The Father's Call - Pastor Sandra Roach

On this episode, discover the Father's call to every believer: not simply to do more for God, but to know Him. Through the revelation of sonship and the royal priesthood, you'll be challenged to move beyond religion, embrace your true identity in Christ, and live from a place of intimacy with the Father. 

Learn how His presence transforms us, restores our authority, and empowers us to bring His light, healing, and hope to the world around us. You were made for more, and the Father's call is still going forth today.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to the Summit Church Podcast. Thank you for joining us as we share weekly sermons and teachings from Summit Church in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Our prayer is that today's message encourages your faith and helps you grow in your relationship with Jesus. Check out our website at summitchurchtn.com. Thanks for listening, and we pray this message encourages you today.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

I am so excited about today because I'm preaching about something that the Lord has been stirring in my heart for months. And um I and it wasn't time. And then the Lord uh told me, He said, I want you to preach on the Father's call. Great day to do that, Lord. So we're gonna get into the word and we're gonna find out what God says about us today. Are you ready? Praise the Lord. Uh, we're gonna talk about, first of all, the first call he has on our life. It's found in John 1 and verse 12. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. I love this. To as many, whosoever will. There isn't, see, here we don't believe that God picked out some and the others he destined to hell. That's not the God of the Bible. So I need to say that right off. Father gave us power, exusia, authority, the right, and the liberty to become sons of God. Is that good news to you today? Pastor, I've heard you preach this before. You sure have. You've heard me preach about your identity in Christ for 22 years. And you know when I'll quit? When he takes me home. And then I won't have to, praise the Lord. Hallelujah. So when we say yes to God, he gives us power to become. I love that word, become. It means to grow, change, and become something new. Now and over time. Glory to God. You see, um, beloved, that transformation into sons and daughters of God is what I'm talking about. He saves us when we receive him, when we say yes to God. Forever he saves us. So good. And then he begins the transformation process. You're already a son or a daughter of God, but oh, does he have glory waiting on you if you'll yield to the process? Hallelujah. When we are born again, we immediately, we immediately become sons and daughters of God, and then we become more like him. The call is a life of transformation and transfiguration. Can I have that slide up about Summit Church, please? Summit Church, read it with me. Summit Church is a place of presence, a habitation for God, a place of encounter. Summit is marked as a place of transformation leading to transfiguration. Hallelujah. So I want us to get that in us. It's not just a one-shot deal. I want us to get that in us that this is who we are. Hallelujah. As sons and daughters, we are called by God to be more than we think we can be. Isn't that glorious? You know, we have this idea, well, Pastor, you don't know, you don't know what I've come from. You don't know what I've come out of. I don't have to know. Because, see, the moment you said yes to God, you went from being what you were to being a son or a daughter. You're no longer what he saved you out of. You now are what he saved you into. And it's good. It's really good. You see, Peter had a revelation of the call of God on the church, and that's what we're going to look at today. 1 Peter 2, and we're going to read verses 9 and 10. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of God, who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. For you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God. You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. That's good news. That's good news. See, before we received him, we didn't have an identity. Except maybe with the world. Hallelujah. So you are a chosen of God. You're chosen of God to be a royal priesthood. I want to look at that. What is that? You're not like the Levitical priest that did ministry in the temple and relating to us, and we see this in the church, working for Jesus, doing church work. Although that's needed, but our first call from Him is to know Him. Hallelujah. As sons and daughters of God, you're called to be like the Zadok priesthood. They spent time in the presence of the Lord and ministered to him. And everything they did was a flowing out of that place of presence. Beloved, we have to have it in the church. We have spent the church has spent hundreds of years, thousands of years, telling people how to be come instead of being who we are, sons and daughters. Becoming like him, getting to know him, our first call. Come on. In the book of Ezekiel, you read about the Levites that were unfaithful to God and began to lead Israel to worship idols. Now during this time, in I think it's Ezekiel chapter 8, 25 Levites stood at the door of the temple and turned their back on the temple to face the sun, bow down, and worship the sun god. But the Zadok priesthood was the only priest that was faithful to the Lord and would not defile themselves on idols. You see, during the time of David's reign as king, Zadok was in charge of twenty-four-seven worship unto the Lord. So why is it important for us to understand this? Because when the Bible said you're a chosen people, a royal priesthood, he was not saying, as some have been taught, now it's time to work for Jesus. No, your work will flow out of your relationship with him. The call, I love what Karen is doing, helping us find our call. Already know mine, thank you, Karen, but I'm praying for you. Um that see, here's the thing that that we get to know him. We are people of his presence. And because of that, then there is a natural flow. You will know in your knower what God has called you to do. It won't be a guessing game. I have people all the time that say to me, Pastor, what do you think I'm called to do? And I'll say, Well, I don't know. And they say something crazy like this. Well, that's why, Pastor, shouldn't you know?

unknown 9:36

No.

