ELECTION
A Sermon
DELIVERED ON SABBATH MORNING, SEPTEMBER 2, 1855, BY THE
REV. C. H. SPURGEON,
AT NEW PARK STREET CHAPEL, SOUTHWARK.
“But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”—2 Thessalonians 2:13, 14.
IF there were no other text in the sacred word except this one, I think we should all be bound to receive and acknowledge the truthfulness of the great and glorious doctrine of God’s ancient choice of his family. But there seems to be an inveterate prejudice in the human mind against this doctrine; and although most other doctrines will be received by professing Christians, some with caution, others with pleasure, yet this one seems to be most frequently disregarded and discarded. In many of our pulpits it would be reckoned a high sin and treason to preach a sermon upon election, because they could not make it what they call a “practical” discourse. I believe they have erred from the truth therein. Whatever God has revealed, he has revealed for a purpose. There is nothing in Scripture which may not, under the influence of God’s Spirit, be turned into a practical discourse: for “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable” for some purpose of spiritual usefulness. It is true, it may not be turned into a free-will discourse—that we know right well—but it can be turned into a practical free-grace discourse: and free-grace practice is the best practice, when the true doctrines of God’s immutable love are brought to bear upon the hearts of saints and sinners. Now, I trust this morning some of you who are startled at the very sound of this word, will say, “I will give it a fair hearing; I will lay aside my prejudices; I will just hear what this man has to say.” Do not shut your ears and say at once, “It is high doctrine.” Who has authorized you to call it high or low? Why should you oppose yourself to God’s doctrine? Remember what became of the children who found fault with God’s prophet, and exclaimed, “Go up, thou bald-head; go up, thou bald-head.” Say nothing against God’s doctrines, lest haply some evil beast should come out of the forest and devour you also. There are other woes beside the open judgment of heaven—take heed that these fall not on your head. Lay aside your prejudices: listen calmly, listen dispassionately: hear what Scripture says; and when you receive the truth, if God should be pleased to reveal and manifest it to your souls, do not be ashamed to confess it. To confess you were wrong yesterday, is only to acknowledge that you are a little wiser to-day; and instead of being a reflection on yourself, it is an honour to your judgment, and shows that you are improving in the knowledge of the truth. Do not be ashamed to learn, and to cast aside your old doctrines and views, but to take up that which you may more plainly see to be in the Word of God. But if you do not see it to be here in the Bible, whatever I may say, or whatever authorities I may plead, I beseech you, as you love your souls, reject it; and if from this pulpit you ever hear things contrary to this Sacred Word, remember that the Bible must be the first, and God’s minister must lie underneath it. We must not stand on the Bible to preach, but we must preach with the Bible above our heads. After all we have preached, we are well aware that the mountain of truth is higher than our eyes can discern; clouds and darkness are round about its summit, and we cannot discern its topmost pinnacle; yet we will try to preach it as well as we can. But since we are mortal, and liable to err, exercise your judgment; “Try the spirits whether they are of God;” and if on mature reflection on your bended knees, you are led to disregard election—a thing which I consider to be utterly impossible—then forsake it; do not hear it preached, but believe and confess whatever you see to be God’s Word. I can say no more than that by way of exordium.
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Open your Bibles and turn to John 15:16, and there you will see that Jesus Christ has chosen his people, for he says, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” Then in the 19th verse, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” Then in the 17th chapter and the 8th and 9th verses, “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” Turn to Acts 13:48: “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.” They may try to split that passage into hairs if they like; but it says, “ordained to eternal life” in the original as plainly as it possibly can; and we do not care about all the different commentaries thereupon. You scarcely need to be reminded of Romans 8, because I trust you are all well acquainted with that chapter and understand it by this time. In the 29th and following verses, it says, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?” It would also be unnecessary to repeat the whole of the 9th chapter of Romans. As long as that remains in the Bible, no man shall be able to prove Arminianism; so long as that is written there, not the most violent contortions of the passage will ever be able to exterminate the doctrine of election from the Scriptures.
