It's a good possibility that
I'll get your attention right off the bat today. I'm going
to speak on the subject of election. Election. Now let me read several
verses of scripture. The word elect, God's elect,
and election, and elected is in the scripture several times.
But let me read you just a few of them. Now here's the subject,
election. That's what I'm going to deal
with through the whole program, Bible election. In 1 Thessalonians
1-4, Paul says, knowing brethren beloved your election of God. In Romans 9-11, it says that
the purpose of God according to election might stand, not
of works. But of him that calleth, it was
said to her, the elder shall serve the younger, that the purpose
of God according to election might stand. In Romans 11.5,
Paul wrote, at this present time, there's a remnant according to
the election of grace. In 2 Peter 1.10, the apostle
says, wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling
and election sure. 1 Peter 1.2 says we are elect
according to the foreknowledge or foreordination of God. There
always seems to be so much resentment and misunderstanding in regard
to the subject election, or if we preach on sovereignty of God
or free grace. When a preacher announces that
he's going to preach on the subject election or sovereignty or sovereign
grace, we usually get some of the following objections. This
is what people often say. They'll say, well, Really now,
why preach on such a profound and controversial subject? Why
preach it at all? Well, the main reason is this,
because it's in the Word of God. Now that's the first reason.
You know the Apostle Paul, when he was leaving the elders from
Ephesus, he said, I have not shunned to declare unto you all
the counsel of God. So why preach on election? It's
in the Bible dozens and dozens of times. Actually, ye must be
born again is just written there one time in John the third chapter,
but the subject election is all the way through the Bible. And
then someone else will say, well, Granted, then, election is a
truth of Scripture, but shouldn't we keep these deep doctrines
back from the people? Let's just don't give these things
to the people and keep them back from the people and leave all
these issues to the theologians and scholars and let them settle
these things. Well, again, the Apostle Paul
said to the elders of Ephesus, he said, I have kept back nothing
profitable unto you. And my friend, this is the religion
of the Dark Ages and the Middle Ages when the common people weren't
allowed to have Bibles. The Bible stayed in some library
or monastery, and the people just had to take whatever the
priest or the preacher, whoever was in charge, whatever he said,
they had to take it because they didn't have a Bible. They couldn't
read the Bible. They didn't know anything about
what the Bible said. So what he said was fact, they thought. He may be a crook. But they didn't
have Bibles. And when they first started printing
the Bible in the English language, while they burned the presses
and arrested the men who printed it and put them in jail, they
didn't want the common people to have the Bible. And this is
evil, to keep back anything from people. All Scripture is given
by inspiration of God. And all Scripture is profitable
for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, for instruction
in righteousness. Yes, but preacher, aren't some
doctrines dangerous? My friends, truth is never dangerous.
Truth is never dangerous. The truth will set you free.
Christ said you'll know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
It's error that's dangerous. It's certainly not true. But
somebody says, well, yes, but if you preach on election and
sovereignty and particular redemption and doctrines like these, don't
some people take these things and abuse them? and misuse them. They misuse the doctrine of free
grace and election. Don't they misuse it, preacher?
Of course they do. Of course they do. But natural
men abuse and misuse all good things. What do you think perversion
is but a misuse of good things? Homosexuality is a misuse of
good things. Intemperance is a misuse of good
things. If you destroyed all the good
things that men misuse and abuse, you wouldn't have anything left.
Can't do away with ropes because folks hang them themselves, can
you? You can't do away with knives because some fella cuts his wrist.
You can't do away with water because a fella drowned himself.
You can't do away with all drugs because some nut becomes a drug
addict. So you can't do away with something
good because some fool misuses it. And somebody else says, well,
some men have taken the doctrine of election to the point of becoming
careless and indifferent to holiness. Of course they have. But men
always find an excuse for sin. People are going to find an excuse
and an alibi for sin. They're going to justify themselves
one way or the other. And you have people who say,
well, I'm elected to salvation, I'm saved no matter what I do,
so let's do whatever I want to do. Well, the sun, the sun that
shines in the sky, that same sun will ripen a smelly old weed
as well as ripen a tomato vine. But the fault's not in the sun,
it's in the nature of the vine. The nature of that old smelly
weed is to be evil. And the nature of that tomato
vine is to produce a sweet fruit. And the same son makes both of
them grow. And I've heard people say, well,
if you believe and preach election, it'll kill missionary zeal. It'll
kill evangelism. It'll kill soul winning. Now
you hold on. The Lord Jesus Christ taught election. He said, all
that my father giveth me will come to me. And him that cometh
to me I'll in no wise cast out. And our Lord came down here to
die for sinners. You've never died for a sinner.
