When I announced to you at the
first of the year that I would try to preach each Sunday morning
this year from some portion of our scripture reading calendar,
I had no idea what I was getting into. Not that it's difficult to find
in each portion something to prepare and preach to you concerning,
but the difficulty is limiting myself to one specific thing. And when I got to Deuteronomy
chapter 7 and read this chapter this week, I thought, I don't
believe this portion of scripture I have ever read with more sweet
delight to my own soul. Deuteronomy chapter 7 verses
1 through 10 will be our text. Deuteronomy 7, verses 1 through
10. My subject is God's free, sovereign,
unconditional, electing love. In this portion of Scripture,
I want you to see clearly in this text and from the Word of
God as a whole, that this doctrine of God's election is taught throughout
the scriptures. God's choice and election of
his people is not the result of something we do, have done,
or might do. Understand this. When we talk
about election, God's choice, God's election of his people
is not the result of something we do, have done, or might do,
but the cause of everything he does, has done, and will do for
us. Election is the fountain of all
grace. All the blessings of grace flow
out to us through the mediation and merit of our Lord Jesus Christ,
our mediator, because God, from the beginning, hath chosen you
to salvation And that's the end of the matter. Election is the
cause of all the grace we enjoy in time and to eternity. Let none be confused in this
regard. All right, let's begin at verse
one. When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land, whither
thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before
thee, Moses is bringing the children of Israel to their memory, all
that God has done for them. And now he tells them that God
shall yet bring them into the land of promise. Though God was
angry with him for their sakes, because when God commanded him
to speak to the rock, he spoke it a second time and did not
sanctify the Lord God before the children of Israel. And now
Moses says God is going to bring you. Into this land of possession
and when it does He's going to drive out many nations before
you in order to give you what he promised God's going to destroy
many nations in order to fulfill his word to you God's going to
destroy the people who live in Canaan's land read on The Hittites,
the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites
and the Hivites and the Jebusites. Seven nations greater and mightier
than thou. What wonderful, distinguishing
grace is displayed here and throughout the book of God to his chosen. God not only chose Israel in
preference to these other nations, He chose Israel and used Israel
to destroy the mightiest monarchies of the world in their day. These seven nations were the
seven strongest richest, most mighty nations in the world in
their day. God said, I will drive them out
and give you what they possess. That's distinct, peculiar, distinguishing
grace. So it is in God's choice of his
people in Christ Jesus, his spiritual Israel, of whom this nation was
but a type and picture. Turn to 1 Corinthians 1. 1 Corinthians
1. Verse 26. For ye see your calling, brethren,
how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, Not
many noble are called. But God hath chosen the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise. And God hath chosen
the weak things of the world to confound the things which
are mighty. And base things of the world and things which are
despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not to bring
to naught things that are. Why on earth does God use such
things as we are? Why on earth does God choose
the men he chooses to preach the gospel, the men and women
he chooses to establish his church and kingdom in the world, the
men and women he uses in their generation? Why such people that
no flesh should glory in his presence? If God uses me for
any good, for anybody in the world, it's God's doing, not
mine. Read on. But of him are ye in
Christ Jesus, who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness
and sanctification and redemption, that according as it is written,
he that gloryeth, let him glory in the Lord. All right, back
to Deuteronomy. Chapter 7, verse 2. And when
the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee, thou shalt
smite them and utterly destroy them. Thou shalt make no covenant
with them, nor show mercy unto them. Wow. What? God says when you go in,
destroy them, man and woman Young person and child, leave none
alive. Show them no mercy. To the carnal
mind, all the Word of God is a confusing mass of contradictions
and things that cannot be explained with reason. It's full of jinns
and snares designed by God to trap, to ensnare, and to trip
up the reprobate who will not believe, that they might stumble
over the stumbling stone, Christ Jesus the Lord, and fall headlong
into hell. These things are not written
by mistake, they're written on purpose. And God Almighty makes
His very Word that you now hear, if you will not believe His Son,
a stumbling stone over which you shall stumble into hell.
