This morning I said I didn't call it a civic text, but I am. It's going to be John chapter 6. If you want to turn there, I'm not going to read there yet, but John chapter 6, very familiar passage to everyone here, I'm sure. There are a couple issues that are overwhelming, I guess, it seems, the news. Every time you open the news, I don't watch any news on the television anymore, but anytime you open the news on your electronic device, stuff is popping up constantly. And it's just, it's really, it's almost like you're living in an alternate reality sometimes, reading some of the news. Specifically, this whole so-called transgenderism, we'll call it pretenderism. That and then, of course, this latest school shooting These are two things that the whole gun rights and trying to make some push, you know, do something, do something, these gun things, these shootings, supposedly. I heard one Congress critter, I don't remember which one it was, making the statement that Fortifying schools with armed guards and locked doors doesn't make the occupants safer. Trying to reconcile that with being in a building with locked doors and armed guards, probably some of the most elite armed guards on the face of the earth. someone saying that, we're actually told this, that we should believe that by someone that's in the middle of a building actually at the time giving that speech, that recommendation. Obviously, by their own admission, by their own, what they're doing, it's true that armed guards and fortifying a building does make the occupants inside safer. And this is something that You don't even really have to be much of a critical thinker to put that together on your own. But that's a truth. That's a truth that we can figure out on our own. Then you see this whole thing with this so-called transgender stuff. It's actually so absurd, it seems absurd to be even mentioning it, but it definitely is overtaken much of what they're, and of course it's an agenda, they're trying to push it. Majority of people, I think, don't buy into it. But why are these, why are things like that that are truth? Why are we being told that they're not true? In other words, like, why are we being told that a man can be a woman if he just wants to be a woman? He thinks he's a woman, whatever. Why are we being told that what I'm doing to protect my children, for example, I don't know about any of the rest of them. I do remember when Obama was president and his children, I remember I read a review about the school that they went to and all the security measures that were in place there, not just for his children, but for all the children there. And they were these very things. Again, that's just something that's true. It does work. And it's true. It's not true. I mean, that a man can become a woman and a woman become a man. You can pretend like that. You can even mutilate your body, I suppose, but it doesn't change your gender. But what is it about these things that are, that they have in common? And you can see it, I could cite all kinds of other grotesque things on the news and that are in the society. It's an attack on truth is what it is. And the easier you make it for people to not believe truth, the easier it is to convince them of lies. And it's not these areas that are really the battleground, is it? We know where the battleground really is at. The battleground is really with God's truth. So if you can take truth and you can make it totally subjective, or you can just eliminate it altogether, then it's much easier to... And I would say that the origin of all of this stuff We know that it's the origin of evil, but we know that these are people that hate, they hate, hate, hate the God of the Bible. It's not that they hate the God of their making or some obscure thing that they can come up with. It's they hate the God of the Bible, and it seems simplistic. I suppose that I would be considered a simpleton for even making that statement in many circles. So truth is constantly under attack and it seems more absurd today than it was yesterday. And it seems more absurd today than it was a few years ago. It seemed as though the rate at which these things, the rate at which the strides that evil has made has really accelerated rapidly. in the last few decades specifically the last decade i would say now i'm not saying that this is the most evil time on the face of the earth because that would be that'd be a denial of scripture evil has always been until the lord returns us and takes us home with him i suppose it always will now let's go to john chapter six read. I'm gonna start in verse 22 and read through the end of the chapter. I know this is a long, I'm gonna read a long passage here, but just bear with me. Now if you recall here, in prior to this, Jesus feeds the five thousands, Jesus walks on water, So we see these two miracles here, so that's the context. Verse 22, on the following day, when the people who were staying on the other side of the sea saw that there were no other boat there except that one which his disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but the disciples had gone away alone, however, the other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks. And