If you wish to follow along,
be turning to Genesis chapter 17. Genesis chapter 17, we're
still in the book of Genesis. Let me get this correct before
I go any further. Genesis chapter 17, now before
I read, let me give you this. Nothing about God's way is insignificant. Nothing. Man, I was going to
say, has a bad habit. It's not even a bad habit. It's
a rebellious habit. Man has a way of picking and
choosing things about God according to his own likes or dislikes,
for that matter, and exalting one part, a characteristic or
attribute of God. but nothing about God's way is
insignificant. What God does, as revealed in
scripture, what God does, as revealed in scripture, reveals
who God is. You see, if God does something,
that means it's who God is. Union with God is only in believing
God as he is. not as we think Him to be or
want Him to be. Our Lord even prayed that when
He prayed to the Father, recorded in John 17, and this is life
eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God. Not a figment of the human imagination. Not some standard of religious
points. but is knowing God as he is. And what God does reveals who
God is. For instance, and I won't go
into it, God is holy. And the book gives us some illustrations
of that. So holy is God. that the holy angels, they are
called holy angels, who fly around his throne constantly, cover
their faces with one set of wings, cover their feet with one set
of wings, acknowledging that he is above them. And with one
set of wings, they do fly. Think about God's love. Men and
women today pick and choose what they want to believe about God's
love. Scripture is clear, God is love. But it also says God hates. And
it says it in more than one place. You can't pick and choose who
you want God to be. God is who He is. And we either believe Him as
He is revealed in Scripture, or we believe Him not at all.
His love, His holiness, His wrath, and even His covenant promise
in the election of grace. Look at Genesis chapter 17, are
you there? Genesis 17 verse 15. And God
said unto Abraham, because God had, if you look at the first
part of the chapter, God's already changed Abram's name to Abraham. God said unto Abraham, As for
Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah
shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give
thee a son also of her. Yea, I will bless her, and she
shall be a mother of nations, kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell on his face
and laughed, and you and I probably would too. And Abraham fell upon
his face and laughed and said in his heart, shall a child be
born unto him that is a hundred years old and shall Sarah that
is 90 years old bear? And Abraham said unto God, oh,
that Ishmael might live before thee. Now let me just stop and
say this, Abraham knew exactly what God was saying. He knew exactly what God was
saying. He's not talking here about physical life. Though I'm
sure he wanted Ishmael's physical life to be one as before the
Lord. But he's talking here about spiritual
life. Because Ishmael already lived
physically before the Lord. Oh that Ishmael might live before
thee. And God said, notice God just
said. God didn't reason. He didn't
say now Abraham. And God says, Sarah, thy wife
shall bear thee a son indeed. Thou shalt call his name Laughter. Isaac. For because Abraham fell
on his face and laughed, said God, I'll remind you of this
every time you mention that boy's name. I'll remind you of this. Thou shalt call his name Isaac,
and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant
and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I've heard
thee. God is not some inconsiderate oath toward his people. Do you hear what I'm saying?
But what God gives us will be what God's ordained to give us.
Not because we deserve anything from God. other than his wrath
and judgment. As for Ishmael, I've heard thee.
Behold, I've blessed him even before you asked me. I've blessed
him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly.
