Sermon Central
-
Confirm Your Call
Contributed by Ian Johnson on Jun 5, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: The heart of the call of God is comming to the place of seeing my talents dont amount to a Hill of beans in the light of His glory & goodness.
10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble.
11 For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.
WHERE THERE IS A THEREFORE WE NEED TO SEE WHAT ITS THERE FOR.
3 His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
4 Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature.
5 For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge,
6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness,
7 and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love.
8 For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For anyone who lacks these things is nearsighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins.
First key:
3 His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness
a) We need to recognise that all we will ever need is found in His divine power:
which is Jesus:
18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.
20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.
22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church,( Biggest & Best corporate general manager in the universe:)
23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
COL 2:2-3
2 I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ himself,
3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
SECOND KEY:
VERSE3B -4
through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
4 Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature.
The heart of the call of God is comming to the place of seeing my talents dont amount to a Hill of beans in the light of His glory & goodness.
Paul said:
GAL6:14
May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Recognising the fact that we need to participate in the Divine nature instead of relying on our strenght is the key:
If you boast of your calling today let it be a boast about Jesus and His work in you:
Examples:
Judas: heard all the teaching and words of life that the others did and yet reverted back to His own thinking: Was He called yes! Jesus called Him personaly face to face.
Peter: Lord I wont deney you even though these ones will..... He didnt know his own heart. Was He called: Yes Jesus called Him face to face.
After the ressurection Jesus reconfirmed Peters call ( Feed my sheep)
Thomas: Lord how do we know what you are saying about these mansions in heaven is true: & unless I can put my fingers in the wounds I wont believe. Was Thomas called Yes face to face;
He went on to take southern India for Christ.
You see if we rely on our own strenght and wisdom today we will fail:
THIRD KEY:
5 For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge,
6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness,
7 and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love.
