Tonight, we continue, as many of you know, what we started this morning, and that is our consideration of Belgic Confession, Article 16, dealing with eternal election. We dealt with the revealed truth of election this morning, that it is a truth clearly revealed in Scripture that God has elected some to intervene in a powerful way in their hearts and lives to bring them to salvation, not because of anything they have done, but because of His will and His good pleasure. We read together in connection with that this morning from Romans chapter 9 and Ephesians chapter 1, and tonight as we return to that, turn with me to 2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1, as we read the first 11 verses, and again, article 17 is found on page 77, 77 in the back of the Psalter hymnal of the top article that you find there on that page. 2 Peter chapter 1, as we give our attention again in this evening hour to the Word of God. Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours. Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason make every effort to add to your faith goodness and to goodness knowledge and to knowledge self-control and to self-control perseverance and to perseverance godliness and to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness love for if you possess these qualities in increasing measure they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our lord jesus christ but if anyone does not have them he is nearsighted and blind and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Again, may God add his richest blessings to the reading of his word. Again, article 16 of the Confession, if you have your Psalter hymnal open, page 77. Article 16 on eternal election says, We believe that all the posterity of Adam being thus fallen into perdition and ruin by the sin of our first parents, God then did manifest Himself such as He is. That is to say, merciful and just. Merciful since He delivers and preserves from this perdition all whom He in His eternal and unchangeable counsel of mere goodness has elected in Christ Jesus our Lord without any respect to their works, just in leaving others in the fall and perdition wherein they have involved themselves. Beloved of the Lord Jesus Christ, indeed one of the greatest assurances of God's people is that we are chosen by God. Now because it is misunderstood and because it is hard to reason, And eternal election, therefore, as we said this morning, causes much controversy among evangelical Christians. And that indeed is a sad thing. Because it's only by believing the Lord's revealed truth of election, revealed in His Word, election which is unto full and free salvation, it is only by believing that truth that any one of us can have true and confident assurance of salvation by God's grace. Think of it. chosen by God from before the foundation of the world to be rescued from the greatest danger of eternal hell for the greatest delight of the glory of eternal life in heaven. And not one bit of it because of what my heart and hands have done, instead in spite of what my heart and hands have done. There is no more precious truth than this. to be chosen in Christ, to be saved by Christ. It truly doesn't get any better than that. But it's not enough to simply know in my head this revealed truth of Scripture. I must also know it and experience this truth in my heart by true faith. You see, beloved, every true Christian can have and ought to have the comfort of being an elect child of God. The experienced comfort of election includes believing this truth by faith, but also experiencing this truth in life. In order to experience the comfort of election, we must know that we are the elect of God. Now, can we know this? Absolutely. In verse 10, Peter says, Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. Peter is saying here that the believer, the child of God, can have and indeed must have the assurance of his or her salvation. And of course, there are some who would take this verse 10 all by itself and say, see, unconditional election isn't true. The truth is, they say, it's very much what my hands have done that makes the difference. See, it says so right here. be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. In other words, it's up to me to make myself a Christian. But that's not at all what Peter is saying here. And again, that would contradict the plain, clear teaching of Scripture as we saw with our first point this morning. And again, Peter would contradict himself as he says in verse 3, His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. His divine power has given us everything we need. And yes, Paul says in Philippians 2, verse 12, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. But then he goes on to add to that in verse 13, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. You see, both Paul and Peter are talking here about living a sincere Christian life. Which not only provides a witness to the world for Jesus Christ. It's beautiful what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 1, verses 3 and 4. We read there, We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers, loved by God, that He has chosen you. He has chosen you. That was evident by their work, by their labor, by their perseverance. Indeed, it provides a witness to the world for Jesus Christ, witnesses well that that we are saved that we are elect but God also uses that as a part of our personal assurance of salvation as through that the spirit of God testifies with our spirit that we are children of God we are God's children now especially in this verse 10 of 2nd Peter 1 Peter is not giving an order of salvation he's not saying that that calling comes before election that's not his point again his point is that you and i are to be certain of our salvation you see from our perspective