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Summary
Core Theme
The central theme is an exploration of the doctrine of election in Christian theology, emphasizing that it is God's sovereign, gracious choice, not based on human merit, and that true believers will demonstrate this by their response to God's Word, His servants, and suffering.
[Music]
welcome to back to the Bible radio
featuring best-selling author an
internationally known Bible teacher
Warren where's being and now father
guide as we study the word helped us to
understand the word and when we don't
understand help us to worship and to
adore and the trust I pray in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ amen
1st Thessalonians chapter 1 beginning at
verse 2 we give thanks to God always for
you all making mention of you in our
prayers remembering without ceasing your
work of faith labor of love and patience
of Hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the
sight of our God and Father knowing
beloved brethren your election by God
for our gospel did not come to you in
word only but also in power and in the
Holy Spirit and in much assurance as you
know what kind of men we were among you
for your sake
knowing beloved brethren your election
by God first Thessalonians chapter 1
verse 4 I suppose the doctrine of
election is probably the most
misunderstood and maligned doctrine in
all of Christian theology some so
emphasized election that they destroy
human responsibility it's as though man
is a robot and God is working out his
purposes in spite of us rather than in
US and through us on the other hand
there are some people who so minimize
election that they actually deny the
sovereign grace of God it's as though
God is the victim of whatever choices
man is going to make now the doctrine of
election is not totally explained in the
Bible there are many mysteries involved
in the doctrine of election God tells us
what we need to know and what we do not
know we simply accept by faith the
secret things belong to the Lord's is
Deuteronomy 29:29 and that's the best
place for them
I don't live by explanations I live by promises
promises
Mark Twain used to say it's not what I
don't understand about the Bible that
bothers me it's what I do understand
there are many things in the Word of God
that are mysterious to us we can't
completely understand or explain them
why well because God's thoughts are
higher than our thoughts and God's ways
are higher than our ways but even though
we cannot understand or explain all of
God's eternal purposes and plans we can
receive what he says in the Word of God
and apply it to our own hearts the most
dangerous thing we can have in Bible
study is speculation when you start
mixing philosophical speculation with a
humble obedience to the Word of God
you're going to have trouble we don't
speculate about these things we ponder
them we meditate on them
we rejoice over them we accept what God
has taught us but we don't speculate I
received mail occasionally from people
who are theological speculators now what
if this what if that well I don't know
about what-ifs I'm concerned about what
God says in his word I'd like to try to
answer two questions the first question
is what is election and the second
question is how can we recognize God's elect
elect
Paul said he knew that these beloved
brethren had been elected by God what is
election well election is God's choice
of individuals or groups for a
particular relationship to him or
function for him let me repeat that now
election is simply God's choice of
individuals or groups for a particular
relationship to him or a function for
him for example it shows Abraham now why
did he choose Abraham by his Sovereign Grace
Grace
he simply in grace chose Abraham than he
chose Isaac not Ishmael
Abraham's firstborn was Ishmael God said
no not Ishmael I'm going to choose Isaac
and then he chose Jacob not Esau again
Esau was the firstborn but Jacob was the
one that God chose then out of all the
tribes of Israel he chose Judah to be
the tribe to bring the Savior into the
world and out of all of the families in
Judah he chose the family of David now
no one can tell god what to do we do not
second-guess God we don't give God our
advice or our counsel that's what the
Paul talks about in Romans chapter 11
romans 11:33 here he is at the close of
the three chapters dealing with
predestination election God's sovereign
plan in the people of Israel and he ends
up turning theology into doxology and
says in romans 11:33 oh the depth of the
riches both of the wisdom and knowledge
of God how unsearchable are his
judgments and his ways past finding out
for who has known the mind of the Lord
or who has become his counselor or who
has first given to him and it shall be
repaid to him for of him and through him
and to him are all things
to whom be glory for ever amen now Paul
doesn't answer in Romans nine ten and
eleven all the questions about a for
ordination predestination and election
he admits that there are some mysteries
we can't explain what does he do get
angry at God oh I've had letters from
people who because they can't understand
election get angry at God they blame God
for all the bad things going on in the
world that shows a hard heart and a
proud mind no Paul says I want to
rejoice I'm going to worship I can't
explain these things but I don't have to
explain them God doesn't need my help
and he worships the Lord the great
british bible expositor G Campbell
Morgan used to say when all of my
attempts at exegesis fail that is Bible
study I worship and that's the attitude
we need to have today God chose Abraham
and Isaac and Jacob God chose the people
of Israel now why did he choose them
well he tells us in Deuteronomy chapter
7 Deuteronomy 7 and verse 6 for you are
a holy people to the Lord your God the
Lord your God has chosen you to be a
