it's it's just a it's amazing
how we who love the coming of the Lord Jesus forget about the
coming of the Lord Jesus being a reality and well we're going
to talk about that in some coming verses though let's go ahead
and get back into 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 9 there was a couple
other points I would like to make regarding this verse and
election. Now we just before the break
we looked at the verse and I'll read the whole verse again and
then we'll look at some further wording, but we specifically
honed in on a chosen generation. Chosen signifying that it was
a picked out, called out, specific group that God chose, and this
generation is a spiritual generation as we've seen through several
verses in Psalm. But it says, But ye are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people,
that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now, I would
like to, and there's a lot to be said about being a royal priesthood. The Bible talks about us being
made kings and priests and the God in several places of the
scriptures. A holy nation, we've been made
into a holy nation. But I wanted to point out this
word peculiar, because there is some significance in that
word as it pertains to what we're studying here, and that's the
unconditional sovereign personal election of God. This word peculiar
here, a lot of people read that and at first blush you might
think, you know, talking about strange, you know, weirdos. I've often been called a peculiar
person, not in biblical terms, but in the fact that some people,
I guess, find me to be odd. You've probably heard of people
like that. You've probably called people
that. You may be one of those people as well. Uh, but, uh,
the word peculiar here, uh, as found in the scriptures, the
way that this word is found throughout the scriptures, uh, doesn't speak
of an oddity or a weirdness, you know, crazy lunatic or whatever,
you know, uh, a little bit off, uh, this word here, uh, has a
lot of meaning that has to do exactly with election. exactly
with election. This term in the scriptures,
whenever you look and see this word, how it's translated throughout
the King James Bible, everywhere this word, this Greek word is
translated throughout the King James Bible, you'll find it,
well, and I say a whole lot, there's five times that it's
found in the King James Bible, and every one of them speaks
of a possession. or obtaining and an obtaining,
okay? This is an obtaining. This phone
is an obtaining. I've obtained this phone and
it's mine. It's my obtaining. It's my possession. The word means a preservation. That's one of the ways that it's
defined in scripture. We find that word is translated
as a preservation. So we are a preserved people.
It says that you are a holy nation, you are a preserved people. Now, what is a preserved people?
What does the word preserved mean? Now, whenever, you know,
the term preserved is used, the first thing that runs in my mind
is grape jam, okay? I love blackberry preserves.
I love grape preserves. I love strawberry preserves.
I'm thinking of fruit, you know. But what is preserved mean? Whenever someone is preserved,
it means that they're kept, right? They're kept. Now, let's think
back, and again here, there's gonna be some disagreements with
some of my other sovereign grace brethren on this point. But as
I've tried to lay out over the last few weeks, and I pray that
it's of the truth, I pray that what I've preached and taught
here has not been my own thinking, but it's truly come from the
scriptures. But our salvation is an eternal salvation. It began
before the foundation of the world. And although we were thrust
into this time through natural Adam, we have been preserved
in Christ Jesus. Meaning that because of who Christ
is, because of who our surety is, because of who our master
is, our shepherd is, our advocate is, our substitute is, because
of Christ, we are preserved from the wrath of God. We are preserved
from the account of guilty. We are preserved from all those
things. Matter of fact, doesn't the Bible
say that no one can lay any charge to God's elect? We are preserved
from any charge made against us. Preservation is preserving
us or keeping us. Are we not also preserved for
God until He comes or until we die? We are preserved. We are kept in the faith. The
Bible says they went out from us because they were not of us.
If they were of us, they would not have went out from us. Why?
Because those who are of us are preserved in Christ Jesus, by
Christ Jesus, for Christ Jesus. So preservation is one of the
words that this Greek word is translated. Preservation. A purchased
possession. preservation it speaks of a one's
own property you are one's own property you are a holy nation
a property belonging to one who's that one well we know who
that one is as we're talking about this is talking about the
elect of God is that what Peter began in his first letter Didn't
he write the year of the elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father? We are the elect of God. And
so here we see that this term means it is the property of God. The saving, that word is saved. Now, I want to read a few verses
so that we might get this understanding of what this word peculiar means
and see that it does speak of a specialized group of people
that is different than everybody else that has been called and
kept by God Look, if you would, at Ephesians chapter 1 and verse
14. We spoke of this just not too
long ago, a couple weeks ago. But I don't know if I read all
the way down to 14 when I read, but it is in the same passage
of Scripture. Ephesians chapter 1 and look
at verse 14. Well, let's start in verse 12.
