Good evening, friends. We're going to worship God. We're going to sing to His praise from
! Psalm 87. Sing Psalm's version of Psalm 87. You'll find that on page 115 in your psalm books.
! Psalm 87. We're going to be singing the whole of this psalm on the tune of Sussex.
Page 115, Psalm 87. On Jerusalem's holy mountain,
he has founded his abode. More than all of Jacob's dwellings, Zion's gates are dear to God.
The whole of this psalm, to God's praise.
On Jerusalem's holy mountain, he has founded his abode.
More than all of Jacob's dwellings, Zion's gates are dear to God.
Glorious things of you are spoken, Zion's city of the Lord.
Many drawn from all the nations, as your people I record.
I will name as those who know me, Egypt, Zion and Babylon.
Philistine, along with Cushite, I will count as Zion born.
Yes, it will be said of Zion, this and that one here belong.
And on her the highest blessing will descend and make her strong.
Born in Zion, God will enter in the people's register.
They will sing God's living music.
All my fountains are in heart.
So bow our heads as we call on God's name in prayer.
Let's pray together.
Our Father in heaven, may your name be hallowed.
Lord, we come into the presence of the Holy One, aware of our own inadequacies, aware of our own failings, aware that we fall short of what we ought to be.
But we thank you, Lord, that you welcome us.
You call us to come.
And we can approach you as we come in the name of our Lord and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And we pray, Lord, as we endeavor to draw near to you this evening, that you would be pleased to draw near to us.
You are involved in the life of your people.
We sang even in that psalm of your intimate involvement in the life of your people.
You have a record of each one.
The psalm spoke of a register where our names are recorded.
Maybe that is the Lamb's book of life.
But it's a reminder to us, Lord, that you know every one of us.
And we pray, Lord, this evening that as we come to worship you, that you would speak to us afresh this evening.
That we would hear your voice, the voice of the shepherd.
And that we would respond appropriately to it.
Our Lord said, I know my sheep and my sheep know me.
They hear my voice and they will follow me.
Lord, may we hear you tonight.
And may we be drawn into a closer walk with you.
May we desire, Lord, to be made more like Jesus.
So bless us and to be with us and help us, Lord.
Help those who are your people this evening.
Those who are Christians.
We realize that being a Christian is not a, it's no walk in the park.
The Bible describes it as a narrow way.
Jesus himself said, whoever will come after me must take up his cross daily and follow me.
And Lord, while we know there are many burdens that we have to bear.
We thank you, Lord, that we do not face these challenges alone.
We thank you that you have promised that you are with your people.
And you always will be.
You will never leave us.
And you will never forsake us.
And yet we want to pray, Lord, for any who may be struggling with some particular difficulty in their own lives.
Or their own homes.
Or their own families.
Or maybe at their work.
Maybe those who are suffering specifically because they're Christians.
And in their families do not approve.
Or in their workplaces.
Maybe those who have been overlooked for promotion simply because of what they believe.
Lord, help us, we pray, to recognize when we are being persecuted for your name's sake.
And Jesus said that if they persecuted me, they will persecute you as well.
But, Lord, what we might experience in that way is so small compared to what some of your people,
our brothers and sisters around the world experience.
And we pray this evening, Lord, for those who are being persecuted for their faith.
Those who tonight are in prison.
Those who tonight, Lord, may be facing death.
Those who've lost loved ones.
And the pain that comes with that.
Lord, be with your persecuted people.
Give them a boldness, we pray.
Even as they witness to their persecutors and pray for them.
May you hear their prayers.
And may they know your nearness in the midst of their trial.
Lord, we have to thank you for how, for the freedoms that we enjoy.
Even the freedom to come and worship you this evening.
Help us to never take these things for granted, we pray.
But help each one of us.
Be with those who are grieving, Lord.
Lord, we commit them to you.
That you would be close to them, Lord.
That you would help them.
When they maybe feel that they cannot go on, Lord.
That you would encourage them.
And you would reassure them, Lord.
That you will be with them.
We pray for those laid aside, Lord, with illness.
Whether that is at home or in hospital.
Or maybe still struggling to go about their daily lives.
Those who live with pain every day.
Lord, give them grace for that situation, we pray.
And those who may be cast down, Lord, in their minds.
We ask that you would be close to them.
