“According as He hath chosen us IN HIM before the foundation of the world…” (Ephesians 1:4). My eternal security is rooted and grounded, not in what I have done, but in where I have been placed. I am too weak and frail, vacillating and mutable; there are too many ups-and-downs, ins-and-outs, for me to find stability in myself. No, my stability is in the unchanging everlasting covenant of the immutable Jehovah. Bless God for the sweet doctrines of election and predestination; they are graciously given as mighty stabilizers. Take a little while and look at some scriptures with me. Open your Bibles and turn to John 15:16, and there you will see that Jesus Christ has chosen His people, for He says, “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it to you.” Then in the 19th verse, “If you were of the world, the world would love his own; but because you 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.” Sweet words! And I could go on and on with precious scripture. Read the book of John slowly and carefully and see how the Lord called this one and that one out to follow Him. [I’ve preached through the Book of John and have sermons, all of which may be downloaded from SermonAudio.com.] But now a question, “Readers is there any one of you who would like to be holy, who wishes to be regenerate, to leave off sin and walk in holiness? Maybe you answer, “Yes, I do.” Then God has chosen you! Someone else may say, “No, I don’t want to be holy; I don’t want to give up my life style and sin.” Then why should you fuss that God has not chosen you to it? If you were chosen you would not like it, this according to your own confession. If you love this world’s pleasures better than a walk with God, then why should you grumble that God has not chosen you? If you would love to walk with Him then He has chosen you and will keep you. An old preacher once said, “As God did not at first choose you because you were high, so He will not forsake you because you are low.” And as another said, “God will never cast away His jewels, but gather them into His cabinet of just men made perfect.” Take courage dear soul, not in accomplishments, for when placed in the balance your failures will far outweigh them; but take courage in the satisfaction of our covenant head, Jesus Christ, which He made particularly for His covenant people. –WTW
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