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And now, lastly, to the ungodly. What says election to you? First ye ungodly ones, I will excuse you for a moment. There are many of you who do not like election, and I cannot blame you for it, for I have heard those preach election, who have sat down, and said, “I have not one word to say to the sinner.” Now, I say you ought to dislike such preaching as that, and I do not blame you for it. But, I say, take courage, take hope, O thou sinner, that there is election. So far from dispiriting and discouraging thee, it is a very hopeful and joyous thing that there is an election. What if I told thee perhaps none can be saved, none are ordained to eternal life; wouldst thou not tremble and fold thy hands in hopelessness, and say, “Then how can I be saved, since none are elect?” But, I say, there is a multitude elect, beyond all counting—a host that no mortal can number. Therefore, take heart, thou poor sinner! Cast away thy despondency—mayest thou not be elect as well as any other? for there is a host innumerable chosen. There is joy and comfort for thee! Then, not only take heart, but go and try the Master. Remember, if you were not elect, you would lose nothing by it. What did the four Syrians say? “Let us fall unto the host of the Syrians, for if we stay here we must die, and if we go to them we can but die.” O sinner! come to the throne of electing mercy, Thou mayest die where thou art. Go to God; and, even supposing he should spurn thee, suppose his uplifted hand should drive thee away—a thing impossible—yet thou wilt not lose anything; thou wilt not be more damned for that. Besides, supposing thou be damned, thou wouldst have the satisfaction at least of being able to lift up thine eyes in hell, and say, “God, I asked mercy of thee and thou wouldst not grant it; I sought it, but thou didst refuse it.” That thou never shalt say, O sinner! If thou goest to him, and askest him, thou shalt receive; for he ne’er has spurned one yet! Is not that hope for you? What though there is an allotted number, yet it is true that all who seek belong to that number. Go thou and seek; and if thou shouldst be the first one to go to hell, tell the devils that thou didst perish thus—tell the demons that thou art a castaway, after having come as a guilty sinner to Jesus. I tell thee it would disgrace the Eternal—with reverence to his name—and he would not allow such a thing. He is jealous of his honour, and be could not allow a sinner to say that.
But ah, poor soul! not only think thus, that thou canst not lose anything by coming; there is yet one more thought—dost thou love the thought of election this morning? Art thou willing to admit its justice? Dost thou say, “I feel that I am lost; I deserve it; and that if my brother is saved I cannot murmur. If God destroy me, I deserve it; but if he saves the person sitting beside me, he has a right to do what he will with his own, and I have lost nothing by it.” Can you say that honestly from your heart? If so, then the doctrine of election has had its right effect on your spirit, and you are not far from the kingdom of heaven. You are brought where you ought to be, where the Spirit wants you to be; and being so this morning, depart in peace; God has: forgiven your sins. You would not feel that if you were not pardoned; you would not feel that if the Spirit of God were not working in you. Rejoice, then, in this. Let your hope rest on the cross of Christ. Think not on election, but on Christ Jesus. Rest on Jesus—Jesus first, midst, and without end.
He’s even got a good looking image for the site. #covet
So, a couple weeks ago I asked my good friend Aaron Avery to write an article for my blog. He’s one dope human being, on fire for the Lord, and has been a great friend and profound influence in my life. I am so thankful for his heart and to have a Kingdom-servant like him by my side.
He just started blogging himself, and wanted me to share his first post with you all. It is titled “Stand. Run. Repeat.”
If you want to stay up-to-date on all the happenings on his site, make sure to check out www.mynineveh.com!
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I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of running. Don’t get me wrong, we’re built to run, and we live in a culture built to run, but our running fundamentals are quite broken. We live in a society maintaining the mindset that being busy is being successful, that not having a full plate is like not having a plate at all, that moving up the ladder, earning more money, and constantly outdoing ourselves and others around us in some facet or another is how we are to gauge our own measures of success. Many of us have become uncomfortably busy. Many of us have either purposely or inadvertently submitted to the ideas that taking time to rest isn’t productive, that quiet is complacent, and that stillness is weakness. This is all crap. I want to take a moment to share with you a few things. I want to pause for a moment in order to illuminate a few realizations I’ve had over the last few years. Take a moment, hit the “pause” button on your to do list, read for a moment, and then get back to work. If you do, you may return to your work to find yourself a bit more productive…or you might not return at all…
I quit my well paying, secure, practical job last week. Amongst the many reasons why, the reason I’d like to chat about right now regards a disturbing statistic. I read the other day that one third of our nation’s “youth” is being raised without the presence of biological fathers in the home. The age and specifics of this particular statistic didn’t concern me, mostly because the thought of over one hundred million kids being raised without dads made me sick to my stomach. Why did this hit me so hard? Because just a few years ago, I was amongst that population. Though I wouldn’t change it for the world, I was one of the kids raised without the presence of my biological father. I am also one of the kids raised by a teen mother who had been abused as a child, who’s father was addicted to drugs and would end up bailing on the many families he’d create, who’s family tree showed little hope…or so one would think. I quit my job in order to have a conversation with those hundred-and-some million others who were brought up in a similar manner. Not to have done so would have made my soul’s greatest concern my part-time job, and this just wouldn’t do.
