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[0:00] 1 Corinthians 1 verse 26 through 31.

[0:15] It says, For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.! But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.

[0:28] And God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound them the things which are mighty. And base things of the world, and things which are despised as God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.

[0:46] But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us, wisdom and righteousness, sanctification and redemption. That according as it is written, he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord.

[1:02] He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. It says here about how we've chosen, a chosen people. And that's my theme tonight, to talk of how we've chosen.

[1:13] The special privilege that we have to be chosen of God. Chosen of God. And my first point here is that we are chosen not for any merit of our own.

[1:25] You know, sometimes we can big note ourselves and we can think that we deserve salvation. None of us do. None of us deserves heaven. None of us deserves his saving grace.

[1:37] And yet, we that are called and chosen, we that have trusted him through not any merit of our own, receive that precious gift. That precious gift.

[1:47] And every believer, every believer has a place to fill. We're a body joined together. We've all got different parts and functions. We're like a building constructed together.

[1:58] There's many pictures of the church. And it says in this passage here that God has chosen the foolish things. The weak people, the foolish people, to confound and shame those that the world would reckon wise.

[2:11] Those who are considered strong. There's a wonderful diversity, a wonderful cosmopolitan make-up of God's church, of God's people.

[2:22] Different men, different women, different shapes and sizes, cultures and backgrounds. And God is doing a spiritual work in us by his Spirit. By his Holy Spirit in his great power.

[2:34] He awakens us. He empowers us. And as we come to that place of desperation, of dependence on him, he takes us and makes us his people. He's chosen us.

[2:45] And our part is simply to trust him. To seek him and find and do his will. And God has shown us this new way of living in Micah 6, verse 8.

[2:55] It puts it very simply in these simple truths. In this one passage it says, Micah 6, verse 8. He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.

[3:14] So firstly we see how we've chosen. And God's chosen us. He's equipped us. He's called us. He's given the Maker's instructions. He's shown us what is good. What God requires of us.

[3:25] And it's up to us now to respond to that call. So firstly we see we are chosen. Not through any merit of our own. In fact, quite the contrary, isn't it, really?

[3:36] We've got nothing to claim credit for. You know, some might think that they are righteous, as it were, of their own doing or their own making. But really, that is contrary to what God says.

[3:48] We're not many wise. Not many noble. Not, he's chosen the weak, the foolish, those that are naught, as the world would count it. So we are chosen not through any merit of our own.

[3:59] Secondly, we are chosen out of the world. Secondly, chosen, called, chosen out of the world. John 15, the Lord Jesus says, If you are of the world, the world would love his own, but because you are not of this world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

[4:18] Don't be surprised if you get opposition from the world. We're living in a time in the world's history where we see it's as if there's a wholesale rejection of Christianity, isn't it?

[4:31] Let's face it, the world is hostile towards Christianity. And there's an overwhelming bias against Christians in the popular press. You know, there's a friend of mine and they lambasted him.

[4:45] And because he's a Christian, they had to put that in there. Now, he could have been the local Buddhist or Freemason or whatever it be. But no, because he was a Christian, they said, here's a born-again Christian, what born-again Christians do.

[4:57] It's the media biases against Christians all the time. And our nation's leaders, too, have little regard for morals and truth. There's coarseness and crudity that marks this generation.

[5:09] It's as if our government has declared war on Christian values today. Our nation seems ever more amoral. In other words, no morals. Or immoral.

[5:20] Contrary to God's morals. And so we see that we are needed as God's people, as his chosen. We are needed more than ever before to be the light, the salt in this corrupt and rotting and rotten godless society.

[5:37] Think of the recent debates about marriage. The church is simply holding up 6,000 years of human tradition, not to mention the biblical standard, which is unequivocal.

[5:49] So, in other words, it doesn't change. It's set in stone. Because God's designed marriage. He has defined it, designed it. Yet now there's godly forces that are arrayed to overturn God's order, God's definition of marriage.

