2019-03-10-LIVE OAKS - Part 6 - The Called Ones

Right so very quickly as we do and I promise is a lot to cover this morning, but we're just going to Breeze right through it. The foundation of our study in discipleship is the Great Commission from Jesus from Matthew 28 go therefore and Make Disciples of all Nations. That's that's that's that's our marching orders just to make disciples. We don't make Believers the holy spirit makes believer through the spoken and presented and live through gospel, but make no mistake. God makes Believers and then of those Believers of those gathered sheep, we are tasked to make disciples and that's our foundation the heart of it. As I said is the heart of the Good Shepherd that that Jesus is our Good Shepherd and we are his sheep and we follow him for we know his voice from John 10:4, but it also comes with it a warning a very sobering warning which is a servant is not greater than his master if they persecuted me they will also persecute you Calling to be a disciple of Jesus is not a calling to a cushy life of physical tangible abundance of physical tangible. The calling to be a disciple is my life is forfeit. I'm leaving it behind for the sake of following Jesus and it's not going to end up with me being popular and always well-loved outside of the Sheepfold. Right? I mean, it's commanded that we love another would love one another in the body, but it's guaranteed that will not be loved outside the body. So it's not as though God has called us to forsake love. He's actually called us to experience actual agape. Love. So essentially the call yes will be hated. But but honestly everything outside of discipleship of Jesus everything outside the body everything outside of this Kingdom outside outside of this flock of sheep is is a perception of love. It's a perception of popularity. It's a perception of prosperity. It's a perception of Health God is calling us to forsake the perception and actually live in the reality of it is beautiful. But I mean, it is sobering you have to know that this church specifically I can't speak for every different congregation. But for right now I have been tasked to speak 4 hours. We are pursuing discipleship and we've done this through the exploring the the marks of disciple and this is kind of also our outline of the series. What are the marks of a disciple of Jesus Christ, we deny ourselves when we abide in Christ and loving and prayer. We have a Thursday. Knowledge in a dependence on the scriptures. We find our purpose and our joy in pleasing the father. That's what we talked about last week. And then finally the final Mark of a disciple is the making of disciples disciples make other disciples. We do that by knowing our calling this week knowing our gifts using our gifts to Faithfully fulfill our calling which and everleigh results in the bearing of the marks of disciple the real quick. Let's review. What is this mean for we did last week? What does it mean? Are you going to keep skipping down? What does it mean to find joy in pleasing the father? Disciples like Christ on purpose and joy and pleasing the father. It seems odd that are that our purpose would be Joy. Because at at first glance, it seems selfish that our purpose would be defined Joy. It seems like maybe our purpose would be to to be obedient or our purpose would be to be right or our purpose would be to to be faithful. No, actually we are to find Joyce now the caches that we find joy and pursuing righteousness and hating week of that Wicked we find joy in being faithful to God. And that's what's awesome about the command. All of God's commands commands to be righteous to be wholly when talk about that today. But the command to be holding to be righteous into into into flee from wickedness. It sounds it sounds like it's a call to knuckle down and just do the right thing. That's not what we're called to do. We're called to pursue joy and being righteous. Like Jesus himself said not my will but yours be done, but he were still says for the joy set before him. Jesus went towards the cross every single step that Jesus made towards his cross of torture. And murder was steps of Joy. He was motivated by Joy.

If our acts of righteousness are not motivated by pleasing God the Father. their motivation is wrong or perspective is wrong or we're trying to bake something or is white-knuckle something. The reason that finding joy in the father is not selfishness is because to enjoy is to honor.

I order my family my children my wife when I tell them how much I love to be with them else. It's all about you you love being with me while I'm glad I could be here know when someone tells you. I love spending time with you. I love making you happy.

The owners that builds up that ain't that encourages, doesn't it?