12 princes shall he beget and I will make him a great nation. But, but my covenant will I establish
with Isaac. You see it? which Sarah shall
bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. And he left
off. You see that? And he left off
talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. And that's actually
what caught my eye when I began to look a little further at the
book of Genesis. Even God's covenant promise of
election Sadly in our day, most people don't even know anything
about it. Their preachers refuse to preach
it. And sadly those who do, preach lies about it. But here's the
point, God is the elector. Therefore election is defined
by God's action, by God's way, not by anything in us. That's
my subject and title, The Electing God. There are at least six precedents
revealed here about God's election, at least six. These six things
will give us the precedent, the backdrop, the true revelation. of God's election. That is not God being elected,
that is God doing the electing. Number one, God's election was
never founded upon fallen man's fallen state. Abraham, Abram,
Sarai, you both will have your names changed. You see that? That's the first way he begins
this. He begins by talking to Abraham. You can go back and
read it, I'm not going to. Chapter 17, when Abraham was 90 years
old and nigh, He appeared and said, your name's gonna be Abraham
now. What I'm pointing out here is
God never elects. God never elects. God never elects
based upon our natural condition. If God chose us based upon our
natural condition, we would have never been chosen. And we will
look at this a little more in detail in a moment. Think of
our fallen state. And you hath he quickened, Ephesians
2. And you hath he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and in sins. God said, I'm gonna do
this thing. I'm gonna reveal something here
to you, Abram, but I'm gonna change your name first. And I
will do something through you and your wife, but I'm gonna
change her name first. Because I don't operate in the
realm of the flesh. I do not operate in the realm
of human ability or power. God operates on his own realm,
in his own way, on his own schedule. And operate he will. dead, dead
in trespasses and sins, so much so that we walked according to
the course of the world. This is said about those he's
even quickened. We had a conversation. Our way
of life was just like everybody else's. And yet, God chose us. Now, you might say right now,
how is that connected to the election? Well, we'll see. Let's
look at the second precedent. God then promised specific seed. Verse 16. And I will bless her
and give thee a son. One boy. And right here, that's
all this is about right here. It's one boy. He already had
one boy. He already had one boy, a real
bonafide flesh and blood boy from Hagar. I guarantee you he
loved that boy. He loved it. As a matter of fact,
we're not gonna deal with it. As soon as God left, what'd he
do? He circumcised himself and that boy and every other male
person on the whole camp. Even that boy who he found out,
had just found out, he's not gonna have any part of the covenant.
But yet, Mason, he put the sign of the covenant in his flesh.
Why? Because God's means are always
best, no matter what the outcome. Preaching God's gospel is not
going to save everyone. It is death unto death to some,
and life unto life to others, but preach it to all we still
do. even though it are preaching
it and some men and women's rejection of it, it only adds to their
condemnation. Does it not? And yet we by God's
command go into all, attempt to go into all the world and
preach the gospel to every creature. God promised specific seed and
even said here's his name, Isaac. Now you can't get any more particular
than that, can you? Now here's Abraham, who's 100
years old at this time. 99 when God changed his name.
100 years old at this time. Here is his wife Sarai, who he
had to change her name to Sarah, and she is past the age of bearing
and never bore a child before. Right? And yet God says, you
and her are gonna have a boy named Isaac. And I will establish
my covenant with him. Here is predestination. God predestinated
the actual existence of the actual person whom he would actually
make covenant promise to. Right? I mean, this is not just
a type or a symbol, though there are many, much type and symbol
here. This is a real bona fide case of God Almighty not only
electing a person, but predestinating them before they were ever born,
before they were ever thought of. As a matter of fact, their
thought was nowhere in line because that boy's existence could not
take place apart from a sovereign act of God Almighty. Here is
predestination, yea, creative power to actually create the
predestinated. See, God didn't just predestinate,
kind of wind it all up and just fling it out here. God is still
right there active in this work of predestination. He is gonna
make sure that every one of his Isaacs come into being. Every
one of his Isaacs come into being, both physically and spiritually. Here is predestination, yea,
the creative power to create even the predestinated, so much
so that Paul calls faith this in Romans 4, 21. It's being fully
persuaded that what God has promised, he's able to perform. And he
said it right in line with our subject this morning. That God
is able to perform what he's promised. It ain't about us.
God said this is going to happen. It's going to happen. God Almighty
gave to his son a people and gave his son to them as their
head and their redeemer and their lord and their king and owned
by him they are and he will have every single one of them because
God Almighty creates the very predestinated persons that he
predestinated to create. The proof of this is that faith
never creates the reality. Faith receives the promise. And
that's what it says of Sarah in Hebrews 11 verse 11. Through
faith, not because of her faith. Through faith, she received strength
to conceive seed. Now remember, Isaac was born
just like every other human child was born. Abraham and Sarah came
together, they had those relationship, that relationship, and Sarah
became pregnant. But it was totally, humanly impossible
apart from an act of God. Because she was past the age
of bearing. She'd went through menopause.
