Touré Roberts - It's Worth It

All right, let’s go. Uh, Matthew chapter 20, verse 16. The idea, the framework of what I want to talk about today is being chosen. Where are my chosen people at in God’s house? Being chosen is something else. All right, so let’s look at this. It says, «So the last will be first.» I love it! In other words, this is what it is; everything before the soul was leading up to the soul because the soul was ultimately the bottom line. So here’s what God is saying: «The last will be first.» Amen. Amen. And the first will be last, for many are called, but few are chosen. Let me tell you what that means: it doesn’t mean that God has this pool of people He calls and that in this pool of people, some are called and some are chosen. That’s not true. Many are called; all are called to be chosen, but only a few make themselves choosable. Do you understand what I’m saying? It’s not about favoritism; it’s about who is willing to do the work to make themselves choosable, to reach the level that God has predestined and preordained for them. Because let me tell you something: if God chooses you for something, He’s choosing you for something epic. I might choose you for something menial; I might not, according to your capacity or your ability, but only based on whatever my need is for you. But when God chooses you, first, He doesn’t need anything. So when God chooses you, it’s always for something epic.

But let me keep it real with you: being chosen is tough. One of the reasons why being chosen is tough is that being chosen only makes sense later. Some of you right now see chosen people often have difficult childhoods, not realizing that your deficiencies in childhood are actually keys to your destiny. Your childhood deficiencies point to your destiny. Chosen people—oh man, it’s rough—because they feel from an early age that they are not average. It has nothing to do with how you look; it has nothing to do with how you communicate. You don’t have to be a supermodel to be chosen; it’s not based on anything outside of you. It’s just a knowing that you have on the inside, and that knowing comes from God. Because God literally lays His hands on you before you’re born. Amen. The word says in Jeremiah 1:4, «God says, ‘Before I formed you, I knew you; I set you apart and ordained you.’» So we understand, if we are spiritual, we understand the power of laying on of hands, right? We know that laying on of hands is about imparting something, right? That’s why you don’t just let anybody lay hands on you because they might impart something you don’t want. Some people say, «Keep that hand; I’ll be all right.»

But here’s what you need to know: before you were born, when you’re chosen, God has already laid His hands on you. And when He laid His hands on you, He imparted something in you, and that thing that He imparted in you knows that you’re chosen. But there’s a difference between knowing that you’re chosen and sometimes feeling chosen. One of the things I’ve seen in my own life and in the lives of other chosen people is that there are some seasons where you feel anything but chosen. Where are my chosen people at? For real, just holler at me if you know you’re chosen. The reason why I want to talk to you about this is that I don’t want you to be misled by your circumstances. It says the last shall be first. What it doesn’t expound upon is how it feels to be grouped in that category—the last. If you’re in a season where you feel like you’re in the last category, it is easy to not believe that you were chosen. Being chosen makes sense later. Oh God, I feel the Lord!

So here’s what happens: life for a chosen person is kind of like a movie. Most movies start off very happy. You know what I’m talking about? Give me some happy music! Most movies just start so happy; everything is good. You’re working, you have a great job, and such a wonderful relationship; things are good. Your family is all together, and it’s just so perfect and wonderful. You are skipping through a green path, and it’s just such a beautiful thing! The movie is like, «Oh my God, I wish I could stay in this beginning part of the movie!» But then you know when something is about to change because the music shifts. Suddenly, it goes from happy to—I’m telling the truth! Have you been in that movie? It starts off so wonderful and before the scene changes, the sound changes, and all of a sudden, it’s like dark clouds. And that’s how life is. See, when you’re chosen, from a very early age, you feel special. It’s like my daughter. My daughter—right?