God Almighty has always taken
that which man hates and that which man despises and uses it
to accomplish his purpose and his glory, that no flesh should
glory in his presence. God will not tolerate human pride. And then Paul says in verse 26,
now watch this, He starts out in verse 23 and
says, I know Christ crucified is a stumbling block to the religious
leaders, and I know that it's sheer nonsense to the so-called
thinking people. But he said, that doesn't move
me, for the foolishness of God, what they call foolishness, is
wiser than men, and what they call weakness is stronger than
men. God has always used the insignificant. God has always used the things
that are simple, the things which men despise. God always uses
to accomplish his purpose that no flesh should glow in his presence.
And then he comes down to this. You see your calling, brethren. You see your calling, brethren. This is further proof that in
all things, especially salvation, God must have the glory. You
see your call. How did you get in on this? How did you become a part of
God's program and God's purpose and God's kingdom? You see your
calling, brethren, how that 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. That's you. And that's me. There is no doctrine more humbling to human flesh,
and you pick out any doctrine you want to. There's no doctrine
more humbling to human flesh than the doctrine of divine election. The flesh despises it, the flesh
hates it, the flesh will not have it. And I want us to look
carefully at it in this message this morning under four headings. Number one, the elector. Who is he? Secondly, the election. How strange and unusual it is. Thirdly, the elected. Who are
they? And fourthly, God gives us reasons
for his election. Now, first of all, the elector.
This is a fact. Most accountable, responsible
sons of Adam over this world do not love God. And would you
say that's a fact? Most people in Ashland, Kentucky
do not love the God of the Bible. They're not sitting at His feet
this morning. This is the Lord's Day. They're
not worshiping Him. They're not reading His words.
They're not praising his son, Jesus Christ. Most responsible,
accountable sons of Adam do not love God. They love themselves,
but not God. They will not turn to Christ.
They live in unbelief. They live in sin. They live in
greed. And most of them are going to
die as they have lived. That's true, isn't it? They're
going to die without Christ. They're going to die without
God. They're going to perish under the wrath of God. Most
accountable, responsible. I'm not talking about infants
now, and I'm not talking about morons and idiots and people
with no mind. I'm talking about people who
are accountable, responsible human beings. And I'm talking
about those folks you work with, and those folks you associate
with, and socialize with, and go to school with. Most accountable,
responsible human beings do not love God. They do not love Christ. They do not live for God's glory.
They live for self. They live for sin. They live
for the corruptions of this world. God is their belly, the Prophet
said. And they're going to perish in
the same condition. And I know why this is. The Bible
says it's because they love darkness rather than light. That's their
desire. That's what they care about.
They don't care about light, they care about darkness. They
hate good and love evil. They hate God and love themselves. They hate holiness and love sin. That's right, isn't it? They
perish willingly. They perish of their own will. and follow their own corrupt
hearts. That's the choice that they have
made. They do not choose good, they choose evil. Now that's
so. Now here's a second fact. But there are some people in
this world, there are some people in our city, who believe God's
word. They believe God's word. They
believe all of God's word, not just the part that they pick
out. and fits in with their religious
tradition. They believe all of God's work.
They grieve over their sins. They weep privately and personally
over their sins. They seek God's face. They seek
God's mercy. They seek God's grace in Jesus
Christ. There are some people in this
city who really seek the Lord. They seek God with all their
hearts. When they got up this morning,
it was no chore for them to go to the house of God. They were
glad when they said unto me, let's go to the house of God.
It was no chore for them to take their offering and put it in
the envelope to support the preaching of the gospel. That was no chore.
That was a delight and a pleasure. When they opened the Word of
God first this morning to read it, they did not do it with reluctance,
out of habit. as a responsibility in order
to appear religious. They did it with a hungry heart
and a thirst after righteousness. O minister of the living God,
minister to me the things of God. When they bowed in prayer,
it was not a ritual or a ceremony, it was a communion with God.
