This morning I would like you to imagine there was a man who was a billionaire. He had a huge, vast amount of wealth. He had great holdings. He had money. He had property. He had investments. BILLIONAIRE!

However, he had nobody to inherit his great wealth. He had no sons, no daughters, no children, nor relatives. This billionaire, who wants someone to inherit and benefit from all that he has, decides that he will choose somebody. So, he simply chooses an orphan boy to become his heir and inherit everything he has! He decides this, even though this boy has never met him, the boy has never said anything to him, the boy has never talked to him, nor has he ever done anything to earn this billionaire’s favor!

Having made that choice, he finds that orphan boy. He sits down with the orphan boy and tells him, "I am a billionaire. I have great wealth. I have land. I have investments. I have a huge amount of money and wealth. And, I have picked you. I have chosen you. I want you, someday to have everything that belongs to me. I want it to be yours. Will you accept it?"

The boy listens to what the man has to say, and replies, "Yes. I will become your heir. I will accept the great gift that you are giving me."

Then the billionaire takes that boy under his wings and begins to care for him. He takes the boy’s ragged clothes, and in exchange for those, he gives the boy good, dignified clothes. He sends the boy to school, so he learns (when he gets that great inheritance someday), how to use that great inheritance.

He has chosen the boy. He has called the boy. He has clothed the boy. And one day in the future, yet to come, that young boy will literally come into possession of every penny that great billionaire has. It will become that young boy’s. He will have that billionaire’s wealth and everything that belongs to that billionaire.

Now, what if one day that young boy, because he is having a hard time in school and things are not going so well, has fallen down and scraped his clothes the billionaire gave him? His life is filled with trials and troubles, and he begins to look at himself and say, "Well, maybe, maybe I really am not going to inherit all that money. Maybe he never did choose me to be his heir. Maybe I am going to remain a pauper, all of my life."

How could that young boy ever know and comfort himself that he really was going to inherit that money, that great wealth, some day? He cannot go back to the day the millionaire chose him, because he was not there, and did not see that rich man pick him. He cannot go to his future inheritance, because he has not yet received the inheritance. What could that young boy do? That young boy could go to the call and the clothing and could say, "Wait a second. Wait a second! That wealthy man called me. He told me that he wants me have his great possessions. He has promised that to me. He has told me that it is mine. And, he has begun to clothe me. He has begun to give me what some day I will inherit in full." Therefore, that young man can say, "Since he has called me, and since he has clothed me, I can be assured that he chose me. And, I can be assured that some day I will receive the inheritance that he has promised to me." There is an unbroken chain of 4 links. He was chosen, he was called, he was clothed, and he will inherit. The middle 2 links assure the boy that the first link happened and the last link will happen one day.

I want you to remember that illustration, as we go through one of the deep teachings of scripture. It is a teaching we sometimes call the Doctrine of Predestination. Sometimes, we call it the Doctrine of Election. You heard it mentioned in today’s scripture reading, several times. God has predestined you.

Now, what is the scripture’s teaching of predestination? When did predestination happen? The Bible tells us we were predestined, before the world began. So, the teaching of predestination is this:

before you were ever born,

before you were ever called into existence,

before you had a chance to think, or act, or say, or do anything,

before the world was ever created,

God, in His heart, chose, He chose who would be with Him forever, in eternity. He chose whom it was that He was going to give that inheritance and who would be blessed with that inheritance, for all eternity.

Now, on what basis did God make that choice? Did God look at you, off in eternity and say, "Well, that person is going to be nice? That person is going to be better than others. That person is someone I want to be with."

No, the Bible tells us there is no difference.

"All have sinned

and all fall short of the glory of God."

There is nothing in a person that caused God to choose that person to be blessed with His inheritance forever, and ever, and ever. Our scripture reading says God chose you in mercy.

He chose by grace.

He chose in Christ.

And so, what that means is that by an act of sheer, undeserved grace and mercy, God picked, He chose those we call "His elect." The Greek word ‘elect’ means ‘those who are called out, chosen out of a great crowd of people.’ The word ‘predestined,’ in Greek, means ‘he has put a fence around His people, that He chose.’ And around that fence He has written the words, "Hands off. These are my people. I have chosen these people. They are mine. And no one can take them away from me."

God has determined who will receive His inheritance. God’s Will is immovable, unshakable, and it cannot be changed.

