Top 5: God Calls Us, 5/1/16

Sermon 5-1-16 favorites-  god calls us 1 samuel 3:1-10

3 The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. ² One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. ⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. ⁶ Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. ⁸ A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹ So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.  ¹⁰ The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”  Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Favorite scripture series

I met this one in 1981 while as a counselor at a conference camp at Oklahoma’s, camp Egan.

Some of the most powerful words in the bible…….. speak lord your servant is listening……….

God calls us is

One of the most powerful concepts in Xity

In life we find many powerful words

1.   You won

2.   Youre hired

3.   Happy birthday

4.   I love you

5.   Mr brinkman, Im just going to give you a warning this time, put please slow down.

The thought that we are called by god is One of the most powerful concepts not just in Xity, but in life indeed

but it is also one of the most forgotten or ignored

If we are called, then we are are chosen

It’s a humbling thought.

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 peter 2:9

Can you feel the special sense that you are requested by God???

John Wesley the brand plucked from the burning

Cheerleader pyramids are a Methodist thing

God calls us

When we forget this, life becomes about us.

But god does call us still

Great lives are built on this concept

Great churches are built on this concept.  The church is built on this concept

What is the church without this??

Something happened for you

Jesus came for you……….

John, jesus came for you.  What will we do about that?

How do we respond?

Not everyone hears the call.

Eli

Sons were wicked.  Cheated – took more to themselves than was the priestly share.

          Slept with the girls who came to the temple to worship

Eli himself, is blind and evidently deaf

Doesn't hear, doesn't recognize

Sometimes we don't hear

Story of alan anderson

The tug- that might be the holy spirit

·        Don't get all crazy, like god talks to you every day

·        I have heard of people who get paralyzed in life waiting to hear from god

·        But don't ignore a sense that you should do something

Some are called to ordained or licensed ministry.

But remember these categories did not exist in early Christianity.

Everyone just listened and engaged.

Not everyone will hear the call to be a nurse or a missionary or a fireman or a volunteer at Westport.

If you are not hearing…………..

Don’t expect an audible voice- few get it

          The light from heaven  -Paul

          The audible voice- Samuel

          The handwriting on the wall- Daniel 5 bellshazzar

          Hosting a feast w the golden goblets taken from the temple in Jerusalem

          ⁴ As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

Words appeared on the wall

BIBLE TRIVIA  “mene mene tekel upharsin”

          You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

         

Sometimes hearing the call is simply doing the right things because they are the right things.

·        Dear God what kind of a father should I be? Really?

·        Dear god how should I report my taxes

·        Dear god should I control my anger

·        Dear god should I open my heart and let the holy spirit sniff out selfishness?

1.   God calls us from our slumber

2.   From our stupor – from auto pilot

3.   From our comfort – the opening line of rick warrens book, the purpose driven life- its not about you!!!

4.   God calls us From our paradigm – do you even know that you have one?

He does not just call us away, he calls us toward something.

For his purpose- not just called from something, but called to something……..

·        To teach

·        To listen

·        To heal

·        To feed

·        To care

·        To love

Point of grace lyrics – all the world

All the world is a story
All the world is a stage
All the world is a canvas
All the world is a page
All the world is a horizon
All the world is a field of dreams
All the world is an open doorway
All the world is a place for me

To be Your voice
To be Your touch
To give an answer
To show Your love
To hold out hope
To offer peace
To shine Your light for everyone to see
In all the world

Friends, the most exciting part of xity is being in ministry. 

And god calls us to so many different things in so many different ways.  Don’t let the ministers and staff steal all the fun.

We are all called.  Respond to it and find the joy

Speak lord, your servant is listening.