Read Textual Sermon from John K. Jenkins Sr
God Chose, Appointed, and Answers You
(John 15:16)
Opening Prayer: Father, we thank You for the privilege of being in the house of worship this morning. You woke us up this day. You gave us the activity of our limbs and the mind to have the capacity and ability to be in Your temple.
I pray now, Father, that You anoint us to be Your mouthpiece, Your conduit, Your instrument. I pray, Father, that hearts would be receptive to receive Your truth and apply it to their lives. Help us to be doers and not just hearers of Your Word.
Save somebody today. Reclaim a backslider. Give assurance to someone who has doubts. Draw somebody who’s disconnected from the body. I pray, Heavenly Father, that You put a shield around this place. Bind and rebuke every demonic and distracting spirit.
Let the name of the Lord Jesus receive all the glory and all the honor. Let the saints be edified, let the devil be horrified, and let Your name be glorified. In Jesus’ name, amen and amen.
Give one person a quick hug before you sit down.
Songs and Theology
On a few occasions during my pastoring, I have stopped the choir from singing certain songs that were not biblically accurate.
For instance:
“I’m climbing up the rough side of the mountain,
I’m doing my best to make it.”
That’s unscriptural. Your best will never get you into heaven.
Or another one:
“Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry.
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.”
Also unscriptural—because that song implies that you have to catch Jesus before He goes by. But the Scripture clearly teaches us that He lives in us.
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” — 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NKJV)
As a matter of fact, God is everywhere at the same time.
Even the song, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus,” isn’t quite right if it implies that salvation begins with us. Because John 15:16 tells us otherwise.
The Foundational Scripture
John 15:16 says:
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” — John 15:16 (NKJV)
This verse tells us something very important: you didn’t choose Jesus—He chose you.
Go ahead, look at your neighbor and say, “He chose you.” Look at the other side and say, “He chose you.”
So my message today is God chose, appointed, and answers you.
1. The Principle — God Chose You
You didn’t choose God. I know we sing, “I decided to follow Jesus,” but you couldn’t follow Him if He hadn’t first chosen you.
Some people think they came to Christ by their own decision, but if Jesus didn’t give you the capacity to choose Him, you couldn’t have done it.
That’s why I celebrate today: God loved me—and loved you—enough to choose us even though we did not deserve to be chosen.
Look at your neighbor and say, “You didn’t deserve to be chosen.”
You were messed up, torn up from the floor up, high as a kite, low as dirt—yet God woke you up, made you see your condition, gave you life, and gave you the desire to know Him.
It’s not by your doing. It’s not because of anything you did. You didn’t pull yourself up by your bootstraps—you didn’t even have boots! If you have boots, God gave them to you.
He chose you in your brokenness. Aren’t you grateful that you’re not where you used to be? God brought you to a whole new place.
You didn’t think you’d become who you are, but God did it—because He chose you.
He could have bypassed you, walked past you, or picked someone else—someone more qualified, more handsome, or more beautiful—but He chose you.
When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all He’s done for me, I can’t help but give Him praise!
He chose you in spite of your history. People might cut you off because of your past, but God looks beyond your history and still chooses you. He looks beyond your faults. He knows your weaknesses and still chooses you.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” — Romans 5:8 (NKJV)
You’re not an accident—you were in God’s master plan. Before the foundations of the world, He saw you and chose you anyway.
He knew how messed up you’d be, but He still chose you.
Just as He chose Moses even though Moses stuttered, He chose you in spite of your flaws, failures, and fears.
Thank God, He picked you up out of the muck and the mire.
2. The Program — God Appointed You
Jesus said, “I chose you and appointed you.”
The word appointed means to be set in place—to be given an assignment. God put you where you are.
When I became pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden in 1989, the members thought they chose me. But they didn’t—God appointed me.
And when God appoints you, no one can disappoint you!
Your appointment means you’ve been set in a place and you’ve had something deposited in you. God has placed something inside you that will make a difference in the lives of others.
There are people only you can reach—friends, co-workers, family—people who will be transformed because of your obedience.
Our 2025 theme is Be a Disciple, Make a Disciple.
God has anointed, called, gifted, and empowered you to make a difference in the lives of broken and bruised people.
You’ve been chosen, and you’ve been appointed.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” — Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)
No weapon formed against you shall prosper. You’ve got an appointment! You’ve got an assignment.
3. The Promise — You Will Bear Fruit
Jesus said, “You should go and bear fruit, and your fruit should remain.”
That means lives will be changed because of you. Homes will be restored, marriages saved, children healed, and communities strengthened. You will bear much fruit—and it will remain.
Stop letting the devil tell you that you’re not qualified. You can. No—you will!
You’ve been chosen, appointed, and promised fruitfulness.
And not only that—Jesus said, “Whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give you.”
That’s the promise: God answers prayer.
Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank You that You have chosen us, appointed us, and promised to answer us.
Now, Father, I pray for someone here who needs salvation—someone watching online who needs deliverance. Draw them by Your Spirit. Remind them that Jesus died on the cross, shed His blood, and has the power to break every chain and stronghold.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Come—don’t delay. Say, “I want Jesus. I want forgiveness. I want a breakthrough.” Come now.
Questions This Sermon Answers
- Why does Scripture say we did not choose God, but He chose us?
- What does it mean to be appointed by God?
- How can we know that our calling is part of God’s plan?
- What kind of fruit should a believer bear?
- How does God’s promise to answer prayer connect to being chosen and appointed?
