WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.399 --> 00:00:06.240 Hey everybody, Happy New Year and welcome to Pastor Rick's 2 00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:10.240 Daily Hope, the Bible teaching ministry of Rick Warren. As 3 00:00:10.279 --> 00:00:13.640 we begin a new year, it's the perfect time to ask, 4 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:15.880 does my life really matter? 5 00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:16.519 Well? 6 00:00:16.600 --> 00:00:20.160 Today, Rick Launch is a powerful news series called Live 7 00:00:20.199 --> 00:00:22.640 Your Calling? What on Earth am I here? 8 00:00:22.719 --> 00:00:22.879 For? 9 00:00:23.239 --> 00:00:27.920 You'll discover that your deepest significance comes from understanding and 10 00:00:28.039 --> 00:00:32.159 living out God's purpose for your life. Okay, well, here's 11 00:00:32.280 --> 00:00:35.840 part one of a message called the Call is for You. 12 00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:39.719 One of the most beloved verses in the Bible is 13 00:00:39.799 --> 00:00:43.960 Romans eight twenty eight. So verse you've probably heard many, many, 14 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:47.039 maybe hundreds of times. It's one of the great promises 15 00:00:47.079 --> 00:00:49.280 of the Bible, and it says this at the top 16 00:00:49.280 --> 00:00:51.159 of your outline. 17 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:51.679 We know. 18 00:00:53.200 --> 00:00:58.719 That in all things God works for the good of 19 00:00:58.840 --> 00:01:02.560 those who him. And usually we stop right there, we 20 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:05.280 leave off the second half of the verse, and we say, 21 00:01:05.359 --> 00:01:08.359 what a great promise. We know that in all things, 22 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:11.040 not just the good things in life, but even in 23 00:01:11.159 --> 00:01:14.120 the bad things, the ugly things, the terrible, the tragic 24 00:01:14.159 --> 00:01:18.280 things of life. In all things, God works for the 25 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:20.640 good of those who love Him. Doesn't say they're good. 26 00:01:20.840 --> 00:01:22.519 There's a lot of bad in life. There's a lot 27 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:24.599 of bad things happening in your life, not all things 28 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:27.680 that happen to your good. But God says all things 29 00:01:27.799 --> 00:01:32.200 God works them together for good. He can bring good 30 00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:35.560 out of even bad for those who love God. And 31 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:38.599 usually we stop the verse right there, but the rest 32 00:01:38.599 --> 00:01:41.000 of the verse says this, we know that in all 33 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:43.359 things God works for the good of those who love Him, 34 00:01:43.799 --> 00:01:47.760 who have been called, circle the word called, who have 35 00:01:47.959 --> 00:01:53.519 been called according to His purpose, and circle the word purpose. 36 00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:56.680 Circle called and circle purpose, and draw a line between them, 37 00:01:56.680 --> 00:02:01.040 because calling and purpose go together. And that's what we're 38 00:02:01.079 --> 00:02:05.000 going to look at for the next six weeks. Now, 39 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:06.599 if I were to say to you, what do you 40 00:02:06.680 --> 00:02:10.000 think of first when I say the word call, make. 41 00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:13.199 A call, get a call, be called. 42 00:02:13.199 --> 00:02:17.479 You think of a telephone and maybe they calling out 43 00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:21.599 for pizza, you know, something like that. When I have 44 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:23.479 to be honest with you, a little true confession, as 45 00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:27.919 your pastor, I don't like telephones. I never have because 46 00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:31.719 telephones to me represent two things. Number One, they represent 47 00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:35.879 an interruption, and maybe they don't seem like an interruption 48 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:38.000 to you. But if you were a pastor, you would 49 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:42.599 be on call twenty four hours a day, like doctors are, 50 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:45.439 I get calls twenty four hours a day, often in 51 00:02:45.479 --> 00:02:48.319 the middle of the night, and so when the phone rings, 52 