Our Lord said, I pray not for the world, I pray for them whom
thou hast given me. John 17. He said, the Father
has given me all power over all flesh that I should give eternal
life to as many as he gave me. That's election. And yet he died
for sinners. He loved sinners. The Apostle
Paul was the greatest missionary who ever lived. He preached election. He said, blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. who hath chose us in Christ from
the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love." He said, brethren and beloved, I
thank God for you because God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation. And he said, I endure all things
for the elect's sake. I go to jail, I'm beaten and
scourged and shipwrecked. I do all these things for the
elect's sake that they might come to the knowledge of God.
That's a sovereign grace preacher who was the greatest missionary
to ever live. And I could go on telling you about Cary, the
missionary, grace man, from the top of his head to the sole of
his feet, Judson, Spurgeon, Whitfield, Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Huss,
Knox, keep naming them. They all preach the same thing
I'm preaching to you. Yeah, but can't you preach election
too much? I don't hear it preached at all. Somebody says, you can preach
it too much. Of course you can, but I don't hear it preached
at all. And I know proportion is beauty. Proportion is beauty. We preach the Word proportionately.
We preach it as we come to it. Preach it as we come to it. But
I never apologize for preaching the Word of God. I never apologize
for preaching the truth. People can get angry, they can
quit, they can do what they want to do. But I'm not a man pleaser. I wasn't sent by men. I was sent
by God. I wasn't sent to preach what
men want to hear. I was sent to preach what God
has written in this book. And election's in the word of
God and I'm going to preach it. And if you listen to me preach,
you're going to hear it. I'm going to preach God's sovereignty
and man's responsibility. I'm going to preach election.
I'm going to preach the duty of every sinner to come to Christ.
I'm going to preach that the gospel is a command. God commands
men to repent. He commandeth all men everywhere
to repent. It's a commandment of Almighty
God. Well, just exactly, preacher, what is the doctrine of election?
All right? Will you take your Bible and
turn with me to the book of II Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse
13. I'm going to take one verse of
Scripture, one verse, and talk to you about what is the doctrine
of election. Now here in this one verse, the
Apostle Paul says 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13, but he says
we're bound, we're bound to give thanks to God. Always for you,
brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation, to salvation through sanctification of the
Spirit and belief of the truth. Now first of all, election is
a cause for praise. It's not a hated doctrine, it's
a beloved doctrine. It's a doctrine of praise. When
you find one of the apostles or the writers of scripture,
even our master, speaking about election, it's usually preceded
by a word of praise. Like in Ephesians, Paul said
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, who hath chosen
us in Christ before the foundation of the world." In other words,
praise God. Praise God who chose us. And here, in this verse,
he says, we're bound to give thanks. We're bound to give thanks. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable
gift. If He had not chosen us, we would
never have chosen Him. Isn't that correct? If He had
not chosen us, we would never have chosen Him. And so I'm thankful. I praise God. I thank God for
the doctrine of election. I thank God for the truth of
election. I thank God for the fact that
God chose some people. Had He not chosen some people,
there'd be nobody in glory. And then secondly, election is
not only a cause for praise, but election is based on love.
Listen to what Paul said. I'm bound to give thanks to God.
To whom? To God. It originates with God.
I'm bound to give thanks to God for you, beloved of the Lord. Beloved of the Lord. You know,
when those two sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to the
Lord Jesus that Lazarus was sick, how did they word that? You think
for a moment. They didn't say to the Lord,
he who loves you is sick. They said, Lord, he whom thou
lovest is sick. And here Paul is wording this
right. The Holy Spirit is inspiring
him to write this like it ought to be said. He said, I'm bound
to give thanks to God for you, beloved of the Lord, beloved
of the Lord. Herein is love, not that we love
God, but he loved us. He loved us and sent his son
to be the propitiation for our sins. We love him because he
loved us. He doesn't love us because we
love him. We love him because he loved us. Not that we love
God, but that he loved us. Election is based on love. God's everlasting love. He said,
I've drawn you with an everlasting love. And then election thirdly
is eternal. From this same verse, he said,
I'm bound to give thanks to God for you, beloved of the Lord,
because he has from the beginning, from the beginning chosen you.
