What We Need to Know About God's Calling

So recently, the kids and I were going through the book of John, and we were reading in John 6.

And it sparked a conversation on what makes our beliefs different from mainstream Christianity.

What are a few of those major differences? You can rattle them off in your mind.

We just had sermons recently on the Trinity, and how our understanding of the Holy Spirit differs from mainstream Christianity.

We understand the importance of the Sabbath and the meaning and necessity of the Holy Days.

We understand Christ will return and bring His kingdom back to this earth.

We believe that there is more to salvation than just accepting Jesus as our Savior.

We do not believe in once saved, always saved.

We do not believe in the immortal soul, or going to heaven or hell at death.

We also understand the resurrections.

Today, I'd like to focus on our understanding of God's calling.

Who is God calling today?

Is He calling everyone?

To the young people here, is God calling you?

What happens if people do not respond to God's calling?

Most mainstream Christian religions preach that believers must do everything they can to bring others to Jesus.

And if people do not bring others to Jesus, failure to do so can result in people missing out on their one chance at salvation in this life.

Many believe that those who do not accept Christ today will go to hell eternal damnation.

On the Billy Graham Evangelical Association website in a September 1st, 2023 article about personal evangelism, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Al Mohler, said the following, there is no plan B.

In other words, if Christians do not bring others to Christ, how can anyone find Christ?

They believe without the efforts of people, Christ's mission may fail.

Many in Christianity today have this belief.

They believe it is up to people to bring people to Christ, or people will be doomed.

Is God's plan of salvation dependent on the effort of men and women?

If no one hears about Christ in this life, are they permanently lost?

If someone hears about Christ, but does not respond, are they without hope?

Today, I'd like to look at a major difference between what we believe and what many professing Christians believe in regard to God's calling.

As we do so, we'll better understand and appreciate the incredible opportunity and blessing that we have in His calling, as well as our responsibility that comes with that calling now.

Mainstream Christian theology is skewed by the immortal soul idea.

According to Britannica.com, the immortal soul is, quote, the idea of the soul as a mental entity with intellectual and moral qualities interacting with a physical organism, that's the body, but capable of continuing after its dissolution, after the body and the spirit or the soul part.

The belief is, at death, there is a part of every person that remains in permanent consciousness. That part, called the soul, has to either be assigned to go to heaven and remain there for eternity, or they have to go to a worse place and stay there for eternity.

Since one of these outcomes must occur based on that theology, the life of every human is viewed as at risk of eternal punishment and torment.

So there is the belief that everyone must be saved today or they'll be lost forever. The Bible does not teach this theology. In Ecclesiastes 9.5, Solomon says, the dead know nothing. There is no consciousness after one dies. Jesus described Lazarus as sleeping when Lazarus died in John 11 before he was brought back to life by Jesus. Paul described the dead as those who sleep. They will be awakened out of the sleep of death in the resurrection of the dead. Let's see Jesus himself describe where the dead are waiting.

At least turn with me to John 5, verse 25.

John chapter 5, verse 25.

Jesus is discussing the role of the Father in relation to his role earlier here. John 5.25.

Most assuredly I say to you, the hour is coming and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God. And those who hear will live.

For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself and has given him authority to execute judgment also because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, verse 28. For the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. Jesus himself tells us that the dead are in their graves until a coming resurrection to life or condemnation. The dead are not in heaven and they are not in a place of eternal torment.

In John 3, 13, Jesus also reveals that no one has ascended into heaven except for himself.

So if there was an immortal soul in human beings and souls need to either go to heaven or hell upon death, then none of the faithful of the Old Testament made it to heaven. So that means they must all be in hell, right?

In Hebrews 11, that idea is refuted because we're told a heavenly country awaits those faithful in the future. And that heavenly country is the kingdom of God. Now that we've debunked the urgency for the dead to be assigned to an everlasting station upon death, let's see that it's not up to human beings to do God's calling. Turn with me, if you would, to John 6, verse 22. And we'll get some background here before we get to where we're going. John 6, 22. Jesus has just performed the miracle of the fish and the loaves, feeding the 5,000 just before this. And then Jesus rescued the disciples in the boat as they were trying to get across the Sea of Galilee. Let's notice how the multitudes had very little understanding or belief in Jesus, and that Jesus acknowledges that the multitudes are not being called at that time. John 6, 22. On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no boat there, except the one which his disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but his disciples had gone away alone, however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate after the Lord had given thanks. So we've got the Sea of Galilee here. Let's see if I can get this right.

