God's saints in this world are
called by several different titles and names which distinguish us
as a people distinguished from others by God's grace. The people
of God are sometimes called the elect, those chosen by God from
eternity, chosen as the objects of his grace, chosen to eternal
salvation. They're sometimes referred to
as the redeemed of the Lord. Let the redeemed of the Lord
say so, the psalmist writes. Those who are specifically redeemed
by the Lord Jesus Christ are those who indeed in time are
brought into sainthood by his grace, being saved by grace.
And then in our text this evening, turn to Romans chapter 8, verse
28. Romans 8, 28, this very, very familiar text of scripture,
those who are regenerated, Those who are born of God, those who
believe on and trust the Lord Jesus Christ, are given this
peculiar, distinct title. They are the called. Now notice
that. We know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are thee
called according to his purpose. Now this particular title is
given only twice in our English translations of the scriptures.
It's given many, many times in the Greek text, but for some
reason the translators use this definite article in front of
the word called only twice in the New Testament. Here in Romans
1, verse 6, God's people are called the called, as to distinguish
us from those who are not the called. There are some in this
world who are the Lord's sheep, and some who are not the Lord's
sheep. Some who are the called in Jesus Christ, and some who
are not the called. Now obviously, that is to say
obvious to anyone whose brain has not been pickled by the vinegar
of Arminian religion, This call spoken of here is not the outward
general call. It is not that call that goes
forth merely from the lips of a preacher as the gospel is preached.
But rather those who are the called are those who have been
called specifically, distinctly, effectually to life and faith
in Jesus Christ by God the Holy Spirit. And by this call we have
been separated and distinguished from all other people in the
world. I really like the way John Gill describes this effectual,
irresistible call of grace which comes to chosen sinners through
the preaching of the gospel. Listen to how he describes it.
He wrote, Christ stands in the gospel ministry at the door of
man's heart and knocks and calls. Having the key of the house of
David, he opens the heart by the power of his grace and lets
himself in. And in this way, and by this
means, the Spirit and his graces are received. By this means,
and in this way, men are called both to grace and to glory by
the gospel. The Lord Jesus stands in the
gospel ministry and knocks at the heart's door of chosen sinners.
But He doesn't knock as a helpless beggar. Oh, no. No, no. He knocks,
and as the King of glory, having the keys of the house of David,
He wisely and graciously and effectually lets Himself into
the hearts of chosen sinners through the call of the gospel.
Now, tonight I want to show you three things, plainly taught
in the Scriptures, and then I want to answer one question. I want
to answer the question as to who are thee called? Are you
called? Am I called of God? The first
thing I want you to see is this. You can find this passage over
in Romans chapter 9. Look at it for a moment if you
will. Those who are thee called are called according to the purpose,
the sovereign will and purpose of God. Sinners are not called
to life by their will. They are not called to faith
in Christ by their decision. They're not called because of
any works they have done or any works that God foresaw they would
do. Sinners are called to life and
faith in Christ by the sovereign will and eternal purpose of God
Almighty. As a matter of fact, in Romans
8 28, the apostle tells us plainly that we who are the called are
called according to God's purpose, so that those who are called
have absolutely nothing to do with causing God to call, then
do not in any way attract God's call, and do not in any way contribute
to the call of grace. Look in Romans chapter 9, verse
16. Brother Ron preached from this
text last Sunday, I believe, at the Rest Home. So then it
is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God
that showeth mercy. And he uses an illustration to
declare God's sovereign purpose and God's sovereign determination. For the scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up that I
might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth. Now here's the conclusion of
the matter. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy,
and whom he will he hardeneth. Salvation is not man's work at
any point, to any degree. Salvation is not a cooperative
effort between God and man. How often you hear people talk
foolishness and say, now God's done his part, you have to do
your part. What part do you have? You're dead. What part can you
perform? You're dead. What part can a
dead man do to give himself life before God? That's absurd. It is utterly absurd. Our Minyan
free will religion is the absurd religion of spiritual insanity.
A dead man can do nothing. The question to be answered then,
is man indeed dead? Are we indeed dead in trespasses
and in sins? Did man in the garden fall into
death? Or did Adam just stomp his toe
and incur some kind of little problem that we can get over
if we'll just give ourselves enough time and enough exercise?
