FBCWest 709 | Called
Recorded On: 04/26/2026
Bulletin
Hymn # 461 “I Love to Tell the Story”
SCRIPTURE READING – Matthew 28:16 20
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate
Praise and Worship
“Raise a Hallelujah”
“Echo Holy”
“Battle Belongs”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Called”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“Egypt”
Sermon Notes
1 Corinthians 1:18 – 25 Coming to know God is not through wisdom, but preaching the word
1 Corinthians 1:26 – 29 Consider your calling. We aren’t special, but God chose to share the word, but it is all God’s doing. There is no boasting
1 Corinthians 1:30 Boast in the Lord
1 Corinthians 2:1 - 5 Paul acknowledges it was not his skill, but the power of God
1 Thessalonians 4:7 God’s calling is for sanctification
2 Timothy 1:8 & 9 We have a holy calling according to His purpose
Romans 11:29 His calling is irrevocable
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
Many of not most Christians think all of God is limited to pastors and perhaps missionaries. In this message, you want to take a look at the extensiveness of God's call, what God calls those who he's calling to do, what the qualifications are, and how long that call lasts. So I encourage you to listen to this message.
God may be calling you. I read this interesting passage in the scripture that says that if you aspire to the of an elder of a pastor, you aspire a good work. I'm going, I didn't see anything about calling. I thought about something that's placed in the heart that there's something that you're aspiring to do.
And then as you look through the scriptures, other people say, well, not just pastors are called, not just missionaries call, but if you're a plumber, God has called you to be a plumber and whatever. And I guess it's to make people feel better that everybody is special and called. But that's not what the scripture says about being called.
And we're going to discuss, if you will, a little bit about the calling to being called who God calls, what he's called you to do, how long that calling may last. So if you, and you should, and unfortunately, the scriptures are not going to be up there for you. So if you have a Bible great, and if you don't, they're one end in the pew. The first scripture we're going to take a look at is 1 Corinthians chapter 1, sorry with verse 18.
And it says this, for the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. And if you will, if you've talked to people who don't believe, they just, you know, they think faith is blind and they, they, well, if you need it and whatever, that we're somehow weaker and it's foolishness, but we understand that because of the power of God, we have eyes to see and ears to hear. And it's because what God has done, not because we're special. And so he goes on and says, for it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, the clever. I will set aside. And Paul asks, where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the, the one who is able to, to interpret the law as if you will like an attorney for, for theology?
Where is it, a spate, debater of this work, of this age, not made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not come to know God. And that's true. God has shown abundant evidence that he's there. Even scientists are beginning to understand that the cosmos couldn't just have happened without a great cause, that the intricacies of just the human body and the cells are so unique that they couldn't just happen by happenstance. The sin is saying, well, it just poofed and happened. The wisdom of the world never got us to where God is.
It's God who has revealed himself to us. So God was well pleased through the foolishness of the message, preached to save those who believe. But it's the reason we believe is because we've heard the word of God. Or indeed, the Jew asks for signs and the Greek search for wisdom. And again, this is interesting because if you take a look at the ministry of Jesus showed signs over and over and over. The God of the quote unquote Old Testament, who's also the God of the New Testament, performed signs over and over and over. And yet the Jews would not necessarily, the religious Jews at least would not come to him in obedience.
And the debate about wisdom then arrived at it. But we preach Christ crucified to Jews a stumbling block because they could not understand how the Messiah might die and raise again. And to Gentiles foolishness still to this day. But to those for the call. Notice to those who are the calls, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Now notice this verse. The call.
He's talking about us. It's not talking about pastors. It's not talking about missionaries. He's talking about the members. As a matter of fact, by implication, he is writing to the church at Corinth. We're going to see a couple of other passages to the church at St.
Sonica that he writes to various places. Rarely in this writings is he writing to a pastor. He's writing to the congregation. So he's saying the congregation is called. And because we're called to a Jew or your Greek, it's because of the power of God and the wisdom of God. We're the called ones, not the pastor, not the missionary. Because the foolishness of the God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men. And then he goes or consider your calling.
He's asking the church members at Corinth to say, think about your calling. And so I'm going to say to the church here at FBC West, into those who are listening, your calling. You have been called. And the point that in the purpose that you have been called is to pass on the Word of God. You're not asked to be a preacher, but you're to demonstrate the Word of God. Preachers are supposed to be able, and pastors are supposed to be able to teach the Word of God. Deacons are supposed to understand the Word of God and hold it in the mystery.
