“Paul’s Three Calls”
April 18, 1999 (Romans 12:1-2) RPBC a.m.
And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in
those days; there was no open vision. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his
place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; And ere the lamp of God went out in the
temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; That the LORD
called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst
me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. And the LORD called yet
again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he
answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the
word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he
arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had
called the child. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou
shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the
LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for
thy servant heareth. (1 Samuel 3:1-10 AV)
In the book of 1 Samuel we are reminded of the call of God upon the
individual’s life. The Scripture says that God called Samuel into His service while
he was still a boy. Samuel did not know the voice of God at first, but after the third
time of God speaking to him, and at the advice of Eli the priest who knew God,
Samuel surrendered to God’s call. The third time God called him, he answered,
“Speak, for thy servant heareth.” The rest is history. Samuel became a prophet
and priest in Israel.
The first eleven chapters of Romans are purely doctrinal in nature. They
cover the topics of sin, salvation, justification, sanctification, and glorification.
After these great chapters on nearly all the doctrines in the Bible, Paul presented a
spiritual truth. It is this: doctrine determines behavior. Let me say it another way:
right belief determines right behavior. Solomon said, “As he thinketh in his heart,
so is he,” (Prov. 23:7).
This morning I want to speak to you on the first two verses of Romans 12.
We have designated this as “Baby Day.” The proud parents of these precious
children have participated in the celebration and dedication of their little ones to
the Lord. That is good. It should be that way. More importantly, every person in
the building today should be dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ. You may already
be. If you are, then well and good. But if you have never publicly dedicated your
life to the Lord to allow Him the privilege of using you as He sees fit, then today is
your day.
Looking at these verses, I want to share three thoughts. I want you to see
the call of God upon an individual’s life is a: 1] Call to Attention, a: 2] Call
to Surrender, and, a: 3] Call to Change.
Remember this:
BI - “EVERY SAVED INDIVIDUAL HAS BEEN CALLED BY GOD TO LIVE A
LIFE THAT WILL BRING HONOR AND GLORY TO HIM. YOU DO NOT
HAVE TO FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD WANTS TO DO WITH
YOUR LIFE. IF YOU WILL SURRENDER TO HIS CALL, HE WILL
REVEAL IT IN TIME.”
Please consider first that Paul summoned the Roman Christians with the:
I. CALL TO ATTENTION -
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, . . . (Romans 12:1a AV)
There are four things we should note about the call to attention that Paul
issued to the Roman believers. That call was:
A. PERSONAL - “you”
Do “you” see it? Everyone, look at your Bible. Are “you” listening? God is
speaking to “you.” Don’t “you” worry about everyone else. Don’t “you” worry
about what the world is or is not doing. Don’t “you” worry about what your
brother or sister is doing. God is talking to “you.” Are “you” listening?
Sometimes we can’t hear God speaking to us because of the noises of the
world. We are worried about what everybody else is doing. It can’t be that way. I
must do what God wants me to do regardless of what others say or do. You must
do what God wants you to do regardless of what others may say or do. God is
speaking to you this morning.
NOT ONLY WAS PAUL’S CALL TO ATTENTION PERSONAL, BUT
SECONDLY IT WAS:
B. POSITIONAL - “brethren”
Paul used the term “brethren.” This call is for the redeemed. If you are not
a Christian you can’t understand this call of God upon your life. If you are not
saved, God’s call to you is for salvation. God cannot use you until you turn loose
of sin and self, and give your heart to Him.
NOT ONLY WAS PAUL’S CALL TO ATTENTION PERSONAL AND
POSITIONAL. THIRDLY, IT WAS:
C. POWERFUL - “beseech”
Paul used the word “beseech.” That is a strong word meaning to beg. He
strongly appealed to the Romans to volunteer their lives and skills to the service of
the Lord. He practically begged the saints to awaken to the call of God upon their
lives. Let me paraphrase, “I beg you brethren, give yourselves to God!”
NOT ONLY WAS PAUL’S CALL TO ATTENTION PERSONAL,
POSITIONAL, AND POWERFUL, BUT FOURTHLY IT WAS:
D. PROVIDENTIAL - “by the mercies of God”
Paul’s strong call to attention was based on the mercies of God. It was God
who was calling the Romans to attention, not Paul. It is God that is calling you, not
Tony Fox. I’m just a mailman. I’m only an errand boy. I’m just a voice crying in
the wilderness, “Make His path straight.” If you are feeling squirmy this morning, it
is the stillness of the blessed Holy Spirit that is challenging you.
