How do you suppose that in this
book, God's people in this world are most commonly identified? What terms are used most frequently
to identify those who are God's people in this world? The religious
world around us will be surprised find out that God's people are
more commonly than anything else in this book called the elect. You who are God's are the elect. You who believe on the Son of
God are the elect. You who now trust Jesus Christ
as your Lord and Savior are God's elect. You believe because God
chose you. You're here because God chose
you. The elect. Special, precious,
honorable in God's sight. The elect. Chosen by God in everlasting
love. That's how God's people are identified.
God's people are distinguished from all the other people in
the world by this term as well. They're called the redeemed.
The redeemed. Not all men are redeemed. Not
all men are elect. The elect are the redeemed. Those
who believe are the redeemed. Those who shall be born again
by God's grace are the redeemed. Redeemed by the precious blood
of Jesus Christ. Thou art worthy, for thou hast
redeemed us out of every nation and kindred and tribe and tongue. We read in Ezekiel 34, just a
little bit ago, that God's people, his sheep, eat that which others
have fowled with their feet. They drink that which others
have fouled with their feet. And the apostle tells us in Hebrews
10, 29, that men commonly trample underfoot the blood of the Son
of God, considering it a common, a useless, ordinary thing, something
that is to be despised and not looked upon as precious and delightful. They counted a common thing,
something that everybody has a part in. Not so. Jesus Christ
died for his sheep. His people are the redeemed. Let the redeemed of the Lord
say so. Why stress this, this thing of
election and redemption, being distinct to election and particular
redemption? Why tell folks that Christ didn't
die for everybody? If you tell folks that Christ
died for everybody, you're telling folks that Christ didn't do anything.
If you tell folks Christ died for everybody, you're telling
folks that Christ didn't accomplish anything. If you tell folks Christ
died for everybody, you're telling folks it's not the blood of Christ
that makes the difference, but you that makes the difference.
And that's totally contrary to the gospel of God's grace, dishonoring
to God and robbing men of the truth of God, robbing men of
the gospel itself. God's people are called the elect. That distinguishes them from
everybody else. God's people are called the redeemed. That distinguishes them from
everybody else. God's people are called saints. Saints. Sanctified people. I'm looking at some of God's
saints today. Saints. Saints are not made by
some kind of Roman Catholic mumbo-jumbo. Saints are made by God's free
grace. Saints simply means separated
ones, holy ones, sanctified ones, all who are God's elect. were sanctified in Christ Jesus,
separated from all the rest of mankind by the decree of God,
separated unto God. They are sanctified by the blood
of Jesus Christ in redemption. His blood separates them from
all other people and makes them holy. And God's elect are separated,
sanctified from all other men, sanctified unto God by the regenerating
work of God the Holy Spirit who puts a holy nature in them and
thus distinguishes them from all other men. Who maketh thee
to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou
didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou glory as if thou hast not received it? All the
distinction there is between you who are gods And all who
are in hell or shall be in hell is the distinction that grace
has made. And God's people acknowledge that with gladness and with joy
to the praise of the glory of his grace. Now turn to Romans
chapter 8 and verse 28. I'll show you another term by
which God's people are identified and distinguished from all other
people. Romans chapter eight, verse 28. Those who are regenerated,
those who are born of God, those who believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ are given this peculiar, distinct title, the called, the
called. Now that's the title of my message
this morning, the called, Romans 8, 28. We know We know that all things work
together for good to them that love God. To them that love God. Everybody talks about loving
God and everybody sings about how much they love God and folks
like to brag about how much they love God and talk to God about
how much they love God. Everybody except God's people.
God's people acknowledge we love him because he first loved us. And our love for him is not a
love to sing about, and it's not a love to be talked about.