when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there nor his disciples, they got into boats and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, Rabbi, when did you come here? Jesus answered them and said, most assuredly I say to you, you seek me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the son of man will give you because God the father has set his seal on him. Then they said to him, what shall we do that we may work the works of God? And Jesus answered and said to them, this is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he sent. Therefore they said to him, what sign will you perform then, that we may see it and believe you? What work will you do? Our fathers ate man in the desert, and it is written, he gave him bread from heaven to eat. What he's saying here, hey, do a trick for us. I wanna see your tricks. Entertain us. Jesus said to them, Moses, surely I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Then they said to him, Lord, give us this bread always. And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst, but I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out, for I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of the Father who sent me, that all he has given me I should not, that of all he hath given me I should not lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up on the last day." The Jews then complained about him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it he says, I have come down from heaven? They were mocking him. Jesus therefore answered and said to them, do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day It is written in the prophets, and they shall all be taught by God. Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God, he has seen the Father. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said to them, Most assuredly, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. And he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him, as the living Father has sent me. And I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever. These things he said in the synagogue as he taught in Capernaum. Therefore, many of his disciples, when he heard this, said, This is a hard saying. Who can understand it? When Jesus knew it himself, his disciples complained about this. He said to them, Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit and they are life, but there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning Who they were who did not believe and who would betray him and he said Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by my father from that time Many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more Then Jesus said to the twelve Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered him, "'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And he answered them, "'Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?' He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray him, being one of the twelve." I'm going to look at nine different points, nine truths about the doctrine of election that we see so clearly displayed here in John chapter 6. Now I'm not going to attempt to exposit John chapter 6, more I'm going to speak on the doctrine of election. This is This is, as it's been proven out over the many, many years, a hard saying. This is, in verse 60, this is a truth that is revealed here. This is a hard saying. Who can understand it? Nine truths. These points came from an author of a pamphlet, which I did not get the author's name, but I read these points and I thought that they sum this up well, so therefore I'm gonna use these nine. First, I'm gonna name off the nine points and then we'll look at each one of them. First, the first point, election depends on the God who selects. not mankind who seeks. Second, election is ordained in eternity and revealed in time. Third, election in time mirrors God's election in eternity. Four, God's election results in faith, not the reverse. Five, election does not deny the universal offer of Christ. It secures a positive response. Six, election depends on the will of God, not the will of man. Seven, the election of God's people ensures that he will bring the gospel to them. Eight, election directs Jesus' ministry and should ours. And nine, election is for the glory of God and not for the glory of man. So point number one, election depends on the God who selects and not mankind who seeks. In John chapter six, we learn that Jesus is not compelled to save because some seek him. He's compelled to save because God sent him to a particular people. That is the elect. We see this point in a few ways. First, Jesus knows who are his. In John 6, 37, he describes the people whom the Father had given them. These are the ones who come. This language of given ones is Jesus' way of identifying his sheep. It's interesting that We know that language of the Lord's sheep is used throughout scripture in many places. And if you're familiar with the scripture at all, we see Jesus as a shepherd and having a sheep. One of the roads I have to drive on on a regular basis, there is a church marquee for a Lutheran church or something. And it says that the good