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How Do I Know I'm One of God's Elect? - 1

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• John 17. John 17. And this message today is going to be in two parts. So, Lord willing, next Sunday will be the practical application of the doctrine that I'm going to be laying down today. John 17. The title of the message is, "How Do I Know That I Am One of God's Elect?" How do I know that I'm one of God's elect? Look in John 17, beginning there with verse 1.

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• "These words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent."

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• I have been asked this question multiple times during my ministry. The question could be put straight forward, just like the title of the message, "How do I know that I am one of God's elect?" Or it could be rephrased differently, "How could I know that I am one that has been given to Jesus Christ?" Well, regardless of how the question is phrased, it deserves an answer and it deserves a biblical answer as well.

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• Usually when we begin to think about doctrine that we do not comprehend or we do not understand, usually, we do not even think things through rationally. Years ago, I was preaching in New Orleans, Louisiana. And after service one night, a lady came up to me and she was just absolutely weeping. She was dismayed. She was distraught. And she was disturbed. And I asked her what in the world the problem was. And weeping, she said, "Well, I just do not know whether or not I'm one of God's elect." And so I looked at her and I said, "Well, ma'am, may I ask you some questions?" She said, "Yes." I said, "Well, here's some of the questions I want to ask you."

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• "Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you want to be holy? Do you want to be obedient? Do you want to honor the Lord Jesus Christ in every area of your life?" And she responded, "Yes," to each of those questions. So I said, "Well, let me ask you a few more questions." I said, "Do you believe that man is totally depraved? Do you believe there's no good thing in any person? Like the Apostle Paul, when he said, 'I know that in me and my flesh dwelleth no good thing.' I said, "Do you believe that by nature the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked?" She said, "Yes." I said, "Well, let me ask you one more question. Do you believe that the carnal mind is enmity against God, just like the Bible says?" She said, "Well, yes, I believe that." And so I looked at her and I said, "Well, let me ask you a question. If you were not one of God's elect, why would you want to love Jesus Christ?"

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• "Why would you want to be obedient? Why would you want to honor God in everything?" I said, "Do you see what I'm trying to say? In other words, if you were not one of God's elect, you would not even be concerned over this issue. You'd be fulfilling the desires of your heart, and flesh, and mind, and wickedness. And so clearly then, when we begin to think about these things, we need to learn to think biblically, but also rationally as well." And the lady went away rejoicing in the fact that yes, she was indeed a child of God by faith.

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• Now the Bible tells you in 2 Corinthians 13 and verse 5, listen carefully, "Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith. Prove your own selves. Know your own selves how that Jesus Christ be in you, except you be reprobates." So, the Apostle Paul said, unless you are a reprobate, you should know whether or not that Jesus Christ is in you. And the way you know that is by examining yourself, but it's not introspection. You examine yourself according to the Word of God.

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• Now, the Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 1 and verse 10 said it like this, "Wherefore, the rather brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you shall never fall." Now note what he said, "give diligence to make your calling and election sure." So, he says pay attention to this fact. Now, the Apostle Paul made an astounding statement in 1 Thessalonians 1 and verse 4. He wrote to the Thessalonican Christians and he said this, "knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God."

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• Now stop and think about that. He wrote to these Thessalonican Christians and he said, "you know that you're God's elect." And Paul was saying, "I know that you're God's elect." So the question has to be asked, how did Paul know that these people were God's elect? How did they know that they were God's elect? Obviously, they did not have a ladder that ascended into heaven, and they climbed up that ladder and looked in the Lamb's Book of Life and found their names written in it. Obviously, that did not happen. But yet at the same time, they knew that they were God's elect, and so did the Apostle Paul. Now when you consider the doctrine of election, so many people do not even want to think about it. In fact, there are Christians who even deny the doctrine of election.

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• Interestingly, the word elect or its equivalent occurs 73 times just in the New Testament. That does not count the Old Testament. So if you're going to deny the doctrine of election, then you've got to deny at least 73 passages that exist in the New Testament.