from our human perspective those those called to believe on the lord jesus christ give evidence of that call when by the regenerating power of the holy spirit they do in fact believe and when they exercise their faith in obedience to god and this in turn gives proof that one is elect because this only happens to those whom God has elected from before the foundation of the world. He elected them, as Paul says in Ephesians 1, to be holy and blameless in His sight. He elected them for the purpose of saving them. And those who are saved are to know it. Do you know it? Are you assured of your salvation? And understand, beloved, that we're not talking about an arrogant confidence. We're not talking about some sort of elitism here. Well, I know that I'm saved, my God. I know that I'm elect. I don't know if you are, but I know that I am. This isn't elitism that we're talking about, but we're talking about humble confidence, knowing what it is that I truly deserve, then understanding what I receive by the grace of God. But yet we are to know it. 1 John 5, verse 13 says, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. Beloved, although our election took place long before we were born or ever had true faith, yet, as we tried to point out this morning, election only makes sense when one looks to Christ in faith. And therefore, when by God's grace I am sure that I am saved, then I am also sure that I am saved because I am one of God's elect. And therefore, the comfort of election that I experience even today is that my comfort is that all that the Bible says about salvation is true for me too. It's mine by faith. Remember we said that this morning that election is the root of all of the benefits of salvation. And therefore, what the Bible says about that salvation is true for me too. And therefore my comfort is that all of my sins are forgiven. As David says, as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As Zechariah 3 verse 4 teaches us, Our filthy garments of sin have been removed and are replaced with rich garments which Revelation teaches us are the white robes of Christ's righteousness. And why is all of this true? Because of the comfort of belonging to Him. The Lord says in Isaiah 43, Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name. You are Mine. You see, the comfort of election is the comfort of belonging to our faithful Savior Jesus Christ who said that He would lose none, not one, of all those given to Him by the Father. And that no one would snatch one of His sheep out of His hand. But instead, when He comes again in all of His glory, He will say to His sheep, Come, you who are blessed by My Father. Take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. Paul summarizes the comfort of the salvation for which we are chosen by God. When he says, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And he says, If God is for us, who can be against us? And he says, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? To which he answers, Nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Why? Because we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. People of God, This is the comfort of election that we experience in our heart is certain and true. God elected us to be saved from His wrath to come upon the wicked for all eternity. Our comfort is that this is all God's doing. That's why it's certain and sure. Because it's all of His doing. If it depended even a tiny bit on us, even for us to glance in the direction of Christ, the only guarantee would be that it would fail. Guaranteed. But God is sovereign and therefore His election unto salvation is failed safe. It's guaranteed. It is a gracious election from eternity and it is changeless. It is irrevocable. He won't take it back. His election of His people, as one of you said in an inductive Bible study the other week, considering the same doctrine, is that His election of His people will not be recalled. There will be no need for a recount. Romans 11, verse 29 makes this clear, for God's gifts and His call are irrevocable. He will not take it back. God has elected us in His Son, Jesus Christ, who would not fail and indeed did not fail. His work is perfect, it is sufficient, and it endures forever. But now allow me to also make a comment that may seem very strange and awkward, maybe even a little bit uncomfortable, and that is about the comfort of reprobation. You heard it right. The comfort of reprobation. Obviously, to those who are reprobate, this isn't comforting, yet in truth, it doesn't bother them either because they don't realize what's coming for those who reject Jesus Christ. And I'm not saying that it is comforting to believers that God passed over some and leaves them in their sin and misery. That's not a comfort for us as well. And indeed, we are called to desire the salvation of everyone we come in contact with. But the comfort of reprobation is for the believer in this sense. Knowing the truth of reprobation as Scripture teaches. Knowing it. And also being confident of my election and salvation. It's comforting for me that God did not pass me over. That's a humble comfort, isn't it? It's comforting for me to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I will not face God's wrath against my sin because I have the perfect Savior who already has. But also as we consider reprobation, we are to be comforted. That reprobation is to be a reminder to us that God is sovereign over Satan, sin, death, and hell. Not only has Satan not conquered Jesus Christ, but he never will. He will never ever overturn Christ's perfect and sufficient and accepted work. Beloved, what comfort belongs to the believer knowing that God actually saves those he elected to save and through faith our hearts are to be filled with joy so that in life and in death we can sing with nehemiah