00:02:48.599 --> 00:02:52.919 it usually means it rings when I'm busy, or I'm relaxing, 53 00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:58.240 or I'm studying, or I'm sleeping, or I'm talking with 54 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:03.560 somebody else or whatever. But it represents the interruption. The 55 00:03:03.599 --> 00:03:05.680 second thing reason I don't like it is because, in 56 00:03:05.719 --> 00:03:10.639 my case, it often or normally means bad news. Somebody's 57 00:03:10.639 --> 00:03:14.759 calling to tell me about somebody's just died, somebody's just 58 00:03:14.840 --> 00:03:18.360 lost the loved one, somebody's gone been rushed to the hospital, 59 00:03:18.719 --> 00:03:22.120 somebody's just found out a cancer test. And as a pastor, 60 00:03:22.120 --> 00:03:24.919 of course, I deal with people in pain literally every 61 00:03:25.080 --> 00:03:28.280 day of my life. And so when the phone rings, 62 00:03:28.360 --> 00:03:32.759 I'm not thinking, I wonder if I just won the lottery. 63 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:37.520 First place, I don't use the lottery, which you shouldn't either. 64 00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:40.879 By the way, if you want to do the lottery, 65 00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:42.680 here's what you do. Come outside and just give me 66 00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:46.039 the money, okay, because you're not gonna get anything out 67 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:47.360 of it. You might I might as well put it 68 00:03:47.400 --> 00:03:50.439 to use and use it for the peace plan. But 69 00:03:51.479 --> 00:03:55.280 you know, Let's say the phone rang one day and 70 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:57.159 you thought this is an interruption or it's going to 71 00:03:57.240 --> 00:03:59.800 be bad news. But somebody who's calling to tell you 72 00:04:00.199 --> 00:04:03.719 just inherited fifty million dollars, you would not want to 73 00:04:03.719 --> 00:04:09.919 miss that call. What if God called you? Let me 74 00:04:09.960 --> 00:04:12.360 give you a little tip. When God calls, you do 75 00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:17.040 not use call waiting. When God calls, you do not 76 00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:22.399 put it on the answer voicemail. When God calls, you 77 00:04:22.480 --> 00:04:24.759 do not let it ring and ring and ring and ring. 78 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:29.319 Pick it up on the first call when God calls you. Now, 79 00:04:29.639 --> 00:04:33.160 the Bible says you have already been called. You have 80 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:37.560 been called according to His purpose. A couple verses down 81 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:40.480 from that verse Romans eight thirty, it says this, look 82 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:46.600 here on the screen. Those that God predestined he also called, 83 00:04:47.560 --> 00:04:51.240 and those he called he also justified, and those he 84 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:54.920 justified he also glorified. Now that's a lot of big 85 00:04:54.959 --> 00:04:57.000 theological words, and we're going to cover some of those 86 00:04:57.000 --> 00:04:59.680 in the weeks ahead. But the word I wants to 87 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:02.199 focus on as we begin live your calling is that 88 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:07.079 word called. The Bible says you have been called by God. 89 00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:09.560 What does that mean? The word in the Greek is 90 00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:13.800 the word kalao ka l e o calaioh. It's almost 91 00:05:13.839 --> 00:05:18.800 like calleaioh call. And the word calaoh means God is 92 00:05:19.040 --> 00:05:22.040 calling you. And it's used about one hundred times in 93 00:05:22.079 --> 00:05:25.199 the New Testament, over one hundred times, and most of 94 00:05:25.199 --> 00:05:30.240 the time it's talking about your assignment in life, your 95 00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:37.199 purpose in life, your mission in life, the reason God 96 00:05:37.279 --> 00:05:37.839 created you. 97 00:05:38.120 --> 00:05:40.279 It is called your calling. 