Who Are the Elect?

Q: What does the Bible say about God's election?

The Bible teaches that God chooses individuals for salvation according to His sovereign purpose, as seen in passages like Ephesians 1:4-5. The doctrine of election is a foundational tenet of Reformed theology, emphasizing that God chooses whom He will save based on His will and purpose rather than any foreseen merit or action on their part. Ephesians 1:4-5 affirms this when it states that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, demonstrating that our salvation is rooted in His sovereign grace. Similarly, 1 Samuel 16 illustrates God's choice of David, indicating that divine election often goes against human expectation, as it is not based on outward appearances or qualifications, but on God's own heart and plan.

Q: How do we know God chooses the elect?

We know God chooses the elect through His word, which reveals that His selection is based on grace, not human works, as explained in Romans 8:30. The certainty of God's election of the faithful can be found in Scripture, which repeatedly emphasizes that His choice is not based on any merit of our own. Romans 8:30 notes that those whom He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified. This assures us that God's grace is at work in the life of every believer. The example of David, chosen to be king despite being the least regarded among his brothers, further illustrates that God's election often defies human understanding and preferences. It ultimately conveys the message that God is sovereign over salvation and calls His elect according to His own purpose and will.

Q: Why is understanding election important for Christians?

Understanding election reinforces the grace of God in salvation and highlights His sovereignty, reminding Christians that salvation is entirely a gift from Him. Recognizing the significance of election is vital for Christians as it underscores the unmerited favor of God in their lives. It teaches that salvation is not a result of human effort, but entirely by grace through faith, as emphasized in Ephesians 2:8-9. This doctrine also instills a deep sense of humility and gratitude, as Christians understand they were chosen not based on any inherent goodness, but solely according to God's sovereign pleasure. Furthermore, embracing the reality of divine election encourages believers to rest in God's plan for their lives, knowing that His purposes will ultimately prevail, as also seen in the calling of David, who, despite not being chosen by man, was chosen by God for a great purpose.

Q: What is the significance of David's election as king?

David's election illustrates God's sovereign choice and serves as a reminder that God often chooses the least expected for His purposes. The election of David as king is significant because it highlights God's sovereignty and the principle that His choice often goes against human expectations. In 1 Samuel 16, God instructs Samuel not to be swayed by outward appearances, affirming that He looks at the heart rather than the outward stature. This serves as a powerful lesson for believers, emphasizing that God qualifies those He calls and that His purposes are often fulfilled through those who may seem insignificant to the world, just as David, the youngest son and shepherd, was chosen over his more formidable brothers. This election serves to encourage Christians to trust in God's plan and timing, knowing that He is working through His chosen instruments for His glory.

