Sizing Things Up

Q: What does the Bible say about God's election in salvation?

The Bible teaches that God's election is an eternal selection of those He purposes to save for His glory. God's election is a fundamental doctrine that emphasizes His sovereign choice in determining who will receive salvation. Romans 9 and 11 make it clear that God's election is not based on human works or merit but on His own purpose and grace. Paul states, 'the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.' This means that salvation originates from God's intention to manifest His glory, which is fully realized in the saving of those whom He has elected in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5). Thus, God's choice to elect a people is a reflection of His grace and serves to highlight His sovereign authority over all creation.

Q: How do we know that salvation is entirely a work of God?

Scripture affirms that salvation is a complete work of God, as seen in Ephesians 2:8-9, emphasizing it is not based on human efforts. The Bible unequivocally teaches that salvation is solely the work of God without any contribution from humanity. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly states, 'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.' This passage underscores that salvation cannot be earned or initiated by human actions; it is entirely a divine gift. Moreover, Romans 8:30 highlights that those whom God predestined, He also called, justified, and glorified, demonstrating the unbroken chain of God's salvific work. Therefore, the notion that humans can play a role in their salvation undermines the fullness of God's sovereign grace.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to understand the glory of God in salvation?

Understanding the glory of God in salvation is crucial as it cultivates humility and recognizes that salvation is solely His work. The glory of God is central to the doctrine of salvation because it points to the ultimate purpose behind God's redemptive acts. Romans 11:36 states, 'For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.' This means that everything, including our salvation, is designed to bring glory to God. Recognizing this truth fosters a spirit of humility, as believers understand they are recipients of grace, not achievers of merit. When we acknowledge that it is God who saves us—not through our efforts but through His sovereign will—we are better equipped to serve Him and share the gospel with others. This understanding leads to thanksgiving and worship, celebrating God's mercy and the greatness of His salvation.

Q: What does the well of Herod represent in Christian theology?

The well of Herod symbolizes the need for believers to confront their fears and acknowledge God's sovereignty before engaging in spiritual battles. The well of Herod, as mentioned in the sermon, signifies the place of fear and trembling which every believer must visit to understand the seriousness of their spiritual condition and God's authority over all. In Philippians 2:12, Paul urges believers to work out their own salvation 'with fear and trembling,' indicating a deep reverence for God's holiness and the seriousness of their spiritual warfare. Before God calls Gideon to battle, He first addresses the numbers of his army, which reflects the sufficiency of God's power over human limitations. This encourages believers to recognize that success in spiritual endeavors relies not on their strength or strategy, but on God's sovereignty and the grace He provides. Thus, the well serves as a reminder to rely fully on God as we engage in the spiritual battles of life.

But actually, this chapter is not about Gideon. It's about Christ. He just uses Gideon as a picture. So I'd encourage you to read ahead as we study through the book of Judges and get familiar with these verses. It'll be helpful to you. For some of these texts that I'll read are very long. In fact, I can't read them. There will be no time left to teach if I read the entire But just read ahead and familiarize yourself with these scriptures. This morning, I've got a small text with a large message.

Usually, it's the other way around. So I want us to read this morning Judges chapter 7, the first two verses. Then Jeroboam, who is Gideon, And all the people that were with him rose up early and pitched beside the well of Herod, so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them by the hill of Mori in the valley. And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me. saying, my own hand has saved me.

I tried to listen this morning, sizing things up. That's what the Lord does to every believer when he brings him and introduces him into God's purpose of grace, when he introduces him into the gospel of Jesus Christ. He thinks and sizes things up by natural reasoning and by what he's learned from false religion. But when God does the work, he causes that man to size things up. So that's what we're going to be talking about this morning. And I'd like to steer a course for us this morning around these three things. And the first is the subject.

So often, we read these things, and they They're so strange to us in our day, talking about we don't fight battles like they fought back then, hand to hand. Thousands of men gathered. Can you imagine 100,000 men camped out down in this valley with swords and spears and chariots and all the armor of war? And up on the hill, here's another 36,000, and they're getting ready to go to battle.

So the first is the subject of these verses. which is so easy for us to lose sight of. And then secondly, there is a well here that must have caught your eye as I read it, this well of Herod. And I want us to look and see what that well is all about.

