Thank you for the privilege of addressing you at this extremely important event. You know, I joked with Mr. Wiers that you guys must have really reached down into the bottom of the barrel to draw out my name to be your speaker. I kind of laughed when Mr. Dekker said that you “chose me.” But I was immediately humbled as I thought about how none of us deserve to be chosen. We really are all bottom of the barrel choices, so I thank you class of 2008 for choosing me.

Earlier this winter I had the opportunity to talk with you in chapel about spiritual gifts. About what they were and how to figure out maybe which one God has given you. So that leads me into your theme verse for the year. And I will read it from The Message paraphrase of the Bible. First Corinthians 12:4-6 says:

“God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits.”

I don’t know about you, but that makes me excited. To know that the God of the universe is first behind everything and the he is handing out a gift or gifts to me—various expressions of his love and power—so that others may benefit.

But you know there is a catch and we talked about it in that chapel back in February. The catch is that we only receive these gifts if we are believers in Christ. Remember how we said that it is only by the grace of God that we have spiritual gifts. In fact we agreed that it is only by God’s grace that you and I have been saved in the first place! For whatever reason, certainly not on our own merit or worth, God chose us. And remember that we also agreed that he even chooses what gifts to give us for our good and his glory. Not for our benefit, but the benefit of his church and others.

So God chooses and I’m so glad he does because my best efforts all fall short of His glory. My best efforts are really bottom of the barrel. So I want to take the remaining time with you this evening to talk about your “chosen-ness” and where that “chosen-ness” can take you through high school and beyond.

Up until now your sense of worth, your sense of who you are may have been determined by what your family, your friends, your teachers or even you think of you. But when we really grasp how special it is to be chosen by the God of the universe and we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ our sense of worth gets turned upside down. We no longer need to worry about what others think of us, but only what God thinks of us! And believe me, he thinks you are pretty special! I love this quote by Stuart Briscoe that describes how God feels about you:

You are a work of divine creation

Someone whom God planned from eternity past—

Who God loves to distraction

Whom the Holy Spirit loves to indwell

Who God could use as a source of untold blessing in the lives of others

For whom Christ died

Whom God will welcome into heaven.

One of the greatest temptations you will face as you walk through these doors tonight and head down the path to high school is the path trying to find your identity. You may try to find your identity in your looks or your popularity, in academics, in sports, in music in … you fill in the blank.

But you don’t have to find your identity—because you haven’t lost it. You already have it in the person of Jesus Christ if you believe in his life, death, resurrection and saving power. You have the best identity there is, you are “in Christ.” Chosen by Him not because of anything you did, or will do but because of his divine mercy and grace.

You are a new creation of infinite worth, deeply loved, completely forgiven, totally accepted chosen and set apart! Wow, that’s a powerful identity! It’s an identity that no one in this world can give you—not your parents who love you a bunch, not your friends who care deeply about you. Not a boyfriend or girlfriend whose love can disappoint you. Not a place on the cheerleading squad, dance team, volleyball or basketball team or part of the science club or theatrical or musical stage. It is only “in Christ” that you will find your strength and your confidence. And “in Christ” you will find your giftedness, your talents and your abilities.

And my young friends, nothing is more wonderful than agreeing with God about how He sees you and how he feels about you. Not in a prideful way, but in a way that acknowledges that HE planned your life, HE created you for a purpose, HE saved you from the penalty of your sin and HE has gifted you and indwelt you with His spirit so that you can live your life in such a way that you will be a source of untold blessing in the lives of others!

But what a mystery! Why me, you may ask? Why was I chosen? And what is God’s intention for me? Isn’t that what Frodo asks Gandolf in The Lord of the Rings? “Why was I chosen?” Gadolf replied, “Such questions cannot be answered. You may be sure that it was not for any merit that others do not possess; not for power or wisdom at any rate. But you have been chosen and you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have.”

And if I were Gandolf, I would add … and the spiritual gifts that you have been given. God has given each of us something to do that shows others who He is. Remember last February we said that who you are is God’s gift to you. What you do for God is your gift back to Him. So what is that gift you will give back to God? How will that gift manifest itself in your life as you walk out of here tonight? As you discover the gift or gifts God has given you, how will those various expressions of his power shine through you? How will they shine at Brookfield East, Shorewood High School, Heritage Christian or Milwaukee Lutheran?

Will you choose mercy? Or exclude others from your group? Will you be an encourager? Or will you laugh and gossip? Will you intercede and pray for your friends and your school? Or will you leave the praying up to others?

Will you be an evangelist? Or will you keep quiet when someone needs to know Jesus? Will you extend the hand of help? Or let others figure out how to do things on their own? Will you show hospitality? Or let the one without any friends continue to be left out? Will you be a leader? Standing for what is true and right, or stay in the background hoping no one really notices you or your faith?

Will you offer Godly wisdom to a friend in need? Or fall into the trap of saying what is popular and what the world thinks is good advice? Will you exercise faith? A faith that is not ashamed of the gospel, faith to trust that God is with you, faith to walk into a group and say no to certain things.

Will you use the creative ability that God has given you for his glory, not for your own self interest so that people will say, “ oh, you are so talented?” Will you teach others the way of the cross? Or let them go on not knowing how they too can be “in Christ?” Will you pursue your chosen-ness with passion, with excitement and with a humble knowledge that you too once were at the bottom of the barrel, but, God in his great love reached down and pick you to be a source of untold blessing in the lives of others?
And when the hard things of life come and you aren’t sure where to turn. When friends betray you and parents don’t make any sense. When you feel alone, and not sure about yourself. Remember your identity in Christ, your chosen-ness for as it says in First Peter 2:9:

But you Julie, Emily, Maggie, Alissa, Lindsay, Hailey, Kelsie, Shalynne, Kylie, Kyle, Julien, Adam, Sam, Richard, Zach, Chase and Josh are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Go make the most of your life, in the power of God’s spirit and proclaim the praises of Him who called you and chose you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.