It is not that I did choose thee,
Lord, Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Neidert. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 1030 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
945 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com.
Now here's our pastor, Todd Nibert. I want to speak this morning
upon this subject, the doctrine of election. No doubt if you've
read the scriptures you've come across this word elect or election
or choice. I hope with the help of the Lord
I'll be able to preach clearly as to what the Bible has to say
about election, God's ancient choice of His people. I'd like
to read a passage of scripture from 2 Thessalonians chapter
2 and it's where Paul tells us of the coming of Antichrist.
We read beginning in verse 8 of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, and
then will that wicked be revealed, speaking of Antichrist, whom
the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall
destroy with the brightness of his coming. Even him whose coming
is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and
lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that
perish." Now those who follow Antichrist and his message, the
scripture says they will perish. They're being deceived. Now look
what it says next. Because they received not the
love of the truth, that they might be saved, that's why God
is judging them. They refuse to receive the love
of the truth. For this cause, God shall send
them strong delusion. Now who sends them this strong
delusion? God does. That's what the book
says. God shall send them strong delusion
that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned.
who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Now those are very solemn words,
aren't they? But then Paul says in verse 13, but, I'm so thankful
for the buts in the scripture. But we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the spirit and belief of the truth. Now let me ask you a question.
In that passage of scripture I just read, what was the difference
between those who were deceived and deluded and those who believed? Who was the difference? God was
the difference. He says, we're bound to thank
God for you, you who believe. We read of those people whom
God sent strong delusions to. And then we read of those who
believed and God was the difference. I think of that passage of scripture
in Acts chapter 13 verse 48 after Paul had preached. We read, And
when the Gentiles heard this, they heard this message by Paul,
they were glad, and they glorified the word of the Lord. And as
many as were ordained to eternal life believed. Who believed? those who were ordained, predestined
to eternal life. Now what is election? Very simply, election is God's
sovereign, unconditional choice of who would be saved before
time began. Now, this is what the scripture
teaches. In Ephesians 1, verse 4, Paul
says, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him. Now, I want to ask you four questions
from that verse of scripture I just read. First, who chose
who? It says he chose us. The Lord said to his disciples
in John chapter 15, you did not choose me, but I chose you. And you know, I know that so.
I know it so. I know I would have never came
to Him unless He first did something for me. He chose us. Now the second question is when
was that choice made? It says, according as He hath
chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world. That's when this
choice was made, before there was any creation, before there
was a sun and stars and moon and planet, before time began,
before there was ever such a thing as time, God chose His people. I've heard people say, well,
God chooses you and He sees you choose Him. No, this choice was
made before time began. Here's the third question. Why
did he choose his people? What was his reason? Many people
will explain election away by saying, well, he foresaw who
would believe and he made his choice based upon him foreseeing
that they would believe. Well, it's true he did foresee
these people would believe, but there's a reason they would believe.
He'd give them the faith. You see, This choice was made
to the praise, according to Ephesians 1.6, to the praise of the glory
of His grace. He glorifies His own grace in
choosing a people to salvation. Now, how was this choice made?
Was it just some kind of arbitrary choice on God's part where He
said, well, I'm going to save this one, I'm going to pass this one?
No, the Scripture says, according as He has chosen us in Him. Somehow,
I don't understand this, I just know it's so. Somehow the elect
have always been united in the Lord Jesus Christ. They've always
been in Him. Now that is the doctrine of election. Now, the early church used this
word almost conversationally. When Paul wrote to the church
at Thessalonica, he said, knowing brethren beloved, your election
of God. When Peter wrote to the strangers,
he said, scattered throughout Pontius, Galatians, so on, elect
according to the foreknowledge of God. And when he closes the
epistle, he says, the church that's at Babylon elected together
with you, salute you. When John writes to a woman,
he writes to the elect lady. And when he closes the epistle,
he says, Now, when Paul first heard the gospel from Ananias,
you know what the first thing he heard was? The God of our fathers hath chosen
thee. That's the first thing he heard.