and washed us from our sins in
his own blood and made us, appointed us, chose us, redeemed us, made
us kings. He is no more a king than I am
in Christ. I reign with Christ. I'm a king.
Kings and priests. Unto our God, unto our Father,
To Him be glory. To Him be the glory and dominion
forever and ever. Amen. It says here in verse 1
that God said to Samuel, verse 1, Now you fill your horn with
oil, and you go to Jesse's house. I have provided me a king among
his sons. And God sends his preachers into
this world to preach the gospel to the sons of, not Jesse, but
Adam, sons of Adam. Why? Because we anoint, we carry
our horns with oil, our hearts with the word, our hands with
the gospel, preaching, because God's provided him some kings
and priests among the sons of Adam. They're there. David was already chosen. already
chosen, name already in the book of life, already king in the
purpose of God, but not yet anointed, not yet called out. And he says
to Samuel, Samuel said, now when King Saul hears about me going
down there and anointing a king, he's going to kill me. The Lord
said, this is the way it has to be done. Take a heifer, take
a lamb, take a lamb with thee, going
to kill the lamb and offer a sacrifice and have a worship service. God
Almighty is going to reveal His purpose in saving a people and
anointing a king through Christ the Lamb. Just like we come together,
the Lord has an amendment according to the election of grace now. But they're called out under
the preaching of the gospel, under the preaching of Christ. Samuel went down there and called
Jesse's family and all the people, everybody. He said, sanctify
yourself. There's something important going
on. Set apart this time. Sanctify it to set apart. Set
apart this time. Make a special effort. Put everything
else aside. Gather with me and we sacrifice
the Lamb. shed its blood, burn its body,
Christ's death, Christ's gospel, Christ's blood, Christ's righteousness. We come to God in Christ, no
other way, we come before God in Christ. And while we're here,
worshipping Him and calling on His name, He's going to reveal
who His elect are. That's what He says in verse
3, He says, And you call Jesse to the sacrifice, to the gospel,
to the worship service, and I'll show you what to do, and you
shall know it unto me, him whom I name." I'll name them. I call my sheep, he said, by
name. I know them. I call them by name. And that's what Samuel did. He
went down there and offered a sacrifice, and they all came before him,
and the Lord revealed is elected, is chosen. Now here's some things
about this. The first thing you notice in
reading this is everybody's here at the service except one, not
David. And he's out there, he's 20 years
old, but he's the youngest. All these other fellas are older
than he and experienced and all this and famous and all this
and he's out there taking care of sheep and I'll tell you why
he's out there. Because his own father had no idea whom the Lord
had chosen. He had not any idea in this world
that God had made David a king. When the news of Samuel's visit
came, he got all his sons together and he said, now David, as far
as I can see, and man sees not as God sees, man looks on the
outward countenance, God looks on the heart. For as I can see,
you're not he. This is not he. You remember when David walked
in down here, look at verse 12, the last line. The Lord said,
this is he. His father Jesse said, this is
not he. And sent him out to take care
of the sheep. His father didn't even suspect that he was God's
elect. And his brothers, His brothers
had no great regard for him. His brothers had no great regard
for him even after this. It was like the brothers of Joseph. This is sad. But this is a sad
commentary on this data. You listen real carefully to
me now. Let me tell you something. These brothers, here was God's
elect, God's king, man after God's own heart, man called a
sweet psalmist, a mighty man, valiant in war, prudent in all
matters of speech and company, and yet his brothers, his seven
brothers, had no use for him. In fact, really, you can read
it later, when he came down to meet Goliath, when they were
all running from Goliath and the armies of the Philistine,
and young David, 20, 21 years old, came down there, to meet the giant sent by God,
declaring, is there not a cause? Is there not a cause? These brothers
made fun of you, remember? They said, what are you doing
down here? And you know what they're saying?
Who's taking care of those few sheep? Who's taking care of those
few sheep you left up there? Let me show you something. Turn
to John 7. John 7. This is something everybody
here needs to listen to. John 7, verse 5. Let's start with verse 1. John
7, verse 1. After these things, Jesus walked
in Galilee. He would not walk in Jewry, because
the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews' feast of Tabernacle
was at hand, and his brethren, who we're talking about here,
his brothers, the sons of Mary and Joseph. His brothers, and there were
three or four of them, they said to him, Depart hence and go to
