Election and Evangelism
Preached at Life Bridge May 7, 2017
Communion Sunday
Introduction:
This morning we’re going to address a question that many think but few verbalize. The question is embedded in this morning’s sermon title…
What’s the point of evangelism if God has already chosen who will be saved?
Now I understand this question means very little to those who believe that salvation is purely of man’s free will, meaning everyone has an equal shot at the kingdom. If you’re in that camp the question is, “If I choose not to do my part in witnessing to others, am I complicit in sending people to hell?” That too is an important question, but this morning I want to speak to those of us who believe that God, according to His mere good pleasure and sovereign will, chose from all the peoples of the world, a peculiar people to be His own before He made anyone or anything. That’s the essence of election.
The doctrine of election teaches that, in the final analysis, those who are saved are saved because Christ chose to rescue them.
Difficult Doctrine
This is a difficult doctrine to fathom. Our culture values “fairness” and “free will” as though they are “givens,” inalienable rights given to us by God. (BTW, never ask God to be fair. Ask for more of His mercy and grace, but never ask for fairness. If He was fair, none of us would be here this morning.”
I realize the Bible speaks of freely coming to Christ too. So we have a paradox…a seeming contradiction…which is no contradiction to God, but it is for us.
My Goal is Not to Debate…
But my goal this morning isn’t to debate which view is correct!
That’s another whole sermon series. ?
No, I want to talk to those who believe in the doctrine of election, but struggle with its’ impact on evangelism.
Let me be blunt: I want to speak to the “chosen” who are “frozen” when it comes to witnessing to others. Somehow, in some way, the doctrine of election has led to a frozen or cavalier attitude in sharing Christ with others.
Why not kick back and take it easy? If God is going to save whom God is going to save, why bother praying for my neighbor’s salvation and take the risk of being rejected or stepped on when I open my mouth to share Christ?
Paul did not reason this way…
Before we go further I want you to know that Paul, and the rest of the New Testament writers did not think this way, even though they firmly believed in God’s electing work.
Here is what Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:8-10
“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound in chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain (future tense) the salvation that is in Jesus Christ with eternal glory.”
2 Timothy 2:8-10
This passage marries election and evangelism. In Paul’s mind the two are inseparable. Please, please note that election didn’t drive him to complacency…no, quite the opposite. It drove him to intense suffering and even imprisonment for the sake of winning the elect!
Romans 9-11
In Romans, chapter 9 and you will see that Paul clearly understood and embraced God’s sovereign work in salvation…that it was all a work of God and that God has a right to have mercy on whomever He wills (v18).
He gives three examples of this: Jacob and Esau, Pharaoh, and a lump of clay in a potter’s hand.
I wish I had time to walk you through chapters 9 thru 11 for all address the interplay between God’s sovereign hand in both election and evangelism.
What I want point out right now is Paul’s response to God’s electing purposes.
First, knowing that God had passed over the Israelites and was now bringing the Gospel to Gentiles (non-Jews) Paul said…
“…I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
Romans 9:2-3
Paul wishes that he could be damned to hell if it would help some of his Israelite kinsmen come to Christ.
The word “great” comes from a Greek word “megas” which means “loud and profound” sorrow that will not go away.
It’s the kind of sorrow a parent has for a son or daughter who is profoundly lost. You know what I mean. You think about them constantly. You weep as though they are dead, for that is what they are…dead without Christ. Whether it be at home or in your car, you “megas”…cry out loudly to God…please save them!
I want you to know, that’s all right. Paul did it. You’re in good company.
#2: In Romans 11:13 Paul says…
“I magnify my ministry [turn up the heat] in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them.”
Romans 11:13b-14
Paul was God’s point man in bringing the Gospel to Gentiles, which provoked some jealously in his Jewish kinsmen, since they thought of Gentiles an inferior race AND that God belongs to them.
IL: An example of this is parents investing themselves spiritually into a child not their own, because their own child has turned his back on the Lord.
Paul said, “I am going to increase my efforts to reach the new kids with the hope that it will somehow make God’s chosen kids (Jewish Kinsmen) reconsider Christ.”
Also, do you see the phrase…“in order somehow” at the beginning of verse 14? I love it!
Paul: “I’m looking for something, anything that will open my fellow Israelites eyes to the truth of the gospel!”
I know one church that says, “We will do anything short of sin to bring the gospel to others.” I wonder if they got the idea from verse 14.
#3: Drop back to Romans 10:1 and you’ll see…
“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them [Jewish kinsmen] is that they may be saved.”
Romans 10:1
A proper understanding of God’s sovereign electing work did not stop Paul praying for their salvation… instead it served as a catalyst, since he realized that salvation is all a work of God.