I've heard people say, well, that's a high and mysterious
doctrine that needs to be kept away from people until they get
some maturity. Well, it is high and it is glorious,
but no, it must be preached. That's the first thing Paul heard. The God of our fathers hath chosen
thee. Now, I want you to listen to
this statement very carefully. Preaching election. is essential
to preaching the gospel. You cannot preach the gospel
and not preach election. Election is part of the gospel. Election is just as necessary
for salvation as the work of Christ on the cross and the work
of the Holy Spirit in a sinner's heart, would God save them? God
the Father elects, God the Son redeems, and God the Holy Spirit
regenerates or gives life, and that's all a part of the gospel.
Now someone who does not believe election really does not believe
the biblical gospel. And someone who does not preach
election does not preach the biblical gospel. Not according
to the scriptures. Now election is the G of grace. What happens if you take the
G out of the word grace? What word are you left with?
Race. We're only the strongest and
the fastest win. You take You take the G out of
grace and you've got works where only the best people can be saved.
But thank God for grace. That's God's free, unmerited
favor. You see, you can't really believe
or understand grace, salvation by grace, without some understanding
of election. God's ancient choice of His people. Now, election tells us that God
is God indeed. He's absolutely in control. He's the first cause behind all
things. If you're saved, it's because He saved you. Salvation's
of the Lord. It begins with Him. Now, how
many times have people heard of election. God choosing who
would be saved. And then responding by saying,
well that's just making men a bunch of puppets. That's God in heaven
just making puppets out of men. Now, let me turn this around.
If you believe free will, you make a puppet out of God. God's
on man's string and He can't do anything without man's permission. And it makes man's will sovereign
over God's will. And that cannot be. Election
tells us God is God indeed and election completely excludes
salvation by works. Now what do I mean by salvation
by works? Salvation by works means salvation is in some way
dependent upon you, what you do or what you don't do. Salvation
is not ultimately dependent upon God, it's ultimately dependent
upon you. And this is what most people
believe. God loves everybody, Christ died for everybody, God
wants to save everybody. But as to whether or not anybody's
saved, it's up to man's personal acceptance or rejection of the
gospel. And if you accept Jesus as your
personal Savior, you'll be saved. That's the message that's preached. And you know, where do you get
in the Bible anywhere accepting Jesus? You don't even find that. The question is not, will you
accept Jesus? Will He accept you? Will He do
something for you? Now, election completely excludes
salvation by works in any way. Listen to the scripture in Romans
9 and 11. It says for the children, talking about Jacob and Esau,
for the children, being not yet born, neither having done any
good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. Now, election
secures all the glory to God. You see, if I'm saved, it's because
He did everything, and He gets all the glory. By grace are ye
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it's the gift
of God Not of works, lest any man should boast. The only way
I can give God all the glory and salvation is by believing
the holy doctrine of election. And election, listen to this,
election gives the vilest sinner this side of hell hope. Now if
salvation is dependent upon me, I have no hope. But election
tells me that God freely saves by His grace. Listen, election
doesn't keep anybody out of heaven. That's the way most people look
at election. When they hear it, they say, well, that means there's
people want to be saved, but they can't be because they're
not elect. That's not so. That's not so. What election
does is it cures the salvation of those who would have been
damned if it wasn't for God's electing mercy. And this gives
the sinner hope. Salvation is by grace. God chose
a people freely without reference to their works. Your good works
can't recommend you. Your bad works can't disqualify
you. It's up to God and His grace. And this gives a sinner hope.
