Evening Sermon

August 24, 2008

Am I One of the Elect?

Text

One of the most powerful sermons I have ever heard was preached on this text. The power of that sermon was magnified by the place it was preached and the audience to whom it was preached. It was preached at a chapel service at a respected Christian college, to an audience filled with many godly and mature believers well trained in their theology and biblical thinking. Many in that audience would continue on into seminary and in the gospel ministry. Many would no doubt testify of their faithful and godly upbringing in the Lord, so that they would have never known a day when they wouldn't claim Jesus to be their Lord and Savior.

And yet the basic point of the message was a challenge. A challenge based upon Paul's gracious and edifying evaluation of the Thessalonians. Paul knew that these precious people had been chosen by God, by the obvious evidences in their lives. And we may well know the same thing about ourselves by the same evidences.

But the challenge of that particular sermon, an appropriate challenge from this text, was the challenge of considering the question, "What if the evidences are not there?"

The whole thrust of this passage, and the overall thrust of my message tonight is a positive encouragement to those whom God truly has chosen unto salvation. Paul identifies such obvious and practical ways in which you can know that God has chosen you. And with that encouragement does come the warning. You can know that God has chosen you by certain identifying things, and with the encouragement of those things, you can rest assured in your relationship with the Lord.

But in the absence of those things, in the absence of those evidences which Paul speaks of here, these words do become a mighty challenge to those who might claim to be a Christian. So let's begin.

I. YOU CAN KNOW THAT GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU WHEN THE GOSPEL COMES TO YOU WITH POWER. v.4-5

To repeat the context from last week, Paul is intentionally encouraging the church of the Thessalonians. He is greeting them warmly and affectionately, thankful for their faithfulness and praising God for the evidence of his grace in their lives.

And he addresses them as the elect, those chosen by God. Election is one of the great concepts of the Bible, and it looms large in both testaments. The doctrine of election protects us from thinking that of salvation as dependent on human whims, and roots it squarely in the will of God.

The doctrine of election is best defined by those great words we find in, Eph. 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved...11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory."

But our concern is not to plumb the depths of God's eternal counsel. That is, we have no ability to know exactly what it is that God has determined in his secret will before the foundation of the world. We don't come to know God's secret will until events which have been predetermined actually come to pass. So it's foolish to predict future events, for God has determined them himself in secret counsel of his own will, before the creation of the world.

Our responsibility is to obey his revealed will, the law.

So it is with salvation. Our responsibility is not to try to figure out who the elect are and who is excluded. Our job is to proclaim the gospel. Faithfully. To everyone.

The doctrine of election is not an element of evangelism. But it is the foundation of any full experience of assurance. That is, the assurance of our salvation flows directly from this doctrine. The assurance of our salvation is built upon the unchanging nature of God's predestinating choice to save us, a choice he made before the foundation of the world.

So how do you know if you are one of the elect? Is there anyway to know? The answer is a resounding, "Yes." v.4-5

The gospel comes to you with power. That's how you know.

Note how Paul explains what he means. He contrasts the power of the gospel with the words, "our gospel did not come to you in word only." The gospel came to them "not simply with words." Therefore, you know that God has chosen you when the gospel comes with the power of salvation, and not simply with words. Not merely in empty rhetoric. Not simply with exhortation. Not simply by the imparting of knowledge.

When I was in school, through college and seminary, there were times when it seemed that the chief objective seemed to be merely the communication of knowledge. That is, the teacher spoke some words. I remembered them. And when I took the test, I repeated what he had told me in the first place. And I got an A.

Well, sometimes there a place for that. Like the multiplication tables. You just have to memorize them and spit them back. Over and over again.

But the gospel? Salvation? It's more than believing that 8 times 8 is 64. It's more than words. It's more than saying, "Jesus died for my sins so that I can go to heaven."

It's more than that. It's more than praying the sinners prayers. It's more than the words you use to ask Jesus to come into your heart, or to receive him as your Lord and Savior. It's more than all those things. It's power.

Now, those words are often the means by which the power comes. But the power does come.

All this makes perfect sense to me, because of my own testimony of salvation. I do know the day and time when the Lord saved me, and I know it because of the evidence of power in the simple message that was preached to me, that night 34 years ago now. For the first time in my life, a sermon wasn't only words. The message of the gospel, spoken to me in the plain and simply words that I was a sinner and needed a savior, came to me with power.

And I responded with faith and repentance. I didn't know much theology. I didn't know exactly what that word meant. I certainly didn't know about the doctrine of election, and if I had known about it, I probably would have rejected it then.

But looking back, I know exactly what happened. God changed my heart. And several years later, I learned why. By studying the Bible, I learned why God changed my heart. Because he chose me in him before the creation of the world.

What a glorious assurance.

