Let's open our Bibles again tonight
to John chapter 15. John the 15th chapter. In this place, we make no apology
ever for preaching from this pulpit incessantly and wherever
God gives an open door of utterance for the gospel. for preaching
the gospel doctrine of God's free sovereign election. My subject tonight is electing
love. Our text will be John 15 and
verse 16. There's no question, no question
at all, this book teaches the doctrine of election. There's
just no question about that. Anyone who reads the book, has
got to be faced with the fact this book teaches election. Any
preacher or anyone else who says the Bible doesn't teach election
either hasn't read the book or they forgot what they read or
they're just liars. There's nothing in between. It's
written on every page in the book as plain as the nose on
your face. And it's high time that folks
who who claim to believe this book Demand that this book be
preached by those who are their pastors and their teachers and
their leaders And it's high time that preachers who claim to believe
this book preach this glorious Gospel doctrine apart from which
there is no gospel apart from which there is no good news You
may or may not know this and I'll give it to you for what
it's worth. I Most every major Protestant denomination, as well
as Baptist, have in their creed very plain, clear statements
with regard to the doctrine of election. The Westminster Confession
of Faith, which is the confession of faith that Presbyterians say
they believe, plainly teaches this, not here and there, but
throughout the confession. The 39 articles of the Church
of England, as near papacy as they are today, the Church of
England was established by folks who believed and taught the gospel
doctrine of God's sovereign election. Names like John Owen. and Augustus
Toplady, and John Newton, and John Berridge, and I could go
on and on and on, men who were Anglicans, who plainly, clearly
taught this gospel doctrine. And certainly, Baptist churches,
historically, have claimed to believe this. In this part of
the country, the popular Baptist or Southern Baptist, largest
Protestant denomination in North America, Southern Baptist. Let
me tell you a little story. Brother Rupert Ravenbart was
called to be pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Spring Lake,
North Carolina. Oh, this has been 30 years or
more ago. And it was a Southern Baptist
Church. They called him as pastor. And Rupert went and preached
to them. And they asked him to be their pastor. He said, no,
I'll preach to you for a year. And then you decide whether you
want me to be your pastor or not. And he preached to them
for a year, preached the gospel of God's grace. And they called
him his pastor. And six months later, folks began
to hear what he was saying. And they wanted to put him out.
And they had church meeting after church meeting after church meeting
and tried to put him out. I mean, you know how Baptist
churches do. They keep everybody on the church
roll, whoever visited. And they'd shake the woods and
fill the building up and try to get him voted out. And it
didn't work. And somebody found out in the state of North Carolina
that if just one person in a congregation Charges a pastor who's been called
as a church with heresy that is with denying what the church
Says it believes on paper then that pastor could be put out
in a court of law So they're gonna take Rupert to court. I
Have I recall going down there during this time and I I told
my man I'd give it to him I wouldn't put up with this nonsense. But
anyway, he wasn't about to go to court with him But he went
down to Wake Forest Seminary down in Wake Forest, North Carolina,
not Wake Forest University. This is a little community down
south of where he is. Wake Forest Seminary, Southern
Baptist Seminary, liberal seminary. and got going through their old
records and got their old books, their old things written on which
the Southern Baptist Convention was established particularly
in Harnett County, North Carolina where they're located. And he
got the documents and went to see the lawyer that was hired
to take him to court and get rid of it. And he walked in the
office and the lawyer said, this is not right, I can't see you.
He said, I don't want to talk to you about anything, I just
want you to read something. And he opened up the books and just
read the passages that are marked. That afternoon, Rupert got a
call. The case had been dropped. The
lawyer had called those folks, trying to put him out, and said,
you don't have a leg to stand on. Said, what this man's preaching
is exactly what you said historically you believe. This is not some
new doctrine. It's not something radical. It
is plainly taught in Holy Scripture. It has been confessed by men
through the ages, particularly by Baptists in this country,
and is denied universally by men who themselves stand in pulpits,
built and established by folks who said they believe what this
book teaches about election. And I want us tonight to recognize
what the word teaches, and may God give us grace to rejoice
in it. There are many women in this world specifically designated
as God's elect, the chosen, the chosen. You folks think you're
the chosen. No, we know it. The chosen people
specifically chosen of God unto eternal life in Jesus Christ,
the Lord, before the world began. Those chosen ones. were redeemed
by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, God's son,
died in the room instead of his chosen, only his chosen, no one
but his chosen. Why would he die for folks he
hadn't chosen? That doesn't make a lick of sense.
