Ezekiel 18:32 Romans 12:1
Emmanuel Christian Church 8.17.25
INTRODUCTION: It's been 37 years since our fellowship has been in the
position to call a full-time preaching pastor to this pulpit. In the week
following this next coming Sunday, with your positive affirmation, the
Elders will issue that call to Brent Smith and his family.
Your support of that call is essential. Without it, the call will not be
given. In light of that fact, I thought it important for us to give some
consideration to God's call upon all of our lives as Christians as well as the
specific call upon the life and ministry of our brother Brent Smith.
PROPOSITION: As a voting member of this congregation, each of you will
bear responsibility for the decision that is made. For conscience sake, and
for the sake of the advance of God's kingdom in our community, it is vital
that your decision be informed by the counsel of God's Word and the
prompting of His Holy Spirit.
This morning, we will consider God's call upon the three people
groups of all humanity. Beginning with everyone, then moving on to
Christians in general, we'll conclude with God's individual call upon each
individual Christian.
God's Call Is Upon Everyone
- Every human being alive, or who has ever lived, no matter where or
when, has received the Call of God upon their life. To put it another way,
God's call is UNIVERSAL.
- What is that call?
- Know that He is God.
- The Testimony of the Book of His Works (The Creation)
- The Testimony of the Book of His Word (The Bible)
- The Testimony of Conscience
- Understand your sin-broken status.
- Be saved from sin's certain death through faith in, and obedience to
Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
1 Timothy 2:3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all
men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truthAPPLICATION: This is no game- it is a matter of eternal life and death.
The Christian life is not "a way of life" among many equally valid ways of
living. It is the ONLY way of life- all others literally end up in a "dead-end".
Hear the Word of the Lord as He reveals His heart's desire for
EVERY human being:
Ezekiel 18:32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the
Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some
understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to
perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
THIS fellowship of believers, along with all the others around the
world is God's plan for getting His call to salvation out to those who are
still in the throes of dying in their sin. It's NOT about this building; it's NOT
about flashy programs; IT IS about each of us individually carrying the
light of God's salvation to the individual people in our own life's sphere of
influence. Brothers and sisters of Emmanuel Christian Church, Jesus put it
this way: "You are the light of the world." (Matthew 5:14)
God's Call Is Upon His Children
- God's will for our lives does NOT end in the baptistry! Adoption into His
family is just the first step of the rest of our lives lived for Him.
- The first eight verses of Romans chapter 12, map out God's Call upon
His newly adopted children:
- "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices." WORSHIP
Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to
offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is
your spiritual act of worship.
- "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." CHANGE
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but
be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will- "Think of yourself with sober judgment." HUMILITY
Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not
think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself
with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has
given you.
...each member belongs to all the others." RESPONSIBILITY
Romans 12:4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and
these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who
are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
- "We have different gifts..." SERVICE
Romans 8:6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a
man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is
serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is
encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of
others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently;
if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
APPLICATION: Worship, Change, Humility, Responsibility and Service are
all parts of the call God has upon EVERY Christian's life. As a matter of
fact, the final assessment of our lives before the judgment seat of Christ
will be made in review of those areas of our life. (2 Corinthians 5:10)
The first 4 areas relate to who we are as disciples of Jesus, we call
that our Christian Character. The last area of "service" relates to what we
DO according to God's individual call upon our lives.
God's Call Is Specific To Individuals
- When I became a Christian, I knew very quickly that God had called me
to the pastoral preaching ministry. It was NOT a conclusion based on
my "likes" or "dislikes". It was NOT about power, popularity, or
possessions. It wasn't even my decision- it was a CONVICTION from
the Holy Spirit that this was to be my life's work.
- MY only decision was whether or not I would be obedient to the clear
call I had been given.APPLICATION: The ability to clearly hear and obey God's call upon your
life in service for Him ALL depends on only one thing: SUBMISSION to
His will.
- There are a few important things to know about God's specific call upon
every Christian's life.
- God's call is based upon His spiritual gifting in your life. (Romans 12, 1
Corinthians 12)
- God's service oriented spiritual gifts are not abilities, but rather
supernatural potentials to develop abilities for service.
- God's service oriented spiritual gifts break down into two basic
categories: speaking and serving.
- No single Christian possesses all the spiritual gifts (God has created
us to be interdependent upon each other: 1 Corinthians 12:14).
- Spiritual gifts are NOT the same thing as the fruit of the Spirit.
- Spiritual gifts are potentials for service.
- The fruit of the Spirit are qualities possessed and expressed.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against
such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live
by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
- For months now, Brent Smith and his family have been under the careful
consideration of Emmanuel's Eldership. Here's what we have
discovered:
- Brent and his wife Jamie have sought God's direction for their ministry
and have become convinced of their call to come share in the ongoing
family life of this fellowship. They have come to this conclusion after
consultation, personal consideration and prayer. Their's was no "snap-
decision"
- Brent is a man who has shown himself to be a "workman approved",
"rightly dividing the Word of God"
- Brent is a man whose character has been attested as "above
reproach" and so demonstrated by his two decades of faithful
ministry.
CONCLUSION: When I accepted the responsibility of this pulpit 37 years
ago, I did so believing that this was God's call upon my life. I have NEVERbeen of the mindset that "great preachers build great churches"* I have
ALWAYS believed that great churches are built by great congregations
made up of individuals who have surrendered their lives to the Lordship of
Christ and have determined to work together for the advance of God's
Kingdom.
What that means is this- your vote to affirm Brent Smith as our next
pulpit minister is not simply your affirmation of his call, it is your pledge to
work together with him and the rest of the Eldership for the building of
Emmanuel into a truly great congregation for the glory of God!
What's our motive all of this? Remember the challenge from last week's
m e s s a g e :
...the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
unblemished to God, (has) cleansed our consciences from acts that lead
to death, so that we may serve the living God!" Hebrews 9:14