Great Doctrines of Salvation
Courtney Hemenway · May 30, 2010
Great Doctrines of Salvation, No. 22
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/492625358150

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

We rocketed along to, I think, question two on lesson 12 of the Great Doctrines Relating to Salvation by Marge Banks. So, lesson 12. You know, we didn't get, amazingly enough, sorry Mike, we didn't even get through all of what I wanted on question two, which was, what's wrong with the statement, God votes for you and the devil votes against you? Howdy, how? Let me get you. You want a lesson? We'll get you one. You need one too? Yeah. No, I don't want you two together. That'd probably be trouble right there. You need a couple or one? All right.

Alright, what's wrong with the statement, God votes for you and the devil votes against you and your own vote determines the election. We went through several different things. One that I did was talk about with Zodiatis and when I looked up the definition for election and I read that and it really basically points out God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. And when you put it together, and we talked about if you think election is just God choosing you and it's a done deal, how do you reconcile several verses where it shows about man's responsibility? And just one of the things in Zodiaty's definition, like let me see, By virtue of God's omniscience, it is impossible for him to make a mistake and write someone's name in the Book of Life in the beginning of the world, and then for him to find out that he's erred and that person is not saved. Again, it's a combination of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility.

If God can err, He is no longer God. God's disposition and will is that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of truth, and that none be lost. God cannot go against His own declared will and willfully cancel His plan to save the human race by deliberately and capriciously assigning some to hell. Indeed, none could be saved without the effective calling of God in His election. Whenever any person is saved, it is because of that effective calling of God in Christ. No one can be saved on his own, generating his own faith and his own power approaching Man, having fallen in Adam, cannot approach God. God had to approach man in Christ.

So again, it's the combination of, you have to take those verses that talk about man's responsibility, but also God's sovereignty. And another one, if we look at 1 Timothy 2, 3, and 4, this is good and acceptable in sight of God, our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. So, if that's his will, how can he willfully select only a few? If his will is that all men be saved, how can you say that I'm going to elect you, not you, Steve, Holly, you can't, if his will is that all come to the knowledge, that's his will, so there has to be some man's responsibility in there. Otherwise you are going against his will that all to be saved. There has to be some part of God's sovereignty which is he draws you, I think he brings you up to the point where you make the decision or not. By faith, which is that non-meritorious act, that is where that this man's responsibility comes in.

We also look at a very familiar one, John 3.16, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged. He who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son.

Is there some man's responsibility in that? What is his responsibility? To believe. To believe. So there's some part of man's responsibility because he says, God so loved that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish, okay? So whoever believes. So is there some part, there has to be some part of man's responsibility in there. It can't be just God selects you, you and you, because it contradicts scripture if you look at that.

So I like, and I told Holly this one that made sense to me, and if you look in Marchbank's section on election, the door analogy, did you look at that? It's actually, I really like this analogy, and this helps me, and I think As I was telling before most of you arrived, I like how Mike takes off and gives me election. I say, just take that one.

When you look at March Bank, the very first thing he says, you can't reconcile this, it can't be determined. And then, if I look down, I actually copied Miles' paper on God's sovereignty and man's responsibility, the first sentence adds, the natural mind is not able to give due place to both sovereignty and responsibility, and hence all theological systems fail on one side or the other. So, yeah, no problem to explain this. Yes, I'm a little bitter. But I really like the Doar analogy, and if you haven't read it, I'll read the section that he put in here.

The unsaved person outside the door sees written above it the words, and whosoever will, let him take the water freely. He enters in in response to the gracious invitation and is saved. Inside he sees written above the door the words, he hath chosen us before the foundation of the world. These words cannot be seen from the outside. One must be in Christ before they are applicable.

So do you understand that? To me it makes a lot of sense with Miles and March Banks. It makes a lot of sense to me because the offer is there and what is your history before you are saved? What's your history? What's it tied to? Adam. So that's your history. So all your history is wrapped up into Adam. So once you believe, what happens then according to Romans 6? Boy, you guys need coffee. You died, man. The old man. You need more coffee. You died. You co-crucified. And what does death mean? Separation. So we are separated from what? From Adam. From Adam. And what? All of his history.

So now we have a new life, the 2 Corinthians 5, 17. We are what? New creatures in Christ? New and kind. new birth, new life. So what is now our history? As Adam was our history, now who is our history? What is our history? Christ. Christ is now our history.

