1997-14

SERMON NOTES

TITLE: TWELVE CALLINGS FROM GOD

TEXT: Hebrews 11

INTRODUCTION: Hebrews 11 is called the faith chapter of the Bible. In it, we find recorded the names of several people who were called by God. They are regarded as great people of faith, because in response to the call of God, they obeyed in faith.

Now these were different people. I want to mention several of them, twelve in fact, and show you that though they responded in faith, they all responded to a different kind of call. They were not all called to follow God in the same way.

Here in this service right now there are many people, and we all have the call of God on our lives in one way or another. We are called to do different things for the Lord. His kingdom is great and varied, and needs many people to work in it, in different capacities.

Note with me for a moment only that this is the chapter which has the definition of faith that is most often used. It is found in verse 1, and verse 2 commends the ancients for following God, sure of what they hoped for, and certain of what they did not see. We are asked in verse 3 to begin to use our faith, and believe that God, out of nothing, created the universe we see by His spoken word. He spoke, gave the command, and the world was formed. We are asked to believe this by faith.

Then the writer to the Hebrews begins to deal with the lives of various people.

1. Cain and Abel were both told the kind of sacrifice God wanted.

2. Cain decided it was too much; he brought his offering based on his understanding and knowledge, rather than that of God.

3. Abel obeyed, and brought the right sacrifice. He is commended by God for his obedience.

4. Abel still speaks to us today, though he has long been dead. He obeyed God, and did the right thing, though it cost him his life.

We are also called to do the right thing, though we must be aware that doing the right thing might cost us. In Matthew 5:10, it says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This implies that if we do right, we will be persecuted. Now I just made a typing error, and the word "persecuted" came out "peersecuted," but perhaps it was not far off at that.

II. ENOCH - called to be pleasing to God (verse 5).

1. Enoch lived in a time when he world was wicked.

2. Enoch was called to live a life according to God's plan, even in that wicked world.

3. Enoch was commended by God before he was taken; he was then rewarded for his faithful service as few others have been. He was taken directly home by God.

Today, we live in a world which is wicked, and becoming more so all the time. Yet we are also called to live lives pleasing to God. We need to live in such a way that our lifestyle would bring God's commendation in the here and now. Who knows? Perhaps if we live a live pleasing to God, as Enoch did, we may also be rewarded by missing the death experience because the rapture has found us pleasing God.

In the next verse, verse 6, we find a great nugget of truth. Without faith it is impossible to please God. This is a statement which is true for all people, of all time. None of us can please God without faith. Since Enoch pleased God, he must have had great faith. We can also, for God is no respecter of persons.

III. NOAH - called to obedience (verse 7).

1. Noah was called to obey God when God told him to do something that seemed foolish to him.

2. Noah obeyed God in this foolish thing, not knowing what the outcome would be.

3. Noah's obedience must have been partly caused by his fear of, and reverence for God. By his faith, shown in his obedience, he condemned the other people of his day.

Today, we may well be called on to obey God, and do some things which seem most foolish. But, like Noah, we do not know what the results may be.

1. Noah received an inheritance for his obedience; he was called by God to receive this.

2. We are also called to an inheritance (Romans 8:15-17).

3. We are called to a glorious inheritance (1 Corinthians 2:9).

We, like him, can become a heir of righteousness by having enough faith to obey God in all things. It will be a glorious inheritance; a new body, a new heaven and earth, in which righteousness dwells, and where God is the light of the city.

1. Abraham was called to leave his home city, where he would have a sure inheritance, and look for a place without having been told where it was.

2. Abraham obeyed, and lived as a stranger in a foreign land.

3. Abraham had no permanent home here, lived as a sojourner in tents, while looking for the city whose architect and builder is God.

We may be called on to sacrifice here; to perhaps leave a position of security, so we can look for the city of God. He has promised us a place there, if we only seek for it. He said that He has gone to prepare a place for us, and will come again for us, and take us to be there with Him.

1. Sarah was told she would reproduce, would bear a son, though this seemed impossible.

2. Sarah could not foresee the outcome of her reproduction. The whole world would be blessed.

3. Sarah did have a problem; she created a great problem by trying to work the problem out in her own way, rather than trusting God.