SPEAKER_01 9:38

No. Now, you may differ with me, and you know what? I'm okay with that. I can see gifts on you that are evident, but I cannot tell you what he called you to do in the intimacy and the privacy of your one-on-one with him. See, I can't tell you that. And aren't we glad? Because you might want to cop out and I come to you and say, hey, I hear Africa calling your name, and God says you're being rebellious. See, that's why, you know, he just won't do that to us, okay? He wants you. He wants you more than anything else. He wants to know you. Hallelujah. You see, we were created for communion and the stewardship of heaven on earth. That's what we're created for. Isn't that glorious? Are y'all excited about that? Come on, I need some people get excited about what you're called to. You're more than you think you are, and you're more than you expect to be, and you are more than you even want to be. But God wants to stir in you a hunger for him. And out of your hunger for him, and out of your burning for him, will come the overflow of what he is saying. This I call you to do. Hallelujah. Oh, glory to God. When we believe as sons and daughters of God, we were created to work for him. Now listen to this. We will spend our lives trying to be a faithful, non-sinning Christian. I thought somebody would jump up and shout. Okay, let me say it on this side. See, we've spent a lifetime working on being, not being, what he saved us out of. Because of our lack of understanding that I am a royal priesthood. I have the Spirit of God living within me. There's nothing I can't do. There's nothing I can't be. I am made in His image. Hallelujah. You see, Jesus came back. Sons and daughters, hear this. Jesus came back to restore your priesthood. Oh, hallelujah. Priest stewards, God, they we steward God's dominion and authority over all things in the earth. Praise the Lord. I may have to preach this again. Now listen to this. I was praying about this. I was sitting right here last night in prayer. Oh my goodness. There was a stream of revelatory goodness that was pouring out on us last night. I it was like I'm I'm I'm writing, trying to, I'm here to pray. I'm here to pray. Lord, I'm here to pray. And I'm writing all of this revelatory goodness that I'd never thought about. And he said this to me. Adam and Eve were created in my image as the original priest of creation. What? They were the original. Some of you all are going, you didn't know that. Wow. I've known that for years. Well, you should have told me. That they were created to be the original priest. We get our priesthood of believers, our identity from what Adam and Eve were before sin came into the garden. They showed forth the glory and the beauty, the beauty of Jesus, the beauty of Father to all of creation. Creation stood in amazement as two people stood there looking like creator. Okay, this is good. Hallelujah. Looking like creator. Of course, the enemy wanted to take them down. And that's why your identity is so powerful to God and has to be messed with by the enemy. That's why you're that's why he keeps things from you like you're a son or a daughter. I'm not trying to be saved. I am saved. I'm trying not to sin. I don't want to sin. Because, see, I have constant communication with God. Communion with God, communion with God. I was talking to the Lord last night. I said, Lord, I've had a couple of nights of bothersome dreams. He said, Okay. Just don't have them. I needed a formula. I needed for him to say, do step one, step two, and step three is on its way. And all of a sudden, I opened my notes and I began to read, and I realized that a priest does not have to tolerate the enemy. God has given me an angel that watches over me. I'm not going to get up and kick the devil out of my house again. Because I realize something. I don't have to. There's an angel there that's doing it for me. Well, Pastor, why are you sometimes tormented? Because I didn't know. I didn't go to bed knowing that he has no legal right. Oh, come on, he has no legal right over my life. What have you given the enemy legal right to? A lot of our warfare, hear me say this. A lot of our warfare and contending is because we've given the enemy a legal right. And because we've given him a legal right into our life, we're constantly working at casting devils out of our house. When your legal right is son or daughter of the Most High God. No, I don't. I don't need you to shout. I do my own shouting. Join me or not, I don't care. Praise the Lord. Oh, so good. You see, Adam and Eve were first the first image bearers of God with royal authority to subdue and rule the earth. They were the first priest. Hallelujah. We're arguing right now in the church. I'm not. This church isn't. But in the church at large, now where everybody's up in arms. Women can or can't. How about just be? How about just go ahead? Go ahead and be the priest to God's called you to. Okay, go ahead. Just go ahead and be who God has called you to. I'm not upset. People are saying, Pastor, how do you feel? Are you upset about this? No.

unknown 18:19

Come on. Come on.

