WEBVTT 00:00:00.840 --> 00:00:07.860 You know, the word Christian is an interesting word because it has come to mean many different 00:00:07.860 --> 00:00:10.320 things over the years. 00:00:10.439 --> 00:00:11.560 The meaning has shifted. 00:00:12.179 --> 00:00:19.580 And so you could pull ten people off the street and ask them all what a Christian is, and 00:00:19.580 --> 00:00:22.199 you're likely to get at least ten different answers. 00:00:22.740 --> 00:00:29.199 To some people, a Christian is someone who occasionally goes to church, primarily Christmas 00:00:29.199 --> 00:00:30.379 Easter. 00:00:31.119 --> 00:00:33.600 To others, it's about doing good. 00:00:33.740 --> 00:00:37.840 Being a Christian is somebody who is a good person, a nice person. 00:00:37.960 --> 00:00:40.299 They live the way Jesus wants us to live. 00:00:41.420 --> 00:00:46.799 Some associate the word Christian with an outdated traditional morality. 00:00:47.219 --> 00:00:53.379 Others see the word Christian as primarily a political identity, a voting block. 00:00:53.380 --> 00:00:59.700 I remember talking to someone from a different culture who said he simply assumed that all 00:00:59.700 --> 00:01:05.640 Americans were Christians, that if you're born in the United States that you are by default 00:01:05.640 --> 00:01:06.820 a Christian. 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:12.020 And so there's an ethnic or national association with the word Christian. 00:01:12.680 --> 00:01:18.879 Now, if you were to ask a biblically grounded, thoughtful Christian what this word means, 00:01:18.879 --> 00:01:21.640 as maybe many of you in this room might answer this way. 00:01:21.699 --> 00:01:26.319 You would probably say that the word Christian refers to someone who has repented, they have 00:01:26.319 --> 00:01:32.280 believed the gospel, they've been baptized, and they're actively seeking to follow Jesus. 00:01:32.539 --> 00:01:35.659 And that would be an accurate answer, absolutely. 00:01:35.659 --> 00:01:43.000 And yet, surprisingly, even though that's an accurate answer, that is probably not how the 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:50.060 apostle Paul would have answered based on what he says in 1 Corinthians 1, verses 1 through 9, 00:01:50.099 --> 00:01:51.939 which we just heard read a little while ago. 00:01:53.239 --> 00:02:00.019 In this passage, there's a word that recurs again and again and again as Paul is opening 00:02:00.019 --> 00:02:01.920 his letter to the Corinthian church. 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:09.560 And in this passage, Paul would say that Christians are, by definition, people who have been called. 00:02:10.539 --> 00:02:12.759 People who have been called. 00:02:13.240 --> 00:02:18.180 It's interesting because this is not something that we talk often about, and yet I think that 00:02:18.180 --> 00:02:24.560 if we lose sight of what this means, we actually lose a great deal of the hope that it offers, 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:27.520 both to Christians and non-Christians alike. 00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:33.580 We lose a great deal of the hope that Christianity offers the world. 00:02:33.780 --> 00:02:37.960 And so, this morning, we're going to focus on this word, called. 00:02:38.660 --> 00:02:44.500 And we recognize that even as we focus on this, we're doing so as a church, and even the Greek 00:02:44.500 --> 00:02:49.340 word for church, ekklesia, means the called ones, the called out ones. 00:02:49.400 --> 00:02:53.620 So, this word runs through the very center of what it means to be a Christian. 00:02:53.719 --> 00:02:55.600 We're going to look at this word, called, in this passage. 00:02:55.599 --> 00:03:00.960 We're going to see three things, the truth that it conveys, the problem that it raises, 00:03:01.319 --> 00:03:03.259 and then the hope that it offers. 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:10.120 The truth that it conveys, the problem that it raises, and the hope that it offers. 00:03:10.219 --> 00:03:10.620 Let's pray. 00:03:11.859 --> 00:03:14.740 Lord, we thank You for Your Word, all of Your words. 00:03:14.859 --> 00:03:16.299 We thank You for Your Spirit. 00:03:16.939 --> 00:03:18.079 We thank You for Your presence. 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:21.440 We pray that now You would speak to us. 00:03:22.160 --> 00:03:29.520 As we open Your written words, we pray that we would hear Your Word in us, speaking to 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:32.580 our minds, speaking to our hearts, speaking into our lives. 00:03:33.260 --> 00:03:35.820 We pray to hear the voice of the One who loves us the most. 00:03:35.819 --> 00:03:41.759 We pray that You would bless us with Your presence, that You would minister to us, Lord. 00:03:41.819 --> 00:03:47.000 And we pray that as we leave here, we would do so having received what You intend for us 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:49.340 to receive as we open Your Word together, Lord. 00:03:49.379 --> 00:03:50.799 We pray this in Your Son's holy name. 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:51.239 Amen. 00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:56.980 So, the word called, first the truth that it conveys. 00:03:57.340 --> 00:04:04.340 Paul refers to Christians in general as people who have been called to be saints, called to 00:04:04.340 --> 00:04:04.900 be saints. 00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:12.020 The word saints essentially just means holy or set apart for God's purposes. 00:04:12.260 --> 00:04:17.480 So, throughout the Bible, anything that is set apart for God's purposes is called holy, 00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:21.240 and when that applies to people, we call those people saints. 