That's who we tie back to. Well, how far does Christ go back? We got in this analogy last time. Forever back and forever future. So, that's our history now. So now, can you understand all these verses in Ephesians and all these ones that now say, I've known you since the foundation of time? Why? Because what is our history now?

It's in Christ. So, it makes sense when you, looking at the door, coming through the door, here is salvation. I walk through the door, but now I look back and it says, my history now goes back eternity. So, again, man's responsibility is to, by faith, believe. And once he believes, then his history is all tied to Christ. So, I like that analogy of the door.

So, it makes a lot of sense, especially when you start reading that, and this is when we had the men's Bible study on Ephesians years ago. It finally started to make sense when, come in John. You can give him his briefcase. It makes sense to me after we were going through that because of all the in him's. Once you're placed in him, and I really think this election makes sense when you know that identification proves.

Because when you know you're tied to his history, all those predestinations, you know, in Ephesians where foreknown, predestined, all those things make sense because he's looking at us in Christ. Because all those are all tied to in him's, we're in him, we're in him, we're in him. When you look at a lot of the things that talk about election or this predestination or foreknowledge, they're usually tied into verses that say about our position in him. And so it makes sense then when he says, I've known you, I've known all these things about you because our history is now with Christ.

So, makes sense? Getting to be making sense? All right, let's go on. Question three, what is the only message God has for the lost? What's the only message he has for the lost? Believe. Actually, that's a good answer. That's not what you know. You know, believe. But what is it? for lost, separated, gone, sinner.

If you look at Romans 3.23 and 24, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. So the first half is for the unsaved, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Is there any exceptions to that? Is there for all except for class A of people? Class B? It's all.

If you look at 1 Corinthians 15, 3 and 4, For I deliver to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. That's what is the message for the lost. That's for all of us. Before we came to know Christ, that was the message to us. Death, burial, and resurrection. And then it really tied into the identification in Romans 6, or all through Romans, but culminating in Romans 6, our identification, our crucifixion.

If we look also at Romans 1.16, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Okay, so this is for everyone. It doesn't matter Jew, Greek, whoever.

If you also look at Revelation 22.17, The Spirit and the bride say, Come, and let the one who hears say, Come, and let the one who is thirsty, Come, let the one who wishes to take the water of life without cost. These are all the only messages to the lost. These are all things to those who don't know the Lord.

I also like the door analogy in Revelation 3.20. Behold, I stand at the door. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and will dine with him and he with me."

Again, thoughts of different things for the lost. All right. Now, this is by the question four and the differences between that. Are election and predestination the same thing as foreknowledge? I'm going to make you guys stand up or something. This is like the holiday weekend. Are they all the same?

No. Then what are they? You knew I was going to ask that question. You're the only brave one who at least said no. I just asked because it's not. Oh, because it's not. Anything else? What does foreknowledge mean? That's next week. That's next week. Cheap answer. What is foreknowledge? It's easy.

What is foreknowledge? Fore means what? How about knowledge? Fore means duck when you're playing golf. It just means to have knowledge beforehand. Thank you. Yes, before it. Foreknowledge means that God was acquainted with and knew us before time began. The Greek word is prognosis. From Zodiac it means foreknowledge, prior acknowledgement, Favorable recognition or consideration beforehand. Foreknowledge. Before knowledge. You know something about whatever. Beforehand. Okay? What about predestination? Come on. Predestination. Predetermined destiny. There you go. Predetermined. Okay? Predestination, the Greek word is pro-ordizo, which means to determine or decree beforehand. OK, predetermined.

OK, what about election? What is election? Where's Monique and Bruce? That was a great one. Vote. We vote. Just to choose. to choose. Eklage, which means to choose, select, or election, choice, or selection. Mark Spanx puts it as, election speaks to the fact that God has chosen or selected certain to compose the elect groups and has also chosen certain individuals for a special work or service.

I hope you've read Mark Spanx. I'm kind of up and down on his section on this one. I kind of agree and disagree and kind of wonder what he was talking about on a couple things. Especially when we get to these things. Well, we'll get to question five so we'll get going through this.

What are the two major elections of God? Choices. And if you use, remember what I said about Mark Spanx. Election speaks of the fact that God has chosen or selected certain to compose elect groups. Hint, hint. Corporate. So who are the two main elections, groups, that March Makes calls out? Jews. And? Church. The church.

Those are two main selections by groups. Israel, which is referred to as elect in Matthew 24, 1-15 and Romans 9, 1-10. It's public. It has a national objective. And it is not individual, nor does it have any personal assurance. It's a group. Israel is a group, a chosen people. So it's a select group of individuals that compose a group. So Israel is a group.

