Discovering your Call

I don’t know about you, but one thing that really irritates me is get a scam or spam CALL on the phone? or like, a telemarketing CALL?

I was waiting on a CALL ...

Its interesting, because of my misconception … based off my experience leading upto it… I dismissed and nearly missed the CALL i had been wanting to because of all these other calls that I had been hearing before hand. My experience of CALLS led me to dismiss that the right, good, healthy, life giving CALL was going to take place...

I had nearly given up on getting the CALL because:

It didnt come at the time I thought it was going to.

Other stuff and distractions had got in my and i missed it.

And i mistook it for something it wasnt...

Kind of sounds like waiting on the Call of God right?

There are lots of things that have been said so often, or talked about in a certain way that they have become cliches that are seen more as just a nice slogan, or a ethereal truth, but not something we actually believe and live in light of...

CALLING has become a cliche …

The belief that you have a purpose, God has something unique and special for you, that he has a CALL that is different then others and he has wired your personality, circumstances, situational in his SOVREIGN PROVIDENCE over our lives to situate you in a place to step into your personal purpose he has for you … I don’t think many people really believe that anymore.

And maybe you in this room today think that too…

You love Jesus, believe in God, in relationship with him but you don’t actual believe there is a purpose he has for you.

And i get why that might be the case...

plans you made havent worked out the way you would of liked

You have had things happen to you that you wonder well if I was called

This is what I want to exhort you to grab a hold of today ..

GOD DOES HAVE A PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE.

YOU ARE CALLED BY GOD

GOD DOES HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU, UNIQUELY FOR YOU TO ACCOMPLISH IN THIS LIFE.

YOU ARE VITALLY IMPORTANT IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

ITS NOT TOO LATE FOR YOU YOU TO DISCOVER YOUR PURPOSE -

YOU STILL BREATHING HERE TODAY? THEN GODS NOT FINISHED WITH YOU YET AND THAT INCLUDES YOUR PURPOSE AND CALLING...

BUT -

Perhaps we have a narrow, or incomplete view of what CALLING IS...

and thats why at times we have become dissatisified, or given up thinking we have a purpose...

My encouragement for us over the next few weeks is lets bring it before God and let him speak to us about our calling, our purpose, why we are here and what he would have for us to do…

I am preaching this week and next, and excited to have Mat Brooks speaking on CALLING the first week of October ...

Biblcal we are not just called once but their are many callings, and a constant one… heres just a few examples.

There is a call to us all

Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

There is a call for us all on how to live

Romans 12:1

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

1 John 2:6

Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

And I believe there is an individual call for you on your life God has.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Psalm 139:13-16

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made... Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

1 Corinthians 7:17

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him...

This last one may be the one that most are wanting to discover

between 80 000 - 100 000 monthly searches on google for “Whats my calling, my purpose, what should i do with my life etc...

We are going to look at how we find that...

i think we do need to realize LIVING OUR CALLING is not a once off event its a constant ...

and

What is more important then the WHAT is the HOW...

CALLING in Gods eye is more about how we are to conduct ourselves, treat others, ourself and God then WHAT WE DO!

you can be called to something great by a worldy standard but it means nothing if we are not living that calling in the way God wants us too...

Looking at the way people are called and discover their call in bible is interesting because there is actually a lot of different ways...

Burning bush....

Knocked off a horse...

Visitations in Dreams...

FOR MOST OF US DISCOVERING YOUR CALL IS MORE OF A PROCESS THEN AN EVENT

Thats my story ...

I am confident I am called to be a pastor and a preacher…

I cant escape it...

A good question may be what cant you escape?

THE CALL OF SAMUEL

1 Samuel 3:1 

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

Why? Context.

Ministering to the Lord...

Serving the Lord, honoring him through engagement, standing respectfully before.

The word of the lord comes in place where he is honored, engaged with, worshipped, service...

Do not expect the word of the lord to come, to get great visions where the Lord is not being honored, revered, his ways being respected ...

2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

4 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

6 And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

Calling and Purpose is best revealed in the context of worshipping God whatever revelation we have of him.

When we love God and know his holy spirit we can come to him and ask and seek and the bible tells us he will respond to us...

Samuel it says he did not know the lord, and the word of the lord had not been revealed to him … YET he was minstering to the Lord and was a servant in his house...

You dont need to be a superstar spiritual person … you dont need to have all the knowledge and been doing it a long time ...

Samuel here, it says he is young, and he doesnt even really know the word of God yet… But he was positioning himself before the Lord and ministering to him, serving him, doing

Calling is discovered not always by searching for it but by doing the best with what is right in front of you

Who are purposeful in what is in front of them and not always chasing WHAT IS MY CALL

What do you have in your hand?

Are you doing the best with what you have now?

Are you loving the people around you now? or do you keep looking for something shinier ?

Are you being diligient with what you have now?

Are you giving the best to what you have now?

Samuel was ministering to the Lord, in a weird situation…

Thats all we have ever done…

God doesn’t stop calling because you havent quite heard it right the first time.

3 times ...

Someone needs to hear this today…

You haven’t missed it - your not too old, too broken,

most of the old testament figures weren’t young whipper snappers but old dudes.

Often we need others to affirm/confirm your calling....

Eli -

Willing to respond to the call …

EVERYONE IS LOOKING FOR MEANING?

it leads to all kinds of decisions

SOLOMON

Context of solomon ECCLESIATES.

1 The words of the Teacher,[a] son of David, king in Jerusalem:

2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

HEBEL

smoke, vapor, changing, untouchable...

Ecclesiastes

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 12

9 In addition to the Teacher being a wise man, he constantly taught the people knowledge; he weighed, explored, and arranged many proverbs. 10 The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and write words of truth accurately. 11 The sayings of the wise are like cattle prods, and those from masters of collections are like firmly embedded nails. The sayings are given by one Shepherd.

12 But beyond these, my son, be warned: there is no end to the making of many books, and much study wearies the body. 13 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.

Fear God, keep his commands.. because this is for all

psalm 37:4-7