00:04:21.720 --> 00:04:25.759 And if you read the rest of 1 Corinthians, you see that God's purpose for Christians, 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:32.280 the reason He sets them apart, is that we would manifest God's character in the world, 00:04:33.040 --> 00:04:39.240 that we would be a counterculture for the common good, that we would be a kind of community 00:04:39.240 --> 00:04:46.080 where you see things like sex and money and power being used in ways that radically depart 00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:50.439 from the way the surrounding culture might use them, using these things in ways that 00:04:50.439 --> 00:04:54.879 reflect the glory of Christ, the goodness, truth, and beauty of God. 00:04:55.339 --> 00:05:01.219 And so, that theme runs throughout 1 Corinthians, and obviously, you know, really through much 00:05:01.219 --> 00:05:01.819 of the Bible. 00:05:02.419 --> 00:05:05.060 And there's a lot more that we could say about that. 00:05:05.620 --> 00:05:11.000 The role of Christians is saints making God's glory known in the world. 00:05:11.159 --> 00:05:12.560 We could say a lot more about that. 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:17.060 But as I said, I want to focus on the first part of that statement, the idea of calling. 00:05:18.100 --> 00:05:23.399 What does that mean, that we are people, those of us who are Christians, we are people who 00:05:23.399 --> 00:05:24.459 have been called? 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:30.079 You know, we read and we heard a moment ago in the gospel reading, we saw an account of 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:32.500 some of the first disciples being called. 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:37.399 And it's easy to imagine what this means if you're living in the first century and you 00:05:37.399 --> 00:05:41.819 physically see Jesus walk by, and He turns and He looks at you and He says, 00:05:42.060 --> 00:05:43.919 Jeff, follow me. 00:05:44.659 --> 00:05:45.000 Right? 00:05:45.039 --> 00:05:49.959 That's a very easy thing to understand what that kind of calling would mean. 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:53.919 But I'm assuming that most of us in this room have not heard the audible voice of Jesus 00:05:53.919 --> 00:05:56.179 say, come, follow me. 00:05:56.259 --> 00:05:59.139 So, what does it mean for those of us living in this time and place? 00:05:59.139 --> 00:06:01.319 Well, let me ask you this. 00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:08.319 For all of you here who consider yourself to be a Christian, how did you become a Christian? 00:06:10.139 --> 00:06:15.740 What were the events that led up to you taking that label on yourself? 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:23.219 Some people may point back to a book that they read or an argument that they heard, a talk 00:06:23.219 --> 00:06:27.279 that was given that convinced them of the truth of the gospel. 00:06:27.279 --> 00:06:35.339 Other people might describe an emotional experience they had where you felt the presence of God 00:06:35.339 --> 00:06:39.579 in your life in a new way, and you gave yourself to Christ. 00:06:40.939 --> 00:06:47.439 Some people might simply say, you know, I grew up in a Christian household, and as far back 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:50.319 as I can remember, I have always been a Christian. 00:06:50.419 --> 00:06:54.919 There was never a moment that I can remember when I wasn't a Christian, and we pray that for 00:06:54.920 --> 00:06:58.560 our kids in this church that they would never know a day apart from Christ. 00:06:59.699 --> 00:07:04.460 So, we might get different answers to the question of how did you become a Christian, but the point 00:07:04.460 --> 00:07:08.980 is, and the point we're going to follow out is, regardless of how you might answer that 00:07:08.980 --> 00:07:13.120 question, those answers are only partly true. 00:07:14.680 --> 00:07:16.080 They're only partly true. 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:25.459 No one can be convinced intellectually to convert if it's only based on intellectual argument. 00:07:26.219 --> 00:07:30.139 Nobody can be converted through intellectual arguments alone. 00:07:30.659 --> 00:07:33.719 That's not to say that there aren't compelling arguments for the truth of Christianity. 00:07:33.719 --> 00:07:38.060 There are many compelling arguments for the truth of Christianity. 00:07:38.299 --> 00:07:40.120 There's a wealth of historical evidence. 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:42.079 There are documents, artifacts. 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:47.159 We have eyewitness accounts of Jesus, the events of the Gospels, the crucifixion, the resurrection. 00:07:48.359 --> 00:07:53.879 Many, many of the, you know, the most brilliant minds throughout history have been Christians. 00:07:54.019 --> 00:07:57.199 But it's impossible to prove that Christianity is true. 00:07:57.839 --> 00:08:02.479 You know, there's no perfect argument for Christianity that one can lay out. 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:06.079 Then again, there's really no perfect argument that can prove anything. 00:08:07.019 --> 00:08:08.680 That's philosophy 101. 00:08:08.680 --> 00:08:13.300 We can't ever really completely perfectly prove that anything is true. 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:18.920 Because even if your logic is sound, how do we know that our cognitive faculties can be trusted? 