Called or Chosen

A couple of weeks ago, or two times that I spoke ago, may not have been two weeks ago, actually, I talked about going on to perfection. And I said I was going to give a series on how do you know that you are converted, and what is conversion?

What is the conversion process, and how do you know you're on the right track? And I gave it from the point of view of not to cause self-doubt. That is not the intention of these sermons that we're going to go through. It was actually to make sure that you are on track because God wants us to finish. God wants us to succeed. How do we know that we are succeeding? The basis of the entire series comes from Hebrews 6, verses 1-3. If you ever wanted to know where we say that we get our doctrine from the Bible, if you want to know, well, where's the doctrines listed?

Well, our basic doctrines are listed in Hebrews 6, because Paul says these are our basic doctrines, if you will. Hebrews 6, verses 1, therefore leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ. So now he's going to list what are the elementary principles of Christ.

In other words, what are our basic doctrines? And here they are. Let us go on to perfection, he says, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and faith towards God, and the doctrines of baptism and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. So the conversion process, if you will, is our basic doctrine. What is the church all about? Preaching the gospel and preparing the people. What, in a nutshell, is the gospel?

What is the fundamental, basic elements of Jesus Christ? The conversion process, going from a carnal, selfish human being to an absolutely outflowing, loving, kind, stable human being. One that's hostile towards God goes to one who loves God on the inside. In the last sermon, we covered just the basics. What the word conversion meant, it means to change, in context of the church, change to become exactly like Jesus Christ. We also covered that you cannot be converted unless you commit to living a godly life. Jesus said, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.

And then, in the last sermon, we covered the fact that a converted mind is a truthful mind and seeks the truth. The converted mind recognizes that the church is the ground and the pillar of truth. The converted mind does not deceive others and is careful not to be deceived.

That's a big deal, and we're going to touch on that again today. The converted mind seeks the truth in the group and not alone. It's not special knowledge that you might have.

Now, granted, you might know something that other people don't yet understand, but that should not separate you from the group. If it does, if you tell what you believe to other people and they don't accept it, and they don't reject it, or they reject your special knowledge, and you think somehow that that knowledge makes you special and you leave the group, you are not converted.

According to what we went through in the Scriptures last week, that is a carnal approach to doctrine. Exalting yourself is carnal. It is not converted. God supplied the ministry to teach the truth according to His Word. That doesn't make the ministry perfect. We talked about the fact that we don't have a pope system. You do not confess your sins to the ministry. What's the ministry do, then? They teach. The church is the pillar and the ground of truth.

And we talked about the fact that God will only accept a person to eternal life who accepts His truth. Period. You cannot disagree with God and then be in the kingdom of God. It doesn't work that way. That's not the offer that He made. And He holds all the cards in the salvation process. We have nothing to bargain with.

John 17-17, we ended with, sanctify them with truth. Your Word is truth. We base the truth in the Word of God and not our opinion. Now we will, as long as we are human, get our opinion in the way. But we as a church try, as imperfect as we are, to get back to the original meaning of the Word of God.

And in 1 Timothy 2, verse 4, it says, Who will have all men to be saved, and what? What does Paul combine with salvation?

Who will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth? So that was the basics of, or the groundwork to begin the discussion. What does it mean to be converted? Today we're going to continue this discussion with a summary of where does the conversion process begin? Now I sort of stepped out of sequence last week when I gave the sermon on self-examination, but it was important for us to go through self-examination because the Passover is coming up. Today, where does the conversion process begin? So the title of the sermon, Going Under Perfection, Part 2, Called and Chosen. Going Under Perfection, Part 2, Called and Chosen. Where does the conversion process begin? I want to start with defining what is a true disciple. What distinguishes a true disciple of Jesus Christ from millions of people who claim to be? There are so many belief systems from very strict to very liberal, from those who absolutely do not have any part in the worship system that resembles anything to do with Judaism. To those who go almost all the way back into Judaism, in fact, they require circumcision as part of salvation. So you have to have Jesus Christ and circumcision.

There are literally hundreds of Christian religious groups, and each regards itself as distinct, possessing a special something that gives them an edge with God. And as many different belief systems that are out there under the name Christianity, there are about as many different belief systems on how a person is called and chosen. Most Christian groups consider themselves to be a people who have either a calling—yes, I still use air quotes—and or have been chosen by God.

