I have a subject this afternoon, and I have several texts that I'm going to quote as I look at this message. But the message this evening is about one of the most serious subjects any of us can ever undertake to study on, to proclaim, or to listen to. And that is the subject of God's election. God's election. I'm not talking about some political election. I'm not talking about choosing a politician to represent us in our statehouse or in Washington. I'm talking about God's choice. Those that God chose to salvation. And that there isn't an election It can't be denied that God has chosen a great multitude out of Adam's race to salvation. It is everywhere taught to us in the Holy Scriptures. God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 13. And you find these under different names in the Scriptures. Those that God has chosen, sometimes you find them under that name, the Chosen. Sometimes you find them under the name of His Elect. Sometimes you find them under the name of Sheep. Sometimes you find them under the term Vessels of Mercy. And the Lord liked a term that He often used those that were given him of the Father. This is the will of him that sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing." I like the term that they go under sometimes, as many. In Acts 13.48, as many as were ordained to eternal life. as many as were set aside, chosen to eternal life. They believed. That's election. That's election. The Scripture teaches that. And there's two things about this election. One is when it took place. When did God make His choice? Now, John chapter 6 and verse 37 has it in the present tense. all that the Father giveth to me." You won't find that very often in the Scriptures. In Psalms chapter 2, the Father speaking to the Son, and he says, Ask of me, and I'll give you the heathen. That's written in present tense. But it no doubt is written there to show that God's election is unchangeable. That it's always fresh. that it's always continuance. But it's clear from the Scriptures, as you and I read closely, when election took place initially. When did God make His choice? Listen to these Scriptures, Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 4, God hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world. And then in 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 13, God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. Whenever that beginning was. If it was from the beginning of time before the world was, if you can find the beginning, there you can find where God made His choice. In 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 9, God hath saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. So election took place before time. God chose those whom he was going to save before he ever made the world. The election of God then, this choosing them to salvation, this setting them aside, took place before they believed and before they had a being and before the world was ever made. The election of God is unconditional. That is, He never looked them through time and saw one person was different than another person, and He chose that person because of the difference He saw in them. He never saw one person would do something that another person would not do, and He chose them because He foresaw what they would do. God's election stands upon this ground. It's according to His own sovereign will and good pleasure, to the praise of the glory of His grace. It's a free election. It's according to the will and good pleasure of God. Now, here's my question. And the reason I want to ask this question, as I said this morning, It's because you and I are living in a day of pride and arrogance. When men boast themselves, not only that they have free will, but the power of that will. That until they exercise their free will and the power of it, God's hands are tied and can do nothing. That's free will. And it's deceptive. It comes from the heart of a lost and regenerate man, and it's promoted by hell itself. And you and I are living in a day when this doctrine is rampant. And therefore, I'm anxious to ask this question and then to prove it from Scripture. And here's my question concerning God's election. Can the non-elect be saved? Can those whom God has passed by in election be saved? Is it possible for them to be saved? And I'll hurriedly answer this question by this. No, they cannot be saved. No person left out of God's election will be, neither can they be saved. Now you ask, why is that? And I want to give you scriptural reasons why that is. I don't want to give you my opinion. Your opinion is as good as mine. You're not here for my opinion. You're here for scriptural reason. And may these scriptural reasons drive self-righteousness from us once and for all. May it humble us before the feet of the Son of God and seek to be saved by free and sovereign grace, and may we hate that which our generations call their free will. May this message do that. And first of all, why is it that I say the non-elect cannot be saved? First of all is this, the number of the elect have been settled in the decree of God before time. That number cannot be increased any more than it can be diminished. That number is fixed. Listen to these passages. As many as were ordained to eternal life, they believed. As many, but no more. Thank God, no less, but no more. As many. In Romans chapter 8, verse 29 and 30, Those whom God foreknew, them He predestinated. Those He predestinated, them He called. Them He called, those He also justified. Them He justified, He also glorified. Did you get that? Those and them. Those that He foreknew, them He glorified. Those whom God left out of His purpose and predestination cannot be saved because the number cannot be changed. The number is fixed. In John chapter 6 and verse 37, the Lord says it this