Who Are The Elect

But I'm going to approach this
thing tonight, I believe, from the direction that God has taught
me and led me through the years, and answer that question, who
are the elect? Now, the prophet Samuel was sent
to Bethlehem to anoint David, who was the object of God's election. Now, this would have been an
impossible task. to pick out God's elect and to
anoint with oil the one who was God's elect, it would have been
an impossible task if God who sent him did not accompany him. If God who sent him did not only
accompany him but reveal to Samuel the object of his choice. God
told Samuel, go down to the house of Jesse and anoint mine elect,
my king. Well, Lord, how'll I know who
he is? I'll reveal him to you. I'll accompany you, and when
we get down there, I'll reveal to you who is my chosen one. Now, it's not my business to
try to guess who are the elect. It's not my business to try to
pick out the elect of God, apart from divine revelation. What
is our business? Our business is to preach the
gospel, to preach the gospel of Christ to every creature.
We have been told by our Master to go into all the world and
preach the gospel to every creature. We are to deliver both the promises
and the warnings of God to every creature. We are to preach the
substitutionary work of Christ. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes
we are healed. We are to preach the righteousness
of Christ. He was made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him. We are to exhort
all men everywhere to look to Christ. Look unto Me, for I am
God. Look unto Me, and be ye saved.
Look unto Me, all the ends of the earth. We are to preach the
Word. Whether it's a favorable time
or an unfavorable time, whether in season or out of season, whether
believed or not believed, we have preached the gospel to every
creature. We're not to spend our time trying
to guess or trying to pick out the elect of God. The gospel
that we preach, now get this, the gospel that we preach is
the revealer of God's elect. God said, Samuel, you go down.
to the home of Jesse, and anoint mine elect, anoint my king."
And that's what we are. We're kings. He hath made us
kings and priests unto his Father. We are a royal, a kingly priesthood. And the preacher of the gospel
comes to anoint God's elect. And Samuel says, well, how will
I know who he is? God said, I'll reveal him to you. I'll reveal
him to you. I'll reveal mine elect to you.
And God reveals his elect to us, so that we may know who are
the elect. We have no way to discern the
elect of God. We have no way to separate the
wheat from the chaff, the precious from the vile, the true believer
from the unbeliever, except by preaching the gospel. Turn to
1 Thessalonians 1 and I'll show you how Paul himself believed
this. What I'm saying is this, that
the gospel that we preach, not any gospel, the gospel, not a
gospel, the gospel, the gospel of God's glory, the gospel that
puts man where he's supposed to be and God where he's supposed
to be. and Christ Jesus where he's supposed to be. The gospel,
which is the gospel of God's redeeming grace, will reveal
the elect of God. Not just anything religious,
not a religious singing, not a religious social, and not a
religious enterprise or effort, but the preaching of the gospel,
the true gospel. Paul said, if any man preach
any other gospel, let him be accursed. even if it's an angel
from heaven. The preaching of the true gospel
will reveal God's elect. Now, Paul said that in 1 Thessalonians
1, 4, knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God. I know
who are the elect. That's what he's saying. I know
that you're elect. How do you know, Paul? Well,
listen, for our gospel, he called it his gospel because he was
saved by it, because he was entrusted with it, because he was sent
to preach it. Our gospel came not unto you
in word only, and that's how most people hear it, just words,
words, words. But it came to you in power,
convicting, regenerating, life-giving, life-changing power. And in the Holy Ghost, it was
accompanied by the Holy Spirit. And you'll see over here in a
minute how that when Samuel anointed David, The Holy Spirit came upon
him. The Holy Spirit came upon him.
