WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:03.200 One of the most beloved verses in the Bible is 2 00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:07.440 Romans eight twenty eight. So verse you've probably heard many, many, 3 00:00:07.480 --> 00:00:10.519 maybe hundreds of times. It's one of the great promises 4 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:15.240 of the Bible. And it says this, we know that 5 00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:21.160 in all things God works for the good of those 6 00:00:21.640 --> 00:00:24.519 who love him. And usually we stop right there, we 7 00:00:24.640 --> 00:00:27.239 leave off the second half of the verse, and we say, 8 00:00:27.320 --> 00:00:30.359 what a great promise. We know that in all things, 9 00:00:30.519 --> 00:00:33.039 not just the good things in life, but even in 10 00:00:33.119 --> 00:00:36.079 the bad things, the ugly things, the terrible, the tragic 11 00:00:36.119 --> 00:00:40.240 things of life. In all things, God works for the 12 00:00:40.280 --> 00:00:42.600 good of those who love him. Doesn't say they're good. 13 00:00:42.840 --> 00:00:44.520 There's a lot of bad in life. There's a lot 14 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:46.600 of bad things happening in your life, not all things 15 00:00:46.600 --> 00:00:49.640 that happen to your good. But God says all things 16 00:00:49.759 --> 00:00:54.159 God works them together for good. He can bring good 17 00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:57.520 out of even bad for those who love God. And 18 00:00:57.640 --> 00:01:00.560 usually we stop the verse right there. But the rest 19 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:02.960 of the verse says this, we know that in all 20 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:05.319 things God works for the good of those who love Him. 21 00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:09.719 Who have been called circle the word called, who have 22 00:01:09.920 --> 00:01:15.519 been called according to His purpose, and circle the word purpose, 23 00:01:16.879 --> 00:01:19.480 circle called and circle purpose and draw a line between 24 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:23.760 them because calling and purpose go together. Now, if I 25 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:25.879 were to say to you, what do you think of first? 26 00:01:25.879 --> 00:01:29.480 When I say the word call, make a call, get 27 00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:34.640 a call, be called, you think of a telephone and 28 00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:37.840 maybe they calling out for pizza, you know, something like that. 29 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:41.120 When I have to be honest with you, a little 30 00:01:41.159 --> 00:01:44.840 true confession, as your pastor, I don't like telephones. I 31 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:49.519 never have because telephones to me represent two things. Number One, 32 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:53.840 they represent an interruption. And maybe they don't seem like 33 00:01:53.840 --> 00:01:55.640 an interruption to you, but if you were a pastor, 34 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:58.599 you would be on call twenty four hours. 35 00:01:58.439 --> 00:02:01.120 A day, like doctors are. 36 00:02:01.319 --> 00:02:03.959 I get calls twenty four hours a day, often in 37 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:06.799 the middle of the night, and so when the phone rings, 38 00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:11.439 it usually means it rings when I'm busy or I'm relaxing, 39 00:02:11.960 --> 00:02:16.759 or I'm studying, or I'm sleeping, or I'm talking with 40 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:22.080 somebody else or whatever. But it represents the interruption. The 41 00:02:22.120 --> 00:02:24.199 second thing reason I don't like it is because in 42 00:02:24.240 --> 00:02:25.840 my case, it often. 43 00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:27.479 Or normally means bad news. 44 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:33.159 Somebody's calling to tell me about somebody's just died, somebody's 45 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:36.159 just lost a loved one, somebody's gone been rushed to 46 00:02:36.199 --> 00:02:39.919 the hospital. Somebody's just found out a cancer test. And 47 00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:41.919 as a pastor, of course, I deal with people in 48 00:02:41.960 --> 00:02:46.039 pain literally every day of my life. And so when 49 00:02:46.039 --> 00:02:48.599 the phone rings, I'm not thinking I wonder if I 50 00:02:48.719 --> 00:02:54.719 just won the lottery. First place. I don't use the lottery, 51 00:02:54.759 --> 00:02:58.840 which you shouldn't either. By the way, if you want 52 00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:00.560 to do the lottery, here's what you do. I'm outside 53 00:03:00.599 --> 00:03:03.560 and just give me the money, okay, because you're not 54 00:03:03.560 --> 00:03:05.479 going to get anything out of it. I might as 55 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:07.120 well put it to use and use it for the 56 00:03:07.159 --> 00:03:11.639 peace plan. But but you know, let's say the phone 57 00:03:11.719 --> 00:03:15.120 rang one day and you thought this is an interruption 58 00:03:15.240 --> 00:03:17.680 or it's going to be bad news. But somebody who's 59 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:20.520 calling to tell you had just inherited fifty million dollars. 