They have repented of sin, they have believed on Christ, they
have bowed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and that despised
Nazarene who was hanged on a cross is their prophet, priest, and
king, and they lay down their lives for his sake. Now, I ask this question, why? Who makes these people to differ? Whose will was it that made the
difference? And the answer comes back, verse
27, God hath chosen. Verse 27, God hath chosen. Verse 28, God hath chosen. It does not say man hath chosen,
it says God hath chosen. To the religious man, Christ
crucified, Christ the substitute, Christ the prophet, priest, and
king, a stumbling block. To the Gentile, Christ crucified,
Christ who reconciled us to God, Christ our advocate, sheer nonsense. Not many mighty, not many noble,
not many wise men after the flesh. But to some, Christ the power
of God, Christ the wisdom of God, God hath chosen. God hath chosen. Turn with me
to John, chapter 1. Now use your Bibles, if you will. Christ said this word will judge
you. The Bible is the only rule of faith and the rule of practice.
If they speak not according to the law and the prophets, it's
because there's no light in them. In John, chapter 1, verse 12,
it says, in all his offices, in all his
beauty, in all his glory. To them gave he the right or
the privilege to become the sons of God, even to them that believe
on his name. There are some who do. Now, why? Well, read the next verse. They
were born, not of blood, that is, it wasn't a family trait
that was passed on from father to son, not of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man. They were born of God, chosen
of God. God had chosen. He is the Elector,
not man. Turn to John 15. John 15, verse
16. Christ said to his disciples,
John 15, You have not chosen me." Herein is love, not that
we love God. He loved us. We love Him because
He first loved us. You have not chosen me. I have
chosen you. God hath chosen. God hath chosen. Turn to Mark 13. In the 13th
chapter of Mark, verse 20. Mark 13, verse 20. Listen to
the And except, Mark 13, 20, that
the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved,
but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen. The elect didn't
choose themselves, and they didn't choose God. He chose them. But for the elect's sake, whom
he hath chosen, He hath shortened the days. You say, well, now
that's during another dispensation. God's the same yesterday, today,
and forever. Not a different God. The same
God now He was in the Old Testament. Turn with me to 2 Thessalonians,
chapter 2. In 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 13,
the Scripture says, Paul writing to the church at Thessalonica,
2 Thessalonians 2.13, but we're bound. to give thanks always
to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning..." Who hath? God hath. When? "...from the
beginning chosen you to salvation." God chose you to salvation. You
know, a man would have to be a fool to fly into the face of
the Word of God that's so plain, wouldn't he? God hath from the
beginning chosen you Not to service, to salvation. Now God doesn't
do it apart from means. You say, you're saying that a
man, if God's chosen a man to be saved, he'll be saved whether
he believes or not. Aren't you ashamed to present
an argument like that? You've got more sense than that.
You've got more sense than that. That's awful for a man to make
a statement like that, when the Word of God said, God hath chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, and through belief
of the truth. Not apart from it. Not whether
or not you're ever born again, or ever hear the Word, or ever
believe. God hath chosen you to salvation through these means. God uses means. God used means
to deliver Israel from Egypt, but God delivered them. He used
Moses and the shepherd's staff. God used means to deliver Israel
from the Philistines, but God delivered them. You think David
defeated the giant? God defeated the giant, but He
used David with the sling and the stone. God Almighty delivered
Israel from the Midianites, but He used Gideon and 300 men. God can do things without means,
but that's not His purpose, and that's not His plan, and that's
not His way. God hath chosen by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe, but God chose it. God
hath chosen you to salvation. Turn to 2 Timothy, chapter 2,
verse 4. 2 Timothy, chapter 2, verse 4.
No man that woreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this
life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. We seek to please him who hath
chosen us to be a soldier. And then, of course, Ephesians
chapter 1, turn over there. The Apostle Paul says, God hath
chosen, God hath chosen, God hath chosen. Never put the crown
on the human head. Never bow to the human will.
It's God who hath chosen. Who maketh thee to differ? What
hast thou that thou didst not receive? In Ephesians 1, verse
3, he goes on and says, "...blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us
in Christ, when before the foundation of the world, for what purpose,
that we should be holy and without blame before him." The grace which is found in any
man, if grace is found there, and the glory and eternal life
to which any man attains, if he attains, is the gift of God's
free grace. For by grace are you saved through
faith. And that not of yourselves. Faith
is not of yourselves. It's not a product of the human
will. It is the gift of God. Faith is the gift of God. It
is given unto you, not only to believe on Him, but to suffer
for His sake. Repentance. Have you repented?