way, All that the Father gives to me shall come to me. All men don't come to Christ. But all of those whom the Father gives to Him do. But nobody else. All of those whom He gives, but only them. God settled upon the number before time, and the number will not be increased. It cannot be increased any more than it can be diminished. If one non-elect soul were saved, then God's decree in election would be fallible. It would be changeable. I tell you what, I'd rather go to hell myself than God's decree be changed. Wouldn't you? I'd rather face the flames of hell than to have to trust a God who is fallible in His decree. Therefore we read in Romans chapter 11 and verse 7, the elect have obtained it. The election has obtained life. They did then and they are today. The elect are obtaining justification, righteousness, and all the precious blessings that God has laid out for them. But listen to this, the rest, the rest, Who are the rest? That's the non-elect. That's those who are left out. You have the election. They obtain faith and repentance and life. But the rest, what happens to the rest? They don't obtain those blessings. Why? They're blinded. They're blinded by God. They're blinded by sin. They're blinded by Satan. They're blinded. The Lamb's Book of Life that contains the name of every elect soul will never see the smudge of an eraser, neither will it feel the wetness of fresh ink. All those names that were in the Book of Life were put in there before the foundation of the world. No names are taken out, and no names are added. Therefore, the non-elect cannot be saved because they are not in that number. Someone will say this, Bruce, this discourages me from seeking the Lord because I fear that I'm not one of the elect. Well, let me clear up that fear. Let me do it this way. You cannot know your election. You cannot know whether God has chosen you as long as you live without faith in the Son of God. Only those who have came to the Lord Jesus Christ to believe upon Him savingly, only those are saved, and it is only the saved who can be assured of their election. No unsaved person, no unbeliever, can know whether or not God has elected them. It's only those who have come to Christ. All that the Father gives to me, they shall come to me. It's not so much our election that we should be concerned about first and foremost. It's this. Have I come to Christ? Am I coming to Christ? If we can answer that and have God to bear witness to it, we should never fear election. The elect hear the gospel. The elect believe the gospel. The elect turn to God, and they wait for his Son from heaven who delivered them from the wrath to come. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. If you are here today and you are not in Christ, you have nothing to do with election. That is God's business. That is God's business. But you have a great deal to do with coming to the Lord Jesus Christ. You have a great deal to do with your soul's salvation. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon you. That's your business if you're here this afternoon with Dr. Christ. Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. That's your business. Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. That's your business. to be concerned about your sin and concerned about your sins being washed in the Savior's blood. Take with you words and turn to the Lord and say unto Him, Lord, take away all iniquity and receive us graciously. And when you find yourself in Christ, accepted and complete in Him, Then and only then can you have the assurance that God has elected you to come to Christ. And then you don't have to fear election. Did that clear that up? But I'll give you this warning. Make sure it's this ungrounded fear that you're grappling with A fear of God's election and not contempt for His election. Some would say, I fear that I'm not one of His elect, but it's not fear at all. It's contempt. This world has contempt for God's distinguishing grace. It's not fear at all. And be careful for this. Don't use the excuse of God's election. For you are not turning from sin to Christ. God sees through these things. He sees through the excuses that men use for not coming. And He knows it. And He will judge a man accordingly. First step is this. The non-elect cannot be saved because that number is fixed. It is fixed, as fixed as the sovereign, everlasting God himself. Secondly, the non-elect cannot be saved for this reason. They do not have the saving grace given to them that God gives to the elect soul. They are left out of the number. They don't have that grace given to them that God has reserved for the elect soul. The Lord Jesus was teaching in parables one day, and his disciples came to him and they said, Lord, why are you teaching to the people in parables? They don't understand what you're saying. And he said, I'm doing this on purpose. And then he makes this wonderful searching statement. He says, unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, to them who are without, to them who are unbelieving, it is not given. God gives light to the understanding of the elect soul, and he withholds this light from the rest. He opens the heart of those chosen vessels to hear and believe and understand while he may merely knock at the other heart's door and pass on by. God works secretly but powerfully in the heart of every elect soul, causing them to be heavy, causing them to stoop, and finally bow and surrender to be saved in Jesus Christ. Don't the Scripture teach that? Thy people shall be willing when? In the day of thy power. You see this all through the Scripture. Look at Saul of Tarsus, the chief rebel in the New Testament. But look how he bows. Oh, look how he stoops. What does he say when the Master comes with power to his heart? What does he do? He throws up the