And, Lord, we are aware that there will be others who have good news.
Who are rejoicing.
Rejoicing in the birth of a child.
Or in an engagement.
Or a marriage.
Or whatever it may be.
Lord, as we weep with those who weep.
We also rejoice with those who rejoice.
Bless the young people in the congregation, Lord.
We thank you for seeing so many here this morning.
Going out to Sunday school and Tweenies and Crest, Lord.
We pray for those who are with us this evening as well.
That you would bless their young lives, we pray.
And protect them, Lord.
From everything that would threaten to take them away from you.
And to draw them away from your word and from Jesus.
Watch over them, we pray.
Instead, Lord, we ask that they would be drawn closer to you.
And we pray, Lord, for those not so young as well.
For those who may be elderly.
And with that come different challenges and different struggles, Lord.
Those whose mobility is not what it used to be.
Those, Lord, whose memory is not like it used to be.
Those who maybe have become dependent on others, Lord.
For so much of what they used to do themselves.
Who are losing their independence.
Lord, we pray that you would be gracious to them.
And help them, Lord.
As they struggle to adjust with these changes.
That can come with advancing years.
So be with our elderly, we pray.
Help us to be a people who look out for them.
And to remember them.
And to pray for them.
And to seek to help them in any way that we can.
And Lord, bless our nation.
And those in authority over us.
Lord, give them wisdom, we pray.
We can quickly find fault with them.
But not be so quick to do as your word instructs us.
And to pray for those in authority over us.
So we commit them to you, Lord.
Our prime minister, our first minister, our MPs and our MSPs.
Give them wisdom, we pray.
And be with those of them who are Christians, Lord.
As they face so much opposition.
Help them, Lord, to choose their battles well.
And to be ready, Lord, to take a stand when that is necessary.
And appropriate to do so.
And give them grace, Lord, as they speak.
And as they take a stand, Lord, for the truths of your word.
Bless our world leaders, we pray as well, Lord.
And even today, as we see further unrest in Syria.
As we see one, maybe an evil leader being taken out.
Possibly to be replaced by something worse.
Lord, we commit the Middle East to you.
And all the unrest going on there.
Lord, you are the God who is enthroned on high.
And so all we can do, Lord, is bring these situations to you.
And ask that you be with those who are suffering.
With those caught up in conflict.
With those, Lord, who have lost loved ones.
And property.
And everything else, Lord.
In the midst of war.
Lord, make us thankful for the peace that we enjoy.
And make us thankful this evening as we turn to your word.
That we have that ability to meet as we do.
So presence yourself among us, we pray.
Take from us, Lord, all that is offensive to you.
Cleanse us from our sin, we pray.
Anything that would grieve your Holy Spirit and cause him to withdraw from us.
Take that away from us, we pray.
Take away all our distractions.
And may we be drawn to you.
May we be still this evening.
And know that you are God.
All these things we ask with a cleansing and forgiveness of all our sins.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Let's continue singing praise to God.
This time from Psalm 37 in the Scottish Psalter.
You'll find this on page 254.
Page 254.
Psalm 37 and at verse 23.
I'm going to sing from 23 down to 28.
The tune is Argyle.
Psalm 37 at verse 23.
A good man's footsteps by the Lord are ordered aright.
And in the way wherein he walks, he greatly doth delight.
From verse 23 down to verse 28.
To God's praise.
A good man's footsteps by the Lord are ordered aright.
And in the way wherein he walks, he greatly doth delight.
Although he fall, yet shall he not be cast out.
And in the way wherein he walks, he will be cast out.
Because the Lord with his own hand apposed him mightily.
I have been young and now am old.
Yet have I never seen.
The just man left, nor had his scene, for great a beggar's king.
He's ever merciful and blest, this sin is blest therefore.
Depart from evil and do good and will forevermore.
For God loves judgment and his face, please not in any case.
The ark of the chamber, but God all, shall be the sinner's praise.
I'm going to read from God's Word now in the New Testament and Paul's letter to the Romans.
And in chapter 9, Romans chapter 9, we're going to read the whole of this chapter together.
And if you're using an ESV, you'll see that there's a heading that's been added before chapter 9,
which says God's sovereign choice.
And that's going to be our subject this evening, what we call election.
But let's read the whole of the chapter together.
Romans chapter 9, reading from the beginning.