60 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:25.240 You would not want to miss that call. What if 61 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:29.280 God called you? Let me give you a little tip. 62 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:34.039 When God calls, you do not use call waiting. When 63 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:38.800 God calls, you do not put it on the answer voicemail. 64 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:42.120 When God calls, you do not let it ring and 65 00:03:42.199 --> 00:03:44.479 ring and ring and ring. Pick it up on the 66 00:03:44.520 --> 00:03:49.039 first call. When God calls you. Now, the Bible says 67 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:53.080 you have already been called. You have been called according 68 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:56.800 to His purpose. A couple verses down from that verse 69 00:03:57.199 --> 00:03:59.680 Romans eight thirty, it says this, look here on the screen. 70 00:04:01.560 --> 00:04:06.800 Those that God predestined he also called, and those he 71 00:04:06.919 --> 00:04:12.400 called he also justified, and those he justified he also glorified. 72 00:04:12.599 --> 00:04:15.680 Now that's a lot of big theological words. But the 73 00:04:15.719 --> 00:04:17.759 word I wants to focus on as we begin live 74 00:04:17.800 --> 00:04:22.079 your calling is that word called. The Bible says you 75 00:04:22.199 --> 00:04:24.879 have been called by God. What does that mean? The 76 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:28.240 word in the Greek is the word kalao k a 77 00:04:28.519 --> 00:04:32.839 l e o calaioh. It's almost like calleaioh call. And 78 00:04:32.879 --> 00:04:37.279 the word calaoh means God is calling you. And it's 79 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:40.360 used about one hundred times in the New Testament, over 80 00:04:40.360 --> 00:04:42.879 one hundred times, and most of the time it's talking 81 00:04:42.879 --> 00:04:50.199 about your assignment in life, your purpose in life, your 82 00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:55.199 mission in life, the reason God created you. It is 83 00:04:55.279 --> 00:04:59.560 called your calling. The Greek word is the word calaoh 84 00:04:59.560 --> 00:05:02.639 for calling. The Latin word is another word you've heard 85 00:05:02.639 --> 00:05:06.600 of for calling, and it is the word vocation. You've 86 00:05:06.600 --> 00:05:10.160 heard of that a vocation. Vocation comes from the Latin 87 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:15.120 word vos vosa. It means to speak, it means to call. 88 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:18.560 We get the word voice, we get the word vocal. 89 00:05:19.160 --> 00:05:23.240 Vocalized comes from the word vocation. It is your calling. 90 00:05:23.399 --> 00:05:26.560 So your vocation and your calling are the same thing. 91 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:30.600 Now here's the problem today. The word vocation has been 92 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:34.040 so reduced and so minimized to just mean my job, 93 00:05:34.920 --> 00:05:40.399 my career. Your calling is not your career. Your calling 94 00:05:40.519 --> 00:05:41.480 is far. 95 00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:44.160 Far, far far far far. 96 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:49.720 Far more significant, far larger, far more all encompassing than 97 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:53.040 your career. So your vocation is misused when you say 98 00:05:53.040 --> 00:05:55.639 my vocation is my job. No, you have a job, 99 00:05:55.920 --> 00:05:59.040 but your vocation is your calling in life. And we 100 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:03.720 are going to study that. The Bible, this book is 101 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:08.399 the story of God calling people, and the whole Bible 102 00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:14.079 is about God calling Noah, God calling Abraham, and Abraham responding, 103 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:18.480 God calling Moses for a purpose in life, and Moses responding, 104 00:06:18.839 --> 00:06:25.079 God calling Nehemiah, who was a builder, God calling Isaiah 105 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:29.079 and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Daniel and Hoseiah and Joel, 106 00:06:29.319 --> 00:06:33.319 and God calling David, and God calling Solomon. In the 107 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:37.480 New Testament, God calling Peter and Paul and Mary. And 108 00:06:40.519 --> 00:06:44.279 if you laughed at that, you are incredibly old. Okay, 109 00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:46.839 some twenty something Peter Paul Mary, I don't get it. 110 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:48.360 I don't get it. 111 00:06:48.600 --> 00:06:54.399 Okay, God calling Paul, and God has a call on 112 00:06:54.519 --> 00:06:57.160 every person's life. Now, as your pastor, m my prayer 113 00:06:57.160 --> 00:07:03.639 for you is this Ephesians chapter one. My prayer is 114 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:08.360 that light will flood your hearts. You know when we 115 00:07:08.360 --> 00:07:10.439 sing that song open the eyes of my