Now what about the church? What is that? Is that the same as Israel? Same composition? No, haha, no, so you know what I'm going to ask, why? They have different purposes, I mean, he has different plans. Different plans, okay. Other? How are they different?

Individual. Individual. It's composed of individual members, where Israel is a group as a whole, it's just a group of people, not individuals. Where the church is composed of individual members which make up the body in the church. OK? So the church, it's private, it includes all who are saved, it's not national in scope, and is referred to as the body of Christ or the bride of Christ. If you look, probably the best verse is 1 Corinthians 12, 27. Now you are Christ's body and individually members of it. So if you can see the distinction between Israel, which is just a whole grouping of people, a select race, versus the church, which is individuals that comprise the body. Even though Israel or Jews are individuals, they talk about it as a group, not as individuals within that group. Whereas under the church, we're all individually called, individually part of the body. Okay? Six, if God, oh, yes sir?

In this individual election, if you look at Acts 9.15, it says, but the Lord said unto him, talking about the apostle Paul, go thy way, he's talking to Ananias, go thy way for he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. My point is that every individual believer is not only chosen to be a member of the body of Christ, but they have been chosen for a specific service.

Which we'll get to in question 8. I have that verse later. Yeah, it's individual. The church is an individual selection, individual members. And we talk about that with Ananias, when Ananias comes and when Paul is blind and he says, you're a selected instrument for me.

And we'll get into it as we get a little bit later in this where it's service versus, for individuals, selection or election is for service. For salvation, when you talk about select or elect, it's a group or corporate. Alright, question six. If God's election is for the saints, what are we supposed to do?

Hang out. Set apart for His purposes. What else? Be conformed to the image of Christ. Perfect. That's one of the verses I'll go through. Exactly, be conformed to His image. What else? Walking the Spirit. Walking the Spirit. Anything else? Go to church every Sunday. Coffee and donuts. Fellowship. Anything else?

Let's look at 1 Peter 2, 9, and 10. When we go through our identification class, we've gone through a lot of what Jaffer puts out his 33 things that when you believe you immediately possess or you're positioned This is this is one where it lays it out a lot what we are laid out now. Do you believe this about yourself?

Yeah, I mean take any one of these and if you look at the first Peter 2 9 and 10, but you are a chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation a a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of the darkness into His marvelous light. For you were once not a people, but now you are the people of God. You have not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. So, do you think yourself as a holy nation? A chosen people, a people for God's own possession. If you really just take one of these, you're for God's own possession. Just think about what that means. A chosen instrument for Him, a chosen possession for Him.

Do you feel that every day when you're at work? When you're walking around? I mean, any of these things, a royal priesthood, do you feel that? Probably has nothing to do with feelings. Well, and that's a good point. But do you realize that that's who you are as a royal priesthood? You know, it's kind of like, it's my things when I try and grasp the intimacy that we have with God, that's one of the ones I just really grab hold of a lot. Because, you know, and it's helped my prayer life so much, just realizing I don't have to come to God with flowery language and all this kind of stuff.

I don't, I mean, it's like Abba, Father, Daddy. When you realize the intimacy that we have with Him, it's, can you ask Him anything? Absolutely. Even if it's a stupid request. Absolutely. Does He tell you to come to Him just with the perfect things that He wants to hear?

I mean, you're going through a tough situation. If you realize that, you know, this is kind of a good point with God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. I really, I also try and grasp a hold of as much as I can God's sovereignty. You know, if God's in control of all these things, aren't you, I think it was Hal or whoever said, are there tragedies in the Christian life? Not really. Because if God's in control, did he go, oops, missed that. You know, oh, did that happen to him? I'm sorry, I missed that. If he's in control of all things, can you get angry at God?

I mean, if you're, you know, whatever, you're going to school and it's a tough time. If you're getting married, you're starting a new career, you're starting a new business. You know, all these things. God knows about all those things. And he's allowed it. And it may be he's taking you through that, you know, whatever. School's going to be tough. Finding a job may be tough for a while. But he's in control.

And when you know that sovereignty, whatever's going on in your life, if you understand that he's still in control, you can't be separated from his love. You can't. I mean, the verses that say there's nothing that can separate us from his love. So whatever's going on in your life, Do you understand that he's in control of that and then it doesn't matter? So you have a peace that surpasses all understandings. You have that because you know no matter what, even if you fail in something, was God absent from that?