the joy of the lord is my strength and that joy then leads to the faithful response of the elect we've hinted at this a little bit already be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure work work out your salvation with fear and trembling simply again we are called to live a sincere christian life the knowledge and assurance of being an elect child of god is to be and will be evident in life it is to be evident in public life in private life and in the community of believers in the church as well as in the workplace or in the classroom or on the beach there should never ever be a question as to whose we are There should never, ever be a question as to whose we are. It should be evident at all times for each one of us as God's children. Evident to the world, to our co-workers, to our classmates, to our neighbors, to each other. It should be evident all the time that we belong to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. Parents are to remind their children when they leave for school in the morning, or when they head off for college, especially the first time, or when they move away from home for good. They should say to them, remember to whom you belong. We are called to live the Christian life that strives to obey the revealed will of God. And as we do so, the Holy Spirit uses that to help us make our calling and election sure. The Holy Spirit uses our sincere obedience as evidence for ourselves and for others that we are children of God. And we need that, don't we? Because even as redeemed people, we continue to struggle with sin each and every day, and we will until we take our last breath. Our faithful response includes humility, knowing that I deserve eternal death, but I receive eternal life as a precious gift of God. And humble joy, beloved, but sees myself as a hell-deserving sinner who depends upon the discipline of the Holy Spirit each and every day, but also realizes that I am a sinner saved only by the mercy and grace of God. And our faithful response also includes confidence. Confidence that I am and forever will remain loved and protected by God. And therefore, our faithful response includes praise. Praise for God from my lips and from my hands. you see children of god are distinguished from the reprobate by this mark the fact that they live a godly and a holy life again as paul said in that first thessalonians passage we continually remember before our god and father your work produced by faith your labor prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope in our lord jesus christ for we know brothers loved by god that He has chosen you. As well, Peter says in 2 Peter 1, 5-7, For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness knowledge, and to knowledge self-control, and to self-control perseverance, and to perseverance godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. We don't have time to go through each one of those individually, but you see, this is talking about a life of Christian integrity that proceeds from true faith. Faith is to be active. It is to be fruitful. This is the design of election. To be conformed or remade in the image of Christ. Romans 8 verse 29 says, For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. Paul says to Timothy that God has saved us and called us to a holy life. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Believers are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. You see, the faithful response of the elect to this truth of God's election is that we are called to live, beloved, in a way that is consistent with where our true citizenship is. Heaven. We are called to live according to the laws of the land, the laws of our King, in obedience to Him. As a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, as Peter describes the church, our lives must declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light. You see, our election is not a license to live like we want. The catechism, you know, deals with that as well. There's a question that says something to the effect, well, doesn't this teaching, the teaching that our good works don't merit anything, doesn't that make us careless and profane? The catechism answers with a resounding, absolutely not, no way, not at all. Our election is not a license to live like we want because we're safe anyway, I'm saved, I don't have to worry about it. Instead, it is a life of constant care, as Paul says, constant care to test and approve what God's will is. His good, pleasing and perfect will. You see, the comfort of election does not make the child of God careless, but it makes him or her all the more careful, knowing that he cannot keep God's law perfectly, he cannot live up to God's standard perfectly, but also knowing that Jesus Christ has fulfilled all righteousness in his place. And because by God's grace he is clothed with the righteousness of Jesus, the believer strives to imitate his Savior. The Christian takes his or her Christian life seriously and desires that others do as well. You see, the charge against Reformed Christians, again, as the Catechism also says, is that this doctrine of election does make us careless. Who cares? It doesn't matter what you do. Because you're safe. You're safe. But that's false. For the Christian, sin goes against the grain. It is repulsive and he begins to hate and more and more each day he hates sin. Instead, the believer desires to be holy and blameless as God has elected him to become. The charge is also that this doctrine of election makes the work of missions and evangelism useless or not necessary. It goes something like this. If God has elected certain human beings and He will save them apart from anything they can or will do or apart from us, then why do missions? Why pay out all that money to support missionaries? God's going to get the