When you look at the religion, you know, step back and look at it from a broader point of view, many religions in the world see themselves as being chosen by God, whether they're Christian or not. And it's no wonder why so many people are confused or even turned off by religion. Constantly comparing ourselves to other people, which is not the point! Is there a way to know how God calls and chooses people? How do you know that we have the answer?

Why did you come here today? How do you know we have the answer? It's a trick question, by the way. There is absolutely a way to know how God chooses, if you are willing to ask, what does God say on the matter? We don't have the answer. That's a trick question. God has the answer.

The reason that I explained this message to you is there's even confusion within our own congregation on how God begins the conversion process. I hear people say things like, well, maybe God didn't really call me, or God just didn't call my kids. Their day will come in the future. Or I've heard other people who are worried that their kids are now lost forever because God called their kids and they walked away and they chose a different path. How does a person begin the conversion process? Let me put that to you. How does a person begin the conversion process? Do you know the answer?

The answer is you don't. You don't. Jesus said in Matthew 16, verse 18, I will build my church. Not together we will build my church or our church. He said I will build my church. He builds it. You don't. I don't. He does. So if it's not by you, how does the conversion process begin? This is an important distinction, brethren. We need to know this because I have had many conversations with people and, you know, there's many, many different beliefs on how the conversion process begins. And I think it is rather important to understand it's initiated by God and not by me and not by you. Jesus warned that the narrow gate and the difficult is the way in which leads to life and there are few who find it. And that's in Matthew chapter 7, verse 14. Some people don't want to hear that because it makes it sound like the conversion process is difficult. And it is, but I actually find comfort in those words, not doubt. Great comfort, in fact. Like in the previous verse, Jesus tells those who wish to be his true disciples must enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction. And there are many who go in by it. And again, that just seems so discouraging. It's actually encouraging. Yes, it's serious. And yes, it is a warning. So why is it encouraging? How do I find comfort in these words? Because it means that God is the one who will get us through the conversion process. And let me tell you what. He is a capable God. He knows what he's doing. And that gives me great comfort. It should give you comfort to know that we have to follow and give it great effort, yes, but it's God who gets us through the conversion process. God is the one who places us on the path. You don't actually place yourself on the path of truth, on the path to salvation. God puts you there. Remember Matthew chapter 19 and verse 25 and 26? Matthew 19, 25, he says, when his disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, who then can be saved? But Jesus looked at them and said, with men it is impossible. You cannot put yourself on the conversion path. It's not even possible. But he says, but with God, all things are possible. It's God who's going to get you through the conversion process. That's why I'm so encouraged when I read, why does the path and many there go to destruction? Because narrow is the path, but God puts you on it, which means he's going to get you through it. You've got to have faith in him, which we'll cover in the next sermon. But brethren, Satan is a master deceiver. It's amazing how many of us actually fall away and replace the simplicity of the gospel for a false teaching. The simplicity that we read in Hebrews chapter 6. For some false teaching. As I've said before, the church gets bombarded with people who have some special knowledge that only a very few understand. And then they come up to you and they invite you to be one of those special people. Well, this is Satan's great counterfeit, don't you see? God's people are special.

Why do you need to become more special?

You can't be more special than if you're special to God. But doesn't that sound similar to what the church says? If you know this particular thing and follow it, then you are special.

What we say is that the called out ones are God's special people. The major difference is that the church does not rely on special knowledge. We rely on God's wisdom from his word. We are not called because we're special. Let me say that again. You and I were not called because we were special. We are special because we were called, chosen, and remained faithful. If we become unfaithful, brethren, we are no longer really that special. The church does not teach that you are special on your own, above and beyond all other people on the planet. In fact, it is our hope that all of the family of God, all of humanity, have salvation. We don't separate ourselves as special. God says what is special and what is not. Let's notice a couple of scriptures on that topic so that Satan does not deceive us, lure us through this enticing concept that you yourself are special because you have special knowledge that others don't have. It's very self-exalting. It's very opposite of the love of God. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 26. For you see your calling. So we're on the topic of a calling. You see your calling, brethren, that not many wise, according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise. God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame those which are mighty.

There aren't too many billionaires in the church. In fact, I don't know one.

