Sermon Notes from "Purpose Driven Predestination." Sermon by Russell D. Moore.

Today, I am home with my children, who are sick, and am therefore unable to meet with my church family at Kosmosdale Baptist Church. I am taking this opportunity to re-listen to one of the most powerful sermons I have ever heard. This sermon was originally preached at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary chapel on Thursday August 28, 2008 and can be heard on-line HERE. The preacher for this sermon is Dr. Russell D. Moore (BTW: today happens to be his birthday).

Romans 8:26-9:6a.

This is what I have always appreciated most about Dr. Moore’s preaching, and what I found true of his sermon on election as well: his preaching is always radically Christ-centered. The purpose of our predestination is the glory of God through conformity to the image of Christ.

A. Background:
1. In our contemporary situation:
a. There is often more consensus on the doctrine of election than we recognize, as seen in our songs and testimonies.
b. In other ways, the doctrine of election is not nearly controversial enough.
2. In the context of Romans: the situation with Israel, God's elect nation that had seemed to have fallen away, gave the Roman church a special concern for the doctrine of election.

B. Dr. Moore preached that God is actively working in the lives of the elect to bring us into conformity with Christ in the following ways:
1. In our prayer-life: that we would, like Christ, call out, “Abba, Father!” trusting in God’s sovereign, powerful hand.
2. In our peace: that we would trust God with our eternal destiny due to the work He has accomplished in Christ.
3. In our passion for evangelism: that we would be zealous to proclaim the Good News of Christ to others.
[Note: Dr. Moore did not alliterate the above points; that's just how they came out in the outline that I made while hearing him speak.]

C. Dr. Moore noted two reasons why people fear the doctrine of election:
1. They imagine that this doctrine will rob them of any assurance of salvation- they imagine that if this doctrine is true, then they may get to God’s throne earnestly desiring salvation and yet be turned away. Dr. Moore combated this fear by demonstrating the purpose for which Paul explained this doctrine: that he was writing to a church facing persecution and internal strife, facing their own doubts and hypocrisy, and that this doctrine of election is given for the assurance of those who have faith in Christ, that our salvation is God’s work, which will not fail.
2. They imagine that this doctrine will destroy zeal for evangelism. Dr. Moore combated this fear by demonstrating the connection that Paul makes between the doctrine of election and his own evangelistic passion- that it is due to the doctrine of election that Paul can be sure that the Word of God has not failed, in spite of the constant rejection Paul was facing from the Jews.

Dr. Moore then challenged his hearers: “If you are not more evangelistic now than you were when you came to understand the doctrine of election, you NEVER understood the doctrine of election.”

Dr. Moore closed with the following: “They tell me this [Southern Seminary] is ground zero for the doctrine of election; man, I hope they’re right.”

This post has barely scratched the surface of how exiting and challenging this sermon is. I cannot express how strongly I would urge readers to listen to this sermon and to send a link for this sermon to others. Again, the sermon can be heard HERE.