and she was done with. Unless God says, whew. Unless God says, let there be,
then bless God, guess what? There will be. Faith never creates
reality. Faith receives God's promise. This is the big difference between
many who profess to be Christians today. They think faith enables
God to do something for you. No, if you have faith, it's cause
God Almighty has done something for you. He's given you the very
faith that you have, but that faith will believe the promise
of God. It will be fully persuaded. Now
there may be a part of you, there is a part of you that will be
persuaded, not at all. But that new part, and that's
where God always operates, in the new realm, in the new man,
in the new creation, not in the old. But that new man, where
faith resides, believes that what God has promised, he's able
to perform, even when it seems to fly in the face of very natural
circumstances. But again, someone might say,
but how's that connected to the election? All right, here's this
third precedent and here's where, I was told this one time, this
is where the rubber meets the road. So I repeated that to another
preacher. This is where the rubber meets the road. Well, that got
me in a whole lot of trouble. But I'll say it again now. This
is where the rubber meets the road. Here's the third precedent.
The election always hath both elected and rejected. And this is where men begin to
part ways. They don't mind if God elected
everybody. Now do they? I mean I had someone
I cared deeply about and I'm afraid, I don't know for sure,
I'm afraid that person went out of this world not knowing God.
But what was stated by this person, well I believe God elected, God
chose everybody. That's not what this book says.
Even a consistent free willer, even a consistent Arminian will
not teach that God elected everybody. Will they? And yet you got people
who actually think God chose everybody because God wants to
save everybody. And if God wanted to save everybody,
everybody would be saved. Because what God has promised,
he's able to perform. It's either one or the other.
and he promised eternal life before the world began. Titus,
Paul said to Titus, so if God promised it, it's got to come
to pass, or God is a liar, and the book says God cannot lie. Here it is, verses 18, and Abraham
said unto God, oh, that Ishmael might live before thee, and I
can understand that. You know the old adage, a bird
in the hand's better than two in the bush? He's already got
one son, God do something with him. Can't you relate to that? Can't you relate to that? And
God said, no. No. Oh, that this was his prayer
and he meant it. It was his flesh and blood son. Oh, that Ishmael might live before
thee and God said, Sarah, thy wife, shall bear thee a son indeed. And thou shalt call his name
Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him. God's election must of necessity
be accompanied by God's rejection. or there is nothing to the election
at all. Jacob have I loved, Esau have
I hated. And listen to me, listen to me. No, no, don't listen to me, listen
to inspired word. Galatians chapter four, and you
know this passage when I start to read it, most of you already
know it. Galatians chapter four verse 22. For it is written that
Abraham had two sons, Right, he had two sons. Real bonafide,
both of them were real bonafide, flesh of his flesh, bone of his
bone. But here's the thought. Now he'll
deal with this later, Paul will. And I'll mention it. You remember
though, when they began to go up to Mount Moriah, what did
God say to Abraham? Take with thee thy son, thine
only son. Wait a minute, God. Are you forgetful? No, he's already told Abraham
once. Isaac is the covenant child. I'm gonna create him. Now, I'll
use yours and Sarah's bodies to do it, but I'm gonna create
him, and he's the one where my covenant will reside, not Ishmael.
I will bless Ishmael, but it'll be according to my dictates.
It'll be according to what God Almighty determined for Ishmael
to be done. And Ishmael was made into a great,
we still see his descendants today. fierce people, strong-willed
people, mighty people, but they're not the covenant people. It is
in Isaac that God's seed shall be called. And look, he had two
sons. It's written that Abraham had
two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman. But
he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh, but he
of the free woman was by what? God's promise. You see, if you
talk about the promises of God, you can't leave out election
or you're lying on God. And there's a lot of people today,
they want to talk about God's promise, God's promise, and never
even mention God's election. This is the whole crux of the
promise. It has to do with God Almighty
promising somebody a child, a specific child. lets us know, if you read
the New Testament especially, there's a people out there that
are God's seed. Matter of fact, we're even called
Abraham's seed. But let's read on. He that was
born of the bond woman was born after the flesh, but he that
is a free woman by the promise, which things are an allegory,
for these are the two covenants, the one from Mount Sinai, that's
the law, which genders to bondage, which is Agar, for this Agar
is Mount Sinai in Arabia. Now how does he know that? Because
God told him that's what it meant. I don't see that when I just
read the Old Testament. The only reason I read it and can see
it is because this says it over here in Galatians. You know that? I couldn't see it. and neither
could you apart from that help. How can I accept some men guide
me? That's what it is. But Jerusalem, which is above,
is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written,
rejoice thou, barren, that bearest not. Break forth and cry thou
that trevellest not, for the desolate hath many more children
than she which hath a husband. Now we brethren, as Isaac was,
what? are the children of promise. If you know Jesus Christ, it's
because God predestinated to create you, predestinated you,
and he created you to predestinate you to the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ himself. You're just as much a miracle
as Isaac himself was. But look, But as then, he that
was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit,
even so it is now. And here it is. Nevertheless,
what saith the scripture? Cast out. And this is where unbelief
rises up and says, I will not bow to God. Cast out the bondwoman
and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with
the son of the free woman. God says, I choose this one,
I reject that one. That's the way it is. You look at Romans chapter nine,
you'll see that when it came to Jacob and Esau, it says, so
that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand. It
was said unto the mother, the elder shall serve the younger.