00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:26.360 Likewise, no one can be converted through emotional experiences alone. 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:31.079 That's not to say that Christianity doesn't have an emotional dimension to it. 00:08:31.079 --> 00:08:39.720 And experiencing the presence of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit is absolutely an essential aspect of the Christian life. 00:08:39.879 --> 00:08:48.799 But the problem with relying only on our experiences is that they are sometimes unreliable and they are easily manipulated. 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:49.240 Right? 00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:58.259 And so, if you go into a community where people believe that if we fire people up enough, they will convince, give themselves to Christ, 00:08:58.659 --> 00:09:03.079 you can do as much or more damage than you do good in the kingdom. 00:09:03.079 --> 00:09:08.639 Because at some point, you begin to become an emotionally manipulative community. 00:09:08.759 --> 00:09:12.139 And some of us have grown up in cultures like that. 00:09:12.139 --> 00:09:21.319 And even for those of us who grew up in Christian families, no one can be converted through living in a Christian family alone. 00:09:22.179 --> 00:09:23.600 Now, we're going to come back to this. 00:09:23.740 --> 00:09:27.000 The formative power of Christian parents is undeniable. 00:09:27.000 --> 00:09:32.679 But it takes more than that for a child to come to genuine faith in Jesus. 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:37.980 The truth is, if you are sitting here this morning and you are a Christian, 00:09:38.179 --> 00:09:46.960 the reason is that your faith is the result of the fact that Jesus at some point in your life has called you to follow Him. 00:09:47.940 --> 00:09:50.000 He has called you to follow Him. 00:09:51.159 --> 00:09:55.740 You may not ever remember hearing His voice in your ears, 00:09:55.740 --> 00:10:01.159 but Jesus has called you through the intellectual arguments that may have convinced you. 00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:07.259 He's called you through the emotional experiences that captivated you and stayed with you. 00:10:07.419 --> 00:10:16.299 He has called you through the parents and the teachers and the coaches and the mentors and maybe even the pastors who raised you. 00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:20.360 He has called you through all of these things. 00:10:20.460 --> 00:10:23.240 So, the question, how did you become a Christian? 00:10:23.240 --> 00:10:27.700 Is it because you at some point in your life chose God? 00:10:28.120 --> 00:10:32.259 Or is it because God chose and called out to you? 00:10:32.500 --> 00:10:34.519 And the answer is yes. 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:36.860 It takes both. 00:10:37.680 --> 00:10:37.899 Right? 00:10:37.960 --> 00:10:46.419 The reason that I at some point in my life called out to Jesus is because at some point in my life Jesus called out to me. 00:10:46.419 --> 00:10:52.259 That's why I even had the inclination to call out to Him. 00:10:52.599 --> 00:10:58.079 God works through all of the various circumstances of our lives to call people to follow Him. 00:10:58.419 --> 00:11:02.519 And we see evidence of that when they choose to follow Him. 00:11:04.120 --> 00:11:08.259 We see numerous examples of this in Scripture. 00:11:08.259 --> 00:11:16.019 We see people like Lydia coming to faith through essentially what is a women's Bible study by today's standards. 00:11:16.179 --> 00:11:16.860 She is sort of… 00:11:16.860 --> 00:11:18.539 Paul reasons her into the faith. 00:11:18.659 --> 00:11:22.620 We see a woman who's possessed by a demon, powerfully delivered. 00:11:23.439 --> 00:11:23.759 Right? 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:29.100 We see a Philippian jailer who is just a man focused on duty and getting the job done, 00:11:29.100 --> 00:11:34.540 converted through an act of mercy where he's about to take his own life because Paul has gotten out of prison 00:11:34.540 --> 00:11:37.480 and Paul shows him mercy and he ends up coming to faith. 00:11:38.060 --> 00:11:38.220 Right? 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:39.500 I see it in my own life. 00:11:39.620 --> 00:11:45.360 If somebody were to ask me how I came to faith, I grew up with one parent who was a Christian and one wasn't. 00:11:45.399 --> 00:11:46.820 And we went to church sometimes. 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:48.159 And then I left the faith. 00:11:48.259 --> 00:11:52.899 And then I started talking to a guy in my senior year of college who wanted to read the Bible with me. 00:11:52.899 --> 00:11:58.279 And I read a Josh McDowell book and I read a couple of other books that he gave me. 00:11:58.659 --> 00:12:02.059 And at some point I prayed and gave my life to Jesus. 00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:06.100 But was that really me doing that just in my own… 00:12:06.100 --> 00:12:06.620 No. 00:12:06.740 --> 00:12:12.340 It was God all along through all of those different aspects of my life calling me to Himself. 00:12:13.620 --> 00:12:13.840 Right? 00:12:13.899 --> 00:12:18.159 Now, even as I talk about this, we have to acknowledge that there's this truth in there 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:23.360 that has conveyed this idea of God's sovereign role in our coming to follow Him. 00:12:23.500 --> 00:12:25.159 But that also raises problems. 00:12:26.719 --> 00:12:31.819 You know, if we're honest and we think about the implications, this begins to raise objections. 00:12:32.079 --> 00:12:34.480 And so, at this point, we need to recognize that. 