shepherd, it says on this marquee, it says, the good shepherd gave his life for all. So it says, the good shepherd gave his life for all. So I wonder if a shepherd, I wonder if a shepherd out tending his sheep, if his master would think he was a good shepherd if he left his flock and went to another flock. I'm gonna use the imagery. This Bible does. Throughout John, the elect are described by this phrase, the given ones, his. Jesus does not randomly seek people to save because in eternity past, the Father already gave him a people to save. These are the ones who will come to him. These are the chosen ones. These are chosen ones he has come specifically to save. Second, Jesus knows why people seek him. We don't. We don't know. We're deceived. We're easily deceived. John 6, verse 26 declares the crowd seek Jesus to fill their stomachs. Clearly, not all the seekers come with a pure heart. Jesus knew this, Jesus knows this, and it shows. By the end of chapter six, you can see how many would-be seekers are really not seekers at all. Third, Jesus knows who will not believe. In John 6, 64, Jesus says, for Jesus knew from the beginning who did not believe and who it was that would betray him. This is really a remarkable truth and it introduces another issue. Jesus looked at the sea of humanity You think he could see the heart of everyone before him? He could, according to John chapter two, verses 23 and 25, 2 to 25. In his ministry, he spent much time revealing the unbelief in those who would not believe. John chapter seven, verse seven. As he did, producing faith in those who would. Perhaps this approach to ministry seems to be foreign to us to our consumeristic-type minds. But read chapter 6 again. In John's gospel, we find an approach to evangelism that depends on God's will. It doesn't appeal to man's will. In sum, Jesus is not the savior of an unknown humanity. He is a savior for all those whom the Father gave him before the world began. Election, the second point, election is ordained in eternity and revealed in time. As noted in the first point, Jesus works to expose the real condition of the heart. For instance, in his discourse with the crowds, Jesus brings his seekers to a place of grumbling, verse 41, disputing, verse 52, and then ultimately to leaving, verse 66. In the modern evangelistic world, he failed. In this way, he shows the crowds that they are not truly seeking him. He does this because he knows who will not believe. And then on the other hand, because he knows who will believe, he says and does everything for his elect so they would confess him as their Lord and as Christ. In verse 67, remarkably, Jesus does not fear losing the ones that God has given to him. Instead, he opens the door for them to leave, and he challenges his elect to profess their faith, which they do. When we read the exchange, do you want to go away? When Peter says to him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Indeed, the elect of God are unknown to the world until they are revealed by enduring faith. This is us. We're unknown, the elect are unknown. You have to, we have to get that straight. We are not going around trying to pick up and look underneath something and see if someone has the elect marked on them. We're to preach the gospel to every living creature. To put it doctrinally, election is something that God does in eternity past, which is then revealed in time. And because God has decreed the end from the beginning and everything in between, the result of Jesus' word ministry perfectly matches what God ordained. Three, election of the 12 reflects but does not reveal God's election in eternity. The last statement in John 6, in verse 70, we see the divide which stands among the 12. Did I not choose you and want to use the devil? Most directly, Jesus says to the 12 that he has chosen them. His words reply to Peter's confession, but they also explain why Peter confessed faith in Christ. When all the crowds departed, Peter remained with the twelve because Jesus chose them. In other words, the ultimate efficacy of their discipleship was not their human will, it was Jesus's divine choice. Still, Jesus admits that one of his chosen ones, Judas, remains a son of perdition. As it will be revealed, God's choice of Judas is different than that of Peter. For instance, Jesus prays to protect Peter from Satan's sifting, but Jesus permits, and you could even say sends Judas to follow his satanic heart. John 13, 2 and verse 20, John 13, 2 and 27. In short, the difference between Peter and Judas is ultimately up to God, not up to man. God leaves Judas in his natural state, but he has turned Peter's heart. And this divide in the 12, like the divide between the 12 and the departing crowds, reflects the eternal choice of God's elect. That said, we need to see the difference between the Father's choice in election and Jesus' choice of the 12. In other words, when Jesus speaks of the election of the 12, he is not describing the same reality as God's, as the Father's election. Jesus chose Judas to be one of the 12, but he chose him knowing he would betray him. Hence, Jesus chose Judas for betrayal, not belief. Judas's betrayal would be a result of