The Call of God

Foundational Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:4-9

Introduction

The movement of the Message

- The Call to receive Grace.

- The Call to use spiritual enrichment for the Kingdom.

- The Call to patient waiting.

- The Call to a blameless life.

- The Call to fellowship with a Faithful God.

Reflection

Call to Discipleship

Closing Prayer

References:

Handful of Purpose outline; Matthew Henry Commentary; DAKE's Annotated Reference Bible.

#Christianity

#Faith - Based

#Spiritual growth

#Yahweh's  Word

#Bread of Life

#Spiritual nourishment

#Food for the Soul

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:19

Welcome, welcome, welcome to Breakfast with Chief. This is Evangelist Linda Teresa Benjamin. The topic today is the call of God. Foundational scripture comes from 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 4 to 9. Listeners, today we turn our hearts to the word of God. In 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verses 4 to 9. Hear the word of the apostle Paul as he writes to the church of Corinth. I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ. That in everything ye are enriched by him in all utterance and in all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that ye may come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of the Lord. Jesus Christ, God is faithful, by whom he will call unto the fellowship of his son Jesus Christ, our Lord. Heavenly Father, let me diminish while you excel, blessed Lord. Let your word come to me and through me to your children. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Beloved children of God. When Paul opens this letter to the Corinthian church, he does something that every child of God ought to do. Before he corrects them, he thanked God for them because he addresses their divisions, their disorder, and their spiritual immaturity. He reminds them of who they are in Christ. Corinth was a wealthy city, and the church at Corinth was rich in spiritual gifts. Yet wealth did not mean wellness, and giftness did not mean maturity. They had grace, but they needed to grow in Greece. They had gifts, but they needed to use those gifts for the glory of God. They had been called, but they needed to be reminded the purpose of the call. And that is the word for us today. God's call is not only an invitation to receive his grace, it is a sermon to live faithfully through grace. The same God who calls us also justifies us. And the same God who justifies us will glorify us. So today I want to preach through from this thought, the call of God. The movement of my message will address the grace of God, the call to use spiritual enrichment for the kingdom, the call to patient waiting, the call to a blameless life, and a call to fellowship with a faithful God. Each movement of this passage will remind us that the call of God is holy, gracious, purposeful, and faithful. Number one, God calls us to receive his grace. Paul begins by saying, I thank my God always on your behalf. For the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ. Church, that is where every testimony begins. Before we talk about our strength, before we talk about our gifts, before we talk about our service, we must first thank God about his grace. We must talk about God's grace. The grace is God's unmerited favor to us. Grace is not something we own. Grace is not something we deserved. Grace is not something we purchase with good works. Grace is that unmerited favor of God flowing from the heart of Yahweh through his Son Jesus Christ. His grace is sufficient and his power is made perfect in our weakness. Grace calls for a response. But grace does not leave us where it found us. Grace calls us to believe. Grace calls us to trust. Grace calls us to place our faith in Jesus Christ. Yahshua. Through faith in Him, His grace supplies what we need, satisfies the hunger of our soul, and quenches the thirst that only He can fill. Grace teaches us to give thanks. And notice this. Paul thanked God for the grace given to somebody else. That means we ought to rejoice when God bless our brother and not be jealous. We ought to give thanks when God strengthen our sister and not be revengeful. We ought to celebrate grace wherever we see it. Because salvation is a gift received through faith, not of our own works. So the first call is a call of grace. Received it, walk in it, grow in it, and never forget to thank God for it. Secondly, God calls us to use spiritual enrichment for his kingdom. Paul says in Corinthians, the Corinthians were enriched by Christ in all utterance and in all knowledge. They were not lacking in gifts. The problem was not that God had withheld blessing from them. The problem was that they needed to use what God had given them in a way that honored him. Gift must be served. This gift must serve God's purpose. Church, every gift God gives has a purpose. The gift of utterance is not for self-exaltation. The gift of knowledge is not for pride. The gift of the Holy Spirit are not given so that we may compete with one another, but so that we may edify the body of Christ and uplift the kingdom of Yahweh. Gift must build unity. If our gift do not operate in love, they become noise. Paul said that without love we are like summoning brass and a clanging cymbal. That means a gift to church can still become a noisy church if grace is not guiding that gift. But when grace governs the gift, the church is strengthened. Souls are encouraged, and God is glorified. So let us use what God has placed in our hands. Let us use our voice to speak life into others. Let us use knowledge to teach truth. Let us use spiritual gift to reach, teach, interpret, encourage, and uplift the church while we wait for the coming of Yahshua. Thirdly, God calls us to patiently wait. Paul said to the church, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved, the Christian life is a waiting life. But it is not an idle life. We do not wait as people without hope. We wait as those who have received grace, eternal life, and