Sermon “Chosen and Appointed” John 15:16
Lord, grant that we may hear and obey your heavenly calling, living and trusting in you. This we pray in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
How many of you got to choose your parents? Does that seem like an odd question? Then here's a question for you, since it's Mother's Day. How many of you got to choose who would be your mother? It doesn't work that way, does it? We don't get to choose our parents. We can respect them or not. We can trust them or not. We can rejoice in the blessings they give us, or we can choose to grumble gainst them. But we don't get to choose who is and is not in our family. Ultimately this life isn't about what we choose. It isn't about our ability. We do what we can, but it finally isn't about us. It's much more than that.
Today, possibly the saddest day of the year in some of your lives, the day when our society celebrates mothers and motherhood, the day when some people are wrenched with pain as they remember their abusive mothers, as they see that they are without husband or children, the day when they remember those children who they miscarried or aborted, or lost for whatever reason, the day our culture rubs salt into the wounds of some of its women, this very day is a day which our Lord has appointed for me to give you a message of healing and grace. This is a day when you can receive the joy of our Lord. This is a day that is appointed for God's glory and praise. This is a day when we look beyond our situation, beyond our past, beyond our pain and suffering. It is a day for us to rise up and look to the mercy of God shown in Jesus Christ.
I want to remind you what John chapter 15 verses 16 and 17 say about our lives and all their circumstances. Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.” Maybe we didn't get to choose our life, at least not much more than we got to choose our parents. We've come to this place with a lot of circumstances that have driven us here and there, to one thing or another thing. Sometimes we try to take charge of our destiny. Often when we do that we end up frustrated. Sometimes we see our circumstances ruling us, we know that's not quite right either, and we end up frustrated again. We'd like to rise above it all. We'd like to live that victorious life that the preacher on TV tells us will show God's blessing. But time and again something gets in the way. I want to remind you, and I want to remind myself, that it isn't about my choice. It's all about God's choice. It's all about what our God has done in sending His Son, Jesus, our Savior. It's all about Jesus' desire to take your sins and my sins upon himself. It's all about Jesus' love for us which goes above his love for himself. It's all about Jesus choosing to die rather than to let us die in our sin. Jesus chose us. I know it looks to those of us who are adult converts to Christ as if we chose him. Maybe then we should picture this Christian life like a sign board. You know how the signs at our church driveway have two sides. One side says one thing and the other side says another. But they go together. Here's the signboard. For those who do not believe on Jesus, the sign says, “Whoever will, come, believe, and receive life.” But do you know what the other side of the sign says? This is the side of the sign that you see by faith, by belief on Jesus. It says, “Chosen in Christ from all eternity.” Jesus chose his people. Jesus chose you. Your parents didn't get to choose you any more than you got to choose your parents. But if you are trusting in Jesus I want you to know you can have confidence. Jesus chose you. You aren't a Christian because I loved you or because your great aunt Sue loved you or because your parents prayed for you. You are a Christian because Jesus loved you. You are a Christian because Jesus chose you.
What does he then do with us? What does he do with his people he has chosen, loved, and called to himself? What's the destiny of the Christian? He has appointed us to go, to bear fruit, fruit that lasts. What is that fruit that lasts? It isn't our children. It isn't the work we are doing in our careers. It isn't that brilliant piece of legislation we persuaded our senators to pass. It isn't even the invention you've been tinkering with in your barn, you know, the one that . . . oh, I can't say or the secret might get out. That isn't the fruit that lasts. The fruit Jesus has appointed us to bear is fruit of godliness. It is the fruit of the Spirit. Recall from Galatians, all that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control. There's no law against that. And that's exactly the fruit Jesus has called us to produce. That's exactly the fruit he will produce in our lives as we live and grow in him. That's the kind of fruit that overcomes the world. Overcome evil with good! Jesus has chosen us and has appointed us to bear fruit, and that fruit is found as we follow his command to love one another.
What is the result of this faith? What does this life as a chosen one of God give? We see that the Father will give us what we ask in Jesus' name. Yet I think we need to unpack that a little. You see, the Jesus who gave his life to deliver you from sin and death has a particular will. there are some things we ask for. We ask in the name of Jesus for those things that are according to his will. And we know when we ask for Jesus to do his will he will do it. But what is his will? What has he promised in Scripture? That's why we need to be in the Word, day after day, looking at what our Lord has revealed to us. When we know his will we can ask it boldly. And we do, when we pray that his name will be hallowed, his kingdom will come, and his will should be done on earth as it is in heaven. But what is his will? He desires to forgive repentant sinners. He desires to cleanse his people and deliver them from death. He desires to bless his people with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. He desires to prepare us as a holy people, consecrated to him, presented as a pure and perfect bride to her bridegroom. Jesus is the one who desires to call us to himself in faith, believing that he is who he said he is and that he has done what he said he would do. Jesus' will is that all should believe in him, the one and only savior from sin, death, and hell. Are we asking this in his name? Do we believe that Jesus is the one who chooses us and calls us out of darkness into his marvellous light? Do we believe that in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form? Do we believe what we confess, that Jesus forgives our sins? Do we believe that Jesus can take the broken pieces of our lives, our backgrounds, our histories, even our families and make us bear fruit for his kingdom?
In fact, we can't do any of that. We can try a little bit. And we can gain from those efforts. One of our local church congregations is going to have a one-day marriage seminar in the next week. It may be good. I don't know. It will be good if it points people to depend on Jesus and to live at peace with one another in the context of their families. But finally we can't make ourselves worthy. We can't make the fruit of godliness. We don't choose the fruitful life any more than we choose Jesus. We don't choose Jesus any more than we choose our parents. We may accept or reject, we may delight or despise, but Jesus chose us, and he chose us to bear much fruit.
So where do we stand? Are we trusting him? Are we choosing to love him back as he has loved us? Are we ready to lay down our sin, that sin that he has already taken upon himself? Are we willing to bear much fruit, as he has appointed? Or do we wish to walk our own way, blaze our own trail, live our life as if he doesn't matter, just depending on that invention we're working on in the shop? Let us look to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the one who has laid down his life for us, showing us what true love is. Let us look to our Lord who has taken our sin and shame upon himself. Let us look to our Lord, who is the resurrection and the life. He has chosen us.
Pray with me, please. Our Lord, let us see you, the one who chose us, as the one who will lovingly guide our lives. Grant us repentance, and give us your forgiveness. Make us walk in your paths, bearing fruit for you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
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