Some imagine that this is an example of the way wars ought
to be fought, as if we should fight wars like the Islamists
fight wars. Others read such passages as
this and think it describes a cruel, barbaric law that cannot be explained
on any grounds. But if we read the book as God
the Holy Spirit intends us to read it, Look for that which
is spiritual not that which is carnal and look for everything
That took place in Israel as a picture of God's grace and
goodness in Christ Jesus We will find something here that is sweeter
than honey in the honeycomb The enemies Israel met when they
went into Canaan Those enemies that warred against them all
the time they were there Those enemies they constantly had to
battle were all typical of the spiritual foes warring against
our souls continually in this pilgrimage with our Savior. What are the seven nations that
come out against you and me? Let me just name a few. Vain
imagination. the care of this world. Vile, lust, obscene. Rebellions against our God. Now, I'm not talking about what's
out shining, I'm talking about what's in you. I'm talking about
what's in me. Murmuring and unbelief. the world, the flesh, and the
devil, all in league against us, assault our souls continually. Who would make peace with such
adversaries? They must be given no quarter,
shown no mercy, given no lenience. They must be slain. Therefore,
we are admonished, Crucify the flesh with the affections and
the lust. Mortify, therefore, your members
which are upon the earth. Your members, these things that
are part of you. Fornication and uncleanness,
inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. God's enemies are our enemies. They would rob us of our souls
and rob us of our heavenly inheritance and rob God of his crown as God
and his glory as God. But blessed be God, that shall
not be so. When our God is done. Every enemy
shall be thoroughly expunged from our very nature when we
rise in resurrection glory and we shall at last stand with our
feet on Satan's neck treading him under our feet as God promised
we would in Christ Jesus the Lord. Look at verses 3 and 4. Neither shalt thou make marriages
with them Thy daughter shalt not give, thy daughter thou shalt
not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto
thy son. Now that's pretty plain, isn't
it? That's pretty plain. Don't take
any of the heathen for your wives. Don't give your daughters to
any of the heathen for their wives. That's pretty plain, isn't
it? How come? Well, she's so pretty. She's so sweet. He's so handsome. He's, boy, he's got a good business. Don't do it. For they, notice
the language, will. They will. They will. They will. Not they might. Now, it might happen. Now, they
will. They will turn away thy son from
following me, that they may serve other gods. So will the anger
of the Lord be kindled against you and destroy thee suddenly. You, young people particularly,
Listen to your pastor. Oh. God help you to listen now. I'm 61 years old and I've lived
long enough to have experienced everything you're experiencing
and will experience. And I've discovered that not
too many things are very important. This is this is. What folly you
pursue who choose to ignore this divine prohibition Given both
in the law and in the gospel be turning to 2nd Corinthians
chapter 6 If you choose to take for your
friends and your companions This goes for PJ and Wanda in their
old age. And this goes for you young folks.
And this goes for you moms and dads. If you choose to take for
your friends and your companions, those who hate God, you will
not influence them for good. It will not happen. Well, I've seen it happen. God
does things often to show himself God and uses even the evil acts
of men sovereignly for his glory and the saving of his elect.
You dare not justify rebellion in the name of God's sovereignty. You will not influence them for
good. They will seduce you to evil and turn you from following
Christ. But there's more to this command
than a warning against marrying outside the faith. This is a
warning against any union with idolatry. 2 Corinthians 6, verse
14. Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness? What communion hath light with
darkness? And what concord hath Christ
with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple
of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the
living God. As God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk
in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore, come out from among them. This doesn't mean start
dressing funny. This doesn't mean that you're
not to go see a picture show. This doesn't mean that you're
supposed to talk strange and talk holy and make religious
cliches. No. No, it doesn't mean any of
that. What does it mean? Come out from among them. Abandon
every form of religion that is contrary to the Word of God.
Every form of freewill works religion is idolatry, and you're
to come out of it. Come out from them. Be separate,
saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I'll receive
you, and will be a father unto you, and you shall be my sons
and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. All right, back at
Deuteronomy chapter 7, verse 5. How serious is God about this? But thus shall you deal with
them. You shall destroy their altars,
break down their images, cut down their groves, and burn their
graven images with fire. That's serious. Now, that does
not mean, let me be clear, because some fool will get hold of this
and suggest, Mr. Fortner is suggesting that we
start tearing down church buildings and burn them down. No, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no. Don't do that. It's not ours
to take up the sword against anyone for any reason. Well,
what's he talking about? Destroy idolatry. And you do
it not with carnal weapons of warfare, but with spiritual.