But you know what else it says? Before they were ever born. Neither
having done any good or evil. And let me tell you, brothers
and sisters, let me tell you, every son and daughter of Adam
in this world, you better be glad that the election is based
upon that. because it was based upon what
you would do good. The book says about us, there's
none that doeth good, no, not one. Therefore, God could not
choose you if that's what it was based upon. And if it was
based upon having done some evil, you best thank God it's not based
upon that because if it was, it says we, about us, we drink
up iniquity like water. God would have never chosen us
had that been the basis of the election. So away with all this
foreign knowledge that is this meaning that God looked into
the future and seen who would believe or seen who would repent.
Yes, God could look into the future. He would see who would
believe. He could see who would repent. Why? Because he gives
them the faith with which to believe. He grants to them the
repentance that they need to repent. God Almighty does it all. God
Almighty. This is the elector's way. He'll
reject one and receive another. And it's in his sovereign prerogative
to do it. Now, men's condemnation is not
based upon that. Men are fitted for destruction. Go on and read Romans chapter
nine. Every man who's ever condemned of God deserves to be condemned
of God. We're talking here about the
election and the rejection, and it's not even about heaven and
hell. That's why some people, you think God chose some people
to heaven and didn't choose other people to hell. Well, that doesn't
even make sense. God chose some to worship his son, to bow to
his son, to praise his son. God rejected others and left
them where they were. Here's the fourth precedent.
This is the elector's way. God's election has no human basis. None. Somebody said, what was
it in God that caused him to choose one and reject the other?
We're not told. Other than this, he did it according
to his own good pleasure. And whatever that is, that's
his business. Whatever pleases God, that's God's. Do you want
somebody to tell you what you gotta be pleased in? And yet
men think they can dictate to God what has to please Him. The
election has no human basis. Look at it. Oh, and Abraham said
unto God, oh, that Ishmael might live before thee. He's pleading
on the behalf of his flesh and blood son. God says no. Somebody says that's tough. Yes,
it is tough, but that's who God is. Man, even saved man, never
chooses the chosen. We don't choose people for God.
Well, I'm sure glad Mommy and Daddy prayed for me. You ought
to be glad Mommy and Daddy prayed for you. But if Mommy and Daddy
knew God, they were praying for God to save you, they knew it
wasn't up to them. Or they wouldn't have been praying
to God to save you. When men pray, God save them.
Why don't we pray, well, God helped them to save themselves. I've never even heard an Armenian
say that. Now, some of them may, but I ain't even heard them say
that. The free willer, oh, God helped them to save themselves.
No, we pray unto God to save. Well then, take your hands off
of it. God will do the saving. That's
just the way it is. Man, even saved men, never choose
the chosen. Emotion and physical union never
dictate to God. You hear what I said? Human emotion
and physical union never dictates to God. God's election never
depends upon human ability. Then Abraham fell on his face
and laughed and says, look how old I am. And look at Sarah.