responsibility. Waiting requires strength. Isaiah reminds us that they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Waiting on God does not make the believers weak. It renews the believers' strength. It teaches us endurance. It matures our character. It reminds us that the Lord's timing is perfect and his promise is sure. Waiting requires character. While we wait, we are called to reflect the character of Christ. We wait with hope. We wait with holiness. We wait with service. We wait with our lamps trimmed and burning, holding fast to the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and looking for that blessed hope. Waiting requires service. The grace of God equips the saints to preserve while we wait. So while we are waiting, let us pray. While we are waiting, let us serve. While we are waiting, let us draw close to Yahweh. While we are waiting, let us edify the church. The return of Christ is sure. And we must be found faithful when he comes. We must be found faithful. The fourth thing: God calls us to a blameless life. Yes, he calls us to a blameless life. Paul says, Christ will confirm us unto the end that we may be blameless in the day of our law. Jesus Christ. Now hear this clearly. We do not become blameless because we come to Jesus. We come to him as we are. We come to him for cleansing. We come to him for transformation. We come to him for his grace. We come as we are. Grace cleanses us. This call is addressed to those who have received salvation. The blood of Jesus has washed us. Our sins have been forgotten, thrown into the sea of forgetfulness. Our past has been covered by the mercy of God. And the same grace that saves us is the grace that will keep us. Hope purifies us. Even if Christ is pure. That means our salvation is not a passive, it's not passive. Our hope shapes our walk. Our hope changes our desires. Our hope teaches us to live with a new heart, a new mind, and a new spirit, and new affections. Grace helps us preserve. The things we once did, we no longer desire to do. The things we once said, we no longer desire to see. The place that once put us no longer has a hold on us the same way. The blessed hope we have in Yeshua strengthen us to preserve, to persevere, remain steadfast and continue faithfully until the end. The Spirit of God keeps us. We are not kept by human strength. We are not kept by will power alone. We are kept by the Spirit of God. Not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit, said the Lord. Through Christ's death, we are reconciled and presented holy, unblameable, and unreproachable in his sight. We are called to be a blameless life, to have a blameless life. Fellowship. Number five. God calls us to fellowship with a faithful God. Fellowship with a faithful God. Paul closes this passage to the Corinthians with a promise that ought to steady every heart. God is faithful. We are careful. We are called into fellowship with his son. Jesus Christ our Lord. This is not a distant relationship. This is living fellowship. This is communion. This is partnership with Christ in the work of his kingdom. Fellowship, my brothers and sisters, means partnership. To be in fellowship with Christ is to share in his mission. It is to serve with him, obey him, suffer with him, and labor for the things that matters to him. We are not spectators in the kingdom of God. We are called to be co-workers, servants, and witness. Fellowship rests on God's faithfulness. Our confidence is not in our own perfection. Our confidence is in God's faithfulness. He is faithful. First Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 24 declares, Faithful is He that calleth you. Who also call, who also will do it. If God called you, God will keep you. If God began the work, God will complete the work. If God gave the promise, God will perform the promise. Fellowship calls us out of the world. Because God is faithful. We can forsake the things of this world and embrace the things of God. We can walk away from that weakness, what weakens us, and cling to the one who strengthens us. We can suffer with Christ and trust that we shall also be glorified with Him. Reflections. So I ask, I ask you today, how are you responding to God to God's call? Are you receiving his grace? Are you using what he has placed in your hands for his kingdom? Are you waiting with faith, hope, and purpose? Are you allowing his grace to cleanse you and keep you? Are you walking in fellowship with his son? Reflect on these things. Call to discipleship. Whenever you hear the word of God, do not let it pass over you as though it is information. The word of God is calling for a response. The Lord may be calling you to receive grace, to receive restoration, to receive a deeper fellowship with him. He may be calling you to surrender what you are holding on to too closely and forgetting him. If you have never received Jesus as your Savior, accept him today. If you have drift away, come back. Come back into the fold. If you are wary, come to him now. The faithful God who caused you is able to cleanse you, restore you, and strengthen you and keep you. Come to the one who will give you grace. Come to the one who will who will restore you to fellowship. Come to the one who is faithful from the beginning to the end. Come. Closing prayer. Heavenly Father, merciful God, you have answered, you have showered us with your unmerited grace and covered us with your love. Touch our hearts and cleanse our hatred, malice, bitterness, and personal heat. Purify our minds and give us a mind state on thee. Enlighten our darkness and let your word be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Strengthen us to answer your call with faith, obedience, humility, and love. Bless our going out and our coming in in Jesus' name. And may the grace of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest, remain and abide with us now and forevermore. Follow me on brushsport.com, iHeart, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. See you next week. Follow me. Thank you, thank you, thank you. God bless you.