Would you turn with me to Hebrews
chapter three? Hebrews chapter three. Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers
of the heavenly calling. I've entitled this message, Partakers
of the Heavenly Calling. Now he first says, holy brethren. And you know he's speaking to
every believer. Holy. Holy. Chosen by God to be holy. Declared holy by the work of
Christ on the cross. Made holy in regeneration, the
work of the Holy Spirit giving them a new nature. This is every
believer. Holy brethren. I'm looking at some holy brethren. And the next name he gives God's
people are partakers of the heavenly calling. And that is what I would
like to try to talk about tonight, partakers of the heavenly calling. Now, if you are a believer, You have been called by God himself. You have been called by God himself. No man taketh this honor upon
himself, but he who was called of God, as was Aaron. If you're a believer, God Himself
has called you. The heavenly calling. This is
not an earthly calling. Partakers of the heavenly calling. The call of Jesus Christ. Not everybody is. And we really
don't Understand or appreciate this call if we don't understand
that not everybody is called You were Lazarus come forth Now
if he would have said everybody else in that grave yard they
would have all come forth with me Lazarus come forth He that
was dead came forth Zacchaeus Make haste, come down. Today
I must abide at thy house. He made haste, he came down,
and he received him joyfully. Matthew, follow me. Could Matthew have said no? No.
He rose, forsook all, and followed Him. Paul called this the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus. He said in 2 Timothy 1.9, He
saved us and He called us. If He saves you, He calls you. you with this heavenly calling. And there's nothing more special
than being called of God. If you are called of God, that
means you're a special recipient of His special grace. He made
a difference with you. 1 Corinthians 4, 7 says, Who
makes you to differ from another? What do you have? that you didn't
receive. What a special thing to be called
by God. Paul said to the Romans in Romans
1, 6, and 7, you also are the called of Jesus Christ. Beloved of God. Everyone he's
called is beloved of God. Now, I want to think for a few
minutes about the sovereignty of His call. And by that, I mean
that He does not call everybody. And this is not something that
we're thinking, He didn't call you, but He called me. Nothing
like that. We wouldn't want to dare have an attitude like that.
But the fact of the matter is, He does not call all men. Like this. Now, let me show you
this from the scripture. Galatians 1 15. When it pleased God. That's where the call starts.
When it pleased God. Who separated me. Put your name in there. Who separated
me from my mother's womb. and called me by His grace to
reveal His Son in me." It's not enough for Him to reveal Himself
to me. I'll forget it. He revealed Himself in me. Romans 9-11 for the children,
speaking of Jacob and Esau, being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth." In 2 Timothy 1.9, He saved us and He called us. The order is very important.
Which came first? He saved us. He saved us. He saved us before the foundation
of the world. He saved us on Calvary's tree. He saved us when
He revealed Himself to us. He saved us. That salvation is
outside of my personal subjective experience. He saved us and He
called us. He saved us and he called us
with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began. Romans 8, 28 says, and we know
that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are what? The called. the called according
to his purpose. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. Remember when Peter said in 2
Peter 1.10 to make your calling and election sure. You're not
going to make your election sure until you make your calling sure. I think of what is said of that
group in Revelation chapter 17, that were with the Lamb, who
is Lord of lords and King of kings. There's a three-folded
description, and this describes every believer. Listen to this,
Revelation 17 and 14, they that were with Him were called, chosen,
and faithful. That describes every believer. And the reason they were called
is because they were chosen. And the evidence of their calling
is that they believe the gospel. The called are the chosen of
God. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1.26,
you see your calling brethren, how that not many wise men after
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God
has chosen the foolish things of the world. Those are the folks
he's called. Those are the folks he has chosen. Now, I've just given many scriptures
with regard to the sovereignty of this call. And all I conclude,
if you or I reject this, it's because we've never been called.
Because if he calls you, you will receive this call. No arguments. You bow. and receive
this call. Now, second thing I want us to
consider is the content of this call. Something said. It's not
a silent call. There's something said. There's
something heard when God calls. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse
13 and 14. You can turn there if you want.
I'm going to quote it to you. But we are bound to thank God
always for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Those two things can't
be separated. If you're sanctified by the Spirit
of God, it's because you believe the truth. If you believe the
truth, it's only because you've been sanctified by the Spirit of God.
Where into, verse 14, where into he called you by our gospel. The call of God is always the
call of the gospel. And I'm quoting all kinds of
scriptures. I'm glad I'm doing it. Listen to this scripture.
First Corinthians chapter one, verse 22, we preach Christ crucified. There's a gospel, isn't it? The
only hope I have of being saved, of being accepted by God, is
because Christ was nailed to a cross, bore my sin, put Him
away, gave me His righteousness, and makes me acceptable before
God. That's the whole gospel. It has nothing to do with me. It has wholly to do with Him.
