God Has Chosen You

Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City. Yes, God has chosen you.

God chose you. God is about to reveal himself to you in a way that you've never known him before. That's Carter Conlon with an insight to this week's program.

We're glad you're with us today on a call to the nation. In today's message, Carter helps you understand that God wants to raise you up. God wants to use your life for his glory, and there are gifts that God wants to give you.

So Carter's question is, why are you waiting to accept all he wants to give you? From Acts chapter 22, let's join Carter as he reveals God has chosen you. I want to share with you a message simply called God has chosen you.

You may not be able to find him. You may not even understand what your life is going to look like in the future, but I want you to turn to the book of Acts chapter 22, and I want to show you what is about to happen in your life and the lives of maybe a lot of people that you're associated with, because there is going to be a last day awakening before Jesus Christ comes for his church. Let me just read to you 1 Corinthians chapter 1 beginning at verse 26. Paul the apostle says, you see your calling brethren, not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God has chosen.

You see, God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame things which are mighty, and base things of the world, and things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence. So the point that Paul is making in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 26 to 29 is that God has chosen. God has chosen to reveal himself to you as he has chosen to reveal himself to others throughout history. He's going to raise you up in this last hour of time, and your life is going to become a testimony of his glory. Acts chapter 22 beginning at verse 12. A certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there came to me. This is the apostle Paul now sharing his his own testimony. And he stood and said to me, brother Saul, receive your sight. At that the same hour I looked upon him. Then he said, the God of our fathers has chosen you.

I want to read that again. The God of our fathers has chosen you, that you should know his will, and see the just one, and hear the voice of his mouth. For you will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.

And why now are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling upon the name of the Lord. If we were in charge of the kingdom of God and we were looking for somebody to be a witness, probably the last person we would select in the natural is the apostle Paul, who before he was the apostle Paul was a man called Saul. He was an enraged man, a man standing against the word in the ways of God, a man so enraged at a certain people group that claimed to know God in a different way than than he did, or claimed that life had a different purpose than what he had found, that he began to resist it vehemently with all his might and all his passion. As a matter of fact, he was willing to hurt people so that they would turn from their testimony of having had a living relationship with God and begin to agree with his viewpoint on religion and on life. And on his journey when he was heading to a certain place to bring more people into captivity, suddenly a light from heaven shone round about him.

Suddenly the presence of God encountered him. This is my prayer. This is what I'm believing that God is going to do in this last generation. It's not going to be by any might of our own or power.

It's not going to be by pedigree. It's not going to be by anything we have done, but suddenly the presence of God is about to come once one more time to a people who least expect it, a people chosen by God, a people who because of his mercy are going to understand that they stand by mercy. Remember the apostle Paul said he considered himself the cheapest of all sinners, the greatest of all sinners, and it gave him a gratitude towards the mercy of God that caused him to believe that all things work together for good because he loved him and was called according to his purpose. And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? So I answered and said, Who are you, Lord?

And he said to me, I'm Jesus of Nazareth whom you persecuted. You have, you've been resisting me, Saul. Now there's a lot of people going to be listening to my voice and in the future, and you have been resisting God.

You know, some of the resistance is just a deep sense of unworthiness. It's not so much that you hate God. It's not so much that you hate God's people the way Saul did.

You hate yourself. As somebody in one of the prayer quotes said, I hate who I am. And you just don't believe that God would ever use you. You don't see yourself as usable in the kingdom of God. When you look in the mirror, you see a drug addict, you see somebody who's depressed and hopeless, you see failure.

When you think about words, it's the words that were spoken over your life since you're a child, just keep coming back to you, wanting to swallow you. And you've actually embraced a viewpoint of yourself that God doesn't share. It's an incredible dilemma. May I say it simply, you believe that you are something that God does not agree with you that you are, because he sees you as the person that you will be when you have a living encounter with him. And you let him by the power of his Holy Spirit and through the strength of his word and his redemption, begin to change your life. It requires the will to stop resisting God.

Isn't it amazing? We are the only thing in creation that have the capability of resisting God. The geese don't resist him. They fly south in the winter. The birds don't resist him. They sing their songs in the morning. The clouds don't resist him.