his own choosing when he followed the ways of Satan instead of Christ. Now this opens up a doctrine that is oftentimes maligned and misrepresented and I think we have to tread very carefully in this. Christ of Him, then, is not in opposition to the Father's will. His choice is something different than the Father's election into salvation. Jesus' choice of the twelve was a choosing for service, of which eleven disciples were also appointed to believe in Christ, but one wasn't. And this difference in the 12 indicates a difference between the son's choice and the father's. To make the point finer, this does not mean that the father and son have two different elections. It means that Jesus' election of the 12 reflects God's will to ordain some to life and to service, while others he orders for their lives to glorify him in their unbelief. Proverbs 16.4. The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked, for the day of destruction. In short, Jesus' choice of the 12 reflects God's sovereign decree for the elect and the non-elect, not God's choice of the elect only. In the Trinitarian theology of John, this is fitting. Jesus does exactly what he sees the Father doing, 519, And the activity of the Father includes judgment and salvation, which is John chapter 5, verses 19 through 30. And likewise, God is sovereign over salvation and judgment. And though the process by which God brings salvation to the elect and the judgment to unbelievers is not the same, example, he condemns believers for their sins and the body not for being non-elect, the cause, the reality remains God has declared the end from the beginning and has determined the eternal reality of every single creature. In God's choice of the 12, we see this. His election of the 11 who believe on him and the one who will betray him depicts the universal reality that God has made vessels of mercy and vessels of wrath and all the creatures in this world will ultimately render him the glory for which he created them. Romans chapter nine, verses 19 through 23. Fourth, God's election results in faith, not the reverse. As Jesus says in John 6, 29, Jesus says, faith is not the work of man, but the work of God, or to say it differently, faith is the fruit of God's gift of eternal life. Negatively then, faith is not what man does to get God, but positively, faith is the work of God in man. Man must believe in the Son to be saved, but faith in the Son comes from the Father. Verse 44 and verse 65. By the means of the Spirit, verse 63. And because of the Father, Son, and Spirit, plan salvation before the world began, we can say with confidence, election results in faith and not the reverse. And in a more concrete manner, John 647 leads us to see that faith comes from people who have received the gift of eternal life. Truly, truly I say to you, verily I say unto you, whosoever believes has eternal life. John 654 indicates feeding on Jesus is only possible for those who have received eternal life. Indeed, Jesus says you must eat of his flesh to have eternal life. that such a participation in Christ will only come if God has granted life. 1 John 5.1 Thus the order is fixed. Election precedes faith and produces faith at the time God ordains. 5. election does not deny the universal offer of Christ, it secures a positive response. Such a strong statement of God's sovereign salvation has often led the detractors of the doctrines of grace, of Calvinism, whatever, however you want to, God's sovereign salvation, however you want to phrase it, to declare that this unconditional election undercuts the universal free offer of the gospel. But such an objection does not hold up in light of John chapter six. First, John 6.35-37 makes it clear the invitation to come to Christ is open to all. Even after identifying himself as the bread of life, Jesus repeats the offer for anyone to come and believe. So there's an unrestricted offer for all to come to Christ, an offer that we should imitate by going into all the earth, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. At the same time, only those who are chosen by the Father and given to the Son will come. That's the distinction. A universal offer does not mean that everyone is equally able to come. It means that the only thing preventing someone from coming is their own hardened heart, a condition revealed by Jesus in the crowds of John 6, and a condition only resolved by the gracious work of God when he gives faith in time to the ones chosen before time. Again, this is where we have to be very careful in understanding God's perspective and man's perspective. We're in this, we're getting a glimpse of God's perspective on things, but from our perspective, we do not know who the elect are. And again, even when somebody confesses to us to be elect, doesn't mean that we can't be deceived. So how can we think, put ourselves in God's rightful place? We have to be very careful with this. Number six, election depends on the will of God, not the will of man. A reoccurring theme in John's gospel is Jesus' obedience to the Father. When it comes to bringing salvation, this theme continues. Jesus is not bringing salvation to man according to the will of man, he's bringing salvation to man according to the will of God. This means that it is not man who moves the needle for salvation, it's God. As John 6.44 and 6.65 indicate, there is no one who can truly seek God unless he takes the initiative, he being God. John 644. Let's read it. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up on the last day. We don't have to be embarrassed by proclaiming the truth that's given in God's Word. We've all done it. I've done it. verse 65, and he said, Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by my Father. From these two passages come the doctrine of the effectual calling. The biblical doctrine that when the Father calls a man to salvation, it is efficacious. In other words, God does not simply make salvation possible. He doesn't reset the humanity's heart to neutral so we can exercise our own liberated will to accept or reject Jesus Christ. No, God does it. Just as God spoke the universe into existence and it existed, So when God grants life, life is given. And such life grants the power to come, in verse 44, and to believe, verses 37 to 40, and abide with Christ, verse 56. And because God and His eternal decree are not changed by His creation and the events of history, His effectual call is the outworking of His eternal will. In other words, all those whom the Father promised the Son an eternity past, these are the ones who will be given life in the Spirit to trust in Christ. As we noted above, Faith in time is the result of election in eternity. Faith is not the result of man's free will. It is the result of God liberating the will from the bondage of sin and death and giving new life in the spirit. As Jesus says, verse 63, the spirit that gives life in the flesh avails nothing. Point number seven. The election of God's people ensures that he will bring the gospel to them. If the end result of election is faith and resurrection on the last day, it holds that God also ordained the means of faith and resurrection. These means include the Saint of the Son, verses 29, 38, 39, 44, and 57, the Saint of the Spirit, verse 63, chapter seven, verse 39, chapter 14, verse 26, chapter 15, verse 26, But in addition to the Son and the Spirit, or better, because of them, all the elect of God will one, hear the gospel, and two, believe its message. Evidence of this verbal communication is found in verse 44 in our text we read. In verse 45, I'm sorry. Verse 45, I have to read it. It is written in the prophets, and they shall all be taught of God, taught by God. Therefore, everyone who has learned from the Father comes to me." The importance of Jesus citing Isaiah 54, 13 is found in the context of that passage. In Isaiah 54, the prophet is explaining the effects of the servant's death and resurrection in Isaiah 53. In a chapter highlighting the blessings of the new covenant inaugurated by a servant, he indicates that everyone in the new covenant will be taught the word of God. picked up by Jesus in John chapter 6, then he's saying that everyone for whom he dies will be raised up on the last day because he will teach them all. By means of the Spirit, he will fill the mouths of his disciples to take his word to all his sheep so that none will be missing. This is another way the covenant supersedes, the new covenant supersedes the old, and it will explain the connection between election and eternity. Jesus will ensure all his people hear his good news. This truth explains how many around the world have not yet heard the name of Jesus. If Christ had died for everyone without exception, if his death changed the nature of mankind so that in his fallen condition he could yet freely choose Christ, there remains a major problem. Not all have heard are able to exercise, heard to be able to exercise their changed condition. By contrast, if we understand the doctrine of election and its evangelistic purposes, then we can see that everyone chosen by God will hear the gospel and he and be granted faith to believe. As Jesus will later say in John chapter 10, he has sheep that are not of this fold, and he must go to them. To this day, Christ continues to gather his sheep from all nations, and because he, as the head of the church, is leading the way of salvation, he will not lose even one of his father's elect. Instead, every sheep will hear the gospel, such that by God's power they might receive faith to believe. Number eight, election directs Jesus' ministry and should ours. Because Jesus seeking to save the people whom the father gave him, and because their salvation through God's work in space and time is secure, Jesus does not cater to the concerns of his followers. Rather, he requires his followers to submit to his will and his ways. Doesn't really sound like a description of the modern church. For instance, when he receives pushback about his statement, I am the bread of life, Jesus does not change his message or apologize for his word. In fact, he even doubles down on who he is and exposes the unbelieving crowd for who they are. In verse 48, Jesus repeats himself, I am the bread of life. Then he identifies his opponents with their forefathers who ate bread in the wilderness and died. Such a judgment word is why