And the third thing I want us to see is who gets the glory. Who gets the glory is what this is all about. This is what the Lord is going to manifest on this day to these children who had lost sight or never had sight of what their mothers and fathers believed. And that's the glory of God. So let's begin with this. What's the subject of these verses? Well, the subject is salvation.

Israel, by God's counsel and design, are favored with the election of God. That's why Israel's in Canaan. They've been favored with the election of God. Ask anybody anywhere who Israel is and what's so special about Israel, they'll tell you real quick, that's God's elect.

God established that fact, and it's held true for centuries. Jacob, or Israel as God called him, was set apart before he was born. blessed of God over his twin brother Esau. You can read about it in Romans 9 and 11, but it said, here's why he did this, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. This salvation is the work of God. It began with God. God would have no more interest in Israel than he did with the Midianites were it not for his election and his purpose of grace.

They obtained favor by God's eternal election. That's why God even considers anyone in our day is that there remaineth a remnant according to the election of grace. Well, what does that mean? Well, elections, the eternal selection of a people that God is purposed to save for the glory of his name.

He's not just going to save them because he chose them. He's going to save them to manifest his glory. That's what salvation is all about. That's why he created the human race. That's why things were set and ordered and governed the way that they have been. God's going to manifest his glory. And he's not going to do it in a way that robs him of his glory.

All those chosen in Christ, it says, he predestinated unto the adoption of children, Ephesians 1, 5. He did this by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. There was a purpose behind this election. He elected his people, blessed them with all spiritual blessings and heavenly blessings in Christ. according as he's chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him being loved. He secured his love for us in Christ.

And then in Galatians 4.4, Paul tells us a little bit more about this adoption.

Galatians 4.4 says, when the fullness of the time was come, what time? The time set of God behind all the promised blessings in Christ.

The prophets would put it this way, in the latter days, some would say. When's that? In the fullness of time. In that day. How many times did Isaiah say, in that day, in that day, this is what's going to happen. In Daniel, after so many weeks, this is what's going to happen in that day. Well, this is that day.

When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of children. What adoption? That adoption that he predestinated in Christ. To redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. And he said, because you're sons, how did you get to be a son? God predestinated you to be a son. He chose you in Christ. And because you're sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. This adoption is a covenant blessing of God and Christ. He's the covenant surety. He's the one who makes this eternal covenant of grace sure. He's the guarantor. And this covenant is a covenant of grace. It's full, free, sovereign grace. And there's nothing in it depending on man. We always want to say, well, God did everything except. No, there are no exceptions. God did it all. He did it all. There's nothing in this covenant depending on man.

And all three persons of the Godhead are involved in this salvation. In Ephesians 2, the apostle Paul twice declares this, that salvation is by grace. The first time, in verse 5, he's talking about our eternal union with Christ. We were by nature children of wrath, even as others, but God quickened us together with Christ. He made us one with Christ. He gave us life in Christ.

That's what that's talking about. And whether you want to say, well, that's what happened in time. Yes, it does happen in time. But what happened in time is no different than what he purposed from eternity. You see what he's saying here? He quickened us together with Christ. So what's that mean? Made us one with him. Put us into union with him. so that what he accomplished become ours and what we did to offend God, he made right.

By grace, he said, ye are saved. And then in verse eight, talking about our saving knowledge of Christ and that work done in us by the Holy Ghost and the hearing of the gospel, he says this, by grace are you saved through faith. And that not of yourselves, it's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Were his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works?

And the crowning work of righteousness and redemption is the death of Christ on the cross. He accomplished everything that the Father demanded from the sinner. He accomplished it. He provided it. And then when God raised him from the dead, he declared our full free justification before God. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. How do I know that? He raised his son, my substitute, from the grave. If he's bearing my sins and God raised him from the dead, that means satisfaction has been accomplished for my sins. I've been reconciled.

So what are you saying, Preacher? I'm saying salvation's of the Lord, and that's the subject. He said, you got too many men, Gideon. If I let all these men go down, they're going to say, well, we saved ourselves. He's talking about salvation here. Now I don't care if you're talking about eternal salvation or if you're talking about salvation as it's accomplished in time, it's the same thing. Nothing's going to happen in time that God didn't declare from the beginning. Isn't that what he said? I'm God. There's none like me. I declare the end from the beginning. Salvation's of the Lord.