And in much assurance, now that's, Paul says, I know who the elect
are. The gospel reveals who the elect are. The gospel is the
revealer of God's elect. Turn, if you will, to John chapter
10. Our Lord taught this. Apostle
Paul and then our master in John chapter 10 beginning with verse
24 John 10 24 listen to this the Lord Jesus Christ had been
talking about Being the Great Shepherd the Good Shepherd Now
he came to give his life for the sheep and in John 10 verse
24 then the Jews came round about him and they said to him how
long How long do you? Keep us in suspense or make us
to doubt. If you are the Messiah, if you
are the Christ, the Redeemer of Israel, tell us plainly. Now listen, Jesus answered them,
I told you, and you believe not. The works that I do in my Father's
name bear witness of me, but you believe not because You are
not of my sheep. As I said to you, my sheep hear
my voice. They'll hear the gospel. My sheep
hear my voice. You don't hear my voice because
you're not of my sheep. You don't hear my gospel because
you're not of my sheep. You don't understand the words
that I've spoken unto you because you're not of my sheep. My sheep
hear my voice. And I know them and they follow
me and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish,
my sheep. We preachers, now hold on here,
we preachers need to discover and determine our own election.
When the Apostle Peter was writing to the church and he said, give
diligence to make your calling and election sure, he didn't
leave out the deacons and the preacher. He's writing to everyone,
and there's no greater place of deception and hypocrisy, there's
no greater danger than in the place of our office, the place
of where they handle sacred vessels. There is a danger there. So as
we all look at this tonight, who are the elect? Let a man
examine himself whether he's in the faith. A woman, every
person here. Religion is no place of security,
it's no refuge, it's a false refuge. Now go back to 1 Samuel
chapter 16. We know David was chosen of God.
We know that. But let's see if we can handle
the question, who are the elect, using David as a pattern. We know he was elect. And there
are three points that I want to deal with, the first of which
is this, the unexpected. The unexpected. And then secondly, the inward
marks of the elect. And then thirdly, the outward
marks of the elect. Now first of all, the unexpected.
Look at, if you will, at verse 11. And you know the picture,
you got it a while ago, when Samuel came down to anoint the
king, the elect of God. He told Jesse he was coming,
evidently told him to get his boys together for the sacrifice,
and Jesse weeded one of them out. He told David, the least,
the youngest, he said, now he won't have any business with
you, that's for sure. Why don't you just go out and take care
of the sheep, and we'll have Elab, and Shammoth, and all these
other big, strong, fine-looking young men meet with the prophet
of God, and we'll get this matter settled, and so forth, and you
just We'll call you if we need you. So in verse 11, Samuel said,
Jesse, are here all your children after all these young men have
passed by, one after the other, seven of them? And he said, there
remaineth yet the youngest, the least. Behold, he keepeth the
sheep. Now, my friends, it was a total
surprise to everybody there that David, the youngest, David, the
least, in his father's house, should be the Lord's choice to
be king over Israel. It was a totally unexpected surprise. Now, his brothers had no idea
that David would be selected. If you were to ask one of those
brothers, any of the seven, who among you will rule Israel? If they had known what was going
on, who among you shall rule Israel? They, like their father,
would have ignored David. Actually, they had little Very
little regard for David. Anyway, if you look over at chapter
17, I'll show you how the oldest boy talked to him. Even after
this situation, the oldest boy in 1 Samuel 17, you know how
that there was a standoff out there in the valley. Goliath,
the giant, had challenged Israel. Said, send me one of your men
and I'll fight him and whoever wins will win the battle. Nobody
would go to meet him. And David came out there for some purpose,
and he was talking to his brethren, and in verse 26, David spake
to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to
the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach
from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised
Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
That's David talking. The people answered him after
this matter, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth
him. And Elab, his older brother, heard what David said, and Elab's
anger was kindled against David. And he said, Why did you come
down here? And with whom hast thou left
those few sheep? Boy, that's cutting it. What
are you doing down here, David, anyway? And who'd you leave those,
that handful of sheep that you take care of, who'd you leave
them with? Now watch it, I know your pride, David. I know the
naughtiness of your heart. For thou art come down that thou
mightest see the battle. Eliab didn't care for him, that's
obvious there. Didn't care for him and the other
brethren, so it was a total surprise to his brothers. that God should
put his favor and his love upon David. And I'll tell you, some
of you here tonight, it's a total surprise to your brothers and
your kinfolks that God's been pleased to call you. And then
it was a surprise to his father when the news came down that
Samuel was to come on a special mission for the Lord. You know
what Samuel did? First thing he did was weed out
David. That's right. He had no thought,
he had no idea, he had no inkling whatsoever that David would be
the chosen. And so he just sent him out to
take care of the sheep. Just get out of the way, David,
just get out from underfoot, just go out yonder. He could
have hired a man to take care of those sheep. He could have
got a servant to take care of those sheep. But he wanted David
out of the way because he absolutely, totally discounted Any possibility
of David being God's man. Oh, how ignorant we are of God's
ways. Turn to 1 Corinthians. Let's apply this to present day
now. Let's 1 Corinthians chapter 1.