Let's hear God's Word.
I am speaking the truth in Christ.
I'm not lying.
My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship and the promises.
To them belong the patriarchs.
And from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
But it is not as though the word of God has failed.
For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.
And not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring.
But through Isaac shall your offspring be named.
This means that it's not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.
For this is what the promise said.
About this time next year I will return and Sarah shall have a son.
And not only so, but also when Rebecca had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac,
though they were not yet born and had done nothing, either good or bad,
in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works, but because of his call.
She was told the older will serve the younger.
As it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.
What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part?
By no means.
For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.
So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy.
For the scripture says to Pharaoh,
For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you,
and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
You will say to me then,
Why does he still find fault?
For who can resist his will?
But who are you, O man, to answer back to God?
Will what is molded say to its molder,
Why have you made me like this?
Has the potter no right over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use,
and another for dishonorable use?
What of God, deciding to show his wrath and to make known his power,
has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
in order to make known the riches of his glory,
for vessels of mercy,
which he has prepared beforehand for glory,
even us whom he has called?
Not from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles.
As indeed he says in Hosea,
Those who were not my people, I will call my people.
And her who was not beloved, I will call beloved.
And in the very place where it was said to them,
You are not my people,
there they will be called sons of the living God.
And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel,
Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea,
only a remnant of them will be saved.
For the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.
And as Isaiah predicted,
If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,
we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.
What shall we say then?
That Gentiles who did not pursue a righteousness have attained it,
that is, a righteousness that is by faith.
But that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness
did not succeed in reaching that law.
Why?
Because they did not pursue it by faith,
but as if it were based on works.
They have stumbled over the stumbling stone,
as it is written,
Behold, I am laying in Zion,
a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.
And whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.
Amen.
This is the word of God,
and we trust and we pray that he will follow it with his blessing.
I'm going to sing again now,
this time from the Scottish Psalter,
from Psalm 40.
You'll find this on page 259.
Psalm 40 on page 259.
And we're going to sing from the beginning of that psalm
down to the end of the double verse marked five.
The tune is Balerma.
Psalm 40,
page 259.
I waited for the Lord my God,
and patiently did bear at length to me.
He did incline my voice and cry to hear.
Verses 1 to 5 of Psalm 40.
To God's praise.
I waited for the Lord my God,
and patiently did bear at length to me.
He did incline my voice and cry to hear.
He took me from the fearful pain,
and from the mighty clay,
And on the road he set my feet,
establishing my way.
He put a new song in my mouth,
Our God to magnify.
Many shall see it and shall fear,
And on the Lord rely.
O blessed is the man whose trust upon the Lord rely.
to lie.
O Lord, my God, full many are the wonders Thou hast done.
Thy gracious thought to us ward far above all thoughts are gone.
In order none can record them, to thee if them declare,
and speak of them I would say more than can be numbered are.
Well, as we seek God's help, can we turn back in our Bibles
to the passage that we read together there in Paul's letter to the Romans,
chapter 9.
And we can read again a couple of verses, verse 10 and 11.
Romans 9, at verse 10, and not only so, but also when Rebecca had conceived
children by one man, her forefather Isaac,
though they were not yet born and had done nothing, either good or bad,
in order that God's purpose of election might continue,
not because of works, but because of his call.
She was told the older will serve the younger.
In order that God's purpose of election might continue.
It's that time of year where we're choosing presence for other people,
and sometimes people will ask you, well, what do you want?
What would you like for yourself?
And in choosing, I guess we all have our own criteria.
You would choose something because it was attractive,
or appealing, or appetizing.
But tonight we're looking at God's choice,
and it had nothing to do with anything of these considerations whatsoever.
When I talk about God's choice, I mean God's choice of who would be saved,
what is referred to as election.
And it has nothing to do with how good or how bad you might be.
It is simply God's sovereign choice.
Nobody else had a say in it.
Nobody influenced his decision,
and never will God regret it.
God has chosen everyone who would be saved before the world began.
Let me repeat that in case you didn't get it.
God has chosen everyone who would be saved before the world began.
Now, that is a statement that people get tied in knots about,
and it raises all kinds of objections and questions,
such as, so if a person's not saved, that's not their fault, but God's?
Or if a person is saved, does that mean they can live as they please,
because they can never be lost?
They'll be saved anyway.