And because he is a loving father of chosen sinners, and warned them concerning their being unequally yoked together with these unbelievers and these pagans, not because the heathen were greater sinners than they, but because their religious influence, he knew what was going to happen. He knew exactly what was going to happen.

You know, we always think, well, I can go down with this one or that one to that church, and I'll have a big influence on them. That's not what's going to happen. They're going to have a big influence on you. That's what's going to happen. And the Lord knew that, and he warned them about it. You remember back when Joshua was still alive, they said, well, we're going to serve the Lord. And he told them what that entailed. And they said, we're going to serve the Lord. He said, you can't serve the Lord. It's the Lord who serves you. You're not going to serve him. Oh, yes, we're going to serve him. And he said, OK, I'm going to make you a witness against yourself.

And he built a memorial there because of salvations of the Lord. And because he's a living father of chosen sinners, he warned them concerning their being unequally yoked together with unbelievers. And it wasn't because they were greater sinners, but because of their religious influence.

But like young children, they forget how they got this far. Is that right? God, what were they doing in Canaan? God brought them there. Well, how'd they overcome all those odds? God overcome those odds. How come they even thought they had an inheritance? Because God gave it to them. Everything they had was a manifestation of God's love for them. Everything. You go back and read all the battles. We've already studied those things in Joshua. But you read those battles, the crossing of the river, how miraculous was that. Caused the Jordan River flood stage to stand in a heap, and they walked across on dry land.

But children forget. They forget who raised them. They ignore their father's counsel in time, and they say to themselves, I'm old enough now. I'm going to do what I want. Boy, I tell you, that's like telling God, I'm going to do what I think's best. That's the worst possible thing you could ever think. I raised three children. And when they all reached a certain age, they ignored what I said and did what they wanted to do.

And I want to say this because this is in this lesson. You young people here this morning, ever since you were born, your father and mother has put food on your table, cleaned your filthy butt, changed your diapers, gave you bath, provided clothing for you, put heat in that house, food on the table.

What I'm saying is this. I'm not trying to brag on them. I'm trying to tell you this. All of this is a manifestation of their love for you. And then something little comes along, and we just want to fly up. Well, you can't be right. Whatever it is they're telling you, I guarantee you they've already manifested themselves, manifested their love and concern for you. And whatever they're telling you, I guarantee you they believe with all their heart it's good for you. That's what they're telling you. And that's exactly what happened to Israel. The very same thing. They said, well, you know, we've That was for your generation. Now this is my generation. I'm old enough now, and I've got wisdom, and I'm going to steer my own course. Well, you better be careful. Better be careful. You have no reason to ever, ever suspect their counsel to be anything but an expression of their love for you.

And I'm not telling you this as the perfect example, but as an example of the very opposite. after breaking their heart and realized what I'd done, then I have to suffer the things that they told me in the beginning that would happen. And this is exactly what happens to the believer. He comes to see all his rebellion and sin as being against the love of God. And boy, when you see it in that light, it'll break your heart. It'll break your heart. Salvation is the act of a loving father.

And every one of us are like the prodigal son. And the difference is this. The difference between your earthly father and your heavenly father is that your heavenly father is not limited in his wisdom and power. We are. As a father of three children, I'm very limited and I'm very aware of it. I'm limited in wisdom and I'm limited in power, but not your heavenly father.

Your heavenly father is not restrained by the flesh to chastise his children for correction. He won't hesitate. He won't hesitate. And the scripture says to despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him, Because whom the Lord chasteneth, he scourgeth, he loveth. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and he scourgeth every son that he receiveth. And if you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as sons. Now then, finding themselves in a mess which they created, which they brought on themselves, They fully deserve. Now they begin to cry out to God.

And isn't it mostly our ignorance of God that gets us in trouble? That's what gets us in trouble, our ignorance of God. And our ignorance of God makes us ignorant of this world. We don't see this world as God sees it. But he doesn't hide anything in his testimony of it. But you see what I'm saying? As rebellious children, we don't listen to his testimony. We don't. And make no mistake here, this is not some ancient, unconnected history that has no benefit or present application to us. This reads like Fiesta in his newspaper.