98 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:43.720 Now in purpose driven life forty Days of Purpose, we 99 00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:47.720 looked at the word purpose, but actually the word calling, 100 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:51.360 which refers to the same thing, is used ten times 101 00:05:51.399 --> 00:05:54.319 more than the word purpose in the Bible, ten times 102 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:59.240 more to refer to your assignment, your purpose, the reason 103 00:05:59.319 --> 00:06:02.319 you exist, why God made you, What on earth am 104 00:06:02.360 --> 00:06:05.319 I here for? And in the next six weeks we're 105 00:06:05.319 --> 00:06:07.439 gonna look at why am I alive? And what am 106 00:06:07.480 --> 00:06:09.720 I supposed to do with my life? And if forty 107 00:06:09.800 --> 00:06:13.959 Days of Purpose was kindergarten, now we're moving a step 108 00:06:14.079 --> 00:06:18.160 up and we're going into the advanced class on God's 109 00:06:18.399 --> 00:06:20.519 calling on your life. 110 00:06:21.079 --> 00:06:21.319 Now. 111 00:06:21.480 --> 00:06:24.000 The Greek word is the word kalo for calling. The 112 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:27.120 Latin word is another word you've heard of for calling, 113 00:06:27.160 --> 00:06:30.480 and it is the word vocation. You've heard of that 114 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:35.319 a vocation. Vocation comes from the Latin word vos vossera. 115 00:06:36.120 --> 00:06:39.160 It means to speak, it means to call. We get 116 00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:43.720 the word voice, we get the word vocal, vocalized comes 117 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:47.160 from the word vocation. It is your calling. So your 118 00:06:47.240 --> 00:06:50.920 vocation and your calling are the same thing. Now here's 119 00:06:50.959 --> 00:06:55.160 the problem today. The word vocation has been so reduced 120 00:06:55.160 --> 00:06:58.959 and so minimized to just mean my job. My career 121 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:04.199 is not your career. I'm going to explain that in 122 00:07:04.240 --> 00:07:07.160 detail in the weeks ahead. But your calling is not 123 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:09.639 your career. Your calling is. 124 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:13.519 Far far, far far far far far. 125 00:07:13.279 --> 00:07:19.480 More significant, far larger, far more all encompassing than your career. 126 00:07:19.959 --> 00:07:22.480 So your vocation is misused when you say my vocation 127 00:07:22.680 --> 00:07:25.199 is my job. No, you have a job, But your 128 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:28.600 vocation is your calling in life. And we are going 129 00:07:28.639 --> 00:07:33.399 to study that. The Bible, this book is the story 130 00:07:33.600 --> 00:07:37.800 of God calling people, and the whole Bible is about 131 00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:43.560 God calling Noah, God calling Abraham, and Abraham responding, God 132 00:07:43.639 --> 00:07:47.439 calling Moses for a purpose in life, and Moses responding, 133 00:07:47.800 --> 00:07:54.120 God calling Nehemiah, who was a builder, God calling Isaiah 134 00:07:54.160 --> 00:07:58.040 and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Daniel and Hoseiah, and Joel, 135 00:07:58.279 --> 00:08:02.120 and God calling David, in God calling Solomon, and in 136 00:08:02.160 --> 00:08:05.680 the New Testament, God calling Peter and Paul and Mary. 137 00:08:06.360 --> 00:08:13.240 And if you laughed at that, you are incredibly old. Okay, 138 00:08:13.519 --> 00:08:15.240 some twenty something Peter, Paul, Mary. 139 00:08:15.240 --> 00:08:17.279 I don't get it. I don't get it. 140 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:23.360 Okay, God calling Paul, and God has a call on 141 00:08:23.480 --> 00:08:26.519 every person's life. What we're going to do together is 142 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:30.759 look at five specific dimensions, like the five facets of 143 00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:34.480 a diamond, of God's call for your life, why you 144 00:08:34.679 --> 00:08:37.320 are alive, and what you're supposed to be doing with 145 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:40.039 the rest of your life. How do you specifically fulfill 146 00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:43.799 that calling now? As your pastor my prayer for you 147 00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:45.600 in the next six weeks is going to be this 148 00:08:45.720 --> 00:08:50.960 verse there on your outline, Ephesians, chapter one. My prayer 149 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:56.879 is that light will flood your hearts. You know when 150 00:08:56.919 --> 00:08:59.080 we sing that song Open the Eyes of my Heart, Lord, 151 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:02.519 you know that song that's from this verse, that's from 152 00:09:02.519 --> 00:09:05.200 this verse. My prayer is that light will flood your 153 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:11.799 hearts and that you will understand the hope, the hope 154 