"The Chosen Ones"

`“The Chosen Ones”

November 28th, 2010

John 15:9-17

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.”

How much do you think God the Father, loves Jesus, His Son? A lot? A WHOLE lot? Ya know, I don’t think we can even comprehend how much love God can love. John said, “God IS love!” God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is more than the epitome of love – they ARE love! Multiply how much you love you mate or your children or grandchildren a trillion times – and that doesn’t begin to touch how much love God is. Only Jesus could even begin to understand how much God loves Him. Jesus says the Father loves Him – then He says one of the most amazing things in the Bible. He says, “As the Father has loved me – so have I loved you.” Jesus loves you as much as the Father loves Him!

That ought to blow you away – if you can wrap your mind around it. God loves you as much as He loves Himself! And God IS love! Think of that. Most of us have grown up loathing ourselves. We are too short or too tall. We are too fat or too skinny. At one time we must have been perfect because we went from too skinny to too fat and most of us missed it! Instead we loath ourselves for being too thin – then one day we realize we are too fat and loath ourselves for that. Some don’t like their appearance. The pimples; the dimples; the skin; we can’t win! Somehow we got an unrealistic picture of the perfect US – and we can never achieve it. So we hate ourselves and hate God for creating us this way!

Relax! God created you just the way you are for a reason. There is no one in the whole history of the world just like you. Your fingerprints are different from anyone else. Your eyes are different from anyone else’s. Your voice is different from anyone else’s. You are as unique as a snowflake. There are a bazillion people out there – but none just like you. And God values you; God esteems you; God treasurers you. As much as the Father loves the Son – Jesus loves you!

You are pretty special! It’s a privilege for me to even know you! Thank you for blessing me with your presence! God knows you personally. The angels know you by name! God has chosen YOU! WOW! What an honor! He desires you to experience complete Joy! He calls you ‘friend’. He has given you tremendous power! Power we can’t even comprehend! We take it for granted or don’t realize we have it – but God has so valued us that we have mighty power in Him.

Does that build your self-esteem a little? Does that elevate your self-worth a little? It should! But let me tell you a spiritual principle. With privilege comes responsibility. We have just come through Thanksgiving – and we have so much to be thankful for. God has been so good to us. But with those blessings – comes requirements. The founder of the Nazarene denomination, Phineas F. Bresee, said:

“We are debtors to every man to give him the gospel in the same measure in which we have received it"

Jesus said,

“…everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:14

You have been tremendously blessed! You are fantastically privileged! Great honor has been bestowed on you! You have been CHOSEN by Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth! He knows your name! He knows how you think! He knows your weaknesses and your strengths. He knows your sins – except those you have confessed and asked forgiveness for. Those He has forgotten. He has cast those sins into the “sea of forgetfulness”. But still, with your fleshly desires and embarrassing temptations, and all your faults and failings – still He loves you and chooses you.