People also ask, well, if this is the case,
if God's chosen, who will be saved?
And they will be saved, and nobody else will.
What's the point in preaching?
What is the point in appealing to people to come to trust the Lord,
if those who are chosen will come anyway,
and those who are not will never come?
Well, these are all reasonable questions,
reasonable objections.
And the Apostle Paul, who wrote this letter to the Romans,
he expected that people would have objections to what he's saying.
He expected that there would be that kind of reaction.
Look at what he says in verse 19.
You need to have your Bible open for this evening,
if you're going to be able to follow it.
Verse 19 of chapter 9, Paul says,
You will then say to me, why does he still find fault?
For who can resist his will?
In other words, God can't blame us,
because it's his choice.
So he was expecting these kind of objections.
So that's what I want to study with you this evening.
God's choice of who will be saved.
We call it unconditional election.
The unconditional meaning, his choosing of who would be saved,
was not conditional on anything about them at all,
or anything in us at all.
This teaching, doctrine if you want to call it that,
it may be something that you've been familiar with most of your life,
or it may be something that you're not familiar with at all.
And maybe what you know of it,
or even what you've just heard of it this evening,
you might love it,
you might loathe it,
or you might be completely baffled by it.
So I want to try my best this evening to explain it to you as simply as I possibly can.
And I'd like to do that under three headings this evening.
First of all, clarity.
Secondly, confusion.
And thirdly, comfort.
These three words, clarity, confusion, and comfort.
So let's start with clarity.
And what I mean by that is that this teaching is clearly taught in the Bible.
It is crystal clear from Scripture that God had chosen those who will be saved.
That's what the Apostle Paul is telling us here in verses 10 to 12.
He talks about Jacob and Esau.
They were two brothers.
They were twin brothers, actually.
The sons of Isaac, grandsons of Abraham.
And Paul says very, very clearly to us in verse 10 that before these boys were born,
before they had done anything good or bad,
God had chosen one of them.
God had chosen Jacob.
And while Paul probably states it more clearly and more starkly than others,
it is a teaching that you'll find in many places in Scripture.
So, for instance, in the letter to the Ephesians,
we read this,
He chose us in Christ before the creation of the world.
God chose those who'd be saved before He ever made the world.
Or going to the letter to the Thessalonians,
it says,
From the beginning God chose you to be saved.
This is what I mean by clarity.
This teaching is clearly there in the Scriptures from beginning to end.
Now, if you're on the ball, you might say,
Well, that's only Paul you've quoted.
It was Paul that wrote to the Romans.
It was Paul that wrote to the Ephesians.
It was Paul that wrote to the Thessalonians.
But Jesus was clearly aware of this as well.
Jesus speaks of His own people as,
Those whom the Father has given to me.
They were already given to Him.
And in John 6, He says,
All that the Father has given to me will come to me.
Those who had already been chosen.
Jesus says they're going to come.
So if you study the Scripture with an open mind,
there can be absolutely no doubt
that God has a chosen people,
what we call the elect,
and that they alone will be saved.
They alone will be saved.
And you'll find that clearly in passages such as in Acts 13.
We read this.
Listen carefully to this.
All who were appointed for eternal life believed.
You've got to note what this is not saying.
It's not saying that they believed.
It's not saying they were appointed because they believed.
Sorry.
It's saying they believed because they'd already been appointed.
They had already been chosen.
All who were appointed for eternal life believed.
And Jesus says virtually the same thing,
although He's talking about the opposite group.
He's talking about those who didn't believe.
In John 10, verse 26,
Jesus says,
You do not believe because you are not my sheep.
Again, you have to think about what He's not saying.
He's not saying you're not my sheep because you haven't believed.
What He said was,
You don't believe because you're not my sheep.
You're not my chosen ones.
If you're a Christian tonight,
the very reason you believed is that God appointed you to believe,
that God chose you to be saved.
Now that much,
and I know you will already have questions and objections,
but that much is clear, crystal clear from Scripture.
You cannot argue with it,
that God has His elect people.
And it's not because they're better than others.
It's not because there's anything good in them whatsoever.
The Shorter Catechism captures that when it says this,
that God, having out of His mere good pleasure,
from all eternity,
elected some to everlasting life.
It chose them out of His mere good pleasure.
That's His prerogative.