people, such a judgmental word is why people were seeking to kill him. because he cut them right to the heart. He pointed out, imagine that, imagine you're sitting there listening, you're making this statement, our fathers ate the manna, our fathers ate, yeah, and they died, they died. So what's he saying? I'm not talking about feeding your flesh, I'm not talking about nurses putting you on some life support for eternity, or your body, this is spiritual. Yeah, Jesus is a judgmental word. Another thing we can't do, we can't be judgmental. They wanted to kill him because he revealed their unbelief and he revealed that it was evil. Similarly, Jesus ratchets up his rhetoric when he says to his confessed hearers, you must eat my flesh and drink my blood. Jesus is not trying to explain himself to the crowd with an easier vocabulary. He's trying to show the crowd who they are. In fact, he does it so well that the crowds leave, that the crowds leave after he asks them, do you take offense to this? Are you offended by this? The contrast to the modern church here is so great. It's almost hard to keep it going. It's important to say, Jesus is not clueless about what is happening. Rather, he's following through with the knowledge that he alone has. Namely, that in a crowd, there are two kinds of people, the elect and the non-elect. And in his messaging, he brings about both. Those appointed to life, he brings to faith. And those appointed to judgment, to unbelief. There is your picture of how you should present the gospel. Don't take the gospel as something that's kind of trying to push somebody along so they kind of fall off in the right direction. Hopefully at some point in time, you preach the gospel. We should remember what John chapter 6 tells us. Jesus explained how the world is. He is not explaining the way how we know the world is. In other words, our knowledge of election comes after the fact. Jesus, for Jesus, his knowledge of the elect comes before the fact. Paul himself makes this point when he praises God for the election of the Thessalonians because of their faith. He writes in 1 Thessalonians, let's just turn there, 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, I mean 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 4. Knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God, for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake." So we should not shy away from recognizing the way Jesus as the Son, as God the Incarnate Son, the Son Incarnate, knew the hearts of those who stood before Him. Moreover, we should recognize how this knowledge led Him to speak to them with a measure of sharpness. The end result of John 6 is not an ecumenical coalition, but a separation of believers and unbelievers, who moments earlier appeared to be believers. This is clearly the way Jesus did ministry when He walked on this earth. And I believe that Jesus is doing that same type of ministry today. As the gospel goes forward, it's a sword that separates believer from unbeliever, as the true gospel goes forward. And it does so, as it does so, the redeemed of the Lord become aware of who the elect are, as much as we can tell. In evangelism, we preach Christ to everyone, calling everyone to come. But when some come and others do not, we should not be surprised. This is exactly what Jesus did and is doing. Similarly, we should not change our methods of ministry to accommodate more people. If by doing so, we are only gathering a large crowd of unbelievers, we should see the ministry of the gospel less as gathering the largest crowd and more of a separation of humanity. In other words, as Psalm 110 puts it, when Christ rose on high, he went into the world judging his enemies and saving his elect. Today, the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, and this Word of the Gospel brings life to some and reveals the death of others. And importantly, the ministry of the Gospel is following in the very steps of Jesus. Again, to repeat, to make the point, we do not know who the elect are before they believe. But we do know that God works in the gospel. God does not change his decree based upon the responses of individuals. Rather, salvation is a reflection of God's eternal plan, and those who care about the ministry of the gospel should be deeply committed to the way God works through the gospel. If we do not concern ourselves with how God is bringing salvation and judgment to the world, we will be tempted to change our patterns and priorities in the ministry. This could look like adding man-centered attractions to the ministry, saving measures that would protect some charismatic leaders from the consequences of their sins. In any case, what we think about the gospel, what we think the gospel does, and what we think about election, has massive implications for the way that we, quote, do ministry, as they say. In John chapter six, we find a clear-cut exposition of the way Jesus affirms the doctrine of election and how it informs his ministry. May we look to Jesus and learn from him both in his doctrinal teaching and his methods of ministry. Number nine, election is for the glory of God, not the glory of man. Now this should hammer the nail