Would you turn with me to 1 Thessalonians
chapter 1. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. In the fourth verse, 1 Thessalonians,
Paul says to these people, knowing, brethren beloved, your election
of God. Now, Paul looks at these people
that he's writing to, and he says, I know that you are of
the number of God's elect. How do you know? There's a book in heaven called
the Land's Book of Life. I'm sure you've read of it. Which
has all the names of God's elect recorded in it. And only the
names of the elect are recorded in this book. Those who were
not chosen before time began, their names are not written in
this book. Let me show you this in the scripture.
Revelation 13. Verse 8, And all that dwell upon
the earth shall worship him, this false Christ, this one with
blasphemy in his name. And he spake blasphemies against
God. You can read about that in the
previous verses. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship
him whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. Look at Revelation
20, verse 11. And I saw a great white throne. And him that sat on it, from
whose face the earth and the heavens fled away. And there
was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God. And the books were opened. And
another book was opened, which is the book of life, that book
we just read about. And the dead, those who were
dead in sins, were judged out of those things which were written
in the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the
dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead
which were in them. And they were judged every man according
to their works. And death and hell were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire." Now, we see that not everybody has
their name written in this book. But I know this, every member
of God's church has their name written in this book. Turn to
Hebrews chapter 12. Now, this is the church role
of which I want my name. Now, at this church, we don't
have what they call the church role. I don't see that in Scripture,
and therefore, I don't see any point in having it. What does
it mean? You know, what if your name's
on it? What if your name's not on it? I mean, it just doesn't
make much difference about having a church role. Somebody says,
well, how do you join the church? What do you believe the gospel?
You're a member. You don't believe? You're not a member. It really
is that simple. Look here in Hebrews 12, 23. To the general
assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven. Now, this is the role I want
to have my name on. This general assembly and church
of the firstborn, which are written in heaven. Their names are in
this Lamb's Book of Life. Let me tell you what the Lord
said about this. Turn to Luke chapter 10. Luke chapter 10. Verse 17. And the 70, those that he sent
out two and two to preach the gospel. They returned again with
joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy
name. Now, would you feel pretty good
about yourself if the Lord used you in that way to where you
had devils subject to you? I imagine I would feel pretty
good about how the Lord has blessed me if that were the case. Now,
look at our Lord's reply. And he said unto them, verse
18, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give
unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the
power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Notwithstanding in this, rejoice not that the spirits are subject
unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are written
in heaven. Now, Paul the Apostle had no
access to the book of life. There is a book, a literal book,
I suppose. I don't know how to explain that,
but a book with all the names of God's elect in it. And I thought
before, if I had access to that book, I know whose name I'd look
up first. I'd look yours up second, but
I know whose I'd look up first. I'd look up my own name, and
you would too. But Paul had no access to this
book with all the names of God's elect, and yet he says to these
people, I know your election of God. Now what is the election
of God? It's God's choice of his people
before time began. Second Thessalonians 2, 13 says,
but we're bound to thank God always for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you,
elected you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit
and belief of the truth. Ephesians 1, 4 says, according
as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. Now, I don't have to convince
any believer of this. I just know it. You know, the
Lord said to his disciples, You have not chosen me, but I have
chosen you. Now, every one of the Lord's
disciples, you just know that's so. You know it's so because
it says it in the Word. And you know it's so because
you know you're so sinful you'd never choose him. You know enough
about yourself to know you'd never come to him. You'd never
choose him unless he first chose you. You know that about yourself.
I don't have to convince a believer of this. It's the truth. And
Paul says to these people, I know you're one of God's left. And,
you know, I thought about him saying this to these people.
And I thought, I know some people. I know a lot of people of whom
I can say, I know your election of God. You know, It's kind of sad. Somebody was
telling me, a pastor, I won't mention who it was, it was a
pastor in a church in another place, and there was a member
that died. And he was saying, I don't know if they were believers.
They said they believed what we preached, but you couldn't
have told them about their lives. You just couldn't tell it. I
mean, they said they believe, but there seemed to be such a
lack of interest, such a such a lack of passion to hear the
gospel preach. They could miss it easily. And
it just didn't. Worship just was not that important to them.
And you hope they're believers. You hope they are. You're not
going to say they're not. You know, they profess to be. But
you can't say regarding these people, I know their election
of God. But there's some you can say.