The book of God declares that man is dead. And being dead,
the only way we shall ever live, the only way we'll ever come
to Christ, the only way we'll ever believe on Christ, is if
God, by His sovereign power, by His sovereign grace, comes
to the dead sinner and gives life by a call which no man can
resist. God Almighty has in His eternal
purpose determined the peculiar, particular people whom He will
call by His grace. He determined from eternity the
time when he would call them. For the time is set, and there
is a time set for all purposes under the sun, so there is a
time set for the calling of God's elect. Moreover, the Lord God
determined all the circumstances, the place, and the very means
and instrument by which he would call his chosen. Therefore, the
call is called a time of love when the Lord God comes to us,
a time of grace when he calls us, and he arranged from eternity. everything necessary to bring
chosen sinners to the place where he will be gracious in the time
of his love under the sound of the preacher whom he has ordained
from eternity to be the messenger of grace to that man's soul or
to that woman's soul. The Ethiopian eunuch had been
up in Jerusalem. I don't know who all he had heard
up in Jerusalem. Don't know what all he had seen in that day of
terrible religious apostasy, but he'd been up there worshipping
the Lord according to the commandment of the Old Testament. And he
had the scriptures in front of him, reading from Isaiah 53.
And the Lord God took Philip, the evangelist, not Paul. Not Peter, not James, not John,
but Philip, one of the deacons. And he said to Philip, go to
this way. And God called him away from
a tremendous, tremendous outpouring of his spirit, what men would
call a revival, down in Samaria, out into the middle of that road
on the way to Gaza. And there he set him in the path
of the Ethiopian unit. And he heard the man, I guess
he was reading out loud, I don't know. He heard the man reading
from Isaiah 53 and said, do you understand what you're reading?
He said, I can't read it, got nobody to tell me. He said, slide
over, that's the reason I'm here. And he read to him and explained
to him Jesus and the gospel of God's grace. And by God's arrangement,
it was done as God purposed from eternity. Bless God for the distinct
arrangement of God. He has made us to be the called
according to his purpose. I love the way Toplady expressed
it in his hymn, "'Tis not that I did choose thee, for, Lord,
that could not be. This heart would still refuse
thee, hadst thou not chosen me. My heart owns none before thee,
for thy rich grace I thirst. This knowing, if I love thee,
thou must have loved me first.' Secondly, those who are thee
called, are called by the sovereign, irresistible power of God's grace. Look in Galatians 1. Galatians
1. The great, impulsive, moving
calls of the effectual call is the grace of God. This is what
the Apostle Paul constantly declared. You remember in 1 Corinthians
15. He said, by the grace of God, I am what I am. Am I called? It's by God's grace. Do I believe?
It's by God's grace. Do I look to Christ? It's by
God's grace. Do I follow Christ? It's by the grace of God. Now
look here in Galatians 1, as he describes himself as a pattern,
an example of those who are called by God's grace. Verse 15, when
it pleased God. That's when a man's called. When
it pleased God. Now if it were up to me, if it
were when it pleased me, That little grandson of yours would
be called now. Save him all the misery that he'd go through as
a rebel. If it pleased me, our sons and
daughters would be called as soon as they come forth from
the womb, because that's the way we would do things. But when
it pleased God, He called this one, when he's 16, 17 years old,
this one is 40, 50 years old, this one is an old man, this
one is a young woman, this one is an older woman. But it calls,
it is called when it pleased God that the believer is called. When God determined it. And God
determined it from eternity. Look at it. When it pleased God,
who separated me from my mother's womb, He called me by His grace. Now listen to me a minute. God,
as the God of all grace, calls his elect to grace and glory
in Christ. The infinite superabundance of
God's grace in Christ was displayed to us in this call for the first
time. The first open display of God's
grace, the first discovery of God's love, the first discovery
of His glory in Christ was made to us in the effectual call.
And then seeing something of that grace, seeing something
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, our hearts were
irresistibly drawn to Him by the power of His Spirit, so that
He gently forced us to the Savior. made us willing in the day of
his power. I don't know of a better illustration.
If you think of a better one, I'll use it next time. But I
told you many times, when I first told Shelby I wanted to marry
her, she thought I was crazy. And she said so. She's always
had a little backbone. She said, you don't know what
you want. And I proceeded to court her. And I had to do what
the Spirit of God never does. I had to hide every blemish of
character, every fault. I kept those things in the background.
And I just showed her the very best side of me. And before long,
she was willing. She was perfectly willing because
she saw then what she hadn't seen before. Oh, may God make
you to see now what you've never seen before, the glory and grace,
the superabundance of God's grace in Jesus Christ. If you see it,
you can't possibly sit where you are and not come to Him.
If you see it, you can't possibly refuse to come, for that seeing
Him is the call of the Spirit that draws, like a magnet draws
metal, it draws sinners to Jesus Christ the Lord. It is this call
which reveals God's everlasting love. The Lord said, when I passed
by thee and looked on thee, behold, thy time was the time of love,
and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness. Yea,
I swore unto thee and entered into a covenant with thee, saith
the Lord, and thou becamest mine. Let me show you the text I have
in mind here. Zechariah chapter 12. Zechariah
12 and verse 10. Sometimes we are accused by ignorant
men Of saying, well, you folks believe God saves the man whether
he wants to be saved or not. No, no, no, no, no. God saves folks by making them
willing in the day of his power so that they want Christ more
than life itself. And he does this by revealing
Christ in us. Zechariah 12, verse 10. The Lord
God says, I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants
of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications. What does
that mean? That means the time is coming
when for every member of the house of David and every one
of the inhabitants, the rightful, lawful inhabitants of Jerusalem,
God's church and kingdom, every one of God's elect, the Lord
God will pour upon you the spirit of grace. And if he pours on
you the spirit of grace, he'll pour on you the spirit of supplication.