Judea, that your disciples may see the works you do. No man
that doeth anything in secret, and he himself seeketh to be
known openly." Now if you really do these things, show yourself
to the world. My friends, look at verse 5.
His brethren didn't believe on it. His brethren were raised in the
house of God, in human flesh. Watched Him, observed Him daily.
And He grew in favor with God and men, but not with them. Not with them. I'll give you this scripture.
A prophet is not without honor except in one place, in his own home, among his own
brethren. Isn't that something? And here was God's elect, David,
man up to God's own height. The spirit of God dwelt upon
him, the scripture said. The spirit of God dwelt in him.
And his own flesh and blood were blind. And filled with their religious
self-righteousness and pride and arrogance, perished in his
very presence. He was such a blessing to others,
but never to them. I don't know anything of Saturn,
that right there. Don't know anything in a Saturn.
Jacob's brother was Esau. Jacob, loved of God, chosen of
God, honored of God. Great, great, great, great, great
grandfather of the Son of God. But his brother, he did his guts. So I say this to you who are
believers in God's elect and love the gospel and love Christ.
Don't be amazed if you can be of no help whatsoever
to those who carry in their veins the same blood. Because it's the sign of the
time. It's been all the way through the way. And to you who have
Those in your home and household who know God, I warn you, you're
not going to get any other messenger than the one you got. That's
true. But David's election was unexpected. His father didn't. His father
had no idea God had chosen him. His brothers had no idea. And
the prophet had no idea. Listen, Samuel didn't know. who
God's elect was. Listen to him in verse 7. When
this great big strapping oldest son stood before him, the Lord
said to Samuel, Samuel said, verse 6, look, came to pass when
they were come and he looked on alive, he said, surely we
can stop preaching now. We can sit down to dinner, the
Lord's elect is before us. This is it. The Lord said to
Samuel, don't look, don't be deceived by what you see. Look
not on his countenance or the height of his stature, I have
refused him." The Lord doesn't see what man sees. Man looks
on the outward appearance and God looks on the height. And Samuel went through this
seven times before he finally realized that the Lord knoweth them that are
his. The Lord knoweth them that are his. No one else. He wrote the Lamb's Book of Life.
Of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He knows them to
be. Now let me tell you something else. His father didn't know
he was God's elect. His brothers didn't know it. The prophet didn't know it. And
you know who was the most amazed one of all? David. That's right. He had accepted his lot as the
shepherd. He's sitting up there in the
mountain with those sheep, content to be a shepherd, playing his,
whatever he played, his lute, singing, watching the sheep.
He saw a messenger coming up the hill. I wonder why he's coming up there. He
was content to care for his sheep. And Jesse sent a servant. I know
Jesse sent a servant because he sent somebody to keep the
sheep while David came home. They weren't going to leave those
sheep up there without somebody to care for them, so Jesse didn't
go. He sent a servant to fetch David, someone to stay with his
sheep. And so David left and started
home, and I'm sure he was shocked, and he wondered, why are they
sending for me? I'm the youngest. Not respected, not held in any
high regard. When everybody else is having
the feast, I'm up here taking care of the sheep. But he came,
and he stood before Samuel. I want you to look at verse 12. And he sent and brought him in,
and he was ruddy. He was sunburned, an outdoorsman,
strong and bold, 20 years old. And he was of a beautiful countenance. The word there in your center
reference is pair of eyes. He had eyes that were clear.
Not deceptive and honest. Spirit of God was already with
this young man. He's God's chosen. He's special. Not to men, but to God. He's
special. He has a confident, honest, clear
set eyes. Not deceptive. He was good to
look at. He carried himself with kindness
as well as majesty in his bearing. But as I told you, he was no
child. He was a young man. And he sums up how he felt about
God choosing him. Turn to 2 Samuel 7. Later on,
we find him summing up what he felt about God choosing him. After he was crowned king in
2 Samuel 7 verse 18, then went King David in and sat before
the Lord. David had many of these times
where he sat before the Lord. Privately, humbly, he sat before
the Lord. He said, Who am I? Who am I, O Lord God? And what
is my house? that you brought me hither to. Brought me from the sheepfold,
from the open mountain, from disrespect, from nobody and nothing. And this was yet a small thing
in thy sight, O Lord God. But thou hast also spoken of
thy servant's house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O
Lord God? And what can David say more than