I know. your election of God. How? How? That's a big question, isn't
it? How can you know somebody's election of God? Now, this epistle
to the Thessalonians was written just about three weeks after
Paul had first met them. And what had taken place, you
can read about it in Acts chapter 17. He went there and preached
the gospel, and he got ran out of town. There was a riot, and
then he went to Berea, and then he went to Athens, and he was
waiting in Athens after preaching the gospel to these people, waiting
for a word from Timothy to see whether or not they seemed to
really believe it. First, they seemed to receive
the word, even in the midst of this trouble and in the midst
of this riot that was going on. They received it in much affliction,
and he was waiting to hear from Timothy whether there was anything
to it. Turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter
3. He says in verse one, wherefore,
when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left
at Athens alone. And we sent Timothy, our brother
and minister of God and our fellow labor in the gospel of Christ
to establish it and to comfort you concerning your faith. Now,
remember, they only heard the gospel three weeks before this.
And he wanted to make sure that no man should be moved by these
afflictions. For yourself, know that we are
appointed thereunto. For verily, when we were with
you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation,
even as it came to pass. And you know, and for this cause,
when I could no longer forbear, I seem to know your faith, lest
by some means the tempter have tempted you and our labor be
in vain. But now when Timotheus came from you unto us and brought
us good tidings of your faith, and charity, and that ye have
good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us as
we also to see you. Therefore, brethren, we were
comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your
faith." He says to these people, I know your election of God. Now let's look back at chapter
one. This is Paul's letter to this
church. Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus
under the Church of the Thessalonians, which is in God the Father and
in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's a good place to be, isn't
it? In the Lord Jesus Christ. He
says, Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God always
for you all. making mention of you in our
prayers, 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, our Father, knowing, brethren beloved, your
election of God. Now, Paul, how do you know there's
their election of God? Well, he tells us in verse five,
four. Here's how I know your election of God, our gospel. came not unto you in word only,
but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance,
as you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
And you became followers, imitators of us and of the Lord, having
received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost, so
that you were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and
Achaia. For from you sounded out the
word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also
in every place. Your faith to God is spread abroad,
so that we not need to speak anything. For they themselves
show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, how you turned
to God, from idols to servants. the living and true God, and
to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead,
even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. Now, that's how I know your election
of God. He says, Our gospel came not
to you in word only. That's the first thing he says.
This is how I know you're one of God's elect. The gospel we
preach, the gospel of God, the gospel of His grace, the saving
gospel, the gospel of the scriptures, the gospel of God. Our gospel,
the gospel that saved us. I love the way Paul calls the
gospel, my gospel. This is my gospel. It's the gospel
that saved me. Our gospel came to you not in
word only. It did not come in emptiness. It came in its saving power. Now, what does it mean to hear
the gospel in word only? Now, if you hear the gospel in
word only and he said, this is not how you heard it means you
hear the truth. You hear the truth, you don't
hear a false gospel, you hear the truth, you hear the truth of
the scriptures. But you don't hear it. As a sinner. You hear the truth. But you really
don't hear it as a sinner. You see, the only way you can
hear the gospel is as a sinner. You can't hear it any other way.
If you're not hearing the gospel as a sinner, you're hearing it
word only. And it's meaningless. You see, the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ is essentially and fundamentally a sinner's religion. It's a religion for sinners.
They're the only ones who have any appreciation of the gospel.
Now that's the only way you can hear the gospel as a real bona
fide sinner. You know, we talk about the doctrine
of grace. If you really believe total depravity,
if you really believe you're totally depraved, I don't mean
you just believe in the doctrine of total depravity, but you believe
you're totally depraved, in and of yourself, you're nothing but
sin. If you really believe that, unconditional election is a necessity
to you. You can't be saved without that.
effectual redemption, Christ's redemption for his elect, his
successful redemption, why it's necessary. Irresistible grace,
that's the only kind of grace that can save you. You must be
preserved in order to persevere. You see, you can only hear the
gospel as a sinner when that's established. I'm nothing but
sin. Oh, you hear the gospel so differently. It's so easy. To trust Christ as your righteousness
before God when you have no righteousness. When you have none, it's easy
to trust Him. It's easy to believe grace. Sovereign
saving grace when you in and of yourself are utterly powerless. You only can hear the gospel
as a sinner. When you hear in word only, you
don't hear it as the absolute word of God. You hear it as the
preacher's opinion. Well, that's Todd's opinion.