That we should be to the praise of the glory who first trusted
in Christ, and whom ye also trusted, speaking of Christ, after that
ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and
whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise. That's not talking about the
quickening, okay? That being sealed with the Holy
Spirit of promise, that isn't quickening. But that's for another
date verse 14, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchased and here's the word same Greek word
as peculiar possession unto the praise of his glory. So purchased
possession is the same word as peculiar person. We are a purchased
possession. It speaks of a purchased possession. This word also is translated,
obtained, in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. You can turn with me if you want.
If you want to just write these down and listen, you can listen. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. In verse 9, it says, For God
hath not appointed us to wrath. Now, we went over this verse
a couple of weeks ago again. He's not appointed us to wrath.
He's elected us to salvation, right? But to obtain salvation
by our Lord and Jesus Christ. But what I didn't mention in
that is that that word obtain there is the same word as peculiar
is in our verse in Peter. that this word obtain means peculiar
or special, a special person, but we are an obtaining. God
has obtained us. Christ has obtained us. How did
Christ obtain us? Did he obtain us when we chose
him? That's not obtaining, right?
If we chose Him, He didn't obtain us. How did Christ obtain? Obtain is an action that He does,
right? He obtains something or I can't,
I'll have to double check on that. That could also be passive.
You can obtain something through a passive way. And Christ obtained
us both passively and actively, by the way, if you look through
scriptures, In eternity, He received us of the Father. He was given
us. He obtained us by the giving
of the Father. But He obtained us actively through
the purchasing with His blood. He obtained us. Okay? But either
way, it has nothing to do with us. And as it pertains to what
we're talking about, those who are obtained are a special group
of people because not everybody who Christ died for are obtained
are she's me not everybody in the world is obtained only those
for whom Christ died and not everybody was given to the father
because there were some that was given to perdition Okay,
so this word obtained means the same, or has this word peculiar,
has the same word of that which is obtained and obtaining. Also in 2 Thessalonians 2.14,
it says, where unto you He called you by our gospel to the obtaining
of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. That same word is there.
In Hebrews 10.39, this word is translated as saving. But we
are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that
believe to the saving of the soul. Okay, so that word there
means saving. A group that is being saved.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a peculiar people and I thought that was just just amazing to
look at that to see that the word peculiar means someone who
is a in the in the possession of another and that goes along
with everything the scripture teaches that we were the possession
of Christ Jesus I mean you can actually go all the way back
to Genesis whenever it speaks in the type with Adam and it
says and his he created them male and female and his wife
was in him Adam's wife was in him and she was taken out of
him There was a, he was her possession. God took her out of him and gave
her to Adam. Adam obtained Eve as his possession. And you look at the type, we
were in Christ Jesus from all eternity. And we were given to
him as his possession. He is our bridegroom. We are
His bride. We are His wife. And we were
given to Him as His possession. So we are a peculiar people.
So that word peculiar speaks of election. Now, another place that Peter uses
this term in 1 Peter chapter 5, again in passing, look at verse 13. And this was
actually strange. I'll be honest, brethren. I don't
know how many times I've read through these passages before. And this is the, I think the
first time I've picked up on the fact that there was a church
in Babylon. I've never picked up on it, never
seen it, but there was. It says, the church that is in
Babylon. Now we speak of the Babylonian
church in a negative connotation, the pagan churches, the pseudo
Christian front churches that looks like christian churches
but really aren't uh we term those as as uh babylonian but
there was a true church of jesus christ in babylon it says the
church that is in babylon elected together with you saluted you
and and so doth marcus my son So here, Peter speaks again of
election as a common thing, speaks that they were chosen. Now, I
want to make a side note here. There's a lot of people who dare
not say that someone else was elected. They have a problem. saying that they were elected
or someone else was elected. We have no grounds to say that.
But here Peter says the group of people, this church that was
gathered in Babylon that was meeting and proclaiming the truths
of Christ, holding to the ordinances of Christ, proclaiming His name,
proclaiming His righteousness, spreading the word of God, whatever
that church was doing in that place, gathered together to proclaim
Christ and to worship Him. Peter says they were elected.
So don't be afraid to refer to people. Now, may we end up at
the end be wrong about some people? Absolutely, we may be. There
are always going to be tears among the wheat that's going
to look like wheat. But brethren, don't be afraid
to use the term and don't be afraid to call them the elect
of God. Whenever Larry has his fellowship calls on there, that's
a fellowship of the elect of God. Now, will any, all of those
be the elect of God? I don't know. Well, matter of
fact, Larry's told me there's some that's fallen away. They
did not stay among the fellowship and they've even turned completely
against Christ, preaching against Christ, saying that the Bible
is not true. Now, was that person an elect
of God? No. But may he have been considered as one at one time?
