A Prayer for the Elect

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

The Bible asserts that God has chosen His elect before the foundation of the world according to His sovereign will (Ephesians 1:4). The doctrine of election is grounded in Ephesians 1:4-5, where it states that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless. This choice is not based on any foreseen merit or action on our part, but is solely according to the good pleasure of His will. God's election demonstrates His sovereign grace, as He predestines individuals for adoption as His children, highlighting both His initiative and the unmerited favor extended to us in Christ. This foundational truth serves as a source of great comfort and assurance for believers, as it reveals the depth of God’s love and the certainty of our salvation.

Q: How do we know the doctrine of predestination is true?

The truth of predestination is affirmed in Scripture, particularly in Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:11. Predestination is a key doctrine established in the Scriptures, which asserts that God has eternally determined who will be saved. Romans 8:29-30 clearly outlines this process: those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. This reflects the intimate relationship between God’s foreknowledge and predestining will. Ephesians 1:11 further reinforces this by stating that we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will. This biblical evidence emphasizes that predestination is not merely a theological concept, but a divine reality that assures believers of their salvation.

Q: Why is God's sovereignty important for Christians?

God's sovereignty is crucial for Christians as it assures us of His ultimate control and the certainty of our salvation. The sovereignty of God is central to the Christian faith because it asserts that He is in complete control over all aspects of creation, including our salvation. According to Ephesians 1:11, God works all things according to the counsel of His will, which means that nothing is outside His plan. This truth provides deep comfort to believers, especially during trials and uncertainties, as it assures us that God's purposes will not be frustrated. Furthermore, the sovereignty of God undergirds the doctrines of grace, affirming that our salvation is initiated, sustained, and completed by Him, rather than being contingent upon our actions or decisions. Thus, understanding God's sovereignty encourages trust and dependence on Him in all matters of life.

Q: What does it mean to be part of the elect?

Being part of the elect means being chosen by God for salvation and adoption as His children in Christ. The term 'elect' refers to those whom God has chosen to receive His grace and salvation. In Ephesians 1:5-6, we learn that the elect are predestined for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. This election is not based on any merit seen in us, but solely on God’s sovereign will and purpose. As the elect, believers are assured of their identity and security in Christ, enjoying the blessings of redemption and forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7). This special relationship with God establishes a sense of belonging and purpose, as we are called to reflect His glory and grace in our lives. Being part of the elect is thus a profound privilege that invites a response of faith and love towards God and one another.