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:37.620 Some react strongly to the idea that God would do this. 00:12:39.139 --> 00:12:43.459 You know, this brings up the whole predestination versus free will debate. 00:12:44.279 --> 00:12:45.939 And maybe some of you are familiar with that. 00:12:45.940 --> 00:12:48.180 Maybe for some of you, this is the first time you've ever heard mention of it. 00:12:49.060 --> 00:12:52.560 But if you really look at what the Bible has to say about God's calling, 00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:58.520 you can't simply break it down into predestination or free will. 00:12:59.860 --> 00:13:05.140 The simplistic view of predestination amounts to a kind of fatalism. 00:13:05.620 --> 00:13:07.800 You know, God determines our destiny. 00:13:08.460 --> 00:13:11.220 You know, you're born and your destiny is set. 00:13:11.220 --> 00:13:16.399 And that's because God has chosen to determine your destiny. 00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:19.540 And what that essentially means is your choices don't matter. 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:25.279 You do whatever you're going to do, but, you know, your fate has been set by God. 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:26.820 You will become a Christian. 00:13:28.180 --> 00:13:32.680 And then the free will view, the simplistic version of that, says the opposite. 00:13:32.920 --> 00:13:37.220 It says, actually, God determines our destiny because of our choices. 00:13:37.220 --> 00:13:39.600 It's a kind of determinism. 00:13:39.899 --> 00:13:41.379 Choices are all that matter. 00:13:41.680 --> 00:13:43.200 It is all on us. 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:44.379 Right? 00:13:44.500 --> 00:13:48.600 So the simplistic view of predestination says, your choices don't matter. 00:13:48.740 --> 00:13:50.279 God's already got it sorted out. 00:13:50.519 --> 00:13:51.480 You're either in or you're out. 00:13:51.560 --> 00:13:52.600 We'll just have to wait and see. 00:13:53.379 --> 00:13:56.980 But the simplistic view of free will says, it all hinges on you. 00:13:57.040 --> 00:13:58.300 It all hinges on us. 00:13:58.680 --> 00:14:02.500 We've got to do what we can to convince you, to convert you, because otherwise you have no hope. 00:14:02.500 --> 00:14:11.120 The Bible, I would suggest, offers a far more nuanced view than either of these simplistic views. 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:15.440 It offers a far more expansive view of God's sovereignty. 00:14:16.679 --> 00:14:20.539 It says that God has such precise control over history. 00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:27.679 He's so intimately and personally involved in our lives that He is able to determine our destiny, 00:14:27.679 --> 00:14:33.559 not despite our choices, not because of our choices, but through our choices, 00:14:34.479 --> 00:14:38.599 through the circumstances of our lives. 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:41.679 He's able to work through the choices that we make. 00:14:41.939 --> 00:14:45.399 He's able to weave history toward His redemptive end. 00:14:46.139 --> 00:14:50.399 And if you think about that, this is extremely good news. 00:14:50.939 --> 00:14:53.000 This is extremely good news. 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:56.139 What if we did live in a world of total free will? 00:14:58.019 --> 00:15:02.620 What if you make the wrong choice at a crucial moment in your life? 00:15:02.779 --> 00:15:06.320 You're driving along, and I remember growing up before I was a Christian, 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:10.320 and I remember my friend taking me to this play that you're probably familiar with 00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:13.279 where there's a family driving along, and they get into an accident, 00:15:13.480 --> 00:15:15.159 and then some of the family goes to heaven, 00:15:15.360 --> 00:15:18.340 and the other family, because they hadn't made the right choice in the right moment, 00:15:18.580 --> 00:15:20.720 they go down to hell, and the family is separated, 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:22.899 and they're screaming and reaching out for each other, 00:15:22.940 --> 00:15:26.360 and it haunts me to this day, nightmare territory to this day. 00:15:27.040 --> 00:15:28.940 And I remember thinking, well, you know, 00:15:29.000 --> 00:15:32.080 if I don't make the right choice in the right moment, 00:15:32.200 --> 00:15:34.700 then I'm done, no hope, right? 00:15:35.139 --> 00:15:39.720 And so that's what inspires plays to be written and performed like that, 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:45.860 is this idea that it all comes down to us making the right choice in the right moment. 00:15:46.300 --> 00:15:48.100 But what if in that moment I'm in a bad mood? 00:15:48.100 --> 00:15:50.460 What if in that moment I, you know, I'm feeling sick? 00:15:50.700 --> 00:15:53.399 I'm not really thinking about my ultimate destiny. 00:15:54.080 --> 00:15:55.100 Well, then it's too late. 00:15:55.259 --> 00:15:55.620 Bam! 00:15:55.800 --> 00:15:56.340 Car wreck. 00:15:56.700 --> 00:15:58.840 That's cruel, right? 00:15:59.740 --> 00:16:03.340 What if conversion did depend on intellectual arguments alone? 00:16:04.379 --> 00:16:07.860 What if we had to be convinced to believe the gospel intellectually? 00:16:09.220 --> 00:16:12.040 Well, that would exclude people who are unintelligent. 00:16:12.519 --> 00:16:15.060 That would exclude people maybe who are illiterate. 00:16:15.059 --> 00:16:18.819 It would exclude people who have cognitive disabilities. 