Jesus: God's Elect (Part 4)

"Behold, My Servant, Mine Elect in Whom My Soul delighteth" (Isa 42:1)

“For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord has chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto Himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth” (Deut 14:2). Those chosen by God are removed from among the common people and are separated unto God. They have been called to a work that has not been given to any other. They are peculiar as compared to others and they are a people specifically devoted unto God. They have been selected for a determined purpose of God. 

Israel was chosen by God as the people through whom He would send Christ. Even Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar were chosen a special instruments to do God’s works and be vessels through which He would manifest His own purpose and accomplish it. But Jesus is the primary Elect One and is altogether Holy. He is separate from sinners (which is the rest of humanity). His work would not and could not be given to another for none other had power to accomplished it. 

Election is in Order to a Work. The Levites were chosen “… out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the Lord” (Deut 18:5). A work needed to be done and they were chosen to do it. From among them there would be ministers in the sanctuary to offer up sacrifices, specific families selected to set up and break down the tabernacle, and those chosen to carry the holy things throughout the wilderness. All who were chosen were then required to be faithful stewards of their election in order for the work to be accomplished.

Similarly, Solomon was chosen to build the temple of God in Jerusalem and also exhorted to make sure it was accomplished. His father said to him, “Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it” (1 Chr 28:10). Finishing the work is what it means to make your calling and election sure. If you have been chosen to a task and a ministry, your completion of it is your surety to your election. He calls in righteousness and makes no mistakes. So consider this brethren, the Lord has “chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2 Th 2:13). Do the things that accompany salvation and “ye shall never fall” (2 Pet 1:10).

Now behold, God’s Elect has a ministry and He shall not fail. He will faithfully carry out His ministry for He always does the things that please the Father. In a sense, the eternal purpose of God depends on Jesus’ ability to make His calling and election sure. He has finished His work in the earth and He will finish His work from the right hand of God. He is Faithful and True. “I have laid help upon One that is mighty; I have exalted One chosen out of the people. I have found David My Servant; with My holy oil have I anointed Him; with Whom My hand shall be established; Mine arm also shall strengthen Him…” (Ps 89:19ff). Jesus has been called to the work of salvation. He is the Savior. God is delighted in His choice.

Election to Leadership. “…and have chosen David to be over My people Israel” (2 Chr 6:6). “I have made a covenant with My Chosen, I have sworn unto David My Servant, ‘Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up Thy throne to all generations” (Ps 89:3-4). As depicted in the kings of old and primarily David, the man after God’s own heart, Jesus has been chosen to be over the kingdom of God. He is leading, warring, providing, and building. His kingdom is advancing, peace is increasing, glory is abounding, and strongholds are being overthrown. We will never be without direction as long as we follow the Lamb and give heed to His voice. The bounds of our habitation and details of every day life are determined by God, experienced by us, and overseen by the Chief Steward. While we may not know those things in advance we do know that the Lord will be with us. For we have been called into fellowship with Him. 

The Habitation of God is Chosen by God. God doesn’t just reside anywhere. In times past He had chosen a land to place His name and sanctuary for a house. “But I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name might be there” (2 Chr 6:6). Now He resides in His Son. He is our refuge, strength, and high tower. All the fulness of the Godhead dwells in Him in bodily form. With that being the case, those who are in Jesus are in the covenant of God and in fellowship of the Godhead - "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Men, have then become a spiritual house, a habitation of God through the Spirit. 

Jesus embodied this while on the earth and now that He has been glorified, He has sent the Spirit that He might be with us forever. Never again do men need to be as sheep without a shepherd for the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls is with us and He will not leave us nor forsake us. He shall leads us in paths of righteousness, feed us in green pastures and takes us to still waters. God has chosen Him to be this for us.

Chosen as the One Foundation of God’s Building. Jesus is unique. He is the only one upon Whom all the work of God can rest. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 3:11). God has laid “in Zion a Chief Cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded” ( 1 Pet 4:6). 

Men have been brought into fellowship with Deity and the work of salvation because they have been place upon a good foundation. Furthermore, they have been influenced and empowered by that foundation. Jesus is the Living Stone that has given life to the rest of the stones. We have come to Him, “as unto a Living Stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4-5). Jesus makes the participation of man stable and right. The only reason we have part in the ministry of reconciliation is because the Foundation upon which we build and stand is a Solid Rock that will not allow us to fall. 

God chose a Man to save man. He had to be like unto His brethren but better than them. He had to be able to touch them but with His touch, heal them. He needed to walk among them while remaining undefiled and incorruptible. He needed to be a living stone that gave life to the otherwise dead stones. And He is. Jesus is God's Elect and therefore, salvation is sure to all them that have Him.