But all of us are called to the Word of God, which according to the world is foolishness and makes no sense because there's no signs to the Jew. So he says, consider your calling. And then he's going to make us feel good. Consider your calling, brethren, that they were not according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble.
Now I know you're the exception. You're probably smarter than everybody else in the room, and you're probably wiser than everybody else in the room, and you're probably more noble than everybody else. But God says, I'm calling everyone. I'm calling those who are wise in noble, but the vast majority of the people I call aren't any of those.
So when you think, well, I'm not good enough, guess what? Join the rest of us. Because there aren't many of us who are, I know you're the exception, but the rest of us are just kind of common folk. We're not specially wise.
We're not specially powerful. But God called us anyway, and he's going to tell us why. God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong. And the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen the things that are not, so that he may notify the things. So it says, my whole economy is not to pick the best and the brightest. My economy is to pick y'all. So that I might show who I am, and I'll ask them, God is because they can use people like you and me.
Where's the debater? Where's the wise person? God doesn't need those people. So therefore, God has chosen us.
So you have been called, you have been chosen the word of God to others. And why? So that no man may boast before God. Now, there are times that I, it's kind of like money. There you go. Lord, more money, wouldn't, would there be some great crime of the universe if you didn't give, if I weren't rich, or maybe God's thinking, well, if I give you more money, you don't trust me. So therefore, you are.
And so I've written, God, can we have a bigger congregation? Whatever, have a bigger impact, and God goes, well, maybe you don't trust me. Maybe you'll think you're important. And when I look at a lot of pastors who are on TV, I kind of see it.
They think that God can't do it without them. That their ministry is so important, it's lucky to have them. Where I understand I'm lucky to have God. I'm blessed to have Him. And I would rather be a pastor of an inconsequential congregation and be true to His Word, than tickle your ears, and you all think I'm the greatest thing since common thing is sliced bread or maza'radi.
But by His doing, you're in Christ, Jesus. It's His doing, which I want you to understand. Our job is not to save anyone. Our job is to communicate the Word of God. And God, power through His Holy Spirit, will call those who are His and change for His purposes.
We'll take on the stress and the obligation to confer anyone. Our job is to simply to be witnesses, to testify of what He's done in our lives and that power so that others might make that choice. But it's not your job to save its God. It became to us wisdom from God and the righteousness and the sanctification and redemption. That came all those things for us. Then He says, we don't boast so that God may get the glory. And then Paul is going to give a personal testimony, if you will, about how this operates.
So in the second chapter, he says this, and when I came to you, I didn't come with superior speech or wisdom proclaiming to you the testimony of God. He goes, I didn't come here. I didn't go to Corinth because I am a super debater that I have this silver tongue and able to convince people. He goes, I didn't come that way.
I proclaiming to you the testimony, the Word of God. Or I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucifying. Notice He didn't go to Corinth to go, well, what we need to do is do a poll. What's important to them?
What are their anxious moments? He doesn't poll them. He doesn't determine what it is they want to hear. He determines what it is God wants to say to them. He tells them that because guess what? We all have a common terminal illness. It's called sin.
And it doesn't matter whether you're from Corinth or Newport Beach. We all have the same problem. And so he goes, I'm only there because I want to know Christ more because more I can communicate him to you better. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in the demonstration of the spirit and of the power. Again, he goes, you didn't become believers because I had this great oratory.
You became believers because you experienced the power of God. So that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. I want to give you an example. Moses was out in wilderness of Midian in a shepherd. And one day he saw something really unusual.
He saw a bush that was on fire, but wasn't consumed. And God said, God, sin, not to deliver Israel from Egypt, not to be a logiver. God said, I've called you to bring a message to Pharaoh. The word of God to Pharaoh. It goes, but I can't speak. I can't talk. God goes, who made your mouth? So that's not a, that's an excuse, not a reason.
But God makes it so he goes, here's the message. It's four words. Let my people go. You can do the. It's four words.
So he went to Pharaoh and said, let my people go. He didn't convince Pharaoh because he debated him. He didn't convince Pharaoh. He's got their arguments. Why Pharaoh should release the Egyptian from Egypt?
God's people. So no longer to be slaves. He didn't convince them by superiority of speech. God convinced Pharaoh because God demonstrated his power to Pharaoh in ten signs. As a matter of fact, God said, I've got so many signs and wonders.