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• Now, let me go a little bit further, and I want you to listen to this statement that I'm going to make. Would you deny the doctrine of election at the same time you deny the Old Testament, you deny national Israel, you deny the Levitical priesthood, and you even deny the Lord Jesus Christ? Now, how in the world could I make such statements? Well, I want you to consider several points.

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• First of all, you must understand that we have one Bible, not two. I hear so many people say, "Well, I'm a New Testament Christian." Well, that's wonderful, but that is implying somehow that the Old Testament is worthless and not any good. No, we are biblical Christians. You cannot separate the Old Testament and the New Testament. You've heard the old adage that the new is in the old concealed, and the old is in the new revealed. What that adage means is very simple. You can't understand the Old Testament without the New Testament, neither can you understand the New Testament without the Old Testament. And obviously, we have 66 books in the Bible, 39 in the Old Testament, 27 in the New Testament, and we have one Bible, not two, and the doctrine of election is consistently taught in both Testaments.

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• Now, let me begin by sharing this with you. I just made the statement that if you deny the doctrine of election, you deny national Israel, you deny the Levitical priesthood, you deny Jesus Christ and His salvation. How can I say that? Well, first of all, you've got to consider, number one, that there is, or was, what I'm going to call a national election. God chose the nation Israel.

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• He did not choose the Philistines, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Jebusites, or the Egyptians. He chose Israel.

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• Now, let me just, by saving time, quote this passage. Listen to Deuteronomy 7 and verse 6. God said, "For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God. Listen carefully. The Lord thy God has chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all the people that are upon the face of the earth." So God said to national Israel that I chose you.

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• Now, His choice is undeniable. Now, what I want you to do is hold John 17, but turn in your Bibles to Romans 9. Romans 9. You need to mark this passage because we will be coming back to it several times. Romans 9. And let me point out the fact that although the nation Israel was chosen, that does not mean that every person in that nation was saved. It does not mean that every person was a Christian, if you and I would use that terminology. Notice, if you would, in Romans 9, beginning there at verse 6, the Apostle Paul says, "Not as though the word of God had taken on effect, for they are not all Israel which are of Israel."

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• So, let me just stop right there. He says, just because you have Israel as a nation, that does not mean that every Israelite is a true Israelite. Now, if you don't understand that statement, "for they are not all Israel which are of Israel," he explains it further in verse 7. He says, "neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, But in Isaac shall thy seed be called." So he says, just because someone is a physical descendant of Abraham doesn't make them a true Israelite. Now, if you don't understand verse 7, he clarifies it even farther in verse 8. He says, "that is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed." So he says, just because someone is a fleshly descendant of Abraham doesn't mean anything. Because God's children are the children of promise and they're counted for the seed. Isaac was the child of promise and he was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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• Now, what I want you to do is hold Romans 9, but look in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3. And notice if you would please verse 16. Galatians 3 and verse 16. Look what the Scripture says. Galatians 3 verse 16.

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• "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not unto seeds as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed which is Christ." So the promises were given to the true seed of Abraham, and the true seed of Abraham was Jesus Christ. So look at it very clearly again. "Now to Abraham and his seed," singular, "were those promises made. He saith not in the seeds of many," that is the physical descendants, "but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ."

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• Now if you look in verse 29 of Galatians chapter 3, he makes this statement. "And if you be Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise." So how in the world do you get to be Abraham's seed? Only by being in Jesus Christ. You receive the promises in Christ because Jesus Christ is the true seed of Abraham. That is why Matthew 1:1 begins "the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of David, who is the Son of Abraham." So Jesus Christ is the true seed of David. He's also the true seed of Abraham.