that for thee? More unto thee. What can I say? For thou, Lord, knowest thy servant.
Listen, for thy word's sake and according to thine own heart
hast thou done all these great things to make thy servant known. Now that's exactly how he felt.
That's how he felt back yonder. And how he felt as an old man,
a king. Verse 22, Wherefore thou art
great, O Lord God, there is none like thee, neither is any god
beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
You have done this for your word's sake, according to your own heart
have you done these great things and made me to know them. The
songwriter said, I am amazed that God could love me, so full
of sin, so covered over with shame. Make me to walk with Him
who is above me, cleansed by the blood of His redeeming name. I am amazed that God would grant
salvation. Not but the cross could take
away my sin. Through faith in Christ, eternal
life He gave me, now He abides forevermore within. Remember
that scripture there in 2 Samuel 7. Just take it to be our own. Who
am I? O Lord, that Thou should do such
great things for me and my house. Once you see something else here
in verse 7, what God said to Samuel. Now David's election
and anointing was unexpected, and ours is too. Ours is too. But the Lord said
to Samuel in verse 7, Look not on his outward countenance, on
the height of his stature. I have refused him. The Lord
seeth not as man seeth, for man looks on the outward appearance.
How else can we look? But the Lord looketh on the heart.
The Lord looketh on the heart. And here's where the work is
begun. Here's where spiritual life starts. Here's where the
grace of God is revealed. God said, I have found David
to be a man after my own heart. Now, I'll tell you why. Because
God gave him a new heart. God gave him a new heart. This
young man up there on the mountain, God had given his spirit a new
heart. Different in here. God made him
different. God says, I'll give you a new
heart and a new spirit. Put my word in you, my law in
you. Write it in your heart. The heart,
that's where the issue is. He says, keep your heart out
of it of the issues of life. My son, give me your heart. With
a heart, man believeth unto righteousness. I know David was a man just like
his brothers. David was a son of Adam, just
like all the rest of them. David was a sinner by birth,
as everybody else. David was a son of Jesse, just
like the other seven. David was a man of flesh and
blood, and subject to death. But God made a difference. And He made the difference in
the heart. That's where the difference was made. in the heart. And I asked myself this question, what was the heart of David like,
this new heart, this heart God gave him? And I've come up with
four, five, six, seven things I want you to hear. I'll be brief
with it, but here's seven things about the heart of David I found
from his writing. First, his heart was a believing
heart. He believed God. He actually,
like Abraham, believed God. With limited revelation, or whatever
revelation he had, but he believed God. He said, when I consider the
heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars, the things Dallas made, he said, I believe, therefore
have I spoken. He said, the Lord is my shepherd.
I shall not walk. He makes me to lie down in green
pastures. He leads me beside still water.
He restores my soul. And though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil. He's with
me. His rod and His staff comfort me. Surely, goodness and mercy
will follow me all the days of my life. And I'll dwell in the
house of the Lord wherever He bleeds God." He had a believing
heart. And secondly, he had a broken heart. You read Psalm 51. The sacrifices of God, he said,
are a broken heart. A broken and a contrite spirit.
O God, Thy will not despise. He wrote in Psalm 34, The Lord
saved such as be of a broken heart. He had a humble heart. I want
you to turn to this scripture in 2 Samuel 6. This is David. This is another one you want
to underline and read again and again. But in 2 Samuel 6, I'm looking at the heart of David
now. 2 Samuel 6, I'm going to read verse 20, but I'm going
to tell you something first. You see, in the reign of King
Saul, the ark, the ark of the covenant, with a mercy seat,
ten commandments, that was in the Holy of Holies was captured
by the Philistines and taken away. When David became king,
they brought the Ark back to Jerusalem, back to the Temple,
back to the Holy of Holies, back to the Day of Atonement. And
when they brought the Ark on the shoulders of the priest,
and the people all singing and rejoicing, and the Ark in a processional
was brought back, David the king, king over all of Israel, Sovereign
reigning monarch took off his robes and crown, distinguishing
features, and robed himself in a linen girdle and went out there
in front of the whole processional. The singers and the trumpets
and the priest and the art and the people out in front and danced
before the art. Usually that was a slave's place.
Usually that was some kind of person picked up just to dance
out there, but there's the king. And when he came in his palace,