with the preaching of the gospel. God make me like Josiah. Turn
to 2 Chronicles. 2 Chronicles 34. Yeah, 2 Chronicles
34. Young king Josiah was consumed
with zeal for God's glory and his people. Zealous in the destruction
of idolatry. Look at this. Look at this. Something to be said for youthful
zeal. Josiah was eight years old when
he began to reign and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years
and he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and
walked in the ways of David his father and Declined neither to
the right hand nor to the left Wow What a young man what a king,
you know Verse three for in the eighth year of his reign While
he was yet young, he was 16 years old, Bobby. 16 year old king. A 16 year old
king. He began to purge Judah. I'm sorry. He began to seek after
the God of David, his father. And in the 12th year, when he
was 18 years old, he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from
the high places and the groves and the carved images and the
molten images. And they broke down the altars
of Balaam in his presence. The images that were on high
above them, he cut down. And the groves and the carved
images and the molten images, he break in pieces and made dust
of them. And then he stowed it upon the
graves of them who had sacrificed to him. All right. Back in Deuteronomy
7, verse 6. If thou art for that, I'm sorry,
not if, for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God,
the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto
himself above all people that are upon the face of the earth. Now let me camp here a little
bit Here Moses God's servant dared to tell the children of
Israel three things about themselves Three things that God the Holy
Spirit inspired him to declare These three things I declare
to you who are God's Israel Has God circumcised you in your
heart? Has God called you by His grace?
Has God given you faith in Jesus Christ? You are the Israel of
God. You are the sons of Abraham.
You are the children of the covenant. And this is what God, the Holy
Spirit, says to you who believe on His Son. You are a holy people
unto the Lord your God. A holy people unto the Lord your
God. The children of Israel, man alive. I look at those fellas and Bill,
I have a tough time thinking that's folks I would call holy. I have a tough time with that.
Don't you? See how they behaved themselves.
See how they murmured and complained and didn't believe God. See how
they were covetous and envious. See how they longed for the leeks
in Egypt. These are a holy people. Well,
Brother Don, these were ceremonially holy. Yeah, but they were pictures
of them. They were a picture of you who
are God's Israel. And God says you are a holy people
unto the Lord. Here I am, a man whom God says
is holy. And sometimes I can get aggravated,
I can smack somebody over dropping something on my sleeve. You too. You too. Over nothing. Over nothing. Well, how on earth can it be
said that you're holy? made holy by free grace. The perfect righteousness of
God's Son, Jesus Christ, the Lord, has been freely imputed
to you in free justification so that God Almighty puts the
righteousness of Christ on you who believe. He imputes it to
you before you believe. He did that at Calvary when Christ
accomplished justification. And he puts it on you experimentally
when you believe on his son. But there's more to it than just
an imputed righteousness. There's more to it than just
wearing the garments of salvation. More to it than just having a
robe of righteousness. In the new birth, in regeneration,
In sanctification, which is the new birth, God the Holy Spirit
imparts the righteousness of Christ to you. He's given you
a new nature, a holy nature. So that you're made partakers
of the divine nature That's the reason for the warfare that goes
on in you because that which you are by nature Now has that
in you which god by his grace has created in you a new man
created in righteousness And true holiness and the two are
constantly at longer heads Constantly warring one against another But
you are a holy people unto the Lord your God, so that God behold
you in his Son. Now, Joe, this is not imaginary. You're in his Son. Do you believe
the Son of God? You're in Christ Jesus, one with
Christ. And when I say God behold you
in his Son, I'm not saying God pretends that you're in his Son.
I'm saying God behold you in his Son as I behold that hand
in my body. The two cannot be separated.