heart, Lord, 116 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:13.839 you know that song that's from this verse, that's from 117 00:07:13.879 --> 00:07:16.920 this verse. My prayer is that light will flood your hearts, 118 00:07:17.720 --> 00:07:23.600 and that you will understand the hope, the hope that 119 00:07:23.720 --> 00:07:28.160 was given to you when God called you. Now understand 120 00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:30.720 the calling on your life. When you understand you, when 121 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:33.000 you understand your call in life, is going to give 122 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:36.120 you incredible hope. And he says, I want you to 123 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:38.920 understand that. He says, when you do, when you understand 124 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:43.680 God's calling on your life, then you will discover the 125 00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:51.079 glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of 126 00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:54.800 God's people. So let's look at eight things I need 127 00:07:54.800 --> 00:07:58.600 to know about my calling in life? Why God put 128 00:07:58.639 --> 00:07:59.600 me here on earth? 129 00:07:59.759 --> 00:08:01.759 Right? He's down number one. 130 00:08:02.279 --> 00:08:04.079 The first thing we learned from God's word is this, 131 00:08:04.519 --> 00:08:09.639 my calling is a gift from God. My calling is 132 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:13.560 a gift from God. I don't earn it, I don't 133 00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:17.800 deserve it. I don't work for it. I don't bargain 134 00:08:17.879 --> 00:08:20.639 for it. I don't barter for it. It's just a 135 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:24.519 flat out gift of God's grace. It is His present 136 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:28.839 to me. When He created me, he called me, and 137 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:33.120 it's all by grace. Galatians Chapter one says this, God, 138 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:40.080 by his grace through Christ, has called you to become 139 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:43.320 his people. Now circle the phrase by his grace. What 140 00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:49.879 is grace. Grace is undeserved kindness. Undeserved kindness. It's when 141 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:53.360 God gives you what you need, now, what you deserve. 142 00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:56.399 If we all got what we deserved, we wouldn't be here. 143 00:08:57.799 --> 00:09:00.399 The fact is, God says, I give you what you need, 144 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:02.720 not what you deserve. Grace is the fact that God 145 00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:05.279 knows every dumb mistake you're going to make in life, 146 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:08.639 and he still chose to create you. He knew all 147 00:09:08.679 --> 00:09:10.399 the times you were going to disobey him, and he 148 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:13.120 still chose to create you. That is the grace of God. 149 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:16.360 The fact is grace is that God knows all the 150 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:18.279 things I've done, and even when I was thumbing my 151 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:22.039 nose to him and rejecting him. God was saying, I 152 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:24.879 love you, I love you, I love you. Now your 153 00:09:24.960 --> 00:09:29.159 calling is actually a part of your salvation. The calling 154 00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:32.879 to Christ is also the calling to your purpose. Two 155 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:37.240 Timothy one nine says He has saved us and called us. 156 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:40.480 Notice they go together, saved us and called us to 157 00:09:40.600 --> 00:09:44.440 a holy life, not because of anything we've done, but 158 00:09:44.480 --> 00:09:50.039 because of his own purpose and grace, his purpose and 159 00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:54.320 his grace. So God give gives me a calling in 160 00:09:54.360 --> 00:09:56.639 life simply because he wants to give me a calling life. 161 00:09:56.720 --> 00:09:58.519 I don't deserve it. He just gives it to me. 162 00:09:58.679 --> 00:10:01.720 Now circle the word purpose that verse, because that leads 163 00:10:01.799 --> 00:10:03.879 us to the second thing we learn, and is this. 164 00:10:04.600 --> 00:10:09.600 I am called for God's purpose, not mine, but God's. 165 00:10:10.320 --> 00:10:13.799 I'm not called for God's God's I'm not called for 166 00:10:13.960 --> 00:10:17.360 my plan in life. I'm called for God's plan. God 167 00:10:17.399 --> 00:10:21.679 did not make you for you. You think God created 168 00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:25.440 you just to live a selfish little life of self centeredness. 