God basically told him, I'm going to do this. Now just shut up. Believe me. Lots of times faith
starts by just shutting up. Just quit objecting. Just quit
trying to rationalize. Just quit trying to figure this
thing out. Just quit trying to make it meet
your emotional and physical needs. Just bow to God. Believing is
believing that God is able to do what he promised he'll do. And what he promised to do, Joe,
don't suit my fancy, then that's his business. But he will do
what he's promised to do. He will do what he's promised
to do. You see, God's election, again, never depends on human
ability. The New Testament, as well as the Old, is clear. Choice,
or selection, or election, however you want to use the word, doesn't
matter, dwells in Christ only. Even he told the disciples, ye
have not chosen me, I have chosen you. He didn't say, I chose you
first. Do you get what he's actually
saying to them? You don't choose Jesus. God the Father chose Jesus. He is God's elect. You preached
on that, Joe. He is God's elect. You don't
choose Jesus. But by God's grace, you may choose
to follow Jesus. You will choose to believe Jesus.
You will choose to repent before God. But you and I don't choose
Jesus. And when you hear somebody saying,
well, you need to choose Jesus, it ain't up to you. God done
chose him. He's chosen whether you like it or not. He don't
need your selection to be elected. He's already elected. But what
does it say? It says that those who were chosen
were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world,
not in themselves. It's the same thing Romans 9
said, before they'd done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God according to election might stand. Anybody that tells
you that God looked at you to find a reason to choose you is
lying on who God is. Because he chose his people in
Christ because he'd already predestinated them unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ himself. You see, the election dwells
in God's prerogative only. I love whom I love. I hate whom
I hate. and that's just the way it is. Right? Right? Esau's daddy, Isaac, that chosen
seed, he loved that boy Esau. Did he not? Loved the meat that
he brought, venison, savory stew, and he loved that, he loved that
boy, didn't he? But God didn't love that boy.
Yes or no? Is that what the book says? And
it's just where God, this is what faith is. Oh, God, bow me
to that. Oh, but God, help me to rejoice that at least you
chose somebody. And it wasn't based upon them
because if it was, none of us would have ever been chosen.
Election, don't leave anybody out. Bless God, it includes some
folks. because it wasn't for the election
of grace. God, the holy God, could have
never chosen any of us. We'd have had been cast into
the dark pits of hell forever. And those who are will justly
deserve it. Aren't you glad though that there
are some people on this side of life, before that side comes
up, that just like that thief on the cross and he's hanging
there dying, and at first he's railing against Christ. just
like the other one was, but something happened. God Almighty acted. God Almighty created something
in that man that was never in that man before, and he began
to rebuke the other thief. Said, don't you fear God? Something
changed in that old boy's mind, Joe, while he's hanging on that
tree. And he said, we're getting what we deserve, justice. He wasn't crying about the Roman
courts, and they were as corrupt as they could be in that day.
Look at the one that was hanging between them. But he says, we're
getting what we deserve. Lord, remember me. And I like what the one preacher
said. How could he forget him? He chose him before the world
began. He had his mind and heart and love set on him before the
world began. He wasn't gonna forget him, Joe.
He wasn't gonna forget him. Oh, the election doesn't leave
anybody out. The election includes a vast number that no man can
number. And just the thought of possibly
being allowed by God's free reign and grace to be one part of that
vast number boggles the mind and causes you to bow down in
praise before God because I deserve to be left in my blindness and
in my sin and in my corruption and be fitted for destruction,
but he aforeprepared me for glory. Oh, man. But there's a fifth
precedent also. God's eternal, predestinating,
elected promise is always manifested in time. Verse 21. but my covenant
will I establish with Isaac, which there shall bear unto thee
at this set time in the next year. You see, every conversion
on the face of this earth was ordained to happen exactly at
the moment that God Almighty predestinated it to happen before
the world began. Paul said, but when it pleased
God. Not just, I thank God that it
pleased God. That would be praise. But he
said even, but when it pleased God. Look at his rebellion against
Christ. And yet, Mack Hatfield, Christ
in mercy and grace came and conquered that man's heart and mind and
soul. And bowed him to himself. Bowed him to himself. Not only
that, we see, read in Acts 13, 48. Remember, some Jews had rejected
the gospel. Paul said, well, we'll turn to
the Gentiles. When the Gentiles heard it, they said, all right.
This is good. This is a good thing. This is
a good thing. And it says, and as many as were
ordained. And that's a present ordination
there. Yes, it's based upon the election,
but this is a present right there ordaining. And as many as were
ordained to eternal life did what? Every single one of them
believe. You see, you will not believe
before God Almighty ordained for you to believe. You cannot.
