ELECTION PROTECTION

Scripture text: John 17:5-15 (WEY) And now, Father, do Thou glorify me in Thine own presence, with the glory that I had in Thy presence before the world existed.

 6.  "I have revealed Thy perfections to the men whom Thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to me, and they have obeyed Thy message. 7.  Now they know that whatever Thou hast given me is from Thee. 8.  For the truths which Thou didst teach me I have taught them. And they have received them, and have known for certain that I came out from Thy presence, and have believed that Thou didst send me. 9.  "I am making request for them: for the world I do not make any request, but for those whom Thou hast given me. Because they are Thine, 10.  and everything that is mine is Thine, and everything that is Thine is mine; and I am crowned with glory in them. 11.  I am now no longer in the world, but they are in the world and I am coming to Thee. "Holy Father, keep them true to Thy name - the name which Thou hast given me to bear - that they may be one, even as we are. 12.  While I was with them, I kept them true to Thy name - the name Thou hast given me to bear - and I kept watch over them, and not one of them is lost but only he who is doomed to destruction - that the Scripture may be fulfilled. 13.  "But now I am coming to Thee, and I speak these words while I am in the world, in order that they may have my gladness within them filling their hearts.

 14.  I have given them Thy Message, and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15.  I do not ask that Thou wilt remove them out of the world, but that Thou wilt protect them from the Evil one.

I.                   INTRODUCTION

The 2000 and 2004 elections.

Election is God’s highest expression of His sovereignty as far as it affects mankind.

Thiessen stated that election is, “That sovereign act of God in grace whereby He chose in Christ Jesus for salvation all those whom He foreknew would accept Him.”

John Calvin called it “irresistible grace.”

Election is an inter-Trinitarian agreement between the Father and the Son, whereby the Father chooses the church in eternity past and presents her as a gift to the Son.

We will look at how the election is: Pronounced, Prepared, Pretected, and Presented

II.                ELECTION PRONOUNCED

Psalm 135:4 For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

Deut. 7:6 For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

Jn 15:16 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.

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.

Titus 1:1,2 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; 2.  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

III.             ELECTION PREPARED

Jn 6:37-39 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38.  For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39.  And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

v.44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John Macarthur states, “The Father then determined to give a redeemed humanity as a love gift to the Son …salvation is primarily for the honor of the Son, not the honor of the sinner.”

The elected redeemed is prepared through calling of the Gospel and they are kept and sanctified by the Word of the Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Eph. 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

IV.              ELECTION PROTECTED

Jn 17:7,9,11  Now they know that whatever Thou hast given me is from Thee.

 8.  For the truths which Thou didst teach me I have taught them. And they have received them, and have known for certain that I came out from Thy presence, and have believed that Thou didst send me. 9.  "I am making request for them: for the world I do not make any request, but for those whom Thou hast given me. Because they are Thine.

11. I am now no longer in the world, but they are in the world and I am coming to Thee. "Holy Father, keep them true to Thy name - the name which Thou hast given me to bear - that they may be one, even as we are.

15. I do not ask that Thou wilt remove them out of the world, but that Thou wilt protect them from the Evil one.

Jesus is asking the Father to protect the elect while He goes through the agony of the Cross!  While He is dead for three days and three nights, while He is preaching to the spirits in prison, He entreats the Father to protect the elect from the evil one.!

While all of this is transpiring, the hypostatic union of Christ’s deity and humanity remains intact.  The union of the Trinity is not compromised.  The Son never ceases to be the Son, the Father never ceases to be the Father and the Spirit never ceases to be the Spirit.  All do not cease to be God from the Passion to the Resurrection.

V.                 ELECTION PRESENTED

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

1st Cor. 15:25-28 For He must continue King until He shall have put all His enemies under His feet.

 26.  The last enemy that is to be overthrown is Death;

 27.  for He will have put all things in subjection under His feet. And when He shall have declared that "All things are in subjection," it will be with the manifest exception of Him who has reduced them all to subjection to Him.

 28.  But when the whole universe has been made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also become subject to Him who has made the universe subject to Him, in order that GOD may be all in all.

Hebrews 2:11-13 For both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

 12.  saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, In the midst of the congregation will I sing thy praise.

 13.  And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold, I and the children whom God hath given me.

Jesus presents to the Father the redeemed church the Father had initially given to Him as a love gift.  The Son presents to the Father His brethren.  See Father, they look like Me, they talk like Me, and they walk like Me.  Here they are – the blood bought humanity you chose and elected for Me before the world began!