Elliott Baptist Church - January 7, 2001 Sermon

Dr. Cecil A. Fayard - 2001 Sermons Sunday, January 7, 2001

OUR SUBJECT, ELECTION
1 Peter 1:2

INTRODUCTION: Do you believe that the Bible that you hold in your hand is the holy, inspired, infallible, inerrant, preserved word of Almighty God? Let me ask you now, Do you believe what it says, what it teaches? If you believe that the Bible is God's word and you believe what it says, then you must agree that the Bible teaches the doctrine of election. The word elect comes from the Greek word eklektos meaning, "select, picked out, to call out from among." I want us to look at several, verses that bear this out:

In Mathew and Mark the Lord Jesus tells us that God has a chosen people, a people that He will save during the tribulation (Matthew 24:22, 24, 31; Mark 13: 20, 21, 27). In each of these verses the Greek word for elect is eklektos, "chosen, picked out..."
In the parable of the unjust judge Jesus tells us plainly that God will avenge His children (Luke 18:7-8a).
In the book of Romans there are several verses concerning God's elect.
1. Romans 8:33, to fully understand this verse we need to go back to verse 28 and read up to it. In the sight of God, the chosen, are declared righteous, and cannot be condemned.
2. Romans 9:11 tells us that even among the Jews God has a remnant, an elect people.
Colossians 3:12-13 gives the elect of God instructions as to how they are to behave.
Because of the faith of the Thessalonians Paul said of them, "Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God" (I Thessalonians 1:4).
Paul went through many trying times during his ministry. In II Timothy 2:10 he tells us why he did so, "...for the elect's sakes..." for the chosen. Believers are reminded in II Timothy 2:2-4, to remain faithful, endure hardness, and to please God who has chosen us.

Although the scriptures are plain concerning the doctrine of election, many people resist this doctrine.

Our fallen nature fights this because we want to think we can do something to save ourselves.>
Man fights the doctrine of election because he says it is unfair. Let me remind you that where all are condemned mercy chooses its subjects.

THE ELECT ARE GOD'S CHOSEN ONES
1. You are a Christian because God has saved you, because God has chosen you.
  1. In the parable of the vineyard we see that the owner of the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16):
    1. Agreed with them for a penny.
    2. Sent them into his vineyard.
    3. He hired, picked out who he wanted, throughout the day and rewarded them with eternal life. This pictures election.
    4. He selected them, called them and rewarded them with life eternal. Years ago men would line up at the docks in Gulfport to unload bananas. Some were chosen to work others were not.
  2. In John 15:16 we see that we are chosen of God. In John 15:19 we are reminded that we are chosen out of the world.
    1. I John 4:19, "We love him because he first loved us."
    2. I John 4:10;"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us."
2. The chosen believe on the Lord Jesus Christ:
  1. Acts 13:48, do not reverse the order, it is not those that believed were ordained, it is, "as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."
    1. W.O. Carver says, "God had some ready here for eternal life, not that all the elect in Antioch believed at this time...."
    2. B.H. Carroll, in An Interpretation of the English Bible says of Acts 13:48, "When I was a young fellow and had not imbibed the doctrine of predestination, I wanted that to read, 'as many as believed were ordained to eternal life.' Perhaps that is the way you want to interpret it. Brother Broadus said, 'Let the scripture mean what it wants to mean, and you let that passage stand - ordination to precede eternal life. Ordination to eternal life takes place in eternity..." (SBC and the Doctrine of Election, 67).
  2. Go with me to II Thessalonians 2:12-14; here we see that no one is saved until they believe the truth. We were chosen in eternity but saved in time.
Election Depends on God Not Man
1. Do you believe that salvation depends on God, that salvation is all of grace? Surely you do!
  1. We pray, "God save Lawrence, only you can save him." Why do we pray like that, it is because deep down inside we know that only God can save anyone.
  2. The scripture teaches that salvation is by grace and that the faith to believe is God's gift to His people (Ephesians 2:8-9).
2. In Romans 9 the scriptures teach us about God's sovereign right of choice, showing that salvation depends on Him.
  1. Romans 9:13 is a verse about choice.
  2. Romans 9:14, the answer here is a resounding NO!
    1. Esau was left by God as he was.
    2. Jacob was made by God into what he became.
    3. If you are anything today it is because of God!
    4. God is not unrighteous in His dealings with man.
  3. Romans 9:15, God does not wrong one by showing mercy to another.
  4. Romans 9:16, Salvation does not depend on the man who wills, or runs but on God.
  5. Romans 9:19-23, Don't argue with God, God has a sovereign right to show His wrath as well as His mercy.
3. I Corinthians 1:9, our salvation was a direct work of God. He called you "unto the fellowship of his Son..."
4. II Timothy 1:9 tells us that believers are the called, the elect, and all this not according to our works but according to His own purpose, "which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."

CONCLUSION: A.W. Pink, "The only reason anybody believes in election is because he finds it taught in God's Word."

Preacher, if I come to Christ today will I be saved? Yes, divine sovereignty and human responsibility do not conflict (John 6:37).
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."

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Dr. Cecil A. Fayard - 2001 SermonsSunday, January 7, 2001

Dr. Cecil A. Fayard - 2001 Sermons
Sunday, January 7, 2001