put back on his road, came in his palace, his wife, Michael,
daughter of Saul, met him, and she said, 2 Samuel 6, verse 20, Then David returned to bless
his household, and Michael, the daughter of Saul, came out to
meet David with his wife. She said, Oh, listen to the sarcasm
drip. How glorious was the king of
Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids
of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth
himself. And David said, Here's David's
heart. Micron, it was before the Lord
who chose me before your father and before all his house to appoint
me ruler over the people of Israel. Therefore will I play before
the Lord, and I will yet be more vile than this. I will be base
in my own sight, and in the sight of the maidens which you have
spoken of, of them shall I be had in honor. And Michael, the
daughter of Saul, had no child to the day of her death. That's the heart of David. Humble. He believed God. That's God's
elect. He had a broken heart. He had
a humble heart. I'll take the lowest, basest,
meanest place before God. And then those who know God,
of them I'll have more honor. You exalt yourself, and you'll
be abased. You humble yourself, and God
will exalt you. And then fourthly, he had a meditating
heart. I want you to turn to Psalm 63. Here's a heart. It's just not
a heart in the church service, and a heart when people are around
discussing religion. But David had a meditating heart. He meditated on the things of
God. Look at Psalm 63. Verse 5, My soul shall be satisfied. Well, let's read verse 1, O God,
my God, early will I seek Thee. My soul thirsteth for Thee. My
flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water
is. Verse 5, My soul shall be satisfied with marrow and fatness. My mouth shall praise Thee with
joyful lips when I remember Thee on my bed. and meditate on thee
in the night watches. Because thou spend my help, therefore
in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice." He meditated in the
quiet times, in the evening shadows, in the night time. He lay in
his bed and thought on his God. That's a new height. And then
it was a holy height. I want you to turn to Psalm 119. While you're turning to Psalm
119, let me quote a psalm. He said in Psalm 18, I love Thee,
O Lord. I love Thee, O Lord. My strength,
my rock, I love Thee, O Lord. Now look at Psalm 119, verse
97. Way over in this psalm. Psalm
119, verse 97. Oh, how I love thy law. How I
love thy word. How I love thy commandments,
thy statutes. Oh, how I love thy law. I love
your way. It's not grievous. It's not burdensome. It's not rules I hate. I love
thy law. It's my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments
hast made me wiser. than mine enemies, for they thy
commandments are ever with me." He had a holy heart. He had a desire to be like God. And then, in the next place,
he had a grateful heart. I read Psalm 65, A Grateful Heart. I read that a while ago when
he was sitting before the Lord and thanking Him for His mercies.
But here, this sums up how he felt. In Psalm 65, verse 4, Blessed
is the man, blessed indeed, highly favored. Psalm 65, verse 4, Blessed
is the man whom God chooses and causes through Christ by
His blood, by his sacrifice, causes by justifying him to approach
unto God. Not only to approach unto God,
but dwell in God's courts and be satisfied with the goodness
of his house, even his holy temple. Blessed, oh, thankful, grateful
that God didn't leave me alone, pass me by. David had a believing heart.
It's a new heart. A broken heart. A humble heart. Meditating heart. Holy heart. Grateful heart. He had a growing
heart. I'm not intimating that David
is a 20 year old had arrived, the Apostle Paul in his last
epistle says, I haven't arrived. He said, I have not laid hold
upon that for which I've been laid hold of by Christ. I'm not
perfect. Neither am I already perfect.
But David grew. David grew. And he wrote this,
Psalm 1. I want you to listen to it. I
want you to listen. that walketh in the counsel,
walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in
the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But here's the blessed man. His delight is in the law of
the Lord, in the word of the Lord, and in his word. Just read
it. Does he meditate? Meditate. Day and night. Meditating heart. dwelling on God, set his affection
on things above. And listen, and he'll be like
a tree. He'll be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water that brings forth his fruit in his season. His leaf will never wither. And
whatsoever he doeth will prosper. Now picture a tree. And God plants His trees. One
time the Pharisees were offended by what our Lord said, and His
disciples called His attention to it. They said in Matthew chapter
15, do you not know that the Pharisees were offended by what
you said? He said, leave them alone. Every
plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, we root it
up. So God plants His trees. He shall
be like a tree. planted. God plants His tree. Secondly,
God's trees bear fruit. That's what He said. He's planted