00:16:19.019 --> 00:16:22.159 It would exclude people with severe mental illness. 00:16:24.179 --> 00:16:24.719 Right? 00:16:24.779 --> 00:16:33.279 How would we have any hope of salvation if our faith in Jesus depended on our ability to engage 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:36.719 in rational discourse and we're not able to do that? 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:44.060 That would be barbaric to say only people who can fully apprehend and understand the theology 00:16:44.060 --> 00:16:47.160 of the gospel have a fighting chance of getting in. 00:16:47.240 --> 00:16:47.980 That's barbaric. 00:16:48.660 --> 00:16:52.600 What if conversion did depend solely on emotional experience? 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:55.360 Well, what if you've never had an experience like that? 00:16:56.120 --> 00:16:59.060 Could you ever have any certainty that you belong to God? 00:16:59.059 --> 00:17:03.919 People who just by nature, by their wiring, just don't tend to have lots of deep emotional 00:17:03.919 --> 00:17:05.659 experiences, at least that they're aware of. 00:17:06.460 --> 00:17:06.799 Right? 00:17:06.839 --> 00:17:10.720 And you kind of look back 20, 30 years of being a Christian, you've never really had that emotional 00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:12.119 high that other people talk about. 00:17:12.819 --> 00:17:15.399 And I know people who are like that who say, how do I know? 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:16.119 How do I know? 00:17:16.220 --> 00:17:16.759 How do I know? 00:17:16.819 --> 00:17:18.179 I've never really felt it. 00:17:18.200 --> 00:17:18.779 How do I know? 00:17:20.200 --> 00:17:21.240 That's just as bad. 00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:26.200 What if conversion did depend on growing up in a Christian family or culture? 00:17:27.059 --> 00:17:31.819 Well, that would mean that if you're born in the wrong house or in the wrong zip code, 00:17:32.380 --> 00:17:33.200 well, you're out of luck. 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:35.359 You're out of luck. 00:17:35.500 --> 00:17:36.180 That's awful. 00:17:37.079 --> 00:17:37.279 Right? 00:17:37.339 --> 00:17:42.000 So, the way God works, and the way I believe this actually is represented in Scripture, 00:17:42.420 --> 00:17:47.640 our choices matter to our destiny, but they don't master our destiny. 00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:49.279 Right? 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:50.279 They matter. 00:17:50.279 --> 00:17:51.180 God uses them. 00:17:51.259 --> 00:17:54.839 He works through them, but they can never become master of our destiny. 00:17:55.000 --> 00:18:02.039 We will never be in a position where because we made the wrong choice, God's hands are tied. 00:18:03.299 --> 00:18:03.480 Right? 00:18:04.339 --> 00:18:11.099 Even if we make all the wrong choices, God can still work in and through those choices for our own good. 00:18:11.980 --> 00:18:17.720 That's why, contextually, whenever predestination comes up in the Bible, it's always meant to 00:18:17.720 --> 00:18:18.819 encourage believers. 00:18:18.819 --> 00:18:20.500 People say, well, who's in? 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:21.079 Well, who's out? 00:18:21.159 --> 00:18:22.700 Well, how does it all work out? 00:18:22.779 --> 00:18:24.519 Frankly, the Bible never says anything about that. 00:18:24.819 --> 00:18:33.500 When it comes to predestination, it is always brought up in the context of encouraging believers. 00:18:33.500 --> 00:18:36.839 Paul is trying to say, you need to know that you're beloved. 00:18:37.779 --> 00:18:42.079 You need to know that even though it doesn't seem like it, God's kingdom is unfolding and 00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:42.819 you're a part of it. 00:18:43.059 --> 00:18:47.579 You need to know that even if you don't fully intellectually understand it, if you're not 00:18:47.579 --> 00:18:52.079 feeling it, if you feel lots of despair, you need to know that it doesn't hinge on that. 00:18:52.140 --> 00:18:54.599 It hinges on the fact that God wants you to belong to Him. 00:18:55.839 --> 00:18:59.359 That your faith is cosmically and eternally significant. 00:18:59.359 --> 00:19:04.179 He's wanting us to know that at the end of the day, that thing that all human beings want 00:19:04.179 --> 00:19:09.939 to hear, that somebody out there whose opinion matters looks at me and says, you matter, that 00:19:09.939 --> 00:19:10.979 that has happened to you. 00:19:10.980 --> 00:19:16.420 The God of the universe has called you to be His own. 00:19:16.579 --> 00:19:17.839 He wants you to be His child. 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:24.900 It's always that tone of encouragement that undergirds this topic. 00:19:25.460 --> 00:19:29.680 We've turned it into a kind of debate that I believe, frankly, it was never meant to be. 00:19:31.420 --> 00:19:37.539 So on that note, I just want to look finally, thirdly, at some of the ways this actually offers 00:19:37.539 --> 00:19:41.159 hope no matter where we find ourselves this morning, spiritually. 00:19:42.139 --> 00:19:44.500 I want to offer four ways this gives us hope. 00:19:45.339 --> 00:19:50.659 Number one, I believe that this offers hope to Christians who feel discouraged about the 00:19:50.659 --> 00:19:50.980 church. 00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:58.279 Now, I know that's not of you, but other Christians feel very discouraged about the church. 