Or did he know about that and want you to go through that? Is it to draw him closer? Yeah. It used to be blessings and then trials and blessings and trials and blessings and trials and blessings and trials. Well, he's in all of that. It's a lot smoother when you understand his sovereignty. He allows you to do things and it may be stupid. But he's going to lie to you because he wants to draw you closer to him and to be conformed to his image, to glorify him. So no matter what you're going through, if you understand God's sovereignty, and we talk about that in election, that he's in control. You have peace that surpasses all understanding, if you understand that.

The idea that Peter would use the word priesthood is significant because in the Old Testament the priest was the the liaison between the people and God. He was the one who could approach God. Especially the high priest, he could go in. Well, for Peter to say that we are all priests means that we all have unlimited and unfettered access to God himself. We can go unrestrained and without any impediments, acting as a priest.

And you do several things. As a priest you're involved in sacrificial service, but you're also involved in intercession. I like to kid people. It sounds irreverent, but I think it's appropriate. Would you like me to pray for you? I'm really tight with the Lord. Well, because we all really are. We're all priests. You know, and I've been reading a lot of that. I think The Hungry Horseman also has been reading the spiritual anthology and has all those things.

And a lot of them have been talking about where are we positioned right now? Where are we positioned? In Christ. In Christ, where's Christ? In heaven. In the heavenlies. So where is our position right now? In the heavenlies. You know, if you understand that, when you, that intimacy, we should, and if you read Ephesians, Ephesians is probably the best one, because that's really our position in heaven looking down. What we have in heaven. And if you really start grasping that, a lot of the things, as the hymn says, you know, the things of this earth grow strangely dim, I mean, if you really understand where our position is, we're in Christ, in the heavenlies, positioned there, physically here, but if you take the position that we're in the heavenlies, how does that change your perspective of where we are right now? I mean, if we're in Him, in the heavenlies, are we far off from Him?

You know, when you pray, you think, I'm praying to this God that I don't know where He's at, He's some far away entity that I'm shouting and shooting arrows up into the air? Or do you believe in the Abba Father intimacy that you are in Him, positioned in the heavenlies, and He knows everything about you and He's sovereignly in control of your life?

All He's doing is trying to bring you closer to Him to have more fellowship with you. Whatever you go through in life, it makes it so much easier. It's that peace that surpasses all. The rest that the world can't give you, is if you understand that. And you can't be separated from His love. Even if you're going through a trial, do you think God loves you any less?

And I put this through, no matter what, even if you fail, even if, you know, like I said, camp guys, when I'm on the board down there, and they, you know, oh, Satan is challenging us. My first question is, who's allowing that? God is. When you defeat a foe, what do you do? You use it. Is Satan a defeated foe? Yeah. And so God allows challenges, maybe Satan to do something, but God allowed it. And why did God allow it?

For his purposes, to draw you closer, in love. If you put that in perspective, what in life, whatever you're going through, How can you separate that from his love? Even if you're going through trials, he loves you. And I think of my favorite James. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. How do you do that? Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. Are you nuts? Well, not if you know that God is in control and he loves you. It makes a whole different thing. No matter what you do. And the blessings is the same as the trials. His love never changes. His sovereignty.

I think the difficulty of that truth is holding it moment by moment because you listen to it and read it and your spirit soars and then you get into those trials and you just got to be at it every day. But I think even in trials it becomes more real. I think we get trapped in the blessings trap. During the blessings You know, it's like that analogy, which is very bad.

Footsteps in the sand. You ever hear that analogy? You know, footsteps. Here are two footsteps in the sand. Christ and I together, we see our footsteps in the sand. And then when you get to the rocks, there's only one set of footsteps. Where did you go? Oh no, it's Christ. He's carrying you. He's the only one. You know, it's this whole analogy. It's a terrible analogy. Terrible analogy.

Because Christ is there all the time. carrying you. He's the One. He doesn't, you know, suddenly just be on your side during the blessings. You're in Him. There's only one set of footsteps. We're in Him walking. In the sand, which is the blessings, as well as in the trials. There's only one. We're in Him. His life is our life. And so, in the blessings, we tend to go, Oh God, thank you.

I'm doing fine. I'm doing really pretty by myself. I'm doing pretty good, aren't I? When the trials come, Oh Lord, where are you? So, I think the blessing side, you have to be every bit as much focused on Christ as you do in the trials. It's easy in the trials because you need help. But in the blessings, I think it's even harder in the blessings. Because you tend to think it's yourself.