And the base things of the world and the things which are despised, God has chosen to bring to nothing the things that are. Why? Why does God do this? Verse 29, that no flesh should glory in his presence. God is not actually looking to puff you up with vanity and pride. That is not his hope. Verse 30, but of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us the wisdom of God. We weren't called to remain foolish and weak and of no influence. We were called to glorify God. We were called to become the wisdom of God on this earth. That means his character, his word, his truth, living in us and being shown by us. We weren't called to stay foolish. God doesn't call somebody special and then just leave them in the mud. We were called to become the most loving, caring, stable people on the planet.

That's what we were called to do, to confound those who are mighty, to bring those things which are to nothing. How? Through revolution? No. Through godly moral character. Verse 31. Let's finish verse 30. And the righteousness and sanctification and redemption that it is written, He who glories, let him glory in the Lord. Why are we special?

Because we follow the great God. Because God put us on the path and made us special. And that's why we're special. And if somebody comes along and tries to deceive you with special knowledge, to make you even more special, you can't get more special than being called by God. That's deceit. That's taking you off the path, brethren.

So we're not special because we have some secret knowledge. We're special because we have the Bible. Many people have the Bible, but they don't follow it. That's what makes us special. God makes us special. The Christian landscape today looks very different from the original church that Jesus built. There were no pagan holidays kept by the church in the first century. There was no concept of once saved, always saved, which eliminates the responsibility for us behaving like Jesus Christ and growing to become like Him. Once saved, always saved eliminates the conversion process.

In the first century church, they didn't have that. We're not special because we have special knowledge. We're special because God is glorifying His name to all people through the few He calls out and actually follow His Word. So don't be pulled off by people who have another doctrine, a special false teaching that makes you more important than other people. You will notice that when they have special knowledge and nobody else disagrees with them, nobody else agrees with them. There you go. What do they tend to do? Not always, but what do they tend to do? Leave the church. That's the carnal mind. That is not the Spirit of God.

God's chosen and faithful can be caught by Satan's deceit. He is a master deceiver, and he weaves a counterfeit doctrine that's very similar to the truth, but it actually causes the faithful to fall away. And we saw this in the early church, too. Paul writes about it in 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 11, verses 3 and 4. Paul warns us right here that this is going to happen so that we have foreknowledge that people are going to come in and try to draw you away by puffing you up, which is the opposite of conversion. 2 Corinthians 11, verse 3.

Or if you receive a different spirit, which you have not received, the attitude is not loving. The attitude is selfish and prideful or lustful and liberal. It's a different spirit. It's a different attitude. Paul's warning.

Or a different gospel, which you have not accepted, like adding things to salvation. Well, yes, you need to repent and be baptized, but then you've got to do this and this and this and this.

Well, yeah, you've got to go on to perfection, but don't add to the Scripture. Don't add to the Scripture.

Paul says, For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, you have not proved we have not preached, or if you received a different spirit, which you have not received, or a different gospel, which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it. He says, I think some of you in this congregation will actually follow. And we have seen that throughout the history of the church, through the centuries. Don't be pulled away by special understanding that nobody else has but just this little select few. It's God who has special understanding. It's God who gives you an open mind to that understanding. And the whole reason he's giving it to you and making you special is to glorify his name so that all people might come to salvation. The end game is to save the entire world, not just little old us in San Antonio, Texas, in a small gymnasium auditorium in 2017. That's not God's end game. We're special for a very different reason.

Who are God's called and chosen, and what is the difference?

Let's go back to the concept. What does it mean to be called and chosen by God? There is a very clear definition in the Scripture. We don't have to guess at it. We don't have to make it up. We don't have to make it our own so that we have special knowledge. This comes from God. The concept originates with Jesus Christ himself. He's the one who introduces the concept of being called and being chosen. In Matthew 22, verse 14, it says, For many are called, and few are chosen.

What do those words mean? Let's look them up. The word called in the Greek, according to Thayer, simply means invited. Thayer's definition is called or invited, as in being invited to a banquet. In other words, you receive an invitation to come to the formal dance. Let's say we sent them out through the mail, and you got the invitation. Guess what? You're called. That's it. You were invited. And that's all it means. Oh, I was called for a special purpose. Well, yeah, you were. But it doesn't mean you were chosen. It just means you were invited. What if you never showed up to the dance? Well, then you didn't attend. You were invited, but you didn't eat the food, and you didn't dance to the music. You were just invited. Called is invited.