00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:04.859 If you know anything about the Corinthians, you know that they are profoundly immature in 00:20:04.859 --> 00:20:10.319 their faith. Instead of sharing their possessions, they're suing each other. Instead of eating 00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:16.859 together, they're hoarding wine. They're getting drunk at the Lord's table. Instead of living 00:20:16.859 --> 00:20:22.899 communal life, they're having communal sex. Their church is rife with injustice and division 00:20:22.899 --> 00:20:30.000 of every kind. And yet, Paul opens his letter. If you're Paul, how would you open your letter? 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:35.180 I can't believe all the things that I'm hearing about what you guys are doing, you know, but 00:20:35.180 --> 00:20:41.640 that's not what he says. He opens his letter with an extended prayer of thanksgiving over them. 00:20:42.900 --> 00:20:51.779 Why? For what? For the fact that despite their immaturity, Jesus continues to lavish them with 00:20:51.779 --> 00:20:59.960 His blessings. He's given them abundant grace and forgiveness of sin. He's blessed them 00:20:59.960 --> 00:21:06.120 with the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God, and all of the spiritual gifts that come with the 00:21:06.120 --> 00:21:11.019 Holy Spirit. Now, that was a huge source of division for them. They were elitist and thought 00:21:11.019 --> 00:21:16.920 themselves spiritually above other people, including Paul, because they were so gifted. You would think 00:21:16.920 --> 00:21:21.360 that if Paul were to do anything in the opening, he would say, you think you're hot stuff, but you're 00:21:21.360 --> 00:21:27.720 not. But he doesn't do that. He says, God has blessed you with His presence. He's filled you with His 00:21:27.720 --> 00:21:33.299 Spirit. Praise God for that. Right? What an amazing thing to say to such a frustrating church. 00:21:33.600 --> 00:21:41.140 All jokes aside, I know, I know it is easy to get frustrated in the church. Maybe not a very well-kept 00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:45.660 secret. Pastors are probably some of the most frustrated people when it comes to the church, 00:21:45.720 --> 00:21:50.660 not only our church, but the church. When we look around and we see all the craziness, 00:21:50.660 --> 00:21:56.180 it's easy to get frustrated with the church. If you are part of a church for long enough, 00:21:56.540 --> 00:22:03.019 you will feel this way. There will be many, many, many moments, like in a healthy marriage, 00:22:03.460 --> 00:22:09.860 when you want to walk out the door and never look back. And there are a lot of Christians these days 00:22:09.860 --> 00:22:16.220 who have given up on the church altogether. But why is Paul so committed to the church? 00:22:16.220 --> 00:22:24.220 It is because Jesus is so committed to the church. Paul realizes that Jesus remains committed 00:22:24.220 --> 00:22:30.839 to those whom He has called. He remains committed to those whom He has called. 00:22:32.600 --> 00:22:39.420 Who are we to think that we can or should do any differently? Right? I think it offers tremendous hope 00:22:39.420 --> 00:22:44.100 for people who feel discouraged about the church. Number two, I believe that this offers tremendous hope 00:22:44.099 --> 00:22:49.859 for Christians who may be losing their faith. Christians who may be losing their faith. 00:22:51.019 --> 00:22:55.859 And I know this applies to some people in this room, and that's why it's important to talk about. 00:22:56.519 --> 00:23:01.419 You hear a lot of people these days, you hear a lot of talk about Christians who are in various phases 00:23:01.419 --> 00:23:05.500 of deconstructing their faith, trying to figure out what they still believe. 00:23:07.339 --> 00:23:11.539 Now, there are dishonest versions of this, but there are also very honest versions of this, 00:23:11.539 --> 00:23:16.139 people who are really honestly asking very hard questions, trying to pick apart the faith that 00:23:16.139 --> 00:23:19.099 they inherited. Often, it's people who grew up in more conservative circles, 00:23:19.859 --> 00:23:25.079 theologically, trying to figure out what, if anything, they still have to hold on to. 00:23:25.779 --> 00:23:30.359 And if somebody is honestly going through something like this, it can be incredibly lonely, 00:23:30.779 --> 00:23:35.619 it can be incredibly disorienting, it can fill you with fear because it feels like it threatens 00:23:35.619 --> 00:23:40.220 your relationships with your friends and family, maybe even your job. There's a whole support group 00:23:40.220 --> 00:23:44.660 out there, by the way, for pastors. It's an anonymous support group. Pastors who lost their 00:23:44.660 --> 00:23:50.279 faith at some point along the way, and yet their livelihood depends on their job. And so, 00:23:50.360 --> 00:23:54.680 they've been in ministry, some of them for maybe decades, but long ago lost their faith. 