169 00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:27.360 It's all about me, me, me, me, me. Are you 170 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:29.279 kidding me? No? 171 00:10:29.799 --> 00:10:33.120 God didn't make you for you. You were made by 172 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:37.639 God and you were made for God. And until you 173 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:40.960 understand that, life's never gonna make sense, and you're gonna 174 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:42.879 get bored, and you're gonna get frustrated. You're gonna have 175 00:10:42.879 --> 00:10:45.679 all kinds of difficulty because you don't understand. You were 176 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:50.320 made for God. I am called for God's purpose. God's 177 00:10:50.360 --> 00:10:53.519 calling is about His plan for my life, not my plan. 178 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:57.039 His dream for my life, not my dream. His purpose 179 00:10:57.080 --> 00:11:00.320 for my life, not my purpose, or my parents purpose, 180 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:02.960 or my boyfriend's purpose, or my husband or wife's purpose, 181 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:05.000 is for God's purpose for my life. 182 00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:05.679 Now. 183 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:08.159 A good example of this is the story of Jacob 184 00:11:08.200 --> 00:11:08.759 and Esau. 185 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:11.000 In the Bible. They were twins. 186 00:11:11.480 --> 00:11:13.240 There was a guy in the Bible named Abraham and 187 00:11:13.279 --> 00:11:15.919 he had a son named Isaac, and Isaac had two 188 00:11:16.039 --> 00:11:20.600 sons who were twins, Jacob and Esau. Now, in those days, 189 00:11:20.840 --> 00:11:24.240 the firstborn child, particularly the firstborn son, got all of 190 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:27.159 the credit, got all of the glory, got all of 191 00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:30.600 the love. The firstborn son was the one who he 192 00:11:30.600 --> 00:11:33.519 would inherit the family inheritance. 193 00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:35.639 And it's like you're special. 194 00:11:35.720 --> 00:11:38.320 Number one, you're great, and number two, Oh, we're glad 195 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:38.840 you're here too. 196 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:43.120 It was kind of like an aside. God didn't like that. 197 00:11:44.200 --> 00:11:47.159 And in the case of Esau and Jacob, Esau was 198 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:49.399 the firstborn son, and God said, you know what, I 199 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:52.679 have a calling for Esau's life, and I have a 200 00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:54.159 calling for Jacob's life. 201 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:57.080 But just because I want to do this, we're going 202 00:11:57.159 --> 00:11:57.759 to reverse it. 203 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:01.480 And I'm choosing Jacob to get blessing of the firstborn son, 204 00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:05.279 even though he was born second. And he told this 205 00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:09.080 to their mother, Rebecca, before she even delivered. In Romans 206 00:12:09.159 --> 00:12:13.480 chapter nine, it says this before the two boys were born, 207 00:12:13.559 --> 00:12:16.600 God told Rebecca, the older will serve the younger. Now, 208 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:20.159 that's exact opposite of culture. And this was before the 209 00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:23.039 boys had done anything. In other words, they didn't deserve it. 210 00:12:23.080 --> 00:12:26.200 They hadn't merited anything good or bad. God said this 211 00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:29.440 so that the one chosen would be chosen because of 212 00:12:29.559 --> 00:12:34.320 God's own plan as his purpose. He was chosen because 213 00:12:34.360 --> 00:12:38.759 he was the one God wanted to call, not because 214 00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:44.679 of anything he did. Unfortunate that I learned my call 215 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:48.399 in life at a pretty pretty young age. I hadn't 216 00:12:48.440 --> 00:12:52.080 done anything. I hadn't deserved anything. I certainly wasn't worthy 217 00:12:52.120 --> 00:12:55.240 of any kind of call. When I was sixteen years old, 218 00:12:56.080 --> 00:13:00.679 I was actually working at a camp in northern California, up. 219 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:04.480 In the mountains and the Redwoods. And one night I went. 220 00:13:04.360 --> 00:13:05.919 Back to my cabin and I got down on my 221 00:13:05.960 --> 00:13:08.000 knees and I said, God, I don't understand it all, 222 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:11.240 and if you're there, don't I just I want to 223 00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:14.480 trust you, and so God, I need to know what 224 00:13:14.519 --> 00:13:18.120 you want to do with my life. And I pray 225 00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:21.120 a prayer that night and said, God, I'm signing my 226 00:13:21.240 --> 00:13:23.320 name on the check. I don't even know what the 227 00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:26.440 amount is, but I'm saying to you, I'm yours and 228 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:27.960 I'm going to serve you the rest of your life, 229 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:30.720 and I'm going to fulfill the calling you have for me. 230 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:33.519 And I prayed that prayer and as soon as I 231 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:35.679 finished praying that PRAIERD, do you want to know what's happened? 