At the time of reading this alarming statistic, it had been a matter of coincidence that I was contemplating transitioning my career from business development and contracting to…well…something else. In contemplating career fields, I tended to ask myself, “What is something I could devote my life to?” I also asked myself, “What work could I possibly do in such a way as to maintain a hunger, a fire, and a passion while allowing me to be fully present with my wife, my family, and my community”? To make an incredibly long story short, that statistic was the last straw. See, I had been running from ministry my whole life. I had been running from sharing my story due to the idea that no one would care to hear it, that no one would be positively impacted by it, and that my valuable time would be wasted in telling it. I had suppressed a long time passion to write about certain things because I had become accustomed to thinking that things like passion, sincerity, “a fire in one’s bones” so to speak, was all nonsense, and that no family was ever supported by someone “doing their own thing”. The responsible man would grow up, go to school, graduate, go to school some more, graduate again, get a job to pay back the debt he had incurred in school, find a lady somewhere along the way, marry her, have kids, raise them with the money earned at the traditional 9-5, and send them off to college at some point in order for them to repeat the same cycle. Why? Don’t get me wrong, it is a downright blessing to live in a country where we are able, given education of some sort and the development of a skill or two, to get a job or employ ourselves in order to support a family, but where is the pause? Where do we stop and contemplate doing something different? Often times we don’t. We are comfortable with what we can count on. We are often comfortable with the false sense of security our money offers us. We are comfortable being able to predict our future, plot our own fate, and control our destiny. What if we were built for something else? What if we were build to depend a bit more on a thing called faith? What if we were built to run, but so built to run differently than we’ve been taught? You see, having hit the pause button in my life has opened my eyes to the fact that there’s a natural sequence to the way we ought to be running our courses. In order for one to run, one must first stand. The idea of standing is an amazing thought.
The idea of standing is the “pause” button. It is the time spent resolving and establishing the position, or the platform from which we will launch into movement. Where we stand, how we stand, and what we stand for most certainly effects the direction, the magnitude, and the way we run. I find it to be no coincidence that we have all become fantastic runners. We have become experts of “busy”. We are running after things, running from things, and running in place. The question though, is what do you stand for? Have you been running having not yet established your platform? Are you feeling as if you’re running in vain somehow, regardless of how successful your peers may see you as being, regardless of how educated you are, or regardless of how productive your busy days tend to be? Many of us tend to run in the exact ways we’ve been taught, but if we ask ourselves a few hard questions, if we concentrate more on what we stand for, I’m sure many trajectories would be changed for the better. What are you running after? What are you trying to escape? What kind of legacy do you wish to leave? Are you fully engaged with your occupation? Do you have a vocation, or a specific reason you are motivated to get out of bed in the morning? It could be the case that keeping busy is distracting you from refining your calling. The day job isn’t our enemy here, rather the idea that it is possible for us to run without first establishing what it is that we stand for. Take a moment to stop. Take a moment to search yourself. I beg of you not to take another step without having reflected on an idea of what you’d like to stand for. After truly developing an idea of what we’d like to stand for, and intentionally investing ourselves in that idea, our actions tend to follow suit. Your life is valuable, your testimony is yours alone, and the world needs to be impacted in a way that only you can impact it. Are you living, or just running?
Stand. Run. Repeat.