And they, they upon whom the Spirit is poured, the Spirit
of grace and supplication, they shall look upon me whom they
have pierced. And they shall mourn for him
as one mourneth for his only son and shall be in bitterness
for him as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. The fact that
this call is given to some and not to others demonstrates that
it is the effect or the result of God's sovereign distinguishing
particular grace. And the fact that this call always,
in the Word of God, is pictured and illustrated and set forth
as being that which results in life and faith in Christ, demonstrates
clearly that this call is always effectual and irresistible. Thirdly, those who are the called
are the called of Jesus Christ. I've already quoted Romans 1.6.
Turn to 2nd Timothy chapter 1. We are the called of Jesus Christ,
Paul says. Here in 2nd Timothy 1, Paul is
declaring the gospel for which he suffered imprisonment. And
he says, God hath saved us, verse 9, and called us with an holy
calling. Not according to our works. That
is, the calling didn't come because of our works. The salvation didn't
come because of our works. But rather, it was given us in
Christ Jesus before the world began. He called us according
to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the
appearing of Jesus Christ, our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath
abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through
the gospel. Now, what does that text say?
God from eternity called us with a calling according to his purpose
and his grace, a calling and purpose and grace given us in
Christ our surety before the world began. And he saved us. And then in time, he sends someone
with the preaching of the gospel by the power of his spirit and
brings life and immortality to light in our souls by the gospel. In other words, there is a very
real sense in which those who are the called of Jesus Christ
were the called from eternity, and in the time when we experience
the call of God's grace, we are simply brought to the light and
knowledge by blessed, gracious experience of what God from eternity
has done for us before the world began. A preacher, you preach like that,
that takes That takes everything for man to do out of it. Now you understand what I'm saying.
That takes everything out for man to do. You mean man's will,
man's works, man's prayers, man's Bible reading, man's church attendance,
man's doing has nothing to do with God's call? Nothing whatsoever. Those things, Larry, are just
the result of God's call. They're the result of God's call.
We are the called of Jesus Christ. Called by the Holy Spirit, those
who were redeemed by Christ. Called by the Holy Spirit, those
who were sent by Christ, or to whom the Spirit of God has been
sent by Christ. And this calling in Christ is
a calling which is given us in Christ from eternity. Because
all the riches and all the treasures of God Almighty are in Christ,
even this calling. There is no calling apart from
Christ. Paul was speaking to a gentleman
earlier this week. He told me about it last night.
He said, God may call a man without knowing Christ, without knowing
who Christ is. Oh, no. Oh, no, no. This calling
of God is the calling of God in Christ. And we are the called
of Christ. And those who are called of God
have been called by the revelation of Christ, not just to me, but
in me. That's what Paul said in Galatians
1. He's revealed in us. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's
sake. The called are called then according
to the purpose of God. called by the grace of God, and
called in the Son of God. Now let me, before I send you
home, show you who are the called. We are never left to speculation,
or guessing, or just trying to figure out who this is. Well,
let's study and study, and maybe we can figure out who the called
ones are. People try to make things so confusing that are
so simple. The book reveals very plainly. As a matter of fact,
I want to simply show you from the scriptures. You just turn
and read the scriptures. I started to say I won't make
any comment, but I'll probably make one or two. But it doesn't
need much comment. It just needs reading to see
who the call of Jesus Christ are. First, go back again to
our text in Romans 8, Romans 8.28. The Word of God stands on its
own merit. It doesn't need defending by
us. It doesn't even need much explanation by us if you just
read it. Those who are the called are
exactly the same as those who were chosen and predestinated
unto salvation in Christ before the world began. Now let's see
if that's what the book says. Romans 8, 28. And we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called. Be called according to His purpose. Now here's His purpose. Here's
how they're called. For whom He did foreknow, He
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that
He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
He did predestinate, them He also called. Isn't that amazing? Same people. Same people. Well,
I wonder if that really means the same. Is there any possibility
it means anything else? I mean, is there any way possible
to read that text and say, now he called some and predestinated
others? No. That's same people. Then
he also called and whom he called, then he also justified. So those
who are called of God are those who were predestinated by God
and those who are justified by God. And whom he justified, then
he also glorified. Now then. What shall we say to
these things? If God be for us, all hell can
condemn us. If God be for us, who can be
against us? If God be for us, our own hearts