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• Now, I want you to look back to Romans 9 because I want you to see very clearly how these things are tied together. So I said earlier, if you deny the doctrine of election, you're also denying the Lord Jesus Christ and His salvation. How can I say that? Well, if you say that there's no such thing as election and God did not choose the nation Israel, then how do you explain Romans 9, beginning there with verse 3? The apostle says, "For I could wish that myself were a curse from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises, whose are the fathers And of whom is concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all. God bless forever. Amen." So Jesus Christ came through the nation of Israel, and you deny that national election. At the same time, you deny all the promises, all the covenants, and Jesus Christ Himself.

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• So there is a national election. Secondly, there is a vocational election. Although God chose Israel to be His people, He did not choose all of them to be His priests. He only chose the tribe of Levi. It was through Levi that they were to be His ministers. It was through the nation that His covenantal blessings and curses would come, but He chose the tribe of Levi. For instance, Numbers 3 and verse 6. God says, "...bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him." Now, remember if you would, God only chose the Levites to be His priests.

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• There were some Israelites who didn't like that. You remember Korah was a Levite himself. But he united with Dathan and Abiram who were sons of Reuben, and they tried to usurp the priesthood in Numbers chapter 16. And when they told Moses, "you take too much upon yourself," he fell on his face. And God said to Moses, "you tell those people to get their censers and come before me tomorrow, and I'll let them know whom I have chosen." And so 250 princes came with their censers, and God sent fire from heaven and consumed them all. Then the earth opened up and swallowed Dathan, Abiram, and Korah alive into the pit. So obviously, then God had what you and I would call sticks, and each tribe was inscribed upon a stick. They were laid up before the Lord, and the next day it was the tribe of Levi that sprouted, had borne almonds, and he says, "this is whom I have chosen."

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• Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. God said in Deuteronomy 21 and verse 5, "And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for them hath the Lord thy God chosen to minister unto him and to bless his name forever." So God chose the tribe of Levi. The point I'm going to make is this. The same truth applies today. I know that there are professional preachers.

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• I've met some of them. I know there are preachers that are mama called and daddy sent. I've met some of those as well. But that does not belie the fact that God still has men that He Himself called. Let me give you a good illustration. In Mark 3, verses 13 and 14, the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ went up into a mountain and calleth unto Himself whom He would.

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• And He ordained twelve that they should be with Him and that He should send them forth to preach the gospel. So our Lord called whom He would. And the same is true today. God sovereignly calls certain individuals to preach and to teach His Word. So if you deny vocational election, at the same time, you're going to be denying the fact that God calls preachers today because it is a vocation, and that's why He said in Ephesians chapter 4 that we are to walk worthy according to the vocation that we've been called.

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• So obviously, there is that. Now, not only is there a national election, a vocational election, there is a messianic election. Did you know that Jesus Christ is called God's elect? If you look in your Bibles to Isaiah 42, and I'm going to read at least the first four verses, just so you can see, this refers to Jesus Christ. In fact, this passage is applied to Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

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• But I want you to watch carefully what the Bible says. Isaiah 42, verse 1. "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, and whom my soul delighteth. I have put my spirit upon him. He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench. He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail, nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth, and the isle shall wait for his law." But note in verse 1, God refers to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. He says, "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect." So just like God sovereignly called the Israelites to be His peculiar people and nation, and just like God sovereignly called the Levites to be His priests and servants, now God has sovereignly called the Lord Jesus Christ, His elect, to be our surety, our substitute, our sacrifice, our Redeemer, and our Savior.

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• So you have a national election, a vocational election, a messianic election, and fourthly, you also have now a soteriological election or a personal election. Now, the word soteriology just simply refers to salvation. So that means an election unto salvation. I probably need to make this clear. Election is not salvation. Election is unto salvation. So look in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Thessalonians 2. Hold that, if you would, 2 Thessalonians 2. Also find in your Bibles Ephesians 1.

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• Ephesians 1. While you're finding Ephesians 1 and Colossians 2, I want to give you a quote. In John 15 and verse 16, Jesus Christ said to His disciples, "You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you."