They go wherever they're directed to go. Even darkness couldn't resist him. And when he spoke, light had to come. The only thing ever created by the hand of God and the heart of God that has the power to resist him is you.

I want you to think about that. But when you stop resisting God, when you allow the presence of God, when you just call out to him and say, Lord, I live in darkness and I don't know where I'm going. And I don't understand the purpose of my life.

And I'm blinded to my future. I don't even see myself the way this preacher is telling me that you see me. But when you begin to call out to God, then suddenly darkness gives way to light and confusion gives way to order and weakness gives way to strength and purposelessness gives way to a divine purpose that God has established for your life. Yes, God has chosen you.

God chose you. God is about to reveal himself to you in a way that you've never known him before. In Acts, again, chapter 22 and verse 13, a man who was in prayer and in his time of prayer, the Lord spoke to him to go and lay hands on this man who was a lunatic, really. A man who had done great violence to the church of Jesus Christ.

A man was known for his cruelty. Can you imagine being in a prayer meeting like that? You go into pray and the Lord says, I want you to go to this violent man and I want you to lay your hands on him because I have chosen him for a divine purpose. Talk about a commission from God. Talk about a stepping out of a prayer meeting in faith. And I believe that God's calling us as the church of Jesus Christ in this last hour to actually do what Ananias did, to step out of our places of prayer or seeking God and believe that one more time he's going to choose the nothings, the nobodies, the vile, the violent, the people that nobody else wants.

As a matter of fact, it says in Corinthians, those that are despised by the world. God says, I want you to go and pray for them because I have chosen them to glorify my name in this last hour of time. I'm going to raise them out of death. I'm going to raise them out of darkness. I'm going to open their prison doors.

I'm going to give sight to their blinded eyes and they're going to become my end time army of witnesses of who I am and what I am able to do. Listen to the words of Ananias when he came to Saul who's to become the apostle Paul. A radically transformed man from one way of living, one way of going to a completely opposite course.

To be willing to take away others freedom and others health and others safety to the place where he was willing to give up his own freedom, his own health and his own safety for the sake of others. Only God can do that. It was a completely different turn in this man's life. Ananias said to Saul, the God of our fathers has chosen you. In other words, first of all, he comes in he says, I'm putting my hands on you so that you might receive your sight. And actually when you go back in Acts chapter 9, let me just read the story about it. In Acts chapter 9 verses 17 and 18 it says, then Ananias went his way entered the house and laying his hands on him he said, brother Saul the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road as you came has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Two things, he sent me that you might see the purpose the divine purpose for your life, you might see your way forward, why you were created, who you're called to be and be filled with the Spirit of God. Immediately it says there fell from his eyes something like scales and he received his sight at once and he rose and was baptized.

So there are people listening to me, may I say it kindly, the scales have to fall off of your eyes. You don't see what God sees. You don't understand yet what God can do. At some point in Saul's life there had to be a yielding. He was formerly captivating people and imprisoning them and torturing them.

He was so enraged against them now he had to yield his life to this man Ananias coming in who just said let me put my hands on you. When I do you're going to see something you've never seen before and in a way you've never seen it and you're going to be filled with the Spirit of God. This is what the end time spiritual awakening is going to look like. People that you least expect are suddenly going to see things that the religious don't see. They're going to see God's plan. They're going to see his power. They're going to see his purpose. They're going to see that the reason why God has chosen them. And then he said in verse 14, the God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know his will.

This is the first thing. That you should know his will. You've lived all your life according to your own will and you've done the things that you've done that have brought you to where you are. So it's time for your will. That means your desires to live your life your own way.

It's time for this to come to an end. It's time for these things to die that you may live. It's time for you to find the will of God for your life. And he said God has chosen you Saul that you should know his will. You don't have to guess at his will. When the spirit of God comes upon you, you will know his will. It will be engraved deeply within your heart.

Your character. You will hear. The Bible promises you will hear an inner voice that says this is the way.