I know in my own experience. I didn't know I was lost until
I had to deal with the doctrine of election. I remember when
I first heard of election, it bothered me so much, it troubled
me so much, I got mad at God. All of a sudden I was standing
in judgment of God and I found out that I really had no love
for God. I thought I did, but it was election that taught me
that I didn't love the God of election until God had mercy
on me and revealed to me that the problem's not with God, the
problem's with me. Election gives any sin or hope and election
is essential to the glory of God. In Exodus chapter 33 verse
18, Moses said to God, I beseech thee, show me your glory. What a request. And here's how
the Lord responded to that request to show Moses his glory. He said, I'll make all my goodness
to pass before thee, and I'll proclaim the name of the Lord
before thee, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and
I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy. God called it His
glory. I don't know of anything that
I find more offensive than someone to take election and say what's
true, but it's a doctrine of secondary importance. It really
doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. Let's just put it
back on the back burner. No, it's essential to the glory
of God. Now, any departure from election
to any degree is a departure from the gospel. Because it's
a departure that always introduces the man's works, man doing his
part in order to be saved. That's why a departure from election
is a departure from the gospel. If you depart from election,
all you're left with is salvation by works. Man's choice and not
God's choice as the ultimate decision maker. Now that is salvation
by works. Just as much as if you would
say, well, you got to keep the Ten Commandments to be saved
perfectly. That's just as much salvation by works because it
still makes salvation dependent upon you. This message that's
preached, God loves everybody, Christ died for everybody, God
wants to save everybody, but it's up to you as to whether
or not you'll be saved. If you will accept what He did, then
you'll be saved, but if you reject what He did, then you won't be
saved. That's salvation by works just as much as saying you have
to keep the Ten Commandments perfectly to be saved. If salvation
is conditioned upon man in any way, it makes salvation by works. Now, look at the way it's stated
in that verse of Scripture I just read in 2 Thessalonians 2, verse
13. Paul says, we're bound to give
thanks always to God for you. Brethren, beloved of the Lord,
because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto
he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, from that verse of Scripture,
See, first of all, election is a binding doctrine. We are bound. We are under solemn obligation. Bound to believe it, bound to
preach it, and bound to thank God for it. We are bound to thank
God always for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord. Secondly,
I see that election is the doctrine of God's love. We are bound to
thank God always for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord. In Jeremiah 31, verse 3, God said to His people, Behold,
I have loved you with an everlasting love, a love that never began. You don't really have any, I
don't really have any understanding of the love of God apart from
election. Now this belief that God loves
all men without exception, yet some are saved and some are lost.
But He loves those people who are lost. That is so diminishing
and degrading to the love of God. Everybody God loves, He
saves. And somebody may be thinking,
well, are you saying that God does not love everybody? Well,
what does the Bible mean when God says, Jacob have I loved,
but Esau have I hated? That's what God said. And remember,
God's hatred is not like our hatred. Our hatred is a vindicative,
wrong kind of hatred, but his hatred has to do with his justice
and holiness and what is right. If God, I tell you what, I can
understand why God wouldn't love me. In and of myself, separated
from Christ, there's nothing in me to love. I'm nothing but
sin in and of myself. But election is the doctrine
of God's eternal love. Now thirdly, this is the doctrine
of the family. He says, we're bound to give
thanks always to God for you brethren. beloved of the Lord. You know, the elect love election. The world may not, but the elect
all love election. They know they would not be saved
apart from God's choice of them. This is the doctrine of the family.
And notice too, this is the doctrine of thanksgiving and praise. Paul
says, but we are bound to give thanks always to God for you,
brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning
chosen you to salvation. We thank God for this. This is
a doctrine of divine praise. I praise God that He chose a
people He didn't have to, but how merciful He is in choosing
a people to be saved and determining their salvation and giving His
Son for them. Oh, we thank God for election.
I know this. If He didn't choose me, I wouldn't
be saved. So I thank God for election. Surely this is a doctrine of
divine praise. And if I look at it any other
way, I'm looking at it in the wrong way. And this is the doctrine
of eternity. We're bound to give thanks always
to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning. chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. God
hath from the beginning. Now it's so hard for us to get
a hold of this thing of eternity because we're creatures of time.
But with God, there is no yesterday. With God, there is no tomorrow. All things are in the eternal
present to Him. He is not bound by time. And that's why He sees all things
in the present because of who He is. He's God. Now, do I understand
that? Of course not. It blows my mind.
But I believe it. God is the God of eternity. He's
always been. He never began to be. He never
learned anything. He never began anything. He's
always been, in the beginning, God. That's who He is. And somehow
He has always loved His people. This is the doctrine of eternity.