I kid about that all the time when I have my Nebuchadnezzar moments. You know, I get a great project and I do it and I have Nebuchadnezzar went out on the deck and went, hey, look at all my kingdoms, look at all that I did. What do you do? Turn into the beast of the field for seven years until I looked up? I tell Mike, I get a big contract and I'm five miles down the road going, pretty cool dude, pretty cool. And then I realize, you idiot.

Thank you Lord for doing this. Thank you. So in the blessings, I think it's almost more of a problem than in the trials. But if you really start grasping a hold of God's sovereignty, which we're talking about here, if you really grasp a hold of that It makes your life so much more even keeled. In the blessings, thank you Lord, it's just you continually blessing me. In the trials, Lord, you draw me closer to you, thank you. Consider it all joy, my brother, when you encounter various trials.

I also, which Katie had said, if God's election is for the saints, what are we supposed to do in Romans 8.28-30?

Romans 8.28-30, and we know that God causes all things to work together for good. What were we just talking about? Sovereignty. He's in control. To work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

You know, when you look at that, He causes all things to work together. Does He put in the caveat there that it's going to be blessings and wonder and all that? Does He say it's going to be sweetness and light in that statement? No, He causes all things to work together. Blessings, trials. for his good. People reading this, he calls it all things.

Oh, that means I'm going to prosper, I'm going to have more money, I'm going to have Cadillacs, I'm going to have this, I'm going to have all these wonderful things. No. All things to work together for the good of those who love him, that are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son, that's Cato saying, so that we would be the firstborn among many brethren. And these whom he predestined, he also called, and these whom he called he also justified, and these whom he justified he also glorified. That's the elect, that's us.

And according to Ephesians 2.10, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for what? Good works, which he prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

And we'll get into that a little bit later too. I think Mike's finally convinced me a little bit on that one. About are there set things that God has for you? I'm still a little iffy on this, but... That probably got on the tape, I'm sure. That was Mike. Anyway, we'll get into that.

About what's created for you, these good works created for you. We'll talk about that. Does he have certain things or are you able to go out on your own and do your own good works? because you thought it was wonderful to do it for God? Or does he have specific things for you to do? So this is where Mike and I have discussed that quite a bit. Okay, seven.

Do you think God is fair in these elections about corporate or the individual? Do you think he's fair? Yes, because it's his nature. It's an easy one. So you like fairness. You like fairness. Okay, anybody else? Do you like this, being fair? Answer no, it's not fair. You don't want him to be fair. You really don't. How about just? Do you really want God to be fair in how he deals with us? If that's the case, you're a sinner. What would be the fair thing for him to do? Torture, death, whatever. Assume the guy deals with under a fairness attribute. What would our fate be as sinners under the federal headship of Adam?

We're gone. We do not want fair. We want a holy and just. but we don't want fair. Because fairness to us would be death. I mean, we're gone. We're toast. Okay? We would all be condemned. There would be no hope if God was just fair. Got it. So, basically, in salvation, a lot of people want God to be fair. Just be fair. I think of this too. A lot of times this is, what about that person in the deepest, darkest Africa? Is it fair? Did they get the gospel? Is it fair?

Do you think God is unable to get the gospel to anyone in this earth? He can get it anywhere, anyhow, anyway. You know, there have been a lot of cases where, you know, and there's been even a lot of prep work, you know, that people have been through and then suddenly the missionary comes through and then they all, oh yeah, and they receive. God has any infinite way of getting the gospel to anybody.

So, fairness, you know, that's one of the important things. Well, what about that? Is it fair that God did that? Is it fair that He does this? Well, if God's fair, we're in a world of hurt. He's holy and just and He has offered salvation to us through His Son as a free gift, a gracious offer. Alright, everybody agree with that? You look pleasant.

I was thinking about a story that Jim Pooley used to talk about the New Tribes missions in, I think they were in Thailand. And they were in a village and they were there for like three or four years and they only had one person come to Christ or two in that whole time. So they decided that God wasn't going to do anything. So they packed up and they went down in the valley, across the valley, and into the village on the other side. And God had been preparing those people, and within a short time the whole village came to Christ.

Yeah. God works. You can't limit God. And the other thing is John 16, when the Lord talks about the work of the Spirit, that He convinces or He convicts the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment, and of sin. The whole world, he's doing his job because they don't believe in Christ. It assumes that he's doing his job, even though we don't see it a lot of times. There's so many ways that things have happened, and when I look back at my life and what it's taken me through, it's like, oh yeah, God was working the whole time.