That's Todd's thought. That's what that church over there thinks.
That's what that denomination stands for. You hear the scripture
as opinion rather than the absolute word of God. Look in First Thessalonians,
Chapter 2, verse 13. Verse 13, For this cause also
thank we God without ceasing. Because when you receive the
Word of God, which you heard of us, you received it not as
the Word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God. which effectually worketh also
in you that believe." You see, when you hear the gospel in power,
you know it's God's gospel. It's God's word. It's not man's
word. It's not man's opinion. It's God's gospel. Paul said,
the gospel that was preached of me is not after man. It was not derived from any human
source. For I neither received it of
man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus
Christ. Now, when you hear the gospel
in power, Not in word only. You hear it as the absolute truth
of God. And when you hear the gospel
in word only, you don't hear it as gospel. You are seeing
if you agree, you're judging, you're critiquing to see if you
agree with what's being said, see whether it's right, whether
it's not. That's not hearing the word of God in power. When
you hear the word in power, you hear it as good news. This is the best news I've ever
heard, that salvation is all by grace. This is exactly what
I need. Now, that's what it is to hear
the gospel, not in word only, but in power. You see, the gospel is the power
of God unto salvation. You were saved. Now, I was saved. Listen to me real carefully.
I don't know how to explain this other than you say it. I was
saved before time began in the mind and purpose of God in the
lame flame from the foundation of the world. That's how long
I've been saved. However old God is, that's how
old I am. I was saved that long. I was
saved when Christ died. When he died and was raised from
the dead, I was justified in God's sight. I was saved when
I heard the gospel. When I believed the gospel. The gospel is the power of God
unto salvation. All three of those are true.
Now, can you make logical sense of that? No, but I'm not. I'm
not worried about that. I just believe what the Bible
says. I was saved in hearing the gospel. You were saved when
the gospel came to you in power. And look what he says next. For
our gospel came not into you in word only, but also in power
and in the Holy Ghost. The only way you can hear the
gospel in power is by the Holy Spirit. You know that, don't
you? Only the Spirit of God can enable you to hear the gospel
in power. You can't do it on your own. You've tried before.
The only way you can hear in power is if God, the Holy Spirit,
enables you to. You see, worship, we in the circumcision,
we worship God in the Spirit. In power, and then next he says,
in the joy of the Holy Ghost. The kingdom of God is not meat
and drink, but it's righteousness. It's peace. It's joy in the Holy
Ghost. Does it give you joy, real joy,
to know that salvation is all of grace? It gives me joy. Does it give you joy to know
that when Christ said it is finished, sin was put away? You see, you
can't really hear the gospel in just an unmoved way. Faith is not a feeling, but it
sure has feelings, doesn't it? Feelings of joy, feelings of
peace, feelings of exalting in the Lord and rejoicing in Him.
In joy of the Holy Ghost. Look what he says next. And in
much assurance. You heard the gospel in much
assurance. Now, what does that mean? Does
that mean you have So you haven't really believed unless you have
full assurance of your salvation and have no doubt whatsoever
about your salvation. Now let me say some things about
assurance. I have assurance. And as soon
as I say I have full assurance, I start wondering, you know,
what if you're wrong? I mean, it happens every time. I've got
full assurance. Do you really? I mean, I have
all kinds of questions coming at me. Now listen to me. Full assurance is what Christ
did enough to save you. Is anything else needed? Now you answer that question.
Is what Christ is, who He is, and what He did enough to save
you? You say, yes, I believe that. Then you have full assurance,
you're fully assured that He's able to save you. You're fully
assured that He is salvation. You're fully assured that He
did it all. That's what full assurance is.
And when I lack assurance is because I'm looking in here.
I'm looking for something in me to make me think I'm a Christian.
As soon as I start looking within to find assurance, I'm not going
to have any. And I don't deserve any. That's not where assurance
is found. Assurance is found in him. But when he's talking
about full assurance, he's not even referring to that kind of
assurance. What he's talking about is assurance that this
is the gospel. You're fully assured that this
is the truth of God. This is God's gospel. You know it is the truth. Now,
when you're in power, you know this is God's word. This is not
man's word. I'm sure that this is God's word. And then next,
he says, you know what manner of men we were among you for
your sake. In verse five. You hear the gospel with the
assurance that it's God's word, and when you receive the word
of God, you receive it from a man, and you know that that man's
a servant of God. Now, you're listening to me preach. You had
other things you could have done, but you drove out here, sat down,
and you're listening to a guy preach. You believe that I'm
a God-sent priest. You believe that. You wouldn't
be here if you didn't. You believe that God has sent me to preach
the gospel, to tell the truth. And that's what people do. They
believe that. Now, verse six, look what it says next. And this
is how I know your election of God. Let's read verse five again.