I want you to open your Bibles
again now to the book of Ephesians. The book of Ephesians, chapter
1. I'm going to read the first 14
verses, and then preach from the following
9 verses. But most of us are quite familiar
with these first 14 verses. I suppose I preached dozens of
sermons and taught dozens of classes concerning God's elective
grace and these first 14 verses of Ephesians 1. These verses
are precious to us because they present the glorious truth of
our Lord's eternal sovereign love toward us in Christ Jesus. These things are largely denied
in this day and most churches and from most pulpits, but we
love all the Word of God here, that which enlarges upon his
sovereignty and that which stresses our responsibility. Let's begin
with verse 1 of Ephesians 1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
by the will of God, to the saints, to all believers which are at
Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus, grace be to
you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed, bless God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings, with all
that we need in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. according as
He hath chosen us. He hath chosen us. We didn't
choose Him, He chose us. We do choose Him because He chose
us. We love Him because He loved
us. But He hath chosen us in Christ, before the foundation
of the world, from the beginning, that we should be holy. Not because
we're holy, but that we should be holy. and that we should be
without blame, without blemish before him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, and
all of this according to the good pleasure of his will, his
will, not our will, his will, and all of it to the praise of
the glory of his grace. wherein he hath made us. He, our God, hath made us, sinners,
accepted. I suppose it was a sense in which
we accept him, but the larger sense is he accepts us. And not
in ourselves, but in the beloved. There's the whole thing. He hath
made us. Made us holy, made us righteous,
made us accepted. in Christ. In whom? In Christ. We have redemption
through his blood, through his death. The wages of sin is death,
and without the shedding of blood, there's no remission. But we
have redemption through his blood. We have the forgiveness of sins,
all sins, past, present, and future, according to the riches
of his grace. wherein, in that grace, in Christ,
he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom, for Christ is the
wisdom of God. We find wisdom in Christ, heavenly
wisdom, holy wisdom, divine wisdom, and prudence. And having made
known unto us the mystery of his will, we would never have
known it if he hadn't revealed it, that is, the will of God.
according to the good pleasure which he had purposed in himself.
All of this began with him. And the end, he declares the
end from the beginning, that in the dispensation of the fullness
of time, when it's all over, he might gather together, and
I tell you, none of it's left to us, from its origination,
to its execution, to its application, to its sustaining power, to its
ultimate completion. He's going to gather together.
He's going to send his angels and gather together his elect
from the four corners. He will gather together all things in Christ. You have
to be in Christ. Those which are in heaven, those
are already gone to be with Christ. and those which are on earth.
We're not all going to sleep, but we're all going to be changed.
We're not all going to die and go to glory, but we're all going
to be changed into His likeness, taken up together with them to
meet the Lord. He's going to gather us together.
Even in Him, verse 11, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance
in Christ, being predestinated According to the purpose of him
who worketh all things, all things, all things in creation, all things
in providence, is not a sparrow falls to the ground without your
father. The hairs of your head are numbered.
Who works all things in creation, providence, and salvation, who
works all things after the counsel of his own will. Our Lord taught us to pray, Thy
will be done. Thy will be done. That we should
be to the praise of His glory who first trusted in Christ,
and all who trusted in Christ. And these Ephesians are among
those who first trusted in Christ. And these apostles are among
those who first trusted in Christ. in whom you also trusted, after you heard. After you heard. Oh, for ears
to hear. Oh, I pray for a tongue to preach,
and I pray for you, an ear to hear. The hearing ears of the
Lord, and the seeing eyes of the Lord, in whom you trusted,
to whom you committed, in whom you rested, after that you heard
the word of truth, not just any word, truth, you know the truth,
truth will make you free. Truth about God, truth about
us, truth about Christ, truth about sin, truth about salvation,
and all of that's contained in the gospel of your salvation.
In whom, in whom, also after you believed, You trusted him,
you believed him. And it's not the doctrines of
grace that you believe, it's him whom you believe. Not a doctrines
of person. You don't arrive at a person
through doctrine, you arrive at doctrines through the person.
The doctrine is true because of who he is. He's not who he
is because of the doctrine. The doctrine is what it is because
of who he is. And you were sealed with that
Holy Spirit of promise, which is the token, the pledge of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.
He'll get what he paid for. It's purchased, past tense. Paid
for. It's purchased. It's not all
delivered yet, but it's purchased. That's right. Under the praise
of his glory. Now watch this. Wherefore I also,
after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love
to all the saints, good reports had come to the prison where
Paul was confined. Good reports concerning this
church, concerning these people. Someone was bragging on them.
Someone was bragging on them to Paul. And what kind of reports
came to Paul about this church? Well, nothing is said here about