We acknowledge and confess with gladness we love Him. If any
man loved not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha. God's people all love Him. But
we who love God are those who are loved of God. If you love
Him, Bob, it's because He first loved you. and the love you have
for him, he created in you and sustains in you. You understand
that? Those who love God are those who are beloved of God. All things work together for
good to those who are loved of God. Not necessarily our temporal
good. In fact, not commonly our temporal
good. Most of God's people that I know
in this world have their share of trouble and pain and heartache. They have their share of difficulty
and struggles. They have trouble in their houses,
in their homes, just like everybody else. They have trouble with
their sons and daughters, just like everybody else. They have
trouble with husbands and wives, just like everybody else. They
have troubles with mothers and fathers, just like everybody
else. They have sickness and pain and bereavement and sorrow
and heartache, just like everybody else. All things do not work
together for our temporal good in this world. God never promised
it, and we're taught never to expect it. The things of this
world, by reason of sin, by reason of the curse of God upon the
human race, by reason of the curse of God upon Adam's transgression,
all things in this world are pain and darkness and sorrow
and sickness and death. That's the way life is. That's
just the way it is. Well, what does this mean, all
things work together for good? All things work together for
the eternal good, for the everlasting salvation of every child of Adam
loved of God. These things in this world, all
the affairs of providence, all the affairs of the world are
sovereignly manipulated by God. Sovereignly manipulated by God. I can't stress this adequately.
The very thoughts of the mind and the intents of the heart
of every man is accomplished by the will of God to save his
people. Every action, every deed of men,
of angels and devils is manipulated by God. So how can you say that? Because God says it plainly.
God says it plainly. Of Him, through Him, and to Him
are all things. Either God's in absolute control
of everything, or there's no such thing as God. You may as
well worship a stump. He manipulates everything. Everything. Oh, everything. Yeah, this does
my heart good. I hope it does yours. God manipulates
everything for the eternal salvation of his people, for the gathering
of his sheep, the gathering of his elect. What's God doing? He's gathering his sheep from
across the face of the earth. Out of north, south, east, and
west, he's gathering his sheep. He scattered them, and now he's
gathering them. Gathering them into his fold
with one shepherd, Jesus Christ the Lord. All things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are thee called. Thee called of God. Now I want
to talk to you this morning about God's call. There is an outward external
call that goes forth to sinners who hear the gospel of God's
grace. This call comes in many ways. I have no question at all
when God sends judgment. God sends judgment on the earth.
If you pick up the paper tomorrow and you find out there's been
another terroristic attack in the United States, let's make
it in Danville, Kentucky this time. Or you pick up the paper
and you find out a tornado touched down and wiped out a city. Or
you pick up the paper and find out God sent another flood up
through the Gulf and just wiped out the southern coast of the
United States. What's God doing? He's warning you! He's warning
you! He's warning you! Judgment is
coming! Pay attention. And thus God calls
men. But that's an external thing.
Judgment never brings repentance. And when the gospel is preached,
men are called. Called by the Word of God. I
call you now. Paul said, we pray you in Christ's
stead, be you reconciled to God. My business as a preacher is
to call sinners to life and faith in Christ. To call you to believe
on the Son of God, to look to Christ and live with this blessed
word of assurance. Look and you shall live. Believe
and salvation is yours. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
with all your heart and salvation is yours. That's the promise
of God. But if all you hear Is the voice
of God in providential judgment? Are the voice of the preacher
declaring to you the word of God? You will never know God,
it takes something else. It takes an internal, effectual,
irresistible divine call. It takes God working in you to
give you faith in Jesus Christ the Lord. Obviously, at least
it's obvious to anyone whose brain hasn't been pickled with
the vinegar of free will religion, the call spoken of here is not
that general call of the gospel, but an internal, effectual, irresistible
call, a call given by God the Holy Ghost by which sinners are
separated from others. Separated from the world and
brought to Jesus Christ. Not invited to come, but brought
to him. Not asked to come, but called
to come. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest and causes to approach unto thee. I really like the
way John Gill describes this effectual, irresistible call
of grace by which sinners are brought to life and faith in
Christ by the power of God. Gil said, Christ stands in the
gospel ministry at the door of men's hearts and knocks and calls. Now listen, I come to you now
with the word of God and Christ stands and he knocks at your
heart's door. He knocks. but it doesn't wait
for you to open the door. No, no, no. Having the key of
the house of David, he opens the heart by the power of his
grace and lets himself in. Christ Jesus doesn't wait for
you to respond to him. He comes in and causes you to
respond to Him. Life is not something that you
get by something you do. It's something you get by what
God does for you and in you. Christ comes in and the first
time you know He's there, He's already on His throne and you're
delighted to have Him. Now let me show you three or
four things about this call and then I want to answer a question.
