What were Paul's first inspired
words? The very first thing he wrote
about when he picked up his pen for the first time to write by
divine inspiration. What was the first doctrine he
was inspired by God the Holy Spirit to teach? Let's see. Open your Bibles again, 1 Thessalonians
chapter 1. The Apostle Paul was the instrument
God used to establish this church among the Gentiles at Thessalonica. He left there and soon sent Timothy,
his companion in the gospel, to go back to Thessalonica and
instruct these saints more fully in the gospel, in the doctrine
of God. and to teach them the things of God, to establish them
more firmly in the faith of the gospel. While Paul was at Corinth,
Timothy came to him and gave a report. He gave a report of
these saints at Thessalonica in such glowing terms that it
must have filled Paul's heart with delight. He spoke to Paul
about their faith in Christ, their hope, their steadfastness
in hope, their love one for another, and love for the gospel, about
their endeavors to preach the gospel to many around the world. And Paul sat down immediately,
having received this good word from Timothy, and writes this
epistle to the Thessalonians. As far as we can tell, this is
most likely Paul's first inspired letter. The first thing he was
inspired by God the Holy Spirit to write. What will he write? What will he say? What will his
doctrine be? What's the first subject that flows from his pen
when he's inspired by God the Holy Spirit? What will he teach
these people? First things are always important
when composing a letter or a manuscript. The first thing that's written
is just about the most important thing, if not the most important
thing. It sets the tone for everything else. It gives direction. It tells you where the person
writing is going with his letter or with his manuscript. When
the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write this epistle, his first
epistle, that which he first writes certainly must be of tremendous
importance. What will it be? Look at 1 Thessalonians
chapter 1 verse 4. Knowing, brethren beloved, your
election of God. What a great subject to begin
with. What a great subject. Paul's
first doctrine Our Lord's last doctrine to his disciples, you'll
remember, he said, you have not chosen me, but I've chosen you.
Paul's first doctrine, writing by inspiration as the apostle
of God, our savior, writes to us about God's election. My subject this morning is your
election of God. Knowing brethren beloved, your
election of God. I pray that God, the Holy Spirit,
who inspired Paul to write these Thessalonian believers about
their election of God, will give me grace to teach you about your
election of God. One of my favorite hymn writers
was John Kent. He lived a long time ago, and
there are very few of his hymns in any hymn books today because
they are such good hymns. These days we have in our hymn
books just emotion and froth and trash, but for the most part,
here's a good one. T'was with an everlasting love
that God his own elect embraced. Before he made the worlds above,
our earth on her huge columns placed. Long ere the sun's refulgent
ray, primeval shades of darkness drove, They own his sacred bosom
lay, loved with an everlasting love. Then, in the glass of his
decrees, Christ and his bride appeared as one, her sin by imputation
his, while she in spotless splendor shone. Oh, love, how high thy
glory swell, how great, immutable, and free, 10,000 sins as black
as hell, are swallowed up, O love in thee. Loved when a wretch
defiled with sin, at war with heaven, at league with hell,
a slave to every lust obscene, who living lived but to rebel. Believer, here thy comfort stands,
from first to last salvation's free. everlasting love demands
an everlasting song from thee. Now I want you to understand,
I want so much for you to understand, if you're a child of God, if
you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, if you're redeemed by
the precious blood of God's darling son, if you've been regenerated,
born again, called by God the Holy Spirit, If this day you
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, your salvation arises from and
comes to you as a direct result of God's sovereign election. Election is the root, the source,
the cause, the fountain from which flows every blessing of
grace. Without election, no one would
be saved. Without election, all Adam's
sinful race would have perished in hell. Without election, none
would ever hear the gospel for there'd be no gospel to preach.
Without election, there would be no redemption. Without election,
there would be no regeneration. Without election, there would
be no good news from heaven, no salvation for anyone. I have
to tell you that I was moved in direction to this passage,
I think by God's spirit, last week, week before when Brother
Ron came in, sat down with somebody back in the office and told me
he had just preached down at Harrodsburg from this chapter.