Whoa, let me ask you a question or two. Did you choose God or
did he choose you? Now think for a moment. Did you
choose God or did God choose you? Well, Christ said to his
disciples, you didn't choose me, I chose you. Well, when did
God choose you? Now, when did God choose you?
Well, the Bible said He chose us from the beginning. Known
unto God are all His works from the beginning. He declares the
end from the beginning. See what I'm saying? So this thing of
election is not only a doctrine of praise and a doctrine of love,
it's an everlasting doctrine. This covenant is an everlasting
covenant. The lamb was slain before the
foundation of the world. The book was written before the
foundation of the world. That's what the Word of God said.
That's what God's Word declared. Why did God choose you? Have
you ever thought about that? Why? Were you better than someone
else? The Bible says all have seen.
All we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his
own way. None good, no, not one. The Scripture says he chose us
according to the good pleasure of his own will. That's the only
answer you can give. And then election, fourthly,
is unto salvation. Now watch that verse again. We're
bound to give thanks always, always to God. For you, brethren,
beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning,
from all eternity, chosen you to salvation. Election is unto
salvation. Election is not salvation. It's
unto salvation. He chose us to save us. By grace
are you saved through faith. Not apart from it. Not without
it. Through faith. We're kept by the power of God
through faith. Therefore being justified by
faith, we have peace with God. He that believeth on the Son
hath life, but he that believeth not the Son of God shall never
see life. A man's not saved simply because
he's elected. Christ was elected to be our
surety and our Savior, right? He's called mine elect. When
God speaks of Him in the Old Testament, my servant, mine elect. But He still had to die. Even
though He was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the
world in the mind and purpose of God Almighty, in God's decree,
He still had to die for our sins. And even though we're chosen
unto salvation, And we are elected by God to be redeemed. We have
to believe. Hear the gospel and believe.
And watch this. This brings me to the next point.
Election always looks to the means of grace. He said, we're bound to give
thanks to God always for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord,
because we thank God because God has from the beginning Chosen
you individually so much so he chooses nations nations are made
up of people Individuals chosen you to salvation through or by
the means of Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth you see God ordained the end God ordained the end declared
the end from the beginning, but God also ordained the means And
those means are the Word of God and the Holy Spirit and the preaching
of the Gospel. It's the Holy Spirit who quickens. We're born
in the Spirit of God. We're begotten of the Spirit
of God. You have to be quickened who are dead in trespasses and
sin. We're called by the Spirit of God. But the Word of God is
the seed of life. He said, of his own will begat
he us. You know what begatting is? That's
bringing forth a son. begetting, siring a son, making
life to be there. And God hath begotten us of his
own will, he beget us, this is in James 1.18, of his own will
beget he us with the word of truth. You see, we're begotten,
this is 1 Peter 1.23, we're begotten again, we're born again, not
of corruptible seed, which is born of the flesh is flesh, but
of incorruptible seed by the word of God, which liveth and
abideth forever." The Holy Spirit quickens, regenerates, and it's
the word that gives life. Go ye into all the world and
preach the gospel. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be
damned. You say, but will the elect come?
Yes, they will. My sheep hear my voice, I give
them eternal life, and they shall never perish. They follow me.
My sheep hear my voice, they follow me. Psalm 110 verse 3
says, Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. John
6, 37, Our Lord said, All that my Father giveth me shall come
to me. And him that cometh to me I'll
in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven not
to do my will, The Son never acts independently of the Father.
They're one. I came to do the will of Him
that sent me, and this is the will of Him that sent me, that
of all which He hath given me, I'll lose nothing, but raise
it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him that
sent me, that everyone that seeth the Son and believeth on Him
hath everlasting life. So it's through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth. And this doctrine of election
always looks to the mean. Always. Our election is known
by our calling. He said give diligence to make
your calling and election sure. That's how a man knows his election
is by his calling. I can't know something that doesn't
exist. And if God's Spirit lives in me, I know He's there. And
I know God sent Him. And I know God sent Him on purpose.
And I know God sent him on purpose because he decreed to do it.