THE CALL TO ATTENTION IS A PERSONAL CALL, A POSITIONAL
CALL, A POWERFUL CALL AND A PROVIDENTIAL CALL. THERE IS A
SECOND CALL IN THIS PASSAGE. IT IS:
II. THE CALL TO SURRENDER - “present your bodies. . .”
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1 AV)
First, Paul called the Roman saints to attention. Then he defined the kind of
sacrifice they needed to make to the Lord. If our sacrifice to God is any less than
this, it is too little. The call to surrender involves a:
A. LIVING SACRIFICE -
God wants your life now, not when you are half worn out or nearly dead.
He wants you while there is still vitality and vigor in your body. He wants you
while your mind is still functional. He doesn’t care how young you are or how old
you are. He wants to use you now, not later when you are through with your
ambitions and plans.
Give yourself to God. Don’t wait until you have used up your body and its
energies as you see fit. Don’t wait until you have thrown half of it away. Give what
you have today to the Lord, and let Him use it as He sees fit.
PAUL’S CALL TO SURRENDER INVOLVES A LIVING SACRIFICE.
SECONDLY, IT INVOLVES A:
B. HOLY SACRIFICE -
Holy means, “separate from sin.” God is holy! Isaiah said He was “Holy,
holy, holy,” (Is. 6:3). That is, God is entirely separated from sin. He wants us to be
the same way. We should not indulge in the sinful practices and philosophies of
the world. God has a better plan for His children. We are not to take on the
characteristics of the world. We are not to think like they think, act like they act,
talk like they talk, or do like they do. You are different than the world is. We are to
be separated from sin and separated unto God.
PAUL’S CALL TO SURRENDER INVOLVES A LIVING SACRIFICE, A
HOLY SACRIFICE. THIRDLY IT INVOLVES AN:
C. ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICE -
What is an acceptable sacrifice? Let me put it this way. If it’s not good
enough for you, don’t give it to God! He doesn’t want your left-overs. He wants
your best. Anything less than your best is not acceptable. Here’s the difference.
Your best may not be the same as someone else’s best. That does not matter.
What matters is that what you are giving to God is the best you can offer.
PAUL’S CALL TO SURRENDER INVOLVES A LIVING SACRIFICE, A
HOLY SACRIFICE, AN ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICE, FOURTH, IT
INVOLVES A:
D. REASONABLE SACRIFICE -
What is a reasonable sacrifice? A reasonable sacrifice is one that makes
sense. Does it make sense for you to give God yourself, totally and unselfishly, so
that he can use you however He sees fit? Is that reasonable? Let’s see. Let’s reason
together.
1. Your Past is Under the Blood.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as
white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18 AV)
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (Romans
5:9 AV)
2. Your Future is Settled in Heaven.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and
they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:27-28 AV)
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many
mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
(John 14:1-3 AV)
3. Your Present Needs are Being Supplied.
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19
AV)
I’d say it makes perfect sense for each and every one of us to cast ourselves
on the altar this morning as living, holy, acceptable and reasonable sacrifices. We
owe that much to God who sought us, bought us and freed us from the
entrapment of sin. We are beneficiaries from His grace.
THERE IS THE CALL TO ATTENTION. THERE IS THE CALL TO
SURRENDER, AND THIRDLY THERE IS:
III. THE CALL TO CHANGE - “be ye transformed. . .”
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2 AV)
Paul wrote to the Roman Christians that two things would ad them in the
call to change. The first was a:
A. NEGATIVE PRINCIPLE - “And be not conformed. . .”
Stop letting the world system with its godless ideology and lifestyle shape
your minds and character. Don’t adopt the humanistic philosophies of the world.
Stay with Christ.
B. POSITIVE PRINCIPLE - “be ye transformed. . .”
The meaning of transformation is to be something different than you are.
ILL: THE LITTLE TOY, TRANSFORMER. IT CHANGED FROM A ROBOT
WARRIOR INTO ANOTHER OBJECT BY TWISTING AND TURNING.
ILL: THE CATERPILLAR. IT TOO, IS CHANGED FROM A CREEPY CRAWLING
CREATURE INTO A BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY AS IT IS SHAPED IN ITS
CACOON.
Transformation, or change in the Christian’s life, takes place as we allow
the Holy Spirit to renew our minds daily.
BI - “EVERY SAVED INDIVIDUAL HAS BEEN CALLED BY GOD TO LIVE A
LIFE THAT WILL BRING HONOR AND GLORY TO HIM. YOU DO NOT
HAVE TO FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD WANTS TO DO WITH
YOUR LIFE. IF YOU WILL SURRENDER TO HIS CALL, HE WILL
REVEAL IT IN TIME.” 2
