Called by God
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Theme- Believers in Jesus Christ are called by God
Aim- This is what God’s calling looks like for every believer.
Good morning, and welcome. My name is Keith Parmer and it is a privilege to be here and share God’s Word with you this morning. I want to thank pastor Mike and the elders for inviting me to be here with you today and next week. My hope is that our love for Jesus and His Church will steadily grow throughout our time together.
For the next two weeks we will be in the book of Ephesians learning about our calling as believers. Today’s message is titled, “Called by God” and our goal today is to grow in understanding our calling as believers in Jesus Christ. Next week’s sermon is titled, “To Be The Church” and we will drill down even more into our calling to discover Christ’s design for His Church, and how we are called to be members of the body of His Church. The intention of these two sermons is to help us understand our calling personally and corporately as Christ’s Church, so that we may serve Him out of the overflow of our love and appreciation for who He is and what He has done. I am so excited to share what the Scriptures reveal to us about God’s calling on our lives to be the church. Before we get started, I would like to share a little about me. My wife Kathy is here, she is my best friend and greatest partner in the gospel. I have a 19 year- old daughter Randa who graduated high school this year and is beginning her freshman year at Bloomsburg University. Our family pet is a puggle named Hank and he has been a member of our family for 9 years. We live an hour and a half south of here in a little cabin/house in the woods near the town of New Ringgold. I currently serve full time at an Evangelical Free Church near my home, where I oversee Biblical counseling, adult ministries, and discipleship. Hopefully, this snapshot of our lives helps you to know us a little bit, and we look forward getting to know all of you as well.
Prayer
Pray- Before we begin our time in God’s Word lets pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truth that will bring glory to Him: Father, thank you for this time and this place where we are able to gather together to praise, honor, and glorify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Help us to meet with you now in your Word. Provide us with living water so that our knowledge of you, love for you, and obedience to you may increase. We ask all this in the one we love and serve Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.
Background
Background
Background- Alright, we will begin by learning some background history involving Ephesians. First, we need to remember that this letter was not written to us, but it was written for us (the church). We must understand this letter to the Ephesians according to the author’s intent to the original audience; and recognize its significance for us the modern-day church. The letter to the Ephesians was written around A.D. 60 by the Apostle Paul during his first arrest in Rome. It was written to the church in Ephesus to ground them in doctrine, explain their calling, and to provide proper conduct for the church to live out. Paul’s audience were primarily non-Jew or (Gentile) believers belonging to the church in Ephesus. Paul’s intent was to equip the church so they could guard against false teaching, which was prevalent during that time within the church by professing Christians.
Eventually, Paul is released from house arrest in Rome, and he and Timothy together visited the church in Ephesus. Recognizing the need to protect the integrity of the gospel message from false teaching, Paul urged Timothy to stay in Ephesus to guard the gospel. We see Paul’s wishes reiterated to Timothy in (1 Tim 1:3-4). Paul also provided the qualifications for leaders like Timothy to oversee the affairs of the church (1 Tim 3:1-13). Timothy while still in Ephesus would receive another letter from Paul encouraging him to “continue entrusting the gospel message to reliable men who would also be qualified to teach others”
(2 Tim 2:2). Paul was animate about preserving the integrity of the gospel message by entrusting reliable leaders with the role of overseeing and equipping the church. He had equal passion for all God’s people (The whole Church), that they would know and live out their calling. These same things are important for the church today, as we continue to guard, and teach the entire gospel message, while growing in obedience to our calling.
Please turn with me to Eph 4:1-6 and I will begin reading there.
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Introduction- Why was it so important to Paul that the Ephesian believers understood their calling by God? The answer, I believe, is found right here in the beginning of our passage in
V.4:1 “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Paul knew that these believers needed to recognize and understand their calling deeply before they would ever be expected to live out their calling. It’s not possible to live out one’s calling if:
1. they don’t know they have been called and 2. They are uninformed of the details surrounding their calling. The same is true for you and me, as Christ followers it is foundational to our faith that we recognize and understand God’s calling on our lives. I believe the Biblical meaning of the word “calling” is misunderstood in our modern-day language. It has become like the word “love”, I love fill in the blank. These words have been overused and misused for so long that they have little validity.