And in the Father's Heart is pleased when we are pleased. I didn't write it. I didn't I wish I had but God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. From John Piper. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. We find joy and pleasing the father. and this week we're launching in 22222 that process of making disciples being faithful to that Great Commission that we are to make disciples disciples making disciples and we do that by knowing our calling and knowing our gifts now are calling is is broken down actually to two different categories. There are there's a general calling to all believers. There are things that all believers are called to Every one of us you're a Believer there are things that you are called to no matter what and we know our gifts and like I've said a thousand times already. We we we use our gifts to Faithfully for Phil are calling so we have this. General and specific call and then a using a gift to Faithfully fulfill that call today's sermon is is really it can be all found in one verse or one passage Romans 1 1 through 6 and I could spend the the the the bulk of our time this morning just going to parsing out Romans 1 1 through 6, and we get to all that stuff but instead of doing it that way let me read Romans 1 through Romans 1 1 through 6 and maybe book Market. Maybe just put a little Arrow or put your Bible ribbon in there and go back to Romans 1 1 through 6 throughout the week maybe after we finish the sermon and see how all of the truth it that we're going to share this morning that we're going to hear this morning really is found in the in the the salutation of Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome. And now that is awesome by itself that there is so much truth in just Paul's dear Christians in Rome. There's so much truth just in his greeting that we could spend weeks part sticking out like that's just holy spirit's just showing off here. So Romans 1 1 through 6 Paul a servant of Christ. Jesus called to be an apostle set apart for the gospel of God.

I meant let me be great for the gospel of God, which he promised before hand through His prophets in the Holy scriptures concerning his son who is descended from David according to the Flesh and was declared to be the Son of God and power according to the spirit of Holiness by his resurrection from the dead Jesus Christ Our Lord through whom we have received Grace and apostleship to bring about The Obedience of Faith to Faith for the sake of his name among all the nations including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. Sol Disciples of Jesus. We need to know our calling our general and are specific calling today were talking about that General calling. They so here it is in one question to what are all Christians called generally and to what am I called specifically? K2 what are all Christians called generally and to what am I called specifically? So today it's the general call to all. Know what we're going to experience in our reading through passages of scripture in in in in curing these specific directions things that we are to to be things that we are called to Holiness and Etc. What's going to happen is there's going to be a collision between our understanding of being and doing Kate being and doing this will make sense in a moment. I hope I'm praying that it well. There is an ever-present confusion between being and doing and here's another statement that I did not write and wish that I had K. We are human beings not human doings. K fundamentally calling of God is to be someone. Okay, not to do things but to to be not to do but to be but because of our human nature because of maybe our own cultural kind of drive to succeed and to win. Every time something is described it like this is who you are to be we instantly go. Okay. So what do I do? The scripture says on this is who you are to be sweet. I want to be that how do I do? What do I do? What do I do to be that the Bible say no Lost in Translation. Be we go Fundamental misunderstanding. So here's a probably overly complex statement that did I did write that was all the things that I say. I don't write a e and short and to-the-point. Here it is. If you are and are becoming who God calls you to be and become then you will find that you are already doing and will do more. Of what you were called to do? In other words the beginning comes before the doing.

And it's not even that cut-and-dry there like enter woven. But as you become who God has called you to become as the Holy Spirit molds and reshapes who you are. You'll just find that you do the things that you were supposed to do.

The the being comes before the doing if I was smarter and more disciplined person. There's a book that I've wanted to write for years and it and it would have a needlessly complicated title as well. I don't know why but it just it's just who I am. Take the imperatives are the indicative is what I mean by that. Call especially in Paul he will list things that we are to do that we have to do that. We must do right. These are imperative a follower of Jesus. Does this follower of Jesus does this and in and we go? Oh, oh, okay cool a list.

But actually pologist driving indicative meaning it indicates. It shows it reveals it it highlights it it broadcast that the best example from Romans 10 and we use it all the time. Paul says if you confess with your mouth And believe in your heart and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord than you will be saved. And right now there's a lot of complexities wrapped up in in Romans 10 beautiful complexities. We take a long time talking about it. But the context you saying look, you know under Moses. It was all about the law the Christ. It's It's All About Soul about grapes and there's kind of a question behind. It. Depaul's answering where they're saying. How do we know that? We're safe. How do we have assurance that were saved? How do we really really know that we are in Christ and answer is it by saying you're not under Moses anymore? You're under the grace of Jesus. Do you do you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord? Did you confess that with your mouth?