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:16.039 that was given to you when God called you. Now 155 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:19.000 understand the calling on your life. When you understand you 156 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:21.399 when you understand your call in life is going to 157 00:09:21.480 --> 00:09:24.720 give you incredible hope, and he says, I want you 158 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:26.960 to understand that. He says, when you do, when you 159 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:30.600 understand God's calling on your life, then you will discover 160 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:39.000 the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all 161 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:43.799 of God's people. He said, when you know your calling, 162 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:48.759 you understand, then you discover the incredible blessings that you've 163 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:52.840 been missing out on. The reason I'm so excited about 164 00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:55.840 the next six weeks together is I'm going to take 165 00:09:55.879 --> 00:10:02.399 you to a whole another level to understand the glorious 166 00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:06.440 blessings that God wants to do in your life. Now, 167 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:08.519 what we're gonna do today is I'm just going to 168 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:12.399 introduce this subject and give you an overview of eight 169 00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:15.200 things you need to know. I'm going to summarize one 170 00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:18.480 hundred different verses on calling in the Bible and give 171 00:10:18.519 --> 00:10:21.000 you the eight things you need to know about your 172 00:10:21.039 --> 00:10:23.240 calling in life and why we're. 173 00:10:23.039 --> 00:10:24.000 Going to do this together. 174 00:10:24.360 --> 00:10:27.039 So let's look at eight things I need to know 175 00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:31.120 about my calling in life, Why God put me here 176 00:10:31.159 --> 00:10:32.559 on earth? Write these down. 177 00:10:33.159 --> 00:10:33.679 Number one. 178 00:10:34.200 --> 00:10:36.000 The first thing we learned from God's word is this. 179 00:10:36.440 --> 00:10:41.600 My calling is a gift from God. My calling is 180 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:45.519 a gift from God. I don't earn it, I don't 181 00:10:45.559 --> 00:10:49.759 deserve it. I don't work for it. I don't bargain 182 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:52.600 for it. I don't barter for it. It's just a 183 00:10:52.639 --> 00:10:56.480 flat out gift of God's grace. It is His present 184 00:10:56.679 --> 00:11:00.799 to me. When He created me, he called me, and 185 00:11:00.840 --> 00:11:05.080 it's all by grace. Galatians Chapter one says this, God, 186 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:12.039 by his grace through Christ, has called you to become 187 00:11:12.399 --> 00:11:15.360 his people. Now circle the phrase by his grace. What 188 00:11:15.559 --> 00:11:21.639 is grace. Grace is undeserved kindness. Undeserved kindness. It is 189 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:25.279 when God gives you what you need, now, what you deserve. 190 00:11:25.960 --> 00:11:28.320 If we all got what we deserved, we wouldn't be here. 191 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:32.320 The fact is, God says, I give you what you need, 192 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:34.679 not what you deserve. Grace is the fact that God 193 00:11:34.759 --> 00:11:37.440 knows every dumb mistake you're gonna make in life, and 194 00:11:37.480 --> 00:11:40.720 he still chose to create you. He knew all the 195 00:11:40.759 --> 00:11:42.639 times you were going to disobey him, and he still 196 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:43.559 chose to create you. 197 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:45.080 That is the grace of God. 198 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:48.320 The fact is grace is that God knows all the 199 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:50.200 things I've done, and even when I was thumbing my 200 00:11:50.279 --> 00:11:54.000 nose to him and rejecting him. God was saying, I 201 00:11:54.039 --> 00:11:56.840 love you, I love you, I love you. Now, your 202 00:11:56.919 --> 00:12:01.080 calling is actually a part of your salvation. The calling 203 00:12:01.159 --> 00:12:04.879 to Christ is also the calling to your purpose. Two 204 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:09.159 Timothy one nine says He has