the size of their building. They probably didn't even have
one. Probably met in some homes. Nothing is said about how many.
You know, that's what people ask me wherever I go, how many
folks do y'all have? How big's your auditorium? How
big's your budget? Nothing said here about these
things or the programs or the youth work or the outreach ministry. Paul said, I've heard of two
things about you that excite me, that bless me, that thrill
my very soul. I heard you believed on Christ. That's what I heard about you.
That you people there at 13th Street, doesn't matter how many
you are, doesn't matter where you meet, doesn't matter where
you hang your hat, doesn't matter how old you are, how young you
are, how many babies you got or don't have. I heard that you
folks believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what I heard. Oh my soul,
is it possible? that we actually really truly
believe Him. That's all that's required. He
that believeth on the Son hath life. Our Lord said if you can believe,
all things are possible to them that believe. Abraham believed
God and was counted to him for righteousness. I've heard that
you folks believe God. And I heard this. that you loved
each other. All the saints, you loved each
other. Now, I'll tell you this, that's the best news that you
can hear about someone because these graces are inseparable. Faith and love are inseparable.
Where you find love for Christ, you find love for the brethren.
Where you find faith in Christ, you'll find love, because you
see, faith is the cause of love. That's right, faith is the cause
of love. And love is the evidence of faith. Come on now, you got it? Faith
is the cause of love. There can't be any true compassion,
affection, and love without faith. We love him because he loved
us. The love of God is shared abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Faith is the producer of love. It's the cause of love. And love's
the evidence of faith. Where there's no love, there's
no faith. Where there's no faith, there can't be any love. Not
self-love. We're loaded with that. We've
got enough of that to go around. But faith in Christ, and love
for all the saints. That's the gift of God. All right, verse 16. I cease
not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. I tell you, when you find these
graces, in a believer, faith in Christ, and love for one another,
it produces a two-fold response. When you find, oh, this treasure, faith, they
believe God, they really believe God. They really do. They really love each other.
And when you find that, it brings forth It leads us to a two-fold
response. We lift our hearts to God in
thanksgiving and praise for them. He said, since I heard of your
faith and love, I cease not to give thanks to God for you. You'd never believe if he hadn't
given you the faith, and you'd never love if he hadn't shed
it and brought it in your heart. So I thank God for you. Not of
us, brethren. Not unto us, not unto us. Unto
thy name be glory. Paul said, I labored more abundantly
than all of you, yet not I have it crushed in me. I am what I
am by the grace of God. I am what I am by the grace of
God. We're bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren,
beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen
you unto salvation. through sanctification of the
spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto he called you by our
gospel. Thank God for you. And the second
thing, when you hear about somebody who really believes God and loves
Christ and loves one another, you thank God for them and you
pray for them. You pray for them. Prayer is
a ministry. Let's do more of it. One of the
men said to me this morning, he said, for some reason, all
this week you've been on my mind. And I said, he said, I believe
God puts us on each other's minds. I said, that's right. That's
exactly right. Almighty God will burden your
heart and put someone on your mind that you might pray for
them, that He might deliver them from whatever danger or difficulty
they face. Spurgeon, somebody asked him
one time, said, you're mightily used of God and blessed of God
and have a tremendous ministry. What's your secret? He said,
I've got one secret. The people at this church pray
for me. That's my secret. And I'll tell
you, Ronnie, when we get these letters from these dear elderly
ladies up in the mountains They sacrificially send gifts to support
the TV ministry. I appreciate the gifts, but I
tell you what, I appreciate more than any other thing. Down at
the bottom they say, I pray for you. I pray for you. The day never goes by that I
don't pray for you. Oh, what a gift. And that's what
Paul's... And you know, Samuel said one
time, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord. in ceasing
to pray for you. And brethren, prayer is not words. I just don't have the words good.
Prayer is not words. Prayer is not eloquence. Well,
I'm just not good at praying. That's good too. Well, you know, I'm just a young Christian. I'll
tell you the sweetest words we hear our children say are the
first words they learn. Listen, he said dirty. Dirty,
he said dirty. Now you wish you could bite your
hand over their mouths. Those first words, what is prayer? Prayer is from the heart. Prayer is sincerity. Prayer is
resignation to his will. That's right. Public prayer is hard. It's hard. It really is. It's difficult
because too many ears. And I guess God just gets us
through it in our struggles and blesses us anyway and hears it
anyway and understands that we're flesh and dust. But private prayer
is not difficult. All is required, not even a word
is required. Just groaning. Groanings which
cannot be uttered. Just a heart lifted to God. Just a heart of sincerity, a
heart of confession, a heart of repentance, a heart broken,
a heart contrite. That's all. It's got somebody on your heart,
somebody on your mind. Lord, I don't have anything to
say, but I sure wish you'd be pleased to bless so-and-so. I
