Your Calling
Total Surrender • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
For the last several weeks, we have looked at the idea of total surrender. Deuteronomy 6:5
5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Jesus added to this your mind and your neighbor as yourself.
37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
We have broken up the idea of total surrender into four parts, but there certainly could be more. We have talked about total surrender with self-denial, with finances, with relationships and today, we will look at total surrender with your calling.
You might think, “I am not called.” Well, if you call yourself a Christian, you are called. The denial comes when you don’t answer the call. Paul reminded the Corinthian Church of this calling in 2 Corinthians 6:1-2
1 As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,
“In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
He quotes Isaiah 49:8
8 This is what the Lord says:
“In the time of my favor I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,
to restore the land
and to reassign its desolate inheritances,
As you can see, Paul, the great Jewish scholar turned advocate for Christ, makes a connection from the prophets to prophecy fulfilled. This connection can be made for you and I today in the 21st century. In fact, there are four aspects of this call, which is my calling and your calling. Notice first a call of affirmation.
A Call of Affirmation
A Call of Affirmation
“As God’s fellow workers…”
This tells me that you and I are on God’s team.
God’s Team
God’s Team
We have the privilege on being a fellow worker with the Creator of the Universe. This privilege should not be taken for granted. We also need to understand that the privilege of being God’s fellow workers comes with resources of divine power by which He enables us to share these truths with others. You see, a fellow worker of God works for and with God and His glory. This person will, like God, have a heart for the souls of men, women, boys and girls. When you are on God’s team, you will work for Him in all you do, but you will always work under Him. This is where so many make the mistake and misunderstand this calling. When you do things on your own and not for God, then you become the God. Our Father, which art in Heaven, will not have anything to do with that! Remember commandment number one?
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
When you are on God’s team you are also on God’s time.
God’s Time
God’s Time
4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is he.
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
God timing is always on time. But notice, in 2 Corinthians 6:2
2 Corinthians 6:2 (NIV84)
…I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
In this matter of our calling, His timing is now. (No Other Way) (No Other Waiting). God desires for others to come to His table.
God’s Table
God’s Table
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
God wants us at His table. The invitation is given. As God’s team, on God’s time, He wants us all to come to His table. What do you do at the table? You eat, you fellowship, you enjoy each other’s company. 1 Timothy 2:3-4
3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
What a call of affirmation we have! God has called us, each and every one that is called a Christian. This call of affirmation also comes with a call of acceleration.
A Call of Acceleration
A Call of Acceleration
We have already emphasized NOW. “I will do it later God.” God says, “NOW.” “I will do it when I feel like it.” God says, “NOW.” “I will do it when I know better how to lead others.” God says, “NOW.”
Spurring Along
Spurring Along
Do you know we are our brother’s keeper?
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
As fellow workers we are fellow citizens.
We need to help each other along the way.
13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
When is TODAY? It is NOW.
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Spur Up!
And we are called for speeding up.
Speeding Up
Speeding Up
Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 6:1
1 As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.
Sometimes the U-word URGE there seems to get translated in our weak, feeble minds as UGLY. When we are URGED to do something, many of us don’t like it. We come up with all kinds of excuses. We procrastinate.
60 I will hasten and not delay
to obey your commands.
Listen, if God commands it to be now, what are we waiting on? God wants us to STEP UP!
Stepping Up
Stepping Up
Believe what God has called you to do.
Trust Him in His way.
17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Do you want to be blessed? Do what the Lord says!
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
We also have a call of assimilation.
A Call of Assimilation
A Call of Assimilation
We have seen we are called FELLOW WORKERS.
Fellow Worker
Fellow Worker
Just to reiterate, a fellow worker is one that is a partner in labor. 3 John 8 uses the same word, sunergeo which means to work together.
8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.
The phrase “work together” is the same as what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6 which is translated there as “fellow worker.” Nevertheless, there is an emphasis of doing things that glorify God. When we glorify God, we are also favored workers.
Favored Worker
Favored Worker
One of the beautiful prayers that King David prayed, was for the Lord to bless and favor the work of his hands.
17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.
I believe that God wants to make us His favored people to do His favored work. However, a fellow worker and a favored worker must be a faithful worker!
Faithful Worker
Faithful Worker
2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
We have been given the trust of salvation and God wants us to be faithful in sharing. Are you a faithful worker?
A Call of Accreditation
A Call of Accreditation
Our calling is also one of accreditation. When I was an administrator at a college, there times we as a college had to go through an accreditation process. It was an incredible task of making sure that the college was credentialed. The records had to be accurate, the proof had to be established, and we had to show that we were really what we claimed to be. There was a deadline that all that information had to be verified.
You and I are called by God in His great love and mercy and all we have to do is by faith call on His name and be saved! The day of our salvation should be a day when everything changes in our lives. Our perspective changes, our life changes, we are led to grow in Spirit and in Truth.
Day of Salvation
Day of Salvation
When Jesus spoke of people believing in Him, He proclaimed, Today salvation has come.
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
As we mentioned earlier Paul quotes this great passage of Isaiah saying
“Now is the Day of Salvation.” So, what are we going to do with our day of salvation? The Day of Salvation should lead to a day of sharing.
Day of Sharing
Day of Sharing
Most of us are absolutely terrified to share with others the salvation that God has given us. We think we don’t know what to say or that we will say the wrong things. I want to ease your mind. To share salvation with someone, you only need to know four things.
I like to use the acronym GOGO to help me remember.
GOGO
God’s purpose and desire is to have fellowship with us.
Our problem is that we are sinners and we fall short of God’s standards.
God loves us so much that He provided a way to connected to Him and meet His standards. He gave us Jesus.
Our response is either yes or no to the question will we accept Jesus to be the Lord of our lives.
If we choose yes, then all we have to do is say simple prayer, “Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I invite you to come into my heart and life. I want to trust you as Savior and follow you as Lord. Amen.”
Now as you learn, there are Bible verses that can be shared with each one of those GOGO points. You will learn that if you want to! Another thing you can do is share simply your life before Christ, how you met Christ, how he changed your life and how you live for Him now.
That’s all we have to do! You and I are called by God to share the Good News of Jesus.
1 As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,
“In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
Now is the day of salvation. It is also the day of starting.
Day of Starting
Day of Starting
Ready.
Set.
Go.
Be ready to share in these simple terms.
Set your heart and mind that you are capable of doing so.
Go to those God leads you to and be strong and courageous! Remember, you are a fellow worker with GOD ALMIGHTY. HE IS WITH YOU!