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• Now, we're going to see this exemplified. So I want you to see first in Ephesians 1, then we'll go to 2 Thessalonians, but look in Ephesians 1 beginning there with verse 3. The Bible 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," that is God the Father, "hath chosen us in Him," that is in Jesus Christ, "before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will. to the praise of the glory of His grace, when He hath made us accepted in the Beloved." Now, go back to verse 4. Look what the Bible says very clearly. "...according as He..."

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• Now, who is the He? Look in verse 3. "...blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." "...according as He, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world." So God chose us in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world. Now, look in your Bibles to 2 Thessalonians. Notice if you would, chapter 2. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. And let's begin reading there with verse 13. Look what the Apostle Paul says. 2 Thessalonians 2 and verse 13. Paul says, "But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord. Why? Why are we bound to give thanks? Because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. For unto He called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." But note, if you would, the Bible says, "because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation."

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• That is a soteriological election. That is a personal election. If you would go back in your Bibles to Romans 9, and look, if you would please, at verse 11. Begin there. Romans 9, verse 11. We're talking about a personal election. Romans 9, verse 11, we're talking about the children of Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Esau. The Bible says, "...for the children being not yet born." They weren't even born.

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• "...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," and as it is written, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." But note, if you would, in verse 11, "For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand." And then he says, "It is not of works, but of him that calleth." Now if you look in Romans 11 and verse 5, Romans 11 and verse 5. The Bible says this, "even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace." So there is an election and it is an election of grace. Arthur W.

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• Pink wrote this years ago and here's what he said. "He not only chose you before you chose Him, and He loved you before you had any love for Him, but He acted upon you before you acted toward Him. He had to speak the quickening Word before you could come forth from your spiritual grave, open your blind eyes ere you were able to see your lost condition, Change your heart before you were disposed to seek Him, and draw you ere you came near to Him."

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• "Thus you have no ground for boasting, nothing for which you can take any credit unto yourselves. All the glory of your salvation belongs alone unto the Lord." Thus, just with this little introduction, I hope you can see that anyone who comes around and tries to deny the doctrine of election actually denies the Old and New Testament. He is actually denying the election of Israel, the election of the Levitical priesthood, the election of the modern-day ministry, even the election of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, and consequently, the election unto salvation.

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• Now, with that in mind, I want you to go back to John 17. We're only going to be looking at this chapter in general today. I'm going to be more specific next Lord's Day, Lord willing. But I want to concentrate on verses one and two and three. "These words spake Jesus and lifted up His eyes to heaven." So everyone knows that John 17 is the high priestly prayer of our Lord. Our Lord is praying as our great high priest. So He lifts up His eyes to heaven and says, "Father, the hours come."

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• "Glorify Thy Son that Thy Son also may glorify Thee. As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent."

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• Now, let me just say this first of all about verse 3. Eternal life is not something that you get when you die. Eternal life is a personal, intimate relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ. If you don't have eternal life before you die, you're not going to have it when you die. Okay? So, eternal life is a personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ. What will eternity be? But an increase of that relationship. So if you despise the relationship now, you would really hate it in eternity, I can assure you. Now, but look in verse 2. "as thou hast given Him," that is Jesus Christ, "power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given Him." Now, note if you would, Jesus Christ has power over all flesh. He is absolute. He is sovereign. Here's an interesting question. Could Jesus Christ save everyone? The answer would be potentially yes, because He's God. But the Bible says, although He has power over all flesh, He's going to give eternal life to as many as the Father has given unto Him.

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• So this phrase, "as many as," is a limiting phrase. So let me just put it to you very plainly. Universalism is not true. Unitarianism is not true. We know for a fact that not everyone is going to be saved. How do we know that? Matthew 25, verse 46. What did our Lord say about those on the left hand? "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment." Well, if you believe Jesus Christ, there's going to be some that are not saved. What did our Lord tell the Pharisees in John 10 and verse 27? He said, "you believe not, because you're not of my sheep." Now, I want to show you how this phrase, "as many as," is used in the Bible. And every time we see this phrase, it's going to have a limitation to it. So, look in your Bibles to begin with, to John chapter 1, and let's look at verses 10 through 13. John 1. beginning there with verse 10. Look at what the Bible says. John 1, verse 10.