I'm going to make Pharaoh wait a little bit to demonstrate all my signs and powers. Now let's change the situation slightly. Let's say Moses, instead of God demonstrating who God is, was able to convince Pharaoh by his superior, superiority of speech to say, here are my reasons that you ought to let the children of Israel go. And after hearing all of those arguments, you know Moses, you're right. Go. If that would have happened, some 40 years later, after the children of Israel rebel and refuse to follow God, so they wander in the desert and the wilderness, some 40 years later, when they're on the outskirts of a city called Jericho. There was a prostitute in Jericho named Rehab. Notice she didn't say, well, you know, hey, Moses, he had such a convincing argument.
To let the children of Israel go, Pharaoh let him go. Well, the problem with that is that Moses is now dead. He's not even, he's not on the city. So what's the point? But what did she say? She had heard that God was powerful and that he freed the people of Israel. And she decided, because she knew of the power of God, she decided to say, I want to be with him rather than with them.
By God demonstrating his power, he had an impact on people who weren't even his people, not even in the country that he was demonstrating. And other countries they had heard because of the power of God. God calls you to demonstrate the power of God by preaching and everybody thinks how wonderful you are and how special you are in speaking. Do you think other generations will follow God or because they see the power of God?
So God himself has an impact for generations later by his power, not by our words. Well, what's our calling in in first esolonians again, another, for God has not called us. Again, not pastors, us, the congregation has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. God has called us to be separated, to be different, to be holy. Holy means to be separated. We are not, we are to be different from the world. We are to be God-like in the sense of who God is.
And so our calling is not to be like the world. So what does the world do? They're worried about money and power and influence. Just called us to be separated from that, to understand that while we may suffer now, we will never out-sacrifice what God will reward us with. So he's called us to sanctification. So continue, chapter 1 and verse 8 and 9 says this, therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or hit me his prisoner. He goes, concerned about the fact that Jesus crucified on a tree and that he died and all these things, he goes, yes, he suffered.
And yeah, I'm in prison and different, don't be ashamed of that. But join with me in the suffering for the gospel according to the power of God. Saved us and called us with a holy calling. You have been called with not a common calling, not with a mediocre calling. You've been called by God with a holy call.
Not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and the grace which was granted to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. God suddenly decided on January 1, 1998 that I do this ministry. God decided to be far as ever born. God called us from all eternity. And God has called you to present the word of God not just because he came up with the idea, but it was his purpose. And you'll hear preachers talk and you'll see books written about your purpose.
Let me save you a whole lot of money. Your purpose is God's purpose. Oops, I guess I could have written them, made some money. But God has called us according to his purpose, not our purpose. And his purpose is to demonstrate his power in this world and to call his people to himself. The last one I want to look at is Romans 11, 29.
Again, written to a church and it says this, for the gifts and the calling of God, the bull. That means he doesn't change his mind. That doesn't mean, oops, I made a mistake. I called you, but you're not doing a great job. So you're fired. They're irrevocable. God has called you his purpose to present his word to people.
That's his calling. And that is your calling for the rest of your life. And I suspect even after we die and go to heaven, our purpose will just say, wonderful. God is so magnificent. God is so powerful.
God is so merciful. God is so faithful that I'm here because of him. So I'm pretty sure that the power and the demonstration of God's glory will be reflected in the fact that I'm there because I don't deserve it because of who he is. And so God's call is irrevocable. I don't intend to retire. Now I may, there may be a health issue or whatever, or you may decide to fire me. Whether or you fire me, doesn't affect my calling.
If this afternoon, you all get together and say, we hated that message, we fired to do. Well, that means this I don't have a place here to present the word of God. But I'll figure out some way to present the word of God. Whether I have it in my home or I I call or I get convinced by son that he ought to keep doing podcasts. Get the word out. Because my calling doesn't depend on you. And so on him and he doesn't fire people.
He may have to take you to the wood shed and spank you a little bit, but he doesn't fire people. Because Lord knows if he did, there'd be a lot of us fired long time ago. So I want you to understand. God knows you. And even knowing you, he called you. And he's not going to change his mind.
He's called you for his purpose. He's called you to do a powerful ministry. The word of God. And he's called to be in partnership with his spirit. As we read and as we started, there's an obligation to make disciples, to teach them, to baptize them, to do those types of things, one of those things without the power of God, the power of the Holy Spirit. Now I bet it's probably really wonderful to be in business with some really rich and brilliant people.
Can you think of a better end in the business of saying to it that God is magnified here? You've been called not to make money. You've not been called to be a plumber, a lawyer, or whatever.
You've called to be effective in the eternal lives of people. There's no greater calling. And you've been called. And all of God's people said, stand with me as we pray and as the bank comes.