that we can see If we give man any of the glory, where does it come from? It takes it away from God. Election is vital for praise and a necessary means of eliminating all human boasting. In John 6, Jesus' confidence in the doctrine of election is what leads him to draw out the faith of his disciples. Indeed, he offers them the chance to leave knowing that the Father has drawn them to him and will sustain their faith. In this way, Jesus brings Peter and the 12 to a place of absolute depends on God. There's no boasting of themselves, but only God exalting, Christ embracing in faith. This is how God glorifies himself. At the same time, Jesus' affirmation of God's sovereignty and salvation leads him to prove the unbelief of his crowds with no fear of losing the ones given him by the Father. I wish I could say that. In this way, the doctrine of election served as a judgment over against those who are antagonistic towards him. This will be repeated again in John chapter 10, verse 26, when he tells the Pharisees they do not believe because they are not his sheep. In short, election is not only a doctrine that leads the elect to praise God for his grace, it is also a doctrine that removes any boasting from those who do not believe. Imagine if the doctrine of unconditional and individual election is not true, that at the end of time, when believers are brought before God, they could boast over God, that he did for all that he did, all that they did, in planning salvation, seeing his son, and offering his spirit, and then it failed. An impotent God is the final testimony of the belligerent unbeliever who successfully opposed all of God's invitation for salvation. Certainly, his final accusation would result in the accuser's eternal judgment, but that judgment doesn't change the fact that even in that punishment, the accuser gets the victory he wants, separation from God. Yet in John 6, and other places like Romans 9, we learn that salvation is not in the hands of sinners, and that election is also a means by which God shuts the mouths of unbelievers. Positively, God is the one who draws his elect to salvation. Negatively, God is the one who passes over others, such that their final unbelief is not something that they can hold over God, rather it's something that they, the creature, must receive from the Creator. This again brings glory to God. the Creator accomplish everything that He has decreed. In the end, the doctrine of election, coupled with the sovereignty of God and salvation, is a hard doctrine. If you don't believe so, and it's the first you've heard of it, you can find all sorts of books that have been written for the last 2,000 years, nearly. Well, not quite, but a long time. You can even see light of it in the Old Testament. But it's only hard for those who continue to assert themselves over their Maker. For those who have been humbled by their sin and the saving grace of God, the doctrine of election is beautiful, and it's a wonderful mystery. We dwell on it. We think we dwell on it, and the more we dwell on it, the more we learn to love it. The more we learn to love God because of it. It's a doctrine outlined in scripture that reveals much about God and our place in the world. In truth, we don't deserve anything but condemnation for our sins against the creator. Yet the doctrine of election teaches us how God has made a way of eternal salvation. And for those who have been given eternal life to believe, there are few doctrines more sweet and more sobering. Such sweetness does not eliminate the challenge presented by the doctrine, but hopefully, in meditating on John 6, you can see what Jesus is saying, what God is doing, and what John's gospel is calling us to do, to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he has revealed to us the Father and the Father's eternal plan for salvation. May we continue to let the Scripture form our hearts and our minds, and may John 6 be a place where we grow to know and love God more because of His sovereignty in salvation. Let's close with a word of prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank You, Lord, for the great blessing that it is to be involved, Lord, with the preaching and the teaching of your word, to go out and to preach to people, to have the privilege of seeing family and friends come to the knowledge of the truth, Lord, to be blessed with the opportunity to see those things come. Father, help us not to rely on the results, but help us to be obedient to the truth in preaching your word to every living creature. Father, this day, help us, Lord, all of us, to overcome the times when we have felt ashamed of your word. We didn't preach the gospel. We didn't reveal your word to someone in its fullness. We held back, Lord. Help us to not be guilty of that. to understand and not take any of the glory that so rightfully belongs to our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, but, Father, to be willing to submit ourselves, Father, that we could be just a part, that you would help us, Lord, to trust in your Word and not in the results as the world does. Father, for his name, for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the name we pray, amen.