thee. Turn to 1 Corinthians 1. You
praise God. You give him the glory. You give
him the credit. You know, that's how you know
if a man's preaching the gospel, who gets the glory. Who gets
the glory in his message? And when I'm preaching this morning,
who am I glorifying? God. Giving him all the credit,
praise, and glory. A person talking about his experience,
how God saved him. How do you know whether he's
saved or not? Who gets the glory? Who gets the glory? Look at 1
Corinthians 1.