If I love Christ, I know He loved me first. You see, the Bible
does not say, Ho, everyone that's elected, come to the water. It
says, Ho, everyone that thirsteth. The Bible does not say, Come
unto me, all ye who are elected. It says, Come unto me, all ye
that labor and are heavy laden. And if a man's laboring and heavy
laden under sin, and sees there's no salvation in himself and no
ability or power within himself to redeem himself when he comes
to Christ, he knows he's one of God's elect because he came. The Bible doesn't say he that's
elected hath eternal life, it says he that believeth on the
Son hath everlasting life. The Bible doesn't say whosoever
is elected shall be saved, it says whosoever shall call on
the name of the Lord shall be saved. We know our election by
our calling. The Apostle Paul wrote an epistle
to this church at Thessalonica, two of them, 1 Thessalonians
and 2 Thessalonians. And in the first epistle, the
very first chapter, the Apostle said this. He said, knowing brethren
beloved, your election of God. I know you're one of God's elect.
I know you're some of God's elect. I know that you people down there
in that church are the elect of God. And then he tells us
how he knows that they are the elect of God. You know what he
said? Well, read it yourself. Turn there. Take your Bible.
Turn to 1 Thessalonians 1, verse 4. You got it? 1 Thessalonians
1, 4. Paul says right there in verse
4, knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God. And then
verse 5, he says, far, far, because our gospel came not to you in
word only. It wasn't just an essay or a
theory or a written creed or just a bad sermon. It came to
you in power. Our gospel came to you in power
in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance. That's how my gospel
came. Your heart you believed it. It
broke your heart convinced your sin brought you to know Christ
look at verse 6 and You became followers of us and the Lord
You became followers That's how I know you how I know you're
one of God's elect look at verse 7 and you became Examples to
people in Achaia and Macedonia and all around there. They looked
at your lives and saw that you'd been with the Lord Verse 8 says and you became missionaries
and witnesses from you sounded forth the Word of God into all
areas Say somebody says well election will kill a missionary
zeal didn't kill these people Paul said I know you're one of
God's elect because you're out preaching the gospel You got
witnessing you're telling men about Christ That's how you know,
you're one of God's elect and then he said in verse 9 and you
turn from your idols to serve the Living God and verse 10 says
you're waiting and for his son from heaven." Oh, let me close
this with a question. What are some of the effects
of the doctrine of election? What effect does it have on me
and on you? If you see it as the scripture
teaches it, if you believe it as the word of God presents it,
if you believe it in such a way as to give God all the glory
and salvation from Alpha to Omega, I'll tell you what it'll do.
First of all, it'll bring joy to your heart. Our Lord Jesus
said, I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You hid
these things from the wise and prudent, but you revealed it
to Baal. Psalm 65, David said, Blessed,
happy, twice happy is the man whom thou choosest. Psalm 65,
4. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest and causes to approach unto thee that he may dwell in
thy house and in thy courts. He's happy. Secondly this this
doctrine glorifies God Look at 1st Corinthians 1 26 you see
your calling brethren not many mighty Not many noble not many
wiser call, but God had chosen the foolish To bring to naught
the things that are to confound the wise God had chosen the base
the despised things yea the things that are not To bring to naught
the things that are that no flesh should glory in his presence
He that gloryeth, let him glory in the Lord. This doctrine brings
glory to God. Moses said, Lord, show me your
glory. He said, I'll be merciful to whom I will be merciful. I'll
be gracious to whom I will be gracious. This doctrine promotes
humility. First Corinthians 4, 7, Paul
said, who made you to differ? What do you have you didn't receive?
Now, if you received it, what are your glories if you didn't
receive it? Who made you to differ? Then it gives comfort in hard
trials. The Word says all things work together for good to those
who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. I'll tell you another thing,
it gives confidence and assurance. Read Romans 8, 29 through 31.
Whom He foreknew, He predestinated to be conformed to the image
of His Son. Whom He predestinated, He called. Whom He called, He
justified. Whom He justified, He glorified. What shall we say
to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? Who can lay anything to the charge of God's elect?
It is God that justifies. Who can lay anything to the charge
of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Well,
that gives assurance, comfort in hard trials, confidence, and
it gives you comfort to die by. You know what David's last words
were before he died? God made with me an everlasting
covenant, and this is all my salvation and all my desire. And I'll tell you another thing,
to know that God loved me when I was unlovely, it'll help me
to love those who are also unlovely. I'll show mercy as I've received
mercy, be gracious as God's been gracious to me.