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• "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came into His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, To them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." John 1, verses 10-13. Verse 13 says, "...which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Now, look in verse 12, "...but as many as received him." Now, the Bible says he was in the world, the world knew him not. He came into his own, his own received him not. To whom did He give the power to become the sons of God? And the answer is, to as many as received Him. There's a limitation. His own did not receive Him. The world did not receive Him. But some did receive Him.

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• That was a limited number. And to them and them alone, He gave the power to become the sons of God.

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• Now, turn in your Bibles to the book of Acts 2. Acts 2. And look, if you would please, beginning there with verses 38 and 39. Acts 2, verse 38 and verse 39. Acts 2, verse 38.

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• "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For this promise is unto you and to your children. Watch. And to all that are far off, here's the qualification, here's the limitation, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Now, who is going to repent and be baptized? Who is going to receive the promise of the Holy Ghost? Only as many as the Lord our God shall call. It's always a limitation.

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• Look in Acts 3 and verse 24. Acts 3 verse 24. The Bible says, "Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after As many as have spoken have likewise foretold these days." Now, did all the prophets foretell these days? No, just those from Samuel that followed after. Not all the people spoke of these, just those prophets that came from Samuel. In other words, there's always a limitation. Look, if you would, please, in Acts 4 and verse 6. Acts 4 and verse 6. "And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem." Now, was everybody in Jerusalem related to the high priest? Of course not. Not everybody is related to me. Not everybody is related to you. So, the Bible says, "and Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were the kindred of the high priest." That means just his family were gathered together at Jerusalem. Look in Acts chapter 5, beginning there with verse 34.

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• Acts 5 verse 34. And we'll read through verse 39. Acts 5 verse 34, "Then stood there up one in the council a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space, and said unto them, You men of Israel, take heed of yourselves what you intend to do with such men. For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody, whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves, who was slain, and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered and brought to naught. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of taxing, and drew away much people after him. He also perished, and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. And now I say unto you, refrain from these men, and let them alone. For if this counsel of this work be of men, it will come to naught."

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• "But if it be of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest hatefully you be found even to fight against God." Now, go back, if you would, and notice verse 36. He says, "...for before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be someone, to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves, who was slain," talking about Theudas, "and all as many as obeyed him were scattered." Well, who are the "as many as"? Well, it was close to the 400. It wasn't everybody. It was a limitation. And then when you get to verse 37, "Judas of Galilee, he rose up and drew away much people after him. He also perished, and all as many as obeyed him were dispersed." Not everybody followed Judas. In other words, there is a limitation.

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• Now, let me show you this very clearly. I want you to turn to Acts chapter 10. When you get to Acts chapter 10, you know this is the conversion of Cornelius the centurion. He was the Roman soldier that God said, "you send a Joppa to the house of one Simon the Tanner. And you get Simon Peter to come and tell you the words that you need to hear." And so he sends his men down to get Peter. So if you look in Acts 10 and verse 23, "Then called he them in," that is Peter, "then called he them in, lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him." Now note if you would please, Peter goes with the men that Cornelius has sent, and along with Peter with certain brethren from Joppa. Now skip down to verse 45. "And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter."

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• "Because it on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost." Now, back in verse 23 it says, "certain brethren." Now in verse 45 it says, "as many as came with Peter." Now if you look in chapter 11 verse 12, you'll find out who the "as many as" really happens to be. So notice Acts 11 and verse 12. The Bible says, "And the Spirit made me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover, these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered in the man's house." So the certain brethren, the "as many as," were six. Not everybody went with Peter. Not everybody went into Cornelius' house. Just these six. Now, look in Acts 13. Acts 13, beginning there with verse 47. Acts 13, verse 47. Here it is. Acts 13, verse 47. "For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, thou shouldest be to salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord, and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."