saved us and called us. 205 00:12:09.320 --> 00:12:12.440 Notice they go together. Saved us and called us to 206 00:12:12.519 --> 00:12:16.399 a holy life, not because of anything we've done, but 207 00:12:16.440 --> 00:12:22.000 because of his own purpose and grace, his purpose and 208 00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:26.279 his grace. So God gives gives me a calling in 209 00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:28.639 life simply because he wants to give me a calling life. 210 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:30.480 I don't deserve it, He just gives it to me. 211 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:33.320 No circle the word purpose on that verse, because that 212 00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:35.000 leads us to the second. 213 00:12:34.639 --> 00:12:35.799 Thing we learned, and is this. 214 00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:41.559 I am called for God's purpose, not mine, but God's. 215 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:45.759 I'm not called for God's God's I'm not called for 216 00:12:45.879 --> 00:12:49.320 my plan in life. I'm called for God's plan. God 217 00:12:49.360 --> 00:12:53.639 did not make you for you. You think God created 218 00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:57.399 you just to live a selfish little life of self centeredness. 219 00:12:57.399 --> 00:12:59.320 It's all about me, me, me, me, me, Are you 220 00:12:59.399 --> 00:12:59.799 kidding me? 221 00:13:01.159 --> 00:13:01.240 No? 222 00:13:01.759 --> 00:13:05.519 God didn't make you for you. You were made by God, 223 00:13:06.720 --> 00:13:10.080 and you were made for God and until you understand 224 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:13.240 that life's never gonna make sense, and you're gonna get. 225 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:14.440 Bored, and you're gonna get frustrated. 226 00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:16.720 You're gonna have all kinds of difficulty because you don't 227 00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:20.840 understand you were made for God. I am called for 228 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:24.679 God's purpose. God's calling is about His plan for my life, 229 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:27.879 not my plan. His dream for my life, not my dream. 230 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:31.480 His purpose for my life, not my purpose, or my 231 00:13:31.559 --> 00:13:34.240 parents purpose, or my boyfriend's purpose, or my husband or 232 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:36.919 wife's purpose, is for God's purpose for my life. 233 00:13:37.559 --> 00:13:37.639 Now. 234 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:40.080 A good example of this is the story of Jacob 235 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:43.600 and Esau in the Bible. They were twins. There was 236 00:13:43.639 --> 00:13:45.480 a guy in the Bible named Abraham and he had 237 00:13:45.480 --> 00:13:48.440 a son named Isaac, and Isaac had two sons who 238 00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:52.879 were twins, Jacob and Esau. Now, in those days, the 239 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:56.679 firstborn child, particularly the firstborn son, got all of the credit, 240 00:13:57.200 --> 00:13:59.080 got all of the glory, got. 241 00:13:58.840 --> 00:13:59.960 All of the love. 242 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:02.840 Of the firstborn son was the one who he would 243 00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:08.240 inherit the family inheritance and is like you're special. Number one, 244 00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:10.720 you're great, and number two, Oh, we're glad you're here too. 245 00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:14.639 It was kind of like an aside. And God didn't 246 00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:18.559 like that. And in the case of Esau and Jacob, 247 00:14:18.759 --> 00:14:20.879 Esau was the firstborn son, and God said, you know what, 248 00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:24.440 I have a calling for Esau's life, and I have 249 00:14:24.519 --> 00:14:28.159 a calling for Jacob's life. But just because I want 250 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:30.360 to do this, we're going to reverse it. And I'm 251 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:33.440 choosing Jacob to get the blessing of the firstborn son, 252 00:14:33.679 --> 00:14:37.240 even though he was born second. And he told this 253 00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:41.039 to their mother, Rebecca, before she even delivered. In Romans 254 00:14:41.080 --> 00:14:45.440 chapter nine, it says this before the two