Number one, I want to remind you that those who are called
the sons of God in time, called to experience salvation in time,
called to the experience of grace in time, all who are called to
be the sons of God by God's mighty grace in time, were already the
sons of God, called his sons before the world began. Turn
to Galatians chapter four. Galatians chapter four, I want
you to see this. Your believing on Christ doesn't
cause God to adopt you as his child. We were saying just a
little bit ago, I'm a child of the king. What a blessed privilege. I'm not a child of the king because
I believe him. I believe him because I'm a child
of the king. Adoption. Adoption. Even our
carnal process of legal adoption. Adoption is not something that's
determined by the one adopted. Adoption is determined by the
parent who does the adopting. And in the grace of God, we were
adopted by God as his sons and daughters before the world was
in electing love. Now let's see if that's not what
scripture teaches. Galatians chapter four, verse four. When
the fullness of 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 that we might receive the adoption
of sons. Not that we might be adopted,
but that we might receive the adoption of sons. Now, what's
the next line? And because ye are sons, God
has sent forth the spirit of his son into our hearts, or into
your hearts, crying, have a father. Because God chose you. Because
God said, I'll be your God, and you shall be mine. Because God
said, they shall be my sons and daughters, and I will be a father
unto them. Because God decreed it, and God
adopted you as His own, in time, He sends His Spirit to call.
He sends His Spirit to bring the adopted son into the family. Turn to 1 John chapter 3. 1 John
chapter 3. We'll see the same thing again.
We were called, named the sons of God before the world was.
Our names were written in the family registry of the Lamb's
book of life. First John chapter three, verse
one. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon
us. I read those first words of this
chapter and every time I read them my heart laughs with joy
and I'm thankful. What manner of love the Father hath bestowed
on the likes of me, that we should be called the sons of God? Therefore the world knoweth us
not, because it knew Him not. Oh, what manner of love the Father
has from eternity bestowed on us in His Son, calling us His
sons, naming us His sons. And look at verse 2. Beloved,
now are we the sons of God. God adopted us in Christ before
the world was. And in time, he comes in his
grace and causes us to receive the adoption of children. And
now we are the sons of God. There was a couple, many years
ago, back when you could go to an agency, an adoption agency,
an orphanage, and adopt children. They had decided to adopt a child,
and they made an appointment to go see the adoption agent. Folks running the adoption agency
got this little girl all dolled up and fixed up just as pretty
as she could be. And the appointment came, and
this couple drove up, got out of the car, walked up the sidewalk.
And this little boy behind the bushes, little red-headed, freckle-faced
boy, and as they walked up, he picked up a rock and threw it
at them and just took off running. And they went on in, and they
both looked at him and smiled, and they sat down in this The
lady running the adoption agency called this little girl in. She
was all decked out in the prettiest dress she could find, her hair
all curled up and fixed up, and she started bragging on this
little girl. And they looked at one another and looked at
her and looked at the little girl, and this little girl left
the room. And they said, as we were coming in, as we were coming
in, coming up the sidewalk, there's a little old red-headed boy,
kind of a rough-looking little fellow, who, hiding behind the
bush, he picked up a rock and threw it at us. I'm so sorry. Sir, we have 59
children here for adoption. That's Johnny. He's number 60. Man looked at his wife and she
looked at him and said, I think he's the one we want. You're looking at number 60.