flag. Does he not? White flag. I surrender. Lord, what will you have me to do? That's the power it takes to save a man. Manasseh, that wicked king who rebelled against the Lord, he brings him into prison, throws him down in a pit, and there in his affliction, He seeks the Lord. He gives himself up to the Lord. There's the thief on the cross. What's he doing? He's mocking the Son of God. He grinds him with his teeth. If you're the Son of God, save us and save yourself. But what happens? Oh, there's a secret, but mighty power comes into that man's heart. And it breaks him and bows him. And what does he say? Lord, remember me. Lord, remember me. This is the saving power and grace of God that it takes to convert a man. This is the grace that he withholds from the nonelect. God doesn't work with the same power in the hearts of the nonelect as he does the elect. In John chapter 6 and verse 29, this is a very familiar scripture. The Jews had asked the Lord Jesus, what must we do to work the works of God? And the Lord said this, this is the work of God that you believe. Did you notice how he said that? You're believing is the work of God. You can't believe apart from the work of God in you. These poor free willers tell us today that their regeneration and their conversion is the effect of the power of their will. That is up to them to exercise that will, and until they do, they have literally tied the hands of God. But the Bible says this, we can only believe as God works in us by His mighty power and grace. The same power that it took to raise the Son of God from the dead. That's the power that it takes to bring us to faith. in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the work of God that you believe. And then he turns right around and says to these same people, he says, you have seen me and believed not. This is the work of God that you believe. And he says, yet you don't believe me. Why didn't they believe? God never worked in their hearts to believe. God denied them that which would have saved their soul. And what is that? The power of His grace working in their hearts. Therefore, what was the final consequences? They said, this is a hard saying. And they went away. They went away. Apollos, that great, eloquent man, was a preacher. The Lord enlightened him. on a clear view of the gospel, and they sent him down to Achaia to preach to those disciples there, and the scripture says, he helped them much who had believed through grace. That is the way we believe, through grace. With a heart, men believe unto righteousness. unto salvation. There is no salvation apart from believing, and there is no believing apart from grace. And it is this grace, I am telling you, that God withholds from the nonelect. And if He withholds this grace, you cannot, neither will you, believe you will not come to the Lord Jesus Christ. No man can come to Me. He don't have the ability to do it, except my Father which sent me draw him. It's this drawing grace, it's this fetching grace, it's this coming grace that God withholds from the nonelect. And therefore they do not come, neither can they come. Who maketh you to differ from another? And what do you have but what you have received? A man can receive nothing except it be given to him from heaven. And if a man has come to the Lord Jesus Christ, it's because it's been given to him by the free grace of God. If a man is brokenhearted and he's contracting his spirit, these are the sacrifices of God. And if he's unable to leave his sin and come to Christ and fall upon him to be saved, it's a gift of God. But God does what he will with his own. It's not a gift we merit. It's not a gift that we can earn. It's not a gift we can purchase. It's one that God must give us. Oh, dear soul, don't play with the things of God. Don't dabble in your willful sin and tempt Him to destroy you. Don't procrastinate with the excuses that you're waiting for Him to draw you. He may never do so. He's under no obligation to do so. And since He's not, then go to Him like those of old and say this, Draw me, and then I'll come. Turn me, and I shall be turned. Save me, save me, and then I shall be saved. I can but perish if I go. I am resolved to try. If I stay away, I know I shall forever die. Reject this silly, hellish notion that God owes every man a chance. That God is obligated to call a man one time, but everything else beyond that is mercy. That's why I'm preaching this message, to drive us from this free will. How many people has it damned in their heart, in their head, in their high minded? Oh, go to the Lord Jesus Christ. Go to God by Him and humble yourself. And say, Oh God, be merciful to me. Draw me. I have nothing. I am nothing. If you spit in my direction, I'll count it a favor. That number cannot be increased. God withholds from the non-elect what He gives to His chosen people. And that is saving grace in every aspect of it. And thirdly is this. The non-elect cannot be saved because everything in them stands against their salvation. Their whole heart is opposed to them being saved. Their heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Their conscience is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. In their affection they love darkness rather than light. And their own will is opposed to coming to Christ. You will not come to me that you may have light. And this opposition is manifested in many ways. As you talk to your co-workers and your friends and your neighbors, you'll notice this opposition to their own salvation. And the first one is this. Ignorance. Ignorance. Now, ignorant refusal and denial are the one's own self-righteous rags. and giving oneself up to be saved by the righteousness of another, Jesus Christ. Wasn't this the problem with the Jews? Paul said, I pray for them, that they might be