The goodness of God led you to repentance. God, the Scripture
says, hath granted repentance to the Gentiles. Let's face some
facts from Scripture. Are you willing? Turn to Hebrews
chapter 2. Are you willing? This is what
I always like to ask people who want to discuss God's grace and
God's mercy and God's purpose in salvation. Are you willing
to bow to the Word of God? As David Estrada said last week,
are you willing to break loose from your tradition and from
your custom? Go learn what that means. Break
loose from that which has bound you and tied you and held you
down. Break loose. Go learn what it means. Bow to
the Word of God and quit bowing to the human idols. Are you willing? All right, let's
face some facts from the Word of God. Hebrews 2.16. Listen
to this verse of Scripture. For verily he, now that's Christ,
He took not on him the nature of angels. He didn't do it. But he took on him, he took it
deliberately, on purpose, the seed of Abraham. You know what
that means? Most folks don't. Back before Adam was ever created,
back before the earth was ever remade, God made the angels. He made Lucifer, Gabriel, Michael,
and the multiplied thousands of heavenly hosts. Lucifer was
called the Son of the Morning. He was the brightest of all the
angels, from what we can read in God's Word. He seemed to have
authority and power and control over the earth. Lucifer fell. He said, I will be like God. I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God. I will ascend into the north.
I will do this. And God cast him down. And with
him, the theologians estimate, one-third of the heavenly host. These angels who followed Lucifer,
they fell. Satan fell, and all the angels
that followed him. And Jude says they are reserved,
or Peter, one of the apostles said they are reserved in everlasting
chains of darkness until the day of judgment. Now Adam fell, and Jesus Christ didn't take
on himself the nature of angels. He didn't come down to the earth
in the form of an angel. He didn't come to redeem the
angels. He took on himself the seed, or the likeness of flesh,
and he took on himself the nature of the seed of Abraham to redeem
men, not angels, men. I don't hear anybody arguing
for Satan. I don't hear anybody rising up
and saying, that's not fair. That's not fair. If God's going
to come down here as a man, he ought to come down here too as
an angel. If God's going to redeem Adam's race, he ought to redeem
Lucifer's race. But he took not on him the seed
of angels, the nature of angels. He on purpose, according to his
will, to the good pleasure of his will, according to his wisdom,
became a man, and left the angels to perish justly in their rebellion. You got anything to say about
that? But that's true. All right, here's the second
fact. Did Abraham choose God, or did God choose Abraham? Now,
if you will read the background of Abraham, Abraham was living
in an idolatrous country. Abraham was following the religious
practices of his ancestors. And God came down to Abraham
and said, You get out of your father's house and from your
country to a land I'll show thee, and I'll make of thee a great
nation and a great people, and I'll bless those that bless you
and curse those that curse you." Was Abraham seeking God, or was
God seeking Abraham? Did Abraham choose God, or did
God choose Abraham? What about David? When Samuel
came down to the house of Jesse to anoint a king, God sent him. Go down to the house of Jesse
and anoint my king, king over Israel." David was out on the
side of a hill keeping sheep. It never entered his mind or
his heart or his thoughts in one iota that he was to be the
king of Israel, nor had it entered the mind of his father or any
of his six brothers or of the prophet of God. And Samuel did
his best to anoint every one of those boys except David. And
finally God kept saying to Samuel, My king's not here. And Samuel
turned to Jesse and said, Are these all your sons? And Jesse
said, No, I've got one more. I didn't think you'd be interested
in him. He's just a lad. He's out on the side of the hill
taking care of the sheep so that the more prominent boys, the
strong, the mighty, the noble, the wise, could be here for the
election. And Samuel said, Well, God hasn't
elected any of these. You go get that boy David. And
when he walked in the door, God said, Arise, Samuel, anoint him.
Here is my king. Salvation is not to him that
willeth, nor him that runneth, but it's to one who is the object
of God's mercy. God has chosen Let's face some
more facts from the scripture. Salvation is called an adoption. We're adopted into the family
of God. We have the spirit of adoption
whereby we cry Father. Let me ask you this question.