The east would be over here. You had Bethsaida, which is where these miracles occurred, up on the northeast part of that lake. And then Capernaum was kind of straight north, but to the west just a little. And then you had Tiberias, which was down here on the west bank of that lake. So this was kind of a free-for-all circus, people in their boats traveling and trying to find Jesus, it seems, for a lot of the time. Verse 24, When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. And when they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, Rabbi, when did you come here? So he had gone from Bethsaida over to Capernaum. Verse 26, Jesus answered them and said, Most assuredly I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal on him. Then they said to him, What shall we do that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God that you believe in him whom he sent. So you have to believe me. Verse 30, Therefore they said to him, What sign will you perform then, that we may see it and believe you? What work will you do? So they had already seen a lot of miracles. Some of them probably had even had their bellies filled by some of these miracles, but they wanted another sign from them. They wanted another miracle. Verse 31, Our fathers ate manna in the desert. Hey, here's an idea, Jesus. You know, they had manna in the Old Testament. Why don't you make a little manna for us, maybe, is what they were thinking here. Our fathers ate the manna in the desert, and as it is written, he gave them bread from heaven to eat. Verse 32, Then Jesus said to them, Most assuredly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Then they said to him, Lord, give us this bread always. Maybe even still thinking here, this is physical bread that we're talking about. Verse 35, And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me, and yet do not believe. Verse 37, and we're going to notice a couple things here as we come down the pike here. Verse 37, All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all he has given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. Verse 40, And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day. The Jews then complained about him, because he said, I am the bread of life, which comes down from heaven. And they said, Is this not Jesus, the Son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it that he says, I have come down from heaven?

Jesus therefore answered and said to them, Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught by God. Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.

We see Christ say in verses 37 and 39, All the Father gives me. Then in verse 44, Jesus says, No one can come to him unless the Father sends them to Christ. First God the Father, through his Spirit, removes the blinders that everyone has until they are called. The Father begins working with an individual's mind.

Then the individual begins to desire to learn and then to be taught. Once a person has that response, the Father sends the person to Christ. People are blind to God and Christ unless God first removes that blindness. Clearly human beings do not bear the burden to bring others to Christ. God the Father calls people to Christ. Now let's take a look at what Jesus says regarding the parables that reveals more regarding calling in this age. Let's turn to Matthew 13, verse 10. Matthew 13, verse 10. So I've shared this story with you before.

I had a life insurance appointment with a general counsel of the Institute of Basic Life Principles. That's actually the group that bought the whole Big Sandy campus. But they had an office up here years ago. And the gentleman sold him some life insurance. We went over his needs, and we talked about what happens when he dies to plan for that. Then he switched the tables on me at the end of the appointment when we were all done. He's like, are we all done when talking about me? Okay, now let's talk about you. What happens when you die? So then we had a discussion about that, and it wound up getting into the parables. I asked him a question. I said, why did Jesus speak to the multitudes and parables? And his answer was what many mainstream Christians answer. Because it was an agrarian society, and it helped them better understand. Let's see Jesus' real reason for speaking in parables here, Matthew 13, verse 10. And the disciples came and said to him, Why do you speak to them in parables? He answered them and said to them, Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. Let's drop down to verse 13. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive. For the hearts of this people have grown dull. We'll see that phrase again from Jesus. The hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears.

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn so that I should heal them. Obviously the general counsel's answer was wrong. Why would Christ, who came that the world through him might be saved, deliberately hide the meaning of his words from the multitudes, especially if their salvation depended on their reaction to it? Jesus is quoting Isaiah 6 here. Isaiah had just responded to God and decided to do his will. His job was to go and give a warning to Judah. But God already knew that Judah was not going to change. Christ knew that it was not the multitude—correspondingly, Christ also knew that it was not the multitude's time to repent and conversion on a mass scale before the first Pentecost was not part of the plan. The people were still in their state of blindness. Let's see why the multitudes of the earth are blinded spiritually. Let's turn to 2 Corinthians 3, verse 11. 2 Corinthians 3, verse 11. Paul is talking about how the Old Covenant had a glory of God, but the New Covenant is much more glorious. 2 Corinthians 3, verse 11. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech. Unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing by. This is referring to Exodus 34, where when Moses would meet with God, who was the one who later became Jesus Christ, when he met at the tabernacle of meeting, his face would glow from the glory that he had seen from the Lord.

Moses would put the veil on after he left the tabernacle of meeting, partly because the people were fearful of God, and they actually preferred to hide themselves from God. Verse 14, 2 Corinthians 3. But their minds were blinded, for until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Referring to the tribe of Judah or those modern day. Verse 16, nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. And let's drop down to verse 18.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. So, is God the one who is blinding and veiling himself? Let's continue reading in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 3. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 3.

So here we see that those who are perishing, the majority of the people that are on earth today, have been blinded spiritually by Satan. Satan does not want true worship of God. He desires worship for himself, directly or indirectly. But through Satan blinding society, he's actually protecting society's long-term chances at salvation in the plan of God. We'll talk a little bit more about that in a bit.

