His Gifts, His Call, His Sovereignty

Title: His Gifs, His Call, His Sovereignty

Romans 11

29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" 35 "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

You know what the best thing about being saved is? No one can take it away from you! It doesn’t matter if, in the world’s eyes, you are the world’s biggest failure; in God’s eyes you are still saved.

You can’t lose your salvation, either. It’s not like the TV remote control, meaning you’re always looking for it. Salvation is permanent and no one can take it away.

If you were to go back and read the book of Job you would find out that everything he lost fit into one category. In other words, what you can gain or lose on this earth.

Everyone seems to have the answers to all of your problems, but it seems like they don’t have the answers to their own problems. And, it wasn’t any different in Job’s time. As a matter of fact, Job’s wife told her husband in Job 2:9, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” How’s that for advice?

Now, in Romans chapter 11, Paul gives us some great insight into where the answers are for our problems. He gives us direction and focus on the only One that will provide for our needs. God! Let’s look jump into these verses:

Verse 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.

His Gifts

…for God’s gifts…When we go to 1 Corinthians 12:4, Paul uses the word ‘gifts’ there as well. And, he uses it in reference to the gifts of the Spirit. He tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:4,

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

Both of these words, in the Greek, are the same. They both are defined as something freely given. Meaning, the giver doesn’t want anything in return for them. The giver doesn’t expect anything in return for them.

God has given a Spiritual Gift, or Gifts, to every person born of Him. Your gift, when you use it, is one way of glorifying God. Let me give you example…If someone gives me something that I can really use and I never use it, then I have no appreciation for the gift or the giver. Thus, it doesn’t mean anything to me.

God has blessed each one of His children with a gift or gifts. Now, I keep saying gift or gifts, because some people may only get one, which, for them, will probably be enough, or some may get two, or another three. It depends on the person, because the Spirit knows the inner spirit of the person He is giving the gift to, and how it could be put to good use for God’s glory.

Yet there are some that show no appreciation for God’s gifts. Instead, they only come to church and go home. They come to church and they go home. Where’s the gift in that?

God gives us a blessing to use, and….it says,

29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable

Those gifts will not be taken back. I didn’t say can’t be taken back, because I think that if God really decided to snatch away your gifts He’d do that. But, our scripture says those gifts are irrevocable. That means they are binding, irreversible, final, not flexible. But there’s more…

There’s His call.

His Call

Paul tells us in Philippians 3:14,

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Just like His gifts, God has a separate call that He will make known, for every child of God. God has a separate path for every Christian and He will show you what that is. Not only that, in Ephesians 4:1, we are admonished by Paul to pursue that call. He tells us,

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.