So the subject here is salvation. That's what the Lord's getting ready to teach them, what this salvation is. If he doesn't save men who are ignorant of what they're being saved from, he's going to make you to know that. That's what he's doing here. The second thing I want us to see here is the well out of which all God's elect must be gathered to drink. It's called in our text Herod's Well. Now, the name of the well is very significant. It means spear and trembling. Every commentator I wrote quoted that. That's the name of this well. It means fear and trembling.

And before any man will be led of God into battle concerning his name. This is what was at stake was God's name. God said this land belongs to Israel. Midianites said, no, it belongs to us. Well, now it's not just Israel that they're against. Now they're challenging God. Belongs to him. Everything belongs to him. He gives it to whom he will. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter 2.

Before you're going to get engaged in this spiritual battle, God's going to make you drink from this well of fear and trembling. The saints at Philippi were chosen sinners in whom God the Spirit begins to do a work, bring them to faith in Christ and to walk in what he calls here the mind of Christ. He begins this exhortation with an if.

Listen to this, verse one, if there be any consolation in Christ. Is there? When you need consolation, where do you go? That'll tell you the story of your life right here. Christ is our consolation. I can't find any comfort anywhere else except in him. If there be any consolation in Christ, are you consoled by his promises, his person, and his power? And then listen to this, is there any comfort of love? Do you value the love of God? Do you draw hope from the love of God? Is the love of God your motivation? We're constrained, Paul said, by love.

Any comfort of love? Thinking about this in my study, when you just come to the end of yourself, how precious is a hug? How comforting is just the squeeze of a hand? And that's what he's asking here. Is there any comfort of love? Any comfort? He's not talking about 99% comfort. He's just talking about any. Is there any? Because there's none in a non-believer.

So if you have any, you have Christ. And all the comfort of an embrace when you hurt him is the squeeze of a hand. Do you draw comfort from the love of Christ? And then what about this? Is there any fellowship of the Spirit? Is there any common ground in the revelation of Christ, in the joy of Christ, in the comfort he gives, in the salvation he's provided?

That's what he's talking about. Are we of one mind? That's what he's saying. Being of one accord and one mind. And so what's he exhort them to do? Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus our Lord. What is the mind of Christ? It's an understanding of how God saves sinners in him. That's the mind of Christ. That's what Christ came to do. He said in the volume of the book it's written of me, I come to do thy will, O God. What will? Well, this is the will of Him that sent me, that of all which He has given me I should lose nothing. The will of God is His redemptive will. And the Word of God is the written record that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Eternal life, John 17, 3, and 1 John 5, verse 20, is to know God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

God saves chosen sinners by representation and substitution. Two things required of you, absolute, continual, perfect obedience and payment for your sin, neither one of which we can do. But we have that in a representative who was born under the law to redeem them that were under the law. He's going to live the life that we could never live and die the death that we could never die.

And because of this, God has ordered his providence with provenient grace. Causing all things. That's what Paul wrote in Romans chapter 8, verse 28. We know that all things are working together. Not all things are good, but they're working together for good.

To them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. So what does all this have to do with this well of fear and trembling? Philippians chapter 2, verse 12. Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation." How? In fear and trembling.

What's he talking about? He's talking about with the mind of Christ, understanding how things are, understanding the situation. Here's Gideon up on the mountainside and he's looking down into this big vast valley and he's got 32,000 men and there's a hundred thousand men down in the valley. And God comes and I know he's sitting there in his mind trying to figure out what am I, what's God going to tell me to do with these 32,000? That's three to one odds. What's he going to tell me to do to overcome the odds? Well here's what God told him, you got too many You got too many men.

Salvation is not about every born-again Christian being against Satan. It's about one man, one man, going up against the world, against Satan, against false religion, against fallen nature. My soul look at the odds. One man, one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus.

And then now a bunch of them go home, there's only 10,000 left. Now the odds are 10 to 1. God says, you got too many. Well, Lord, what do I do? We're going to whittle them down to 300. 300 against 100,000. That's salvation. That's salvation. Nobody's going to say we saved ourselves in those 300. Those 300 are going to say we're saved by God. God saved us. God strengthened us. God gave us the ability to do what he told us to go do. He gets all the glory.

