Sermon Central
-
The Call!
Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 3, 2013 (message contributor)
Summary: Have you received a call from God to do something for Him? Has God been calling you? Have you answered the call picked up the hotline from heaven or ignored it-ran from it-didn’t believe it? We need to respond to God’s call by answering the phone and say
The Call
Video Illustration: Evan Almighty – His call to build and Ark and His response to Gods call from wingclips.com
Thesis: Have you received a call from God to do something for Him? Has God been calling you? Have you answered the call picked up the hotline from heaven or ignored it-ran from it-didn’t believe it? We need to respond to God’s call by answering the phone and saying “Yes, Lord! Not my will but your will be done!”
1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 1: 17, 18a:
17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you
Introduction:
The calling of Paul and of us is a divine act rooted in grace and in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. We have all been called to reveal the mystery of Jesus to this lost world.
There are two parts to the call:
1. We are all called by God to become part of God’s family.
* Ephesians 2:19-22: 19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
* John 3:16-18: 16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
-The invitation is for everyone in this world – everyone!
2. We are also called to serve the Kingdom of Heaven this is the call to duty:
*Ephesians 2:10: 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Many years ago I received “The Call” from God to be a part of His family: It went something like this:
Hello Michael this is God – First I want to say I love you! I have provided you with a gift that I want you to embrace with your whole heart. His name is Jesus and if you accept Him as your Savior I will adopt you as part of my family. All you have to do is to believe on him, and repent of your sin. Then you will become my son, my heir and I will be your Heavenly Father. This gift if you choose to accept it will bring you the blessings of Heaven and a divine purpose for your life. So Mike, if you want this spiritual blessing and gift from heaven say yes!
I answered with “Yes!”
The calling of God first and foremost has to do with understanding the ministry of Jesus Christ and His message of grace and forgiveness. God’s Spirit reveals this message to the current people of God through the church – Ephesians 3 tells us this. All those who embrace Jesus share in the promises and in the spiritual blessings which came as a result of his great sacrifice. These are: Grace, redemption, forgiveness, adoption, holiness, being sealed by the Spirit of God, wisdom, revelation, and the divine ability to understand the mystery of His will.
Paul tells us in Ephesians that he personally knows about this mystery of grace because he personally encountered it on the Damascus Road and it changed his life.
Paul in Ephesians 3 tells us that the church is the source by which this message is to be delivered, revealed and clarified to the world. The mystery once hidden is now revealed through the power and the ministry of the local church. When people observe the church they should see wisdom, revelation and the power of the Holy Spirit of God at work. This is the manifold wisdom of God to use the church as a dispenser of grace, forgiveness and spiritual power for both Jew and Gentile. This vehicle is what God is using to bring people into His family!
