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October 8, 2006
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Gods Call
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Pastor Brian Shimer
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"It is God who saves me, it is God who calls me"
1 Corinthians 1:28-29
- Surely it is God who saves me. I will trust in Him and not be afraid. For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense and He has become my savior.
That's our chorus for today. As I have thought about that, I continue to land on the fact that the God who saves is the God who calls us into things we could never have dreamed possible, things that give us opportunities to trust Him all the more.
So, our bulletin begins with quotes out of the life of Gideon who when called a "Mighty warrior" and told that the Lord is with him, wonders how any of it could be true.
But we find that God, through the weakest man of the weakest tribe, plans to save His people. What a God! And so God calls Gideon through his angel, and Gideon responds, after a couple tests of this call, mind you it had been a while since anyone had heard from God.
Gideon's story is a great illustration of one of the strategies of God. God does not always look for the best, the mightiest, the most powerful among men and women as he calls them to participate in the ministry of Jesus Christ. He instead calls the weakest and the least, and then as we respond to that call God uses us for exactly what He intends. This very idea reminds me of Paul's letter to the Christians in the town of Corinth when He wrote of God's call, saying: "God chose things despised by this world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, so that none can boast before God" (1:28-29).
This was God's strategy with Gideon. He had Gideon reduce the size of the army from 32,000 men to only 300 men, so that "Israel may not boast against Me that her own strength has saved her" (Judges 7:2), saying that with the 300 men, "I will save you and give the MIdianites into your hands" (7:7). Gideon was strengthened in his ability to trust and follow the Lord, as God used him as the mighty warrior only God knew he could become.
- Today we have heard four more accounts of how God chose people for His work.
In the story of David, David was not the tallest, strongest, biggest, nor necessarily the best looking of the brothers, the sons of Jesse. But he was God's choice. And God does not choose based upon outer appearance. Do you remember what God said to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7?
Let's look back to that verse. Read aloud with me verse 7. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks ant the heart."
This is a great memory verse. It is a good thought to keep before us day by day, for it is good to remember that God looks at the heart, which means our innermost beings. God's call then is not based upon whatever I may see in myself based upon what I see in the mirror. God does not call based upon wrinkles, muscles, or good looks. God calls based upon His design for my life. So God called David because he had a heart that pursued God.
Remember this as you get caught by the "outside appearance" of yourself or others. Remember this when you have a tendency to discount what God could use you for based upon what you think you lack.
David was chosen because of his God-pursuing heart. Gideon was chosen because God saw in him what he could not see in himself. It is true of God's calling on our lives: God does not call the adequate but makes adequate the called.
To what is God calling you in your life? As you are pursuing God in the Word, in prayer, in seeking to put God first in your life, the Holy Spirit may be nudging you toward some area of His ministry, the ministry of Jesus Christ that will happen through your life as you listen for God's call and obey Him. How is God prompting your heart in order that His dreams can be fulfilled through your life?
God's call to both Gideon and David proved just how big God was as He used both of them for great things. Even when David stumbled, he demonstrated the softness of his heart he had for the Lord as he repented, and in his cleansed and forgiven state, became a model of righteousness of which God would say: "If you walk in my ways as David your father did, I will give you a long life…" (1 Kings 3:14).
- Then there was God's call upon Queen Esther and her willingness to die if necessary for the sake of her people.
Now, Esther is not the most likely candidate for saving a nation! But God sovereignly moved her into a place of influence for that very purpose. Her Uncle Mordecai delivered a statement to her by her servant Hathach which said it all: "who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this".
Gideon… David… Esther - three ordinary people whom God called into powerful ministries which changed the history of their nation and allowed them to participate in God's unfolding plan of salvation. The only attribute that stands out in all three of them is the attribute of obedience. When God called them they responded with a willing obedience. Yes, Gideon did test the call a few times, but then went forward.
I believe you and I were also born like Esther "for such a time as this". The call of God is upon every life. There is something to which you are called, something that no one else can fulfill. If it is one word of hope into the life of some struggler along the way or an action which could save a whole nation - I cannot tell you, and you may not know -- but God has a plan for you.
Every person has a role in the body of Christ and in the Kingdom of God. Every person has a unique gift to bring. Certainly some of our roles are smaller roles, like the role the little toe plays in balance. But if you have ever stubbed your little toe, you have discovered that although insignificant in size, that part of your anatomy is essential to your "walk" J .
- So, what does God have planned through your life. While you and I cannot know really, we can determine to be obedient to Jesus as His Spirit speaks to us of that call. We can decide to respond by following Him wherever He leads. This is what the first disciples did and look what God did with them!
What more unlikely group was there to call into the business of becoming "fishers of men" than these first disciples? Impetuous, loud, arguing and self-focused, these first disciples were later described by the religious leaders as uneducated, ordinary men with no special training, but God called them, and as they followed, as they obeyed God's call, God used them in mighty ways.
John, one of the sons of thunder, became the apostle of love.
Peter, known as the rock, who was anything but solid to begin with, was used mightily by God to reach first the Jews in Jerusalem with his mighty leadership in the early church and then Gentile converts as the church caught God's vision for what it means for Israel to be a light to the Gentiles.
Likewise you and I cannot see what God may wish to unfold through our lives. We follow Jesus and listen for the prompt of the Holy Spirit of God who says, "This is the way, walk in it". Our obedience as we respond to God may take us into some great work in God's kingdom - a battle that saves a nation -- or into some small work - a cup of cold water that rescues a life. Either way, the action will be one of the good works that God prepared in advance of our lives for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
- Finally, there is the young teenager Mary in Luke 1. When Gabriel the mighty angel comes to announce God's plan for her life, she is shocked and with good reason. But even with the dismay of not knowing exactly what the angel's announcement will fully mean, Mary responds with an obedient heart to this call. Her response in Luke 1:38 I believe is the best response we too can use as God calls us into adventures with Him.
Turn with me to that passage, in Luke1. Read with me verse 38.
Isn't that a great response to God's call. Although she knew she had been selected for a great, great privilege - of holding the seed of the living God within her womb and bringing forth the Messiah into the world, a longing of every young Jewish girl for centuries- Mary could not know the ramifications of her obedience. What would it mean to her family, to Joseph, to the community? Would anyone believe her? All she knew was that in this moment God had called her and she must respond. This is as much as we know as well. We know that God has called us into His service and we must respond.
What kind of vision has God given you for your part of His work in this community? What desires for ministry do you see God calling you into? What has the Holy Spirit laid upon your heart for His ministry in Banks and beyond? Such ministry can be anytime we display Christ's nature - to be encouraging, kind, gentle, a peace maker, or serving others. Like helping a co-worker or a classmate. Spending time playing with little children. Stopping on the road to help someone with a broken down car. Asking a grocery clerk about their day. Comforting a stranger who is upset. Sharing a meal with a homeless person. Offering your seat on the bus to the grumpy old person, might be all it takes to soften their heart. Every time we make time to love others or meet a need, God's light shines through us in ministry like Christ. Asking the Holy Spirit for guidance each time we do these things is good, so it is not about works, but following God's will and stepping out in faith. Planting seeds of love in others, that may take root later.
Again, who knows what it may look like. Stay open to the prompts of God's Spirit as God lays upon your life the dreams He has for you and this community and when you hear, respond with an obedient heart.
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