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on me. that
I should be called the son of God. And beloved, now I am God's
son. I am his and he is mine because
before the world was, he called me his son. Number two, those
who are the called are called according to the sovereign will
and purpose of God Almighty. Sinners are not called because
they decide to be called. Sinners are not called because
of their choice, because of their will, because of their decision. Sinners are not called because
of something they do or might do, but rather they're called
by God's irresistible grace according to his sovereign purpose, distinguishing
them from all others. You see, men and women, you who
are here without Christ, are dead in trespasses and sins. Dead. Now, I know those things
can be carried to extremes in your thinking. Extremes the wrong
way. Folks have the idea you're dead,
but not really dead. You're dead, but you have some
ability. That's the extremes I'm talking
about. I'm talking about dead. Spiritually dead. You have lots
of abilities. I'm talking to folks who have
lots of abilities. You may be smart as a whip. You may be strong
as an ox, but you're dead spiritually. Let me tell you what that means.
A dead man has no feeling. You can spit on him, smack him,
punch him, pinch him, poke him. He doesn't feel a thing. He's
dead. You can pour hot water on him or cold water on him and
he won't wiggle. He's dead. He has no feeling.
He has no sense of need, has no knowledge of his condition,
knows nothing about his environment, hears no voice, hears no sound. He can't, he's D-E-A-D, dead,
plumb dead. You who are without Christ are
dead. That means if you have life,
if you believe on the Son of God, if you repent, you must
be called, called by a power that brings life with the call. Our Lord Jesus came to Lazarus
too. Lazarus was a dead man. He had been dead for four days.
He was so dead, he was already starting to rot. His sister said,
by now, by this time, he stinks. He's already starting to rot.
He's dead. And the Lord Jesus said, Lazarus
is gonna live. And she said, well, I know in
the resurrection everybody's gonna live again. He said, I
am the resurrection and the life. Watch this. Lazarus, come forth. What do you expect? You know
what I expect? I expect to see Lazarus come
out of that tomb. How did he come out? I don't
know. Well, I do. I do. I know he came out bound
in grave clothes. He was still wrapped up, so he
didn't walk out. He was still wrapped up. After
he came out, the Lord Jesus said, loose him and let him go. He
was dead. How then did Lazarus, laying in that tomb, come out
of this tomb? By the power of the call of God. And that's how sinners are made
to live. By the power of the call of God. So then, contrary to popular
opinion, contrary to what you hear across the street, back
down the road, that way, that way, this way, wherever you go,
contrary to what you hear in churches all over Danville, Kentucky,
this hour, contrary to what you hear in churches all over the
world, this hour, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him
that runneth. It's not of him that wills to
be saved or him that does something to be saved, but of God that
showeth mercy. Salvation is God's work. Unto
you it is given in the behalf of Christ to believe on his name. Merlehart, the reason you believe
God is because God purposed to save you and God calls you according
to his purpose. The Lord God from eternity determined
the people he would call. He determined the time when he
would call them. He determined the place and circumstances
in which he would call them. And he arranged all the affairs
of time to bring his chosen one, his
redeemed one, to be his called one. at the appointed time of
love when he would come and say to that chosen one, live. That's the secret, the wonder,
the mystery of providence. Those who are called of God are
called at a specific time, in a specific place, in specific
circumstances, all of which were necessary to gather you to Him. All of them. Shelby and I went
out years ago to visit a couple I've been hearing from on a regular
basis. He was in prison at Folsom Prison,
the only time I've ever been in Folsom Prison. Her name was
Brad Iris Johnson. She was raised as a Jew. and a rebel Jew at that. And
she became part of Hell's Angels, one of the motorcycle mobs. And she was smuggling drugs into
Folsom Prison. And there she met Brad. And Brad