Can you say?

Exclamation with a B for it. How else could you explain the belief that you that that abides in your heart? How else would you explain proclaiming things that could get you murdered? You just do that on a whim the Holy Spirit has moved in you your saved.

The being comes before the doing holy spirit moves in and and changes you. fundamentally changes you

and we respond by answering that call. Salvation is a work of God and we respond in faith to that Paul. We fall on our knees. We confess him as Lord with our mouths. We are we baptized right we stand up in front of witnesses and say I am a disciple of Jesus.

We have a problem if we think that there's such a thing as a nun called Christian. Every Christian is called so what is that call that comes upon? Every Christian. What is that did General call of God on all of his adopted sons and daughters on all of Christ's disciples. What is that called? Or called to be holy. for starters That's all. He starts out slow from 1st Peter 1 13 through 16 there for preparing your minds for action and being sober minded set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ as obedient. Children do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. But as he who called you is Holy you also be holy in all your conduct since it is written you shall be holy for I am Holy and immediately we go. Okay, sweetheart. So what do I have to do to be holy?

Well, I was a tricky Trickster. The first thing were called is to be born again. I did it that way on purpose do we actually think that we could be holy? Like I said without a without a movement of the Holy Spirit making our hearts new opening our ears to hear opening our eyes to see could we really be righteous or righteousness enough on our own?

Isaiah says that our righteousness is filthy rags. I mean if I can explain to you what is meant by filthy rags? That's how God sees our own righteousness. So can we be holy?

Can't be holy. Holy means to be set apart. We can set ourselves apart. We are set apart by God and that happens as we are born again John 3:3 talking to Nicodemus. Jesus answered him truly truly. I say to you unless one is born again. He cannot see the kingdom of God. We have to be born again of God and then just as watching a baby grow up right eye. You know, you shut your little baby down on on its back on the little blank Unis back. Now, he's trying to grab that stuff and everything and then you you can step away from home when you come back and babies on the on the tummy you like. How did that's not where I left you and put you on your back and now you're going to tell me I didn't they teach you that track right you like you think you might have forgot. I was in the back and then you walk when you come back on the tummy again, how's it going this right? He's not he's not like learning this he's not even have a personal coach or trainer or a to-do list. He's just he's becoming who he is. And he's growing and now he can roll over. The first instinct of a newborn baby is to eat. teach that baby that When were born again we find ourselves being who we've been born again to be? We find ourselves doing what we've been born again to do.

We all have been called to have a renewed mind Romans 12:1 through to remember the Hall of faith that we read at Great length last week by Faith by Faith by Faith by faith is great cloud of witnesses that is has gone before us testing testimony to their life lived by face.

That was Hebrews 11. This is Romans 12 1112. They come after each other same idea. I'm sorry. Romans 12 1 through 2 says do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern. What is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect? We are called to not be conformed to this world and I'm sorry church. One of the ways we have conformed to this world is we have turn on discipleship. Jesus into a to-do list of winning this Jesus thing.

You're not called to be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of our mind that by testing you may discern. What is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect? We have all everyone of us been called to follow Jesus from Matthew 16 24 through 26. Then Jesus told his disciples if anyone would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me for whoever would save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will find it for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul

Right that being born again means the old life is gone. The old man has gone. The new man has come. We are being transformed from the inside out. In that new life that we've been given we follow Jesus and again, it's a pursuit of joy. We joyfully follow him. Even if we're confounded, even if we're confused, we follow in. So Jesus feeds the the seeds to the huge crowd right with the Loaves and Fishes and then heat, you know wraps it all up with you as a matter fact. This wasn't about Loaves and Fishes is about me. You have to eat my flesh and drink my blood. And everybody leaves and returns to his disciples and he says you have the words of Life Peterson. Say home and leave you that was awesome. Tell me more of those terrible things. He's confused because I quite understand it yet, but he knows that in Jesus there is life. So he follows him. He's got no other choice. We joyfully pursue Jesus because for the first time we know what real Joy is, we know what real life is. We know what real love is we know what real acceptance is and so we follow Jesus where the choice do we have every one of us called the following every one of us is called not just to follow Jesus but belong to Jesus abide with him. We've already talked about it so much back and Romans 1 1 through 6 Paul a servant of Christ. Jesus called to be an apostle set apart for the gospel of God Jesus Christ Our Lord through whom we have received Grace and apostleship to bring about The Obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. Not just to obey Jesus Christ not just to agree to the list of facts about Jesus Christ. We we boil it down to that to our shame that being a Christian just means believing a set of facts.