Jesus: God's Elect (Part 3)

"Behold, Mine Servant, Whom I uphold; Mine Elect, in Whom My soul delighteth" (Isa 42:1)

The Revelation of Election is by the Actions of the Elect. 

How are men able to recognize those whom God has chosen. Primarily, how are men to recognize the Elect One of God? It is by the record that God has given AND by the works of the elect. In other words, God will declare whom He has chosen and then what they do will be evidence of this election. This is true of Christ and this is true of anyone else chosen by God.  

The Works of the Messiah. Being God's Elect according to Isaiah 42 meant being the Messiah. God's Elect would be His Anointed One; the One who would save Israel. He was promised to come and was understood to be the King of the Jews that would deliver the people from their enemies. Many of Jesus' day perceived that this Messiah would come and deliver them from tyrannical Roman rule. They failed to recognize that sin and death were their greatest enemies, not the Romans. So when Jesus came declaring that He was the Son of God, their Messiah and at the same time refused to fight with the sword, they rejected His testimony and the testimonies of others. They rejected Jesus because, in their minds, His works did not accord with His profession. 

Yet, the prophets did speak of what God's Elect would do. Consider the record of Isaiah 42:

• He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles (v1)
• He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street (v2)
• A bruised reed shall He not break, and a smoking flax shall he not quench (v3)
• He shall bring forth judgment unto truth (v3)
• He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth (v4)
• He will be given as a covenant of the people (v6)
• He will be a light of the Gentiles (v6)
• He will open blind eyes and bring out prisoners from the prison (v7)

His Own Received Him Not. The Jews' mocking of Jesus revealed that they knew that God’s elect would be the Messiah but it also revealed that they did not know how the Messiah would save them. They called on Him to perform that which they thought the Messiah should do. “…He saved others,” they said, “let Him save Himself, if He be Christ, the chosen of God” (Lk 23:35). They rejected Isaiah's prophecy that God's servant would bare the sin of many and pour out His soul unto death (Isa 53:12).

They even rejected the testimony of Christ's forerunner. John testified of Jesus’ election: that He was the Christ. His message was "Behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." Though, the appropriate response from the people was to rejoice in John’s light and believe, the majority of the religious elite of that day rejected John's testimony. However, Jesus said that John’s testimony was not all. The Father hath borne witness of Jesus (Jn 5:37). Moses wrote of Him (Jn 5:46). The Scriptures themselves are "they which testify of" Jesus (Jn 5:39). Yet Jesus said there was another.

“I have greater witness than that of John, for the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me" (Jn 5:36).

Jesus is revealed as the Elect of God by His works. When pressed, “How long dost Thou make us to doubt? If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly (Jn 10:24), Jesus said, “I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me” (Jn 10:25). His election was made sure and shown to be true and right by His ability to save to put away sin, lay down His life, take it up again, save men to the uttermost, and at last bring all things into subjection under His feet thus defeating every foe. His works testify of His election.

The Scriptures, the testimony of John, the Witness of God Himself, the work of the Holy Spirit and the works of Jesus all reveal that Jesus is the Chosen of God, the Christ that saves the world. As men behold this truth and it presses upon their spirits they will cling unto Him with purpose of heart and He will show Himself to be a mighty Savior. As Jesus also declared: their response to His election is a revelation of their election. “But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (Jn 10:26-27). Believe in Jesus. Make your calling and election sure. 

Jesus: God's Elect (Part 2)

"Behold, My Servant, Whom I uphold, Mine Elect in Whom My soul delighteth" (Isa 42:1)

SAINTS OF OLD WERE ELECTED TO MANIFEST GOD'S ELECT

When God said, “Behold, Mine Elect” He was pointing His finger at Jesus and declaring that all the hope of man would be upon Him and He would be victorious. “Look for Him, believe in Him, trust in Him, lay hold of Him, He is the covenant to the people. He is My Chosen One.” Prior to the incarnation of Christ God chose vessels through which He would prepare future generations for the recognition and reception of the His Elect. We must have this perspective to have an appropriate understanding of "election" in the kingdom of God.

All those chosen by God are chosen in view of Jesus. Men are chosen based upon God's eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus and their connectedness with Jesus Himself. Think about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, David, Solomon, the prophets and priests. They were all chosen, NOT because they were superior to their contemporaries, but because of the role they would play in what God had purposed to do in Christ. God introduced us to these men so that they could introduce us to Jesus. For those who were looking for the Messiah, there would be a sort of familiarity with Him upon even their first encounter. God was preparing men to receive His Son. 