He died for his chosen ones. Do you know why? Because they
were chosen. Just that simple. In John chapter
10, the Lord is declaring this gospel doctrine of election,
talking about his sheep, and talking about laying down his
life for the sheep. And the religious Pharisees around him said, we
don't like what you're saying. He said, I wasn't talking to
you. You're not in my sheep. You believe not because you're
not in my sheep. Now, you can make do with that
whatever you want to, but that's what he said. Ye believe not
because ye are not of my sheep. No question. Men and women do
not believe because they don't want to. If you're here tonight
and you don't believe the Son of God, it's because you choose
not to believe and that's your responsibility. But you will
never believe unless he's chosen you. Our Lord didn't say, you're
not my sheep because you don't believe. He said, you believe
not because you're not of my sheep. These chosen ones, all
of them, no exception, must and shall be regenerated and called
and saved by God the Holy Spirit at God's appointed time of love.
All of them. Every sinner chosen of God shall
be called of God. Every sinner redeemed by the
blood of Christ shall be called, effectually, irresistibly called. They and they only. You know
why? Because they're chosen. They're
chosen. Those chosen ones shall be called. Well, but brother Don, doesn't
the Lord call everybody? Where did you ever get that idea?
Whoever, whoever dreamed up such a notion. Paul wanted to go over
and preach to some folks. And he said the spirit of God
forbade us. That's what he said. He wouldn't
let us go preach to Him. Not even preach the gospel to
Him, let alone to Him be called. No! Only God's chosen are called
by the Spirit. The call of the Spirit is not
the Holy Spirit sort of giving you a nudge toward God. The call
of the spirit is the effectual, irresistible call of God by which
sinners are called to come to Christ because they're born of
the spirits. They're chosen and they must
be called. These chosen ones. They and they
alone shall be preserved under everlasting glory. They shall
not perish because they're chosen. They cannot be lost. because
they're chosen. They cannot be condemned because
they're chosen. Well, Brother Don, that sounds
like there are some people who are God's peculiar people. That's
it. His peculiar, distinctly his. Under his care, because they're
chosen. Under his care. My friend, brother
Ian Potts, his wife, Rachel, after she's had two miscarriages,
they've got two sons, but they had two miscarriages in recent
years. She just gave birth to a son, a third son. And I wrote
to him and said, it is my prayer that God will hedge him about
with his grace. And this I know, all the chosen
are hedged about by God's grace. so that the Lord God says, they
shall not escape. They shall not escape from me. They are God's peculiar hedged
about people, the chosen, chosen of God. Here in John 15 on the
night before his crucifixion, In order to comfort and encourage
and strengthen his disciples, he told them about his marvelous
electing love in these words, ye have not chosen me. He's talking to these disciples,
these men who had forsaken all and followed him. These men who
left their nets and left their fathers and left their families
and left their livelihoods and followed him. He said, you didn't
choose me. You didn't choose the thing that
distinguished you from other folks who heard my words and
saw my works is not that you chose me. You have not chosen
me, but I have chosen you. The reason you're here. Rejoicing
in the gospel of God's grace because he chose you He chose
you Do you understand that you rejoice in that? Ye have not
chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you Ordained
you that you should go and bring forth fruit I've ordained you to bring forth
fruit now If I've ordained you to bring forth fruit, you're
going to bring forth fruit. It's described for us in Galatians
called love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness,
meekness, faith, temperance. You bring forth fruit because
your branches in the vine and the father purges the branch
that's in the vine that it should bring forth fruit, bring forth
much fruit and that your fruit should remain. that whatsoever
you shall ask of my father in my name, he may give it you. This is God's free, sovereign
election of all his own in Christ Jesus. Thank God for this marvelous
work of grace. In verse nine, our Savior assures
us of his infinite love for us. He says, as the father hath loved
me, So have I loved you. Then he says, continue ye in
my love. That is, because I have loved
you, because I now assure you of my love for you, you live
continually in the confident assurance of my love, trusting
me. He's not giving us a command
to obey. He's giving us an assurance of
grace. Continue ye in my love. And then our ever-blessed Savior
tells us in verse 11, that he spoke these sweet words of grace
to us, that his joy might remain in us and that our joy might
be full. Now look at verse 13. Here the
Lord tells us some things that ought to, sure enough, make our