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• Now, who believed at the preaching of Paul? As many as were ordained to eternal life. In other words, that is a limited number. Not everybody was converted when Paul preached. Look at what happened in Acts chapter 17. Only a few were converted. Look at Alexander the coppersmith. who hated the Apostle Paul. Not everybody was saved when Paul preached. But when you get to verse 48, the Bible says, "...as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."

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• Now, I want you to go back in your Bibles to John 17. Every time you see this phrase, "...as many as," it is a limitation. So in verse 2 of John 17, "...as Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." Now, here's a question. I'm going to show you the answer in John 17 shortly, but I'm going to give you another answer as well. Who are the "as many as" that the Son is going to give eternal life unto? Who are they? Well, if you'll hold John 17, but turn in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 13. Hebrews 13.

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• And look, if you would please, at verses 20 and 21. Hebrews 13, verses 20 and 21. Look at what the Scripture says.

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• "Now the God of peace had brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

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• Now go back to verse 20. "Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant."

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• Now, everybody knows about the Abrahamic covenant, the Noahic covenant, the Davidic covenant. All of those were just shadows and types that stemmed from this everlasting covenant or this eternal covenant. If something is everlasting or eternal, it had no beginning and it has no ending. So what in the world is this everlasting or this eternal covenant? Well, let me answer that for you. The everlasting and eternal covenant is the covenant that was entered into between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in eternity past before the world was ever created. In that covenant, God the Father gave to Jesus Christ an inheritance. He gave Him a people. God knew that that people would sin, and rebel and be wicked. But He gave those people to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ in this eternal covenant agreed to become their surety, their substitute, their sacrifice, and to bring them back to God the Father. And God the Holy Spirit agreed that He would convict and convert those for whom Jesus died and those for whom the Father had given to Jesus Christ.

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• This is that eternal covenant. Now, go back in your Bibles to John 17. I want you to see this. Look at it. John 17. And verse 2, "as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." Look in verse 6. Our Lord says, "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest them me. and they have kept Thy Word." Skip down, if you would, to verse 9. "I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine."

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• Now note what Jesus Christ just said. "I pray for them. I pray for them. I'm not praying for those of the world. I'm praying for those which Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine." Look in verse 11, "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are." Look, if you would please, in verse 12, "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept."

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• "and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled." Now look in verse 24, "'Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast given Me be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which Thou hast given Me, for Thou lovest Me before the foundation of the world.'" Now, the interesting thing is when you read John 17, Our Lord is praying for those whom the Father has given unto Him. It is an undeniable fact that God the Father gave to God the Son an inheritance of people from before the foundation of the world. He prays for them.

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• He states this over and over in this chapter. Now, there are other passages as well. For instance, look in your Bibles to John 6 and verse 37. John 6 and verse 37. Look at what it said here. John 6, verse 37. I'll come back to this verse, but notice it. John 6, verse 37. Our Lord says, "All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me, and him that cometh unto me I will no wise cast out." "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh unto me I will no wise cast out." Now, look in your Bibles to John chapter 10. John chapter 10. And notice if you would please there in verse 26, this is where he told the Pharisees they were not his sheep. He says, "but you believe not because you're not of my sheep, as I said unto you." Then he says this in verse 27, "my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me."

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• "And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all. And no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." Note, if you would, he said, "My Father which gave them me is greater than all." I thought about this this morning. I had not thought of it a long time.

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• But years ago, I was coming home from a meeting and I was traveling. It was late at night. And I was alone and I had the radio on in the car just trying to stay awake because it was probably twelve, one o'clock in the morning. And I finally found some preaching on the radio. And it was a black preacher who was preaching. And he was preaching from John 10, verses 27 through 30.