Much love,
Aaron
1) Twelve Myths About Calvinism
“Calvinists to do not believe that people are robots or puppets on strings. Calvinists believe in freedom and, properly defined, free will. While Calvinists believe that God is ultimately in control of everything, most are compatibalists, believing that he works in and with human freedom (limited though it may be). Calvinists believe in human responsibility at the same time as holding to a high view of God’s providential sovereignty.”
These are helpful notes for anyone new to the idea of Calvinism.
2) Are You Needed in Your Church?
“A lot has been written lately about people in my age demographic leaving the church. Some have suggested reasons for this, others countered with other possibilities. Solutions have spanned the spectrum. We’re told our generation is wary of anything that hints at consumerism, and then in the next breath we’re given reasons for attending church that center on what we can get out of it. It’s no wonder we are leaving the church–we’re not even sure what it’s for.”
The Church isn’t about what you get, but what you give of yourself.
“But Franklin admitted no Savior, no God who was personally present in his world, so he had no choice but to look within and to continue his efforts. With his notebook full of holes, rubbed through by all these evidences of his depravity and inability, he bore down all the more. ‘He transferred his charts to ivory tablets that could more easily be wiped clean.'”
Even the most intelligent of man may never “get it.”
“One of the standard ways that the New Atheists attack Christianity is by using some of the Old Testament war passages to argue that God is violent and petty. One of the favorite passages for this is the so-called Amalekite Genocide of 1 Samuel 15. But difficulties with passages such as this are not restricted to atheists. In 2009, the popular website Ship of Fools ran a feature called Chapter and Worse. Readers were invited to submit their least favorite Bible passages, and an evangelical acquaintance of mine submitted 1 Samuel 15:3.”
This is very helpful exegesis on a relatively common brought up issue.
5) Seminary Wives: 10 Encouragements for the Journey
“My husband and I have enjoyed the privilege of ministering to seminary students for the past 12 years at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s an honor to watch the Lord train up church leaders and to be involved in their lives for this special season. In particular, my heart is always concerned for the wives, knowing the sacrifices they bear and the quiet yet powerful service they give behind the scenes as they support their husbands. Of course, many women attend seminary as well, and that’s a wonderful thing! But if you’re a seminary wife who isn’t a student, here are some words of the encouragement as you partner with your husband in the seminary journey.”
My wife-to-be said she teared up as this helped her realize the profound impact she could have on my life. This is an excellent article.
6) Ten Things Pastor’s Like Most About Their Jobs
“1. Seeing lives transformed. This response was an overwhelming number one. You could almost feel the enthusiasm for this aspect of their ministry as they responded. These pastors feel that God call them to lead toward transformation of others, and seeing that happen is their greatest joy in ministry.”
Unfortunately, personal discipleship is number 10.
7) An Interview with Anthony Weiner
“Smith: Do you feel like you’ve damaged her place in that world?
Weiner: I feel that what I’ve done has hurt her, yeah. It’s hurts her professionally. It’s hurt her personally. We made a decision that these things were behind us and we made a calculated gamble on the question of whether or not citizens would be more interested in their family’s future than in my personal failings that are behind me. She’s gotten roughed up and it’s been completely unfair in my view.”
Seriously, this guy seems so nonchalant about his behavior I can’t believe he hasn’t been forced out of the race yet. Disgusting.
8) California Law Protects Rights of Transgendered Students
“A new law requires public schools to allow pupils from kindergarten to the 12th grade to access male or female toilets according to their preference.
The legislation also allows transgender schoolchildren to choose whether to play boys’ or girls’ sports.”
We live in an age where anything goes – as long as it makes you happy.
9) The Beginner’s Guide To Interpreting Old Testament Law
“For Christians, the interpretation and application of the Old Testament law doesn’t begin with the law—it begins with Jesus. The law points us to him (Luke 24:44). The law is fulfilled in him (Matt. 5:17). And the law takes on a new meaning for us today in him (e.g., “You have heard that it was aid…but I say to you…”). For us to interpret the law rightly, we need to understand it in light of Jesus.”
Super, super helpful words on reading through Old Testament law.
As I was cleaning out some old documents for my move (I get married in 19 days!), I stumbled across a copy of the eulogy I wrote for my grandpas funeral in 2008. This month marks the five year anniversary of his death. It is difficult to believe he has been gone that long.