Not because they were better than others.
Let's deal with some of the objections that you might be having
to this at this stage.
You may be saying,
Well, that's not fair.
That is not fair that God chose some and leaves others.
Well, if you really wanted fairness,
there would be no hope for any of us.
If we really wanted fairness and justice,
we would all be heading for a lost eternity.
Maybe you say,
Okay, fair enough,
but it's still unfair, surely.
It's still unfair that those who are not chosen
will go to a lost eternity
through no fault of their own.
Well, that statement's just not true.
Nobody will go to a lost eternity
through no fault of their own.
Nobody will be lost
or judged eternally
who didn't deserve that.
Everybody is condemned
by their own sin.
Coming back to the passage.
We've not done much in the passage,
but I intend to.
But verse 13.
Look at verse 13.
Now, before I read this,
this sounds harsh.
This is hard to hear.
Verse 13.
As it is written,
Jacob I loved,
but Esau I hated.
I don't believe that God hated Esau
before he was born.
The verses before that
are speaking about
what happened before birth,
that God had chosen Jacob
before he was born.
But I don't believe God hated Esau
before he was born.
God came to hate Esau
because of Esau's sin.
That's what the Bible tells us.
The Bible tells us
that God hates sin
and he hates a person
who continues in sin
rejecting God
and determined to go on
in that path
and that was Esau.
Esau was condemned
because of his own
ungodly behavior,
his own attitude
and his own actions.
So if you read about Esau,
go back to Genesis.
Genesis 25.
I think it's the last verse
of the chapter.
It says this about Esau.
Esau despised his birthright.
That was his spiritual heritage.
It doesn't just say
he couldn't care about it.
He despised it.
And then you read about Esau
in Hebrews chapter 12.
It says this.
Esau was sexually immoral
and godless.
These are the things
that condemned Esau.
not the fact that
he wasn't chosen.
And that's why
in the very next verse,
verse 14,
Paul then says,
so having says,
Jacob I loved,
Esau I hated.
Verse 14,
what shall we say then?
Is there injustice
on God's part?
By no means.
He says,
you can't accuse God
of being unjust.
Esau got what he deserved.
But I want to push this
a bit further.
Hoping you're still with me.
I want to suggest
to you this evening
that God's choosing of some
to eternal life
and consigning of others
to eternal judgment,
that these two
are not symmetrical.
By that I mean
that God is not
equally involved
in both.
He's very involved
in the choosing
of those who will be saved.
But he passes
by the rest.
He passes
by the rest.
He's not equally involved
in both.
So I want to draw
your attention
to verse 22.
And when you read this,
it sounds like
I've blown my own argument.
Verse 22.
Let's read it together.
What if God,
deciding to show his wrath
and to make known
his power,
has endured
with much patience
vessels of wrath
prepared for destruction
or objects of wrath
prepared for destruction?
So you read that
at first reading at least.
And it sounds like
God created people
just to destroy them.
That's what it sounds like,
which would clearly
blow my argument.
But that verse,
you'll agree with me,
it's speaking about
what God does.
God is active
in verse 22.
This is him.
This is what he's doing.
He's active
until you come
to the word prepared.
Now this is not as clear
in your English translation,
but remember
your New Testament
was written in Greek.
And in Greek,
that word prepared
is passive.
It's a passive.
In other words,
God is not involved
in that bit.
It's not God
who prepares people
for destruction.
Who does it then?
They do it themselves.
God is passive
in that part.
Now, if you're not convinced,
let me take you
to the next verse
that speaks of
his involvement
in those who will be saved.
And you're going to notice
a very subtle difference.
Verse 23.
In order to make known
the riches of his glory
for vessels of mercy,
which he has prepared
beforehand for glory.
That prepared word
is there again.
God's preparing people
for glory.
But in this verse,
in Greek,
it's active.
It's God that does it.
Now, you will see
the difference
in your English translations
because in verse 23,
it includes the word he,
which he,
God,
prepared
for glory.
In verse 22,
there is no he.
Vettels of wrath
prepared
for destruction.
God is passive
in the first
preparation.
Those who will be lost,
he's active
in the second.
So, if you haven't
followed me,
let me just state that
as plainly
as I can.
Where these verses
are speaking
about people
being prepared
for glory,
it is God
that does that.
Where it speaks
about people
being prepared
for destruction,
they do that
themselves.
