Paul's Three Calls

“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