Matthew, therefore introduces Jesus to the world in these terms: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Mt 1:1). Anyone familiar with the Divine record has become intimately acquainted with both David and Abraham. God's choice of these men and the promises given to them were all in view of the Servant of God, Whom God would manifest in the fullness of time.  To Abraham it was said, "in thy Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Gen 22:18). To David it was said, "behold, a son shall be born to the, who shall be a man of rest...He shall build an house for My name; and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever" (1 Chr 22:9-10). Of course, Solomon was the immediate fulfillment of this word but no doubt, Jesus is the "body" of this "shadow."

Philip introduced Nathanael to Jesus in these terms: "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write" (Jn 1:45). God chose Moses and the prophets and Israel was very familiar with them. But Moses and the prophets were not the focus of God's choice. They were chosen to speak about the coming Messiah; the Chosen One of God. And so the people of God gave attention to the word of the prophets and the patriarchs and were then acquainted with the promise of a coming King who would rule over Israel as both king and priest; a Prophet who would tell them all things (Jn 4:25); a Savior who would take away their sins. Philip and Nathanael were both acquainted with God's election of Moses and the prophets and as a result they were looking for this One.

To the two on the road to Emmaus, Jesus introduced Himself by beginning at Moses and all the prophets and expounding unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (Lk 24:47). The gospel of Christ brings to light that all the Scriptures are really speaking about Jesus. This is what Jesus was doing with these two men. He was helping them make the connection with their knowledge of Moses and the prophets and Himself being the substance of those ministries. Paul testified that this too was his purpose in ministering the word of God.

"...according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began but now is made manifest...by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith." (Romans 16:25-26)

The mystery of God in Christ is made known by the opening up of the scriptures of the prophets. They testified of Christ both in their lives and in their words.

Time would fail us if we sought to numerate all of the prophecies of Jesus but the point here is that God's election of other men is not because of those other men...it is because of Christ. Men are not primarily chosen by God to save to His people but to shine the spotlight of revelation upon the Savior of all men. The saints of old were chosen of God to manifest the Chosen One of God. And, dear reader, if you have been chosen by God it is for this same purpose - not for your own glory but for the glory of God in Christ Jesus, His Elect. 

Jesus: God's Elect (Part 1)

"Behold, My Servant, Whom I uphold, Mine Elect in Whom My soul delighteth" (Isa 42:1)

BEHOLD. HIM.

God has, in many places, declared WHAT He would do and THAT He would do it. Isaiah 42 is a declaration concerning WHO would accomplish it and HOW He would accomplish it. Before the foundations of the world were laid God, the Father had determined to glorify Himself by saving man. Then, in time and history, He stretched forth His arm in the person; the Man, Christ Jesus and performed His will. Jesus is the means through which God would accomplish the work of salvation. Furthermore, He is the "Worker" who would accomplish it. 

God’s Choice. The world needs saving. The world needs a Savior: One who will do what is necessary. God determined that all of His good pleasure would be accomplished by His Elect. His Choice for saving man would not be a location, not a commandment, not a system, not even an angel. His Elect would be His own Son; a man. 

When the Lord looked upon the face of the earth He saw that there was no man (born of the flesh) that could accomplish His eternal purpose; for it was purposed in Christ Jesus the Lord. No tryouts would be possible, no application process necessary, no voting of men would be appropriate for there was none that qualified, none good, no, not one. 

How then could salvation be accomplished? With men this proved to be an impossibility but not with God. For God had already made a choice. The election of Jesus was not a reaction to the absence of an able man in the earth. Rather, the absence of an able man in the earth was evidence of the need for a Divine man to be sent to the earth. And so, Jesus' "goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting"(Mic 5:2) so that He could save men from their sin, satisfy the righteous requirement of the Law, and please the Father once for all.

God’s Covenant. In view of unveiling this great salvation to the minds of men, the Lord promised a  covenant that He would make with the people of Israel and the people of Judah that would not be like the one He made with them when He took them by the hand out of the land of Egypt. This covenant would be more “living” than that one. It would not be contained in laws and ordinances, it would be contained in a person. It would not rest on their ability to fulfill demands but on God’s ability to accomplish what He had promised. So, finding fault with the flesh’s ability to measure up, God sent His Servant in the fulness of time to be "a covenant of the people" (Isa 42:6) and His "salvation unto the end of the earth" (Isa 49:6). This Jesus is not only be a messenger of the covenant (Mal 3:1) and a mediator of the covenant (Heb 8:6; 12:24), He IS the covenant. He is the arrangement, agreement, provision and promise that God has purposed to save men and justify all judgment. He is God's Choice.

Consider Jesus, of Nazareth: God’s Elect. Behold HIM!