A New Calling, New Behaviors (2)
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 1 viewNotes
Transcript
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
I want to start out with the consider your calling
Consider your calling...
I want to ask you for a second life’s biggest question
Why are you here?
Why are you on earth and what is your purpose. We can all boil down our calling to specific acts, talents, and desires, but Paul is pointing at the bigger picture.
To understand the bigger picture we must first understand Corinth. Corinth was a place of trade.Corinth was made up of a diverse set of people and because of this the church Paul planted in Corinth wasn’t doing well. It was breaking up over arguments and quarrels, but Paul’s reminding the people that those things aren’t why Jesus came and took the cross. Paul’s entire letter was to unify the church, set aside their differences, and spread the gospel in a hard and corrupt town.
They weren’t social media influencers. They were day to day people taking their kids to Dance, soccer, or school. Thy were called out for a purpose. They weren’t called to the ease of life.
I fall into this trap of thinking too many times. If I’m a Christian than life should be easy. If I’m walking out the will of God he should protect me. Sometimes I read the bible as though struggles were a first church thing. How many can relate? But here’s the thing. Satan runs around like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour and Satan was attempting to devour the first century church. He was attempting to destroy the first century church and he is still trying to destroy the church today. You know the difference between old testimate and New.
Now we are the church.
Satan is attempting to destroy you, but God desires to help us preserve and Paul is reminding us that in order to preserve our focus must be Christ crucified. If your focus becomes the struggles of the world they will over take you. Listen, When Peter got out of the boat and focused in God he walked on water. When he focused on the waves the water overtook him. Some of you are out of the boat, but you’re focusing on the waves when you should be focusing on God.
Satan desires to overcome and over take you, But God has a plan
1 Peter 5:6 (ESV)
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
There are three words here that immediately catch my attention
Humble, might, and Exult
But I want you to notice the connections.
1. Humble yourselves.
Listen: Your calling is bigger than you can handle. If you ever thought yourself insignificant understand your calling is bigger than you can handle.
Peter Says Humble yourselves therefore
now therefore means for that reason
Humble yourselves for the reason of being under the mighty hand of God.
Now ask yourself, what does the hand of God represent:
The Permanence of God’s plan
The Presence of Christ’s Authority
And the Power of God
If we keep Christ at the core of motives God’s plan for your life cannot be thwarted. Amen? Satan can roar, problems can come, but the plan of God will last forever.
11 But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken.
You can’t mess this up if you are submitted to God. I have many people come to me and say Pastor I really screwed up my life and I think ruined God’s purpose in my life. and my reply is this: You may have taken a detour, but if you submit your life to Christ he will raise you up at the proper time. Listen, you may have failed, but your failure isn’t final, You may have questioned, but your questions didn’t destroy you because The MIGHT HAND OF GOD IS AT YOUR IN YOUR LIFE.
That’s the Presence of Christ’s Authority.
In the presence of Christ failure isn’t final. In the presence of Christ, Satan can’t destroy you. In the presence of Christ this world cannot over take you.
In the Presence of Christ He will define you. You will give you purpose, He will restore you, and ultimately He will live you up when you feel you can’t go on anymore.
10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Someone say Victorious. It isn’t just Go’s right hand. He is lifting you up with Hi victorious Right hand. You have the victory of God inside you. You just have to let God guide you. You have the answers to your prayers. God has given you a way out. You may feel tired. You may feel destroyed, but God does not get weary. God is not over come. Listen this morning. God has not left you! He is with you. He is here with you right now and He is saying let’s win this. Let’s fight this. This isn’t the end of your story. It’s the begging of God’s hand at work in your situation.
God hand shows His power.
We used Peter walking on water. What happened when Peter started sinking?
Matthew 14:30 (ESV)
30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”
He Cried out Lord Save me. There is someone here is one cry short of Salvation. Your sinking, but your not sunk. You’re going under, but you haven’t lost it completely. There is still breath in your lungs. There is still one last cry this morning. The question is are you crying God why have you forsaken me or are you going to use your last war cry to scream God help me?
V31 Immediately. Immediately. Immediately Jesus’ hand shot out grabbed Peter and they both walked on water back to the boat.
Here’s the key. We need to stay close enough to Christ that he can reach out. Don’t let the pressure of the world take you away from God, use it to propel yourself into the hand of God.
Satan wants to get your away from God so he can drown you. But God desires to stay close so he can save you.
Paul wrote to the Corinthian church in your struggles stay close to Christ. Focus on Christ. Don’t focus on that which seeks to destroy you. Don’t focus on that which is trying to over come you. Cut Stay close to Christ so he protect you. Stay close to Christ so he can lead you.
The might hand of God is waiting to resurrect you. The mighty hand of God is waiting to exult you.
I can’t do this on my own. I can’t take another step. But I am in the might hand of God. I am exulted.
7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Listen: I have been going through a struggle or two, but I am here as your Pastor, who has been through a thing or two, telling you that through the struggle, through the Pain. God is with you. His hand is upon you. He is resurrecting you.
See you have to apply v 6 to get verse 7. You have to submit to God for him to take your anxiety. You can’t continue to do things your way and expect God results. You have to do things God’s way to get God results. You have to be close to God. Listen Peter understood casting. You can’t thrown a net very far. You can’t toss your anxieties very far. You have to be lose to God to cast to God.
Anxiety
I was listening to a preacher once ho said at the center of your anxiety is your pride. Then I noticed this: I is directly in the middle of the word anxiety. But God cares enough that he will extend his hand out to you. He cares enough that if you’re close he will save you.
The key to your victory is your proximity to God.