love him and wish you'd bless him. I don't even know what he
needs, but whatever it is, you can supply it." That's not hard
to say. Grace is alive. So he said, when
I heard about your faith in Christ and your love for all the saints,
well, I thank God. Man didn't do it. God did it. And I cease not to make mention
of you in my prayer. And here's my prayer. Here's
my prayer. Here's the prayer. This is the
title of this message. The prayer for the elect. The
prayer for the elect. I pray that the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom
and revelation in the knowledge of him. Now, here's what he's
saying. I'm praying that God will give
you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of
God, of Christ. Now, these people knew the Lord.
He just talked about it. He just said they believed Christ
and loved each other. They knew the Lord eternal life
to know God and Jesus Christ to whom he was sent. But here's
what Paul knows and what I know and what you know. One never
knows God perfectly. One never knows God enough. And
Paul prayed for them what he prayed for himself. He said,
Oh, that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having mine
own righteousness, which is of the law, but the righteousness
which is by faith in Christ Jesus, all that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection. I pray for you that you won't
be settled in and confident of the doctrines of grace. I want you to know him in wisdom
And revelation and true knowledge of him comes by wisdom. Wisdom,
experience, trial, revelation. Turn to 1 Corinthians 2. Now
look at this, 1 Corinthians 2. I know, well, I know, I know
we know. Paul wrote, he that thinketh
he knows, doesn't know as he ought to know. You know what
he said? If any man thinks he knows, he
doesn't know anything. 1 Corinthians 2, verse 7, we speak
the wisdom of God, the wisdom of God in a mystery. even the hidden wisdom which
God ordained before the world and our glory. Let me hold that
right there a minute. What is wisdom? Spurgeon gave this illustration,
the difference in wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is the horse, competent,
capable, powerful, able, strong. servant, plow a field, deliver
a message, pull a wagon, serve the people. Wisdom is the rider. And that horse can be a devastating,
troublesome, cruel creature unless wisdom shackles him. and turns him, directs him. He is strong and he is able and
he is capable, but don't you turn him loose without wisdom.
You'll tear everything up. And that's what happens. That's
the reason I wouldn't want to pastor a church full of a bunch
of theologians. And I warn you elders, If you
ever call to a pastor of a church and you got a fella in there
that thinks he knows everything, he's a theologian, he's a graduate
student from somebody's Bible school, get rid of him as quick
as you can. That's exactly right. Because
he'll tear up Jack. That's right. Knowledge. Knowledge. I know! But what you need is
wisdom and knowledge. Revelation. That's what he said. Verse 8, Which none of the princes
of this world knew, had they known it, they would not have
crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, I have
not seen, nor heard, neither have entered into the heart of
man the things God has prepared for them that love him, but God
hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth
all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth
the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?
Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. I pray for you. Paul said here
in verse 17 that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus will
give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge
of Him. You never graduate. You're translated, and you're
taken up, and he'll change into his very likeness, but down here
you never graduate. Notice verse 18, this request
here, I pray the eyes of your understanding will be flooded
with light, enlightened, the eyes of your understanding, not
these eyes, the eyes of your understanding, will be flooded
with light, that you may know what is the hope of his calling,
what is the hope of his calling, and the riches of the glory of
his inheritance. We all are guilty, aren't we?
But why? We are all guilty, but why are
we so affected by these light afflictions, these inconveniences? As one
old Puritan said, it takes us a week to get over the breaking
of a china plate. That's something. Why are we so affected by these
inconveniences? I'm talking to myself. in these
light afflictions, when we have such a hope, such an inheritance. But I've lost everything. Not
till you've lost Christ. Until you've lost Christ, you
haven't lost anything. He's everything. All in all, I've
lost nothing. Nothing. Nothing. I have a hope of the glory of
God. I have a hope of righteousness by faith. I have a good hope
through grace. I have a blessed hope of His
likeness. I have a better, I have a living
hope. He's my inheritance. He's my reward. He's my all and
then all. I am lost. I don't have anything
down here to lose. I didn't bring anything this
world. I'm not going to take anything out. He's blessed me
with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. My treasure's
not down here where moth and rust doth corrupt and thieves
break through and steal. My treasure is where my heart
is. Christ. Oh, that your eyes may be flooded
with light, that you may know what is the hope of His calling,
His calling. his calling, and the inheritance,
the glory, the riches of the glory of his inheritance. Now
watch this. I want to dwell on this a minute. In what is exceeding greatness
of his power to us who believe, according to the working of his
mighty power, the power, the might of his power, which he
wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. and set him at his own right
hand to heavenly places. Did you hear that? I pray that
you might know the greatness of God's power, his mighty power,
which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and