Yes. Why is that so? Well, because the Bible does
talk about that there are some things that is evident in a child
of grace. But as I've always said here,
that is not ever the grounds of our assurance. That is not
ever the grounds of anything because that can be mimicked
by a religionist. Religious people can mimic everything
in the Word of God that seems to be outwardly the traits of
a child of grace that can be mimicked. But only those who endure to
the end shall be the saved ones. Only those who endure to the
end are the ones that have been given the faith of Christ to
believe, to continue, to be preserved. Those are the ones. And so, yes,
do we have to wait to the end to see who they all are? Absolutely. But is it okay if I claim one
to be one if he looks like one? Yeah. The Lord ain't going to
strike you dead for that. The assurance comes from the
belief of the truth. As long as someone is believing
the truth of the gospel, we don't have any doubt to say they're
not one of God's children. They may show themselves to be
something different in the end, but what would you have thought
of Paul? What would you have thought of
Peter the night that he denied Christ with cursing? I mean,
you say, well, man, he's turned from the faith. He's went away.
He's the reprobate. He's not the elect. I'm going
to have nothing to do with him ever again. See how quick we are to chunk
people out, how quick we are to write people off, how quick
we are to be even accepting of people. Remember Simon Magnus? There were some things that were
said about him, some things that he did that was wrong. Does the
scripture ever say that he was anything different? I'll be honest,
I don't know. He was called a brother. He was
called a righteous man. What about Lot? What about Lot? Do you know that the writer in
Hebrews calls him righteous Lot? Sure didn't look righteous, did
he? Didn't act righteous. He didn't love the things that
were righteous, it didn't seem like. He pitched his... He started
out pitching his tent towards Sodom. Then he got closer to
the gates of Sodom. Then we find him that he was
in Sodom. And then he was even defending and willing to give
his daughters to the Sodomites. I mean, this guy does not seem
like a righteous... But they say he was righteous
a lot. See, we got to be careful of appearances, whether they
be righteous appearances or unrighteous appearances. We don't know. But
the point being is Peter here calls them the elect of God.
That's a term that we can call each other. A couple more and
we'll be done for the day. Turn with me if you would over
to, uh, uh, we're going to go back now. Well, I'll tell you
what, while we're here, I want, I want to make a note in second
Peter, um, before I go back, cause I missed a couple of verses
in the gospels. Um, but in second Peter, This is one of the most misquoted,
I say misquoted, misapplied verses I believe in almost all of scripture
except for the verse that God hates the death of the wicked
or is not pleased with the death of whatever that verse is that
talks about why will you die. uh back in the old testament
i think it was in the ezekiel uh that talks about uh natural
death not eternal uh anyway this is misquoted a lot misapplied
a lot but it says starting in verse one chapter
three this second epistle beloved I now write unto you in both
which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance." So this
is the second epistle. We just came out of the first
epistle and we found at the beginning of the first epistle he wrote
to the elect according to the foreknowledge of God. So this
second epistle also being addressed to the elect for knowledge of
God. We can even go back to the first of the second epistle and
see Simon Peter servant and apostle of Jesus Christ to them that
have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness
of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. So again, he's talking about
the elect of God. That's who the beloved is. That's
who is in view here. This is in context. That's who
the letter is written to and everything pertaining to this
letter has to do with them and Christ the beloved and his beloved. Okay, so we got to keep that
context in mind when we get to these scriptures and not just
say hey these scriptures are for everyone everywhere. It was
written to them. He says knowing this first that
there shall come in the last day scoffers walking after their
own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming?
For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were
from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant
of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the
earth standing out of the water and in the water. Whereby the
world that then was being overflowed with water perished, But the
heavens and the earth which are now by the same word are kept
in store reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition
of ungodly men. So he's already making a distinction
between the beloved and the ungodly men. But beloved Be not ignorant
of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand
years and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack
concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering
to usward beloved elect according to the foreknowledge of God.