Who has the authority in the matter of adoption? The child
or the parents? Do the children pick out the
parents or do the parents pick out the children? The church
is called a building. A building whose foundation is
Jesus Christ, a building of living stones. How many buildings around
here did the stones select themselves? Does the architect select the
stones, or do the stones select themselves? Does the contractor
select the stones, or do the stones select themselves? The
church is called the bride of Christ. Does the bride choose the bridegroom,
or does the bridegroom choose the bride? I know there are those who rebel
against this, and as I say, the doctrine of divine election is
so humbling to human flesh. Human pride despises it. Turn to Romans chapter 9, but
the scriptures are clear. In Romans chapter 9, beginning
with verse 10, listen to it carefully, and not only this, But when Rebecca
had conceived by one, even by her father Isaac, the children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but
of him that calleth, it was said unto her, The elder shall serve
the younger. Esau is going to serve Jacob.
This is contrary to what natural man desires. It said the elder
shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, he's my choice, he so have I hated. Now what shall
we say then? What's your reply to this? Is
there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. He said to Moses,
I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then it's not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, It's of God that showeth mercy. Mercy is the gift of God. God is the source of mercy, the
giver of mercy, the fountain of mercy. For the Scripture said
to Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised you up,
that I might show my power unto you, and that my name might be
declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, whom he will be hardened. I will say then
unto me, Why does God find fault? Who hath or who can resist his
will? Nay, but, O man, who art thou
that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it? Why did you make me thus? Hath
not the potter power over the clay of the same lump, of the
same family, to make one vessel unto honour and another under
dishonor. Turn back to our text, 1 Corinthians. It says here in 1 Corinthians
1, verse 27, God hath chosen. God's the elector. God's the
elector, not man hath chosen. I tell you, man, if left to himself,
will choose darkness. He won't choose light. He'll
choose evil. He won't choose holiness. He'll
choose his own will. He won't choose God's will. Left
to himself, no man will come to God. Christ said, you will
not come to me that you might have life. If the Lord of the
Sabbath had not left us a seed, we would be like Sodom and Gomorrah. Thank God for his elective grace. Thank God for his purpose in
mercy. Thank God that He did choose,
for if He had not chosen, we would have never come to Him
because of our sinful condition. We're fallen creatures. All right,
I want you to notice the next thing, the election itself. Now
let's look at this. The Lord of glory is about to
choose a people for His Son. He's about to choose a people
who will give honor and glory to the cross of Christ. He's
about to choose a people who are going to be redeemed by the
blood of his Son, and forever praise his name. Now I want you
to observe what an unusual choice he makes. Look at verse 26. You
see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble. You know, if man
had made the selection, those are the very ones we'd have picked
out. That's right. If man had made the selection,
he would have picked the wise and the mighty and the noble. God's choice is directly contrary
to man's choice. Man chooses those who can help
him. If we were going to build a church
and a kingdom and a cause, the first ones we'd choose, the mighty,
the wise in the flesh, and the noble. Man chooses those who
can help him. God chooses those whom he can
help. Man chooses the beautiful. God
chooses the unlovely. Man chooses the ones that he
needs. God chooses those who need him. Man chooses those whom he thinks
deserve to be chosen. God chooses those who deserve
nothing. Man chooses for a friend a man
who can help him. God chooses for a friend a man
whom he can help. The old songwriter says, My friend,
what was there in you that could merit esteem, or give the creator
delight? T'was even so, Father, I must
sing. It seemed good in thy sight. What an unusual election! Not
many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble. But God hath chosen. Now let's look at these people
whom he hath chosen. This is the elected, point number
three. And they are described here both
negatively and positively. the elected are described first
of all negatively. It says here, God hath chosen,
God hath chosen the foolish things of the world, but not many wise
men after the flesh. It doesn't say not many wise
men, it says not many wise men after the flesh. There's a difference.
Those whom God hath chosen are wise unto salvation. Thou hast
from thy youth known the holy scriptures that are able to make
thee wise unto salvation. It says, Not many wise men after
the flesh. In other words, it is not our
superior wisdom in fleshly, carnal things that led us to recognize
Christ Jesus. It was His grace and His free
gift. We cannot boast. Christ is our
wisdom. Those who are elected are described,
first of all, as being not many wise men after the flesh. Secondly,
they're described as being not many mighty. The mighty Alexanders
and Caesars and Napoleons and Constantine, while they could
make the world bow down to Christ with their swords, just draw
their swords and go forth in great armies and make the whole
world Christian. One of the disciples of Christ
used a sword one time. Apostle Peter used it. He used
it very poorly, and Christ healed his victim, and that was the
end of Peter's fighting. God doesn't choose the mighty.
