I. Introduction
A. Unrealized Value
1. A Scottish chess piece that had been lost for centuries was stored in a drawer in Edinburgh since 1964. The owner had no idea for decades that the piece was actually one of five lost pieces of a famous 12th-13th century chess set called the Lewis Chessmen set.
2. Tonight, in our series Images of the Church, we examine a description of God’s people that reminds us of our value to him.
B. Background
1. We find our image tonight in the context of Paul reminding Christians what Christianity looks like (ref. Ephesians 4:17-32).
2. The word for chosen here is ἐκλεκτός (eklektos).
a. Some translations use the word “elect” (e.g., KJV, NKJ )
b. The word carries the idea of picking something out of a group. It can also mean the best, or choicest of things in a class.
c. This is not a passage that supports the false teaching that some people are predestined by God for salvation and others are predestined by God to be lost.
3. The elect here is a depiction of how God sees His people. They belong to Him now.
II. The Value of Being Chosen
A. God Chose Us
1. God has chosen to make us His people. He has us into His family.
a. In Deuteronomy 7:6-8, Israel was reminded that their value to God was not measured by their size
b. Ephesians 1:5, 11
2. Illustration: In this video, you see the reaction of a young girl who is finally being adopted by her foster family. Scenes like this are beautiful. When a child receives a forever home, it changes their future. In a quote from an author about what she has learned about God’s love from her adoption, she writes, “Adoption always begins with loss, but adoption is not the problem. It is an imperfect yet beautiful solution to broken circumstances.”
3. God’s adoption of us begins with circumstances, but ends in something perfect – being a child of God.
B. God Makes us
1. God makes us into something very when we become His children.
a. We are conformed to the Image of Jesus, justified, & (Romans 8:29-30).
b. We become a new (2 Corinthians 5:17)
c. We rise up to walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4).
2. Illustration: In the previous point, I talked about how adoption changes lives. In one of the videos I watched, they asked children and adults who had been adopted to finish the sentence, “Adoption is…” adoptees responded with statements like: life, forever, life-changing. When asked to complete the statement, “Because of adoption I am…” respondents said, “… who I am, special, I have a family, supported, value, respected.”
3. Christians are a people like none other in the world.
C. to be Chosen
1. Paul reminds us to people what it looks like to be one of God’s chosen people.
a. Colossians 3:1-3
b. When we look at the list of attributes in the context of this passage, these are the kind of people you want to be around.
2. We wear the name of His Son; how do we depict who He is to others?
III. Conclusion
A. Value
1. The Lewis Wanderer chess piece sold at auction for $1 million.
2. The owners had no idea of the value and because of that, they were not able to enjoy the benefits of what they had so they just kept it in on old drawer tucked away.
3. This image of the church is meant to provide us with an understanding of how valuable we are to God. Don’t put that away when you leave here tonight or go to work or school this week.
B. Invitation