Not willing that any beloved brethren elect according to the
foreknowledge of God should perish but that all brethren Beloved,
elect for knowledge of God, should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat. The earth also and the works
that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these
things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to
be in all holy conversation and godliness? looking for and hastening
under the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being
on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat. Nevertheless, we, beloved brethren, usward according
to the foreknowledge of God, elect according to the foreknowledge
of God, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, again, beloved, elect
according to the foreknowledge of God, seeing that ye look for
such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace
without spot and blameless." and account that the long-suffering
of our Lord is salvation. Even as our beloved brother Paul
also, according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written
unto you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of
these things, in which are some things hard to be understood,
which they that are unlearned and unstable rest, as they do
also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore,
beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye
also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from
your own steadfastness. But grow in the grace and knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ, Savior Jesus Christ, to whom be glory
both now and forever. Amen." Now, I don't think I have
to reiterate that the context here is a group of people, a
beloved elect, according to the foreknowledge of God, they are
the ones that God has chosen to not perish, but have everlasting
life, that they should come to repentance, not willing that
any should perish. We are elect to not perish. And is that not what we just
read in Thessalonians? You were not appointed unto wrath. Any thoughts on that? Any other
angle on that? I will make note on while we're
here again, I've mentioned this also before, that Peter is giving
comfort to Christians who are being persecuted and they're
wondering, hey, where is Jesus at? He said he was coming back
to get us. He's coming back to get us. Where is his return? All these men are saying that
it's either come, it's all over, or he's not coming. What's the
deal, Peter? And Peter gives them the comfort
of his long-suffering that all come to repentance. Now, if all
means all, men, all women, everywhere, then Jesus is not coming back.
because he said that when all come to repentance, that's why
he's being long-suffering. That's why he is not yet returned
and will return when all those who are he is being long-suffering
towards comes to repentance. So if you want to place the all
meaning every man, woman, child that's ever existed, then Jesus
will not ever come back because we know that that is not the
case. All people are not coming to
repentance. So no matter how you hash that verse that speaks
of election of an elect people receiving and being the recipients
of one man, Jesus Christ, and all that he has done for them.
Now we'll look at that again. I mean, we'll see that in in
the coming weeks as we look at the atonement Lord willing start
next week. The atonement will see that they
are the recipients of that the repentance that he's long-suffering
that all come to repentance that all turn from light to dark as
he brings them as their minds turn from performing righteousness
for salvation to trusting and imputed righteousness for their
salvation. Those are the ones coming. Those are the ones for
whom he died. Those are the elect according
to the four knowledge got not the elect according to the choice
or the free will or the decision or the baptism or the membership
or the you know raise my right hand and swear after me whatever
okay elect according to the foreknowledge the love the relationship the
intimate relationship between god and them any questions or
anything on that All right, two more verses and we'll be done.
John chapter 11, 49 through 52, this is... And the reason I come
here is because... whenever you start speaking of
the elect, especially when it pertains to whenever we talk
about the sovereign predestination before the foundation of the
world and man's salvation being according to that, that sovereign
election. And that's what I've been arguing
for in all this deal is that our salvation is according to
the election of God by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It's according
to His purpose in the election and by the righteousness, the
merit of Jesus Christ that we are saved. And that salvation
began in eternity with that election, with that foreknown love or that
foreknowledge, that love that God had and give to His Son,
a people. And even though they are not
yet come to Christ, although they may not know of their salvation
yet." We don't know how long it's going to be before the Lord
returns, right? Because right here He said He's long-suffering
until all come to repentance. We don't know. You know when
we'll know? Whenever He comes back that all have come to repentance.
Thus, all of Israel will be saved at that point. But you know,
we don't know that. So there may be another 50 years,
100 years, we don't know until the Lord comes again. It may
be today, maybe tomorrow. But one thing we know is this,
is that there are those who have not yet been born, that have
not yet been quickened or born again, that are still the children
of God. And so many people want to put
that in time and say, wait, you don't become a child of God until
you believe. They want to put adoption at
belief. The Reformed thinking is that
adoption takes place then. Brethren, there is two things
to look at adoption. Christ adopted us before the
foundation of the world, but there's also another adoption.
There's an adoption of this flesh. Christ has adopted this until
the redemption of this body. He's adopted this fleshly body.
But we can see that in other times. But I want you to see
that the children of God are scattered throughout all the
world. So this election doesn't have to do with nationality.
And this election doesn't have to do with something that happens
in time. because of a couple of things that the Gospels make
very clear. Now look with me at John 11,
verse 49-52. And if you'll remember during
our exposition of John, we spent a lot of time talking about this
very passage. It says, And one of them named
Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them,
Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us that
one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish
not. And this spake he not of himself,
but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should
die for that nation, and not for that nation only, but that
also he should gather together in one the children of God that
were scattered abroad." Now the gospel hadn't even, well Christ
hadn't even died at this point, But the gospel hadn't even been
spread to the nations, but yet here it says the children of
God are already spread or scattered abroad. Now how is that if you don't
become a child of God until someone preaches to you and you receive
that message or believe that message? How is it if you're
not adopted and become a child of God that this statement can
be true? We're children of God, Not by
new birth. We're children of God by election. He elected us to be the children
of God and it is manifested in time that we are his children.