Hence my argument,
God is not
equally involved
in both.
It's not symmetrical.
He is very involved
in the choosing
of those
who will be saved.
He passes
by
the rest.
Now,
if you're on the ball,
you might have noticed
verse 18,
which again
seems to go
against my argument
because it talks
about God
hardening
a heart.
let's read
verse 18.
So,
then he has
mercy
on whomever
he wills
and he hardens
whomever
he wills.
So,
if God
hardens hearts,
then surely
that's him
preparing people
for destruction.
But you've got to
ask,
what's the context
here?
The context
here is the verse
that comes before it
that mentions
a specific person,
verse 17.
for scripture says
to Pharaoh.
This is talking
about what God
did in Pharaoh's
heart.
You can read
about that
in Exodus 8
and Exodus 9.
And in Exodus 9
you will read
that God
hardened
Pharaoh's
heart.
But you've got
to read Exodus 8
where you will
see that,
read that,
Pharaoh hardened
his heart,
Pharaoh hardened
his heart,
Pharaoh hardened
his heart.
And in chapter 9,
Exodus 9,
God gave him
what he wanted.
God gave Pharaoh
what he'd already
chosen,
a heart that
was hard
against God.
So,
that was our
first point,
longer than
the other,
clarity.
And if you're
thinking,
well,
if that was
clear,
I'm not
looking forward
to point 2,
confusion.
But confusion,
I think,
is simpler
and easier
to follow
than the clarity
was.
What I mean
by clarity
is that
this teaching
that God
has chosen
those who
will be
saved
is crystal
clear
in the Bible.
Absolute
clarity on it.
We can't
deny it.
But then let's
come to confusion.
So,
what I mean by
confusion is that
once you
maybe get over
any objections
you have
or once you
accept that
this is the
teaching of
the Bible,
you will come
up with lots
of questions,
lots of
objections,
lots of
confusing
issues,
such as,
if I'm not
in the elect,
I'll never
be saved.
So,
why bother
doing anything?
Or,
closely related
to that,
if God's
already chosen
everyone who
will be saved,
what's the point
of preaching?
Why would we
appeal to anyone?
If they're going
to be saved,
they're going
to be saved.
And then there's
this third
confusion.
If God
has chosen
those who
will be saved
and they'll
be saved
and never
be lost,
are they not
liable to
live carelessly
as Christians?
These are all
good points
to raise.
They're real
objections,
confusions
that we have
to process
as we think
about this.
So,
I want to
address each
of these
three one
at a time
just now.
So,
first of all,
this objection
that leads
to confusion.
If I'm not
in the elect,
I'll never
be saved.
So,
what's the
point in
doing anything?
Well,
people who
reel out
that argument
usually do
so because
they don't
want to
trust the
Lord.
They don't
want to
come under
his authority.
They don't
want to
be answerable
to him.
And they're
looking for
an excuse
to justify
their position.
And let me
tell you,
God will
not allow
you to
hold on
to that
excuse.
God will
not allow
you to
hold on
to that
excuse.
Because God
has commanded
us to
seek the
Lord.
That's your
duty,
to seek
the Lord.
And he's
promised if
you do,
you will
find him.
Listen to
Acts 17.
God
commands
all people
everywhere
to repent.
No loophole.
all people
everywhere
are commanded
to repent.
That's your
duty.
And there's a
promise that
goes with it.
If you do
repent,
you turn from
your sin
and you
seek the
Lord.
Matthew 7,
ask and you
will receive.
Seek and you
will find.
Knock and the
door will be
opened to
you.
If you go
into the
next chapter,
Romans chapter
10,
and verse
9,
we read
this.
Here's another
promise,
a clear
promise.
Romans 10,
verse 9,
if you confess
with your
mouth that
Jesus is
Lord and
believe in
your heart
that God
raised him
from the
dead,
you will
be saved.
You will
be saved.
That's
God's
promise.
So friends,
the ball is
firmly in
your court.
No excuses.
No hiding
place.
God tells
you to
seek him.
And if you
do, you
will find
him.
And you'll
find then
that you
were chosen
by God
to be
saved.
Whoever
comes to
me, he
says,
I'll
never
turn
away.
I'll
never
turn
away.
There's
no room
for excuses.
There's
no room
for a
hiding
place.