boys were born, 255 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:48.559 God told Rebecca, the older will serve the younger. Now, 256 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:52.120 that's exact opposite of culture. And this was before the 257 00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:55.000 boys had done anything. In other words, they didn't deserve it. 258 00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:58.080 They hadn't merit it anything good or bad. God said 259 00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:01.279 this so that the one chosen would be chosen because 260 00:15:01.320 --> 00:15:05.879 of God's own plan, It's his purpose. He was chosen 261 00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:09.879 because he was the one God wanted to call, not 262 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:16.080 because of anything he did. I'm fortunate that I learned 263 00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:20.000 my call in life at a pretty young age. I 264 00:15:20.039 --> 00:15:23.639 hadn't done anything, I hadn't deserved anything. I certainly wasn't 265 00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:26.519 worthy of any kind of call. But I learned what 266 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:28.639 I'm going to be teaching you in the next six weeks. 267 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:32.279 When I was sixteen years old, I was actually working 268 00:15:32.639 --> 00:15:36.519 at a camp in northern California, up in the mountains 269 00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:39.879 in the Redwoods, and one night I went back to 270 00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:41.559 my cabin and I got down on my knees and 271 00:15:41.600 --> 00:15:43.440 I said, God, I don't understand it all, and if 272 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:47.759 you're there, I just I want to trust you, and 273 00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:50.279 so God, I need to know what you want to 274 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:54.080 do with my life. And I pray to prayer that 275 00:15:54.200 --> 00:15:57.240 night and said, God, I'm signing my name on the check. 276 00:15:57.480 --> 00:16:00.559 I don't even know what the amount is saying to you, 277 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:02.759 I'm yours and I'm going to serve you the rest 278 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:04.799 of your life and I'm going to fulfill the calling 279 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:08.159 you have for me. And I prayed that prayer and 280 00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:09.840 as soon as I finished praying that period, do you 281 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:10.879 want to know what's happened? 282 00:16:12.159 --> 00:16:12.519 Nothing? 283 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:18.840 No angels came down and flapped their wings. There's no 284 00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:23.159 blinding light, no thunder, no lightning. My hair didn't turn 285 00:16:23.279 --> 00:16:27.600 white like Charleston Heston. You know, It's like nothing happened. 286 00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:31.840 But that was the turning point in my life when 287 00:16:31.919 --> 00:16:34.279 I recognized God's rite. 288 00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:37.519 And call on my life. And from that moment. 289 00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:42.120 On I became by vocational, which means I would have 290 00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:45.399 a job in which I would put food on the table, 291 00:16:45.639 --> 00:16:47.360 and I would have a job in which I would 292 00:16:47.399 --> 00:16:50.480 pay all my bills. But I would also have a calling, 293 00:16:50.679 --> 00:16:53.840 and my career and my calling might match sometimes but 294 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:57.039 might not match other times, because my calling was from 295 00:16:57.120 --> 00:16:59.679 God and the career was just how I was making 296 00:16:59.720 --> 00:17:03.080 a live at that point. Career makes a living, calling 297 00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:06.559 makes a life. And so from that point on, I 298 00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:11.000 was by vocational the rest of my life, and I 299 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:13.079 did a number of different jobs even though I had 300 00:17:13.079 --> 00:17:15.960 this call on my life. At one point, I was 301 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:19.400 a dishwasher. At one point, I was a cook. At 302 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:22.240 one point, I was a lifeguard for three years. At 303 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:25.559 one point I worked in a butcher shop that was a. 304 00:17:25.559 --> 00:17:26.240 Whole lot of fun. 305 00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:30.839 At one point I picked fruit, I picked grapes, and 306 00:17:30.880 --> 00:17:34.000 I picked pears. At one point, I was an editor 307 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:38.319 of a magazine. Another point, I taught college. I actually 308 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:41.920 taught college. One point, I was a youth pastor. And 309 00:17:42.599 --> 00:17:44.440 then for the last thirty years I've been a pastor. 