Is that not why the Bible says because you're sons of God, he
has sent his spirit into you whereby we cry, I have a father. isn't he sends his spirit into
us so that we might be adopted as sons so that we then might
cry Abba father no no no no no no it's because you are sons
he sent his spirit into you why so that we might cry Abba father
so we might cry to God in mark chapter 13 verses 26 and 27 we'll
see this It says, And then shall they
see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and
glory. And then shall he send his angels and gather together
his elect from the four winds from the uttermost part of the
earth to the uttermost part of heaven. So again, we see that
the elect here is talked about and it's speaking of all the
people of God. It's not talking about a national group. But it's
talking about all the people of God and you'll see that there's
everywhere. They're not just in the United
States. Okay, they're not just in Israel. They're everywhere. And so what Caiaphas says and
what Mark, or what Caiaphas said by what John had told us Caiaphas
said, and what Mark writes right here, we see that there's children
of God that is scattered all over this world. I think that's
one of the reasons why in Acts they went in confident whenever
they went in to preach the gospel because they knew that Christ
had people in every city. And so they had confidence to
go in to preach that gospel. Why? Because they were going
to be able to persuade them with their nice oratory skills or
their theological proudness. No, they had confidence because
God had his people there. And when given spiritual enlightenment
or spiritual life, I guess I should say that's a better word because
that might be taken the wrong way if I say enlightenment. If
they're given light spiritually, then they are going to listen
to the gospel, they're going to hear the gospel and receive
the gospel. The elect of God, we've learned
that it's a sovereign election, it's an eternal election, it's
a personal election, and it's unconditional. In all these verses,
we didn't see one place where there was a condition placed
upon man to become part of that. Matter of fact, we've seen just
the opposite, that there was no conditions that needed to
be met because God made that decision. God made that choice. God made the election before
the foundation of the world, and we see that manifested in
time. Does anybody have any things you'd like to add to that? Any
other insight on that, brother, that you? Yeah. Yep. Yeah. The inheritance may not
be manifested to us yet. It is being manifested in time. I placed on for all you that
on the computer and everything on our Sovereign Grace Baptist
Church Facebook site and on the website or Facebook. We got a
Facebook group and a Facebook page both for the church. I placed a writing on that and
I sent one to your email group too, brother. but about how election
and predestination are closely knit together. And I think that
brother that wrote that, William Smoot, an old school Baptist
from the 1900s, did a very good job of showing that. So if you
hadn't seen that yet, go on our Facebook page and and read that. It's a great edifying piece that
brought comfort to me whenever I read that. Not only did it
bring comfort to me, we have the truth that's found therein, but
it brought comfort to me to find out that I'm not the only one
that thinks of these crazy things, you know, that there are other
brothers out there that see this in the scriptures as well. kind of like Larry, we're kind
of confident in what we're seeing in the scriptures there. And
a lot of the brethren that we talk to and deal with, the Lord's
yet to show them that. Some of them are open to it,
and we just pray that they are given to see that. And I think
once they do, once they see that, what a comfort and a joy it's
gonna bring, even more so than what they've experienced already
as they see these things. I'll tell you what, preaching
on these things and teaching these things, but reading these
things and then being applied you know it's easy for me to
give information but to know hey this is the truth of what
this is all about that brings comfort it brings comfort it's
comforting to be able to sit here and to preach truth to you
guys and not be ridiculed and castigated out you know to have
a place to freely speak truth But it's also comforting whenever
you hear this truth for me to see this and to know, you know,
and all the things that we've experienced in our life that
God has predestinated these things. He's predestinated shingles,
you know, you know, it is good, you know, remember is what David
said is good that I've been afflicted that I might learn thy statutes
or that I might learn more of thee. So, you know, these things
become comforting. And to the true children of grace,
they do become comforting. At some points, there may be
theological hurdles at first, but as the Lord speaks to them
and teaches them, they become comforting things. And I'm always,
you know, Brother Jerry used to always use this verse, but
I love this verse, you know, comfort ye, comfort ye, my people.
Tell them what the Lord has done. You know tell them what Christ
has done and that's that's the truly a comfort even his election
man All right. Anybody else got anything you'd
like to add or mention? Brothers, all right. Let's stand
and have a word of prayer. We'll be dismissed and go back
have some lunch.