And God beholding you in his son says you're holy. Then it
doesn't much matter what hell says. God says you're a holy
people unto the Lord. The Lord your God secondly we're
told has chosen you. Chosen you. Chosen you. Imagine that. You. Chosen you. Chosen you? Chosen me? God's chosen you. Of all people, God chose me. This book speaks about a people
special and distinct. Separate from all people in the
world. called the chosen These chosen ones are God's elect The
people he has chosen unto salvation They are redeemed by the precious
blood of Christ because they're chosen They must and shall be
regenerated called and saved because they're chosen They shall
be preserved and everlasting glory. They cannot perish because
they're chosen. They cannot be lost because they're
chosen. They cannot be condemned because
they're chosen. The chosen are uniquely special
to God because they're chosen. Oh, thank God for free, sovereign,
wondrous, electing love. We are chosen by him in Christ
Jesus. It is not that I did choose thee,
for Lord, that could not be. This heart would still refuse
thee, hadst thou not chosen me. My heart owns none before thee. For thy rich grace I thirst,
this knowing, if I love thee. Thou must have loved me first. All right. Deuteronomy seven
or six. Here's the third thing Moses
tells us here, the Lord God chose you to be a special people unto
himself above all the people of the earth. Now, unlike you, I rarely accept
what I'm preaching, as a place where I'm not familiar with folks,
I rarely run across people who want to argue with me about the
gospel of God's grace. But I remember when you would
try to talk to folks about election, I was in college, even in high
school, I talked to them about God's election and this wondrous
thing you think. You learn about God's election,
you wonder, well, man, why would anybody object to this? Why?
Why? Why would anybody get upset with
this? And then you find out when you talk about election to religious
people, you'd be better off to spit at them. Oh, election. Well, you you must think you're
special. You must think you're special.
And you know how I would respond. So, no, no, no, no, that's not
it at all. You know how I'd respond now?
I'd say, you're right, I am. Yes, sir. Special to God. Special to God. Did you hear
that one? You're special to God. Special
to God. Special to God. Oh, my brother, my sister, God
has chosen us sinners such as we are. To be a special people
unto himself. That means we're his. You're
not your own. You've been bought with a price.
Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which
are God. You're bought with a price. Be not the servants of men. But
we're special to God. Special to God. All my life. Growing up. I was never special to anybody
for anything. not even to myself. You know about a child raised
with an inferiority complex. I would dead certain prison,
jail, or hell would be my portion forever. But God Almighty chose me. to be special to Him. Let me
tell you what that word means. It's a word bursting with meaning.
It means that you are God's peculiar treasure. God's choice treasure. It means
that you are God's jewels. They shall be mine in that day
when I make up my jewels, he said. You are God's most valued
property. As Paul put it, we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus under good works. You're God's masterpieces. God's masterpieces. Brother Dan Parks and I, Raised
in the same town with him, James and I. And Dan introduced me
once, a little embarrassing, but true. He said, you wouldn't know this was the
same man. God's masterpieces. God's masterpieces. God's masterpieces. His best work. and you're under
his watchful eye, his protection, his constant care. All right,
read on. Verse seven, learn that God's
eternal choice of his people to salvation in Christ was an
unconditional election of grace. The Lord did not set his love
upon you nor choose you because you were more in number than
any people. For you were the fewest of all people. Nothing
special about you. There wasn't anything in you
to catch his eye. There wasn't anything about you that drew
his attention. God didn't choose us and he doesn't save us because
of our works. He chose us. His choice of us
was not based upon foreseen merit or foreseen faith or foreseen
choice of Christ. Our only merit before God is
Christ. Our choice of him is the result
of him choosing us. Our faith in him is the fruit
and result of his election. Our love for him is because he
first loved us. God has saved us and called us
with an holy calling, not according to works, but according to his
own purpose and grace, which has given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began. Listen to this hymn that John
Kent wrote many, many years ago. It was with an everlasting love
that God, his own elect, embraced before he made the worlds above
or earth on her huge columns placed. Oh, love, how high thy
glory swell, how great, immutable and free. Ten thousand sins as
black as hell are swallowed up. Oh, love in thee. Loved when
a wretch defiled with sin at war with heaven in league with
hell a slave to every lust of seed The living live but to rebel
Deliver here thy comfort stands from first to last salvation's
free and everlasting love demands an everlasting song from thee
the verse a Moses tells us that God's election
A free, sovereign election. Do you ask, well, why would God
choose me? Here's the answer. Because the Lord loved you. Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated. And this is how God explains
it. The children had him done neither good nor evil. that the
purpose of God according to election might stand. He said, the elder
shall serve the younger, for it is written, Jacob have I loved,
but Esau have I hated. Why did God choose Bob Duff?
Because he would. Because he would, that's all.