work done. It's a waste because God is going to do what God is going to do. In a simple sense, we know that that's true. God's plan will unfold as He has ordained it. Yet this kind of a thought is completely wrong. It couldn't be more wrong and unbiblical. God has not only chosen those in whose hearts and lives He would intervene to bring them to salvation, but He has also chosen the means by which He will bring His elect to faith. Indeed, He can work any way He wants to. He is all-powerful and He can work in ways that we can't even imagine. But He has chosen through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. And Jesus commanded the church through His disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel and to baptize. The message must be heard. Paul says in Romans 10, How then can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? We are to speak of the good news. We are to speak of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. We are to call others to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith. The truth is, the great incentive for Christian missions is the doctrine of election. The doctrine of election. Why? Because they're out there. They're out there. If election isn't true, we cannot be sure that there are any more that are to be gathered in. They are out there. We don't know who they are until they come to faith in Christ, but that's not our job to know. It's our job to preach and teach. And if you think about it, if you add to this then, the doctrine of election is also the great guarantee of the success of missions. Again, because they're out there. Because we know that Jesus Christ won't come again until every last one of the elect is gathered in, until the bride is complete, And since he hasn't come back yet, the elect haven't all been gathered in yet. Maybe some haven't even been born yet. The bride is not yet ready. Beloved, the doctrine of election is the truth of God with regard to who will be saved. And there is no greater comfort for the believer when it comes to salvation because this is the guaranteed work of God. And as believers, we are called to know this truth and we are called to live this truth. We are called to take our stand on this truth and to go out and live this truth. It's a truth that demonstrates the majesty and sovereignty and mercy and grace of God and therefore a truth that causes God's people to want to worship Him and to desire to live for Him. And as we practice the Christian life, that life will get stronger by His blessing. Boys and girls and young people, we know this is true with your muscles, isn't it? We all know that if you don't exercise your muscles, the less you're going to be able to use them. But the more you exercise them, the more certain you are of your muscles and the more powerful they become. Those who strive by the grace of God to live for the Lord Jesus Christ. Their Christian life is strengthened. Indeed, their humble confidence is strengthened in their own assurance of salvation. They are strengthened as well in their confidence to speak the truth in love, to witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you confident and assured of your calling and election unto salvation? That confidence, don't forget, will be a humble confidence. Paul demonstrated that, didn't he? He said, For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle. And he said, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the worst or of whom I am the chief. I'm the chief of sinners, Paul says. Yet he could say with confidence, I am certain of my salvation. He said, I know whom I have believed and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. And he said, for I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And he said, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day. That's the firm confidence, beloved, of one chosen by God. To those chosen, God reveals the truth of election to their born-again hearts. And as new creations in Christ Jesus, they experience the comfort of election. And in the sanctifying strength of the Holy Spirit, they respond faithfully in the joy of that comfort. Now we give proof every day, don't we? We give proof each and every day, sometimes multiple times in the day. We give proof that we are not worthy of God's electing grace. And that's why having the comfort of that election unto salvation for Jesus' sake is indeed so wonderful. If that comfort isn't yours, then stop looking to yourself to try to cheat hell. But look only to the Lord Jesus Christ. The one in whom we are chosen. The giver of eternal life. Only in Him is there salvation for all those, yet for only those whom the Father has given to Him. And together may we rejoice as His chosen people and live to honor and serve Him more and more each day with our whole being. And may we, as David says, praise the Lord, O my soul, O my inmost being, praise His holy name. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, once again, we pray that you would effectively apply the truth of your revealed word to the hearts and lives of each and every one here in this evening hour. We thank you, Lord, for your precious gift of salvation given to those whom you have chosen from before the foundation of the world. Again, there are so many things we don't understand. We cannot know the mind of God. For your thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Your ways are higher than our ways. We know that in so many ways, O Lord, we do not show favor on those in this life whom we think do not deserve our favor. And may we be ashamed, O Lord, when we think like that and when we act like that. may we be reminded of your favor poured out upon us. Thank you, O Lord, for your blessing. Bless us powerfully and effectively by your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.