joy full. Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are
my friends. You are my friends. The Son of God says to David
Peterson, you're my friend. God spoke to Abraham as a man
speaks with his own friend. He called Abraham the friend
of God. That's not all. He called Don
Ramnery the friend of God. Ye are my friends. I have a lot
of friends around the world. And I'm honored to be named their
friend. I'm honored to be your friend. But oh, what honor is this? God,
the son calls me his friend. You are my friends. You are my
friends. If you do whatsoever I command
you, uh-oh, now there's a warning. There's a warning. Remember,
he said, these things I've spoken to you that my joy might remain
in you and that your joy may be full. So you spend the rest
of your life trying to figure out whether or not you've done
my commandments sufficiently to be my friend. Does that make
any sense? I don't find any joy there. I
don't find any joy there. I recall some years ago, my first,
it was on family radio back in the early 90s. A fellow from
up northeast up in New York used to come down here and visit fairly
often. He attended one of these churches, legalist churches,
where a fellow got the whip of the law out and scourged him
real good. He was sitting out on our deck one day, his hands
over his face, head between his knees almost. He said, oh, every
Sunday I go to church. I just feel so beat down. And he kept on it. I said, why
don't you quit going? Why go somewhere and get beat
down all the time? The Lord's not beating us down
here. He's giving us a word of grace.
You're my friends. If you do what I command you.
Well, how on earth are you going to do what he commands you? How
are you going to do what he commands you? This is his commandment. that you'd believe on his name. That's his commandment. And in
believing Christ, we offer to God that which God requires of
us, perfect obedience and perfect satisfaction. This is my commandment. Now, verse 50. Henceforth, I
call you not servants, you who believe. You who believe, you
who do my commands, you who do what I told you to do, I call
you not servants. For the servant knoweth not what
his master doeth, but I've called you friends. Now watch this. For all things that I have heard
of my father, I have made known unto you. That doesn't mean I've
told it to you. That didn't mean I I came down
here and told you everything Father told me. That means all
that I've heard of my Father, I have caused you to know. You who believe are men and women
who are effectually taught of God. And those who are taught
of God come to Christ. And coming to Christ have life
everlasting. You're my friends. Know that
you're my friends. because I've taught you to trust
me. Know that you're my friends because
I've given you faith in me. Now look at verse 60. Here our
Lord tells us the source, the fountain, the cause of all this
blessedness, of all these marvelous works of his grace, He laid down
his life for us. He made us his friends. He made
all things known to us. He bestows all grace upon us
because of his free electing love. You have not chosen me,
but I have chosen you. Now, this is the one thing I
want you to get in this message. The one thing I want you to see
tonight from this text and from the scriptures as a whole. This
doctrine taught throughout the book of God is plain and clear. Our Savior's choice of us, his
election of his people, is not the result of something we do.
It's not the result of something we have done or something we
might do. Rather, it is the cause of everything
he does, has done, and shall do for us. His election is the
result of nothing. It is the cause of everything.
His election, His choosing us, is not that He looked out somehow
in the long telescope of time with His omniscient eye knowing
everything and saw what we would do for Him, therefore He chose
us. Why, that's absurd. Oh no, His
election is the cause of all that He does for us and in us
and with us by His grace. Turn back to Psalm 65. Psalm
65. We're going to look at a little
scripture tonight. This is exactly what the psalmist tells us. Psalm
65 and verse four. Blessed is the man. Read it like
this. Oh, the blessedness of the man.
This is a word of astonishment. David, David is singing here.
His heart erupts with praise to God by inspiration of God,
the Holy Spirit, with delight and joy. Oh, the blessedness
of the man whom thou choosest and callsest to approach unto
thee. Our daughter and son-in-law have
got dogs. Some of you have seen it run
around here at times. Faith went and got this dog for the kids
several years ago, brought it by the house, went over to Lancaster
and bought a dog. It's a cockapoo, a cockapoo. That's an ugly, dumb hound with
curls. And she brought it by the house
and she talked about how little it is and how it was going to
ask for honey. Do you know what a cocker spaniel is? She said,
yeah. I said, I mean, do you know what
it is? She's, what? I says, a hound. I said, you
know what you teach a hound to do? And she, what? Nothing. Nothing. A hound does what it wants to.