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• And I have never, ever forgotten what he said. And I can remember the old gruff voice that he was speaking in. And he said, he said, "Now will you be saved? You're in the hand of the Son of God. And He is in the hand of God the Father." He said, "and Jesus Christ said, if you're in His hand, He ain't going to pluck you out of His hand." He said, "and God the Holy Spirit, He ain't going to pluck you out of His hand. And God the Father, He ain't going to pluck you out of His hand."

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• And then He said this, "and come to think of it, them's the only three that can do any plucking anyhow." And that was the truth. That was the truth. But He said, "My Father which gave them Me is greater than all. And no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand." So, the question is, who are the elect? And the elect are those whom God the Father gave to Jesus Christ from before the foundation of the world.

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• Now, let me try to make some applications because I want to get your thinking right. I've heard people say, and I'll talk more about this next week, I've heard people say, "Well, I just don't like the doctrine of election." Well, you may not like it, but it's in the Bible. You say, "Well, I don't understand it." You may not understand it, but it's in the Bible. Let me give you one illustration.

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• Lester Roloff has been dead for many years. I knew Lester Roloff. I was in meetings with him. In fact, he came to our church when I was a young preacher. In fact, I drove him around in the car. And Lester Roloff was not a scholar, okay? But he could bless your heart when he preached. He was very practical. And he really couldn't sing. But every time he sang, it'd break my heart.

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• He was real, he was genuine, that's all there is to it. Well, I was listening to his family altar program one time, and he was dealing with Ephesians chapter 1. And I thought to myself, this is going to be interesting. And so, when he got to verse 4, where the Bible says that God has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, you know what Lester Roloff said?

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• He said this, "Folks, I'll be honest. I don't understand the doctrine of election. But it's in the Bible, and I believe it, and I bow to it. Whatever God says is right." And he went on. At least he did not deny it, for which I'm really thankful. But so here it is. So when someone says, "Well, I just don't like that doctrine." Well, I want you to think about this. If God had not chosen some to be saved, none would be saved. Do you know what Isaiah 1 and verse 9 says? "Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom and we should have been like Gomorrah." If God had not spared some, He said, we'd all have been destroyed.

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• And if you look in your Bibles to Romans 9, you will find the Apostle Paul quotes this same verse in Romans 9 and verse 29. Look at it. "And as Isaiah said before, except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom and had been made like unto Gomorrah." You see, the truth of the matter is that we're all wicked, we're all depraved, we're all rebellious, we're all sinful. So here's my question.

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• How many deserve to be saved? None. None. The very fact that God saves any is an act of mercy and grace. Let me try to give you an illustration that might shed some light on this.

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• Now, Alice and I have grown children. We have grown grandchildren. We have four great-grandchildren. And suppose I looked at Alice and I said, "You know, all of our children are grown, married. Grandkids are grown, gone, married. It's kind of lonely. I'll tell you what let's do. Let's adopt three children." I can see Steve rolling right now at our age. But I said, "No, no, no. What we're going to do, we're going to adopt three children." So we go down the street to an orphanage, and the orphanage has a hundred children in it. And Alice and I choose three of those children, and we adopt them, and we bring them home, and we supply all their needs, and we raise them for Jesus Christ.

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• How many people are going to look at us and say, "You dirty, stupid, ignorant, reprobates. You left 97 children in that orphanage." No. You know what they're going to say? "Look at those gracious people. They didn't owe those kids anything. They were not obligated to adopt anybody. They were not obligated to rescue anybody. But they did." And we recognize the graciousness of that family in rescuing those three kids. Do you understand? God was not obligated to save anybody.

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• And the very fact that He does is nothing but pure, absolute grace. Now, someone is going to say, and I've heard it, "Oh, but Brother Weaver, that means that some people do not have a chance to be saved." The last time I read my Bible, I think the Bible tells me that salvation is by grace, not by chance. Chance does not enter into it. Fate does not enter into it. Accidents do not enter into it.