[6:05] As if man can redefine what God has defined. And marriage is the basic foundational building block of society. We see when Rome fell, it was because the marriage, the family unit, was attacked and destroyed in the way of life, the culture of that day.

[6:25] And so the problem is, because our world has lost its moral compass, the Bible, it has gone in this contrary direction. And you see, as we pictured here, how as Christians it's like we're going in the opposite direction to the world around us.

[6:41] We sometimes might feel, and it's true, that we're swimming against the tide. And everybody else is going the other way. That's how it's like as a Christian, that we are chosen out of the world.

[6:53] We're not meant to be like the world, not conforming to the world, but transformed by God. And so, sadly, it seems even the mainstream church seems likewise to be adopting a worldly way of thinking.

[7:08] A worldly way of thinking. It's gearing that way more and more, such that the professing church is weak and whimpering and replete with deception. The false church is filled with the unconverted.

[7:21] It's impotent. It's lacking power. And it's lost the passion for the truth. So we see doctrinal and theological truth has been compromised and dumbed down.

[7:32] The church. What are we meant to be? What does the word mean? It means literally called out. That God has called out, he's taken out a people for his name.

[7:43] We're meant to be called out from the world. Not absorbing the mindset and thinking and ways of the world, but to be called out of the world.

[7:54] Doesn't mean we've got to go and buy a horse and buggy or wear funny hats. But it is about what matters, what counts. And we may be just like that fish running, swimming against the tide, and people might think we're front loops.

[8:10] We are in the world, but we're not meant to be of the world. And so we see how vital it is that we, as God's people, as his church, we don't want to lighten up against preaching, against sin, or changing things to be market driven, and mimicking the evil world around us.

[8:30] You know, there's good stuff that the church growth gurus use, but we're not tied to that. This is the church growth manual right here.

[8:40] And as a result of these trends we see, biblical worship has been eroded, and it's given way to a philosophy, to a sound that is worldly and man-centered, oft times.

[8:56] That's a dangerous trend, and we want to avoid that. And as someone has said, churches are either liberal, charismatic, or dead. We don't want to be any of those things. But the honour of the Lord Jesus has been trashed today.

[9:09] It's a travesty, what's going on, where the world is rotten, and the church is following the same course. And so sadly, we see many who once claimed the name of Christ are backslidden and nowhere with God.

[9:22] Many are shipwrecked in their faith. What a picture it is to think of a shipwreck. It's a sad sight, isn't it? Darkness and deadness grips the churches like a terminal illness.

[9:34] Coldness prevails. Not today. But on the other extreme, we see there's the counterfeits, the fake revivals, the pretense of Pentecostalism. Toxic teachings are everywhere.

[9:47] And there's an utter lack of discernment in many quarters. And it seems like we've lost the truth. Lost the love of the truth. This should be what holds us firm and sure.

[9:57] For change agents have infiltrated and done much damage as churches have departed from the most holy faith once delivered. Christian rock music fills the airwaves and no one dares to raise a voice of question or concern, lest they be branded as a Bible bigot.

[10:17] Christian rock music. We've got to be discerning. We've got to be discerning. Christian rock music. Families are torn apart in this mere generation in which we live as selfishness replaces love and kindness.

[10:30] Friends, we're going the course of the world. And we should not. We should be not of the world as much as we are in the world. and we have popular preachers these days such as Rob Bell here he is pictured here a man called Rob Bell and he says this he says Christianity is irrelevant if it continues quoting the Bible and Rob Bell knows better than the Bible he says stop quoting the Bible we want to be relevant he's taken it to that absolute shocking extreme and these are things as his mates there with what's her name in the middle Oprah Winfrey these are things that are going on where the world has saturated the church such that these leading men in the church are just acting in bizarre ways and saying bizarre things and so we see that it seems like the world is defining what is truth and not God this is a shameful mistake to make and we all need to be guarded and I need to be guarded about what I preach what I put to you because I'll have to give account for every word and what does God say of our relationship to the world now that we are saved in Philippians 2.15 here's a good verse to guide how we should think and act in relation to this world that we live in