So that's
the first
objection
that causes
confusion.
If I'm
not in
the elect,
I'll
never be
saved.
The second
is this.
Why
preach?
Why
preach?
If all
who are
going to
be saved
are going
to be
saved
anyway?
And if
they're
not in
the elect,
they're
never
going to
be
saved.
Well,
we preach
because God's
choice is
his business,
not ours.
We don't
know who
are in
the elect.
So we
appeal to
all to
come to
Christ for
salvation.
That's the
instruction that
the Bible
gives us,
and that's
the example
that the
Bible gives
us.
Jesus
called us
to go
and make
disciples
of all
nations.
He didn't
tell us to
be selective.
Paul to
the church
at Corinth
said,
we plead
with you
on Christ's
behalf.
Be
reconciled
to God.
And then
there's
Jesus'
own
example.
Remember
that wonderful
invitation that
Jesus gave?
Matthew 11,
come to
me,
all you
who are
weary
and burdened,
and I
will give
you rest.
All
you.
Well,
just before
he gave
that invitation,
Jesus said
this in
Matthew 11,
he said,
I praise
you,
Father,
Lord of
heaven and
earth,
because you've
hidden these
things from
the wise
and learned
and revealed
them to
little children.
Jesus knew
that not
everyone would
believe.
He knew
that not
everyone would
believe,
and yet he
still appeals
to them all
to come.
That's his
example.
That's what we
follow.
then there's
a third
confusion or
objection that
causes confusion,
and that is
that if those
whom God has
chosen will
be saved and
cannot be
lost,
might they
get careless?
Might they
live recklessly
as Christians?
Well,
there's always
that danger
that a
Christian
could live
carelessly.
But God
will not
allow any
believer to
continue on
that route
indefinitely.
he will
bring his
own people
back one
way or
another.
He'll
either draw
them back
with his
love,
or he'll
bring them
back through
his
justicement,
maybe through
some difficult,
painful trial
that he brings
into that
experience.
But the
person who
is convinced
that God
chose them
when there
was nothing
worth choosing
within them
whatsoever,
rather than
cause you
to be
careless and
reckless in
the way you
live.
That instead
causes us to
want to
please him
in any way
we can.
And that
was God's
purpose in
choosing his
own.
Scripture says
this,
Ephesians 1,
he chose us
in Christ so
that we would
be holy and
blameless in
his sight.
that was why
he chose us,
to be holy and
blameless in
his sight.
Or Romans 8,
for those God
foreknew,
he also
predestined
to be
conformed to
the image
of his
son.
He chose
you to
make you
like Jesus.
So while
there's always
the danger
that any
believer will
stray,
God will
bring his
people back
to himself.
So that's
our second
point this
evening.
There's
confusion.
People have
all these
questions and
objections to
the doctrine
of election.
So we
talked about
clarity,
we talked
about confusion,
thirdly and
finally,
comfort.
Comfort.
This doctrine
is one of the
believers'
greatest
comforts.
things.
And if the
God who
doesn't
change,
the God
who cannot
change,
chose you
to be
saved,
and his
choice was
not conditional
on anything
whatsoever
about you,
then that's
never going
to change.
Because God
doesn't change.
So even at
your worst,
God never
chose you
because you
were good.
And he's
not going
to change
because you're
bad.
Your salvation
is not
dependent on
you,
but on
him,
and on
him alone.
Charles Spurgeon,
the great
preacher of
yesteryear,
once said,
I'm glad
God chose
me before
I was
born,
because he'd
see nothing
worth choosing
after that.
And if
you're a
Christian who
knows your
own heart
tonight,
you know
that's
true of
you too.
He'd
see nothing
worth choosing
after that.
If God
has chosen
you,
nothing
you do
will ever
affect his
choice.
Jacob,
this verse,
they're talking
about Jacob
and Esau.
Jacob wasn't
saved because
he was good.
He was saved
despite the
fact that he
was bad.
If you know
anything of
Jacob,
he was a
liar,
he was a
deceiver,
he was a
schemer.
And yet
God chose
him.
As verse
15 puts
it,
I will
have
mercy
on whom
I will
have
mercy.
I
remember
hearing
about
someone
who
went
to see
their
minister
because
this
verse
troubled
them.
And they
said,
I really
struggle
with this
verse,
verse 13.