You know that God has chosen you when the gospel come to you with power. Now, you don't necessarily need to know the time and the date. Many of our covenant children may not know, and may only know that they have been in the covenant community all their lives. Their actual change of heart may have happened imperceptibly, but the evidence of that change is not imperceptible.

It doesn't bother me to hear a child say something like, "I never knew a day when I didn't know Jesus as my savior." In fact, that's a glorious testimony. I hope my own daughters will always give that testimony. But I do get very worried when I hear a testimony about hearing and responding to the words of the gospel, when there is no evidence of the power of that gospel in your life.

Don't tell me that you accepted Jesus into your heart seven years ago, but that there is no evidence of that decision in your life today. That nothing has changed. To such people, there is no assurance of salvation. There should be no certainty that God has chosen you, for that certainty of God's choice comes when,

A. Your life bears the evidence of spiritual power. Specifically, the power of the Holy Spirit. v.4

For many people, salvation is something they do themselves. It is something shown forth by human labors. And Paul's point is that salvation, at it's most basic point, is the work of the Holy Spirit.

So, the question becomes, "Is there evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life?"

And what is that work? I'll read from, Ezek.36:25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."

There it is. The work of the Holy Spirit is to cleanse you. To give you a new heart. And to move you to follow God's laws.

And along with a love for God's law is a hatred of sin. Ezekiel continues, Ezek.36:31 "Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations."

That's called repentance.

I am fearful for those who claim to be a Christian, but who show no love for God's holy and righteous law! I am fearful for those who claim to be a Christian, but who show no evidence of a new heart. That is, the impurity and uncleanness of their old heart still dominates their life. There is no brokenness of repentance.

To be sure, we will fail. And we will fall back into our old ways, but as Christians, we are a new creation. We have a new heart by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The evidence of that new heart is the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the evidence of spiritual power.

And along with that,

B. Your live bears the evidence of internal conviction. v.4-5

Deep conviction. The words could be translated full assurance.

The simple truth is that when the Holy Spirit changes your heart, that same Holy Spirit will work a great conviction of what is true. You will know the gospel is true. Assurance is not some human device whereby men persuade themselves. Rather it is the result of the Holy Spirit working within believers. It is that which is spoken of in,

Rom. 8:16 "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."

Now, to be sure, there are many godly, devout Christians who never attain such full assurance, but the encouragement of the Scriptures is that such assurance should be the normal experience. You simply know for sure that the gospel is true, and that it applies to you.

There ought to be in each of us the deep, internal conviction that what is revealed here is truth. Indeed, that's where I start. Whenever I teach and whenever I preach. The deep conviction that these things are true. They are absolute truth. So it should be for each of you. The starting point. A foundation of absolute truth. Something that is non-negotiable. Non-debatable. The Holy Scriptures. The word of God.

People of God, you know that God has chosen you when the gospel comes to you with power. And very much related to that,

II. YOU KNOW THAT GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU WHEN YOUR LIFE CHANGES. That's easy to understand, isn't it? But this idea is widely rejected in this country, especially in this part of the country. In this part of the country, still part of the Bible belt, the prevailing idea is that you are a Christian if you have accepted Christ at some point in your life. Or if you have been baptized. Or if you have gone forward at some evangelistic invitation. Or if you have joined a church. Or if you grew up in a church.

But you can do all of those things, and still fail to show evidence in your life. There ought to be a great warning to anyone who fits into that category. If the gospel does not transform your life, then it is no gospel at all! If the truths of Christianity don't determine the way you life and direct the decisions you make, then it's not true Christianity!

What are the necessary changes? Specifically,

A. You begin to imitate godliness. Notice what Paul says about these beloved friends at Thessalonica. v.5b-6

"You became followers of us." Imitators!

Paul is quite bold about calling for such imitation, exhorting the church at Corinth with these words, 1Cor. 4:16 "Therefore I urge you, imitate me."

And, 1 Cor.11:1 "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."

And, Phil. 3:17 "Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern."

Surely that is why is so important for there to be examples of godliness today to imitate, and why the ability to provide such an example is a necessary prerequisite for the eldership.

1Pet. 5:1 "The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock."

The difficulty for us today is that we often admire examples of godliness, but fail to imitate them. And that is a horrible tendency. We admire people who live godly lives. We consider them spiritual, but allow ourselves to remain worldly, unmoved by the power of such an example. We speak highly of such good examples. We praise them. We place them up on pedestals and we admire what we see. We might even wish we could be like them, but we fail to attempt to do so.

People of God, that's foolishness. If you see a godly man or woman worthy of imitating, then imitate. Follow in their ways.

Paul identifies a second life change for those who have been chosen by God, and that is that,

B. You begin to experience joy even in severe suffering. v.6b

That is one that is explainable only by the power of God. There are few, if any, adequate motivations for joyful endurance of suffering which man has been able to come up with on his own. Nothing in us can give us such joy. Nothing, really, in the world system can equip you to remain joyful under severe suffering. It's such a contradiction of experiences. Joy and suffering seem to be mutually contradictory.