310 00:17:45.119 --> 00:17:48.359 My job has changed many, many, many times, but my 311 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:53.279 calling has never changed. Regardless of what my job was. 312 00:17:53.680 --> 00:17:57.519 You have a calling that is unique to your life. 313 00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:01.480 The Bible says in Ephesians two ten, for we are 314 00:18:01.559 --> 00:18:07.000 God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. 315 00:18:07.079 --> 00:18:09.160 In other words, we're made for a purpose to do 316 00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:12.759 good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 317 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:15.839 Now this verse is filled with some important truth, so 318 00:18:15.880 --> 00:18:19.039 let's look at it. Versus says, we're God's workmanship. Circle 319 00:18:19.119 --> 00:18:21.839 That word, the word there in the Bible, in the 320 00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:25.799 Greek is the word poem. It's the word we get 321 00:18:26.119 --> 00:18:31.799 poem from. You are God's poem. You are God's work 322 00:18:31.839 --> 00:18:37.000 of art. You are God's craftsmanship, workmanship. Many translations of 323 00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:42.960 the Bible translate this, You are God's masterpiece. He said, well, 324 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:45.200 I don't think i'm much of a masterpiece. Well, then 325 00:18:45.240 --> 00:18:48.240 you don't realize how much value God has put. 326 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:48.599 In your life. 327 00:18:49.160 --> 00:18:51.599 He said, well, I'm not a MASTERI I'm pretty beat 328 00:18:51.640 --> 00:18:54.960 up piece of junk. You're not junk. Jesus didn't die 329 00:18:55.119 --> 00:18:58.920 for junk. If you look at Jesus on the cross, 330 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:02.680 arms out wretched in his nail pierced hands, and he's saying, 331 00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:07.119 this is how valuable you are. This is how valuable. 332 00:19:07.440 --> 00:19:11.200 I'm you're valuable enough to die for. You're not junk 333 00:19:11.400 --> 00:19:14.960 because God doesn't create junk, Jesus doesn't die for junk, 334 00:19:15.079 --> 00:19:18.079 and the Holy Spirit doesn't live in junk. You are 335 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:23.880 a masterpiece. You're God's masterpiece. But it only shows when 336 00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:26.119 you fulfill your calling. If you try to be what 337 00:19:26.200 --> 00:19:28.319 somebody else wants you to be, you're gonna miss it, 338 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:33.319 and your true beauty, your true greatness, won't come out. 339 00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:38.039 You are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do 340 00:19:38.119 --> 00:19:42.720 good works. Those good works are your contribution to the world. 341 00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:45.359 You were not put on this planet just to breathe 342 00:19:45.400 --> 00:19:48.400 and take up space and die. You weren't put here 343 00:19:48.599 --> 00:19:52.000 to simply be a consumer. Oh, I know there's a 344 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:54.640 new kind of makeup. I think I'll get that. Oh 345 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:57.000 there's a new clotheing. All get that. No, you were 346 00:19:57.039 --> 00:19:59.880 put here to be a contributor, to make a contra 347 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:03.920 with your life, and the Bible calls your life contribution, 348 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:09.519 your good works. It's part of your calling. Now here's 349 00:20:09.559 --> 00:20:13.799 the cool thing. We all have different good works. Your contribution, 350 00:20:13.960 --> 00:20:16.480 your good works are going to be different than my contribution. 