Sermon Central
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Prepared For Glory
Contributed by Gary Stebbins on Aug 10, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: What does it mean to be a Christ-follower? When we talk about God’s call in our lives we talk about what we do for God rather than what we can be in Jesus Christ. God’s call in our lives is initially into a relationship with Him. (adapted from a sermon, T
Prepared for Glory
(adapted from a sermon, The Fullness of God’s Call, by Francis Frangipane)
Introduction
Talk about- characteristics/qualities of-Christ follower.
Bible- uses the term- disciple- what is a disciple?
Mtt 10:24-25a
Disciple- learner, pupil, FWM- to learn, to understand.
Speaks of one who follows the teaching of another.
Jn 8:31-32
Continue- to stay in a given place.
To stay in that place where we allow God’s Word to define the context of how we live our life.
Called by God
When we talk about being a Christ-follower/disciple- often we talk about being called or our calling.
When talk about being called we think in terms of our ministry- whether church/work-place ministry.
God’s call is not initially or eternally to do a job.
When God thought of you, He did not think- I need an engineer, plumber, house wife.
Initially the calling from God is- call into- relationship.
He calls His own sheep by name.
The calling of God is a call to who we are by name, not by what we do.
He gave us a name because we are a person He knows.
Saul- persecuting the church- when God calls him-
Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?
God knew his name- he calls His sheep by their name.
He personally reaches out to each one of us-
He calls us out as individuals-into a relationship.
In our culture there has been a strong work ethic-
Our value is identified in what we do.
God calls us because He desires a relationship with us, not for what we can do for Him.
Before we knew Christ, God’s call to us was-
Him thinking about this person He created.
It is Him calling us that stirs our thoughts towards Him
we think about God because He is thinking of us
It is God drawing us into a future with Him.
Once God calls us- He nurtures us- show us His ways.
This is where we often get confused-
-we focus on what we can do for God instead of
-what we can BE in God.
We value ourselves based on our accomplishments.
We mess up- we find ourselves asking God to forgive us because we are never good enough.
1 Sam 3:1-10 (tell the story)
God calls Samuel by name- he thinks it is- high priest.
God spoke directly to Samuel until Samuel had a revelation that it was God Himself calling him.
Jn 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
Father- draws us, moves our heart/mind towards Him.
It may take God shaking us and the things we put our trust in, before we will hear and respond to Him.
Prayer: God save us from our own addictions so we will come to you/make you first in our lives.
God will shake the things we are hanging onto, are afraid of, put our trust in.
Psa 23- How did David learn to walk through the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil?
God confronted him with the valley of death and learned to trust in God above everything else.
NT- Jesus selected- disciples- called them by name.
Bible says- our names- written in- Lamb’s book of life.
1 Cor 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Our calling is into fellowship w/Him- this is my first priority- this is where I will find fulfillment.
What we do is part of our calling, but initially I am called into relationship.
Man’s Big Struggle
For many Christians- we are overwhelmed with a sense of insignificance because we think of
calling in terms of works or our ministry.
But we suffer with regrets/self-hatred because things did not turn out the way we had hoped.
Jesus says- forget about what you do- I called you-
-forget about how great or how poor you are.
It is not what you do for God, but WHO He becomes to you.
Who is Jesus Christ?
It is out of our REVELATION of Christ that comes the WHAT we do with our lives.
Called to be like Christ
Rom 8:28-29
Two things-
-we are called to be like Christ, and
-we are called into a family.
When God blesses you, He blesses me.
When He blesses another church, He blesses us.
This is why division in the body of Christ is so bad.
Prepared beforehand
Rom 9:23
We are vessels of mercy- God has prepared for glory.
Inside of us, in our lives- is the glory of God.
Devil- try to put on us- false fulfillment/condemnation.
As a result we turn to- drugs, alcohol, pornography.
You are not what the devil tells you, you are.