00:23:55.680 --> 00:24:00.460 And they have an anonymous support group where they basically encourage one another because they 00:24:00.460 --> 00:24:04.480 feel trapped. They can't do anything else professionally, and so they have to keep gutting it out. 00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:10.160 Right? So, it can be incredibly, incredibly distressing to go through something like this, 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:15.160 considering the implications of it. And it raises the question, what does it mean when a Christian 00:24:15.160 --> 00:24:23.299 loses their faith? Well, here's where this connects, right? If our faith solely depends on us, 00:24:24.220 --> 00:24:29.640 then there would really be no hope for a person like that. You were saying the right words, 00:24:29.640 --> 00:24:33.920 and then at some point, you stopped saying the right words, you stopped believing the right words, 00:24:34.280 --> 00:24:38.820 and well, at that point, there's really not much we have to offer you unless you're willing to say 00:24:38.820 --> 00:24:44.100 the right words again. So, you'd have somebody who maybe needs to explore some of their doubts, 00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:48.700 who's terrified of the implications and won't even go there because of what it might mean. 00:24:50.020 --> 00:24:54.900 And so, the worst thing, worse than even doubts that you're willing to explore are doubts that you 00:24:54.900 --> 00:25:00.420 pretend aren't there. Right? Those will just sit there for years and years and years eating away 00:25:00.420 --> 00:25:08.120 like acid in the basement. But this passage, I think, speaks directly to this issue in verses 8 and 9. 00:25:08.340 --> 00:25:14.640 Paul is speaking to everyone who's been called to follow Jesus, and he says that the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:25:14.640 --> 00:25:24.140 quote, will sustain you to the end. Guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, God is faithful 00:25:24.140 --> 00:25:32.600 by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. If you're someone who has 00:25:32.600 --> 00:25:41.120 at some point in your life responded to the call of Jesus, and there has been evidence of genuine faith 00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:51.979 in your life, you may let go of Jesus, but He will never let go of you. He will never let go of you. 00:25:53.019 --> 00:25:59.979 How do we know this? It's because, as Paul says, because the God who called you, the God who is behind 00:25:59.979 --> 00:26:09.359 that moment in your life when you gave yourself to Him, that God is faithful. He's faithful. And ultimately, 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:18.599 all of this hinges not on our character, not on our commitment, but on His character and on His 00:26:18.599 --> 00:26:28.299 commitment. So, this creates a space for people who genuinely and honestly need to be open with 00:26:28.299 --> 00:26:33.819 themselves about the doubts that they have, to ask the questions that they need to ask, and to do it 00:26:33.819 --> 00:26:41.899 knowing that even if you try to let go, Jesus is going to continue holding on to you. He will sustain 00:26:41.899 --> 00:26:47.899 you to the end. Yes, there are people who call themselves Christians who were never really in 00:26:47.899 --> 00:26:52.740 relationship with God. There are places in the Bible that talk about that kind of thing. But what 00:26:52.740 --> 00:26:58.460 we're talking about are people who at some point in your life, you were a follower of Jesus, and now 00:26:58.460 --> 00:27:05.640 you're figuring out whether or not you can continue to be so. Jesus has called you. Jesus will remain 00:27:05.640 --> 00:27:13.400 committed to you to the end. Thirdly, I think that this offers tremendous hope for parents who want 00:27:13.400 --> 00:27:19.059 our kids to follow Jesus. I assume, by the way, that if you're a parent and you're in this room, 00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:25.059 you want your kids to follow Jesus. I say that because I do sometimes hear parents say that they 00:27:25.059 --> 00:27:28.859 don't want to influence their kids to be Christians, they want them to decide for themselves 00:27:28.859 --> 00:27:35.119 what they believe. With all due respect, that's woefully naive. You better believe that there are 00:27:35.119 --> 00:27:39.799 other people out there trying to convince your kids what to believe. You better believe that every 00:27:39.799 --> 00:27:44.879 single day of their life, they're going to be bombarded constantly with every kind of truth claim 00:27:44.879 --> 00:27:51.639 that you could possibly imagine and a dozen that you can't. And so, if you opt out of that with the 00:27:51.640 --> 00:27:56.100 idea that you're somehow freeing them to exist in a neutral space where they decide for themselves, 00:27:56.300 --> 00:28:01.900 it's woefully naive. There's no such thing as a neutral space. Our minds and hearts are contested 00:28:01.900 --> 00:28:07.980 territory. They always will be. And if you opt out as a parent, then yours will be the only voice they 00:28:07.980 --> 00:28:14.380 don't hear. And with all due respect, that's an abdication of your role. If you're a Christian and you 00:28:14.380 --> 00:28:20.420 have a child, I think, I believe that, and I think that what we're talking about here would bear this out. 00:28:20.420 --> 00:28:25.900 If you're a Christian and you have a child or children, you have a God-given vocation to raise 00:28:25.900 --> 00:28:34.700 them in the faith because they, I believe, chances are God intends to use you as a part of how He calls 00:28:34.700 --> 00:28:43.200 that child to Himself. But the hope that comes from this passage and this idea of calling is that even 00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:48.080 though that is a God-given responsibility and it is a serious vocation that we need to take seriously, 00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:57.019 it doesn't all depend on you. You're going to make tons of mistakes. You know, one of the things that 00:28:57.019 --> 00:29:00.879 I still don't know how to answer this question, people say, well, you know, I'm a pastor, and so 00:29:00.879 --> 00:29:04.480 sometimes people will ask, well, how are you doing it with your kids? How are you raising your kids in 00:29:04.480 --> 00:29:09.119 the faith? You know, and I could give the, like, window dressing answer. I could be honest, and I 00:29:09.119 --> 00:29:14.319 