App: Are you praying for someone to come to the light of the Gospel? Keep praying! Don’t give up!
Grandparents are you praying for your grandchildren to come to Lord? Pray on!
Wednesday I heard of a Grandfather who has a picture of all seven of his grandchildren displayed in front of his rocking chair where he does devotions. Each day he cries out to the Lord for their salvation! Way to go Grandpa! Keep praying!
The point is this: the doctrine of election did not stop Paul from doing everything he could to bring people to Christ…PAUSE
SLOWLY: The question we must ask is “Why did he do it?” What propelled him to take such actions?
This brings us back to the question I posed at the beginning of this service.
What’s the point of evangelism if God has already chosen who will be saved?
A similar question is…If I chose not to witness, won’t God use someone else or something else to bring those He has chosen to faith in Jesus Christ?
I want to talk to believers who are lethargic in their witness because when all is said and done, God is going to save those He has chosen, with or without their help.
So why enter into the messy work of evangelism?
Reason #1: We evangelize because we are commanded to do it. [1 Peter 3:15, Colossians 4]
This is where we must start no matter your doctrinal position on election. We are told to do it, period. I think most of us know this.
One of the clearest examples of evangelism being commanded is found in 1st Peter 3:15…
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
1 Peter 3:15 NIV
Objection: Some of you may think, “O.K. if someone asks, I will respond.”
This is not correct thinking.
When Peter wrote “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks…” he was not saying “don’t share Christ unless someone asks.” The “asking” in this case, is about why we hope in Jesus Christ. Peter is assuming that we will share the good news of Christ, and as we do people will ask “why do you hope in Christ?” so be prepared to give an answer.
No Apostle would say, “It’s fine to keep your mouth shut unless asked.”
Paul…
Paul makes our responsibility to witness even clearer in 2nd Corinthians 5. After telling the believers in Corinth that we are new creations in Jesus Christ he states that God…
“…gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself…entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Some say this applies only to Paul and the Apostles, but if that is the case evangelism would have stopped once the Apostles died since they would be the only ones entrusted with the gospel.
I think we must apply the “us” in verse 18, broadly, meaning to all believers. All believers have been given “the ministry of reconciliation.”
God decreed who would be saved and He also decreed that we would be the means He uses to bring others to Christ.
We don’t know, nor do we need to know every reason why He uses us. I just know that we are the means…
“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching [witnessing]? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?”
Romans 10:14-15a
We are commanded to witness. All are “sent.”
Disobedience delays the coming of Christ?
And could it be that disobedience to this command actually delays the coming of Jesus Christ? Every believer looks forward to the return of Jesus Christ. It seems that certain passages such as Matthew 24:14 indicate that when all of God’s people have been saved, the end will come. I’m not totally sure as to the timeline when this will take place so I won’t go to the mat on this one, but I wonder…
IL: How many of you parents have said to your kids, “We’re not going anywhere until your room has been picked up.”
God, as parent, may be saying the same to us…“We’re not going anywhere until all My kids have been picked up.”
T.S. Let’s go on to another reason God calls us to witness…
Reason #2: Even though God elects, He calls us to join Him in His work for it makes us beautiful. Guys: Handsome [Romans 10:15b]
I know most guys don’t like to be called “beautiful” so I added the word “Handsome” for us. ?
We find this in Romans 10:15…
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach [bring the] good news [of salvation]!”
Romans 10:15
Now some of us may not relate to having beautiful feet. The first day we went on vacation to Florida my wife and daughter ran off to a salon that was offering a deal on pedicures. They wanted their feet to look nice in flip flops.
They did not ask me if I wanted to go. I don’t care how my feet look.
I doubt most men are into having “pretty feet.” “Functional,” yes, but pretty no.
So let me rephrase verse 15 in a way most can relate to…
“God makes super heroes of those who bring the gospel.”
I think that’s good. People admire heroes. We’re drawn to movies of super-heroes, finding ourselves living vicariously through them. I have grandsons who love dressing up in Super Hero costumes! I have to remind them they can’t really fly off our deck! I remember when Star Wars came out. I wished I was a few years younger so that I could play the part of Luke Sky Walker with light sabers flashing.
We read biographies of great men such as Jim Elliot, Hudson Taylor, etc. which inspire us. I loved the movie Hacksaw Ridge which depicted a real life hero, Desmond Doss.
No one pays out $10 plus bucks to watch movies of losers, right? Can you imagine a movie entitled, Loser Larry, where it was 2 hours of watching a guy sit on the couch eating chips, watching sports? (If you’re name is Larry, sorry about that).
No we want heroes! We admire the men and women of 911 that ran toward the Trade Towers while the rest of us ran away.