But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the
oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought
you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house
of bondman and from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt." Let
me read you something I got from Robert Hawker commenting on this
verse. Hawker said, I hardly know a passage in the Old Testament
more sweetly expressive of the freeness and sovereignty of grace
and more encouraging at the same time to the mind of every poor
sinner inquiring after his grace. Dear Jesus, and are all the numberless
proofs of thy mercy towards thy people, the sole result of thy
father's everlasting love, thine own most free unmerited grace,
and the blessed spirit's fellowship. Lord, help me to keep these gracious
testimonies in view, to comfort my soul in dark and trying hours. Look at verse 8 again. and learn
that God's election is effectual. Because the Lord loved you. You got that? Because he loved
you. Because he would keep the oath
which he had sworn to your fathers. Because of these things hath
the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you
out of the house of bondman and from the hand of Pharaoh King
of Egypt. God's choice of Israel was the
thing that calls them to be redeemed with the blood of the Passover
lamb and redeemed by the power of his outstretched arm brought
across the Red Sea and into freedom from Pharaoh and his armies.
It was God's choice of Israel that took them down to Egypt,
preserved them in Egypt, Redeemed them from Egypt and brought them
out of Egypt. So it is with you and me Because
he loved you Bobby Estes He preserved you through all the days of your
rebellion having redeemed you with the blood of his son because
he loved you and Called you by his grace at the appointed time
of love because he loved you the verse 9 Know therefore that
the Lord thy God, he is God. Who's God? This great faithful
covenant, keeping God a free, sovereign, unconditional, electing
love. He is God, the faithful God.
But what about God who tries to say he's not God? What about
Jesus who tries to redeem? He's not God. What about the
Holy Spirit who wants you pretty pleased to accept Jesus? He's
not God. This is God. Know therefore that
the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth
covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments
to a thousand generations. Oh, this is our God. started reading this morning,
countless passages speak of God's faithfulness. Many times the
book declares he is faithful. He is faithful. He is faithful. For 45 years since he called
me by his grace, I have proved his faithfulness. When I was 17 years old, I recall
preaching about God's faithfulness. And I got down some things and
studied them out and looked up the scriptures and I could tell
you the truth. What I said was true. He's faithful. But oh, now I know God is faithful. And I'm not telling you what
I've learned out of a book. I'm telling you what I've learned
from this book in my heart's experience by God's faithfulness. He's faithful. Faithful to his
son. Faithful to his covenant. Faithful
to his word. Faithful to us. Even in our unfaithfulness to
him. He's faithful. This is what he
says. If we believe not, Yet he abideth
faithful, he cannot deny himself. God is faithful by whom you were
called under the fellowship of his son, Jesus Christ our Lord. The Lord is faithful, the Lord
is faithful, who will establish you and keep you. The Lord's faithful, he's faithful. Then in verse 10, God's faithful
servant spoke to those who heard him, those immortal souls standing
before him, as I must speak to you faithfully. Now listen to me. Listen to me. Oh, God help you who believe
not. Hear me. Hear me. Trust the Lord Jesus Christ. And all this salvation is yours. Because the Lord chose you. Because the Lord chose you. Because
the Lord loved you. Trust him. And trusting him,
you prove your election, your redemption, and your calling.
Do you find yourself believing on the Son of God? It's because
the Lord chose you, and the Lord redeemed you, and the Lord's
now called you by His grace. Trust Him. Oh, God graciously
compelled you to trust Him, and this salvation's yours. But I've
got to say this, too. If you refuse to trust the Son
of God, if you go on living with your
fist, shoved in God's face. If you go on in your God hating
rebellion and perish in your sins hating God. All the horrid evil and torment
you have ever imagined hell to be and indescribably more shall
be your just reward forever. Damned, damned, damned you shall
be by God himself justly. Verse 10 reads, God repayeth
them that hate him to their face, to destroy them. He will not
be slack to him that hateth him. He will repay him to his face. But not God's elect. Oh, thank
God for free, unconditional, sovereign, electing love. Who shall condemn to endless
flames the chosen people of our God, since in the book of life,
their names are written in the Savior's blood. Christ, for the
sins of his elect, has full atonement completely made. And justice
never can expect that the same debt should twice be paid. Neither
the craft and powers of hell, according to God's faithful word,
nor all the sins that in us dwell, can separate us from our Lord.
Nothing in life, nothing in death, no powers on earth, no powers
above. Our God has sworn that the God
of truth can change his purposes of love. His sovereign mercy
knows no end. His faithfulness shall yet endure.
And those who on his word depend shall find his word forever sure. Amen.