Called

1-18-26

Hoonah-Hadley

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Call to Worship Psalm 40:1-11

Dailly Verse 1 Corinthians 1:9

Called

“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” This morning we are not arguing, debating, denying, pleading, praying, just standing in awesome wonder at a God who is sovereign, a God who is faithful, a God who called us into fellowship with His Son. When we come to the place that we realize we have been called by the creator of the heavens and earth, the One who breathed life into our lungs, knew us before we were formed in our mothers womb, counted our days before there was yet one of them, knows our thoughts from afar, the words before we speak them, the contents of our hearts, there is little left to do in this moment than to sit in the profound truth that our Father in heaven has a plan for our lives and it is a good one. That despite our wayward, lost, broken, sometimes hostile, disobedient, disrespectful, even disastrous disposition, He loves us, forgives us, heals us, strengthens us, consecrates us, sanctifies us, calls us, and, sends us. Is there anyone among us in the presence of this word that has heard the voice of God for the first time and said, “Here I am Lord, send me?” This may be subject to opinion but in the end the truth will prevail, that if God choose us, predestined us, elected us, wrote our names in the book of life, He’ll call us until we answer. Maybe at some point in your life you heard something different, didn’t know what it was, but it caught your attention, you turned and began to follow that whisper, that still small voice.

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God’s word through and through applies to us in our everyday living, Old Testament, New Testament, all of it. The Book of Esther, Old Testament is a real life story that is applicable at any time in history. It’s good and evil, blessings and cursing, kings, queens and nobodies. It’s only 10 chapters, many wonderful lessons, but one verse stands out and is as fitting a verse for our lesson as the bible has to offer. 4:14 “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther was called, her uncle Mordecai was called, and today that still small voice is calling us. Esther answered the call and we might say that her obedience changed the course of history. We may not be called to such a daunting task as Esther was, but our answering the call will make a difference. Remember “His word will not return to Him void, but it will accomplish what He pleases, it will prosper in the thing for which He sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) Isaiah himself was called, many consider the book that bears his name to be a “mini bible”. There are 66 books in the bible, 66 chapters in Isaiah. If we were to pick one verse from this treasure that applies to our lesson, it would be 6:8 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’” Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord because he was in the hearing of it. The main way we know we are called is by hearing. In Esther’s case she heard her call through her uncle Mordecai. In Isaiah’s case his call came from the Lord Himself. Calls may come in a million different forms but it’s the same voice. It may be a cousin, a spouse, a rainbow, a song, some random old man, a little girl or the cashier at the grocery store. If God calls you, He will persist until you answer.

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One of the obvious observations in Esther 4:14 is, of course we have come to the kingdom for such a time as this, we have no other time. And should we argue with Him about our place and time we are immediately off course. No excuse will do. Carpi Diem, seize the day! Don’t be so selfish to think that your place in the grocery line is for milk and bread alone, He knows our needs, He can deliver them to our doorstep, but He also knows the needs of the soul before and behind you in that line. Tragic is a life full of noise but void of the voice of God. You can trust that God did not send His Son to Calvary to die a criminal’s death for your salvation so you can hoard it in the attic of your heart, the basement of your mind, or the garage of your soul. Your grocery cart may be full of personal needs, and you may be patting yourself on the back for nearing the finish line while pondering People magazine and a Snickers bar, but if that cart behind or before you is absent the presence of God and the one thing that soul is lacking is stored up in your heart, you have nothing to lose and they have everything to gain by sharing the Good News. We don’t know what people are going through, but you can trust God that they need Him. For good measure one more from Isaiah, 43:1 “…thus says the Lord, who created you…and He who formed you…’Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.’” In fact, to be sure, the call comes before the hearing. It may be an eagle, a cardinal or a dove, but you can be certain God sent the bird. In our lesson Paul makes it clear in verse 1 “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God…” Before we go patting ourselves on the back for our divine calling, Paul reminds us where it came from, “through the will of God.” We can be sure His will, will be done, and the longer we delay answering His call, the longer the weeds of complacency choke out His will.

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If we let the oil run out of our lamps in our quest to satisfy the flesh, we may find ourselves on the outside looking in of the door that He closed. (Matt. 25:1-13) When God calls, He equips, when He sends, He sustains, and what He purposes He fulfills. Romans 8:28-30 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose… whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” If the glory of the Lord led the Israelites with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, surely His presence in your heart should somehow touch anyone within arm’s length of you at the gas station. The question here is, “Do you love God?” All things work together for good to those who love God, all things. “To those who are called according to His purpose.” What is that purpose? “To be conformed to the image of His Son.” Imagine Jesus Christ standing in line before us at the grocery store with His loaf of bread. In truth, He is there, He is in us. 1 Cor. 1:2 “To the church of God…to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.” Sanctified is to be set apart, the Spirit of the Lord is put in our heart freeing us from the evil inclination of the “human” heart. (Jer. 31:31-34) Saint is simply a faithful one. Consider Moses’ excuses and Peter’s denial. These are not stories of flawless men, but a flawless God working through flawed vessels. The Lord gets His best soldiers out of the trials of affliction. Vs. 9 “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” The One who calls is faithful to complete the work He began in us. By His will He Called us according to His purpose, trust Him. Amen!