God Has Called You Series

GOD HAS CALLED YOU

1 Peter 2v9-10 “for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.

Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” NLT

God has called YOU

What has God called you to? One lady once told me “I feel God has called me to something (she wouldn’t say what) and I feel frightened and unable.”

As a new Christian I had the privilege of ministry from some pioneer missionaries to Africa who had retired after long and challenging service. They had a burden on their heart for the people over there and felt the call to go. 1920’s to 70’s.

You may wonder what challenges God is going to lay upon you this morning – fear not! The calling that God has given you is all embracing and it’s encouraging; as you might gather from our reading.

The call to you and to me is to COME. Our call to worship was from Revelation 22v17:

“The Spirit and the Bride say ‘Come’. Let anyone who hears this say ‘Come’. Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.” NLT

So many scriptures mention the call of God. So much could be said and learned.

Just 3 points (good old 3 point sermon! And with 3 P’s!!)

God’s call is

• Personal

• Practical

• Perpetual

It’s a Personal Call

For He has called YOU out of the darkness into His wonderful light.

Once we were all in darkness without even realising, maybe life was good but we were spiritually alone without a Saviour and without true hope and fulfilment.

I was like that, but in mid 30’s found myself in a dark place both mentally and in challenging circumstances.

At the point when I was virtually ‘burnt out’ I heard God’s call “Come, give your life to Jesus”. It was irresistible – I did.

Peace descended and life became new.

I figuratively drank from the living waters of life eternal and gained life more abundantly.

Maybe God’s calling you this morning out of the darkness of life into His wonderful light. Maybe there are shadows encroaching into life and God this morning is calling again for you to come to Him in renewal.

That’s the most basic personal call – out of darkness, repentance and new life.

Then there’s God’s personal call at different times in our lives.

Psalm 139 tells us how well God knows our bodies, our thoughts, our moments and days. His thoughts about us are countless and unceasing. They are personal for and about each of us, individually.

The Old Testament prophets were each called personally by God to their work.

He may call us individually to some Christian work (small or maybe a little greater), some action, a time of prayer, a job or a ministry. It may be by His spoken word into our hearts, by circumstances, by association with a church or group, or by any means He chooses.

Jesus called his disciples individually by name.

In Acts 9 we can read how God called Ananias by name to go to Saul, that great persecutor of Jesus’ followers. God called Saul by name through Ananias to be the apostle Paul.

In my own life I can testify to the calling of God personally, by word, by circumstance, by scripture, and especially by that wonderful prompting and endorsement of the Holy Spirit.

Be always ready to receive God’s personal call at any time in your life, it’s always a special moment, perhaps a time when like Mary, you need to treasure up and ponder things in your innermost being. (Luke 2v19)

So it can be a personal call and it will also be

A Practical Call

If we have God’s call it doesn’t just stop there. We may need to act immediately or wait a little while as we prepare, or we may need to ponder things in our hearts until the call is confirmed. We don’t want to go rushing off before we’re certain it’s God who’s calling. Too many good intentions have caused great trouble when some sincere Christians have felt an idea was God’s call, when in fact it was just a good sounding human thought.

But when God does call us, guide us, direct us, and we know it’s true, then we have a responsibility to follow the call or leading.

When God called Moses, like many of us Moses questioned God and felt inadequate for the task. Moses’ response was firstly “who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?”