And I thought it's been a long time since I've looked at that.
And I want this morning to show you three things clearly taught
in the word of God concerning your election of God. Three statements. First, I want you to see that
election is a blessed doctrine of Holy Scripture. Second, election
is a doctrine that is often misrepresented and therefore misunderstood by
many. And third, your election of God
is something that you can know. Your election of God is something
you can know. All right, first. I want you
to see and see clearly that the gospel doctrine of election is
a doctrine clearly taught in Holy Scripture. It is taught
plainly. It is taught everywhere in the
book of God. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonian
believers, he spoke confidently to God's saints there about the
indisputable fact of their election. He gave thanks to God for them. their faith in Christ, their
love to one another, and their other blessings that God bestowed
upon them because he knew these blessings were the result of
God's electing love. Now there's absolutely no question
about the fact that this book teaches the doctrine of election.
There's just no question about that. That's indisputable. Those
who would tell you the Bible does not teach election, are
either utterly ignorant of this book, they've either never read
it, or when they read it, they read it with their eyes closed,
or they're totally dishonest. Now understand what I just said.
Any preacher, I'm talking particularly about preachers, Any preacher
who will stand and tell you this book does not teach election
is either ignorant or he's a liar. Either way, he's got no business
preaching. Any preacher. Election is taught
everywhere in this book. Just read the Word of God. Just
open it up and read it. Start in the beginning. If you
want to, you read about two men, Cain and Abel. One was chosen,
the other was not. All the way through the book,
you read about those who were chosen of God and those who were
not. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest and calls us to approach unto thee. Our Savior said, ye
have not chosen me, but I've chosen you. When Paul preached
the gospel in Acts chapter 13, Where was he, I believe, at Antioch? And he preached the gospel, and
the scripture says, as many as were ordained to eternal life
believed. It doesn't read the other way
around. Several years ago, I, for some reason, listened to
a sermon by Jerry Falwell, who was out in Lynchburg, Virginia.
You need to know Falwell went to the same school I did first
year. I was in Bible College, Baptist Bible College, Springfield,
Missouri, back in the early 50s. mid 50s. And he was attending
school with a friend of mine, a fellow named Millard Mitchell,
who pastored in Nitro, West Virginia most of his life. And Jerry Falwell
and Millard Mitchell were called to the president's office, just
like I was the first week I was in school out there. They were
going to kick them out of school for being hyper-Calvinist. That
was Jerry Falwell. But he was persuaded that he
couldn't preach the truth. And he couldn't preach the truth
and build a big church and be successful. He was persuaded
that would be detrimental. This message Falwell preached
out of Acts 13, 48, every single time he read the verse. Every
time. Wasn't by accident, Larry. Every
time he read the verse, he said, as many as believed were ordained
to eternal life. Every time. That wasn't by accident. That was a deliberate deception.
Somebody said, well, it says the same thing. Oh, no, it doesn't.
Oh, no, it doesn't. For most folks have the idea
that if you believe, then God chooses you because you believe. But the book says as many as
were ordained to eternal life believe. And that means if you
believe, your believing is the result of God choosing you, not
the cause of God choosing you. Listen to this. Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as
he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him. In love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the
praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved. Turn over just a page to 2 Thessalonians
chapter 2, verse 13. Here Paul is talking about Antichrist
and the spirit of Antichrist and the deception of Antichrist.