We Need to Know What Our Calling Means to Us
We Need to Know What Our Calling Means to Us
The use of the word “calling” here in Scripture, may be understood Biblically in the following way. Every believer in Jesus Christ is called by God, for God’s Kingdom purposes, to bring “Him glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations…”(Eph 3:21). Paul spent the first three chapters of this letter explaining God’s calling of His people because it is very important to every believer’s faith. In order to obtain a better understanding of this calling, we will need to turn back to Eph 1.
This passage will help us understand our calling on a more personal level, and answers the questions: Who called us? Why were we called? When were we called? And what our calling means as a result of knowing these details?
Read Eph 1:1-8.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—
to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
V.1:1b Paul addresses the letter “to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Jesus Christ.” This identification as “saints” or (holy ones, called out, & set apart for God’s use) is extremely important for us to recognize and understand. Paul is writing to believers in Jesus Christ =The Church! If you confess Jesus as Lord, you too are identified as a saint, one set apart for God’s use, called to active service in Christ’s Church, and viewed as faithful in Christ. This is an amazing identity and calling we have as believes isn’t it? It gets better…
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
Vs.1:3-4 Believers are given every spiritual blessing in Christ! God chose you, long before you chose Him! You were an affection of His heart and a thought in His mind before anything ever existed. It was you and God during eternity past! You were chose by God for God!
he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—
V.1:5 We have been predestined, called and adopted as His Children through faith in Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure and will. There is a beautiful moment during an adoption that expresses the reality, “I am yours and you are mine.” If you have ever experienced that beautiful moment personally, or know others who have, then you have a sampling of God’s love for His adopted children.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,
Vs. 1:7-8 All the riches of God’s grace lavished on us, a word study on lavished revealed “God caused us to abound in riches of His grace by attraction of the relationship, literally by attraction of the person” (BDAG). It was out of the overflow of God’s attraction to us and His affection for us that He lavished all the riches of His grace on us. What an amazing identity we have as children of God, and what an awesome calling we have as members of the church! Am I right? Praise Him! I wonder how often we meditate on these spiritual blessings, being reminded of our identity in Christ, our adoption into God’s family, and our calling as members of His Church.
I can’t help but think of the late Billy Mays, from the Home Shopping Network. Do you know who I mean? He was known for selling the product Oxy-clean and
his famous phrase was, “and that’s not all…!” This passage we looked at in Eph 1 made me think of that. I imagine Paul incredibly excited to tell all about Spiritual blessings in Christ. He starts with “you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ!” And that’s not all! “God chose you in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight!” But wait! There’s more! He also “predestined you to be adopted as a beloved child of God through Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure and will!” Hold it! The best is yet to come! “In Christ you have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on you with all wisdom and understanding!” Now by no means am I comparing the gospel to Oxy-clean, but I do believe we should read this passage having at least the same, hopefully more, enthusiasm than Billy Mays had when talking about a common household cleaner. WHY?... We need to be constantly encouraged, reminded of who God is, what He has done for us, our new life as beneficiaries of God’s grace, and how we are to live out our new life in Christ. We don’t’ have to look very long at our world before recognizing our desperate need for Him! Feeling overwhelmed by the world? Spend time with God in His Word, like here in Ephesians and receive His comforting warm embrace that comes from having a living and active relationship with Him. You must know the One who has lavished grace upon you first and foremost. If you don’t know the giver of the gifts, the gifts can’t be recognized and appreciated. Everything I am sharing today from God’s Word is about Him, His story, His glory. By His grace, He chose to write us into His story, but make no mistake, the Bible is about the gospel, and the gospel centers on and around Jesus Christ. I say that as a warning to us all, so we do not think more highly of ourselves than we ought; believing we were chosen, adopted, and called because of something we have done. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourself, it is the gift of God -not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph 2:8-9).