I believe a set of facts about Nazism. I'm not following it. I'm rejecting it.

My wife's father at the Fort during his being born again. He would say yeah, sure. Okay, I believe that Jesus was the son of God and I believe that he died on the cross for my sins with me. You can believe something and not surrender to it.

We don't just believe him we following and it said we don't just follow him like just timidly like he's called to be with him. Skip Along to him. I'm with Jesus that that's why Peter's denial of Christ was so painful.

Peter didn't say none of Jesus, isn't it is now he's not the Son of God. He's not the Son of God. I don't know him. I'm not with him. We are called to belong to him to be with him to abide with him not just agree with him. We are called every Christian is called to bear fruit. For Matthew 7 15 through 20 the wear of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly inwardly are ravenous wolves, you will recognize them by their fruits are grapes gather from Thorn bushes or figs from thistles. So every healthy tree Bears good fruit, but the diseased tree Bears Bad fruit a healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Now she will recognize them by their fruits.

instead of understanding the truth of this passage, which is you first start to be and then you'll do we got all men. I am a diseased tree. So I let me find some good fruit and I will staple it to my branches.

is legalism Right at this being a Pharisee. Is being a whitewashed tomb? It's washing the outside of the cup, but the inside is filthy. Dunrite poisonous

as we abide in him and end in i mean Jesus talks about it about about being in the vine and we are grafted into this Vine and because we are in him, we can't help but barefruit we can't help it grow from our infancy to I don't know grow up into the Oaks of righteousness. Grown into that just just doing what we were made to do being who we were born again to be we will do we will bear the fruit that we were born again to bear.

Paul tells us in in Ephesians 2 is not on the wall is just for free that these good works are prepared in advance for us to accomplish. God's not done. Oh goodness. Oh, well, that's awesome. Tom Sawyer guys has been born again. What could we have him do what do we have him to anybody got any ideas?

from God's Timeless perspective He's been born again to do this. Because first he's been born again to be as we all are we are born again to Bear good fruit. You can also look in Galatians 5 6 16 through 25, it gets awfully specific cure.

Galatians 5 16 through 25, but I say walk by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh for the desires of the flesh are against the spirit and the desires of the spirit are against the flash or these are opposed to each other think of the magnets. They are diametrically opposed in and cannot abide one another for these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do, but if you are led by the spirit. You are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident sexual immorality impurity sensuality idolatry sorcery immunity Strife jealousy fits of anger rival dissensions divisions Envy drunkenness orgies and things like leaves and exhaustive list. We can always invent new ways to be terrible. I warn you as I warned you before that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God so we can what's our Instinct write the list? Okay, don't do these things. Cuz if you do these things, do you want to hear the kingdom? Like I said, we couldn't come up with an exhaustive list of those wicked things was just the first things that come to the top of Paul's mind.

You can't just avoid those things and thing you're magically found to be a disciple. I warn you as I warned you before that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God, but the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace, patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness self-control. Against such things there is no law. This is not to list of don't do these and do do and I just said to do that makes me giggle inside. I guess. I'm still at 9. These are the things that we are to do. It doesn't work that way. Are you a diseased tree with this is the bad fruit that you will bear. Are you growing into an oak of righteousness? Will this is the fruit that you will bear. The imperatives are indicative the beating comes before the doing. and those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires if we live by the spirit, let us also keep in step with the spirit and you know when you are in step or out of step with the spirit if you've been born again, you know it you do. You're lying to yourself if you don't. Listen, listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. He will guide you he will tell you it will live that truth is living in you listen to the truth of the Holy Spirit living in you.