The takeaway is that Christ's light shining on us individually takes away our blindness and allows us the opportunity for eternal life in this lifetime. Before God the Father could call people to Jesus Christ, Jesus would first need to be killed.

He would have to become a first fruit for all mankind. He became the first to be resurrected from the dead to spirit. His death would remove the penalty of death from sin for all who would eventually accept his sacrifice. God the Father could then begin to open people's minds through his spirit after that, in order to draw people to Christ. The multitude's time to be called, as we said, was not then. Just as the multitudes of today, their time to be called is not now.

In God's plan of salvation, you and I know, you and I now have an opportunity as first fruits. We can become those who are resurrected or change into spirit at Christ's return. Let's see this by going to 1 Corinthians 15, verse 20.

1 Corinthians 15, verse 20. A lot of these are basic things, but we're kind of going through a basic doctrine here. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 20.

1 Corinthians 15, verse 20.

But each one in his own order, Christ the first fruit, so he was the first to be resurrected to spirit, afterwards those who are Christ at his coming. Then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father, and he puts an end to all rule and authority and power. So we describe this as the first resurrection.

The first resurrection marks the beginning of the first thousand years of the kingdom of God on earth. After that thousand years are up, we're told in Revelation 20, verse 5, but the rest of the dead did not live until the thousand years were finished.

It's at that time that all who never had a chance to respond, or all who had their minds blinded by the ruler of this age, will be given a calling when they're raised to life again. So to the young people who are here today, do you have a calling from God, or are you part of the multitude whose time is not now?

Let's turn to Acts 2, verse 38. Acts 2, verse 38. And let's see what the apostle Peter said. This is on the first day of Pentecost, 31 AD, when God the Father begins to open people's minds through his Spirit, so they can begin to answer God's call and repent and be baptized. Acts 2, verse 38.

Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 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. There is a calling extended to the children of those God calls. I had the benefit of that myself. However, a calling is only an opportunity. It's only an invitation. It's up to us to answer God's call in our lives. The first step in answering God's call is valuing God's call. Let's see this by turning to Matthew 22, verse 2. Matthew, chapter 22 and verse 2. Jesus is speaking another parable here to the chief priests and the Pharisees, and let's see how it applies. Matthew 22, 2.

The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding. These people received an invitation. They received a calling. And they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, Well, those who were invited, see I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready come to the wedding. But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. Those who were called to the kingdom of God in this parable took the invitation for granted. Maybe they thought, Oh, as it gets closer, I'll look into it. Or in today's vernacular, they might have said, Right now I have to work on my degree. I have to get my career started. I need to date. I need to find a mate. I'll look into it later. They did not value the calling. They put the physical things ahead of the spiritual calling. If we're not careful, we can focus so much on the physical that we can miss perceiving what is spiritually happening in our lives, what's going around us. Let's turn to Mark 6, verse 45. Mark 6, verse 45. Here Jesus had just fed the feeding of the 5,000 with the five loaves of bread from John 6. His 12 disciples had just witnessed this tremendous miracle, and they were about to see another miracle here. John 6, 45. Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side. This is referring back to our long talk about the Sea of Galilee earlier. Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side to Bethsaida, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he sent them away, he departed to the mountain to pray. So here Jesus had this crazy circus going on around him constantly and all these responsibilities. But what did he seek to do when he could get a moment's time? He sought to reconnect with the spiritual because he saw that as much more important than any of the physical things going on around him. Verse 47. Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. So Jesus was still back on the land. He had gone up to pray. He sent the disciples on the boat to cross the lake. Verse 48. Then he saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night. So this is between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. So I don't know what time they started rowing, but these winds were against them. And if you've ever tried to row anywhere or anything, it's not an easy process. It's exhausting. So he came to them walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. And when they saw him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost or spirit and cried out. For they all saw him and were troubled. But immediately he talked with them and said to them, Be of good cheer. It is I, do not be afraid. Verse 51.

Then he went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased, and they were greatly amazed in themselves, beyond measure and marveled. John's account says that the boat was immediately at the shore. Verse 52. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. The Greek for hardened here is to be covered with a thick covering, according to Thayer. Strong's concordance defines it as rendered stupid or callous, calloused and blind. The disciples' focus was on what was physically happening around them, but they lacked understanding of what was spiritually going on around them. And if we're not careful, that can happen to us.

We can miss the big picture of what God is actually doing in our lives, when we focus solely on the day-to-day. Let's see Jesus reference this hardness of heart again in Mark 8, verse 11. Mark 8, verse 11. Here Jesus had performed another miracle with bread, one of his favorite types of miracle. And this time he fed another 4,000 people. Now Jesus and his 12 disciples had moved on to a different location after that miracle, verse 11. Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven testing him. But he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.

