5.17.09 - You Have a Calling on Your Life

You have a calling on your life

Daniel Patz, Lead Pastor

Grace Church, Sunday Worship

Ephesians 4:1

May 17th, 2009

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, (12) so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

INTRODUCTION

I was tucking my 4 year old son in bed this week and he told me that he wanted to be a pastor when he grew up. I told him that I was very happy for him in this and that if God called him to be a pastor he should be a pastor.

IF GOD CALLED HIM…

I had breakfast on Wednesday with a pastor who has been faithfully pasturing for 58 years. I asked him what was the secret to his long time faithfulness in the ministry. He said it was a clear understanding and confidence that he was CALLED by God to serve in that role. It helped it very much during the seasons of discouragement.

4:1 says – “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.”

If you are a Christian – you have been called.

If you are a Christian you have been called by God and that calling has transformed you in a life impacting way through the regenerating power of God resulting in repentance and faith.

If you are a Christian you have been called by God and therefore you have had a gigantic force impact you in a way that forever changes your life. (Semi-truck illustration).

What is a calling? (same as vocation)

“A calling or vocation is the action of God in summoning people to a specific task or role.”

In the OT, we see Israel called by God. We see specific leaders called by God – Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, David…

The NT describes every believer as a person who is a called person – they have received a call.

Romans 1:7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:23-24 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, (24) but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

2 Thessalonians 2:14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

2 Timothy 1:9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,

1 Peter 2:21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

I HOPE YOU GET THE POINT.

The point I want to make is this – YOU HAVE A CALLING IN YOUR LIFE – WALK WORTHY.

To do so I want to look at three things from this letter of Ephesians regarding the Call.

1. THE CALLER

God is the caller and He is a SUMMONING SOVEREIGN SAVIOR

He summons us to repent from our sin and look to His son and faith (1:13).

As we will see in the CALLING, he summons us to a life of faith that produces fruit – good works.

Look with me at the CALLER who has called us in Ephesians 1:3ff:

He is Sovereign in that he calls and we do come. (see John 6:37 and 6:44)

A key characteristic of a true calling is a confrontation and vision of the glorious authoritative God.

God summons us and He does it in Sovereign grace.

- He chose us

- He predestined us

- He redeemed us

- He forgave our sins

- He gave us His Spirit

- He gave us an inheritance and hope

- He gave of insight into His glorious plan

But He is also Lord – He has called us and we are to obey. He summons and we follow His command.

2. THE CALLED

Who are the called?

Ephesians says that we were chosen to be made holy before our birth, predestined to be made His children through adoption.

But look with me in chapter 2 to our condition before He called us.

Ephesians 2:1-7 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins (2) in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- (3) among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (4) But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, (5) even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- (6) and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (7) so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

On of the characteristics of the OT callings on a man was that they were overwhelmed with their unworthiness in the calling. God does not call great things. He calls simple things and even wicked things and makes them His tool for glorious use.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. (27) But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; (28) God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, (29) so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

God called Abraham who was an idol worshipper. (Josh 24)

God called Moses and old burned out man who was a has-been.

God called the last of Jesse’s sons who had to serve as a shepherd – David.

God called the man of unclean lips – Isaiah.

3. THE CALLING

But was is the calling that He has called us to?

He has called us to believe in the Gospel and repent.

He has called us out of darkness and into light (1 Pet 2:9).

But he has given us a summons – a task.

He did not save us to be lazy, good for nothing rich kids lounging on our Father-God’s trust funds.

He saved us and called us to a glorious inheritance for a Task, mission, purpose (Rom 8:28).

The TASK

1:3 says we are chosen to be holy and blameless

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, (9) not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 4:11-14 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, (12) to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, (14) so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

We have been called to the WORK OF THE MINISTRY. All of us in our different ways.

We are called to serve each other.

We are called to serve the Lord.

The Empowering

The third characteristic of a calling on an OT servant was that after they saw God, were overwhelmed with their unworthiness, God also overcame their resistance and empowered them to do the task.

Look at these verses:

Ephesians 1:18-20 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, (19) and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might (20) that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, (15) from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, (16) that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, (17) so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, (18) may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, (19) and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (20) Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, (21) to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

WALK WORTHY OF YOUR CALLING – know you have been empowered to do it!

WALK WORTHY OF THE CALLING – THIS SUMMER

Obey – You have been given a summons. You have a calling on your life. What does that mean to your decision process this summer.

Put yourself in the body of Christ. You are not your own – you are owned by the one who called you.

Trust – He has equipped you (keep putting yourself under that equipping work in the church) and trust that He will give you the strength to do what He has called.

Look to the one who has called you.

If the fact that “You have a calling on Your Life” is a bad thing to you – you may not be called – which is not a good place to be. Call out to Him.