Now, it's a miraculous thing, and we'll get into it in just a moment. But it is not a salvation-level issue.

It's an introduction to salvation, but it, in and of itself, does not give you salvation. And this will alleviate some worries that you have in just a minute. So what does this mean? Many are called, few are chosen. Well, okay. The word, according to Strongs, the word chosen simply means selected by implication, chosen by God. Okay, so called means invited. Chosen means you were actually selected by God, and you are now special. So there's a difference between those two words in the Greek. One, simply invited. The other, you are well on your way to salvation. Makes sense?

Many are called, few are chosen. What does that mean? Well, we know that God intends to save the entire world. Does that mean that most of the world will not be saved? No, it doesn't mean that. John 3.17 says, but we also understand that God is not saved.

You read John 3.17 on your own. That's why I put it in parentheses. I decided not to read that one. But we know that God intends to save the entire world. But we also understand that He's not saving the entire world right now. That there are different times that God will save people. And the Holy Days that He set up in Leviticus chapter 23 point to that awesome harvest plan. Where some harvest in the spring, some harvest in the summer, and some harvest in the fall. The great harvest is at the end.

God does things in His own time and in His own way. He is not on your schedule and He is not on mine. We are on His. Notice Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 7. Ephesians 1 and verse 7.

In Him we have redemption through the blood and forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. But we didn't earn this. It was given to us freely. You didn't do anything to earn salvation. There's something you have to do after you accept it, but you cannot earn it. Jesus Christ had to pay the penalty for you. Verse 8. Which He made to abound towards us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will. So there is truth involved in every step of the way, but it comes from God. According to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself. He didn't ask our opinion when He made the plan of salvation. And He doesn't seek our counsel. We simply follow His. Verse 10. That in, and this is the important part where the timing is off, of most people think God is saving everybody now. And that's why they think that the majority of the world will be lost, instead of the majority of the world will be saved. Verse 10. That in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together, in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and on the earth in Him. But in its time, when the time is fulfilled, will God gather all things to Him? He will not gather all things to Himself immediately, obviously, because the church is said to be a small church.

God is not saving all of mankind right now, which means they are not lost.

God is not saving all of mankind right now, which means they are not lost.

In conversion with the brethren, they often say how they found the church. So we're talking about conversion, and we'll have, you know, a discussion, and they'll go, well, when I came into the church, when I found the truth, when I learned about...

No, no, no, no, no. They seem to be ignorant of the fact that it was God who invited them.

They forget John 6, verse 44, when Jesus said, No man can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, invites him, calls him. It is God who opens the mind to the truth. The carnal mind is not open to the truth. We are born opposed to the truth.

You can see that in just about every little baby. Try to stick something in a baby's mouth that they don't want in their mouth. You're their parent. They're going to do what they're told, right? No. Close their mouth. Don't put that anywhere near me. You force it in their mouth. What do they do? Spit it out. Now you have a mess.

No one comes to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And remember what he said in Matthew 16, verse 18. I will build my church. It is Jesus Christ who draws you. It is God who calls you.

But how do you know that you were invited? Simple.

That's simple because you're here.

That's right. Because something in your mind said, that's interesting. That sounds true. I'm going to check that out. That didn't come from you. It's a calling. Many are called. Many are invited. How? What's the difference between called and chosen? Here's the key scripture that you can use to discern the difference between one who is called and one who is chosen. One who is invited and one who has been selected and is now special and set apart. Second Thessalonians, chapter 2, verses 13 and 14. Second Thessalonians, chapter 2, 13 and 14. I want to make sure you write that one down. This is the key to finding scripture.

Second Thessalonians 2, verse 13. But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren.

Paul is actually saying there, I feel like I don't even have a choice but to just be thankful for you. He just really appreciated his brethren. He is bound to give thanks to them, which means he can't be released. His arms are tied back. He's so thankful for them. And then he says, Beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you. Now there's that word selected or chose you. What did he choose you for? What is chosen? He chose you for salvation. How? Through the sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. Ooh, that's a two-parter, and that's just for chosen. So chosen is salvation, and it comes through the Holy Spirit and believing the truth. There seems to be a theme starting here about the truth. And then in verse 14, he says, to which he called you... Now here's the invitation. This comes before you were chosen. And how were you invited? How do you know you were invited? He says he called you by our gospel.