[11:57] Philippians 2.15 it says we're meant to shine as lights amen that's what we're meant to be shining as lights not a light trimmed our lamp dullened and clouded but shining brightly in this crooked and perverse world world we're chosen out of the world out of this world that is hostile to God there was once a man who penned these words although they were written in German at the time though this world with devils felled should threaten to undo us we will not fear for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us now this is the reality that we are in the world but not of it and even though this world is filled with devils we will not fear for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us so we are not chosen by any merit of our own we are chosen out of the world thirdly we are chosen to have liberty we're chosen to a glorious liberty in Christ this affiliation this choosing is not a forced or an onerous thing it comes freely and brings freedom it's the opposite of religion this choosing from God this liberty that we have is the opposite of religion because the root word for the word religion it means to bind yet we are called to what?

[13:36] a glorious liberty of the children of God that is the picture for us we've chosen to have liberty it tells there of the glorious liberty of the children of God Romans 8 verse 21 there's many scriptures which tell us of the glorious liberty that we know in Christ in Isaiah 61 as our Lord quoted this one too he says the spirit of the Lord is now upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound what a glorious truth that is that God's spirit in Christ he sent Christ to bring freedom to bring liberation and it says that there's a liberty in Christ great peace of they which love thy law there's a great peace there's a great liberty and nothing shall offend them our liberty comes from a right understanding of God's truth applied to our lives in another

[14:37] Psalm 119 verse 45 it says and I will walk at liberty for I seek thy precepts there's a liberty that comes as we walk after God's truth there's a true freedom that comes from the word 2 Corinthians 3 verse 17 it says now the Lord is that spirit and where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty it's a feature it's a characteristic of where God's spirit is working amongst us that there'll be a liberty in Christ a freedom that he gives to us Galatians 5 1 Paul tells stand fast therefore in the liberty where with Christ hath made us free and be not entangled again in the yoke of bondage these are wonderful truths that we can know in Christ today we are chosen chosen chosen not by any merit of our own chosen out of the world chosen to have liberty fourthly we're chosen to battle chosen to battle this is no armchair ride this is no slack thing there's a battle that faces us and we are called to war it takes courage it takes boldness the righteous are as bold as a lion we are not conscripts in this fighting force we are enlisted soldiers willing willingly joining the fight and we're chosen to battle we're called to take up arms to go against the flow

[16:03] Paul tells Timothy thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ no man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who hath called him to be a soldier chosen him to be a soldier we are engaged in battle brothers and sisters and we need to be brave soldiers this is no time to be cowardly we are soldiers one and all standing rock solid marching lockstep and having his standing orders his marching orders our commander in chief has given us clear directions orders that we must hearken and obey so we are chosen chosen to apply his truth wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed their tune according to thy word verse 10 of psalm 119 with my whole heart have I sought thee and let me not wander from thy commandments thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee there's wonderful truth here and these are our marching orders as those call to this battle

[17:10] Jesus says till heaven and earth pass away one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law a jot refers to the smallest Hebrew letter like a comma a tiny mark a tittle is likewise a tiny point on a Hebrew letter there's wonderful assurance we have that we have his word one preacher put it like this when I hold this bible in my hand I'm holding a great treasure a word for word translation of the God breathed words of the Lord our God there's a wonderful assurance that we can have it we have the living word and we have this unfailing written word God breathed truth guides our steps in this battle that we face against all the powers of darkness that we face and our commanding officer is always nearby never out of range always at hand his directions are here and his ear is open as we call for him you know you never get that busy signal you never get that oh leave a message