232 00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:37.320 Nothing? 233 00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:43.600 No angels came down and flapped their wings. There's no 234 00:13:43.799 --> 00:13:47.960 blinding light, no thunder, no lightning. My hair didn't turn 235 00:13:48.039 --> 00:13:52.399 white like Charleston Heston. You know, It's like nothing happened. 236 00:13:53.159 --> 00:13:56.639 But that was the turning point in my life when 237 00:13:56.679 --> 00:14:00.440 I recognized God's rite and call on my life. 238 00:14:01.039 --> 00:14:02.200 And from that moment on. 239 00:14:02.600 --> 00:14:07.039 I became by vocational, which means I would have a 240 00:14:07.159 --> 00:14:10.200 job in which I would put food on the table, 241 00:14:10.440 --> 00:14:12.200 and I would have a job in which I would 242 00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:15.240 pay all my bills. But I would also have a calling, 243 00:14:15.440 --> 00:14:18.639 and my career and my calling might match sometimes but 244 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:21.879 might not match other times, because my calling was from 245 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:24.519 God and the career was just how I was making 246 00:14:24.519 --> 00:14:27.879 a living at that point. Career makes a living, calling 247 00:14:28.039 --> 00:14:31.360 makes a life. And so from that point on, I 248 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:35.759 was by vocational the rest of my life, and I 249 00:14:35.799 --> 00:14:37.799 did a number of different jobs even though I had 250 00:14:37.879 --> 00:14:40.720 this call on my life. At one point, I was 251 00:14:40.759 --> 00:14:44.200 a dishwasher. At one point, I was a cook. At 252 00:14:44.200 --> 00:14:47.000 one point, I was a lifeguard for three years. At 253 00:14:47.039 --> 00:14:50.240 one point I worked in a butcher shop that was 254 00:14:50.279 --> 00:14:54.360 a whole lot of fun. At one point I picked fruit, 255 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:57.879 I picked grapes, and I picked pears. At one point, 256 00:14:57.960 --> 00:15:01.159 I was an editor of a magazine. Another point, I 257 00:15:01.240 --> 00:15:04.759 taught college. I actually taught college. At one point, I 258 00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:08.200 was a youth pastor, and then for the last thirty 259 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:09.200 years I've been a pastor. 260 00:15:09.879 --> 00:15:10.879 My job has. 261 00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:15.080 Changed many, many, many times, but my calling has never changed. 262 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:19.440 Regardless of what my job was, you have a calling 263 00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:23.200 that is unique to your life, the Bible says in 264 00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:29.399 Ephesians two ten for we are God's workmanship, created in 265 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:32.519 Christ Jesus to do good works. In other words, we're 266 00:15:32.519 --> 00:15:35.399 made for a purpose to do good works which God 267 00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:38.879 prepared in advance for us to do. Now, this verse 268 00:15:38.960 --> 00:15:41.320 is filled with some important truth, so let's look at it. 269 00:15:41.600 --> 00:15:43.440 Versus says, we're God's workmanship. 270 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:43.840 Circle. 271 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:46.600 That word, the word there in the Bible, in the 272 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:50.600 Greek is the word poem. It's the word we get 273 00:15:50.879 --> 00:15:56.600 poem from. You are God's poem. You are God's work 274 00:15:56.639 --> 00:16:01.799 of art. You are God's craftsmanship, workmanship. Many translations of 275 00:16:01.799 --> 00:16:07.720 the Bible translate this. You are God's masterpiece. He said, well, 276 00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:10.000 I don't think i'm much of a masterpiece. Well, then 277 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:13.000 you don't realize how much value God has put in 278 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:15.759 your life. He said, well, I'm not a masterpiece. I'm 279 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:19.120 pretty beat up piece of junk. You're not junk. Jesus 280 00:16:19.159 --> 00:16:23.120 didn't die for junk. If you look at Jesus on 281 00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:26.960 the cross, arms outstretched and his nail pierced hands, and 282 00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:30.919 he's saying, this is how valuable you are. This is 283 00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:35.399 how valuable I'm You're valuable enough to die for. You're 284 00:16:35.399 --> 00:16:39.240 not junk, because God doesn't create junk. Jesus doesn't die 285 00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:41.799 for junk, and the Holy Spirit doesn't live in junk. 286 00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:47.399 You are a masterpiece. You're God's masterpiece. But it only 287 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:50.639 shows when you fulfill your calling. If you try to 288 00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:52.720 be what somebody else wants you to be, you're gonna 289 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:57.039 miss it, and your true beauty, your true greatness, won't 290 00:16:57.080 --> 00:17:02.840 come out. You are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. 