I am beginning a two-part lesson. With the recent election and inauguration, I believe I can use these current events to draw an appropriate analogy to our Christian walk. Today, we will speak on election, and the election process, as it relates to Christians and God.

2^nd Peter 1:4-11, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

Friends, I know this goes against religious wisdom. Yet, there it is. Our election can be made sure. Necessarily, then, our election can be unsure. Notice that passage is, in fact, speaking of getting into Heaven. Well, my friends, I have long ago learned to ignore the wisdom of the world, in favor of the wisdom of God.

1^st Corinthians 1:18-29, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.”

This is just an interesting little “aside.” The context here calls baptism (from the immediately preceding verses) God’s foolishness, and says it is wiser than men.

I want us to look this morning at the election process. For example, take the President of The United States.

In order for a man to be elected President, he must be first nominated. What, exactly, does this mean?

Simply stated, people who know the man will say he is qualified, or worthy, for the job. With the number of voters, this is a complex process. How does this relate to Christianity?

Well, first, it is a simpler process. There is only one being whose nomination counts on our part: Jesus. We must meet all of His requirements in order for Him to nominate us to, or confess us before, the Father. Many will reject the Apostles teaching on this. My Grandfather, I am sorry to say, was one of these. God said to hear Jesus. Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit back to earth when He left. The purpose of this was to “bring to remembrance” all of the things He had previously told the Apostles. They would speak truth. Whether we have it recorded that Jesus said it, if the Apostles said it in Scripture, it was something Jesus said anyway.

Nevertheless, guess what folks! While we may need this to understand everything we need to do to live as Christians, to become a Christian, we have it recorded exactly what Jesus says.

Now, many will object to the teachings of the Christ. I often hear, “Well, Pastor So and So says this part isn’t really necessary.” Or, I hear, “Preacher So and So says we have to do this, as well.” Or, I hear, “The Right Reverend So and So says I don’t have to do anything at all.” My friends, who are you going to believe? Will you believe Jesus, or will you believe someone who has taken the name of God for himself, as in the case of the “Reverend” above (Psalm 111:9)?

For the record, Jesus said all of the following:

Matthew 11:15, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

John 8:24, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”

Luke 13:3, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

Matthew 10:32, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.”

Mark 16:16, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

Well, my friends, the wisdom of the world, that is those outside the church, just went flying out the window. Jesus said do these things! He didn’t say do some of them. He didn’t say one of them is good enough by itself. “Reverend” So and So knows these scriptures exist. These scriptures just make it difficult for them to have their large congregations and large paychecks as a result. They are not there to serve God, but their own bellies (Romans 16:18). When you hear a preacher, any preacher, deny God’s plain Word, in favor of either more or less, it is time to run for the hills. It is time to get out of that place, that setting, and that false teaching.

In response to hearing the truth, I often hear, “But, preacher, those are works. Works can’t save us.” They proceed to lift Ephesians 2:9 out of context to prove a point. Their version of Ephesians 2:9 makes Paul call James a liar when he wrote his letter, in chapter 2 and verse 24. If the afore mentioned works were works of men, they would be correct. For example, we cannot go out and decide that because we pay for an orphanage that we are saved. That isn’t commanded. It would be our work. Our works will not save us. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try. What is commanded is love. Purchasing an orphanage would only be one of many acceptable ways of showing it. We cannot bind where God has not bound and command that it be done. If we are saved, we will love both God, and man, enough to do these type things, even if not the same specifics.

However, the works God commanded are not our inventions. It is not our own personal scheme of redemption in which we can glory. God’s works, if we do as commanded, will save us. How does this happen? How does baptism save us (1^st Peter 3:21)? Why, then, should I do them? The answer is simple my friend, it is because God said so, it is faith. It is God’s scheme of redemption, which is all that matters. We do not have to understand. If we do these things in the covenant, for the reason God gave us for doing them, God will be faithful to the covenant. We will, only then, be faithful. Not doing these things, or fighting them, demonstrates to the world, and to God, our complete lack of faith. Without faith, which includes all of the aforementioned commands, we will not make it to Heaven.

That, my friends, is how we are nominated for a position in Heaven. We saw, earlier, that our election might be unsure, as well. I will give a few examples from Scripture demonstrating this truth.

1^st Timothy 1:19-20, “Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

At one time, Hymenaeus was faithful. Yet, he had made that faith shipwrecked, or void. His nomination was removed, and he was delivered to Satan. He was no longer in the race (2^nd Timothy 4:7) to be elected.

Galatians 5:4, “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”

Writing to Christians at Galatia, Paul told them they could fall from grace. Why? It was because they were adding into Christianity something that was familiar to them, but no longer an acceptable part of religion: the Law of Moses. Their nomination was removed.

Hebrews 10:26, “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,”

Those who have already had knowledge of their salvation, yet sin intentionally, no longer have Jesus’ blood covering their sins. Their nomination has been removed.

Revelation 3:16, “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

The entire congregation at Laodecia was rejected of God because of indifference. They were as vile as vomit. Their nomination was removed.

Now, having studied the nominating process, let us turn our attention to the election itself.

Jesus, Himself, is not going to admit us to Heaven. This thought scares people. So, before we go too far in depth with this, let me be perfectly clear.

1^st Corinthians 15:24, “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”

The Father is the one who will admit us to Heaven, not the Son. However, if we have obeyed the Son, and he has nominated us, and we finish our lives without having this nomination removed, then we may be elected. Our election has not happened, yet. We need to make sure that it does, according to 2^nd Peter, which we read earlier.

Just as with the nomination process, the election does not consist of many millions of votes. It is not even decided by a single congregation, as is the custom of some. It is decided by one vote, and one vote only, that of Jesus Himself.

We are men. We make mistakes. We need the multiplicity of votes in an election to get the right man for the job. However, Jesus is God. He is pure. He is just. He, alone, is infallible among all who have worn the skin of man. His one vote will satisfy God, and get us into Heaven. Likewise, His one no-vote will keep us out.

1^st John 2:1-2, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

In Greek, “advocate” is “παράκλητος” or parakleÌ„tos (pronounced, par-ak'-lay-tos). You may know it better by its other English translation, paraclete. Simply put, it is an advocate, or counselor. In other words, Jesus is our lawyer when we go before the Judge. The Judge is going to decide our fate based solely on the vote, or lack thereof, from His Son.

Matthew 25:31-46, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

I have but one more small thought and the lesson will be yours.

We spoke of our election this morning. We spoke of the nominating process. We spoke of having nominations removed. Well, having them removed is the opposite of obtaining them. Am I right? Well, what is the opposite of the word “nominate” itself? I am getting ready to shake the foundations of many different religions, which all “claim” to be Christianity. The opposite of “nominate” is “denominate.” Think about it. Having your nomination removed is to be “denominated.” To be “denominated” is to have your nomination removed. Does your religion proudly proclaim that it has been denominated? I do not want to be denominated, or in other words in a denomination, for having my nomination removed like that will keep me far away from Heaven’s door at the judgment. Ask yourself. Would you rather be denominated now, or nominated later. The choice is yours. Only one of those options will save you.

All things are in preparedness at this time. Are you a Christian who has made a shipwreck out of your faith, as did Hymenaeus? Or have you been misled, thinking you were a Christian, only to find out your group has voluntarily removed their nominations from the Lamb’s Book of Life, and taken yours with it? Whatever they need may be, will you not come? Come to Jesus instead of answering the call of man? I am always available to help you find someone to help you with this.