[18:17] God doesn't do that for us does he he's always there as we turn to him in Psalm 34 it says the eyes of the Lord are over upon the righteous and his eyes ears rather are open unto their crying the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open unto their crying think of the privilege you have to pray just to pray is a privilege sometimes we take it for granted that we have the creator of the universe ready to hear our prayer do we pray when we ought when we when we could benefit from prayer sometimes we don't do we let's be honest I know sometimes I don't resort unto God I don't pray when I ought to pray and rather let us wrestle with God in prayer let us strive together in prayer when we can pray together let's have the spirit of prayer let's have that attitude as it were the agony of Christ as he prayed for us let's have that travail of soul that we'll pray for those who know not the Lord we are chosen chosen not through any merit of our own chosen out of the world chosen to have a glorious liberty chosen to battle and lastly we are chosen to serve we are called chosen to serve not only have we the great privilege just to be saved but we have the wonderful privilege also to be able to serve God in manifold ways in many different ways every one of us has something we can do for God there's something we can do for him not that your doing saves you but it flows naturally from your saving knowledge we are not called to be passive but rather to be busy for God now we can be busy and not busy for God now we can be we can get busy and not be effective you know it's easy

[20:13] I think all of us are busy all of us are busy we busy ourselves but let's get busy about God's business about what matters as much as God helps us to have that grace to and gives us the strength to let's be busy for God and do what we can to fulfill God's mandate he says to the ones at the lake there as they were fishing he says follow me and I will make you fishers of men you know there's a wonderful truth here that each one of us he says to you individually follow me follow me follow me he says that to each one of us he says follow me and will we be like those fishers out on the sea and just trust him and walk in his steps will we be in partnership workers together with God will we be his witnesses as they were called to be what a privilege it is I know some of you are very active in your personal witnessing that is a ministry that is a very blessed ministry even just handing out tracts

[21:19] God's moving you to do that working on your heart and don't be discouraged I know evangelism outreach giving out tracts can be quite hard yakking because you don't always see the fruit from that maybe those words that you say to people in your life as you encourage people as you tell people I'm a Christian and tell them about your testimony tell them about what God's doing in your life tell them about how they can be saved that's a wonderful privilege that you have to share God's truth to proclaim it to speak it boldly and to be those radically changed lives that are a glowing witness as we proclaim that sweet gospel we are those called to serve chosen to serve every Christian is chosen to serve every Christian every Christian should be in full time ministry full time ministry all of us ought to be in full time ministry we don't clock off it's not a clock in clock out system in serving

[22:25] God we are full time in his service and he's given us his word let's speak the truth plainly that might mean telling people about the reality of the danger of not knowing him of not following him you know friends if hell is your destination tonight there is no escape for you that's an awful gripping reality we cannot tone that down it must be told plainly and forthrightly we must be faithful messengers of this soul-saving truth friends it says in God's word Proverbs 23 buy the truth and sell it not also wisdom and instruction and understanding someone has said spare no pain spare no cost spare no sacrifice to obtain the truth it says buy the truth buy the truth you know I know some of you like to get the latest fashions and some of you have got this sin problem called window shopping you want to get something else you want to get something more we all do don't we let's face it you always look for something better and bigger and brighter whatever it be but if there's one commodity if there's one valuable treasure that you can search for and find is the truth buy the truth buy the truth and sell it not this quote it goes on spare no sacrifice to obtain the truth when you purchase the truth protect it keep it safe and secure the truth will always cost you something and it's a shame to pay the price and then sell it for a poultry sum whatever the cost is you go ahead and buy the truth it'll cost you hours of study of long hours of work of days of nights of prayer what happens to the truth is what matters stand for the truth stand for the truth some will say preacher aren't you afraid your stand for truth will cost you followers

[24:25] I'm not attempting to help followers I'm attempting to stand for the truth buy the truth and sell it not this must be what drives us that motivates us this truth that sets men free John 8 32 Jesus says and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free so buy the truth and sell it not this is a commodity that we need in rich supply and hold fast to it's a missing ingredient as it says in Hosea my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge we need to be a faithful church a faithful preacher a faithful people and our message at times might shock and stir but that must be at times where we must speak surely plainly and truly and not sugarcoat the truth you know I don't want people to leave this place thinking they're going to heaven when they're going to hell I don't want that