291 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:03.519 To do good works. 292 00:17:03.879 --> 00:17:07.720 Those good works are your contribution to the world. You 293 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:10.240 were not put on this planet just to breathe and 294 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:13.440 take up space and die. You weren't put here to 295 00:17:13.559 --> 00:17:17.559 simply be a consumer. Oh there's a new kind of makeup. 296 00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:20.279 I think I'll get that. Oh there's a new clothing, 297 00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:21.000 I'll get that. 298 00:17:21.160 --> 00:17:21.359 Now. 299 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:24.359 You were put here to be a contributor, to make 300 00:17:24.400 --> 00:17:27.599 a contribution with your life, and the Bible calls your 301 00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:33.839 life contribution, your good works. It's part of your calling. 302 00:17:33.960 --> 00:17:37.000 Now here's the cool thing. We all have different good works. 303 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:40.119 Your contribution, your good works are going to be different 304 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:43.680 than my contribution. My good works and my contribution good 305 00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:45.279 works are going to be different than the person sitting 306 00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:48.079 next to you. And God makes us all different, gives 307 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:51.440 us all different callings so that everything in the world 308 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:53.119 gets done. 309 00:17:53.319 --> 00:17:54.319 It's all a part of it. 310 00:17:54.519 --> 00:17:58.519 Your God's workmanship, created to make a contribution which God 311 00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:02.279 prepared in advance. That prepared in advance for us to 312 00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:05.480 do that means a long time before you thought of it, 313 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:08.319 God had thought of your calling. In fact, here's the 314 00:18:08.359 --> 00:18:12.960 third principle. Number three, God chose my calling before I 315 00:18:13.079 --> 00:18:13.480 was born. 316 00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:16.799 My calling is a gift from God. 317 00:18:17.319 --> 00:18:20.240 I'm called for God's purpose, not mine, and my calling 318 00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:25.119 was before I was born. God chose it. Let me 319 00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:29.359 show you some verses on this. Galatians chapter one, verse fifteen. 320 00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:35.319 Paul says, it pleased God in his kindness to choose 321 00:18:35.559 --> 00:18:40.680 me and call me even before I was born. 322 00:18:41.640 --> 00:18:42.799 What undeserved mercy. 323 00:18:43.480 --> 00:18:47.640 Here's another example, Jeremiah and Jeremiah chapter one, verse five. 324 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:52.119 Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all 325 00:18:52.160 --> 00:18:56.400 about you, before you saw the light of day. I 326 00:18:56.440 --> 00:19:00.960 had holy plans for you. God called you before you 327 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:03.880 were even born, and the Bible says God uniquely shaped you. 328 00:19:03.880 --> 00:19:05.480 You are a custom made baby. 329 00:19:05.559 --> 00:19:09.759 So don't overestimate what God or underestimate what God wants 330 00:19:09.799 --> 00:19:13.960 to do in your life. Isaiah forty four, verse two 331 00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:19.519 I am your creator. You were in my care even 332 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:24.319 before you were born. It says three things. First, it says, 333 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:25.559 I am your creator. 334 00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:26.319 What does that mean? 335 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:32.000 It means you're not an accident. You were uniquely chosen, 336 00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:36.400 created and called by God. He said, why is it 337 00:19:36.519 --> 00:19:39.240 important for me to not think I'm an accident? Because 338 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:41.079 if you think you're an accident, you're going to live 339 00:19:41.160 --> 00:19:44.640 like it, and you're going to accidentally just kind of 340 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:48.079 go through life without any purpose, without any direction. You're 341 00:19:48.079 --> 00:19:51.839 not an accident. I am your creator. You're not an accident. 