SPEAKER_01 18:21

I'm not upset about it. It's a diversion. It's getting us off the main thing. It's a little irritation to some. It's not even an irritation to me. Because, beloved, I want you to know 22 years ago when God said to me, I want you to start a church. I want you to pastor that church. And I said, No, I you, Lord, we live in the South. If we lived in the North, it might go over. But in the South, Lord, is where we live. And I'm going to have people coming up to me all the time. He said, That's okay, I'll take care of it. And I've led him. I said, Well, what if I tell you I don't know how to pastor? He said, That's okay. I do. But you see, here's the thing. That communion has kept me. It's not been approval of man, it's communion with God. It's not been working for the church that's kept me, it's communion with him. Listen, people are leaving ministry and droves. You know why? They're looking to you instead of to him. Let me tell you, when you're a man pleaser and you're looking to man to shout, that's why I'm saying I don't need you to shout. It's nice, I know you're in agreement with me, but I'll shout double if I have to. Because he's worthy of a shout. He's worthy of my praise. Oh, hallelujah. I'm getting ahead of myself. Glory to God. They weren't called, have you noticed Adam and Eve weren't called to sacrifice animals as a sin offering, but they were called to continually be in his presence. It was a sin offering wasn't needed until they fell. But Jesus came as the captain of our salvation to bring many sons and daughters to glory. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but he wants us back now. Hallelujah. Glory to God. Praise you, Lord. You know what? It's wonderful to have the approval of God and not man. Then you don't need to worry. Because you see, I'm his favorite. And so are you. Hallelujah. Some people go, what do you mean? You should never say I'm his favorite. Well, we all are. Hallelujah. You see, God's big enough to love us all, his favorites. Amen? Hallelujah. You're called to be a living expression of the faithfulness and love of the Father to humanity. That's who you are. Jesus paid the sin price once for all to reestablish God's original intent for his family. Isn't that glorious? All the other stuff is garbage. He brought us in. He brought us in. You were standing there saying, Lord, you don't know. I've had people say, right when they're getting ready to save, they'll say, but Pastor, you don't know what all I've done. Well, I don't need to because you're getting ready to go under the blood. Glory to God. And the blood covering is enough. Hallelujah. Oh, glory to God. If your father was a priest, you were born into the priesthood. It was and is your divine lineage. Oh, God is our Father. Hebrews 2 and 17 says this. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every aspect like us, his brothers and sisters. So that he could be our merciful and faithful high priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sin of the people. Listen to this in Revelation 1 in verse 5. Or six, I'm sorry. He has made us a kingdom, a priest to God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever. Amen. That's who we are. Hallelujah. Listen to this. Revelation 9 and 10. I think when uh uh Pastor Ryan was teaching this in Revelation 5, I wanted to run, but I didn't want to be undignified. So I just shouted. Revelation 5, 9 and 10, listen to that. And they sang a new song with these words. You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seal and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you have caused them to become a kingdom, a priest for our God, and they shall reign on the earth. Who's he talking about? Come on, if that's you, raise your hand. Glory to God, hallelujah. Beloved, does this not stir the fire of God inside of you? The fire of his love and his passion for us. Do you not in this moment feel loved like a son or a daughter? Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord. We are called to live in his presence. And out of these living temples, his will in the earth will be done. Out of these living temples, out of your living temple, out of my living temple, his will will be done. We're priests over the temple. We steward a life well lived. It's not a formula, it's a becoming. It's a being. We just get up and we be. It's the happiest life to live. I used to say something stupid. I don't have to be happy. Yeah, I do. I'm happy in the Lord. I'm happy being a daughter. You ever lived an unhappy life? People think happiness comes from getting everything you want, everything you need. Just, you know, you got you got the right, you got the right family, you got the right spouse, you got the right house, you got the right job. All of those things will bring you happiness. It does not. But I want to tell you something. The world can't give you happiness, but he can. He can. He called us. He called us to shine with the light of his glory. He put his glory up on us as sons and daughters of God. Come on, somebody. This is so good. You see, beloved, the shaking that's happening in the church is Father cleansing the temple. It's all it is. He's decided, you know what? This has gone long enough. I gotta cleanse the temple. The Levite pattern has been bowing to the gods of this world. Want you to hear me say this. When you're all about doing, you will bow to some ungodly person you're trying to impress. Oh, come on. And if you're bowing to some ungodly person to impress them, let me tell you something as a pastor. The deadliest thing a pastor can do is bow to someone who wants me to compromise because I need their money. Are y'all hearing