God sending a strong delusion upon the reprobate that they
should believe a lie because they received not the love of
the truth. But God made a distinction. There are some people to whom
he does not send a strong delusion. There are some people who will
not believe Satan's lie. There are some people who will
not be deceived and worship the image of the beast. They are
they whose names were written in the book of life from the
foundation of the world. Look at this. But we're bound
to give thanks all the way to God for you. Brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you
to salvation. through sanctification, that
is, through the regenerating work of God the Holy Spirit,
and belief of the truth. He chose to save you through
regeneration, through the belief of the gospel, whereunto he called
you, that is, he called you to this salvation by our gospel,
to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. I repeat
myself deliberately. There is no question this book
teaches the doctrine of election. Do you see that? Of course you
do. There's no denying it. This God-honoring,
soul-cheering gospel doctrine of election is plainly taught
throughout the book of God. But I don't want you simply to
see that this is true. I want you to rejoice in it.
When you think about your election of God, Your heart ought to erupt
with praise and sing with David, blessed. Oh, blessed is the man
whom thou choosest and causes to approach unto thee. Election
is God's eternal purpose of grace to save his people. Now, I don't understand for the
life of me why anybody get upset with that. Can you imagine that
causing anybody to get angry? Election. is God's eternal purpose
of grace to save his people. It is God's gracious choice of
some to salvation. In eternal election, God Almighty
infallibly secured the salvation of all who were saved by him
in time. If you're saved, it's because
before the world was, God chose you. There you sit, believing God. How come? Because God did something
for you he didn't do for the folks. He chose you. He redeemed you with the precious
blood of his darling son. He sent his spirit in the time
of love and called you by his grace with effectual, irresistible
saving power, giving you life and faith in Jesus Christ our
Lord. Election is by God and it is an act of God's distinguishing
love. An act of love by which God separates
his own from all others. Who maketh thee to differ? Who
maketh thee to differ? God did. That's all. Look at
1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 9. Back in verse 8, Paul says, let
us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of
faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God
hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our
Lord Jesus Christ. God didn't appoint you to wrath.
He pointed you to obtain salvation by Jesus Christ our Lord. Now
let me make some statements. I won't do any more than just
make the statements. I want to make 11 plain statements here
about what this book teaches concerning election. I could
say much more, and I probably should say a little less, but
I want you to hear these 11 statements, and I want you to get them. First
election is in Christ. It is in Christ. Fourteen times
in the first chapter of Ephesians, we're told that all God's blessings
and works of grace are in Christ. We were chosen in Christ, according
as God hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the
world, so he has blessed us with all spiritual blessings. in Christ
Jesus. Number two, election is unto
salvation. Now, please don't misunderstand
me. There is a sense in which we
were saved from eternity. Paul states it plainly in Romans
chapter 8, verses 29 and 30. Paul states it plainly in 2 Timothy
1, verse 9. God saved us before the world
began. But don't think about salvation as one isolated thing. That's a mistake. Salvation is
all that's involved. Salvation is the whole work of
God in Christ our mediator by which he brings us to glory.
He chose us in Christ, redeemed us in Christ, called us in Christ,
preserves us in Christ, and He will raise us up in Christ, and
He will glorify us in Christ. Everything about salvation is
in Christ, and it's one thing. It's one thing. When Simeon picked
up the Lord Jesus, he said, Lord, now let us thou thy servant depart
in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. But election
from eternity does not in any way preclude or forbid or make
unnecessary our salvation in time. That is the experience
of salvation. The scriptures tell us plainly,
we just read it in 2 Thessalonians 2.13, God from the beginning
chosen you unto salvation. He chose you to the obtaining
of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So election is not itself
salvation. It's just part of the package.
It is unto salvation, unto our everlasting glory with Christ
Jesus. Number three, election is an
act of pure, absolute, divine sovereignty. Read the ninth chapter
of Romans. God has mercy on whom he will
have mercy. and whom he will, he hearteneth. God has mercy on whom he will
have mercy, and whom he will, he hearteneth. Our sons and daughters
have no claim on God because they're our sons and daughters.