had been in prison since his teenager. He's in probably the
rest of his life now for bank robbery. Last time he was 16
years old and a guard was killed. And God saved them. And they were married. Got married
before God saved them. God saved them. Shelby and I
went out to meet them. Only time I ever spoke to Brad
face to face. And he and his wife Iris both said to Shelby
and I, I thank God for Folsom Prison. This is what it took
to bring me to know my Redeemer. This is the way he gathers them. He brings them down with labor
and brings down their heart with the labor and crushes them with
his word and calls them by his grace. Number three, God's call
is always effectual. It's always irresistible. Somehow or another, when you
start talking about things in a spiritual context, people try
to put different meanings to words, and they go, well, what
does that mean? Irresistible. Well, most of you
know I'm diabetic. And I'm not supposed to have
certain things, especially not in large quantities. But Shelby
and I were driving to West Virginia the other day, and she was just
doing stuff, thumbing through a purse. She said, how far are
we from Mount Sterling? I said, we're right here. She
said, I got two coupons here for free ice cream at Burger
King, soft serve ice cream. You want to get one? So we pulled
in and got two of those big ice cream cones. I hadn't had ice
cream cone that big in a decade. So I don't have any idea way
and she That's gonna make your sugar
go up That's gonna not good for your
diet ain't supposed to have that oh It's good It's called irresistible
Now that's just a faint little illustration. It wasn't really
irresistible. I could have thrown it out I
could have said no I do it all the time. I But you find something
irresistible, that means it can't be resisted. It doesn't mean
you don't try. It doesn't mean you don't try. It can't be resisted. And when
God called you, Bill Raleigh, you couldn't resist. Just, what happened? I found
myself believing on the Son of God. Now understand this. This is not the only reason. This is one great reason. In
this place, we do not practice the stupid, soul-destroying,
God dishonoring things that manipulate folks and try to get them to
become religious and make a profession of faith and tell them they're
saved when they don't know God from a billy goat. No, we preach
the gospel and pray and wait. We preach the gospel and pray
and wait. Children about always, sometime
in their life as young children get afraid, That little girl
right there is going to come to her daddy or granddaddy or
grandma or mama and say, I want to be baptized because she's
scared. She's scared. And if a child comes to me, if
the child comes to me and God's dealt with them, then I'll comply
with that after I've talked to them a while, after they've sat
for a while, listened. But mamas and daddies don't bring
your children to me and expect me to comply with you and soothe
your conscience and baptize them and say, well, now they're saved,
everything's all right. That's damning to them, not helpful
to them. It ain't gonna happen. It ain't gonna happen. Well,
what do you do? You commit them to God's hands
and you wait. If you care for their souls,
you wait. If you care for them, you wait. If you care for God's honor,
you wait. You don't try to manipulate. You don't try to pretend what's
not real. God's call is an effectual call. This is how Paul put it. When it pleased God, who separated
me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, God Almighty separated me from
my mother's womb before ever I drew my first breath. God Almighty said, I loved you
and I sanctified you. Sanctified you to be a preacher.
Before ever I drew my first breath. And I didn't know anything about
it. until he called me by his grace. The call of God is an
effectual, irresistible call of grace. The infinite superabundance
of God's grace in Christ is displayed and experienced and known only
as we are called. I heard about the love of God
and I Heard about the death of Christ, and I heard about election,
and I heard about God's irresistible grace, and I heard about preservation
and perseverance, and I heard all those things. But I could
not be convinced, and I could not convince myself that God
loved me, or that he could. until one day
He revealed His Son in me and called me by His grace. And now I'm convinced God loved
me with an everlasting love. Christ redeemed me with his precious
blood. God made a covenant on my behalf.