this? I'm gonna say something that all faith preachers say. My God owns cattle on a thousand hills. And if he needs to, he'll sell some. Now see, I think he's more divine than that. I think he'll just bring it in. If we just begin to make this place a habitation for God, if we make this place a place of his presence, if in worship we forget about all the other stuff that's gone on in our life, you know, we're worried about this one. Oh, and my child is this, and and this one's sick. You know what? I'm just gonna be a habitation of God because while I'm doing that, he's healing the sick, he's bringing in the prodigals. Come on, he's restoring those who are far off. Come on. As I just worship him and I look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith, he's doing it, he's doing it on my behalf. Why? Because I'm loved. Hallelujah. You see, the Father on this Father's Day is sending out a call to his sons and daughters. Hallelujah. Much of the church is hiding in shame with their fig leaves of religion trying to cover themselves. Isn't that good? He said that this morning. I thought I was looking over my notes and he says, you know. No, I don't want. He said, so much of the church has got their fig leaves out. And they're hiding in shame their sin. But you see, Jesus came to rid us of the fig leaves. The blood of the Son of God restored us to live and walk as holy priests unto our God. Satan has used religion to keep you in bondage to sin. I want to say this. I want you to hear this. When you truly see your identity in Him, you will never again search for that old dried-up fig leaf. When you see through the eyes of Father who you really are, you will no longer search for that dried up fig leaf of religion, and you'll become a son or a daughter. Well, I don't feel like you measure up to my expectations, okay? It's okay. Because someone else will. Or maybe they won't. You see, the first call is to be sons and daughters, the second call is to be a proclaimer. Do you know that your life proclaims even when you don't talk? Oh, come on. We're to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. How many in here are lights? That's right. You are. If you're a son or a daughter of God, you are light. Hallelujah. So good. Wherever you go, you proclaim something. You either proclaim darkness or the beauty of Jesus. The excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness. Ephesians tells us, and I remind you of this all the time. You were once darkness. There was a day when you were darkness, but now you are the light. You are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Not do the one, two, three formula. Just be light. Just walk as children of light. I know him. I'm going to reflect his image. I've been looking at him, and his glory is shining on my face. Oh, come on, people. This is this is sons and daughters I'm talking about here. You see, it's more than going around quoting scripture, it's being a living sacrifice. Hallelujah. And the third call of God is to live your new identity as priest unto God. 1 Peter 2.10 says, For once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Have you ever known somebody who cannot give away mercy? Have you ever known somebody like that? They've been radically saved and they love to talk about how sinful people are. I had this hit me. I may have told this story before. That's okay. It's my story. I can tell it again if I need to. I was talking to a lady and I was telling her, I said, you know what, one day, my goal is one day to look up to Jesus and carry on a conversation like this person does. She looked at me and she said, Well, you don't know what he was really like. What he was really like. I said, Excuse me. You you have no idea. I remember when he was a fallen down drunk. I remember when he was no good for anything. And she thought that was going to change my mind. You know what I said to her? Glory to God. You know why? Because he once was. He was once darkness, but now he's light in the Lord. I'd never seen anybody pray like that. We're in a church setting in a denominational church. And he stands up, he's two people down from me. He stands up as they did when you called on him to pray. He stood up and I looked over at him. And he opened his eyes and he began to talk to the Lord. And this was my expression. I was young. I'd never hurt anybody. Just carry on a conversation publicly with the Lord. In that moment, I said, Lord, I have a goal. I want to pray like that man. I want to know you so well that I can look up knowing you're looking back at me. And we're having a conversation. It wasn't a thee and thou. That's all I'd been raised in, okay? It wasn't a thee and thou. It wasn't all of these platitudes where we work people up. Have you ever noticed how people preach a sermon while they're praying? My prayers are short. You know why? They don't have to be long. I believe what I'm saying. Come on, somebody. You think that changes God's mind? You think that impresses him to act on those prayers? Because you got loud, you impressed people, and you were praying for the crowd. No. God answers prayers to the priests, to the believers who stand and say what needs to be said and moves on to the next thing. Come on, I don't have to convince myself. God is my healer. I know he's my healer. Oh, hallelujah. I'm not even there, Lord. I'm trying to pace myself. Praise the Lord. You have been given this new identity. Not just to say I'm a son or a daughter of God, that's wonderful, but to live as a priest before God. Wherever we seek darkness, we bring the light of Christ. Is that true? So as I was praying about the priesthood, the Lord asked me, does