Before time began, before there was a sun or stars or moon or
earth or the universe, God loved His people. He saw me. He loved
me. For whom He did foreknow. Now
that word foreknowledge is not knowing what's going to happen
beforehand. That's not what it's about. It
says whom He did foreknow, not what He foreknew, whom He did
foreknow. And this word foreknow is for
love. Remember when Adam knew his wife
Eve, or Joseph knew not Mary. That's talking about that intimate
relationship whom he did for love, then he also did predestinate
to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren. It's the eternal doctrine of
God's choice. God chose you. Isn't it wonderful? You love this if you're a believer.
The Lord said to his disciples, you did not choose me, but I
chose you. Do you reckon he objected to
that? Of course not. The believer delights in the
doctrine of God's choice. And beloved, it's the doctrine
of salvation. But we're bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. Salvation. Salvation from sin. Having my
sins paid for. Not having to stand before God
in judgment and be judged according to my works. Being given a new
heart and a new nature so sin doesn't have dominion over me.
Salvation. Election is the doctrine of salvation. It begins with the Lord. He chose
who would be saved. Christ died for those people
and accomplished their salvation. God the Holy Spirit calls it.
This is the doctrine of salvation. You take election away and you
have no salvation. Thank God for election. It's
the doctrine of salvation and it's essential to the gospel. And election is the doctrine
of holiness. Listen to the text again, but
we're bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you
to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, through the work
of the Holy Spirit, wherein He makes you holy. He gives you
a holy nature. Ephesians 1 verse 4 says, according
as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy. This is the doctrine of holiness.
I've heard people say, well, if you believe in election, you
won't care about obedience, or good works, or holiness, or anything
like that. Oh, no. Oh, no. That's not so. That's
not so. It's the doctrine of holiness.
And those who believe the holy doctrine of election pant for
holiness. They are holy, being made holy
by God. And holiness is their great desire.
And the doctrine of election is also the doctrine of means.
Let me show you what I mean by that. But we're bound, here I'm
reading it again, but we're bound to give thanks always to God
for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from
the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the
Spirit and belief of the truth. People say, well, if election's
so, why preach the gospel? Why? You don't have to believe.
I mean, if you're chosen, you'll just wind up in heaven and there's
no point in sending missionaries. There's no point in believing.
No. God is a God of means. Now Christ,
in Revelation 13, verse 8, is called the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. He's always been the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world, but does that mean He didn't
have to come in time and die? No, sir. He had to come in time
and die for His elect and accomplish their salvation. And there is
no salvation apart from believing the truth, the sanctification
of the Spirit and the belief of the truth, the belief of the
truth concerning God, concerning man. Now, election has a voice. It says in verse 14, where unto
He called you? This salvation that God has worked
out, where unto He called you by our gospel? Election's got a voice and that
voice is the gospel. The gospel of how God saves sinners
by Christ. The good news of how God saves
sinners by his free and sovereign grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. They hear this gospel and they
believe and election also has a great end. We read, whereunto
he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is the end of election to
make people just like him and to obtain his very glory. Now what a glorious doctrine
the doctrine of election is. It gives God all the glory. It
gives the sinner hope. It tells us that salvation is
by grace. It tells us that God is God. You cannot, now let me repeat
this, you cannot preach the gospel and not preach election. You
cannot believe the gospel and reject election. Election is
who God is. It's how God saves sinners by
His grace. And my prayer is that we would
have a return to the preaching of the holy, glorious doctrine
of election because we're preaching the God of election, the God
who saves. Now, I hope that you can say,
with Paul, we're bound. to thank God always for you,
brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation. Thank God for election. Now, we'd like to invite you
to services at Todd's Road Grace Church. Our Bible study begins
at 9.45, the morning worship service at 10.30, and the Sunday
evening at 6. We'd love to have you come out
and visit with us. This is Todd Nyberg praying that God will
be pleased to make himself known to you. That's our prayer. To request a copy of the sermon
you have just heard, send your request to messages at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Or you may write or call the
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