You know, in Proverbs chapter 9, verse 10, it said, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy. What's that talking about? Let's talk about the holiness of God, understanding who God is. Justice has to be satisfied. Wrath has to be exhausted. Wisdom must be manifested. Love must be manifested. And all of these things in perfect harmony. That's the holiness of God. That's who he is. And he said the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Now understand. And we stand at the well, seeing the vastness of all of the opposition and the reality of our circumstance, and we weigh what we see in the light of the glory of God in Christ, and we follow God's direction to the letter. Well, I just don't believe men are saved by the preaching of the gospel. You don't believe God. And you don't see things the way they are. I tell you, if you knew how ignorant that we really are, you wouldn't care if God sent a jackrabbit.

Henry said one time God spoke to Israel through an ass, by an ass, and he still does from time to time. Oh, we see the impossible. You remember the disciples looking at the rich young ruler as he walked off. The Lord told him just to give away everything he had and give it to the poor. Take up his cross and follow him. He went away sorrowful. And the disciples said, wow, that was a man with more potential than we know. Who then can be saved? You remember what Christ said to him? With man, it's impossible. That's the odds, absolute impossibility.

But that's when God shows the sovereignty of His grace. That's when God shows who God is. He manifests the glory of His mercy and His grace and His love. Don't it leave you trimmed when you think When you come before God in prayer and you're thinking about how things really are and how you really are, don't that make you fear and tremble before him? Oh, Lord, I see this whole world deceived. We know that the whole world, we know God and the whole world lies in wickedness. Well, if we know that, then we ought to stand before him in fear and tremble.

And then lastly, what's this whole thing all about? It's about who gets the glory. And everything you see around you and anything that comes to pass in your life has to do with the glory of God. The glory of God. And God saves sinners for the glory of his name, the glory of his grace, and the glory of his love and his mercy.

And I know that what God was about to tell Gideon might seem pretty odd in the light of war. But this thing is not done in the light of war. It's done in the light of God's glory. And that's why Paul said the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. He said they're spiritual. Try to tear down somebody's hiding place. You can't do it. God can. He can take a few words and just smash that thing to smithereens. And that's exactly what he's getting ready to do to the Midianites. Men look at their circumstances. They look at the statutes and the law. They look at temptations around them. And then they express their opinions. They give you their strategy.

Boy, every time I think about that, it makes me laugh at how God must laugh at us. Isn't that what he said over in the psalm? We're going to break his bands asunder. We're going to do our own thing. He said God will laugh. He just laughed. He just laughed.

This whole thing is an act of grace and mercy. And when God reveals his wisdom and salvation in Christ, then that's when we're going to see it. In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. We're complete in him. I don't need anything else.

We live in a world cursed of God, a world in which men and women are spiritually dead, totally depraved. Their minds are enmity against God. Every imagination of the heart is only evil continually. Every unconverted soul has this ungodly image of God in their heart.

I've witnessed men and women and have them tell me, my God wouldn't do like that. Brother Barnard said, I expect he wouldn't, but the God of the Bible will. That refuge has to be torn down. Everything that exalteth itself above the knowledge of God has to be destroyed.

And this world, Paul says, walks in the vanity of their mind. And what God does when he comes to do his work is intervene. He butts in. opens us up, puts in a new heart, shines in that light of the glory of God into our hearts. And we see him. We see him.

Who gets the glory? God does. And I tell you, I don't care who he is, whether it's me or an angel from heaven, Paul said, if he's got another gospel other than this, All you got to do is listen to him. You'll see who's getting the glory. If man's getting the glory, just walk out. That man don't know God. God's going to shut you up to his glory, because that's what it's all about. May the Lord teach us all this lesson. Thank you.

Sizing Things Up

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's election in salvation?

How do we know that salvation is entirely a work of God?

Why is it important for Christians to understand the glory of God in salvation?

What does the well of Herod represent in Christian theology?

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Sizing Things Up

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's election in salvation?

How do we know that salvation is entirely a work of God?

Why is it important for Christians to understand the glory of God in salvation?

What does the well of Herod represent in Christian theology?

Sermon Transcript

About Darvin Pruitt

Comments

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