Turn over there a minute. And God says there, 1 Corinthians
chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse
27, verse 26. You see your calling, brethren.
1 Corinthians 1 26, how not many wise men after the flesh, not
many mighty, not many noble are called, but God hath chosen the
foolish things of the world to confound the wise. God hath chosen
the weak things of the world to confound the things which
are mighty. And the base things of the world and things which
are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not,
to bring to naught things that are. that no flesh should glow
in his presence. And we get on these high and
mighty pedestals, and we're particular about who we listen to. God just
might make you listen to the person you despise the most.
God Almighty just might send you a message in a vessel of
clay for which you have the most contempt. That's right. He just
might. Because that's the way God works.
He's going to get the glory. He says, Gideon, you've got too
many men. Gideon said, well, Lord, I'm going to fight 100,000
people, and I've just got 10,000. You've still got too many, because
if that 10,000 wins the battle, you'll get the glory. I'll get
rid of some of them. And so he whittled it down to, oh, 2,000
or 3,000. The Lord said to him, he started out, and the Lord
said, you've still got too many men. Lord, I've only got 3,000
men. I'm going to meet a force of
100,000. You've still got too many men. If you win the battle,
you'll take the glory." So he whittled it down to 300, and
when they defeated the Midianites, that who they were fighting,
God got all the glory. And God Almighty is going to
take away all of the arrogance and pride and haughtiness of
this human flesh. Now, we can play church, and
we can play religion, and we can worship a god, but the living
The living God says it's not by might nor by power, but by
my Spirit. The living God is not going to
cater to the flesh. He's not going to use the weapons
of the flesh. He's not going to honor the flesh
in any way. He's going to strip it. David's father just don't want
you in here, David. How blind we are. How blind we
are. And then Here's the tragedy. God's own servant, God's own
servant, had no idea of David's election. Not the faintest idea.
He didn't know when he came down there, he didn't know when he
got there, and he didn't know as he carried out the service.
No, he didn't. The prophet of God is too much
like the people, but he couldn't minister to the people if he
wasn't like them. He, like the people, consult with flesh and
blood. Listen to him. Verse 6, the first boy, I'm sure
those were fine men, those sons of Jesse. And here the first
one stood in front of the prophet of God. It came to pass, verse
6, when they would come, he looked on aloud, and he said, Surely
the Lord's anointed is before him. Oh boy, we look on this
person now. Surely this man is one of God's
elect. He's such an outstanding man. She is such an outstanding, fine
person. What a contribution Eliab can
make to the kingdom of God. What a contribution, this very
fine gentleman. What a great leader he would
be. God said, verse 7, Samuel, don't look on his countenance.
That's not how God chooses people. Don't look on the person of great
rank. Don't look on the person with
much education. Don't look on the person with
an outward agreeable disposition. No, sir. Samuel, you're doing
just like the folks, just like Jesse, just like the Bradman.
