September 02, 2002 (3)
THE ELECT TERMED STRANGERS. Strangers not because of the particular country in which they were living, but now they are citizens of a different world. We are to be in this world but not of this world. There is to be a difference between the Elect and the unsaved. The Lord have mercy on us if there is not an evidence of that heavenly kingdom in our lives. The elect are a people in whom the Lord has wrought a work of salvation by the blood of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of the Lord has done a work of sanctification, purity and holiness in them. They are a people who hear the voice of the WORD and are willing to follow its teachings, fully. They are separated from the world, they are dedicated, they are consecrated, they are sold out to the Lord. They live like Him, they talk like Him, they live like Him because they are His and He is theirs. 1 Pet. 1:1-2
THE ELECT ARE HIS FRIENDS. Serving Him but not as servants. A service that is a service of love and commitment. Motivated by a grateful and thankful heart. The intent and goals of the Lord no longer a mystery but now made known by the revelation of the Spirit and the Word. That which the Son had been taught of the Father, He has conveyed to His friends, His Elect or Chosen, whom He has called unto Himself, that they might be fruitful. Another evidence of their calling, a tree is known by its fruit. The Elect will bear fruit of righteousness. The Elect are privileged to receive of the Father whatsoever they ask, < IN MY NAME >. It is important to recognize the authority and the power of the name of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, in all that we do. There is no greater name than His. The Elect obey His command to LOVE one another. Love is not gullible and taken in by every effort of man to deceive, but will always manifest a spirit of love, in all situations. The Elect, while loving will not always be loved and accepted. They will be rejected and even hated. This is one of the signs of the end of the age and is certainly being demonstrated in many areas of the world. The worldly individual, the worldly church, those who compromise will be accepted by the world. The uncompromising who convict them of their unrighteousness, not by words of condemnation but by their Godly lives, are disliked, hated and persecuted. Beware when all men speak well of you. If they hated Jesus may we expect it to be different for us? The Elect do not belong to this world. By token of their life in Christ they are distinct and easily identifiable by their works. The Elect are chosen to be detached from the lifestyle of the world. Jesus is always their example. Jn. 15:16-19 A love for the world or the things of the world will result in an exclusion of the love of God from our hearts. No one can afford to loose that marvelous and wonderful love, for it is our salvation. John was known as the Apostle of love, therefore his words were not spoken harshly, but as a matter of certainty. It is well that we pay strict heed to them and acknowledge the fact that they are written for our benefit and edification. 1 Jn. 2:15 He then identified the things that pertain to his world in v.16 Do the will of the Lord and live forever. Surely the Elect will. v.17