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Vs. 2:4-5 “Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions.” We were called out of death and into life with Christ! Because of God’s great love, mercy, and grace He chose us, predetermined our adoption, and urges us to now live this new life in a way worthy of the calling we received. This brings us back to our key passage Eph 4:1-6 where we will now find out what our calling means for us.
What Our Calling Means for Us.
What Our Calling Means for Us.
Since we better recognize and appreciate our calling, we are now ready to be shown details concerning what our calling means for us.
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Vs. 4:1 What we see here is Paul urging the believers in Ephesus to live a life worthy of their calling. Paul went to great lengths up to this point to explain who called them, when, how, and why they were called. Now we will see an emphasis placed on how to functionally live out that calling. Paul begins by addressing the heart in
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Vs. 4:2. He says for starters, we will need to “be completely humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love.” How’s your heart? Did you mentally check off each of those attitudes with confidence? Or, were you like me, realizing that left to myself I fall well short of completely fulfilling these requirements. Listen, Paul was not being moralistic here. He is not saying that we are to be a better version of our self. Instead, he is throwing back to his prayer two verses prior in V.3:20 when he said, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” Jesus has already provided everything needed for life and godliness through His mighty Word and by the enabling work of the Holy Spirit that indwells believers. Yes, we must yield to the Spirit’s work in our lives, fight against sin, pray, and all the while trust God for all good things that only He can do in us and through us. It is Christ’s power at work in us that enables us to Live a life worthy of our calling as we follow Him.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
V. 4:3 We are called to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. As members of Christ’s Church we are to be peace keepers. This is accomplished by the enabling work of the Holy Spirit in and through believer’s lives who are teachable, and who find authoritative truth in God’s Word alone. I think of it like this: The people of God, relying on the Spirit of God, to reveal the Word of God. Vs. 4-6. Paul lists the things all believers are united together in: the one body of Christ, (The Universal Church), one Holy Spirit, one hope founded in Jesus as Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God the Father. All Christians everywhere share in these spiritual blessings together and are united through them. What God’s calling means for believers universally is that we are all called to one triune God (Father, Son, Spirit), through one hope & faith in The Lord Jesus Christ, expressed by one baptism, as members of one Church Body.
We need to recognize God’s callling:
to us
for us
Conclusion: As Christ followers it is foundational to our faith that we recognize and understand God’s calling to us and God’s calling for us. God chose us, adopted us, and called us, and now Christ’s power is at work in us enabling us to live a life worthy of our calling as we follow Him. The radical reality in all this is that God chose us, adopted us, and called us knowing what it would cost Him to keep us! He counted the cost when He look at you and when He looked at me and went through with it anyway. God our Father knew He would have to give up His one and only Son Jesus Christ to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world for those who believe. He would die on a Cross, be buried, rise to life three days later, and ascend to the right hand of the Father. So that whoever believes in Him would be given new life in Christ, defeat death and have eternal life with God. This knowledge changes things, as believers, we ought to recognize and appreciate our calling. And those of you who are not believers, I urge you to take time right now and meet with God. Recognize your need for a Savior who is Jesus Christ the Lord. Confess your belief in Him from your heart and with your mouth and be rescued from darkness into light, from death into life, and be adopted as a beloved child of God.
Pray
Pray: Father as we leave here today, I ask that you continue massaging the truth of your Word into our hearts. Help us to really know you and your calling for us as your beloved children, and as members of your Church. Help us to continually be reminded of our identity in Jesus, and of our purpose to bring glory to you in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen!
Dismissal: Thank you for being so attentive during our time together in God’s Word. I encourage you to read all six chapters of Ephesians, then spend concentrated time in the passages we were in today (Eph 1:1-8, Eph 4:1-6). Then go ahead and study (Eph 4:7-16) in preparation for of our time together next Sunday. Try to use multiple translations and commentaries during your study of Ephesians. I am really looking forward to next week, to learn about Christ’s design for His Church, and how we fit within that framework as believers and members of the body of the church. Have a great week everybody and I will see you next week.