prefer to be honest and say, listen, it's most of the time really hard, and most of the time we feel like 00:29:14.319 --> 00:29:18.559 we're failing. We try to do family devotions, they're a total train wreck. I mean, nine out of 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:23.679 ten times, they're a train wreck, right? You've got kids squirming and fighting and rolling their 00:29:23.679 --> 00:29:30.059 eyes. If we get five sustained minutes of focus on whatever we're trying to, you know, use as our 00:29:30.059 --> 00:29:35.700 devotional material, then praise Jesus, it's a massive D-Day type victory, okay? Most of the time, 00:29:35.740 --> 00:29:39.200 it's a train wreck. We try to read Scripture with our kids. We try to pray with our kids. You know, 00:29:39.259 --> 00:29:43.480 sometimes we have sweet moments, but by and large, it feels like a struggle, and you can easily feel like 00:29:43.480 --> 00:29:47.299 everybody else is doing much better than you, and you must be failing, and why is it so hard for you? 00:29:48.779 --> 00:29:53.680 But the hope that comes from this passage says, listen, even if it feels like an exercise in 00:29:53.680 --> 00:30:01.680 futility, trust the Lord. It doesn't hinge on you getting it right. God's purposes cannot be 00:30:01.680 --> 00:30:09.759 thwarted no matter how hard we try to thwart them. God cannot be thwarted. It's ultimately the work of 00:30:09.759 --> 00:30:14.839 the Lord in your children's heart. So, with all of the struggle and all of the challenge, 00:30:15.339 --> 00:30:24.079 be of good courage, and remember, don't just do the things, but pray. Pray for your children. That's 00:30:24.079 --> 00:30:29.400 probably the most important and powerful thing we can do. And number four, lastly, how does this 00:30:29.400 --> 00:30:34.940 offer hope? This offers hope for the unreached people of the world. Because I said before, if it 00:30:34.940 --> 00:30:38.660 all just hinges on us making the right decision in the right moment, you're born in the wrong family or 00:30:38.660 --> 00:30:47.000 the wrong zip code, then oh well. Out of luck. But we have this truth here that God calls people 00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:53.060 through the circumstances of their lives. And that gives tremendous hope to all people, because no 00:30:53.060 --> 00:30:58.840 matter how far away someone may seem, and we all have people in our lives we can think of 00:30:58.840 --> 00:31:05.540 who would fit that bill. You know, I can imagine all these other people may be coming to faith, but this 00:31:05.539 --> 00:31:10.480 person, they will never come to faith. There would no hope for that person. No matter how far away 00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:17.980 someone may seem, with God, no one is out of reach. And I think this is extremely motivating for those 00:31:17.980 --> 00:31:22.920 of us who are Christians when it comes to sharing our faith. Every time, and I don't know about you, 00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:28.839 but every time I have seen someone come to faith, maybe following a conversation we had or something 00:31:28.839 --> 00:31:33.379 like that, I've never really felt like I was very much a part of what was happening. I felt like I was 00:31:33.380 --> 00:31:38.440 really in the right place at the right time to be witness to something that had very clearly been 00:31:38.440 --> 00:31:46.420 happening in them long before maybe I even met this person. There's a clear sense when people come 00:31:46.420 --> 00:31:51.620 to faith that God has already been at work. If you're lucky enough, fortunate enough to be there 00:31:51.620 --> 00:31:58.940 when it happens, then praise God, but don't think it was you. You're just there at the time that the fruit 00:31:58.940 --> 00:32:06.200 becomes visible in their life. So, these are reasons why I believe this offers hope to the 00:32:06.200 --> 00:32:11.180 world. And as we sit here in this season and pray prayers about the gospel going to the world, I think 00:32:11.180 --> 00:32:17.160 that this is a great theme to focus on because we never know how and when God might use us. So, it 00:32:17.160 --> 00:32:22.660 motivates us to share our faith more and more knowing that God is always at work in ways we cannot see. 00:32:22.660 --> 00:32:30.720 Let's pray. Lord, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You that it doesn't all depend on us. We 00:32:30.720 --> 00:32:37.019 thank You that we are given the great honor of playing a role in seeing others come to faith. 00:32:37.300 --> 00:32:42.680 We thank You that the choices that we make in our lives, that our desire to repent and follow You, 00:32:42.840 --> 00:32:49.120 Lord, that those are real choices, Lord, that our choices matter, and yet we can never 00:32:49.119 --> 00:32:57.079 we can never tie Your hands, Lord. And I pray that that would give us great hope. I pray that it 00:32:57.079 --> 00:33:02.619 would, as we think about the areas of our lives that feel hopeless, the people that feel unreachable, 00:33:03.000 --> 00:33:08.459 the doubts that feel insurmountable maybe in our own hearts, Lord, I pray that this would give us great 00:33:08.459 --> 00:33:18.959 hope, that we're dealing with a God ultimately of sovereign power and abundant grace, Lord. I pray 00:33:18.960 --> 00:33:23.420 that when we are in the new creation and we look around and we see who is there that we will be 00:33:23.420 --> 00:33:31.880 shocked and amazed to see the people, maybe people we never thought we would see. Lord, I pray that You 00:33:31.880 --> 00:33:37.180 would fill us with hope and boldness in light of this truth. We pray this in Your Son's holy name. Amen.