342 00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:55.759 You were in my care. That means you're deeply loved. 343 00:19:55.880 --> 00:19:58.640 You were in God's care when you were in the womb, 344 00:20:00.119 --> 00:20:01.359 he says, even while you. 345 00:20:01.359 --> 00:20:02.720 Were growing inside your mother. 346 00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:07.920 You realize this is why abortion is wrong, because that's 347 00:20:07.960 --> 00:20:10.720 not a fetus in that mother. That's a baby that 348 00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:13.440 God has already numbered that baby's days. 349 00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:15.440 Chose that baby to be born. 350 00:20:15.759 --> 00:20:18.519 Accidental parents, yes, accidental babies. 351 00:20:18.599 --> 00:20:18.680 No. 352 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:24.799 God chose to create and call you before you're even born. 353 00:20:25.640 --> 00:20:28.000 So you weren't a fetus before you were born. You 354 00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:32.279 were a baby already chosen, already called, and already created 355 00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:36.839 by God for a purpose and a calling and then 356 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:40.440 it says you were in My care before I was 357 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:44.319 even born. God plans you before you're born. Now, there's 358 00:20:44.359 --> 00:20:46.960 a fourth thing that the Bible teaches us about your calling, 359 00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:47.599 and it is this. 360 00:20:47.599 --> 00:20:48.519 This is a big one. 361 00:20:49.160 --> 00:20:55.200 My sins and my mistakes don't change my call. Oh, 362 00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:58.279 I'm so glad for this one. My sins and my 363 00:20:58.400 --> 00:21:03.680 mistakes don't change my call, God's call for my life. 364 00:21:03.839 --> 00:21:07.359 It doesn't matter how messed up your life has been, 365 00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:10.759 whether you messed it up or somebody messed it up 366 00:21:10.759 --> 00:21:14.559 for you. No matter how screwy it got, how difficult 367 00:21:14.599 --> 00:21:18.200 it became, no matter how many dumb decisions you've made 368 00:21:18.240 --> 00:21:22.279 in the past, it hasn't changed God's call on your 369 00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:25.240 life at all. The call that God gave you before 370 00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:27.839 you were born, the call that God gave you when 371 00:21:27.880 --> 00:21:30.440 you were saved and reaffirmed when you're saved, is a 372 00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:37.599 calling that God says it's there forever. It's a permanent calling, 373 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:41.400 and God doesn't change it now. A good example this, 374 00:21:41.480 --> 00:21:44.559 of course, was Paul. I mean he was Paul was 375 00:21:44.599 --> 00:21:50.519 a pretty rude dude in a crude mood before he. 376 00:21:50.519 --> 00:21:51.680 Became an apostle. 377 00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:54.960 God called him to be an apostle, and in one 378 00:21:55.119 --> 00:22:01.519 Timothy Chapter one, Paul says this, by calling me into 379 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:07.440 his service, Jesus has judged me trustworthy, even though I 380 00:22:07.559 --> 00:22:15.400 used to be a blasphemer and a persecutor and contemptuous. Mercy, however, 381 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:19.519 was shown me because while I lacked faith, I acted 382 00:22:19.559 --> 00:22:23.359 in ignorance. I love that phrase, the honesty there. While 383 00:22:23.400 --> 00:22:26.160 I lacked faith, I acted in ignorance. 384 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:26.880 You know what I'm saying. 385 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:29.440 Then I did a lot of dumb stuff growing up. 386 00:22:30.839 --> 00:22:32.720 How many of you would admit I did a lot 387 00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:34.960 of dumb stuff growing up. Okay, I did a lot 388 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:40.880 of Okay, that's apostle training. Okay, congratulations, Okay, do you 389 00:22:40.920 --> 00:22:46.279 know what Paul was. Paul was a terrorist before he 390 00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:48.799 became an apostle. He was a religious terrorist. He was 391 00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:51.519 going to people's homes, dragging him out in the street, 392 00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:54.920 throwing him into jail, killing people. He was a murderer, 393 00:22:56.759 --> 00:22:58.759 God said Paul. That didn't change the call that I 394 00:22:58.799 --> 00:23:01.400 had for you from the day you were born. I 395 00:23:01.440 --> 00:23:04.599 had a plan for you, and even the bad stuff 396 00:23:04.680 --> 00:23:08.079 fits into the plan. The fact that I love most 397 00:23:08.119 --> 00:23:11.559 about God is that he never wastes anything, and he 398 00:23:11.640 --> 00:23:16.559 fits it all into his plan, even my sin, even 399 00:23:16.599 --> 00:23:20.000 the stupid decisions that I've made that I will regret 400 00:23:20.039 --> 00:23:22.079 the rest of my life. God says, you know what, 401 00:23:22.200 --> 00:23:24.200