We preach Christ crucified. Every time we preach, we preach
Christ crucified. If that's not the sum and substance
of what we preach, it's a message that I've not ever been preached.
We preach Christ crucified. Now under the Jews, the religious
fellows, this is a stumbling block. Why? You're giving people a license
to sin. You're saying their works have nothing to do with salvation.
Well, if I believe that, I'd go and live any ungodly way I
want to. They stumble at it. They have
no understanding. That's why they do it. They stumble at it.
The Greeks. Why, that's foolishness. How
can this help my life? How can this make me make this
world a better place? How can this improve my quality
of living? It's foolishness. But unto them
which are called, there's the difference. But unto them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, Christ, the
wisdom of God. It took the power of God, the
omnipotence of God, through the cross to save me. That's a demonstration
of the wisdom of God, how only He could make a way to be just
and justify the ungodly. Now, there's the gospel. That
is the content of the gospel. There's no call of God apart
from the preaching, the hearing, and the believing of the gospel. I love when Paul preached. In
Acts chapter 13, that glorious message, the first recorded message
of the apostle Paul, the scripture says, when the Gentiles heard
this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as
many as were ordained to eternal life believed. There's the call. And when God
calls, you believe. He never calls in vain. When
God calls, you believe. Somebody says, I don't believe.
He never called you then. When God calls, you believe. So we see the sovereignty of
his call. We see the content of his call.
Now that leads me to my next question that I want to answer.
Who does he call? Who does he call? Now, he doesn't
call everybody. And let me say this with regard
to him not calling everybody. Somebody says, how could that
be fair for him to not call everybody? I thought that, you thought that.
How could it be fair for him to call some and not call others? How could it be fair for him
to not call all men? Now, I can answer that real easily. If you or I are thinking that
way, we're thinking with a sense of entitlement, thinking God
owes us something, and thinking that we're not completely sinful. That's the only thing that would
create a response like that. I think God owes me something,
and I think I'm in somehow meritorious and deserving of His call. If
God doesn't call me, Just and holy is His name. I want Him
to. I'm not saying I'm indifferent
about that, but if God doesn't call me, could I charge Him with
injustice? Here's another thing that's interesting
about that. Somebody says, how could it be fair for God to not
call me? Well, let me ask you this. You
don't want to be saved by grace, by your own admission. How could
it be unfair for Him to not give you what you don't want in the
first place? Ridiculous, isn't it? God does not call everybody,
and it's important for me to understand that, so I understand
the specialness of His call. Who does He call? Well, I don't have to look very
far in the Scriptures to find out. Matthew chapter 9, verse
13, Christ Himself said, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. That is who he came to call. Now, if I have any personal righteousness,
I exclude myself from his call. Remember that parable of the
Pharisee and the Publican? He spake a parable unto certain
which trusted themselves that they were righteous. If I have any self-righteousness,
any righteousness that comes from self, I exclude myself from
the call. He didn't call me if I have any
righteousness. Now, he said I came not to call
the righteous, but sinners. Now, what's a sinner? Exactly what Peter meant when
the Lord revealed Himself to him and he said, Depart from
me, I am a sinful man. Oh, Lord. I am full of sin. That's all I am. That's all I
do. I am a sinful man. It's all my fault that I'm that
way. I'm not looking for an excuse. All my sin is all my fault. And I can't judge anybody for
anything. And if God passes me by, I've
got no claims on Him. I am a sinful man. Now, I'm asking you. I'm not asking you if you're
one of the elect. I'm not asking you if you know
that Jesus Christ died for your sins. I'm not asking you if you
know you've been born again. I'm not asking you if your life
has changed enough to make you think God's done something for
you. I'm not asking you how you handle stopping some, any particular
sin. I'm asking you this. Are you
a sinner? Are you a sinner? Listen to this
scripture. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners, of whom Paul said, I am the chief. He didn't say, I was the chief
before God saved me. Right now, I am the chief. And notice the Lord said, I came
not to call righteous, but sinners to repentance. Now, what is that? I remember years ago, listening
to preachers say, repent. And I'd say I would if I knew
what that meant. What does it mean to repent? What is repentance? Usually when people use the term
repentance, they use, you repent of your sins. Do you know that
phrase is not found in the scripture? Not in there. Now, am I saying
we shouldn't have a change of mind regarding our sins? Of course
I'm not saying that. But that's still not how the Bible uses
this word. Repentance means a change of
mind. A change of mind. A change of mind with regard
to God. I used to didn't like the way
He is. I do now. I used to dislike His sovereignty. I love His sovereignty now. I
used to dislike His holiness. I love His holiness and power.