Pause
Well, God has a plan for you. While it’s true He has chosen who will get saved, He’s looking for brave souls who will bring the light of the gospel into their neighborhoods and workplaces and promises to make heroes of all who volunteer.
John Piper puts it this way…
“Bringers of good news are precious people—people of whom the world is not worthy—beautiful for their worn out bodies in the service of King Jesus.”
John Piper
No one writes biographies about people who risk nothing…that choose to sit in the comfort of their homes.
The proclamation of the good news makes us heroes. Get up off the couch, quit reading biographies…be one! The Bible is filled with biographies of nobodies God made into somebodies all because they got up off the couch and said yes to God.
What makes us think that He isn’t writing your biography…that He is done writing biographies? Hmm?
God could do it all on His own, but invites us into His work and promises to make heroes of those who labor with all their might. That’s what Romans 10:15 means.
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news of salvation.
Reason #3: Even though salvation is a work of God from beginning to end, He calls us to join Him in His work so that we might be richly rewarded. [Luke 10:2, 2 Timothy 2:5-10]
We live in a country that is not close to the earth. What I mean is that when we want bread, we go to the store and buy it. The same thing is true with strawberries and most other products. We lay down cash or credit to buy produce.
The people of Jesus time were more agrarian. If they wanted to eat fruit, they picked fruit from trees. If they wanted wheat for bread, they harvested the wheat crop so they could enjoy the fruit of that harvest.
2 Timothy 2
Even though I am going to put 2 Timothy 2:1 thru 10, at least parts of it up on the screen, I want you to turn there since I am going to refer to other verses. (Let them do it.)
In verses 1 thru 10 Paul is addressing making disciples, which includes witnessing.
“…what you have heard from me…entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
2 Timothy 2:2
In verse 8 Paul says…
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure (?p?µ??? hupomeno) everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain salvation that is in Christ Jesus.”
2 Timothy 2:8-10
Verse 2 and verse 10 serve as bookends. Paul is telling us that he endures, bears under or puts up with everything, so that the elect may be saved and that those who are found faithful can be trained to do the same.
By “faithful men,” Paul means those who available and teachable…those who will actually do the work of making disciples, for most are not willing to actually do what God wants them to do.
Paul: “Don’t waste your time Timothy on those who just want to learn about the faith…invest in those who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work! You see most would rather read about heroes of faith than be a hero of faith. They want to be taught the Word of God, but have no intent to join Christ in His mission.”
He then goes on to give three analogies of what this looks like. (Stick with me)
• In verse 3 he talks about being a soldier and the rewards a soldier receives for battle.
• In verse 5 he talks about athletes competing in such a way that they get a reward.
• And in verse 6 it is the hard-working farmer.
“It is the hard working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.”
2 Timothy 2:6
Stick with me. This is going somewhere good.
Here is the agrarian thing I mentioned a moment ago. If a farmer works hard he has the right to the pick of the crops, which produce not only food, but more seed for even greater crops.
The farmer can’t create seed. Spiritually speaking, we can’t create spiritual life, only God can do that, but we can be involved in the planting and harvesting of it.
The point is this: Those who actively enter into the work…the hard work…of evangelism for the sake of the elect (verse 10) will receive a reward. Those who don’t, won’t. Period.
Won’t God bring someone else?
I’ve heard people say, “If I don’t want to witness, won’t God bring someone else? I mean the “elect” will get saved. Do I have to be involved? It’s such hard work.
The answer is, “Yes, God will bring others along for He is going to save those He has chosen. The question is do you want to be like the farmer who eats and gains even more acreage for his future crops, or do you want to starve spiritually?”
The crops are new believers, and “harvesting lost people” also brings spiritual vitality.
Individual’s and churches that are outward focused reap rewards both here and in eternity. We must continually fight inward thinking for it brings dryness and death.
I like what Francis Chan says about this: He states something like, “Do you feel stale and distant from Christ? If so, join Christ in His mission of making disciples.”
The number one cause for spiritual complacency, both individually and corporately is an unwillingness harvest lost people.
In Luke 10 Jesus tells us…
“The harvest is plentiful (meaning it’s there for the picking) but the laborers are few. (meaning most people are unwilling to exert the effort to harvest what is already there) Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the Harvest (meaning that Jesus is sovereign over the harvest) to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Luke 10:2
This verse leads us to a 4th reason why we should witness, even though election is sure…
Reason #4: Knowing that God elects some unto salvation should give tremendous confidence in witnessing. [Luke 10:2, Acts 18:10]
Without election, evangelism would be much like a salesman trying to sell his products in a graveyard. Mankind is spiritually dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). They don’t have the ability to respond to the gospel because they are dead, dead. Only through the gracious act of God in electing and regenerating a specific people can anyone turn to Christ.