people for himself
a special treasure above all the peoples
on the face of the earth the Lord did
not set his love on you nor choose you
because you were more in number than any
other people for you were the least of
all peoples
now that would humble them immediately
wouldn't it they thought well God shows
us because he saw how great we would
become this or that no God says that's
not why I chose you he said I chose you
simply because I loved you verse 8 but
because the Lord loves you and because
he would keep the oath which he swore to
your father's the Lord has brought you
out with a mighty hand and redeemed you
now why did God choose Israel because he
saw something good in them no he saw all
of the sin that was in them he chose
them because of his love for them now
this choice that God makes is a free and
gracious choice it is not based upon
anything we have done because he chose
us in Christ from before the foundation
of the world Ephesians 1:4 so it's not
because of any good works we did or any
good works that he saw we were going to
do every time someone brings that up I
try to mention 2nd Timothy 1:9 2nd
Timothy 1:9 says who has saved us and
called us with a holy calling
not according to our works that settles
it right there but according to his own
purpose and grace which was given to us
in Christ Jesus before time began that
2nd Timothy 1:9 I think that we need
today a much higher view of salvation we
sometimes get the idea that salvation is
something man does for himself or man
cooperates with God and somehow works
the whole thing out salvation is of the Lord
Lord
it begins with him he took the
initiative he did the work of planning
salvation and the Lord Jesus Christ the
lamb was slain from before the
foundation of the world that was all
worked out
long before ever there was a universe
I'm glad for that that means that the
plan of salvation is something eternal
not temporal it doesn't depend upon me
or churches or synod's or councils it is
so election is God's sovereign choice
his gracious choice and this election is
something that involves the entire
Godhead not just God the Father but also
God the Son and God the Holy Spirit a
first Peter chapter 1 verse 2 elect
according to the foreknowledge of God
the Father in sanctification of the
Spirit for obedience and sprinkling of
the blood of Jesus Christ you see as far
as God the Father is concerned I was
saved when he chose me in Christ before
the foundation of the world I knew
nothing about that as far as God the Son
is concerned I was saved when he died
for me on the cross that I was told the
preacher preached and said that Jesus
died for me and I trusted him as my
savior and as far as God the Holy Spirit
is concerned that night when I trusted
the Lord Jesus Christ that's when I was
born again it takes all three it takes
the choosing of the Father and the
sacrifice of the son and the working of
the Holy Spirit of God to bring about
the salvation of the lost sinner and to
make this election possible in our lives
now we don't understand all of these
mysteries one of my professors at
seminary used to say try to explain
election you may lose your mind try to
explain it away you may lose your soul
sometimes people write me and they're
all worked up about election and
predestination and they're they're
almost paralyzed you know they're like
the centipede an ant said to a centipede
one day how do you know which leg to
move next in the centipedes that I never
thought about that and he got paralyzed
didn't know what to do
now don't let the doctrine of election
paralyze you because we know God has his
elect people in this world we're going
to preach the gospel and trust him to
save those he has chosen in Jesus Christ
now he tells us that he is not willing
that any should perish so we preach to everybody
everybody
God who will have all men to be saved so
we witness to everybody because God
alone knows those who are his own in 2nd
Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 13 and 14
Paul tells us how all of this is working
together 2nd Thessalonians 2:13 but we
are bound to give thanks to God always
for you brethren be loved by the Lord
because God from the beginning chose you
for salvation through sanctification by
the spirit and belief in the truth
others with the Word of God comes in to
which he called you by our gospel the
same God who ordains the and ordains the
means to the end the word must go out
now God tells us to preach the gospel to
every creature
he doesn't have us going around saying
are you one of the elect are you one of
the elect nor does he want anyone to say
well if I'm one of the elect I'm going
to be saved come what may oh no no no
election doesn't come first
first you trust Jesus Christ as your
Saviour then you discover you're one of
God's elect
what is election election is that
sovereign choice of God of a nation like
Israel of a servant like David of the
Apostles Peter and Paul and the others
and of you if you want to know if you're
one of the elect you trust Jesus Christ
as your Savior you repent of your sins
and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
you'll find you are one of God's chosen
now how can we recognize God's elect
Paul dares to say in 1st Thessalonians
1:4 knowing beloved brethren your
election by God we can't always tell if
somebody is born again oh I know there
are those who think they can but we
can't always tell the Apostles thought
Judas was born again but he was not he
was a devil and there are those in the
book of Acts who pretended to be saved
and they weren't really born again
jesus said not everybody who says to me
Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven
well the secret here is in their
response I note that they had a
three-fold response that gave evidence
that they were God's people number one
their response to the Word of God first