sat him at his right hand. I said in a sermon recently,
I It is as great a miracle for
a man to become a son of God as it is for the Son of God to
become a man. It takes the same power. That's right. Walking in the
night won't do that. Being baptized won't do that. It won't make a man. What is
man that is not mindful of him? A sinful man, a son of woman,
makes him a son of God. It takes the same power to take
him from the dunghill to the throne as it did to take the
Son of God from the throne to the dunghill as a man. And, now listen, it takes the
same God, the same will, and the same power to raise you from
spiritual death as it took to raise Christ from the grave.
That's what he's saying here. I want you to know the power,
the mighty power of God toward you. That same power which he
revealed and which he wrought in Christ when he raised him
from the dead. Our Lord died on that cross. We know what death
is. Death is death. And he laid in a tomb. And God
raised him. And it takes that same power
to raise you and me. from a spiritual grave where
we are because of Adam's sin. Our Lord's resurrection from
death takes the power of God. So does ours. His resurrection
from the grave is by the will of God because the law was satisfied
and justice honored. So is ours. His resurrection
is the unaided work of God. So is ours. You have to quicken
who were dead. His resurrection is to die no
more, so is ours. His resurrection is to eternal
glory, so is ours. I want you to know Him by wisdom
and revelation. I want you not to be taken up
with the humdrum things of this earth and forget the hope of
His calling and the riches of His inheritance. He's our everything. And I want you to know something
of His power. His power, which He wrought in
Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and when He raised
us from the dead. Now let me show you a verse,
and I'll let you go. 2 Timothy. Turn to this now. 2 Timothy 3,
verse 5. Now listen, here is the problem
with modern religion and modern theology. Here she is. Paul sums it up right here. 2
Timothy 3, verse 5. Here's the summary of modern
religion. Here's the whole problem. Verse
5, listen, they have a form of godliness. but deny the power
thereof. From such turn away. All right,
you with me? Sit still and listen. In the
last days perilous times shall come. These religious people
will have a form of godliness and deny the power. He prayed
over here, I want you to know the power, the power of God to
usward, his mighty power which he wrote in Christ when he raised
him from the dead, which he wrote in us when he raised us. He is
power. Your faith is only as strong as the power of your God.
Abraham believed God that he was able to do what he said.
Can he? Can he do what he said? This
religious generation has a form of godliness but denies the power.
Now listen, number one, the form of godliness says, God wants
to save everybody. It's not the will of God that
anyone should perish. God wants to save everybody.
That's the form of godliness. And they add this, but he can't. Why can't he? They won't let
him. That's denying the power thereof. A form of godliness says one
thing, and then they come along and deny the power. All right,
listen, a form of godliness says God has a wonderful plan for
your life. God wants to bless you financially. God wants to
bless you physically. God wants to give you a good
job. God wants to take you to heaven when you die. Then why
doesn't he? Well, denying the power of God
adds this. We have to help him make it work.
God only enters where we let him. He will not violate our
will. That's denying the power of his purpose. A form of godliness
says God wants to, and denying the power says God can't. That's
modern religion. Thirdly, a form of godliness
says very compassionately, very sweetly, Oh, Jesus died
on the cross for all the sins of all men in all the world that
they might be saved. But, adds, His blood is not able
to save them unless they accept Him. They deny the power of the
blood. A form of God that says He died for everybody, denying
the power, says, but it didn't get the job done. You have to
add what you do. This is modern religion. A form
of godliness, but denying the power. Listen, a form of godliness
says the Holy Spirit knocks on every heart's door, every heart's
door, but denying the power thereof as, but he can't come in unless
you open the door. You got a form of godliness outside,
and he can't get in. denying the power. A form of
godliness says, oh, we're all born again by the Spirit of God,
our names are written in heaven, our sins are paid for by the
blood of Jesus Christ, and we'll all go to be with the Lord someday,
unless we fall away. That's denying the power there. Oh, he says in our text, I pray
for you, I pray for you that you might know the exceeding
greatness. Look at verse 19 again. What
is the exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe? according to the working of his
mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him
from the dead, and set him at his right hand in the heavenly
places, far above principalities, and power, and might, and dominion,
and every name that is named, not only in this world, but in
the world to come, and hath put him, put all things under his
feet, and gave him to be the head over all things in the church,
which is his body, that filleth All and in all. What a chapter. What a chapter.

A Prayer for the Elect

What does the Bible say about God's election?

How do we know the doctrine of predestination is true?

Why is God's sovereignty important for Christians?

What does it mean to be part of the elect?

Sermon Transcript

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A Prayer for the Elect

What does the Bible say about God's election?

How do we know the doctrine of predestination is true?

Why is God's sovereignty important for Christians?

What does it mean to be part of the elect?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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