Now, having done that, having made that choice, the Bible tells us God chose us in Christ. That means God, in His heart, resolved, before the world was ever created that He would do everything necessary so that those people who He had chosen could truly inherit everything that He promised to them. God resolved, as He looked out over those He had chosen, knowing there is no way they could earn that salvation, there is no way they could deserve that salvation, (in fact, they deserve not to be saved), therefore, God resolved to send His own dear Son.

He knew everything about His elect. He knew His chosen ones.

How many sins they would commit.

How great those sins would be.

How often they would commit them.

And so, we know that God chose from eternity, exactly how Christ would suffer, in their sake.

How long the nails would be.

How hard the blows would be.

How long the suffering would last.

How intense that suffering would be.

Christ would suffer so that every single sin would be totally paid, and there would not be one penny, not one iota left for His chosen ones to pay. He resolved from eternity, that He would pay the full price, so that His chosen ones would be fully, totally, absolutely forgiven.

God resolved from eternity that since His chosen ones could not earn that, nor deserve that grace in Christ, that it would simply be theirs by faith, by believing. If they believe in Jesus as their only Savior from sin, they would inherit His blessings for all eternity.

But, God also knew that His loved ones, His chosen ones, could not bring themselves to faith. And so, God resolved from eternity that through His Word and through the Sacraments, the Holy Spirit would work in the hearts of His chosen people, so that they would come to believe that Jesus was their only Savior from sin. And, they would come to faith and come to trust in Jesus, as their Savior.

God resolved from eternity that His chosen ones would then be sanctified. They would be called apart, to live God-pleasing lives for Him. He would enable that through the Word.

God resolved from eternity, before you were ever born, that He would preserve you in your faith. He would keep you in that faith. The Bible says,

"All of our days were ordained,

before

one of them came to be."

God ordained every day - who you would meet, who you would talk to, what you would hear - so that you would remain in your faith, until that very last hour, the very last moment, when you close your eyes in faith, and fall asleep in Jesus Christ. And then finally, He would keep that promise and take you to that inheritance that has been yours, been yours since before the world was created.

That is the Bible’s teaching of predestination. The Bible’s teaching of predestination is that the elect, the chosen ones will be saved. Period. Jesus said about His sheep,

"No one can snatch them out of my hand."

It is impossible for Satan to snatch the elect out of Christ’s hand. They are secure in His hands. Jesus once said,

"Many false prophets will come.

They would deceive even the elect,

if it were possible."

What Jesus is saying, is that it is not possible for those chosen ones to be deceived. God will keep them. He has resolved from eternity, that they will receive His inheritance. And, He has resolved from eternity that everything necessary for their salvation will happen in their lives. WOW!

That is the Bible’s teaching of predestination. God’s called ones have been chosen. And they will, one day, receive an inheritance in Heaven.

However, this choosing happened in eternity, before the world was ever created. You and I cannot look back into eternity. We can’t see back into eternity.

And, this inheritance won’t come, until eternity comes. We can’t look forward and see into eternity.

We only see the present. We see right here and right now.

The present is where God’s eternal plan intersects with our personal history. Look at what has happened in your life. Look at how God’s eternal plan is unfolding in your life, right now, as we speak. What has happened in your life? God has called you. It is like that wealthy man who sat down with that young boy. He said, "I have an inheritance. I have chosen you. I want you to have it."

Through the Gospel, God has spoken to you, individually and personally, and here in time. God has seen to it from His eternal plan that there would be some way, somehow, some person who would come into your life, and would tell you, "God died for you. Your sins are forgiven. Jesus has paid for your sins. Jesus has earned eternal life in Heaven for you. God has called you! Heaven is yours!"

Our scripture reading says,

"You also were included in Christ,

when you heard the Word of Truth,

the Gospel of your salvation."

Having heard that word, what has happened? He has brought you to faith. You do believe.

You do believe that you are a sinner.

Here in time, you do believe that Jesus is your only Savior from sin.

You do believe your sins are washed away.

You do believe God’s promise,

"Whosoever believes

shall not perish

but have everlasting life."

Here in time, you can see God’s eternal plan unfolding, before your very eyes.

God has clothed you, here in time. Just like that young boy, who accepted that gift from that billionaire, who began to clothe him and began to send him to school, here in this life. So, God has clothed you.

What has He clothed you with? Here in time, God has clothed you with Jesus Christ. Our passage from the Bible says,

God

predestined you

"to be holy and blameless."