It comes to you when it's hungry. And that's all. That's all. Good
hunting dog, that's all. She said, well, it's going to
be just a little thing. I said, you see his paws? He's going
to be about that high. And do you know how often that
dog will come to them when they call him? Never. They have to set traps for him.
I'm not joking. Dog gets out. They've got to
go corner him and then hook something to it and drag him home. That's
kind of what he's talking about here. Blessed is the man whom
thou choosest and callsest to approach unto thee. You mean
God saves sinners against their will? Yes, with their complete
consent. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power. He comes, he traps us by his
grace, hedges us about in his providence, traps us by his grace,
and lays his hand in our hearts, revealing Christ in us. And suddenly,
us dead dog sinners such as we are, are glad to come to the
Savior. made willing in the day of thy
power. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and calls us to
approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts. We shall
be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy
temple. But Pastor, here election is
spoken of as being in the present tense. There's a reason for that.
Though it was done before the world began, Election is not
known by anyone until it's experienced in the regenerating, converting
grace of God. You don't know your election
until you're called. You can't know your election
until God gives you faith. So I believe he's one of God's
elect. Well, that's nice, but that doesn't
do anything. I just don't believe God will ever save him. Well,
that's bad, but that doesn't change anything. No, you don't
know your election until you're called. Well, I what evidences
are he's one of the Lord's Where did you see that? Where did you
get that notion? Oh, no election is not known
until grace is experienced When I lived in West Virginia When
I left there, they still had open range laws. They weren't
commonly practiced. As a matter of fact, I don't
know of anyone who practiced open range or used open range laws.
But some years back, folks said cattle better run in the open
range. They were their cattle. They
had their brand on them. But they ran in the open range
until roundup time. And then they'd go out and gather
in their cattle. They were their cattle already.
They had been in the open range and they would go cut their cattle
out from among all the rest. That's the call of God. He comes
by His grace and cuts out His sheep from among all the goats,
calling them by His grace. Notice the progression of grace
here. Runs through this verse of scripture
so beautifully. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest. That's God's election from eternity. And calls us to approach unto
thee. That's the irresistible saving grace. The effectual call
of God's spirit. That he may dwell in thy courts. Sinners chosen and called by
grace are caused to dwell. not to visit, but to dwell in
the courts of the Lord, to dwell in the courts of divine worship. Those who are chosen and called
by the grace of God to life and faith in Christ are kept and
preserved by that same grace unto eternal glory. And we shall
forever abide in our Savior's love because he says, I have
chosen you. But there's more. Election is
the source and cause of that everlasting happiness and glory
that awaits us in the world to come. Look at what the psalmist
says. We shall be satisfied with the
goodness of thine house, even of thy holy temple. The Lord's
house and temple in the Old Testament were typical of Christ. typical
of heaven, typical of God's salvation in its completeness and our everlasting
nearness to him. This is true blessedness. This
blessedness, according to our text, is because he chose us. No wonder David wrote all the
blessedness of the man whom thou choosest and causes to approach
unto thee. There's this blessedness, as
David considered what God had done for him, choosing him, choosing
him out of the house of Jesse, a young shepherd boy. Nobody
suspected God might have chosen him. Samuel comes down to anoint
David as king, and he asked Jesse, said, said, bring your sons in
here. God's chosen one of them to be king. And he brings all
of David's brothers in there. No, no, no, no. Don't you have any more? Well,
yeah, but that's David. What would God want with David?
He's just a boy. Get him! And David comes in,
and the Lord said, Arise and anoint him, for this is he. David brings the ark of God up
to Jerusalem. And as he sees salvation in that
ark, sees the finished work of Christ represented in that place
of atonement, he leaps and dances before all of Israel. And he
said, this is the reason God chose me. He didn't choose Saul. God chose me. God chose me on
his deathbed as he lays dying and his house is in disarray. His house is a shambles, his
house is I got a house full of rebels. Got a house full of rebels. Got one son who knows God. One of his wives who knows God.
Everybody else in his house rebels. Everybody. Everybody in his house. I get so sick of these legalistic
Pharisee preachers. Talk, well, if you if you believe
God, if if you really believe God, if you really walk by faith,
your children would believe God. They'd be good children to go
ask David. The man after God's own heart,
go ask David. He lays on his deathbed and said,
although my house be not so with God, nothing turned out the way
I planned it. Nothing turned out the way I
wanted it. Nothing. Yet he hath made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things and sure, and this is all my
salvation and all my desire, though he make it not to grow.
