In any serious study of any biblical concept, the beginning point must always be the same. A student must always open his or her mind and allow God to teach us His perspective and position on the topic. We must never begin with "what I believe" or "what other people believe." We always must begin with "what has God revealed." To come to an accurate understanding of what God has revealed, we must always study in context.

Most of us agree generally with that perspective if what God has revealed and what we always have been taught are in agreement. For example, if the subject is baptism, most of us would say, "That is exactly what everyone should do! Let's just go back to the text and see what God says. Let's listen to God's spokesmen in scripture before we form personal conclusions."

However, we get very nervous if two situations are true. If (a) our ignorance on the subject places us in "the dark" regarding God's revelation or if (b) the position I believe and trust does not agree with all that God has revealed on the subject, we tend to get extremely nervous.

For example, if we discuss God's choosing or election, many of us get quite nervous. While many of us can give people a comprehensive biblical perspective on baptism, many of us are unlikely to give people a comprehensive biblical perspective on election.

In regard to such subjects, we are more likely to begin by (a) declaring what we regard to be the "correct" position, or (b) declaring what we believe, or (c) forcing statements in scripture to agree with our conclusion.

Scripture clearly states that God always has "chosen" after sin became reality in our world and human lives. A lot of questions immediately arise. What did God's choosing mean in the past? What does God's choosing mean today? On what basis did God's choosing occur?

1. This evening I want to make one point and from that one point make one observation.
   1. The point: God always has been a God who chooses.
      1. That is God's nature.
      2. That is the way God functions.
      3. He chooses the type of people He will establish a relationship with and will nurture in that relationship.
   2. The observation: the fact that God chooses does not mean the chosen can manipulate or exploit God.
      1. It is too easy for the chosen to feel "special," "unique," or "privileged."
      2. When the chosen feel this privileged status, they try to exploit God by exploiting the fact they were chosen.
      3. It is too easy for the chosen to feel like they are judges instead of slaves.

2. I want to begin by calling your attention to the fact that God has always chosen.
   1. I want to begin at a point that you might disagree with, but it is okay for you to disagree as long as you think about the full revelation of scripture: I want to begin with Cain and Abel.
      1. Most of you know that in Genesis 4 Cain and Abel offered sacrifices to God.
         1. Let me share with you the interpretation of those offerings that I heard and likely taught for years.
         2. First part of the Interpretation: God told Cain and Abel what to offer.
         3. Second part of the interpretation: Abel obeyed God and offered the correct sacrifice, and Cain disobeyed God and knowingly offered the wrong sacrifice.
         4. Third part of the interpretation: if Cain had just offered the right sacrifice, everything would have been okay.
         5. Fourth part of the interpretation: because Cain did not offer the right sacrifice, he sinned.
         6. At this point in my understanding, I do not agree with that interpretation of the Bible's revelation of what happened.
      2. "Why do you not agree with that approach?"
         1. The basis of the problem did not lie in the form of the sacrifice, but in Cain's attitude.
            1. If Cain had offered the same thing in sacrifice in the same way that Abel offered his sacrifice, but Cain gave that offering in the same attitude and heart, Cain's offering still would have been unacceptable.
            2. The basic problem was a heart issue, not a form issue.
      3. Consider a scripture containing two statements, and note that God Himself made both statements after Cain offered his sacrifice.
         1. When God "had no regard" for Cain's offering, Cain was angry and depressed (Genesis 4:5).
            1. God asked Cain why he had that reaction (Genesis 4:6).
            2. God then said:
               Genesis 4:7 If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.
         2. Here is what I call to your attention.
            1. God is not filled with rage and wrath because He is offended by Cain's offering.
            2. In fact, God asks Cain why he is reacting as he does--Cain is the one offended and upset, not God.
            3. In fact, God does not accuse Cain of being sinful, but cautions him against sinfulness.
            4. Sin is crouching at Cain's door; it has not entered Cain's door.
            5. Sin has a desire for Cain--the issue is not that it has devoured him; the issue is this: will Cain yield to sin's desire?
            6. Cain has a responsibility: he must master sin instead of allowing sin to master him.
      4. I call two things to your attention:
         1. The first thing: Cain's problem was produced by the fact that Cain was a very selfish, self-centered person who refused to accept any responsibility.
         2. The second thing: God chose.
   2. The second illustration I call to your attention is Noah in Genesis 6.
      1. In Genesis 6:5-7 the writer made this statement.
         Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The Lord said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them."
         1. People had become totally corrupt, totally opposite what God made them when He created them in His own image, His own likeness.
         2. People exercised their choice to become something God never intended them to be.
         3. When God saw people were totally in the image of evil instead of any part of them being in His image, He was grieved and regretful.
      2. Now note what Genesis 6:8,9 stated:
         But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.
         1. I understand this to be a comparative statement, not a declaration that Noah was not a sinful person (except for the physical Jesus, no knowledgeable adult has ever existed as a sinless person).
         2. Noah found favor with God, not Noah deserved God's recognition.
         3. Noah was a righteous man (just instead of violent in his treatment of others), blameless (a man who had some sense of integrity in that age), "walked with God" (had a lifestyle that would listen to God when God spoke to him--which it seems no one else would do).
      3. The point I want you to see is quite clear: God chose.
   3. The third illustration I want you to consider is Old Testament Israel.
      1. I would like to begin by calling your attention to several scriptures.
         Deuteronomy 7:5-8 But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, and smash their sacred pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire. For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
         Deuteronomy 14:1,2 "You are the sons of the Lord your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave your forehead for the sake of the dead. For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth."
         1 Chronicles 16:12,13 Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth, O seed of Israel His servant, Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!
         Psalm 105:5,6 Remember His wonders which He has done, His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth, O seed of Abraham, His servant, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!
      2. God clearly chose Israel and blessed them because they were the chosen.
      3. However, God did not choose them because they were outstanding or superior to everyone else who lived.
         Deuteronomy 7:7 The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
         Deuteronomy 9:4-6 Do not say in your heart when the Lord your God has driven them out before you, 'Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,' but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you. It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people.
   4. Pay careful attention to what were and were not God's reasons for choosing them to be His people, releasing them from slavery, and giving them Canaan.
      1. It was not because:
         1. They were a huge nation.
         2. They were righteous.
         3. They were "upright of heart."
      2. It was because:
         1. The nations in Canaan were wicked beyond God's ability to tolerate wickedness.
         2. God made a promise to their ancestors, and God keeps His promises.
         3. They did not deserve what God was doing; God loved them in spite of their unrighteousness and stubbornness.
   5. This is the part of God's choosing we do not like, do not understand, and do not like to think about.
      1. Moses told the second generation of Israelites that left slavery that God's love for them and choosing them had nothing to do with them.
      2. It was no commentary on their goodness.
      3. It was no commentary on their deservedness.
      4. It was certainly no commentary on the fact that they were "special."
      5. It was a commentary on God's trustworthiness and nature.
         1. God keeps His promises!
         2. If that means loving a stubborn people, He will love a stubborn people!

Therein lies our struggle and our downfall. We think God's choice means that in some unique way "I am special." God says, "My choice of you does not have to do with the fact that you are 'special,' but the fact that I am 'special.' So be thankful, not arrogant!"