What foolish pride that is to imagine that your children have
a step up on God since they're your children. What arrogance? What pride? What foolishness? Oh, no. So
nobody believes that. I actually had a pastor friend. I went to school with a reformed
fellow, as they call him. He said, well, you know, I do
believe that since my boys are our children, and called his
wife's name, he said, we're both believers that Do they have an
advantage over other children? Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. Your children are just as depraved
as anybody else's. Election is an act of sovereignty. God chooses whom he will. He
has mercy on whom he will, and whom he will, he hardeneth. Fourth,
election took place in eternity. This is not something that was
done in time. God chose us before the world
began. Our names were written in the
book of life of the lamb, slain from the foundation of the world.
Our names were recorded in heaven's registry of grace before God
ever created heaven or earth. Fifth, election is an act of
divine love. God loved us with an everlasting
love. Therefore, with loving kindness,
he said, I've called you. In love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
to the good pleasure of his will. Election is that act by which
God first manifest his love to the sons of men. He chose us. We love him because he first
loved us. Sixth, election is unconditional. It is an act of God's free, unconditional
grace. Unconditional, what does that
mean? It means unconditional. It means there are no conditions
to be met by us. by which we make God's election
sure. It means there's nothing that God required of us and nothing
that God foresaw would be in us. Nothing that God foresaw
we would do. Not that he foreknew what we
would be or what we would do or what we would choose. That
makes God's work to be dependent upon and determined by our work.
And that's utter blasphemy. God's foreknowledge is not an
attribute of God, it is an act of God. His foreknowledge is
his everlasting love, his sovereign purpose, his predestination,
his eternal acceptance of us in Christ Jesus because he chose
us in him before the world began. The book never says election
is by foreknowledge, never. It says election is according
to foreknowledge. There's a big difference. That
is God's election lines right up with his foreknowledge. Those
people God accepted and loved and predestined and approved
of in Christ before the world was are those people whom he
chose freely by his grace. Our Lord Jesus in his prayer
in Matthew 11, turn there if you will. Matthew chapter 11.
Matthew chapter 11 verse 25. Our Savior says at that time,
Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven
and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise
and prudent. Did you read that, Mark? God
hides these things from folks. God hides the gospel from some
people. He puts a veil over their eyes
so they can't see. He hides these things from the wise and prudent.
He refuses to send someone to preach the gospel to some. He
hides them from the wise and prudent and has revealed them. If you know them, it's because
God revealed them to you. If you know the gospel, it's
because God revealed it to you. Not because you're smarter than
somebody else. Not because you can read better than somebody
else. Because God revealed it to you. Thou hast revealed them
unto babes. Babes. What a good term to describe
Oscar Bailey and Don Fortner. Poor, ignorant, helpless, and
useless. That's what we are spiritually.
And if you don't find yourself in that position, you will never
know God's saving grace. God will first make you nothing
before he reveals Christ in you. Revealed during debate. Why is
that? Look at the next line. Even so
father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. Seventh, election
is personal. God chose us all at once. The election took place at one
time in eternity. No question about that. But he
chose Joe Blakely personally. Does God name the stars in heaven? You reckon he doesn't name his
son? He chose each of his own personally and individually. I'm not talking to you about
an indescribable mass of nameless people being chosen. Some folks
say God chose to save so many. I wonder how anybody gets that
out of the book of God. And I wonder how they think that's of any
benefit to anybody. I wonder how they think that clears anything
up. No, I'm not talking about an indiscernible mass of people
God chose. I'm talking to you about your
election of God. God chose Abel, but not Cain. He chose Abraham, but not Nahor. He chose Noah, but not his neighbors. He chose Isaac, but not Ishmael. He chose Jacob, but not Esau. He chose Lot, but not Lot's wife. He chose David, but not Saul.
He chose Peter, but not Judas. God chose me, but not my nearest companion.
He chose you, but not your brother. Eighth, God's election is irreversible. The gifts and callings of God
are without repentance. I am the Lord. I change not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob
are not concerned. Night, God's election is infallibly
effectual. I said, well, I don't understand
what that word effectual means. That means it gets the job done.