That is, though I don't yet see the fullness of it, though I
don't yet see everything in it accomplished, this is all my
salvation and all my desire. God chose some to salvation in
eternal election before the world began. Now, I don't understand
the thinking of men. I have never known anyone to
get upset when you talk to them about elect angels. The book talks about elect angels.
Do you know who was reserved from the fall when Lucifer led
one third of the host of heaven astray? The elect angels. And all that were not elect angels
were damned forever, reserved in chains of darkness with no
hope of life. I never heard anybody get upset
with that. Do you know why? Because nobody wants the angels
to be God. Nobody. I never heard of anyone
getting upset with John writing to the elect lady. That elect
lady said, well, that was an individual woman who was distinguished
by God's grace. I think that's what he's talking
about. Well, that was a church that he's speaking to. That was
a whole group of people. OK, I'll take that. That's all
right. But I never anybody get upset with it. Never anybody
get upset with that. Never heard of anyone get upset
with John talking about the nation of Israel. being God's elect. Do you realize that for 2000
years from the calling of Abram until the coming of our Lord?
No one except the Jews had any revelation from God. Nobody had
the law except the Jews. Nobody had a prophet except the
Jews. Nobody had the sacrifices except
the Jews. Nobody had a priest except the
Jews. Nobody had a Sabbath day except the Jews Nobody and I've
never heard tell of anyone being upset because God chose the Jews
There in the Old Testament now you have some argument today
But with regard to Old Testament scripture and prophecy never
tell of anyone who claimed to believe this book getting upset
with that but you come to talk about elect men and elect women
and People are enraged They're enraged. I recall some years
ago, there's a fellow came to church at Lookout when I was
pastor there. And he sat and listened to me preach
for a while. And he retired over in Ohio somewhere. He retired, moved back to Lookout,
and he listened to me preach for three years. For three years. And as you know, I don't I don't
talk like I've got meal in my mouth. I generally say things
pretty plain. He came out the door one day and his head was
red, his bald headed fella, and his veins were popping out. I
mean, just gripping his teeth. He said, you're preaching election.
I said, Frank, what on earth do you think I've been preaching
ever since you've been here? You ain't ever preached that before. Soon as he heard the word, And
God caused him to know I'm talking about something that puts him
off the throne. Something that makes salvation
God's work and not your work. God's will and not your will.
He's enraged. How come? Why do people get upset
with talking about God choosing some to salvation and not others?
Because every man wants himself to be God. That's how come. Every man wants himself to be
God. He wants the place of God in
the house of God so that he's worshipped as though he were
God. And preachers, by and large,
are happy enough to placate them. Just put a little money in the
offering plates. It's nauseating. It's nauseating. The book makes
it plain. Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain
and Abel. The Lord chose Abel and Cain
was reprobate. Years rolled by and all the earth,
probably, probably, At least as populous as it is today, probably. That's some speculation on my
part, but it's best speculation I can give. When God destroyed
the world in the days of Noah, there were as many people living
then as are right now. Do you know how many knew God? Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. You mean all those other people
are wrong? It's high time you learn something. All those other
people are always wrong. They're always wrong. Don't get
your understanding of what's right or good or what is gospel
or spiritual by the opinions of men. Those other people are
always wrong. You mean you're the only one
right? No, God's the only one right. There's a big difference.
There's a big difference. Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. Noah and his family saved by
that ark. Everyone else was left to perish. God came to Ur of the Chaldees
and called a man by the name of Abram out of his father's
house and left everybody else to perish. Abram and lots lot
learning the gospel from Abram The Lord God chose Israel the
smallest of all nations To be the nation to whom he would reveal
himself and by whom he would make a picture and type of his
church Through whom the Redeemer would come out of whom out of
Zion Christ would come into this world in Zion all God's people
would be born there and The Lord God chose Israel and passed by
others. All other nations left in darkness. He chose Joseph, but not Pharaoh. Elections written everywhere
in this book. The scriptures make this message
abundantly plain and clear. Let me just read one text to
you and I'll wrap the message up. Our Lord said in Matthew
twice, many are called, but few are chosen. You turn to Romans
chapter nine. He said twice in the book of Matthew, many are
called, but few are chosen. He said, when he thought about
God calling some and leaving others, God saving some and leaving
others to themselves. God sending the gospel now to
the Gentile world and casting off the nation of Israel. You
remember how the master spoke? I thank thee. Oh, father, Lord
of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent and has revealed them unto babes. Even so, father, for so it seemed
good in thy sight. Now here in Romans chapter 9,
the Apostle Paul writes by divine inspiration and he explains to
us, he gives us an inspired explanation of God's whole work in this world. The calling of Israel, the casting
aside of Israel, of God giving the light of the Old Testament
scriptures to that nation alone and then God sending blindness
to that nation. God hardening their hearts, casting
them off that the gospel might go into all the Gentile world.