and our own sins shall not condemn us. If God be for us, everything
is alright. Everything is alright. This is
one of the terrible delusive problems, deluding problems. Modern religion and the silly
bumper-sticker slogans of religion smile. God loves you If I say
to Mark Henson as a lost man, God loves you. I'm telling you
in your unbelief and sin. Everything's alright Because
God loves you. Nobody's going to destroy you
Not if God Almighty loves you if God has purpose to do you
good God Almighty. Oh hell can't do you harm? Oh,
no. No, that's not the teaching of
Scripture the teaching of Scripture is that As Mark Henson, as surely
as you believe on the Son of God, God loves you. He purposed
it in eternity that you be called by His grace, and having called
you, He's proved His love to you. Now then, if God be for
us, who can be against us? Nobody. The objects then of election
and of effectual calling are the same. Those who were chosen
in eternity are called in time, and those who are called in time
were chosen in eternity. Look in Romans 9, verse 23. God will make known the riches
of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he hath foreprepared
unto glory, even us whom he hath called. He will make known the riches
of his glory. Those who are the called of Jesus
Christ, according to Jude verse 1, are those who are in Christ. Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ
and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the
Father and preserved in Jesus Christ and called. We were in
his hands from eternity. In his hands is our covenant
surety. In his hands, as sheep in the hands of the shepherd,
for whom the shepherd alone is responsible. In his hands, as
a Savior to whom we have been given by God the Father from
eternity. In Christ Jesus the Lord, in
his heart, as our husband who loves us, in his loins, as our
representative before the Father. Those who are thee called are
those who were in Christ from eternity in God's decree and
purpose and brought to be in Christ in time by the call of
his grace. Thirdly, those who are thee called
are those who were redeemed and purchased by the precious blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary. Now I want you to turn to two
texts of scripture. Turn to Isaiah 43 and Zechariah chapter 10 again. Isaiah 43 and Zechariah 10. These three things always are
given to the same people. All the way through the Scriptures,
there are no exceptions. Those who are elected are redeemed. Those who are redeemed are called. And you might add to it, those
who are called are preserved, and those who are preserved are
glorified. God's elect are those to whom the Son of God or for
whom the Son of God was sent to Calvary, for whom He made
intercession in John 17, and they are they for whom He suffered,
bled, and died in redeeming blood at Calvary when He suffered for
our sins. And those who are chosen of God
in eternity and redeemed by Christ at Calvary are those who are
called by the Spirit in time. Look here in Isaiah chapter 43
and verse 1. But now, thus saith the Lord,
that created thee, O Jacob, he that formed thee, O Israel, fear
not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name,
and thou art mine. If Christ redeemed you, no reason
for you to fear anything ever. I've redeemed you. I've called
you by your name. You're mine. Now look in Zechariah
10, verse 8. I hadn't looked at this passage
in a long time until today. The Lord says, I will hiss for
them. Who's trying to get my attention?
He doesn't try to get your attention. He'll get your attention. I will
hiss for them. and gather them, for I have redeemed
them." I preach the gospel with confidence
most of the time, knowing full well that at God's appointed
time, through the preaching of this word, the Lord God will
hiss for them whom he has redeemed, and then he'll gather them. He hisses in providence, and
he hisses while I preach. Oh, and then he calls, and when
he calls, he gathers, he gathers. Now then, those who are thee
called in Jesus Christ are about always those who appear most
unlikely to be called. Listen to this. Our Lord said,
I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them unto babes. Hath not God chosen the poor
of this world, heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them
that love him? Not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble
are called. Not always, but generally. God calls nothings and nobodies. Not always, but generally. You'll
find God's prophets raised up from those that men would look
at and say, well, if there's anybody on this earth that might
be sent to the electric chair or gas chamber or spend the rest
of his life in prison, there he is. And God says, I'll take
him. I'll take him. And he calls them
by his grace. Publicans and harlots almost
always go into the kingdom of God being called by His grace
before scribes and Pharisees. Scribes and Pharisees sit around
and discuss and debate who's the holiest and which church
is the truest and where heaven is and when's the Lord going
to come again Where did Cain get his wife? Somebody asked
you the other day, did Adam have a navel? Oh, that's deep stupidity. Stupidity. But harlots, public guilty, hell-deserving, hell-bent,
doomed, damned, ungodly, filthy, helpless sinners are interested
in just one thing. Oh, I wish I could get you interested
in just one thing. Mercy. Mercy! Only in mercy. Those who are the called of Jesus
Christ are those who ultimately glorified with Jesus Christ.
They are irresistibly called and infallibly kept by the grace
of God. Oh may God now call you by his
grace to his kingdom and glory in Christ Jesus. Amen.