351 00:20:16.680 --> 00:20:19.279 My good works, and my contribution good works are going 352 00:20:19.319 --> 00:20:21.000 to be different than the person sitting next to you, 353 00:20:21.640 --> 00:20:24.200 and God makes us all different, gives us all different 354 00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:28.720 callings so that everything in the world gets done. It's 355 00:20:28.759 --> 00:20:31.799 all a part of it, your God's workmanship, created to 356 00:20:31.799 --> 00:20:35.519 make a contribution which God prepared in advance. Circle That 357 00:20:35.680 --> 00:20:39.039 prepared in advance for us to do. That means a 358 00:20:39.119 --> 00:20:41.440 long time before you thought of it, God had thought 359 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:44.920 of your calling. In fact, here's the third principle. Number three. 360 00:20:45.559 --> 00:20:50.640 God chose my calling before I was born. You need 361 00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:52.599 to know that as we get ready to go in 362 00:20:52.680 --> 00:20:54.480 to live your calling the next six weeks. 363 00:20:54.920 --> 00:20:56.400 My calling is a gift from God. 364 00:20:56.920 --> 00:20:59.799 I'm called for God's purpose, not mine, and my calling 365 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:04.680 was before I was born. God chose it. Let me 366 00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:08.920 show you some verses on this. Galatians chapter one, verse fifteen. 367 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:14.920 Paul says, it pleased God in his kindness to choose 368 00:21:15.160 --> 00:21:20.279 me and call me even before I was born. 369 00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:22.400 What undeserved mercy. 370 00:21:23.079 --> 00:21:27.240 Here's another example, Jeremiah and Jeremiah chapter one, verse five. 371 00:21:27.720 --> 00:21:31.720 Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all 372 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:36.000 about you, before you saw the light of day. I 373 00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:40.519 had holy plans for you. God called you before you 374 00:21:40.599 --> 00:21:43.480 were even born, and the Bible says, God uniquely shaped you. 375 00:21:43.480 --> 00:21:44.799 You are a custom made. 376 00:21:44.680 --> 00:21:46.960 Baby, your prescription baby said, well, I got all kinds 377 00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:52.480 of flaws. Isaiah forty four, Verse two. I am your creator. 378 00:21:53.400 --> 00:21:57.920 You were in my care even before you were born. Now, 379 00:21:57.960 --> 00:21:59.759 this is going to be our memory verse this week, 380 00:21:59.839 --> 00:22:01.440 so I want you to look at it in detail. 381 00:22:01.720 --> 00:22:05.440 It says three things. First, it says I am your creator. 382 00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:08.200 What does that mean? It means you're not an accident. 383 00:22:09.559 --> 00:22:16.000 You were uniquely chosen, created and called by God. He said, 384 00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:18.799 why isn't important for me to not think I'm an accident? 385 00:22:18.880 --> 00:22:20.720 Because if you think you're an accident, you're going to 386 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:24.480 live like it, and you're going to accidentally just kind 387 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:27.559 of go through life without any purpose, without any direction. 388 00:22:27.799 --> 00:22:31.160 You're not an accident. I am your creator. You're not 389 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:34.640 an accident. You were in my care. That means you're 390 00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:37.799 deeply loved. You were in God's care when you were 391 00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:41.720 in the womb, he says, even while you were growing 392 00:22:41.720 --> 00:22:44.880 inside your mother. Do you realize this is why abortion 393 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:49.359 is wrong? Because that's not a fetus in that mother. 394 00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:52.880 That's a baby that God has already numbered, that baby's 395 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:57.039 days chose that baby to be born. Accidental parents, yes, 396 00:22:57.400 --> 00:23:03.240 accidental babies. No, God chose to create and call you 397 00:23:03.559 --> 00:23:07.119 before you're even born. So you weren't a fetus before 398 00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:10.720 you were born. You were a baby already chosen, already called, 399 00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:14.799 and already created by God for a purpose and a calling. 400 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:19.559 And then it says you were in my care before 401 00:23:19.839 --> 00:23:24.160