Some of my family members have asked me for a copy of this document in the past. I am mainly posting this online now so they have it as a source to go back to, or if they wish to save it as their own document.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” – Revelation 21:3-5
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For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Ben and I am one of many grand-kids sitting in this room today. My grandfather was such a great man, that I don’t know if anything I can say will put his memory to justice, but I will try. I know exactly what Grandpa would be saying right now if he was here. “What the heck are you doing up there on that podium? I don’t deserve all this!” The fact of that matter is that no one I’ve ever met in my life deserves remembrance more.
Grandpa was a simple man. He wasn’t worried about economics, and he didn’t sweat politics. In fact, eating potato salad that was made by anyone other than my Aunt Trudi was more of a crisis to him than ANYTHING else that could be going on. He would, of course, eat all of it – but he would let you know how he felt about it with each passing bite. He was only worried about the finer things in life we all take for granted – quality time spent with friends and family and the love we share with one another. I remember all of my phone conversations with him going about the same – first I found out what the weather pattern in South Dakota has been like, and then heard about how great Uncle Troy was doing on his current job. I don’t know if anything made him more proud.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about what it means to leave behind a legacy. As I said before, Grandpa was a very simply man. He did not have many possessions, and he did not have a lot of wealth. But one thing I think we often forget is that wealth is not measured by the money in our pockets, but rather by the love we have in our hearts. By this standard of measure, I think Grandpa was the richest man in the world.
One of my favorite memories with Grandpa is our many strolls through town. With his one arm out the window and a grin on his face, we would make our way to the Dairy Queen to get a Blizzard. I’m sure as many of my family members can attest to, Grandpa had a massive sweet tooth. My favorite quote from his has always been “There’s always room for ice cream, because it fills in the cracks!” I couldn’t count how many times I heard that one.
It was so great to see him dance again.
He may have been simple, but he sure did know how to make a statement when he needed to. I remember once when I was young and were at a Denny’s down in Kansas. Grandpa ordered a tall glass of milk and the waitress thought it would be a good idea to bring it to him before his meal came – that was a mistake. “Why would you bring this out before the meal? Now it’s going to get warm.” If I remember correctly, I think we left the restaurant because of that incident. He was a man very set in his ways.
Where any other man would’ve been annoyed by the actions of his grand-kids, our grandfather couldn’t help but smile. I know I speak for all of the grand-kids when I say one of our fondest memories as kids involved one recliner, a few rolls of masking tape, and one loving Grandpa. Sometimes up to a dozen of us would race into the living room, steal his infamous crossword puzzles out of his hands, and then we would climb up on his lap and waste rolls of masking tape, binding him down to whatever we could find while Grandma just stood there laughing. Of course afterwards, all dozen of us would spend the rest of the evening passed out on his lap – somehow we all fit.
We all have our own great memories of Grandpa. For some of us, it may be the few times we spent in Grandpa’s bus as we eagerly awaited lighting off fireworks on the fourth of July. For my cousin Josh, he loves his countless memories shooting rifles out in the country with Grandpa, who bought him his first two rifles at a very young age. Grandpa loved nothing more than taking those rifles out and firing hundreds of shells at nothing but empty cans, especially with his grandchildren.
So. Precious.
And then of course there is my little cousin Sierra, who in the last 10 years has created enough memories with Grandpa to last a life time. If there were ever two people who were truly attached at the hip, it was those two. Sierra, you should know that Grandpa was very, very proud of you and the countless memories you have of him are something that no one can ever take away.
For me, today is not a day of mourning. Today is a celebration of the life of a great man. If he were here right now, he would not want a frown on any of our faces. When I think of him smiling, or his belly rolling with laughter because I just sneezed Diet Pepsi all over his new pickup truck, I know I can’t help but smile. And that is what he would want from all of us today.
As I was saying, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to have a legacy. At first glance, would would say the 
countless buildings, homes and renovations he has done throughout the year would be Grandpa’s legacy. But I think it is much more than that. I think it is also the countless peoples lives he has touched while doing all of these projects. I think it is the unending, selfless love that he has shown for his friends and family through the years. I think it is the five wonderful children he has raised, often sacrificing his own well being for the benefit of his family. So maybe we can learn a lesson from Papa and his ice cream, because just like we can always make more room for a frozen treat, we can always make more room for more love in our hearts.