There's no possibility that one sinner loved of God shall perish.
No possibility that one sinner chosen of God will ever perish. All God's elect shall be saved
at the appointed time of mercy, love, and grace. And then 10th, God's election
is distinguishing. Election makes a difference. Election separates the human
race so that the elect never become reprobate. The reprobate
never become elect. Sheep never become goats. Goats
never become sheep. God's election separates his
Israel from all the nations of the earth. Separates them permanently. There's a great gulf fixed between
the elect and the reprobate. And it shall not be crossed over
by any, not by any. The foundation of God stand assured,
having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. This is God's
election. Somebody talks about God sort
of generally loving all men, having a sense in which God wants
all people to be saved. A.W. Tozer, the founder of the
Christian Missionary Alliance Church, made this statement.
He said, I believe that God loves all men until he sends the lost
to hell and then he hates the lost. I've got clothes that wear better
than that. What's that? A changing, mutable,
helpless, frustrated, useless God. That's what that is. Oh
no. God's election made a distinction
among men that stands forever. It is he who makes you to differ
from another and he alone who makes the difference. Number
11. is a blessed, blessed, blessed
truth of God. What can be more blessed? When
David understood that God chose him and not Saul, and he's bringing
the ark of God up out of the house of Obed-Edom, he's walking
for that ark and If I were 20 years younger, I
would show you what he did. He just leaped and danced. He
forgot who he was and where he was. Here's the king of Israel
dancing in the streets. Dancing in the streets. And his
wife looked out her window and saw him and despised him in her
heart. And when David came in, she gave him a cussing. And he
said, I know what you're upset about. God chose me and not your
father. And I'm going to dance before
him and make myself vile in your eyes. Oh, what a blessed truth. Here I am. Here I am. This son of Adam. This vile. Useless. Corrupt and corrupting piece
of human flesh. Here I am. Son of God. Cause God from the beginning
chose me. Oh, how that rejoices my heart. All right. Number two, I'll be
very brief on these next two points. Election is a doctrine that is
often misrepresented, particularly by folks who hate it. And because
it's misrepresented, it's greatly misunderstood. I won't spend much time on this.
I recommend that you read the Bulletin article in today's Bulletin. Here are these three statements
I put in the Bulletin. They should clarify some things
concerning this matter of election. This is not the first thing to
be learned. Some of you have come to me at
various times, and I get letters from around the world almost
every week. Someone said, but I don't know
if I'm one of God's elect. Well, you can't. You can't know
that. There's no way you can know that
until you believe on the Son of God. If you believe on the
son of God, your faith in Christ is the result of the election.
That means, Bill Raleigh, if you believe him, your faith is
the evidence that your name is written in the book of life.
Our mission is not to get folks to believe in election. That's
not our mission. You men and women, listen to
me. You young people, listen to me. When you start talking
to people, don't argue with them about election and predestination.
It's not going to do any good. Not going to do any good. I'll
ask you. Now, most of you fellows, especially
you who do some preaching, Ron, Larry, myself, I'll ask you.
Have you ever with argument convinced somebody that election's true? You made them want to black your
eye, and you probably wanted to black theirs. But you didn't
change a thing. Didn't change a thing. I didn't
change a thing. No. That's not the issue. That's
not the issue. The one question that must be
settled is this. Dost thou believe on the son
of God? I'm not asking you, when were
you converted? How were you converted? Who was preaching when you were
converted? What did you know when you were converted? I'll
tell you what I've got to say about all those questions. That's all. If you're being silly,
I mean to be more silly than that. Those things are totally
irrelevant. All those things do is put something
between the center and Christ. That's all they do. All they
do is muddy the waters. They don't help a thing. Do you
believe on the Son of God? Yes, I do. Yes, I do. I can't speak with absolute confidence
about many things. I know I talk like I do, but
I don't have a lot of confidence about most things. But I do trust Christ. My heart so empty, cold and hard
and dead, vile, I sure don't trust me. But I trust Him. I trust Him
alone for all my righteousness, for all my redemption, for the
atonement of my sin, for my acceptance with God. I trust Him. I trust
Him. Trusting Him, I know that I'm
chosen of God. Because faith is the fruit of
election. Faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Any sinner who bows
to Christ, who trusts Christ, his faith is demonstration of
his election. Number two, God's sovereign election
of some to salvation and eternal life is in no way inconsistent
with all the promises of God in the gospel. The promises of
God in Christ Jesus are yea and amen. Is there anybody here,
anybody here who needs God's salvation? Oh, I hope you do.