saved. Oh, they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. Paul, what is their problem? They being ignorant of God's righteousness. They go about to establish their own righteousness. And therefore they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Hopeful and Christian in Pilgrim's Progress, they often ran into old ignorance. If you read Pilgrim's Progress, you remember old ignorance. That was his name. And he thought that he could work out a righteousness that God would accept him in. And they were telling him that he needed the perfect righteousness of another, namely, Jesus Christ. And he said, you mean to tell me that you'd have me to think that Jesus Christ has did all in my justification and there's nothing I can do but simply believe on Him for it? And they said, oh, poor England, Jesus Christ was pleased to do all for you. But you know what? as often as they met him, and as lovingly and firmly as they pleaded with him, they never got him to give up his righteousness. When he crossed the river of death and went up to the celestial city and knocked on the door, they refused him entrance, because he was in his own righteous, in his own rags. And the angels, the shining ones, come and they bound him up and took him and cast him in the hole in the side of the hill. But he wouldn't give it up. You know something? The last thing men will give up is their own goodness, is their own righteousness. They're ignorant of their need. His has to be revealed to them. They'll hang on to this. The Lord Jesus told about those Pharisees that went up to the temple to pray, and they trusted in themselves. That's it. That's why they can't be saved. Their own heart's trust is against salvation that's in Christ. They trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and Christ Himself and those apostles never could beat those Jews out of that self-trust. That's why men can't be saved. You talk to some of your religious neighbors, and you'll see they're trusting in themselves. And a man who trusts in his own heart, he's a fool. He'll perish. He'll perish. Christ and His obedience is never enough for these self-righteous Pharisees to be justified, and they'll perish in their ignorance. Oh, the Lord told the prophet of old, this is a people of no understanding. Therefore, he that made them will have no mercy upon them, and he that farmed them will show them no favor. You see a man that is wise in his own conceit, Solomon said, there is more hope of a fool. You see a man who says, oh, I can please God in myself. I would be afraid to face God without something of my own. That man is a wise man in his own conceit, and there is no hope for him. Something else stands against his own salvation, his tongue. How many men perish because of their tongue? See a man hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than that man, the wise man said. I had a young man come to my house one night. I thought he was interested in seeking the Lord. I thought he was under conviction of sin. I thought he wanted for me to send and tell him about somebody who could meet the needs of his poor lost soul. But when he got there, all he did was talk. He carried on for an hour. Talked and talked. He never would shut up. And he left, and my wife said, he reminds me of Mr. Talkative in Pilgrim's Progress. He wasn't seeking the Lord. You know what happens when a man begins to seek the Lord? He'll shut up. As long as he's talking, he'll never believe. Faith doesn't come by talking. Faith comes by hearing. Of his own will, begot he us with a word of truth. Therefore, let every man be swift to hear and slow to speak. There are men who talk themselves right into hell. Did you know that? I remember Jean, dear Jean Whitehead. She called me one morning early. And she said the Lord had just saved her. And I was asking her all about it. And she took me over to Lamentations chapter 3. And she said, the Lord used this chapter to strip me. He stripped me and brought me to Himself. Let me read you just a few verses in that chapter. It's good that a man bear the yoke in his youth. He sets alone and keeps silent, because he hath borne it upon him. He puts his mouth in the dust, if so be There may be hope. As long as a man's talking, his tongue is just clearing the way to hell. You want to know why men can't be saved? The tongue is one of the problems. It's one of the problems. Thirdly is this. The non-elect cannot be saved because there's always some sin. that they will not let go of to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is always one sin. There is always another sin that reigns in the heart. Remember the rich man that came to the Lord Jesus? And he said, Lord, what must I do to have eternal life? He seemed like he had such a desire for life, and I imagine he did. But the Lord finally told him, sell all your riches. Give them to the poor and come and take up your cross and follow me." What was his reaction? He was sorrowful. He was sad. Why? He had great riches. At least they were great in his own eyes. He put so much estimation upon them, he said, I'll have them before I'll have the Savior. That's the way of every unregenerate man until God conquers him, until God shows us the treasure and the worth that's in the Son of God. When you see Him, what do you do? Then you let it go. Then you let it go. But not this rich man. Not this rich man. Boy, he found something. He put such estimation upon his temporal, worldly riches. That he said, I'll let go of everything else. I'll give up my wife. I'll give up my children. I'll give this up and I'll give that up. But this one sin, this one sin, Christ is not worthy. Can a man be saved with that attitude? No, he will not be saved with that attitude. We have this doctrine now that's been preached to us for quite some time that you can