God's Glorious Design For You

Text: John 15:16
Preacher: Ptr. Sael Anota

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The Foundation: You Are Chosen

The sermon began with Jesus’ powerful words from John 15:16:

“You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it unto you.”

Key Truth: We didn’t choose God first - He chose us. This wasn’t an accident or coincidence. God has a specific plan and design for each person.

God’s Grand Design for Everything

Pastor Sael emphasized that God has planned and created everything in order. There is a grand design for everything in existence:

“By him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible… all things were created by him, and for him.” — Colossians 1:16

Important Point: Nothing about your existence is accidental. You weren’t born by chance - God planned your life before you were even conceived.

The Divine Calling Process

Three Aspects of God’s Design:

1. We Are Called

Many are invited, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). God doesn’t typically call the wise, mighty, or noble by worldly standards. Instead:

“God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” — 1 Corinthians 1:27

2. We Are Ordained

Before Jeremiah was born, God told him:

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee to be a prophet unto the nations.” — Jeremiah 1:5

God knew you, chose you, and ordained you for a specific purpose before you were born.

3. We Are Appointed

“We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” — Ephesians 2:10

We are created for good works that God prepared beforehand for us to walk in.

Separated from the World

Jesus declared:

“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”

The Challenge: As chosen people, we are no longer of this world. We must not love the world or the things in it. The enemy of our souls uses three main temptations:

• The lust of the flesh
• The lust of the eyes
• The pride of life

Our Identity as God’s People

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” — 1 Peter 2:9

Purpose: We are chosen to show forth God’s praises and to demonstrate His marvelous light to a dark world.

The Command to Go and Bear Fruit

Jesus commanded His disciples: “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

The Heart of Jesus for the Lost

Matthew 9:35-38 reveals Jesus’ compassion:

“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”

Practical Methods for Soul Winning

Pastor Sael outlined several evangelistic approaches:

• One-on-one evangelism
• Door-to-door knocking
• One verse evangelism (using Romans 6:23)
• Outdoor and indoor crusades
• Harvest events
• Small group evangelism

Key Principle: “Any kind of cat is okay as long as it catches mice” - any method is acceptable as long as it wins souls.

The Importance of Follow-up and Consolidation

Pastor Sael emphasized that winning souls is just the beginning. New believers need:

• Follow-up visits to check on their spiritual progress
• Relationship building so they feel like family
• Proper care and attention as “VIP” visitors
• Integration into the church community

Critical Truth: People may come to church for many reasons, but they stay for one reason - when they feel they belong to a family.

The Blessings of Fruitfulness

When we fulfill God’s design by bearing fruit, Jesus promised:

“Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it unto you.”

Rewards for Soul Winners:

• Crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8)
• Answered prayers
• Fruitfulness in all areas of life
• Spiritual, physical, and financial blessings

Personal Application and Challenge

Pastor Sael shared from his own experience in church planting, describing times of loneliness, discouragement, and apparent failure. Yet God’s timing proved perfect, and breakthrough came when least expected.

The Challenge: We haven’t done our best yet when it comes to evangelism and proclaiming the gospel. It’s not too late to start again.

The Promise:

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me…“ — Acts 1:8

The Amplified Understanding

In the Amplified Bible, John 15:16 reads:

“You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you, and placed you, and purposely planted you…“

Final Truth: You are purposely planted where you are. God has appointed you, placed you, and planted you with intention so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing fruit continuously.

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“You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” — John 15:16

God’s design for your life is glorious and intentional. You are not an accident - you are chosen, ordained, and appointed for a specific purpose. The question is not whether God has a plan for you, but whether you will fulfill the glorious design He has already prepared.