it mean, what does it mean? I'm praying about this, and the Lord interrupted my prayer and said, What does it mean to fellowship with suffering? And I said something smart to God. I don't know. And so I looked it up. Philippians 3 10 says that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering being conformed to his death. Suffering in the Greek and Aramaic means this: affliction which Christians must undergo in behalf of the same cause which Christ patiently endured. What were those things Jesus endured? Rejection. He came to his own, and his own received him not. See, this is important that we understand that he experienced rejection so strong that it caused him to be beat. It caused the early church, the apostles were beaten. They were martyred, except for John. And so we we think, okay, so you will experience rejection by the world. The pain of mocking from the ones God sent you to tell of his greatness. Yeah. Are you gonna endure it? Are you gonna endure the suffering? But much of the church has made this suffering to mean we have to settle for sickness and disease. I don't have to settle for sickness and disease. Listen to this. This is so important. The word of God says in Psalms 107, 19 through 21, listen to this. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He sent his word and healed them and delivered them from their destruction. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. I want to read, I looked this up in a Hebrew dictionary, and this is what it said. The Father sent Jesus his spoken word and healed us. He sent the spoken word and healed us. Wherever Jesus went, healing came. Did you notice that? Did you notice that? Why did Jesus leave an example of healing? Why was that? Oh, Jesus is holy. He's righteous. He said in Matthew, chapter 10. Go and preach the gospel. Heal the sick. Raise the dead. Cleanse a leper. Cast out demons. He said that just at the spoke by the spoken word of God. By the spoken word of God. He gave us his word. He sent his word and then he gave us his word. His enduring word. Lasts for all eternity. Everything will go except his word. Hallelujah. Glory to God. You see, what Jesus came to show us was it was never the Father's intention for his family to live in darkness, sickness, and disease. Now this helped me. I want to say this, this helped me because this house believes in healing. And we're seeing bodies healed. And I went from praying and even having some calls, because the enemy was saying things to me. Praying for healing. To knowing healing. He is the healer. My eyes are on you, Lord, our healer. And that tenderness in Holly's body is not cancer. It is not. She is being healed right now as I speak these words. She is being healed in the name of Jesus. She is being healed. I'm seeing it. See, once you get it, you see it. And if you see it, you can have it. Hallelujah. This was written in the Hebrew dictionary. I want you to listen to this. By simply a mere utterance and sending forth of his word, the Father rescues and heals from destruction those who cry out to him. That's what that scripture means. That's what it means. And our response is what? Goes on to tell us. As priest, I'm going to start giving thanks. He said, give thanks to the Lord. Now give thanks. He's healed you. He's brought you out. Now give thanks. Come on, is anybody in here besides me going to give him thanks right now? I'm giving him thanks for his excellent greatness. I'm giving him thanks because he is the great healer. Hallelujah. As priest unto our God, this, beloved, is what we are called to do. His presence will transform us and commission us to priesting before the Lord. God's original intent for the church. We, beloved, were made for so much more. We have a choice. Are we going to latch on to religion and say, well, if it worked for them, it'll work for me? Did it work? Did it completely work? For some it did. My forefathers and foremothers, it did. But they didn't step into the fullness of all that God had for them. They didn't know to. Listen, I come from a long line of preachers on my mother's side of the family. And in that long line of preachers, my grandfather never went to church. Never had a desire. My mother's dad never had a desire. But out of that family came people who were on fire for God. Because my grandmother would sit down at her piano and she would begin to play and sing to the Lord. And she would say, This is what she called me. She's a countrywoman. Sandri, my name is Sandra. Sandri, yes? Come over here and sing this song. Then she'd have neighbors come in so I could sing for them. I was five. I was raised by mother and father who never ever forgot to mention and preach and proclaim the name of Jesus. My dad preached to the people that came to the house to care for him. He preached, he went to physical therapy. Two days before he died, he went to physical therapy and led someone to the Lord in physical therapy. Come on. I was raised in that. I was raised in a in a in a family where we preached the word. We didn't need a church. He served the Lord all my life in the church, but he didn't need a church. He needed a warm body. And he would start out with, what has God said to you today? It'd make him feel like, well, he hadn't said nothing. Well, he said something to me before I got here. He said I was going to meet you. And we were going to talk about him. Come on. God is calling you. And he has already called you. You can't change his mind. Sons and daughters of God, you can't change his mind. He says you're a royal priesthood. You are a priesthood after the order of the Zadox and Melchizedek. Jesus came as our pattern to live for him. Amen.