We are called everyone of us. To be an image bearer of God.

meniscos all the way back Genesis 1 26 through 28 then God said let us make man in our image that was on purpose that's not accident. That's not random chance. That is purple. He created us on purpose for a purpose to be image bearers of God after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock in over the Earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. That's just a little sermon of God's sovereignty little object lesson. Hey Adam, you know how you name the animal? Yeah, it's kind of like how I named you. You know how you like you tell the animals like what to do and you killed it. Like that's kind of what I'm doing. It's a sermon. Cuz you're an image bearer of means you're going to preach that sermon. So God created man in his own image in the image of God. He created him male and female. He created them and God bless them and God said to them be fruitful and multiply fill the Earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth. We are a living sermon of God's sovereignty of God's creativity of God's care of God's skillful care. To bring fruit out of the ground.

We don't have to use this. You know, we don't pour motor oil in the backyard socket planet Earth and we take care of what we've been given we cultivated. But what would God says his is your object lesson to make it work for you? I can bless you. Just like we bless him we are to be image bearers. Of God cuz we are called to glorify God from habakkuk 2:14 for the Earth will be filled. Might be a snot should be that's not cross your fingers of all things go well. For the Earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. art expression that is As the water covers the sea, what's the sea? water As Waters cover the sea.

The glory of God will be made known. Just like Christ said if you fail to worship me, even the rocks will cry out. That's why I always pray God speak through me if you can speak around me if you have to but speak. It's going to happen. Whole earth will be filled with the glory of God. The full image of God will be shown in the universe his Justice and his Mercy his wrath and his love will be revealed and every single one of us as a called born-again disciple of Jesus. We are called ultimately to glorify him from Isaiah 43 6 through 7. I will say to the north to give up and did the South do not withhold bring my sons and daughters from afar and my daughters from the end of the Earth. Everyone who is called by my name whom I created for my glory. Why were you created? So why were you created? free weekend for his glory

Praise be to God. If you know him, you've been called to reflect his glory in his Mercy you were called to be a vessel and a conduit of his Mercy.

There are conduits in vessels and his wrath praise God that you are not one of them. If you know him you were called by him. There is no such thing as a nun called Christian. We have all been called.

Without that calling you wouldn't be a Christian. You wouldn't be a disciple. Let us be who God has called us to be every single one of us as prey.

Thank you for your grace.

without your grace without the peace and presence of your Holy Spirit. This would be and possibly crushing weight.

How can we do this without you? We can't we cannot do this without you?

can't do this without first being Who you've called?

What's the be who you called us to be? And then let us rejoice as we see the good fruit that comes.

I don't want to grow in my own life in my own walking in my discipleship with you buy some. strategic plan

With my hands open God. I'm just asking that you would not allow me to hold on to anything that keeps me. From a biting more closely with you. From being will you called me today? My hands are open God to the flow through me and do the things do those good works that you have prepared to prepare me to do before the foundations of the earth were laid. Help me to do do through me the things that you called me to do by being we've called me to be it's amazing. It's amazing to see that we we really do just move and live. Have our being in you.

I got maybe maybe see that just reflected in our in our church and our church body as we all grow as we all surrender as we all mature. We will be utterly amazed at what you do in this church.

Do a work. So mighty that none of us could ever even if we tried claim credit don't don't leave our flesh any room. Our flesh has to die.

I want to kill it very flesh is done. Praise you Jesus for returning some day so that we all can be Resurrected. Together be caught up with you. Finally be on an end in edit. Go back. But that flesh that wants to drag us back to hell.

Got you. Call this fur. Such amazing things right now and to come to thank you. Be with your people as we Fellowship for just a few minutes out of a week just a fellowship just to celebrate. We're all here by your goodness and by your mercy and Grace add something to to celebrate that something break bread over. Just do that make that a good work that you prepared in advance for us to do. Thank you, Lord, Jesus. Precious. Holy name we pray I'm in. So go and be the people that got have has called you to be his disciples. Amen. Amen.