The great evangelist George Whitfield put it this way:
“Man hath a free will to go to hell, but none to go to heaven, till God worketh in him to will and to do His good pleasure.”
George Whitfield
R.C. Sproul writes…
“If the final decision for the salvation of fallen sinners were left in the hand of fallen sinners, we would despair of all hope that anyone would be saved.”
R.C. Sproul
The reason for this is that the Bible plainly states that none seek after God. (Romans 3:10-12)
Good News…
Now the good news is this: God HAS chosen some for salvation which should lead to confidence in sharing the good news.
Fatalistic Attitude?
Some say that election leads to a fatalistic or lazy attitude toward evangelism.
I think it’s the opposite.
If salvation were not a complete and total work of God…
• I’d be terrified of evangelism for fear that I would mess up the gospel message. John MacArthur says, “If I thought people went to heaven based upon my ability to convince them, I couldn’t live with the fact that hell was being populated with my inabilities.”
• I’d be tempted to manipulate the gospel…to soften it in order to increase the likelihood of someone saying “yes” to Jesus.
• I’d focus on technique more than making sure I know the truths I am to share. While it’s important to learn technique, technique isn’t the thing that saves.
Election frees us from all of these things! It gives confidence!
In Acts 18, Paul is in Corinth and the gospel has been rejected by the Jews there.
How does God encourage Paul to not be afraid, to “keep on preaching and not be silent” (v.9)?
“I am with you, and no one is going to attack or harm you, because I have many people in this city.”
Acts 18:10
God assures Paul of His presence, His protection and His election.
And Paul responds by staying for a year and a half, teaching them the Word of God.
The point is this: Don’t sweat it. The next person you pray for and share the gospel with may be one of God’s elect!
Reason #5: Gospel givers experience Christ in deep, profound ways. [Philippians 3:7-10]
In Philippians 3:10 Paul says…
“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.”
Philippians 3:10
The night before Jesus was crucified He told His disciples (and us) that suffering is part of joining in His mission.
There are at least two types of suffering. The first is one common to all people whether saved or not. The second kind of suffering is the result of being a gospel giver…not a Christian, but a Christian who gives the gospel to others. This is the kind of suffering that Paul speaks of in Philippians 3:10.
Here’s the point: It is this 2nd kind of suffering that allows us to experience Christ deeply! When we share in gospel work, we experience the beauty of Christ’s presence in the fellowship of His life and sufferings. Some Christians never experience Christ deeply because they are unwilling to work the harvest fields. God is going to save whom He will save, but He has called us to work the fields, which is hard work. Those who work, experience Jesus and His joy deeply, for there is much joy when a sinner gets saved.
LONG PAUSE
Conclusion:
The fields are white unto harvest. Will you actively, personally pursue lost people?
I want to end this morning with a story that happened to me. Back in 1980 God used me to lead Jeanette H. to faith in Christ. She was a no name girl in my high school group of some 100 plus students. What I mean is that she wasn’t a cheerleader, athlete. She wasn’t popular. I don’t remember leading her to the Lord until 2010.
Fast forward 30 years. At the end of 2009, I found myself burnt out in ministry. I mean I was crispy, desperately in need of rest. So my church gave me a sabbatical which eventually ended up with “extended rest” for close to one year.
It was at the end of 2009 that Jeanette came across my mind. I wondered if she was still walking with the Lord, but knew nothing of what happened to her…until she found my wife through a Facebook search. As Jean and Jeanette began talking Jean quickly found out that Jeanette not only is walking with Christ but that God has used her to lead 100’s to faith in Christ. She led her parents to Christ shortly after high school. One was an atheist, the other an agnostic. She led an Uncle, part of a motorcycle gang, to Christ…the list went on.
We asked where they are now. She said that she was serving as a Children’s Pastor in Houston and wished that she and her husband could see us.
Amazingly (providentially) Jean and I had just signed up to attend a parenting conference in Houston weeks earlier. So the four of us got together for dinner and this burnt out pastor listened for 2 hours how God has been using this woman to reach literally hundreds with the Gospel.
God let me experience the joy of someone I harvested some 30 years earlier! It was the beginning of my recovery. And it’s Jeanette’s story too. She is full of life and vitality because she obediently shared Christ.
God may be writing her biography, which many will read in heaven.
The fields are white unto harvest. Will you actively, personally pursue lost people?
In some ways it matters not if you believe in free will or election. We are commanded to go. I hope though that the reasons for “going” convince those who believe in election, to not kick back and take it easy. There is too much at stake to do such a thing.