You're judging God's choice and God's purpose and God's providence
and God's mercy by the flesh. And we do. I'm not trying to
excuse us, but we are in the flesh, and that's the way we
think, and that's the way we consider things, and that's the
way we judge things. We judge them according to the
flesh. And there's a way that seems right to man, and our thoughts
are not God's thoughts, and our ways are not His ways. And here
Samuel stood, and Eliab came by, and he said, Well, surely
this is the one. And God said, That's not the one. He brought
the next boy. Well, surely this is the one. No, that's not the
one. Well, surely this is the one. That's not the one. I have
passed him by. I have passed him by. Well, I'll tell you somebody
else who was more astonished and amazed when David was anointed
king of Israel than David's brothers or David's father, David's prophet
Samuel. You know who it was? David himself. I'm sure that David was just
as amazed or more so, more astonished. Who? That's what he said. Turn over to 2 Samuel chapter
7. 2 Samuel chapter 7. And he went, David went in and
sat before the Lord. 2 Samuel chapter 7. Now, can
you find any reason why God Almighty should save you and pass by so
many? Can you find any reason? Here,
God, there were seven boys and David, and he passed by seven
and chose David. Could David think of any reason
why God should be so merciful? And here's what he said, 2 Samuel
7, verse 18. David went in and sat before
the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God? Who am I? And what is my house? that thou
hast brought me hitherto. And this was yet a small thing
in thy sight, O Lord God. But thou hast spoken also of
thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the
manner of man, O Lord God? And what can David say more unto
thee? For thou, Lord, knowest thy servant,
and yet ye still love me. How? You know me, and you've
spoken of prosperity for my house for time to come. Who am I, and
what is my house? 2 Samuel 9, turn over there, I
think Mephibosheth summed it up in 2 Samuel 9, verse 8. Mephibosheth, when David had
chosen him to sit at his table and be one of his sons and share
the kingdom, which David did not owe him, and he bowed himself
and he said, verse 8 of 2 Samuel 9, What is thy servant, that
thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am? The unexpected. The unexpected. God had chosen the foolish. God
had chosen the weak. God had chosen the despised. God had chosen the things that
are not. And they know they're not. And they know they're foolish. And they know they're despised.
And they are as amazed or more so than anyone else that they
should be recipients of His great love. That's right. And God resisteth the proud,
and he gives grace to the humble. Blessed are the poor in spirit,
and theirs is the kingdom of God. Our Lord said, I thank thee,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth. Thou hast hid these things from
the wise and the prudent, and thou hast revealed them to babes.
For even so, Father, it seemed good in thy sight. Let's go back to the text. Here's
the second point now. The inward marks of the elect. 2 Samuel chapter 16 verse, 1
Samuel 16 verse 7. But the Lord said to Samuel,
now I want you to, this is the most important point of this
message. I hope I can preach it. I hope you'll listen. I hope
you understand. The Lord said, Samuel, look not
on his countenance. Now here standing before Samuel
was Eliab, probably the oldest the biggest, the strongest, the
most experienced in all areas. And Samuel, if he's going to
pick one, that's who he'd pick. That's who he'd pick. He's, oh,
I tell you, I wouldn't choose that 18-year-old out there taking
care of sheep, I'll tell you that. If I was going to pick
anybody to preach or anybody to serve God or anybody to be
used of God, the elect of God or reign over God's people, it
wouldn't be that kid. It'd be this boy right here.
God said, Samuel, I tell you the reason why you made that
choice, because you're looking on his outward countenance. But
he said, Samuel, God doesn't see like a man sees. God looks
on the heart. God looks on the heart. That's
what he says there. I've refused him. I've refused him because
God doesn't see as a man seeth. God looks on the heart. Now,
this is where the work of grace begins. This is where the work
of election begins. This is where the work of grace
is first revealed. There was a divine choice of
David, no question about that. But there was a divine work performed
in David. There was a divine choice of
David, and there was a divine work performed in David. Along
with a sovereign designation, there was a sovereign operation. And there's never a sovereign
designation without a divine operation, and there's never
a divine operation unless there's been a divine or designation,
a sovereign designation. That's so. And the reason I know
this is I'll show you several scriptures. Let's go to the book
of Psalms first. God says, I see the heart. And what I'm saying is this.
Psalms, turn to chapter 34. What I'm saying is this. God's
choice of a man or a woman. is always connected with a work
of regeneration, with a work of revelation, with a work of
sanctification in that person's heart. It's always connected. The two are never separated.