My mind's changed. Now He changed it, but my mind's
been changed. I view God differently than I
did at one time. And my mind's been changed with
regard to myself. I used to believe if I got in
the perfect situation, I could do something. I don't believe
that about myself anymore. I know all I'm doing is sin.
I know that. And my mind has been changed with regard to salvation. And I think this is the simplest
way to put this. Salvation, forgiveness, is not
the end of a process. I don't do A, B, and C, and stop
doing D, E, and F, and then receive forgiveness. Salvation begins
with the complete eradication and blotting out and forgiveness
of all my sin. I repent. I used to think that
there's something I needed to do. I repent of that. Salvation
begins with the full, free forgiveness of sins. Now, we read several
times in the Scripture of the hope of His calling. The hope of His calling. Ephesians
4.4 speaks of the hope of His calling. You're called in one
hope of your calling. called in one hope of your calling."
Now, before we consider what that hope is, I want us to remember
what the Bible means by hope. Paul said in Romans 8, I think
it's verse 24, hope that's seen is not hope. If I can see it,
hope is not involved. For what a man seeth, why doth
he yet hope for? But if we hope for that which
we see not, then do we with patience wait for. Now, hope, it's not
something you can see. And let me make good on that. I stand before
God, I have a hope that right now, while I'm speaking to you,
I stand before a holy God, sinless. What a hope. Justified. Without sin. And I sure can't
see it. But I have a hope I am. I have a hope that every event
in my life, no matter what it is, I have a hope that every
event, no matter how painful, no matter how fun, whatever it
might be, every event in my life is working together for my good. and His glory. The scripture
says all things work together for good. To them that love God,
to them who are called according to His purpose. And I can't see
that either. I can't see where that is for
my good. I believe it is, but I can't see it. Hope that is
seen is not hope for what a man seeth. Why does he yet hope for? Now this Calling has a hope. If you're called of God, you
have a hope. You have a hope that you're clinging
to. And you believe that hope. And you can't see it. And if
you could see it, you wouldn't be believing in any way. I can't
see, as I said, that I'm sinless before God because Christ put
away all my sins, but I believe it. I believe it. And this call
of God is without repentance. Romans 11, 26 says the gifts
and the callings of God are without repentance, without any change
of mind on His part. Now, how many things have you
done that you regret? How many words have you said
that you regret and you think, I wish I could pull that back?
A lot of them, right? The Lord has no regrets. He has no reason to change his
mind with regard to you, with regard to me. There weren't any
unforeseen circumstances with him. They said, well, if I would
have known he would have done that, I wouldn't have... No, he saw
everything. He sees stuff we haven't done
yet. No repentance. No repentance. No change of mind. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse
24. Paul said, faithful. This is
what Walter Gruber called his favorite scripture. That makes
it interesting. It's interesting whether he thought
that or not. I shouldn't say that. What makes it interesting
is the word of God. But it was Walter Gruber's favorite
scripture. Faithful is he that calleth you. who also will do
it." Notice, it doesn't even say he'll enable you to do it. You know, I wouldn't feel very
good about that, because I think I'm messing up somehow. But he
doesn't say that. He says, faithful is he that
calleth you who also will do it. Paul said, I live, yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life that I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave Himself for me. All He requires for you to do,
He does. When He told that man with the
withered hand to stretch forth his hand. He couldn't do it,
but he did when Christ said to. When Christ calls on you to believe,
you believe. You can't, but you do, because
he told you to. When he calls you to repent,
you repent. All he requires, he does for
you and in you. Paul said in Philippians 2.13,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is
God that worketh in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure. And this call of God is a call
to liberty. Don't mess this. Don't overlook
this. where the Spirit of the Lord
is, there is liberty. Isn't that what Scripture says?
2 Corinthians 3.17, what the Spirit... And Paul says in Galatians
5, God hath called us unto liberty. Now, when you hear a message and it
leaves you in bondage, it wasn't a gospel message. A gospel message
is liberating. Liberating. Stand fast in the
liberty, the freedom, wherewith Christ hath made us free. And be not entangled again in
that yoke of bondage, law. You know, law never produces
love. Liberty. Now, what is liberty? Liberty is two things. Number
one, I don't have any debts. Have you ever paid a loan off
and the liberty you felt from doing that? Oh, it's liberating to be debt free. And before God right now, I am
debt free. God doesn't look at me and think
He needs it. No. He sees someone He is completely
satisfied with. Accepted in the Beloved. Debt free. I don't know anything. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanses us from all sin. I owe nothing. And when you think
of liberty, what do you think of? Well, in human terms, you
think of a vacation. What do you do on vacation? What
you want to do. What you want to do. That's what
I love about vacation. No responsibilities. I do what I want to do. Or I
do what she wants to do. I just said that. But the point
is, in I love what Bill Clark said.