But they aren't. Not in Christ. Just the opposite. Some of our deepest joys will surely come through the experiences of deep suffering. For Christ transforms our sufferings into a means of grace, a means of growing in the grace and knowledge of God by teaching us to depend upon him when nothing else is dependable. And by giving us hope in the midst of them. We talked about that this morning.

In Christ, there is joy even in severe suffering, and the presence of that joy is a great encouragement and assurance that God has chosen you.

Thirdly, when God changes your life,

C. You begin to be an example for others to follow. This is such a marvelous progression. First, you imitate the good example you see in others. Then you turn around and provide that good example for still others. v.7

That's how Paul knew these dear friends had been chosen according to the sovereign predestination of God's election. They became a model for others to follow.

Dear ones, the gospel is very, very practical.

Think of these words as they apply to you, and think of the responsibility you have to provide that example for others. If you proclaim the name of Christ, you will be watched. And the great evidence and assurance of God's work is that when others watch, they are moved to follow your example. In that sense,

D. You begin to obtain a good reputation for your faith. These Thessalonians certainly did. v.8-9

How encouraging it is when others speak well of your faith. How encouraging when others would thank God for what you have done! How reassuring it is to gain the respect and honor of those with whom you come into contact.

Now, we are not to live as men-pleasers. That is, we are not to live and be motivated by the desire for the praise of men. We are to live for God's pleasure, for God's approval. But as you do that, that will become your reputation. And what better reputation could you possibly have?

Your reputation should be a reputation of faith, and faithfulness, so that it could be said that "your faith in God has become known everywhere."

Again, there is to be no pride in this whatsoever. No sense of human advancement or glory. But rather, the simple reputation of people who trust in God.

Work hard at earning such a reputation. With those in your own family. With those you work with. With your neighbors. With others in church. "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Ask yourself a very personal question. "What do others think of me?" "What is my reputation?" I wise man will be able to answer those questions.

Then, a more specific definition of a good reputation, namely the evidence that,

E. The direction of your life changes. Again, the reputation of these Thessalonian believers was very specific. v.9b

Simply put, you know that God has chosen you when you turn away from those idols you used to serve to turn to the living and true God to serve him.

What are the idols which we are to turn away from today?

Materialism is perhaps the greatest. How powerful would be your testimony if others could look at your life and say, "That person has really been changed. He used to be very materialistic and worldly, but now he doesn't seem so concerned about making money and obtaining nice things."

There are many other idols. The idol of self. Self-reliance. Self-love. Pride. The idol of power, or of pleasure. The idol of sex. The idol of clothing. Or cars. Or sports. Or even a family.

Turn from those idols to serve the living and true God. Change the direction of your life. That is the exhortation of Scripture, and such a life-change ultimately proves and demonstrates that God has chosen you to be his child. I should add that the word "to serve" means to serve as a slave. And so your testimony, your reputation, should be as a servant of God, a bond-slave to Jesus Christ.

And finally, the last element of the life change necessary to demonstrate that you are one of the elect is that,

F. You begin to live in eager expectation of Jesus' return. In this sense, your whole outlook on life changes. Instead of living for today, living for the tomorrows of this world and of this age, instead of accumulating treasures on earth, you are looking forward to our "blessed hope -the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."

As Paul speaks of the Thessalonians here, v.9b-10

What a glorious testimony. Other people saying that they can tell that you are waiting for the Son of God to return from heaven. Other people saying that they can see that you have your eyes fixed on things with eternal value. And that you are eagerly anticipating that day, a day of judgment and wrath upon the wicked unbelievers, but a day of salvation for God's people, for we know that Jesus "rescues us from the coming wrath."

All of that backs up the very first words of Paul in, v.4 "For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you."

Has God chosen you? When you ask yourself the probing question, "Am I one of the elect?", what answer pops into your mind.

Has the gospel come to you with power and conviction? Has it changed your life? Your habits and your values? Are you now fully committed to serving the one true and living God, and turning away from all idols?

Or is all of this just a matter of words?

People of God, I want the challenge to be real for you, and I also want you to be able to gently and lovingly challenge those with whom you come into contact. If there is no evidence, if there is no power, no supernatural power, then there is no salvation.

But on the contrary, if you can see the power of the Holy Spirit at work within you, even when you fail, and if you can see the changes in your life, even though they are yet incomplete and imperfect, then you, too, you who are loved by God, you can know that he has chosen you.

And if you do know that, if there is a great sense of assurance that you belong to God because he has chosen you in Christ before the foundation of the world, then sing his praise all the more fully.

Eph. 1:3 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."

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