have Jesus as your Savior. You can just accept Him or decide for Him as your Savior. Somewhere down the road, perhaps, you may surrender yourself up to Him as your Lord. But they come as one. He's our Lord and our Savior. And it's not just one sin. It's the principle. It's the love of the principle of sin. There was a man that came to Charles Spurgeon one time and said, Mr. Spurgeon, how many sins can I hold on to and yet be saved? He said, sir, not a one. Not a one. Sin is a principle. And when the Lord Jesus reveals Himself to us, when He gives us a new heart, it's sin in its principle that we hate. Oh, he went away sad. And I'll assure anybody of this, if they're not one of God's elect, they'll find something to hang on to. They will not let go of it for Christ. They have never been able to say, neither do they desire to say, all to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give. Oh, whatever desires they have for life, they always desire some sin above all else, even above Christ Himself. Oh, don't get me wrong. Don't get me wrong. We haven't got over this thing of sin. We'll struggle with it all of our life. Not a day goes by that we don't have to bring ourselves to surrender to Christ again. I wish we had totally and forever give ourselves up to Him, but every day it's a battle, is it not? But in spite of that, That's the desire of every regenerate soul, to love nothing and to choose nothing above the Lord Jesus Christ. And this the non-elect cannot do. They cannot do. And lastly is this, fourthly is this, two more points and I'll quickly quit. They cannot be saved because they resist the Holy Ghost. In Acts 7, verse 51, you stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always resist the Holy Ghost. As your fathers did, so do you. Now, somebody told me one time, he said, don't ever say that the Holy Spirit can be resisted. And you know what I told him? I've never said that. But I've repeated it often. The Bible says that. The Bible says that. And that's what the non-elect do. They resist His timely influences. His wooing upon their conscience. His warnings. He warns them through the preaching of the Word. He warns them through providence. He lays a man or woman upon their backs and afflicts them sore to turn them from their purpose. And what's their final conclusion? The Lord said, I called and you refused. You hardened your heart. And those who harden their hearts shall suddenly be destroyed without remedy. But that's what they do. That's what they do. They resist the Holy Ghost. Finally, they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. They receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. It's the truth that saves us. We can't be saved without hearing the truth. I'm not talking about this particular truth or that particular truth, but we cannot be saved without hearing the truth of who God is. We can't be saved without hearing the truth of what we are and the truth of who Christ, the only way to the Father, who He is and what He's done. But it's not just the truth that saves us. as essential as that is. But it's also this, the love of the truth. J.C. Philpott and those dear men of old, John Warburton and William Huntington and men like them, they often warn people of the danger of receiving the truth into the head and not the love of it in the heart. How many people believe Calvinism? How many people have stuffed their brains full of those doctrines? And though they're good in themselves and wonderful and we rejoice in them, those truths stuck in the head saves nobody. What is it that secures a man's repentance? It's the love of the truth. Get the love of the truth in your heart. Then you'll turn. And get the love of the truth in your heart and you'll never go away. You'll never go away from Christ. Why did Peter say? Why did Peter say when everybody else was leaving, why did he say, Lord, to whom shall we go? The Lord said, Peter, you're welcome to leave. I'm not leaving. I ain't got nobody to go to. I believe and I'm sure that you're the Christ. And it was not just that truth. It was the love of it. He heard those words of life and they went to his soul and they thrilled him. He fell in love with them. And he says, I can't leave them. But I tell you what we see so often with people. We see them receiving this truth into their heads. And they'll stay around for a while. But it's not long until they're gone. And what's the problem? Love. Love. Could you leave where the gospel of Christ is preached and go sit under a false gospel? Why not? Why couldn't you? A lot of people do. Here it is. Love. Love. That's it. They receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. Sometimes I see people come here. We've had people come here. This place, we'd have to add it on all four walls. Went out in every direction. Got a bigger lot and built a bigger building to hold everybody that's just come here for a while and left. And I know why a lot of them come. They're curious. They're curious. They want to know about some system that we believe. And while I sit here and look at them, I see their faces. And I know this, that in their hearts, they have no love for the truth that they are hearing. Oh, get the truth, dear soul. Get the truth. Buy the truth and sell it not. But in all your getting, get love. Get love. Let this be our prayer this evening, the prayer of King David. I am Thine, Lord save me. I prayed this prayer for 33 years. I am Thine, Lord save me. I'm still praying it today as much as I ever prayed it. Lord Jesus, I'm Thine. Save me. If I can't discern I'm Yours by election, I'm Yours by creation, You made me. Save me. Lord, I'm Yours. Save me. I have no hope of being saved, but only if You save me. Lord, I'm Thine. Save me. Save me. Ain't nobody but the elect will pray that in their hearts.