Think- then Respond

I know it has been a while but this will be worth the wait-These are a few of my notes from a sermon I have been working on for the last few weeks but felt like I needed to share it today-

2 Timothy 1:8-11 8Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own ^(J)purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.

If you could receive a call this morning from anybody of your choice, who would he or she be? Why would you want to talk to that person? Our God- also calls you and me, and how we respond to His call is critical.

God has been calling since the beginning of time.

• Old Testament examples: Adam and Eve, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah
• New Testament examples: John the Baptist, Jesus’ disciples, people who heard the Gospel, the apostle Paul

The Part That Hit Me Last Night

• The Call to Salvation- My new friend Luke from the XL
  

• This is God’s first call to each of us (Matt. 11:28, 32; 1 Tim. 6:12).
• On the Cross, Christ paid our sin debt that God might justify you and me and make us His children.

• The Call to Sanctification- A friend at the Alter at WRBC Sunday AM
  

• It’s God’s will that we should lead a sanctified life (1 Thess. 4:3).
• “Sanctified” doesn’t mean “sinless.” It means “walking with God,” or “separated unto God.”
• Surrender your life to the Lord. This surrender is a one-time event and a continuous process.

• The Call to Service- Jarrod spent an hour pouring his heart into this one!
  

• We have been saved for good works (Eph. 1:8-9).
• When you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you gave up all rights to yourself.

• It is a call by the sovereign, holy God.
• My response, whether yes or no, affects me immediately.
• It affects my eternal destiny (Matt. 22:14).
• God called me before I was born (Gal. 1:15; Eph. 1:4-5).
• God’s call is irrevocable, no matter how tough life gets.

• We will have to give an account for how we lived our lives (1 Cor. 3:12-16).
• We will be rewarded for the mundane tasks that no one else knew we did.
• He’s going to reward us on the basis of how much truth we heard, how much opportunity we had, and what we did with it. (this is what grabbed me today!)
  

Have you answered the call about your eternal destiny, the call to salvation? If so, are you willing to tell God that you want Him to have His way in your life? To answer His call is everything; to refuse it is disastrous. I have met 3 people in the last 2 days that have been living a complete LIE- The world knows they are not perfect but had no idea they were not Christians- They had no idea they were on there way to an eternity separated from Jesus- You would have never known it....

Stop kidding yourself- take a moment, Get it settled! Call me and Ill be happy to help you with it. I just know there are hundreds of Romans confused and missing out! It really doesn't matter what you tell your friends and family- God knows your Heart but... Does he Know you? (as a Child of His)

Will he know you on the day that matters?

Praying for you today-

Floyd