God saved me by his grace and I could never perish. God's people
come to know his grace and his mercy and his love when they're
called, but only when they're called. When they're given faith
in Christ, then we know he loved us and called us by his grace. The fact that this call is given
to some and not to others, demonstrates that it's the effect of God's
sovereign distinguishing grace. The fact that this call has spoken
of and illustrated in this book always results in the one being
called, having life and coming to Christ, tells us that it is
a call of infinite efficacy, irresistible by man. Fourth,
those who are the call, are the called of Jesus Christ. Turn to 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy
chapter 4. I'm sorry, chapter 1. Paul wrote to the Romans and
he said, you are the called of Jesus Christ. You are the called
ones. who belong to Christ. You are
the called ones for whom Christ gains the surety. You are the
called ones for whom Christ died. You're the called ones of whom
Christ said, I will bring your children back to you and say,
look, I and the children thou has given me. Here in second
Timothy chapter one, verse nine, Paul is writing to Timothy. He's
writing to his young son in the faith, a young preacher who'd
been called under his ministry and who'd been trained under
his ministry, and he's writing to him for the last time about
the gospel he preached. And he says, God hath saved us
and called us. God hath saved us and called
us with an holy calling. not according to our works, not
according to something we do, but according to his own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began. Now watch this, but is now made
manifest by the appearing of our savior, Jesus Christ, who
hath abolished death and brought life and immortality to light
through the gospel. We're born again, not a corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which lives
and abides forever. And this is the word which by
the gospel is preached to you. So that when the gospel is preached
and God, the Holy Spirit speaks the word as a word of life to
your soul, then this blessed gift of life and salvation is
brought to light in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Believers are the called
of Jesus Christ because God, the Holy Ghost who calls us,
calls those who are redeemed by Christ and they are sent,
or he is sent of God the Son to call out his redeemed ones. So that God's people being called
respond like this. Not unto us, not unto us, O Lord. Unto thy name be glory forever
and ever, for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. All right,
now let me try to answer your question. I've been talking about
this call. Who are these called ones? Who
are those who are called of God? Look back in our text, Romans
8, Romans 8. Those who are the called are
those who were chosen and predestined into salvation in Christ before
the world began. We know, Romans 8, 28, that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose. for whom he did
for those he loved with an everlasting love. He also did predestinate
to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he called, whom
he did predestinate, then he also called, and whom he called,
then he also justified, and whom he justified, then he also glorified. What shall we say then to these
things? If God be for us, who can be
against us. We who are thee called are those vessels of mercy, aforeprepared to glory by God. Everybody else are vessels of
wrath, fitted by their own rebellion and sin and ungodliness for destruction. You see, the whole human race
is one lump of clay, one lump of clay made in the hands of
the potter to be a vessel of wrath or a vessel of mercy. Vessels of wrath are people that
God leaves to themselves. Never called. Never hear God's voice. God never
speaks to you. God never opens your heart. God
never gives you life. God never gives you faith. God
doesn't do anything for you. Oh, how I pity you. I've said this to you before.
I say it again because I hope they'll listen and hear it for
themselves. Those two grandchildren God gave
us, since the moment I found out
they were conceived in the womb, I think I can safely say there's
never been a waking hour When I didn't ask God, God, please,
don't leave them alone. Don't leave them to themselves.
This is what it'll take for you to go to hell, for God to just
not speak to you, just leave you alone. And you fit yourself
for destruction by your willful unbelief. by your rebellion and
sin and ungodliness, by your refusal to hear the outward call,
God just leaves you alone. Vessels of mercy. Vessels of mercy are people prepared
before they get to glory, prepared before they're born, prepared
before the world was, and prepared in time. for glory, prepared
by God's decree, by God's choice, prepared by Christ's obedience,
prepared by Christ's redemption, prepared by the gift of life, prepared by the call of God. Oh, may God now call you. If he calls, you'll come. May
God now draw you. If he draws, you'll come. May God now give you life, raise
you from the dead, and cause you to come forth with joy to
faith in Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.