The invitation is simple.

You hear the gospel, and something inside your head goes, ding! That makes sense.

Guess what? That little, that makes sense thought didn't come from you.

Why is that a big deal? Why does that even matter that it didn't come from you? Because you gotta know where your salvation comes from. You've got to know who to rely on to make it to the end. You can't be self-propelled through your journey of salvation. It starts with God, and God gets you through the entire process.

You did not find the church. You heard the gospel preached, and God opened your mind.

How do you know you were called? Because you're here. Either through a person you heard the gospel, or through literature, or through a video. God opened your mind to see that his word is true. Remember Jesus said, no man can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him? That was back in John 6, 44. Then he adds, quote, therefore I have said to you that no one comes to me unless it has been granted to him by the Father. That's in verse 65. So both verse 44 and verse 65 are very, very clear. God the Father himself reaches in, and to use a crude term, flips a switch in your head that you might understand. God draws our hearts towards him. He grants us the desire to learn his way. Let me say that again. He grants us the desire to learn his way.

The human heart is so opposed to God. God grants us the ability to submit to his will. That's what the calling is.

We have a part in being chosen. We have no part in being called. We naturally resist submitting to God's laws. Look up Romans 8 and verse 7. The carnal mind is enmity against God. It means hostile. The fleshly human brain is, by nature, hostile to being told what to do. And the Word of God tells us what to do.

Yielding our will to God is actually a miracle. It says in Philippians 2 and verse 13, It says in Philippians 2 and verse 13, It says in Philippians 2 and verse 13, God who works in you both to will and to do his good pleasure. God actually has to work with us and in us to help us overcome that selfish nature that just rages and wars inside of us. That don't tell me what to do attitude. It's actually God working in us to overcome that. It is a miracle that you're even here.

God working in us to will and to do his good pleasure, that's the chosen part. That requires his Holy Spirit. God working in us through his Holy Spirit to do his will and good pleasure. Note back in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 14, it says that remember it said salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

Since we act on things that we believe, that's who we are as people. You don't act on something you don't believe. Our response to being chosen is believing through faith, repentance, and baptism. Which we will get into next time. We're actually not going to hit that today. And he gives us his Spirit. So being chosen means being converted. A true member of the house of God. One who has God's Holy Spirit. Being called just means you heard the truth and you knew it was true. That's it. It, in and of itself, is a miracle because our human nature is hostile to God.

Did you know, and most of you do, but some of us are confused on this topic, so I want to hit this.

This promise extends to our children. So all of the teens and young adults and the pre-teens that are in this room, that our children of those who are chosen, are automatically invited. They're automatically called. But this creates no small amount of anxiety on the part of the parent. And no small amount of confusion. And that's why I'm taking the time, when we're talking about the conversion process, to talk about how does the conversion process start. Well, it starts by an invitation. An invitation that, by the way, your children automatically are extended.

Acts 2, verse 39. Acts 2, verse 39. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are afar off. As many as the Lord our God will call. I know I'm listening to a lot of scriptures today, but we need to be careful. This isn't our opinion. We're talking about salvation here. We're talking about how it begins. We need to get every single point and even sub-point from the Bible.

So our children are automatically called. Your kids are invited. They have an open mind. But that doesn't mean that they're automatically chosen. They actually have the same exact responsibility to choose life just as you and I do.

1 Corinthians, chapter 7. 1 Corinthians, chapter 7, verse 14.

For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife. Now, that word sanctified when you look it up, the dictionaries say it simply means set apart for some special purpose.

Doesn't necessarily mean saved. In fact, in this case, it does not mean saved. But it does mean special.

They're called. Their mind is open. And that does make them very special. Because the carnal mind, no matter what religion the carnal mind is, they can be any of the major religions, including Christianity. They could be atheists, which is just a philosophy.

Similar to a religion. In fact, in many cases is a religion. When they start putting up rituals and have certain things that they have to do in order to be a good, strong atheist, then it's actually a religion.