And not many noble. The royal blood of kings and
queens does not flow in our veins. I read a few days ago that most
of the inscriptions carved on the catacombs in Rome, the words
were misspelled. Most of the inscriptions carved
on the walls where the Christians hid from persecution and carved
their names and scripture verses and things of that nature on
the walls of the catacombs, most of the words were misspelled
because these people were poor, illiterate, ignorant men whom
God had chosen to defend the faith. So his elected people
are described first of all as not many wise men after the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble, and then they're described positively.
He says, God hath chosen the foolish things of the world.
Now watch this. The scripture is so beautiful.
It does not say God chose the foolish men of the world. It
doesn't say that. God's people are not foolish
men. It says foolish things. What does that mean? That means
that the world so despised them and so looked down on them that
they were not even regarded as men by the world, they were regarded
as things. Let me show you an example of
that in John chapter 9. In the 9th chapter of John, these
people whom God had chosen, the world looked down on them and
did not even regard them as men, they regarded them as things.
To God they were men. His sons. But to the world they
were themes. Now listen to this, in John chapter
9, verse 29. All of you know that when a word
is in italics in the Bible, it was supplied by the translators.
It's not there in the original. And many times the words supplied
are all right, they're good, they help us to understand the
passage. But sometimes they take away
the impact of the passage. Now look in verse 29 of John
9, it says, we know. Well, go back to verse 28. The
Pharisees reviled this man who was healed and said, you're his
disciple, we're Moses' disciple. We know God's spoken to Moses. As for this italics fellow, they
didn't even use the word. Charles Spurgeon said that they
said it this way. We know God spoke to Moses. As
for this, this, call him what you will, we know not whence
he is. As for this, this thing, this
thing, and God hath chosen the foolish things, call him what
you will. As for this, we know not whence
he is. God had chosen, look at the next
verse, the next line, God had chosen the weak things. Who is
this Jesus of Nazareth, a poor weakling who died on a cross?
Who are these disciples, nothing and nobody? Who are these Christians? Why, there's not a philosopher
in the lot of them, there's not a rabbi, there's not a king,
there's not a great man, there's not a recognized person among
them. Who are they? Just the weak things. God had
chosen the base thing. Do you know what this word means?
The word base here signifies things without a pedigree. Now,
you may not like this, what I'm about to say. But this signifies
illegitimate children. Without a father, cannot trace
their descent, just an illegitimate son who has nothing of which
to boast. God had chosen this foolish thing. God had chosen this weak thing. As men sit around and brag about
their ancestors and put their family trees up so that they
can talk about who they descended from, this poor illegitimate
character sits here and says, I don't even know who my father
was. I have no pedigree. I have no
descent. I have nothing of which to boast.
I'm nothing but a base. thing. God hath chosen things
that are despised, sneered at, mocked, persecuted, unrecognized,
really not worth notice by anybody. And read on, and God hath chosen
the things which are not. Don't look for the redeemed and
who's who. They're not there. They're not
there. Not many wise men after the flesh. He doesn't say none. He says
not many. God saved a Paul, a Saul of Tarsus,
he was a wise man after the flesh. But it says, not many. Not many
wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble,
but God hath chosen the foolish things, the weak things, the
things that are despised, the base things, and yea, things
that are nothing, are at the last point. Now, why? Why? There are two reasons given.
the immediate or first reason in verse 26. You see your calling,
brethren, how that 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. And God hath chosen
the weak things of the world to confound the mighty. And the base things of the world,
and things which you despise, hath God chosen ye, things which
are not, to bring to naught things that are, to confound the wise."