by the rivers of water, and Christ is the water of life, and He
brings forth His fruit, God's fruit in His season, in God's
season. There's no doubt about it. He
brings forth fruit, love, joy, peace. Humility, patience, faith. And another thing about trees,
God plants them, they bring forth fruit, and they grow. Trees grow. How do trees grow? They grow upward. They grow upward. Josh Kilmer said, I think I'll
never see a poem as lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth
is pressed against the earth's sweet flowing breast. A tree
that looks to God all day and lifts his leafy arms to pray.
Trees grow upward in faith, peace, rejoicing. They grow upward. And trees grow downward, rooted. The longer they've been there,
the tougher they are. Walking through the park last
night, Darcy and I said, I want you to look at those big, huge
trees. Been there for 100 years, 150
years. Wonder how deep those roots are. Those little trees,
they just planted you, boy. You can shake them. You used
to ride trees down when you was a boy. I got the worst whipping
for that one time. My uncle, we went out to his
farm and we got on his pine saplings and rode every one of them until
they was all bent over like fish. Climb it and then ride her down.
Those little trees are so, you won't ride an oak down. Nobody
else is going to ride it down either. It's established, it's
stable, it's rooted in Him. That's the reason these old men
around here, young fellas, you need to watch them. They're good
examples. Listen to them. They've stood
the test of time and toil and trouble and trial. That's right. Listen to them. Listen to them. Their roots are
deep. The very wind one day is going to bend you, bent them
one time too. And they can tell you what's
coming. They can tell you. I've already been there. A tree
grows down and then the tree grows out. It grows out to give shade to
the weary trappler. You don't run under a pine sapling
to get out of the rain. You run under one of these great
big oaks. And he'll help you. Keep you
out of the wind and the rain. Give you shade when you're Just
don't think you're going to make it. You get under the shade of
that big old oak tree. And children, they build a swing
on their big arms, you know. Get that rope swing, you know.
Swing on that. Support them. And children climb up in these
big trees and look down on the world. They're high up in that
old tree. And they build a tree house in
that tree. That tree's stable. He's there and you move there
and he'll be there and you're gone. God planted it. Do I believe
in election? Is any doubt in your mind? I believe God's salvation of
the Lord. Well, I'm going to quit, but
I'll give you four things and quit. David's election brought those
inward, that new heart. God gave him a new heart. planted
him. But the Spirit of God came on
him. The Spirit of God came on him. And secondly, he was bold
to confess his Lord. His brothers ridiculed him, but
he answered them, didn't he? He said, is there not a cause?
And he told old Goliath. Goliath came at him with the
sword and all these things. He said, I come before you in
the name of the Lord, and he's going to give you to me this
day. I'm going to defeat you. Confessed Christ. And then he
had trouble with their old king. That old king, Cecil, gave him
trouble for a long time. Old Saul. Old Saul just wouldn't
go away. And God's made you a king under
Christ, but that old man you've been under so long, he's going
to give you trouble until God kills him. And Saul gave David
trouble until God killed him. And when God killed Saul, He
crowned David. He crowned David. God chose him. God loved him. God gave him a
new hire. God anointed him. God gave him
his spirit. And he came through some troublesome
times, and God crowned him. And Paul said, I fought a good
fight. I finished my course. I kept
the faith. has laid up for me in heaven
a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge,
shall give to me, and not to me only, but to every king, every
priest whom he chooses, to all those who love his appeal. We've
been chosen, and by your, and by God's grace, you can write
this down, we'll be crowned. But even there, might go over
that piano and sing for us that song I was quoting. I am amazed
that God should love me so full of sin, so covered over with
shame, and make me to walk with one who is above me, cleansed
by the power of his redeeming name. I'm amazed that God would
grant salvation to such as I.

Who Are the Elect?

What does the Bible say about God's election?

How do we know God chooses the elect?

Why is understanding election important for Christians?

What is the significance of David's election as king?

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Who Are the Elect?

What does the Bible say about God's election?

How do we know God chooses the elect?

Why is understanding election important for Christians?

What is the significance of David's election as king?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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