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10/7/2013
Choosing up Sides
John 5:1-15
Vs 3-- says there were a great number of blind, lame, paralyzed, disabled.
And in vs 5 it says Jesus saw one man and asked him,: "Do you want to get well?"
Why do you suppose Jesus chose that one man out of all the great number of disabled? Why didn't He heal all of them? Could this be a picture of why we don't all get saved? Do you suppose that Jesus knew this man's heart, and knew that this man, out of all the rest of them, would accept Him and believe in Him?
Have you ever been to a Billy Graham Crusade? Maybe you watched one on TV? A typical Graham Crusade would have upwards of 10,000 people, but only 200 or more would answer the call at the end. Why do you suppose that is? Look at the Pharisees and Saducees; they knew all about the coming Messiah but they didn't believe a word Jesus said; even with all the miracles they watched Him perform.
It's clear by these verses in John 5 that not everyone is chosen and, yes, we are chosen. In John 15:16 Jesus says, "You did not choose me, but I chose you." And again in vs. 19 he says, "I have chosen you out of the world." It's just like he chose the one man out of the pool.
"God knows your hearts." Jesus said that in Luke 16:15 "God knows your hearts." The beginning of that verse says that we justify ourselves by what's in our hearts. Jesus knew what was in that man's heart when he called him out of the pool.
Do we know what's in a man's heart? Of course not. But we are told to go and make disciples. How can we do that if we don't know what's in a man's heart? It's simple really; we're like farmers who spread seed in the field. The farmer doesn't know which seed is going to grow. He hopes that all of them will, but he doesn't know. That's how we should be when we tell others about Jesus. We have no way of knowing if this person or that person will accept the truth so our job is to tell everyone. We can't be choosy because we don't know a man's heart. God will do the choosing because "God knows your hearts".
So, if you've been chosen, don't you think you should put forth every effort to live a godly life? Think about it! God chose you! Out of everyone in the pool, He chose you! Revelation 19:9 says “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” In my bible the word blessed is described as meaning “the ultimate well-being and spiritual joy of those who share in the salvation of the kingdom of God.”
Israel was God’s chosen people. They were delivered from captivity; they stood right there and watched the parting of the sea; they watched the walls of Jericho crumble; they received bread from heaven and water from a rock; and yet, they still turned away from God when things didn’t go their way. How many of us serve God while the sun is shining but run for cover when it rains?
It was 40 years ago that I met Jesus and fell in love with God. But, during those 40 years, I turned away three times. The last time was the last time. (Ihope). This time I know who I am in Christ; this time I know that I have the Spirit of God within me. For forty years I fumbled and floundered and just plain messed up. Each time God would send someone to remind me; each time I would make promises to God that I could not keep. This time I make no promises. I simply submit (James 4:7).
I read the word every day and pray without ceasing. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t ask God to lift me up and hold me; don’t let me fall again. We can’t do it on our own; without Him we are nothing (John 15:5).
We need to remember who we are in Christ:
We are children of God – heirs (Romans 8:17)
We are reconciled to God (Romans 5:10)
We are redeemed (Galatians 3:13)
We are born again – saved from God’s wrath (Romans 5:9)
We are indwelled with His Spirit – we are holy temples (2 Corinthians 6:16)
WE HAVE BEEN CHOSEN!! (John 15:19; 1 Peter 2:9)
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