The Call

Big Idea

Tension: How does Jesus give eternal life?

Resolution: By calling us to believe in him as the Son of the Father.

Exegetical Idea: Jesus gives eternal life by calling us to believe in him as the Son of the Father.

Theological Idea: Jesus gives eternal life by calling us to believe in him as the Son of God.

Homiletical Idea: Jesus give eternal life by calling me to believe in him as the Father’s Son.

Outline

Introduction: Eternity is before us.

Who is he? The Son of the Father

Only God works on the Sabbath (v 17-18)

he has an intimate knowledge of God (19)

he does what the father does (19)

he is the beloved of the Father (20)

he does works that are meant to be marvelled at (21)

The Son gives life to whom he wills (21, 25)

he has life in himself (26)

The Son judges in accordance with the Father (22)

he receives the honor that is due God alone (23)

He is sent by the Father (23)

He has full access to all of God’s divinity, but he is also a distinct person within the Godhead. In other words this only makes sense if we believe in God as a kind of Trinity.

What does he do? He calls us to believe in him for eternal life.

He calls (24,25)

His call leads to our belief

This is called “Effectual Calling”. The Westminister Shorter Catechism #31 asks, “What is effectual calling?” and it answers this way: Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel.

For example, last week we talked aboutthe man who was born a cripple. When Jesus says to him “Get up, take up your mat and go” he does it. There’s no arguing, it’s simply, “oh, he’s healed me. Time to pick up my mat and walk.”

Valley of Dry Bones: Ezekiel 37:1-10

Ezekiel 37:1–10 ESV

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

True belief hears the voice of the Son of God

This is all of grace (Eph 2:4

Ephesians 2:4 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

What our belief does?

It receives life (24)

Jesus will one day reign as the Son of Man from Daniel 7

for eternity (v. 29)

Judgment? really?

now (it is now here)

this belief is always accompanied by good works (29)

Application:

Always remeber, eternity is befor eyou. You can go into death, or you can go into life.

To believe in God is not enough, you must believe in the Son

This seems rather close-minded doesn’t it? But it is the Son who has come to give us life. The Father has sent the Son to call us to life. To reject him is to reject the very way that God wants to give us eternal life.

Listen to him, believe, listen to his calling

<Calvin>

Do you hear his voice?

It is not only true that Jesus calls, but that he calls you

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If faith is itself a gift of God, then there is absolutely no room for pride

<The more that you and I think about this, the more that we shoudl be humbled. Because even the faith that we have is something that is summoned forth.

If he is the one who gave me faith in the first place, that means that he is the one who calls the shots in my life.

Enjoy the life that he gives now

What are all the joys of eternal life? Do you realize you can taste them today?

Do Good, don’t do evil

If you have life, if you have eternal life, do good works. Don’t do evil.

God will one day vindicate and make all right

He will one day wipe away every tear from our eye. (Rev 21:1-7)

Beloved, let us earnestly long for that day when he will come

and let us examine ourselves, that we might not miss out on it.