Now, I know people today who teach election. They don't even
know election. They don't understand it. There's a far-off base. There's
a far way from understanding election as the moon is from
this earth. God Almighty came down here and
just predestinated that man to go to heaven, and predestinated
that man to go to hell, and predestinated that man to be saved, and predestinated
that man to be lost, and that one there is probably worse off
than that one there? No, sir. If there's a divine
designation, there's a divine operation. That's right. Now look at Psalm 34, verse 18. The Lord is known to them that
are of a broken heart. And he saveth such as be of a
contrite spirit." Every broken heart is going to be saved. Every contrite spirit is going
to be saved. That's right. Turn to Psalm 51. Psalm 51, 17. I'm saying this. I'm saying that when there's
a sovereign predestination, a sovereign designation of a man as God's
elect, There is always a sovereign operation of grace in that man's
heart. And when there's a sovereign
operation where there is a broken heart and a contrite heart, it's
because God did a work. Look at Psalm 51, verse 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. God will not despise a broken
heart. Whosoever shall call with a broken
heart, with a contrite spirit, on the name of the Lord shall
be saved, every one of them." Our Lord Jesus said, I've come
to seek and to save the lost, and He's going to seek and He's
going to save every lost person. I used to say, come on, everybody's
lost, are they? Huh? Ask them. You go down there
tomorrow and ask those 200 men that work for you how many of
them are lost. I bet you won't find one. A lost man's hard to find. A
lost man's hard to... I'm talking about a lost man.
I'm not talking about a fella that's pretty bad, you know,
and a fella that hadn't, you know, sinned a little bit, but
not... I'm not as bad as so-and-so, you know. You find me an utter,
absolute, self-confessed lost man. They're hard to find. If you find me one, you know
what I'll tell him? Christ died for him. I'll give
him good news. I'll tell you this, a sinner's
hard to find. Christ came into the world to save sinners. Sinners! He's going to save every sinner.
You say, Preacher, everybody's a sinner. They are? Ask them.
You find me a bonafide, unadulterated, self-confessed, helpless, stripped,
broken, God-seeking sinner. They're hard to find. I can't
find any. Every mother's son I know is a drunk, but he's a
pretty good boy. That's right, he's a good boy
preacher. He's not saved, but he's a good boy. And that's what
preachers are preaching today. Now you people are good people,
but you're just not saved. Well, if they're good people,
they're saved. If they're good people, they're God. Christ said
there's none good but God, so you're preaching to a bunch of
gods. People are lost, but they don't
confess it, they don't believe it. They're sinners, and I'll
guarantee you if a man ever finds out, he's lost. He's away from
God, he's in the wilderness of sin. He has no city in which
to dwell, no fountain from which to drink. He died in the first! He lost! He'll cry unto the Lord,
and God'll save him, I guarantee it. But they're not lost. I'll tell you this, you get a
boy out hunting, and he gets really lost. He'd been out there
two or three days, and he lost! He'll sit down on a stump and
he'll cry for Daddy. And boy, he'd be awful much obliged
if Daddy would come find him. He lost. He lost. He's a sinner. That's what I'm
saying. God's going to save lost people.
And over here in 1 Samuel 16, you look back at it again, God's
choice, God's elect, are people with broken hearts, contrite
spirits. who are lost. They cry unto the
Lord in their trouble. They're sinners. They can't even
wiggle a little finger. They're unadulterated, self-confessed,
ill-deserving, undeserving, corrupt sinners. Lord, you save me or
I perish. That's where they are. Lord,
you be merciful to me, the sinner, the sinner. That man went home
justified. Now you look at David, first
of all, what kind of... David's heart was different from his
brother's heart. He wasn't as big as Eliab, he
wasn't as strong as Shemoth, he wasn't as old as Raham or
the other one, he wasn't as experienced as another one, but his heart
was different. That's what it says, his heart.
God said, I look on the heart, I'm looking on David's heart.
And I'll tell you this about who are the elect. David had a believing heart.
He said, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. Here's the
grand mark of election. David summed up all his wants.
Pardon, joy, forgiveness, mercy, grace. All his wants. And he didn't look to himself
and he didn't look to somebody else. He looked to the Lord.
He said, Lord, my shepherd, I want, I shall not want. All my wants
will be supplied from him. David had a believing heart.