Jacob have
I loved
and Esau
have I
hated.
How can
God hate
someone?
And the
preacher's
reply was,
well,
I struggle
with this
verse as
well.
But not
that bit,
but the
other bit.
Jacob have
I loved.
Jacob was
a deceiver.
There was
nothing
lovable
about
Jacob.
And yet
God loved
him because
God chose
him.
And God
loves still
unlovable
people like
you and
like me
this evening.
the
doctrine of
election.
And it's
a great
reassurance
to the
believer.
When Jesus
said in
John 6,
I think I
quoted this
already,
when he
said,
all that
the
father has
given me
will come
to me,
he also
said this,
and I
shall lose
none of
all that
he has
given me,
but shall
raise them
up of
the last
day.
I shall
lose none
of them,
Jesus said.
Once
saved,
always
saved.
God's
elect
cannot
be lost.
And surely
that is a
comfort to
God's
people this
evening.
But what
have you
not saved?
What have
you not
saved?
And tonight
you're
wondering,
well,
am I
one of
God's
chosen
people?
Well,
there's
one sure
way that
you can
find out.
Look again
at the
next chapter,
Romans chapter
10,
and this
time verse
13.
Romans 10
and verse
13 says
this,
for everyone
who calls
on the
name of
the Lord
will be
saved.
Again,
no
loopholes.
Everyone.
That
includes you.
You call
on the
name of
the Lord
and you
will be
saved.
That is
God's
promise.
and then
you'll
know.
You'll
know that
you are
one of
God's
chosen
people.
You know,
the Bible
tells us that
God doesn't
want any
to perish,
but that
all should
come to
repentance.
We saw it
with Jesus.
Jesus wept
outside of
Jerusalem,
looking over
Jerusalem,
and he
said,
how often
I would
have gathered
you as a
hen gathered
her chicks
under her
wing,
but you
wouldn't
come.
You
wouldn't
come.
And is
that what
he's saying
of you
this evening?
I long
to save
you,
but you
wouldn't
come.
Tonight,
the only
thing
preventing
you from
being saved
is yourself.
The only
reason
why anyone
would be
unsaved
here this
evening
is that
you've
never
genuinely
asked
God
to do
so.
You can
change that
tonight
if you
want to.
Amen.
Let's
pray.
Lord,
there are
so many
parts of
the Bible
that we
struggle
with,
we wrestle
with,
we find
difficult,
and yet
there are
passages
that are
crystal
clear.
Believe
on the
Lord Jesus
Christ
and you
will be
saved.
no ifs,
no buts.
Lord,
if we've
never
believed
before,
help us
to do
so this
evening.
And if
we have
trusted in
you,
may we
leave this
place
humbled,
knowing
that we're
saved not
because of
any good
in us,
but simply
because of
your sovereign
choice.
Draw us
closer to
yourself,
we pray.
Give us
thankful
hearts.
We ask
all these
things in
Jesus'
name.
Amen.
I'm going
to finish
singing from
Psalm 130,
the Scottish
Psalter version
of Psalm
130.
You'll
find it
on page
421.
Psalm 130,
we're going
to sing the
whole of
this psalm.
The tune
is Martyrdom.
We're on
page 421.
Lord,
from the
depths,
to thee I
cried,
my voice,
Lord,
do thou
hear,
and to
my
supplication's
voice,
give an
attentive
ear,
and down
to the
last
verse,
and
plenteous
redemption
is ever
found with
him,
and from
all his
iniquities
he,
Israel,
shall
redeem.
Psalm
130,
to God's
praise.
Lord,
from the
depths,
to thee
I cry,
my voice,
Lord,
do thou
hear,
until I
saw,
make
ancient's
voice,
give an
attempt
tear,
to me.
Lord, who shall
stand
heaven, O Lord,
just
part
in
equity,
but yet
with thee
forgiveness
is
that fear
the
layest
be.
I
wait for
God,
my soul
not
wait,
my hope
is
in
his
work
more
than
thee,
thou,
for
morning
watch
my
soul
wait for
the
Lord.
I
say
more
than
they
that
to
watch
the
morning
light
to see.
Let
Israel
hope
in the
Lord,
for
with
mercy
be!
!
God
and
plentious
redemption
is
ever
found
within
!
And
from
all
his
in
Thank you.