Walk in it. You will know what his will is for your life. And to see the just one. To understand in a sense the incredible love of God for you. That love that of God that caused him to send his son into the world to go to a cross to pay the penalty and the price for your sin that you can be brought back into relationship with God. That you might see this incredible victory. That you might understand the depth of the destruction that came to Satan and his kingdom when Jesus Christ died on that cross and was raised again back to life on the third day.

That you might fully understand the giftings that God has for you. These are gifts. You don't have it right now. So don't try to figure it out because you don't have it. You don't have a gift until you get it.

Do you understand? It's a gift. It's not in you at the moment if you don't know Christ this way. But the moment you open your heart to him, there are the Bible says when he when he went to the cross and was raised from the dead he took your captivity captive and gave gifts unto you. But until you're in relationship with him you're not going to know what these gifts are.

So don't try to figure it out. There are abilities of God that will come into your life to do things that you can't do right now. You'll be able to speak in place.

Speaking words that that you don't have the power to speak. There'll be thoughts in your mind that you can't think without the presence of God. There'll be courage that you don't have the courage that you don't naturally have. There'll be humility that maybe is not yours. There'll be giftings given to you that you need to do the work that God has called you to do.

And it will all become yours through Jesus Christ the son of God when you yield your life to him. And to hear the voice of his mouth. Hallelujah. To hear the there's so many voices today aren't there? Voices in politics and voices on the radio and religious voices just yak yak yak yak yak yak all day. Just the world is just filled with verbiage.

Just foolish words. But there's one voice that has the power to raise the dead. There's one voice that has the power to give life. There's one voice that says that has the power to say you let you leave your children to me I'll bring them home.

You just ask me and I'll do what you can't do. There's one voice one voice above every other voice in the universe that has the power to give life. It has the power to set free.

It has the power to create things that aren't even in existence. One voice. God has chosen you. Ananias said to Saul that you should know his will and see the just one and hear the voice of his mouth. There's nothing better than hearing the voice of God. He speaks through his word. He speaks through strong leadings in the heart of things that he would have you and I to do. And he says in verse 15 for you will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. You will be his witness. You not just not just a story a living witness. Your life will be so touched by God that your life itself will become a witness of who God is. And the fact that he does forgive he brings people back into right relationship with him.

And as the Bible says if the spirit of God be in you the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead will quicken or give life to your physical body. You'll find shackles will be broken. Shackles will be broken.

Chains will come off your hands. Your old way of thinking will change. You'll be given the promise in the Old Testament is you'll be given a new heart a new mind and a new spirit.

Oh thank God. And you won't be able to contain telling other people this simple story that what God has done for you he can do for them. And then the interesting thing in verse 16 is Ananias says to Saul and now why are you waiting? You know so that's my question to you.

Look it up Acts 22 16. Why are you waiting? What is your hesitation? I'm telling you that God has chosen you. I'm telling you that God wants to raise you up. I'm telling you that God wants to use your life for his glory. I'm telling you that there's a supernatural life that you can live in God. There are giftings of God that he'll give you that only God can give you.

You can't procure it by any amount of your own strength or your own reasoning. So why are you waiting? What is your hesitation? Then he said to Saul arise and be baptized and wash away your sins calling on the name of the Lord. It's really that simple. Arise. Stand up. Stand up in your heart.

Stand up in your mind. With it whichever way you can arise just to rise and say God if this is true that's what I did in 1978. May 12th I pulled over my car on the side of the road after being witnessed to about these things by another believer in Christ. I pulled over my car on the side of the road and this was my prayer.

Lord Jesus if this is true if the man who was witnessing to me his name was Irv and my exact prayer was Lord Jesus if what Irv is telling me is the truth I rose up in that sense even though I was seated in my car I said if it's the truth I open my heart to you and I invite you to come in to be my Lord and my Savior. If you would have seen my life back then I was a mess. I had a really really selfish nature a really bad temper. I was drinking a lot. It was just a lot of stuff really going on in my life that wasn't good and it was getting progressively worse. That's what happens when sin has dominion over your life you try to get better but you can't. But that very day that very day something happened in my heart and I became a new person.