Here's what he says. Romans nine verse 11 for the
children being not yet born. Wonder why I said that read the
next line, neither having done any good or evil. Now, if you
were to read what they actually did after they were born, And
I encourage you to do so. Pick up in Genesis chapter 23
and start reading. And read about these children
who were born. These children Jacob and Esau. Jacob was a mama's boy. You fellas, and I realize I'm
not in politically correct territory these days. You fellas growing
up, did you ever see a mama's boy you want to be around? Ever. Mama's boy had a tough time when
I was growing up. They had a tough time and they stayed mama's boys. We kind of saw to it. They just
had a tough time. Jacob was mama's boy. He was
a conniver. He was deceitful. He was cunning. He was selfish. I can't think
of one commendable trait realized in Jacob till God saved him.
Can you? Not one thing. Esau, ha! That's
the boy every daddy wants. He was a hunter. He was skilled. He was big. He was strong. Ha,
Esau! That's his daddy's favorite.
But lest you think that elections got something to do with what
you are or what you do, neither having done any good or evil. Here's God's picture of election.
The children being not yet born, having done nothing good or evil
for this reason. Watch it now that the purpose
of God, according to election, might stand not of works, but
of him that calleth. It was said to her, the elder
shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I loved a little less. But I don't think
I read that right, did I? That's not what it says. Now,
I know the preachers and theologians try their best to twist this,
make it say something else. That's not what it says. Esau
have I hated. What does that mean? Do you remember
what the Lord says to you who come to follow him? Except a
man hate his mother and sister and brother and father, yea,
in his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. What does that
mean? That means you give no regard
to anything but him. And this is what God says concerning
Jacob and Esau. I don't give regard to anybody
but Jacob. Esau doesn't count. Esau, he's
insignificant. Esau is like the sons of hell.
All he's here for is to serve Shem and Japheth. God's elect,
God's chosen. Esau, have I hated. Verse 14. Well, what are you going to say
to this? What are you going to say to this? You start talking
to somebody about election. Tomorrow morning, you go to the
service station, you sit down at a breakfast table somewhere,
and you have a cup of coffee with a neighbor or friend. Our
pastor last night preached a sermon to us about election. God choosing
us to salvation before the world was. This will be the first thing
out of their mouth. Well, how could you believe that?
That's not right. That's not right. That's just not that's
not fair. Who are you to sit in judgment
over God Almighty? And yet this is exactly what
the Holy Spirit anticipates men would say. What should we then
say to these things? Watch it. Is there unrighteousness
with God? Is this unrighteous? Is this
wrong? It's just not right for God to
choose one and not another. Is it not lawful, God says, for
me to do with my own what I will? God forbid. For he saith to Moses,
as Moses said, Lord, show me your glory. What is it that distinguishes
you as the hallowed God of heaven? Your glory. What sets you apart
from all the imaginary gods of men? Moses, listen to me, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then, this is the conclusion
of the matter. This thing we call salvation
is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God
that showeth mercy. You mean all of this was done
and all of this was revealed in all the Old Testament scriptures
and all the experience of Israel that we might come to this conclusion
that God's salvation doesn't have anything to do with what
you do. I believe that's what we just read, isn't it? That
God's salvation doesn't depend on your will. I believe that's
what we just read. That God's salvation doesn't
hinge on your works. I believe that's what we just
read in Romans 9 16. If you want to see another illustration
he gives you what for the scripture saith unto pharaoh Pharaoh boy
ain't but one reason you're on this earth Hey, but one reason you're here
the only reason the only reason Even for this same purpose have
I raised thee up that I might show my power in thee, and that
my name might be declared throughout all the earth." Boy, you look at Pharaoh and
the Egyptian armies covered over with the mud on
the shores of the Red Sea. And Israel gathering up their
swords and their silver and their gold and walking off with all
the spoils. What on earth do you conclude
from that? God has mercy on whom he will have mercy. God has mercy on whom he will
have mercy and whom he will. He hardness as he hardened Pharaoh's
heart and sent Pharaoh chasing plum through the Red Sea. Imagine
the hardness of his heart. Imagine the hardness of his heart.