I love this statement that you probably remember in the missionary.
Trust Christ and do what you want to do. You know what you
want to do if you're a believer? You want to follow Him. That's
what you want. You know what's my greatest desire?
To win Christ and be found in Him. To be like Him. That's all I want. That's what
you want. Most people's religion is an unhappy thing. It's them
doing what they really don't want to do. and not getting to
do what they really want to do. That's a very unhappy thing.
That's a very unpleasant thing. That's bondage. But the gospel
is liberty. Liberty. Don't be entangled in
bondage. Liberty. And this call is a call
to holiness. Listen real carefully. God had
not, 1 Thessalonians 4, 7, God had not called us to uncleanness,
but unto holiness. Now, the only way you can be
holy is if you are holy. And if you are holy, you will
be holy. You don't do things to become
holy. You are holy. Be ye holy, for I am holy. Now understand this, there's
nothing in the call of God's grace that excuses, encourages,
or condones sin in any form. Nothing. Paul said, having therefore
these promises, dearly beloved, Let us cleanse ourselves from
all filthiness of the flesh and the spirit, perfecting holiness
in the fear of God." Somebody says, what's that mean? I don't
know, but I sure don't know I want to do it. I don't understand
that altogether, neither do you. But I want to, don't you? I want
to perfect holiness in the fear of God. These things write I
unto you, that you sin not. I love the way Paul says, where
sin abounded, grace did much more abound. As sin hath reigned
unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto
eternal life." It is a call to holiness, and this should comfort
us. It's not me doing stuff to make
myself holy. It's being made holy. And being
holy. Now let's finish with Ephesians
chapter 4. I want you to turn here. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord... You know, anytime I think of
Paul sitting in a Roman prison, he was in a cell. And he said,
I'm the prisoner of the Lord. I'm here for one reason. The
Lord put me here. I therefore, the prisoner of
the Lord, beseech you, that you walk worthy of the vocation,
and that word vocation is the calling. I beseech you therefore,
the prisoner of the Lord, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech
you that you walk worthy of the vocation, the calling, wherewith
you are called. And what is that worthy walk? With all holiness. Humility. What is humility? It's a just estimate of yourself. It's not an inflated view of
yourself. It's a just estimate of yourself. What am I? A sinner saved by grace. That's a just estimate, isn't
it? I love what Calvin said when
someone asked him, what are the three most important Christian
graces? He said, well, first, humility. Second, humility. Third, humility. The just estimate
of yourself. With all lowliness and meekness. You know what meekness is? It's an attitude toward God.
Blessed are the meek. It's an attitude toward God where
you believe whatever he does is right. And in your heart,
you bow without murmuring and complaining. Now, your old man
may murmur and complain, but you bow, you bow. Whatever he
does is right. That's meekness. With long suffering,
patience, Forbearing one another. You know what that means? Putting up with one another.
You know, your brother's got all kinds of faults, doesn't
he? You do too. As a matter of fact, it could
be that I've got more than he does. I love that scripture in
Romans chapter two, verse one. Therefore, thou art inexcusable,
O man, whosoever thou art the judgest, for you the judgest,
doest the same things. I think of somebody saying, I'm
not doing what he's doing. God says you are. Who am I supposed to believe,
God or you? I believe God. doest present tense active voice
you that judge your brother do the same thing so forbearing
one another here's the key in love in love that brother is loved by christ
he loves christ i love him forbearing one another. I love that scripture
in Hebrews chapter 10, where it said, provoke one another
to love and good works. What's that mean? That means
I'm to treat you in a very nonjudgmental, not manipulative, I hate it when
people manipulate me, don't you? You feel it, you know what's
going on, you think I'm that stupid. A lot of times I am,
I get manipulated. But the point is, I'm to provoke
you to love me because of the way I treat you. In a judgmental,
non-judgmental, non-manipulative, gracious, kind way. Now here's what I would want
to do. I would want to treat you in
such a way that you're provoked to love me. I fail a lot, all
the time actually, but still that's the way it ought to be.
Forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace. That takes effort. Endeavoring to keep the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Now that's the worthy
walking worthy of his calling. And it begins with walking in
all lovingness. Now, isn't it a glorious, amazing
thing to think God himself, the God of glory, the God of heaven,
the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the creator of
the universe, the other sovereign of all things has called me. Amazing grace. Let's pray. Lord, we are so thankful for
the call of the gospel. And we ask in Christ's name that
you would call to yourself, each one of us, by your sovereign,
irresistible grace. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.