The so-called wise men of this world have ridiculed the Bible. The so-called brilliant men of
this world have scoffed at this book. They've mocked it and ridiculed
it. They've done all within their
power to destroy it, but it still marches on. God had taken the
weak, the foolish, the despised, the base things of this world,
things which are not, and confounded the wise men. Voltaire once said,
they tell me that twelve ignorant fishermen established Christianity. I will show the world how one
brilliant man can destroy it. after he died, they used his
house in which he lived in Geneva, Switzerland, as a place to store
Bibles. God Almighty had taken an ignorant
fisherman, a shepherd, a ditch digger, a coal miner, to confound
the wise men of this world. And God Almighty hath taken these
people and confounded the mighty. The governors, the kings, the
Caesars, the armies, the generals have all tried to destroy Christianity. There was a time when all of
the powers of the known world were seeking to destroy this
testimony, this church, these people. And the more Christians
they put to the sword and the more they put in the fire, the
more they were. And at one time, Christians even
came to the judgments of these men and asked to die for Christ. They were confounded. You want
to die? You're crazy. All you've got
to do to live is deny your religion. We'll deny our religion for a
dollar, but you won't deny yours to save your life. What is this?
Pilate said to Christ, don't you know I have the power to
crucify you or let you go? Answer us, thou not? And these
poor, weak people, these things which are nothing, these base
things, come before the kings and the governors, and they're
confounded by them. Men ask for the honor to die
for Jesus Christ. They couldn't understand that.
And then he says he chose them to confound the wise and to confound
the mighty and to bring to naught things that are. Where are the
mighty empires? Babylonian empire, Medes and
Persians, the Syrian empire, the Roman empire, the Grecian
empire. Where are these empires? Where are the great philosophers?
Where are the idols? Venus, Jupiter, Diana? Where
are these things to which men used to pray? Where are the great temples? Yet the simple believer, the
simple worshipper of Jesus Christ, he's everywhere. He's on the
mountaintop and in the valley and by the seashore and down
by the creek and in the barn, the brush arbors, the little
chapels, the churches. praising his Lord. And where
are these high and mighty and great and noble ones? They're
dead and their bones are rotting and their memories forgotten.
God's brought them to nothing. But the ultimate reason, and
I close, God had chosen the weak things, the foolish things, the
base things, the things which are not, to confound the wise,
confound the mighty, bring to naught the things that are. And
the ultimate reason, though, is that no flesh, verse 29, should
glory in his presence. If a man is redeemed, he's redeemed
by God. If a man is lifted from the dunghill,
he's lifted by God. If a man is washed from his sins,
he's washed with the blood of God. If a man has a seat in the
heavenly choir, it's been given him by the grace of God. If a
man is taken from hell and transported to heaven, it's by the mercy
of God. If a man has any eyes to see
the beauty of Christ and ears to hear the voice of Christ and
heart to understand the mysteries of Christ, it's by the grace
of God. Paul said, I am what I am by
the grace of God, that no flesh should glory in his presence.
Now, if God calls a wise man after the flesh, That wise man's
going to have to be broken and humble like the Apostle Paul
who said, I'm less than the least of all the same. I have nothing
of which to glory. If God calls a mighty man, that
mighty man will not rejoice in his strength, but he will talk
of his weakness and magnify the strength of his Lord. I will
lie at his feet as a needy beggar. Do with me what you will, O Lord
of hosts, but grant that I may be an object of your mercy. We all are dying thieves on a
deserving cross, and we get what we justly deserve. And about the only plea we have
is to turn to the great and mighty Redeemer and say, Lord, you have
a kingdom. I have nothing. Remember me when
thou comest into thy kingdom. If you're pleased to remember
me, and if you're pleased to save me, and if you're pleased
to call me, I'll forever praise your name. But there's nothing
in me or about me that would recommend me to your mercy. God
hath chosen. God hath chosen. Our Father in
Heaven, O Lord, open these hearts, unstop deaf ears, take the shades
off blinded eyes, and let us see the depths of depravity to
which the human race has fallen, the inability and insufficiency
and weakness of the human race, dead in trespasses and sin, and
open our eyes to see the glory, power, and wisdom of our God,
who in mercy and love has not left us to ourselves, but has
chosen a people for his great name. and given His Son to bleed
and die to save them from their sins. And by Thy great and mighty
Holy Spirit has seen fit to call us out of darkness to Thy marvelous
light. To Thee be the glory both now
and forever. Amen.