Here is a a shepherd with nothing but a staff in his hand. And
he lays a staff on the Red Sea.
And the walls of the sea stand up. And God dries up the bed
of the sea like that, dries it up. And these millions go marching
through the Red Sea. Now, how many of you would have
led an army in there after him? Any fool would stand there and
say, I'm not about to go in that place. Except for one thing. God hardened Pharaoh's heart
and sent him into the Red Sea so that everybody in the world
would know that he's God and he has mercy on whom he will
have mercy. Even so, look at verse seven.
Even so, I'm sorry, Revelation chapter 11, verse seven. Even
so, at this present time, even so then at this present
time, Romans chapter 11, verse five. Even so at this present
time, also there is a remnant. According to the election of
grace. There's still here a remnant.
Maybe some of you here tonight part of that remnant. According
to the election of grace. Who must be called? By the grace
of God. Oh, I pray it so. That you now
find yourself Suddenly, by an irresistible compulsion from
within, by an irresistible urge from within, by an irresistible
call from within, oh, I believe God. Now we know your election. There
is a remnant at this present time of people who must be called. Scattered in the four corners
of the earth according to the election of grace now watch it
Romans 11 verse 6 and if by grace It is no more of works Otherwise
grace is no more grace But if it be of works Then it's no more
grace Otherwise work is no more work If you, somewhere along the way,
put works in this thing. Somewhere along the way. Doesn't
matter whether you're talking about God chose you because he
saw you were going to do something good. Or God keeps you because
you do something good. Or God blesses you because you
do something good. Or God's going to reward you
in heaven because you do something good. Or God gives you greater
access to him because you do something good. or God will hear
your prayers because you do something good. If it's works, it's no
more grace. There's no room in the house
of grace for works. None at all. None at all. Well,
but brother Don, we've got to teach people to do good works. You know, that's tough to do.
That's just tough to do. I recall reading biography years
ago, John Berridge, I believe it was, he was an Anglican priest
before God saved him. And he said he went to his parish
where he was appointed to preach, and he preached works till he
was hardly a sober man in the village. And that's always the
result of preaching works. Always. Do you want to see what
the result of works religion is? See what's going on in Mexico?
A place ruled by Rome. Works religion. See what's going
on in Italy? A place ruled by Rome. Works
religion. See what's going on in this country?
You see what's going on? You can't even watch a commercial
in the middle of a football game or a news story with your grandchildren
because of the filth. What's going on? Works religion. The whole world given over to
the worship of man, and the result is abominable. But God's people do good works. Yes, sir, they do. They just
don't talk about it. And they don't realize it. They don't realize it. Which
of you ever did anything good? Tell me, anything. Read the 25th
chapter of Matthew. The Lord Jesus, on the day of
judgment, says to his sheep on his right hand, Come, you blessed
of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world. Because I was hungry and you fed me. I was naked and
you clothed me. I was in prison and you visited
me. They said, Lord, when did we ever do that? When did we
ever do that? And he says to those on his left,
Depart from me, you cursed. I never knew you. Because I was
hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. And I was thirsty and
you gave me nothing to drink. And I was naked and you gave
me nothing to wear. And I was sick and in prison
and you never visited me. When didn't we do that? Do you
understand the difference? Folks who talk about their goodness
have none. Folks who have the righteousness
of God in Christ never imagine anything good about themselves. Not God's people. Not God's people.
Works have no place in the kingdom of grace. What then? Israel hath not obtained that
which he seeketh for. They sought righteousness. They
sought righteousness like everybody else does. They sought righteousness,
being ignorant of the righteousness of God, going about to establish
their own righteousness. They stumble over Christ crucified,
stumble into hell, seeking it not by faith. But. But. The election has obtained
it. And the rest were blinded. Now,
what do you say to that? Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but unto thy name be glory forever and forever. Amen.