We are also called to reproduce ourselves. As children of God, sheep of His pasture, we are to reproduce and bring other sheep into existence. Sarah could not know the outcome of her having one child, nor can we know the outcome of leading one soul to Christ. A Sunday School teacher won D. L. Moody to the Lord, and he won thousands. How many will the next person you win to the Lord bring to Him?

1. These people all died without receiving what they sought.

2. They lived as strangers and aliens here on earth.

3. They could have returned to their old life, but rather chose to obey God and follow Him.

We may never see the things we are called by God to seek. We may be only seed planters, or waterers, and someone else may see our dreams and callings come to fruition, but that is okay. God, knowing that we are seeking His heavenly city, is glad to be called our God as He was theirs, for He is preparing a city for both them and us.

1. Abraham was seemingly called by God to destroy the very person who was the key to God's promise to him.

2. Abraham did not allow this to stop him; he had enough faith to believe that if he had to carry out the sacrifice, that God could and would raise Isaac from the dead.

3. Abraham found his faith rewarded.

We may be called on to sacrifice everything today, maybe even to seemingly destroy the very thing which makes our work possible. But God is the God of the impossible, and He does reward faith. Matthew 16:24-25 gives us a seeming paradox, when it tells us to take up our cross and follow Christ. It then says if we seek our lives, we will lose them, but if we lose them, we will gain them. Allow God to be sovereign.

The blessings promised to Abraham passed down through his family through Isaac and Jacob, and Joseph, who all lived lives of faith.

1. Moses inherited his faith, at least in part, from his parents. They showed their faith by disobeying Pharoah's command.

2. Moses, though he had this kind of heritage, still had to make a choice one day for himself. Would he be the son of Pharoah's daughter, or an Israelite?

3. Moses chose to give up earthly glory and riches for the disgrace of the cause of God, looking ahead to his reward.

We have all received some sort of heritage from our ancestors, some better ones than others. But we must all make a choice. Will we be the "called out ones"; those who will give up all to follow God, who will keep their lives clean from the things of this world? Will we be those who refuse to be bound down by the cares and possessions of this life; will be willing to suffer disgrace and ridicule for the cause of Christ if necessary? We alone know the answer, and we alone make the choice.

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 tells us that we are to come out from the world, and be separate; we are to stay away from unclean things. Then God will receive us, and we will be His children.

1. The children of Israel had to step into the water before they saw God's deliverance at the Red Sea.

2. The children of Israel had to step out by faith; they had to follow the cloud, and the pillar of fire.

2. They had to depend on God even for their food and clothing in 40 years of wandering.

We may be called on to take a step, or perhaps a leap, of faith before we see the salvation of the Lord. He will respond in seemingly impossible situations where He chooses to lead us.

1. The children of God were called to fight for their inheritance.

2. The people of Jericho were not going to give up without a fight. Neither will Satan today.

3. They had to obey their commander to see the victory.

We are equipped by God for the spiritual warfare that He has caused us to fight. Ephesians 6:11-18 gives us a list of our armor.

1. Rahab was called to provide assistance to the spies.

2. She was rewarded for this.

Matthew 25:40 tells us that when we help others, we do so as unto the Lord. He rewards us for this.

1. Many others were called to endure much for the cause of God.

2. Many were even slain for His cause.

Matthew 24:13 says that all who hold firm to the end will be saved.

CONCLUSION: From our brief coverage of this chapter, we can see that in all of the history of God's dealing with mankind, men and women have had to follow God by faith. They have been called to many areas of work. Some to just do what is right, all to be pleasing to God, all to obedience, though some are called to a higher level than others. We are all called to obtain an inheritance with the people of God, and we are called to sacrifice; some must sacrifice more than others; what they must sacrifice causes them to have to give up much more than others, as in the case of Abraham. We should all reproduce, sheep begetting sheep. We may be called to believe without ever seeing what we have been called to show faith for. We are now all called to be separate from the world, and separated to serve God. We are called to help others, called to wage spiritual warfare. All of us must learn to live by faith, and to endure to the end. Yes, there is much we can learn from this chapter. Go home and study it thoroughly, and see what you can glean from it for yourself.

Osage Gospel Lighthouse, Linn, MO 3-23-97 pm