The Savior says, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy
laden, and I'll give you rest. Come, rest is yours. Well, you
got to qualify that. That's where fellows get in trouble.
Come unto me, all ye that labor and have labor. What if he's
not elect? If he comes, he's elect. I'm so tired of fellows
preaching like they're scared to death one of the non-elect
are going to get saved. You come to Christ, and you'll find rest. If any man thirst, let him come
unto me, and he'll find in his belly a fountain of living water. gushing up with everlasting life. The Savior says, him that cometh
to me, him that cometh to me, come to him, come to him, come
to him, come to him, him that cometh to me, I will in no while not for any reason, not under
any circumstance, not at any time, if it cometh to me, I will
in no wise cast out. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. That's the language of the book.
And number three, God's election. does not to any degree or in
any way remove or destroy our responsibility. You are responsible
to believe the gospel. You've heard it. God commands
you to believe. He commands all men everywhere
to repent. This is his commandment that
we should believe on his son. That's God's commandment and
you're responsible to do it. Well, I don't like hearing about
that, but that's the reason I'm talking to you about it. That's
exactly why I'm talking to you about it. You're responsible
to do it. If you go to hell, if you go to hell, shoving God
out of your face, pushing the gospel away, sticking your fingers
in your ears, everlasting damnation in its most extreme portion shall
be yours because you've earned it. You deserve eternal damnation. if you despise the gospel. So
how can you say somebody's responsible to do something they're not able
to do? Our responsibility doesn't depend on our ability. Our responsibility
doesn't depend on our understanding. Our responsibility doesn't depend
on anything except God's revelation. God commands you to be holy.
Is that what it says? Does God command that you be
holy? Be ye holy, for I am holy. Well, I can't do that, you're
still responsible to. God commands you to be perfect. Walk before
me and be thou perfect as I the Lord your God and perfect. Well,
I can't do that. That doesn't change anything.
You're still responsible. God commands you to believe.
And the fact is you can't even do that. You can't even do that. What are you getting at preacher?
That shuts us up all together to God's free sovereign grace
in Jesus Christ the Lord. If I were you, I'd make my place
in the dust before the throne of the sovereign God of all grace
and beg for his mercy. If I were you, I make my place
in the dust before him and seek his mercy in Christ Jesus the
Lord. Because he's promised, when you
seek for me with all your heart, you shall find me. That's what
he said. Seek the Lord and he shall be
found. All right, here's my last statement. Your election is something that
may be known. Paul writes to these Thessalonians
and says, knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. Now, everyone
who reads the Bible, even casually, knows that it teaches election.
All God's saints rejoice in election. All of them do. Folks who fuss
about it aren't God's saints. That's just plain. Nothing sounds
sweeter in the believer's ear than to hear the Son of God saying,
I have chosen you. And yet no mere man can open
up the land's book of life and read his name written therein.