[25:26] I want this to be an uplifting ministry where God's truth is proclaimed soundly and clearly and each of us can take heart in the truth and not to please men but to please God as we read that the fear of man brings a snare but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be saved that's what all of us must do put our trust in the Lord and we'll be saved friends he's chosen us not many mighty not many noble not many wise as the world would reckon God has chosen the foolish the weak the base the despised we are chosen not through any merit or credit of ourselves he's spoken to each of us one by one he's shown us what is good we're chosen out of the world just to think that he's grabbed us out of this world in this world in its halward direction he's taken us out of this world and yet sent us back his liberty as children of

[26:29] God and we're chosen to battle he's chosen us to be soldiers in his army ambassadors for his gospel and we're chosen to serve every one of you every one of us as fishers of men so buy the truth and sell it not find the truth the soul saving truth that Christ came to die to bleed to suffer to bear our sin our guilt our shame and pay it in full that's what he did and it's needful that we respond to that or we will not be saved if you've not trusted him as your saviour and lord if you don't know a moment a time a season when you were born again then it's critical that you settle that with God tonight I urge you speak to me to another to find out how can

[27:31] I be saved how can I be saved I'm going to hell how can I be saved may that be your prayer tonight if you're lost tonight that you will not rest until you find that peace you will not rest until you find that peace with God tonight we are chosen it's been said that a biblical believer is one who believes in a supernatural Bible that tells of a supernatural Christ who had a supernatural birth who spoke supernatural words who performed supernatural miracles who lived a supernatural life who died a supernatural death who rose in supernatural splendor and who will one day return in supernatural glory to establish a supernatural kingdom on earth friends we have a wonderful glorious liberty and a precious truth I urge you tonight to find your peace in God to find that surrender and stand for the master may your strong burden be the salvation of souls especially your own if you're not saved tonight and then for we that are saved our burden ought to be to have a burden for souls for others and how do we measure up you know we talked about how a church measures up

[28:56] God's word measures each one of us up and how is it that we are to measure the Bible speaks how his truth is like a plumb line when a builder builds a building they find that string and they put a weight on it and it shows the straight up and down and that's a plumb line and God's word is like a plumb line that shows what is right and straight and true and if we're going to build our lives we must measure up to that and he calls us to measure up to the fullness of the stature of Christ Ephesians 4 says that we're growing and one day there'll be that ultimate moment when we'll be that perfect man that perfect entity that perfect body and the glorious returning of our Saviour and we're still growing aren't we let's not stop growing it's a sad thing to see where sometimes

[30:01] Christians they just stop growing their growth gets stunted something happens and it just holds them in their tracks and they don't go on let's not be hindered in this important truth of growing in Christ let's abstain from all appearance of evil let's realise the power of God in our lives let's know who he is and by his spirit to grow by his word to know more and more about him to be those champions that God has called us to be and realise that freedom that glorious liberty let's get rid of what's toxic and unhelpful and holding us back from growing in Christ I urge you tonight to find that wonderful reality today to realise that amazing fact that he's chosen us he's chosen us you know that is just it's mind boggling isn't it to think of that he's adopted us he's chosen us he's made us his own he's taken us out and he's made us and he's sending us back as missionaries to this planet

[31:15] I urge you tonight if you've yet to trust him if you've yet to realise his choosing and to trust him then I urge you tonight to settle that with him please please please do not leave this place without finding an assurance for yourself that you are saved today I urge you this is no light thing woe be to me if I don't preach the gospel to you and you just think okay I'll just I've heard some fine words and I'll pick and choose and maybe I'll go to some other place and hear some other fine words from some other fine preacher and not settle it with God tonight not settle it with God that would be a travesty for me not to implore you not to plead with you woe to me if I don't preach the gospel I pray if you're not saved tonight I know I'm pressing this but I feel to if you're not saved please speak to me or another

[32:19]  Christian here tonight and say I want to know how do I become a Christian how can I be born again as you trust what he's for those in our lives in our circle of acquaintance let us pray