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• God does not save anybody accidentally. He saves them on purpose. And it's not by chance. It's by grace.

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• Now, so I'm going to leave you with this. So if you're lost, if you're unsaved, if you have lost and unsaved loved ones, I'll give you some biblical counsel. And in giving you that counsel, I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Kings 7. I want you to listen to what I'm going to say after you find 2 Kings 7, and I will tell you about this chapter. Okay? 2 Kings 7. Go ahead and find it. So, if you're lost, if you're unsaved, if you have family that's lost and unsaved, and all of us do, don't sit back and mourn over the doctrine of election.

  #74 | 54:03 to 54:47 | cleaned

• Now, Lord willing, next Sunday, I'm going to show you, from John 17, how you can discern for a fact that you're one of God's elect. But, until then, I want you to think about this. In 2 Kings 7, the Syrians had attacked Samaria. Samaria was surrounded. The people inside the city were starving to death. You read the book, read chapter 6, read chapter 7. They were not only eating doves' dung, they were killing and eating their own children. Outside the city walls sat four lepers. The lepers could not go inside the city. The lepers normally survived on the scraps and the garbage that were thrown over the city wall to them or for them or just discarded. So the four lepers are sitting there. Let's read it. Look in 2 Kings 7, verse 3. "And there were four leprous men at the entering into the gate, and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? If we say we will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city and we shall die there."

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• "And if we sit here, we die also. Now, therefore, come, let us fall unto the host of the Syrians. If they save us alive, we shall live, but if they kill us, we shall but die."

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• Now, I want you to look at this. I want you to watch this.

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• Now, what God has done, unbeknown to them, He had caused the Syrians to hear a roar, a loud noise, and they, the Syrians, said, "Oh no, oh no. The king of Samaria has hired the Hittites and the Egyptians against us," and they got up and fled and left all their food, left all their weapons, left all their money. They just got out. And when, of course, the lepers got there, they found all this food and all the gold, etc.

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• But I want you to watch. Look at this now. Verse 4, and they say, "If we enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also."

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• "Now, therefore, come and let us fall into the hosts of the Syrians. If they save us alive, we shall live. And if they kill us, we shall but die." Now, wait a minute. They said, "If we sit here outside the wall, we're going to die. If we go into the city, we're going to die. If we go to the Syrians and they kill us, we can't be any more dead than we already would be. And it may be they would save us alive." Wow.

  #80 | 57:23 to 57:50 | cleaned

• Here's the point I'm trying to make. Let's suppose that you are lost. That you're unsaved. And you fled to Jesus Christ, and you begged Him to save you, and He looked you in the eyes and said, "No way! Absolutely not." You couldn't be any more lost than you already are. You couldn't be any more condemned than you already are. You couldn't be any more on your way to destruction than you already are.

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• But, if you'll turn back to that one passage in John 6 and verse 37, and I want you to look at it. John 6, verse 37. Look at what our Lord said, and watch this carefully. John 6, verse 37. He said, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." If you came to Jesus Christ, and you came in repentance and faith and submission to Him, asking for His grace and His mercy, He said, "I will not cast you out." And when He saves you, you're going to go your way rejoicing, thanking God that some had been given to the Son by the Father. And all that the Father giveth Him shall come to Him. See, one of the ways that you know that you're God's elect, one of the ways that you know that you've been given to Jesus Christ is that you have come to Him in repentance and faith.

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• And therefore, you can say, thank God for the doctrine of election, because if God had not chosen some to be saved, none would be saved. The best counsel that anyone could ever receive is to fall before the Lord Jesus Christ and ask for His grace and His mercy and His salvation. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We ask, Father, that You would be pleased to open our eyes. Grant us understanding. Help us to rejoice in Thy Word and receive it with gladness of heart. And Father, may we then rejoice that Thou didst choose us in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world, and You gave us unto Him. We are His, and we are to love Him, and serve Him, and honor Him. Help us to do that. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, Amen.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T22:51:12Z