Question 8. Distinguish between what Mark Spence calls corporate or group election and individual election. Okay, Mark Frank says that corporate or group election has to do with salvation and glory. One of the verses he uses to support this is 2 Thessalonians 2, 13 and 14. And that says, excuse me.

But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this he called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, who is he talking to? Do you know?

Thessalonian believers. Thessalonian believers. This was the beginning of last week when we started. We went through that and who he was talking to. He's talking about the Thessalonian believers. Okay, so it's a group. He's talking about the group and this is where Mark Spaniel says about the... When he talks about election, it's usually with respect to salvation of a group.

And it's the individuals in it. I think the interesting part in verses 13 and 14 shows God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. It still shows that. Notice it's the Spirit's work first, then faith in the truth. So it's God working, and then faith, belief, the non-meritorious act of faith. And in verse 14, you're called first, and then we should gain by faith the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So again, it's God working in these believers, and then their subsequent faith, the non-meritorious act of believing. But in this one, he's talking about a group, the Thessalonians.

Okay, for the individual aspect, Marchbanks uses Acts 9.15, the one that Mike talked about, speaking to Ananias to go up to see Paul and restore his sight after meeting the Lord. It says in verse 15, that the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel.

This shows that Marshbank says the individual aspect of election, that it relates to service. When he talks about election with an individual, it's talking about some aspect of their service. It's not election, the choosing or the selection based on salvation. So it's kind of a little bit difficult. Concept to do it, but he talks whenever he talks about an individual in the election He's talking about some aspect of their service. They're going to be used this way or that way When he talks about salvation, it's usually as far as part of a group you Thessalonians who believe you're selected and it's in but it still talks about faith and Man's responsibility through that so Quickly, so I can get the mic for next week.

Nine, has every believer been elected for a specific purpose? Yes, no, no, yes, lots of nodding, yes. We look at John 15, 16, this is corporate election for service. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit and that your fruit would remain so that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he may give to you. So that's a corporate one of service. Not only does the individual election for service, he also actually has a corporate one for election and service. I think it's important to point out that sometimes the believers will ask the question, well, gee, I don't know what God wants me to do. And the response is like, well, are you a husband? Are you a wife? Are you a dad? What kind of business are you in? Who do you work for? Who are your neighbors? What's your sphere of influence?

And that is specifically the election of what God would have you do. The body of the individual members, body of Christ, bride of Christ, there's so many things he's called out that when you look in scripture there's several things he's already called you out for.

The Ephesians 2.10, the individual one, where not only those generic or group categories of being a husband, you know, those type of things where he called you to do.

In Ephesians 2.10, it's the individual election. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which he had prepared beforehand that we'd walk in them. So he's already prepared things for us to do. And we've talked, you know, it's one of those things, which for us believers would be fine.

When you get that last thing that He has created for us to do. See ya. You know, it's one of those things that, you know, that's a good thing. Once you're done, you want to be face to face with the Lord. It's not something bad, but He's got things for us to do. And the minute they're done, you're done. all your work is done. It's time to go home. Anyway, we've talked about that.

Can you do your own thing or make your own selection and go do your own work? Or God has specific things for you to do. According to this, He has prepared specific things for you to do. You can do a lot of other things which I think are growth. You'll be doing and you're growing to do those tasks which He has prepared beforehand for you. So, I guess... Yeah, I'll be here. I got a couple more. We'll finish up next week for the last three. But Mike, do you have your questions? We'll hand those out after we close.

Heavenly Father, we thank you again just for this time. Father, we just thank you for your word. We thank you for your spirit. And Father, we just thank you that in salvation it is your sovereignty and our unmerited responsibility of just believing by faith. in what you've done in your son. And we thank you for that. We thank you for just your sovereign control in our lives.

And it's not out of any anger or malice that we go through trials. It's always that it's in love to draw us to you and to be conformed to your image. We thank you for the peace that we know in that and the rest that we have in that. throughout any trials or activities or whatever we're going through. It is to draw us closer to you and that fellowship, that intimacy that we have with you and we thank you for that because that's the best place to be in this crazy world.

We thank you just for your love, your grace, your mercy, all of your attributes. We thank you that you're not fair, you're just and holy and righteous and you have extended your salvation to us as a free gift. Nothing that we can do to earn it or to do any work that would be worthy of receiving that. It's only by faith that we receive the free gift of salvation.

We thank you for that. We thank you again just for what you do in our lives each and every moment. We just rest in that fact. Father, we just thank you again for this time and we just look forward to the rest of the day. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.