That's the elect, a believing heart. Tell you something else,
David had a meditative heart. He said, my meditation of my
Lord is so sweet, is so sweet. Turn to Psalm 42 and listen to
David. You want to know who the elect
are? They're people who have a broken
heart, a contrite heart, a believing heart, and a meditative heart. He says in Psalms 42, as the
heart, that's a deer, that's a thirsty deer, panteth after
the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God. Now
what's your soul thirst for? Think about it. You want to know
if you're one of the elect? Well, you're not unless you can
say with David, My soul thirsteth for God. He's elect. We know that. God
sent Samuel down there to crown him. When shall I come and appear
before God? My tears have been my meat day
and night. While they continually say, Where
is your God, David? Where is your God? Tell you something
else, David had a humble heart. David said, not unto us, but
unto thy name be all the glory. Let me show you a beautiful picture.
Turn to 2 Samuel chapter 6. This is one of the most beautiful
pictures in this entire Bible. Who are they? I'll tell you who they are. They're
people who have a broken heart, a contrite heart, a believing
heart, a meditative and a humble heart before God. Because every
time there's a sovereign designation, there's a sovereign operation.
That's what God said to Samuel, don't look on his outward countenance,
I've passed him by. There he is, there's my elect. The Lord looks on the heart.
And here they were bringing the ark back. David is king now. He was the sovereign of the land. He was married to a young woman
named Michael, who was the daughter, wasn't she, of Saul? And David,
when they brought the ark back, the ark of the Lord, that solemn,
sacred vessel that we studied in Bible school, you young people
remember, that held the Ten Commandments and Aaron's rod that budded and
the manna over which the mercy seat, the solid gold mercy seat
and the cherubim were built. The ark, no man could touch without
being slain, only the priest could carry the ark, the presence
of the Lord. The ark among Israel signified
the presence of the Lord among Israel. And they were bringing
it back. And it was customary, as the priests marched and as
they brought the ark and the band played and all, that a naked
servant or slave would dance out in front of the ark, just
clothed in a little white strip of linen. And he would dance
out in front of the ark, you know, and the people were cheering
and shouting. Michael, David's wife, was up there in the window
of the castle. She was watching the parade.
Here came the band, here came the soldiers. Who is that dancing in front
of that ark, clothed in nothing but a strip of linen? Who is
that? That's David! So she was petrified
with shame. The King, and when he got home,
verse 20, look at 2 Samuel 6, verse 20. When David returned
to bless his household, Michael, the daughter of Saul, came out
to meet him. Listen, you talk about sarcasm. She said, Oh,
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, Michael,
you listen to this, brethren, you want to know who the elect
are, you listen to this man. It was before the Lord which
chose me before my father and before all his house to anoint
me ruler over the people of Israel, people of the Lord. Therefore
will I play before the Lord. And I will, listen, and I will
yet be more vile than that. And I'll be more base in my own
sight and in the sight of the maidservants which thou hast
spoken of. them then shall I be had in honor."
Oh, yeah, that's right, David. Watch it now. Therefore, Michael,
the daughter of Saul, had no child the day of her death. God
put his wrath on her. All right, that's who they are.
God said, I know that boy's heart. That's my leg. That's my leg. The one with a broken heart,
the one with a believing heart, the one with a humble heart,
the one with a meditative heart. That's my elect. That's my elect. And look at Psalm 119, the one
who loves my word. David loved God's word. He says that. You read Psalm
119 sometimes, but I want to look at one verse, Psalm 119,
verse 140. But all the way through, he talked
about, I love thy Lord God. I'll make it a lamp unto my feet
and a light unto my path. I love thy word." Listen to Psalm
119, verse 140, "...thy word is very pure, therefore thy servant
loveth thy word." Do you know who God's elect are? It ain't
that fellow that doesn't love the Word of God. Now, that's
not God's elect. He might be the most religious
fellow in town, but he's not one of God's elect. God's elect
love this word. Yes, sir, they do. They love
it. It's the word of the King. It's the word of the King. They
never tire of it. They're never weary of it. Precious. And then I'll tell you something
else. This man David, this elect of God, had a grateful heart.