they heard the word in verse six and you
became followers of us and of the Lord
having received the word verse five for
our gospel did not come to you in word
only first they heard the Word of God
you see the elect are saved by believing
on Jesus Christ but how shall they
believe on him of whom they have not
heard and how shall they hear without a
preacher and how shall they preach
except they be sent the same God who
ordains the end ordains the means to the
end and the means to the end is God's
people going out sharing the Word of God
paul and silas and timothy came to
Thessalonica you might want to turn over
to second thessalonians 2nd
thessalonians chapter 2 and verses 13
and 14 but we are bound to give thanks
to God always for you brethren beloved
by the Lord because God from the
beginning chose you for salvation
through sanctification by the spirit and
belief in the truth now you can't
believe the truth until you hear it so
verse 14 says to which he called you by
our gospel so the same God who ordains
calls they heard the word secondly they
received the word verse 6 having
received the word that's a great word
there it means to welcome the Word of
God and when they received the Word of
God it was not just they heard preaching
but there was power and there was a
surance from the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit
Spirit
of God bore witness as they believe the
Word of God they heard the word they
received the word they obeyed the word
you became followers of us and of the
Lord they received the word they obeyed
what they heard it changed their lives
their work of faith and labor of love
and patience of hope 1st Thessalonians
chapter 1 verses 9 and 10 they turned to
God from idols they serve the living and
true God their lives were transformed
they heard the word they received the
word they welcomed it and when they did
that the Holy Spirit worked in power in
their lives and gave them assurance then
they obeyed the word of God their lives
were changed and then they shared the
Word of God verse 8 from you the word of
the Lord has sounded forth they shared
that word we are chosen that we might
share the word with others they didn't
say well we were among the elect and now
we trust all the other elect will get
saved no they shared that word with
others and others were saved jesus said
you have not chosen me but I have chosen
you that's election and ordained you
that you should go and bring forth fruit
now that's something else those of us
who have been born again want to share
the Word of God how can you recognize
God's elect their response to the Word
of God do they hear the word do they
receive and welcome the word has the
word changed their lives so that they
obey the Word of God are they sharing
that word with others secondly their
response to God's servants notice in
verse 5 as you know what kind of men we
were among you for your sake and you
became followers of us and of the Lord
they identified themselves with Paul and
Silas and Timothy when a person is one
of God's elect he wants to be with God's
elect we are sheep and we flock together
they imitated
the Apostles they imitated the Lord they
had a new pattern for their lives they
wanted to be with God's people I think
that's a good evidence of the mark of
election on somebody's life thirdly
their response to suffering notice what
it says in verse 6 of 1st Thessalonians
1 and you became followers of us and of
the Lord having received the word in
much affliction with joy of the Holy
Spirit now suffering came to them
persecution when you read Acts chapter
17 the story of the founding of the
church at Thessalonica you discover that
there was persecution the unbelievers
brought pressure against Paul and Silas
and Timothy and the believers and as a
consequence Paul had to leave town now
faith is always tested in the parable
the sower Jesus tells about the seed
that had no root it was planted but it
had no root and when the Sun came up the
plant shriveled and died because it had
no root
now that Sun represents tribulation
persecution because of the word said the
Lord Jesus here's someone who professes
to believe in Jesus Christ persecution
comes that person falls apart turns his
back upon the Lord that is evidence he
has never trusted Christ but those who
are truly God's elect God's people when
persecution comes they still receive the
Word of God joyfully they will receive
the word of God in much affliction they
will pay the price to be God's people
now if these are the marks of real
election I wonder how they relate to our
lives today what is our response to the
Word of God what is our response to the
apostolic ministry that's given to us in
the Word of God are we following some
false teacher are we following some
human religious leader or are we saying
we're following Paul
even as he followed the Lord Jesus
Christ what is our response to suffering
have we given up and quit you see you
don't begin with election you begin with
conversion in 2nd Peter 1:10 the writer
says make your calling and your election
sure first your calling have you heard
the calling of God in the word have you
heard the calling of God through the
preaching of the word
now if you've responded to the call of
God and trusted the Savior then you have
no problem making your election sure DL
Moody used to say that the elect are the
whosoever wills and the non elect other
whosoever wants well there's some truth
to what he has to say there be sure
you've trusted Christ as your Savior and
then share that share the excitement of
the Word of God because you know you
belong to the Lord Jesus Christ if you
miss part of the program or you'd like
to listen again just come to back to the
Bible org so be sure to come back again
for more wisdom from God's Word back to
the Bible leading you forward in your
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