The Incredible Impact Of Being Choosen By God

The Incredible Impact of Being Chosen by God

1 Peter 1: 1-2

Sept. 19, 1999

Text: 1 Pet. 1: 1-2

ILL: Bob Benson, in his book, “See You at the House” describes his childhood

experience on the softball field. He was always a frail kid, so when the captains picked

teams based on size, ability, or friendship, Bob was usually one of the last to be picked.

“The game can’t start until someone takes Bob’, the teacher would insist.” And

one of the captains would kick the dirt and say in disgust, “We’ll take him.”

Bob says, “And I was usually sent to play BEHIND the right fielder. I don’t think

I came up to bat until I was in the eighth grade. And even then I wasn’t too surprised to

strike out then.”

Bob finished his story by stating, “So, I like to be chosen.”

I would guess this morning that everyone of us would say, Yes, I like to be

chosen. Doesn’t it feel so much better to be chosen, than to believe that nobody wants

you?

The apostle Peter is writing to Christians who had been scattered across Asia

Minor either by persecution or some circumstance. They were alone and afraid.

Discouragement and questions flood their minds to the point where they considered giving

up. To them, Peter’s word of encouragement was shouting in Big Letters, “YOU HAVE

BEEN CHOSEN.”

Of coarse we know that Loneliness, fear, and discouragement are not limited to

the lives of the Early Church Christians. Today’s Christians live as strangers in a world of

shifting values, questioning life issues, and some are short on Hope. Peter has a word for

us today: “YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN.”

Do you believe me this morning, YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN! REPEAT

AFTER ME, “I HAVE BEEN CHOSEN!”

Not only does this passage tell us how God has Picked us, but one of my favorite

verses in the whole Bible talks about this very idea, maybe that’s why it’s my favorite, so

before we go on with this verse, let me share with you some more of God’s Word that

tells how God Chose Us Even Before We Turned to Him. Look at Ephesians 2: 1-10, I

just shared this verse at our Men’s fellowship yesterday, so guys forgive me for repeating

myself,

The first three verses describe our life before we came to Christ, everyone of us

lived a life of sin, we were born with this sin nature that is described, and until we repent

and ask God to cleanse us, we are infected with this sin disease. Of course, starting in

verse four we will hear the good news. Let’s read.

Friends, You have been Chosen by God, He has a plan for your life, and this was

all done from the very beginning. God’s Grace is awesome.

Let’s say it one more time, repeat after me, “I HAVE BEEN CHOSEN.”

The First thing I want you to understand, IT’S A PRIVILEGE TO BE CHOSEN.

A. Being chosen means we are loved.

1. Peter prayed that they might experience the “grace of God in abundance”

2. Hannah Smith described grace this way in her book, “The Christian’s Secret

of a Happy Life” “To say that it is free unmerited favor only expresses a little of it’s

meaning. It is the unhindered, wondrous, boundless love of God, poured out upon us in

an infinite variety of ways, without stint or measure, not according to our deserving, but

according to His measureless heart of love, which goes beyond our knowledge, so

unthinkable are it’s heights and depths.” I think she had a glimpse of Grace, don’t you?

3. God has Chosen you. You are special to Him. Being chosen reminds us that

we belong to His family.

In his book, Healing Grace, David Seamands captures the essence of what it means

to belong to God as His Children.

ILL: “The servant is accepted and appreciated on the basis of what he does, the child on

the basis of who he is............The Servant is accepted because of his productivity and

performance. The child belongs because of his position as a person...........When a servant

fails, his whole position is at stake; he might lose his job. When a child fails, he will be

grieved because he has hurt his parents, and he will be corrected and disciplined. But he is

not afraid of being thrown out. His basic confidence is in belonging and being loved,

and his performance does not change the stability of his position.”

Friends, do you Know This morning that you Belong to the Father? Christians,

Your confidence comes in Knowing your position, and knowing that you belong, and

knowing that you are loved, regardless of your performance! Our Heavenly Father loves

us just because of Who We Are, If we will ever grasp that it will change our life, we won’t