It wasn't by any measure of me trying to do better. Something changed in my very nature. Can I tell you that? My nature changed. Something came inside of me that wasn't there before and I know it today to be the Spirit of God. He received me when in my heart I basically said Jesus if you died for my sin if it is true that I can be forgiven.

If it is true that your Holy Spirit will come and take up residence inside my life and if it's true that I'll be a new creation the old things in my life as I was told will pass away and everything in my life will become new. If it's true why would I wait? Why would I close my heart?

Why would I put it off till tomorrow? And so I opened my heart that day and as I've told hundreds of times I went worked my regular shift as a police officer. I didn't really feel a thing. I didn't feel any different. I went home went to bed woke up the next morning and I remembered like it was an hour ago I rolled over on the right side of the bed put my feet on the floor and I knew that I was a different man.

I don't know how I knew it just knew something had changed. Something in the inner core of my being had been transformed. I'd had a living encounter with the living God and throughout my life since then in the 40 plus years that I've walked with him I've known his will.

I've seen his victory. I've been able to touch and taste of the victory of God and I've heard the voice of his mouth and that's what I'm doing for you. I'm speaking to you on God's behalf because I see something that God is about to do in your life. He's about to raise up a church in this last hour.

People just like me confused and angry and whatever your addiction might be whatever your distress is in life wherever it is that you're going he's simply willing to meet you if you're willing to meet him. Brother Saul why are you waiting? Arise be baptized wash away your sins and call upon the name of the Lord.

The name of the Lord. Why are you waiting? For those that are at home and you're listening to me this evening don't wait any longer. If you know in your heart that you need a savior just pray this simple prayer Lord Jesus I give you my life. I thank you for dying for me. I thank you for taking my place and you suffered the punishment that I deserve for the things that I have done. I thank you for receiving me and for giving me. I thank you for the promise that you will actually come in the form of your Holy Spirit and you will take up residence inside this body of mine and I will be changed from the inside out. The Bible says as I behold the victory of Christ I'll be continuously changed by this indwelling power of the Holy Spirit and I will become a witness to others of what you have done for me. You see that's the whole story of my life is just telling you God will do for you what he did for me. He didn't love me any more than he loves you and I was I had my struggles just like you have yours and my problems. I had things that were spoken over my life that had me in captivity. I had a lot of fear in my heart as well just like you do.

But I heard and I rose up and I said God if this is true I'm going to go with you. I'm going to ask you to do something everyone who's listening all around the world I want you to open your home wherever your home is even if it's on a park bench shift over to one side and make the other side available and start inviting everybody you know that needs Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Invite the struggling. Invite the addicted. Invite the depressed.

Invite those who don't have a good self-image. Just invite them all to come in become part of this prayer meeting and when we're done praying on Tuesday night I want you to just simply lead a prayer meeting and call out to the Holy Spirit. Lay hands on one another and pray that you be filled with the Spirit of God.

I'm serious about what I'm saying. In the simplicity of faith I want you to just simply start crawling out to God. This is where spiritual awakening starts. It's just ordinary people coming together and saying God we need you and you really know you need him and you begin to pray and say God give me your Holy Spirit.

Give me God. Everything that I'm told is mine because of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and have the courage. You don't have to have a theological degree to lay hands on people. Put your hands on somebody's shoulders and just pray God fill my brother with your Holy Spirit. Fill this room with your Holy Spirit. Fill us with your Holy Spirit. Raise us up and let our voices in our lives become a testimony of the reality of who you are. I am so serious about this. This is going to be the end time army of God who have courage my brother my sister.

You don't have to have it all together to do this and you don't need a degree. You need faith in God. Why wait Saul? Why wait Saul? And Ananias could have said Saul I know how deep your sin has been. I know how much harm you've done to other people but you see God has chosen you. God has chosen you.

It might have been so hard for him to believe at that moment. This God that I have fought against and I've hurt other people has chosen me. God has chosen you. Oh the love and oh the mercy of God. The goodness of God. The otherness of God. God has chosen you and you have the right to to bring whoever you want to in your house. People you know from the streets and you say I want to tell you something God has chosen you and you don't have to apologize for that and you can open the scriptures and show it to them. God has chosen you and God's going to use your life for his glory. you