And he left them, and getting into the boat again departed to the other side. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread. Because again, bread, you know, you need bread when you're going to have miracles. But the disciples had forgotten the bread. And they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Then he charged them, saying, again, Jesus still had on his mind what had just gone on with the Pharisees. Then he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear, and do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up? They said to him, twelve. Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up? And they said, seven. So he said to them, How is it that you do not understand? So bread is not the issue here. How do you not understand? We're not talking about bread here. The twelve disciples were focusing on that physical. They were not understanding the spiritual lesson he was trying to get across of the leaven of the Pharisees. What is God trying to show us today in our lives that we're missing because we're not paying attention spiritually? What do we want Christ—we do not want Christ to call us blind or calloused due to our hearts being hardened? We do not want our understanding dull because our focus is consistently on the physical alone. We don't want to make light of our calling in this way.

Jesus finished the parable regarding the wedding invitation by saying, Many are called, but few are chosen. Just because we have a calling does not cause God to automatically choose us to be in His kingdom. How, then, can we ensure becoming and remaining chosen by God? For those beginning to answer your call that may be here today, the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4, For God did not call us to uncleanness, but to holiness. We begin the transition from called status to chosen status by moving away from uncleanness toward holiness in our thoughts and in our actions.

Let's see Peter describe this transition from called to chosen by turning to 1 Peter 2, verse 1. 1 Peter 2, verse 1.

1 Peter 2, verse 1. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, coming to him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious. You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. So we begin that process of moving from called to chosen by putting aside the things which are not holy, things like ill intent towards others in speech or in action, along with untruthfulness, deceit, and hypocrisy.

We begin the process of allowing God to build us spiritually. We yield ourselves to him so that he can begin to do work in us, the work that he wants us to be doing in our lives, no longer just living for ourselves or our desires. We develop desire to know him through his word, and we desire growth. We change the understanding, the very understanding of who we are and what our life really is, because we recognize that God sees us as precious because he has called us.

The next step in our journey from called to chosen goes through Colossians 3.12. Colossians 3.12. Earlier in this chapter, Paul is talking about setting our minds on the things above. He tells us that our lives are now something new. Our life's purpose is hidden in Christ, he says. He then discusses behaviors we should be moving away from, and then he tells us about behaviors we should be moving toward.

Verse 12, Therefore, as the elect, elect here meaning chosen, as the chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, we know this scripture very well, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. So moving from called to chosen requires us to move from the works of the flesh to the works of the Spirit.

Let's see the final step in the transition between called and chosen. In Revelation 17, the Lamb of God's people are described as called, chosen, and faithful. Living faithfully and being a doer of the Word is what ensures what we will become, that we will become, the chosen and elect of God. Let's see the Apostle Peter bring the whole process of called, chosen, and faithful together by turning to 2 Peter 1, verse 2.

2 Peter 1, verse 2. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. So that's the first step that we talked about in the transition.

Verse 5, For if these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For He who lacks these things is short sighted even to blindness, the hardness of heart we were just talking about, and has forgotten that He was cleansed from His old sins.

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. For so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter describes the entire process here. From the beginning of our calling, we move away from corruption and lust. We move toward virtue and holiness. We grow in knowledge, and that knowledge helps transform us. We become fruitful in spiritual areas. We practice and live the things daily as we grow in faithfulness. We are not to become hard-hearted, dull, and calloused, returning to blindness. Instead, we grow in diligence so that our calling can move to election being chosen as we demonstrate faith in our lives.

This will bring us to entrance into the kingdom of God. Brethren, you and I each have an incredible calling. We have had the veil of blindness removed from us, from our eyes, so that we can see. We have each been given an invitation to be one with God, eternally in His kingdom.

We each have been called as firstfruits now in this life. We have an opportunity in this life to understand the plan of God and participate in it. However, with that incredible opportunity, we each have an incredible responsibility. Each of us needs to not take that responsibility lightly. By choosing instead to go our own ways, as those did who were invited to the wedding in that parable, we cannot allow our hearts to be hardened and become calloused and blind again, focusing too much on the physical things going on around us.

We understand that many are called, but few are chosen. We need to transition from called to chosen and then chosen to faithful. We do so through spiritual growth. This diligence to make our calling and election sure leads us to an entrance, we're told, in His kingdom. Let's finish with Christ's words from Matthew 13, verse 10.

We were here a little earlier, and we're just going to go a little farther down this time, Matthew 13, verse 10, where Jesus is speaking to the multitudes of why He's speaking in parables. Matthew 13, 10. And the disciples came and said to Him, Why do you speak to them in parables?

He answered and said to them, Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. Let's drop down to verse 16. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For assuredly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desire to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. Let's appreciate the wonderful calling that God has extended to each of us, and let's continue to be diligent in making our calling in elections. Sure.