For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in
power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as you
know what manner of men we were among you for your sakes. And
you became followers of us. of the Lord. You became followers,
imitators of us and the Lord. Now, if I can't follow a man,
I can't follow the Lord Jesus. Somebody says, I will not follow
any man. Well, you won't follow Christ
then. Paul said, follow me as I follow Christ. And if I have
to say Do as I say, but don't do as I do. I have no business
preaching. You know that. I better be able to say you follow
me as I follow Christ. And if I can't say that, I have
absolutely no business preaching. But what Paul said in first Corinthians
chapter four, would you turn back there for a moment? He says to the Corinthians in
verse 16, first Corinthians chapter four, wherefore, I beseech you
be ye followers of me." Now, he wasn't saying that with arrogance.
He wasn't a cult leader. But he said, I beseech you, be
ye followers of me. Look what he said in verse 9
that led him to say that. For I think that God has set
us, the apostles, last. As it were, appointed to death,
we're made a spectacle unto the world and to angels and to men.
We're fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We're
weak. He's speaking facetiously, but
you're strong. You're honorable, but we're despised.
Even into this present hour, we both hunger and thirst and
are naked and are buffeted, and we have no certain dwelling place.
You know, Paul didn't have a home to go to the way you and I do
tonight. He slept wherever he could find a place where anybody
could put him up. And we labor, working with our own hands, being
reviled, we're blessed, being persecuted, we suffer it, being
defamed, we entreat, we're made as the filth of the world and
are the offspring of all things unto this day. I write not these
things to shame you, but my beloved sons, I warn you, for though
you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you have not many
fathers. For in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you through the
gospel. Wherefore, I beseech you, be
ye followers of me, for this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus,
who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring
you into remembrance of my ways, which be in Christ, as I teach
everywhere in every church." Now, Paul said, you be followers
of me, as I am also of Christ. And they did this. Go back to
our text in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. Verse six, you became followers
of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction
with joy of the Holy Ghost. Now, this is why I know you're
elect of God. You receive the word. In much affliction, even
though there was affliction around the word being preached, people
who didn't believe. I love what the Lord said in John chapter
eight. He said, heathens of God, hear God's words. That's what
God's elect do. They receive the word. You received
the word in much affliction and in joy of the Holy Ghost, verse
seven, so that you were examples to all that believe in Macedonia. Now, the word is literally you
were a mold. You were a pattern. You were a form. You fit the
form. Now, I'm looking at a bunch of unique individuals. You guys
are alike. You got your own personality.
I got my own personality. There's nobody like me. I'm the
only me there is. Good thing, isn't it? You're
the only you there is. We're unique individuals. But I also
know this. Being unique individuals, every
single one of God's people were saved the same way. They meet
that form. They fit into that mold. Just
like Paul on the road to Damascus. The salvation begins with a great
light. The light of the gospel. The light of the Lord Jesus Christ.
They fall down to the earth. They're knocked off their high
horse. They hear the voice of Christ.
God sends Him a preacher, Ananias. He says, The God of our fathers
hath chosen thee that you should know His will. See that just
one. Know His will of redemption.
Everybody he died for must be saved. See that just one, how
he can be just and justify the ungodly. Hear the voice of his
mouth, for thou shalt be his witness. You know, Paul said
he was a pattern to them that should have outward belief. Everybody
said the same way Paul was. We have the same experience,
saved by the same gospel. Now, we're all unique, I realize
that, and there's different details, but we have the same experience.
We believe the same gospel. We have the same teacher. He
said, you became examples who fit into the mold to all that
believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out, thundered
out, literally, the word of the Lord. You weren't ashamed of
the gospel, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every
place. Your faith to God was spread
abroad so that we may not need to speak anything. We don't need
to try to convince people you're a believer. It's obvious. Verse
9, But they themselves show of us what manner of entering in
we had in you, how you turned to God from idols. to serve the living and true
God. And notice the order. He didn't
say you turn from idols to get to God. You all of a sudden saw
the vanity of your idols and saw how wrong they were. And
then you knew, I need to turn to God. No, you saw who God was. God revealed himself to you.