The Bible tells us that all of us, who have been baptized into Christ, have been clothed with Christ.

You have a new set of clothes, here in time. That clothing is Jesus Christ. God, in grace, has covered up your filthy rags of sin. And, He sees you holy and blameless, for Christ’s sake. He sees Jesus’ holy life, as if it were your very own holy and blameless life! He sees the payment Jesus made on the cross, for your sins, covering you up. So, He sees your sins washed away and gone. He does not hold them against you, anymore. Here in time, right now, as we speak, you are clothed with Jesus Christ.

God chose, from eternity, who would be saved. In time, He called you by the Gospel. He brought you to faith in Jesus. That plan is now unfolding, before your very eyes. He has clothed you, with Jesus Christ. And the day is surely coming, when He will bring to fruition His full plan. He will preserve His chosen ones, in faith. He will see to it that throughout your life, you are kept in faith, so that when you close your eyes for the last time, as one of His elect, then you will receive the inheritance that has been promised to you from eternity. That is the Bible’s teaching of election.

Now, two practical applications - number one, it ought to humble you. It sure humbles me. It sure humbles me! It shows me that it was not my choice, and not my doing, that I am going to receive that great inheritance, someday. That choice was made before I had eyes or ears, before I was called into existence, before I could think, or say, or do anything!

It is only by grace,

love,

and mercy

that God has chosen me.

I can’t do anything for my own salvation. God has done it all. He has called His chosen from eternity. He has resolved to do everything necessary for my salvation.

And, He has called me here in time, by His grace. That is only by His goodness and grace.

He has clothed me with Christ. And, He will give me that inheritance. But, it is only by grace alone. It is nothing I have done. It is His choice in Jesus Christ.

That should keep us humble believers in Jesus as our Savior, clinging to grace alone, as the only way of salvation.

The second application is there will come times in your life, when you may begin to wonder, "Am I really going to be in Heaven someday? Did God really choose me, from eternity, to be one of His children?"

And do you know when those times are going to come?

They are going to come, when trials and troubles come into your life. Those trials, (that the world brings on us), may put great pressure against our faith.

Or, maybe some temptation is troubling you and you begin to wonder, with a guilty conscious, "Does God really love me? Does He really forgive me? Have I really been chosen? Will I really be saved?"

Or, your friends begin to persecute you and you begin to wonder, "It sure doesn’t look like I am one of God’s chosen people, and I am going to receive that inheritance in Heaven."

In times of trial and trouble, the Doctrine of Predestination, or Election is of such great comfort to us. And here is why. Don’t look back into eternity. Don’t look forward into eternity. You cannot see those. But, look right here, and right now. Look at what has happened, at what has happened right here and right now."

God has called you!

He has called you! Right now that plan is unfolding. He has called you and told you that your sins are forgiven. He has brought you to believe in Jesus, as your Savior from sin. Find your comfort in Christ’s wounds. He has clothed you with Christ. Your sins are covered up in Christ. And our scripture reading tells us that this is an unbroken link, a chain of four links.

How does it show that? Listen to what it says at the end. It says, "Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing, guaranteeing our inheritance, until the redemption of those who are God’s possession - to the praise of His glory."

What does that mean? That means this chain is an unbroken chain of four links. Here in time, God has called you. You have received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is in your hearts. You believe in Jesus, as your Savior. You cling to the clothes that Christ has given you. That means you have a guarantee. That is a deposit from God, guaranteeing you were chosen. You have been called. You have been clothed. You will receive that inheritance in Heaven. No one can snatch you out of Christ’s hand. God’s Will is unshakable and immovable. And that should give us great comfort to know that our salvation is absolutely secure, because we have been predestined and nothing can change God’s Will.

Now, does that mean we should be overly secure and think to ourselves, "Well then, I might as well live a wild life, because I am predestined and I will be in Heaven for eternity?"

No, it does not mean that. Not only were we called to believe in Jesus, but we have been called and chosen to live God-pleasing and holy lives. We have been called to do that. We have been chosen to do that. We know that through the Word, the Holy Spirit promises to keep us in our faith until the day we die. We know that when we stay away from sin, (the unholy things that can steal away our faith), we then rest secure in our faith. And so, for the rest of our lives, as God’s chosen people, we commit ourselves to using the Word and to living sanctified lives, as we look forward to the day when God finally keeps His promise and we receive that inheritance that has been ours, since before the world was created.

Amen.