How then could Paul say, I know your election? How could he do
that? Look at this first chapter of 1 Thessalonians. He tells them he knew their election. How did he know it? Well, they
dressed funny. You know, they They didn't wear
zippers on their clothes, they wore buttons. They didn't wear
suits, they wore dungarees. They didn't wear long hair, they
had their hair cut with whitewash around it. They didn't drink wine with their
steak, they had seltzer water. They didn't chew tobacco, they
chewed cotton candy. They didn't buy their groceries
at a grocery store where they sold beer. They bought them at
a health food store where they sold hay. What stupidity. What stupidity. No, those things
don't show anything. They don't show anything. How
did Paul know they were elect of God? First he tells them that
I know your election. Look at verse 4. Knowing, brethren, beloved, your
election of God, for our gospel came unto you, not in word only,
but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance. God's elect are people to whom
God sends a gospel preacher and causes them to hear the word
in the power of his spirit, being assured by his spirit that what
they've heard is indeed the gospel of God. I'll tell you when you will hear
the gospel, when you'll hear it. When God the spirit speaks
by his word to your heart. And I'll tell you what the evidence
is that you've heard. When you hear it, that's it.
That's it. I'm confident God spoke. And this is God's word to me.
Those who are God's elect, secondly, are those who follow Christ.
Look at verse three. Remembering without ceasing your
work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord
Jesus Christ in the sight of God and the Father. Verse six.
And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received
the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost. God's
elect are men and women who follow Christ. They follow his word,
his doctrine, his example, his will, as it's revealed and made
known to them by the spirit and by the word. Seeking to adorn
the doctrine of God our savior in all things, we follow Christ. We follow Christ. Not by constraint,
not by force of law, not because we're terrified of being punished
or hope to get reward, but the love of Christ constrains us.
We follow him because of gratitude. Third, look at verse eight. God's
elect are people committed to the gospel. From you sounded
out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Nicaea,
but also in every place. Your faith to God were to spread
abroad so that we had no need to speak in it. I said, since
I left you, wherever I go, I tell folks what God did for some folks
down at Festival Nica, we've already heard about them. Somebody
came from down there telling us about the gospel before you
got here. They were committed to making the gospel known. You
see, folks who have the good news spread the good news. I'm going down to see Brother
Tommy. If I had last week picked up
a medicine that had cured me of the horrible disease he has,
do you know what I'd do? I'd carry it with me. And if
I had to open his mouth and stick it in and shove it down his throat
with my own fingers, I would. Because I've been cured. I've been cured. I know it works.
I know it works. This will take care of you. I
know it will. I know it will. I remember when I had cancer,
I got calls and letters and folks come by to see me for well-meaning
friends. You know, they would suggest that if you drink so
much green slime or take so much straw with your meal and take
this vitamin, that vitamin, and take care of it, and I'd say,
have you tried that? Well, no, but research shows
it works. I ain't talking about research. I'm talking about the
gospel of God's free grace. I know this is what you need.
This is what you need. This will cure your ailment.
This will heal the plague in your heart. This will give dead
sinners life. From you, sounded out the word
of God. Fourth, God's elect are people
who experience true repentance and conversion by the power of
God's spirit. Last part of verse nine, ye turn
to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Believers forsake their idols. and their idolatrous religious
practices. They're not found worshiping
a false god. You won't find them kneeling
in a pagan temple to a pagan deity. You won't find them kissing
a crucifix or professing faith in a helpless, frustrated god
whose purpose, will, and work are prevented by man's imaginary
free will. We turn to God, the true and
living God from idols. And fifth, God's elect, verse
10, are waiting for his son from heaven. Waiting for Christ. That's how we live, Alan, on
the tiptoe of faith, looking for the Savior. He shall come
again and receive us to himself. At the hour of death, this earthly
house, this tabernacle should be dissolved. We'll have a building
not made of hands, made with hands eternal in heaven. Just
like that. Absent from the body present with the Lord. And waiting
for him to return in his glorious second advent. Would it be glorious to walk
out those doors and see the sky split open and the Redeemer coming. We live in the expectation of
Christ coming. And frankly, frankly, now listen
to me, it really doesn't matter which comes first. Him coming
to take me in death or coming in the resurrection. I don't
care which, just come Lord Jesus. and come quickly. Amen.