You cannot. Oh, but just like he told Peter,
you're gonna deny me three times. I heard Don Fortner mention this,
and it's just stuck with me like a ton of bricks. He said, this
lets me know this. Peter could not do anything but deny him
three times. There was no possibility that
he could deny him only twice. He was going to deny him three
times, and that's just the way it was. But bless God, he couldn't
deny him four. and you cannot believe before
God Almighty ordained for you to believe, but bless God, the
moment He's ordained for you to believe, believe you shall.
And when it happens, you'll be glad for it. It'll be at the
set time. You see, this manifest act, that is, election's
not just something that took place in eternity. Election is
something that's continuing, not that he's choosing, but what
he chose to do. He said, I chose you to salvation.
Isn't that what it says? So therefore in time, this salvation
will come to a head. It will come to a head. This
manifest act is an act of God alone. John chapter one, 12 and
13. It's not of flesh, it's not of
blood, not of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man.
It's of God. It's of God. Secondly, this manifest
act is an act in God's own time, as we've already pointed out.
Thirdly, God's election is more than the election itself. It
has effects in time. Isaac had to be born at that
specific day, or God would have been a liar. God is no liar. And God didn't have to depend
on you and I to bring it to pass. Somebody said, well, somebody's
got to preach. Somebody will preach. Ask Jonah. Ask Jonah. God called you to
preach the gospel to somebody. You're gonna preach the gospel
to him in spite of yourself. Moreover, there's a sixth precedent. And this sixth precedent seals
the matter. It's the summary of it all. And
God left off talking. He didn't keep on reasoning with
Abraham. Okay, Abraham, let me run it by you one more time. God just shut up and said, I'm
done with this, it's over. You see what he said? He didn't
talk about he abandoned Abraham. No, God said, I'm done with it.
I told you what I'm gonna do, I'm done with it. Isn't that what
it's saying? And he left off talking with him, and God went
up from Abraham. Because he didn't depend on Abraham.
Bless God, it depends on God. It depends on, God never debates
this way with men. He just declares it, and then
he says it's over with. And that's what we as his people
ought to do. Don't argue with people. And I know it's hard,
because you know what? When we argue with people, you know what
that is? That's not respect for his gospel and all for his gospel.
That's thinking, I got a little something I can say about this.
I've got a way of putting this that's really gonna get to somebody.
All's it takes is God Almighty breathing on that word. And breathing
on that person. And when those two things come
together, life. Life! Life! God never debates
this way. You see, this is who God is. Not period. Exclamation point. Exclamation point. I know that
I cannot say it like Christ did, but he said, Lord, I thank thee. This is what our Lord himself
said. He, praying to the Father, said,
I thank thee that you've hid these things from the wise and
the prudent. I have a tough time with that
right now. Don't you? I mean, there's some folks, Penny
and I pray about it, we talk about it. There's some folks,
we wanna see God saved, but we know it's God's prerogative,
it's not up to us. And if you ever find yourself
hammering on somebody, it don't take hammering, it takes the
spirit of God and the gospel of Christ. And that's what it
takes. And that's all it takes. And God's gonna make sure it
happens. God's gonna make sure it happens. God never debates
his way. In other words, this is God's way. Men either by grace
believe him, or they deny it, they reject it, they avoid it,
or whatever, and they perish. And they perish. Now somebody
says, do you believe that a person has to know of the election to
be saved? Of course not. But they have to know the elector
to be saved. They have to know the elector to be saved. And
if you believe the elector, if you know the elector, that elector's
gonna begin to show you more and more and more and more about
himself as you go along. And eventually you're gonna cross
paths with this subject, I'm the elector. Didn't have what
he did with Abraham? Think of it, we've seen other
elect people. This is several hundred years.
This is a few hundred years after the flood even. And we've seen
some election, Cain and Abel, right? But here we see the election,
God's way defined in detail. You see what I'm saying? Mason,
after all the, it took a lot of years of God's, finally I'm
gonna show y'all boys something. I'm gonna give you something
here that will redound to my glory. God is the elector. I want to believe the elector.
Don't you? Don't you? Father, be with us. Guide us and direct us in Christ's
name. Amen. Let's stand and sing 176 as closing. Okay, filthy beast. He's probably eating me alive
now. Oh, is he? He is death. I chose to destroy
him. What page did I say? 176.