And when you saw who God was, you turned from your idols. to
serve the living and true God. You saw that your former religion
was idolatry and nothing more. There was nothing to it. You
turned to God from those idols to serve the living and the true
God. And verse 10 says to wait for
his son from heaven. Now, what does it mean to wait
for the Lord Jesus Christ? We read throughout the scriptures,
wait on the Lord, wait on the Lord. We want to wait on the
Lord, don't we? We don't want to go before him.
We want to wait on him. I don't want to make a move without
him. But what does it mean, truly, to wait on the Lord? Now, we
have an example in the Old Testament of what it means to not wait
on the Lord. And through seeing what it means
to not wait on the Lord, we can see what it means to wait on
the Lord. I want to wait on the Lord, don't you? Now, if I'm
one of God's elect, I'm going to be somebody who waits on the
Lord. Would you turn with me to 1 Samuel, chapter 13? Verse 5, this is about Saul. And the Philistines
gathered themselves together to fight with Israel 30,000 chariots
and 6,000 horsemen and people as the sand, which is on the
seashore in multitude. And they came up and pitched
in Micmash eastward from Bethlehem. And when the men of Israel saw
that they were in a straight, I mean, they were in trouble
for the people were distressed. Then the people did hide themselves
in caves and in thickets and in rocks and in high places and
in pits. They couldn't defeat this army. And some of the Hebrews
went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul,
he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him, trembling.
And he tarried seven days according to the set time that Samuel had
appointed. Samuel said, I'll be there in seven days. But Samuel,
God's priest, came not to Gilgal, and the people were scattered
from him. And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me,
and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. Now, only the priest is allowed
to offer the burnt offering. Now, Saul was in a strait. Samuel
didn't show up, so he thought, well, we've got to do it. So
he went ahead and offered this offering. Verse 10, and it came
to pass that as soon as he'd made an end of the offering,
the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet
him, that he might salute him. And Samuel said, what hast thou
done? And Saul said, because I saw the people were scared
from him, that thou camest not within the days appointed, and
that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Mikmash,
therefore said I, the Philistines will come down now upon me to
Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord. I forced myself,
therefore, and offered a burnt offering. He didn't wait on Samuel. He didn't wait on the priest.
He forced himself to do it. He thought this is expedient.
I've got to do it. And Samuel said to Saul, thou
hast done foolishly. Thou hast not kept the commandment
of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee. For now would
the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever,
but now thy kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought
him a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him
to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that
which the Lord commanded thee." Now, what did Saul do? He didn't
wait for the priest to offer up the offering. Now, here's
what a believer does. I don't make a move to God. I
wait on Christ to make my move for me. I wait on Christ to present
my name before the Father. I don't come on my own. I wait
on the Lord. I don't come waltzing into His
presence apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. I wait on the Lord. I can't offer up an offering.
I can't offer up something that He can accept. It's got to be
the Lord Jesus Christ doing it for me. That's what it means
to wait on the Lord. You come into His presence. only
through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and no other way. Now, back to our text. Let me
close up. Paul said, I know your election of God. How do you know,
Paul? He says, because you wait for
His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus,
which delivered us from the wrath to come. Now, there is a wrath to come. And in the book of Revelation,
we even read of the wrath of the Lamb. There is a wrath to
come. But we're waiting on Him who
delivered us. He didn't make deliverance possible.
If we do something, He delivered us. We're waiting on that One
who has delivered. And that's what our Lord did
on Calvary 3. He completely delivered all of
his people. He's the deliverer. And he's
the one we're waiting on. Now, that's how I know your election
of God. He had no access to the Lamb's
Book of Life, but he could say to these people, I know your
election of God. And he is, why knows? And I can, I'm looking at some
people right now and I can say, I know your election of God. But you know what? This is also
interesting. I was thinking about this. If I think you're a Christian,
does that make you one? No. If I don't think you're a
Christian, does that mean you're not one? No. What I think doesn't even matter.
The only one who can give us true assurance that we're his
is the Lord himself. And when He gives us assurance,
we're assured. Let's pray.