But that doesn't mean that they are special, called, have any understanding whatsoever. But your children are.

For the unbelieving husband, even your spouse, if they're not in the church, their mind is open. Does that mean that they have to choose right now or they're lost? No. No, it doesn't. Let's be careful as we're going through this. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean. Normal, common, everyday average folk. But now they are holy. They are special to God.

Okay, let's examine. Let's explore that. Because this is where a lot of confusion comes in.

That doesn't mean they're converted. Just means they're set apart, called, in other words. I've seen kids leave the church for years and later come back.

Parents might be thinking right now, no, no, no, no, don't say that.

You have to stay in the church.

I've seen the opposite. Did God give them a second calling when they came back? Not necessarily. 1 Corinthians 7, Paul says they are holy. Present tense. They are special. Not that they have an opportunity to be special. Just they are. Period. They are special. But what if they leave? Never. Never says they're uninvited. Ever.

Now, there are serious consequences in life when you do not walk God's way. And when children who know the truth, walk away from the truth and walk into the world, they get the related consequences. I have seen people, relatives of people I know, and even people that I know, leave the church.

I've seen children of elders leave the church, become very antagonistic towards the church. Alcoholism, drugs, all the bad things you can name. And then finally, at some point in their life, sometimes and not always, they go, what am I doing? What am I doing? And they repent, and they come back, and they actually become chosen. They didn't have to get a new calling. The calling was always there. It's an invitation. Let's say you get an invitation from God. And you take that invitation, and you fold it up, you put it in your wallet or in your purse, and you never look at it. And you go about your life. Well, guess what? You reap all the consequences of walking without God. Let's say you ruin your health with drugs and alcohol, and you come back into the church. Guess what? Your health is now ruined. Let's say you have children out of wedlock. Guess what? You're now a single parent. That doesn't go away when you come back to God.

Yes, your children can leave the church. Yes, they can. And they will bear the same consequences that everybody bears when they do not follow God. And when they come back, they will have scars on their mind. It's much wiser to choose God now. Learning by hard knocks is the most foolish way you can learn anything. Read the Proverbs. The Proverbs are chock full of telling you not to learn by hard knocks. Some people are proud that they learned by hard knocks. Look at them! They're practically shriveled up! That should tell you not to do that!

But you could.

It leaves major scars. It's not a good choice. But the invitation is always there.

I hear some people say, well, I don't think God actually called me.

Be careful with that, brethren. I want to encourage you to not say that. If you know that the words you're hearing right now are true, God invited you.

That is real easy to use as a cop-out, an excuse to say, I don't want to do this anymore, and you're in a bad place. No self-doubt, no self-loathing. We'll talk more about that later in the next sermon. But self-doubt and self-loathing are not repentance.

Self-doubt and self-loathing, Paul calls sorrow of the world. There's a sorrow from God, and there's a sorrow of the world. Sorrow of the world is very self-serving and very self-destructive. So, pretty simple sermon today, right? How does the conversion process begin? Well, God drew you. Try not to say, when I found the church, don't communicate to people that way. I encourage you to say something along the lines of, well, when God called me into his church, and give God the glory, and give God the credit. Because when you are chosen, your purpose on this planet is to glorify the great God. Your purpose is no longer to seek your own will. When you get baptized and you go into that water, you come up, you give your life to God. It is no longer yours. Don't take credit for your own conversion.

Don't take credit. Don't take pride in the fact that you are here. It's a miracle that you're here. It's a gift from God.

And we have nothing to do with the calling. We have a lot to do with being chosen. Like I said, we'll talk about next time. You didn't find God, but remember, Satan is a master deceiver, and he will make you think that you are above other people. And the calling and being chosen is not about glorifying you. Being called and being chosen right now, you do earn—or not earn, that's a really bad way to say it— you do receive salvation, but you're not called for yourself alone. You are called to glorify God on this earth, to become the wisdom of God on this earth, that other people who might be smarter than us, or wealthier than us, or more powerful than us, can look at us and go, wow, look what God is doing through a group of people. Isn't God amazing?

That's why you are being called and chosen right now to glorify the great God. And guess what? You get to live eternal life as a reward for that, and that is awesome! Win-win!

God invites us, God chooses us, and we glorify the great God.