Tonight I want to begin by asking you to react to a statement. When you hear the word "election," or the word "elect," or the words "God's elect," do those words have an initial negative impact on you or a positive impact on you?

For many people in the Churches of Christ, such words have an immediate, initial negative impact. When they begin their study of God's election, they begin conditioned to think negative thoughts. Very often they begin with a negative perspective created by negative thoughts that is more concerned about explaining away scripture rather than understanding scripture.

That is very unfortunate. One of the most encouraging teachings given to Christians by scripture is the teaching of election. To reject scripture's concept of election is to reject one of the greatest encouragements God gives us in Christ.

1. I want us to begin this evening by focusing on a part of God's nature: God's sovereignty.
   1. The fact that God is sovereign basically means that God is so superior to any human or any group of humans that God does what He chooses to do.
      1. God does not have to acquire or seek human approval for His choices or His actions.
      2. God made us; we did not make God.
      3. In every way God is superior to us and commonly in His superiority He is above our understanding.
      4. The Christian understands that fact to be a good thing, not a bad thing.
         1. God is by His divine nature a just God, so [no matter how things might appear to some human perspectives] God will never act in injustice.
         2. God is by His divine nature a faithful God [trustworthy, will not fail those who place their confidence in Him, will not fail to keep His promises].
         3. Even when we do not understand Him or His actions, He is just and faithful.
      5. What does that mean?
         1. It means that from the human perspective, He is deserving of confidence, but He is not predictable as humans understand predictability.
         2. For example, we can always trust God to keep His promises, but He often keeps His promises by taking an unpredictable route--consider His selection of Jacob, and His sending Jesus to become the Christ.
         3. It means He is consistent, but not always from the human concept of consistency--consider David's forgiveness when he was guilty of adultery and murder; consider God's dedication to opposing evil.
         4. There will always be more involved in God's decisions and choices than the most intelligent human or group of humans will conceive or grasp.
      6. That is a good thing, not a bad thing. That is a blessing to humans, not a curse to humans.
         1. From the perspective of human reasoning, divine mercy is unjust--God is kind to us when we do not deserve His kindness.
         2. From the perspective of human reasoning, divine grace is unjust--God is good to us when we do not deserve His goodness.
         3. From the perspective of human reasoning, divine forgiveness is unjust--God forgives us when we do not deserve His forgiveness.
   2. Godly people [those who were close to God and allowed God to rule their lives] always understood the sovereignty of God surpassed human understanding.
      1. Consider some of the declarations found in scripture.
         Psalm 8:3-9 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!
         Psalm 139:1-6 O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
         Psalm 145:1-3 I will extol You, my God, O King, And I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, And His greatness is unsearchable.
         Isaiah 55:6-9 Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.
         Romans 11:33,34 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?
         1 Corinthians 2:6-8 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him."
      2. God is just, trustworthy, and praise worthy, but God exceeds our understanding.

2. The basis of God's choosing, of God's election is placing confidence in Jesus Christ.
   1. Permit me to state that fact in ways that many challenge your thinking.
      1. It is confidence in what God did in Jesus' death and resurrection that gives power and meaning to baptism, not baptism that gives meaning to Jesus Christ.
      2. It is confidence in what God did in Jesus' death and resurrection that gives power and meaning to the church, not the church that gives power and meaning to Jesus Christ.
      3. It is confidence in what God did in Jesus' death and resurrection that gives power and meaning to human repentance, not human repentance that gives power and meaning to Jesus Christ.
      4. It is confidence in what God did in Jesus' death and resurrection that gives power and meaning to human obedience, not human obedience that gives power and meaning to Jesus Christ.
   2. Let me illustrate these statements by Paul's teaching found in his letter to Christians at Colossae.
      1. The congregation [group of Christians associating in] Colossae had quite a distorted understanding of what it meant to be spiritual.
         1. Some of them thought a synthesis of pagan beliefs and Christian emphases was the key to being spiritual.
         2. Some of them thought practices of physical self denial was the key to being spiritual.
         3. Some of them thought the teachings and practices of Judaism was the key to being spiritual.
      2. Paul said the key to understanding the mysteries of God was Jesus Christ.
         1. The key to understanding God's mystery of salvation for people who are not Jews is not pagan thoughts.
         2. The key to understanding God's mystery of salvation for people who are not Jews is not ascetic practices.
         3. The key to understanding God's mystery of salvation for people who are not Jews is not Jewish traditions.
      3. The key is this: Christ in you, the hope of glory (1:27).
         1. Having Christ in you will provide you salvation--that is the mystery!
         2. The full riches of God's glory are found in Christ.
         3. All you need in order to have every blessing God gives is to have Jesus Christ living in your life.
   3. I call your attention to Paul's emphasis on Christ to Christians at Colossae.
      Colossians 2:1-3 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
      Colossians 2:8-12 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
      Colossians 2:20-23 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!" (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
      Colossians 3:1-3 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
      Colossians 3:9-11 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him--a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
      Colossians 3:12-17 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

3. God chooses those who place their confidence in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
   Ephesians 1:3-6 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, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
   1. God chooses those who place their confidence in Christ.
   2. It is not an individual election, but a corporate election.
      1. It is not an individual "you are in and you are out."
      2. It is a "anyone who places his/her confidence in Jesus Christ is in."
   3. In our society we commonly practice that form of election frequently.
      1. When a teacher predetermines a grading system, that is a form of corporate election.
      2. When someone uses a job description as the basis of hiring, that is a form of corporate election.

The concept of God's choosing is frightening only if a person is terrified of God because he/she loves evil. It is a comforting, encouraging, reassuring concept to the person who, by desire, comes to God. God is bigger than people. Because we are God's elect, God will not fail us.