You read the book of Psalms, praise God, praise God, praise
God, praise God all the way through. He praised God in a cave, he
praised God in the forest, he praised God in the midst of the
battle, he praised God from the throne, he praised God in exile. He praised God every minute of
the day. He had a grateful heart. You
know, I picked up a poem one time. I want you to listen to
it. He that is down does not fear a fall. He that
is low, no pride. He that is humble ever shall
have God to be his guide. I am content with what I have,
little be it or much, and, Lord, contentment shall I crave, because
thou savest such." That's who the elect are. That's the inward
marks of the elect. back at 1 Samuel 16. That's who
they are. Samuel went down there to anoint
God's elect. And these fellas passed by, and
Samuel acted like the unexpected. But God revealed to him, and
the basis on which God revealed his elect was this. I look on
the heart. And where you find one of God's
elect, you'll find a broken heart. You'll find a contrite spirit.
You'll find a believing heart. You'll find a humble heart, you'll
find a meditative heart, you will find a receptive heart,
and you'll find a grateful heart, because there's never any sovereign
predestination unless there's a sovereign operation of grace. It's always one and the same.
And you find a man with a with an unbelieving heart, or a person
with a proud heart, or a person with an unbroken heart, he says,
I'm one of the elect, he's lying, he's not any such thing, he's
not any such thing, I don't care how long he's been in the church,
or how long he's been preaching, or what he knows about the Bible,
if these inward marks of the Spirit are not there, he is not
one of God's elect. And if these inward marks of
the Spirit are there, he may be full of doubts and fears and
all the rest of it, but he's one of God's elect. Because only
God can break the heart. Only God. Only God can put a
sinner in the dust and bring him to cry, Lord. Only the Holy
Spirit can enable a man to call Christ Jesus, Lord. Third and
closing, the outward marks of the elect. Verse 13, Samuel took
the horn of oil and anointed David in the midst of his brethren,
and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day. Yes,
sir, any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he's none of his.
The Holy Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are the
sons of God. And from that day, the day of
his anointing, the day of the opening of his eyes, the day
of his public declaration, the day of his visitation of God's
prophet, the Spirit of God came on him. The Spirit of God came
on him. Has the Spirit of God come upon
you? I'm not saying your troubles will be over and your trials
will be over and the way will be smooth and velvet from then
on, but the presence of the Spirit of God. Say something else. The man who's one of God's elect
will not only be visited by the Spirit of God, but he'll confess
the Lord. Yes, he will. Just like David
here, while he went out there in 1 Samuel 17, and all those
fellows were afraid, he stood out there and said, Well, who
is this uncircumcised Philistine that baffles the army of the
Lord? Is there not a cause? David confessed
his master. He let everybody know where he
stood. Take something else that's an outward mark of the elect.
Not only will the Spirit of God be upon them, not only will it
confess Christ, but thirdly, what's this? They'll have trouble with Saul.
That's right. They're going to have trouble
with Saul. You don't go looking for trouble,
but you'll find it. Yes, sirree, you'll find it.
When David came into the presence of Saul, the anger and wrath
in Saul's heart was kindled against him. God's anointed. Where he goes, God goes. And
if men don't love God, they don't love him. where he goes, the
Spirit of God goes. And if men do not have the Spirit
of God, the evil spirits are going to fight against the Spirit
of God. If you're one of God's elect, you're going to have trouble
with Saul. But I'll tell you this, if you're one of God's
elect, after it's all over, you're going to be crowned because David
was properly crowned. After all the battles were over,
after all of the conflict was over, after it was all over and
God had disposed of Saul, one day the trumpet sounded and the
carnation hymn was sung, and they solemnly placed that crown
on the head of the man who was after God's own height. And one
day in glory, the Lord of glory is going to crown his elect.
It's laid up for me, Paul said, a crown. which the Lord, the
righteous judge, shall give me in that day, not to me only,
but to all them who love his appearance." All things work together for
good to them, watch this verse now, I close, who love the Lord,
who are called according to his purpose. Who are the called?
They're those who love the Lord. Who are the elect? They're those
of a broken heart and believing heart. a broken spirit. God looks
on the heart. Always together, never separate.
Our Father in Heaven, anoint this message. Thou hast spoken
to us, we're confident, Thou hast dealt with us, we're sure.
Just anoint the message to our understanding and to Thy glory.
Teach Thy people. Oh, to have the Savior reveal
Himself to our hearts and not just to our ears and our heads.
And we may know him and the power of his resurrection. Thank you,
Lord, for visiting with us and I pray.

Who Are The Elect

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Who Are The Elect

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