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Pastor Rob Carlson: 
"It's Your Call" (Part One) 
series: Sage Advice for a Godly Life
Sunday, July 25, 2004 
1 Corinthians 1:1-9 
[page 1128 in pew Bible]

• Samuel was called by a voice from heaven. 
• Isaiah was called by a most extraordinary vision while in the temple. 
• Paul was called by a spectacular resurrection appearance and other visions... 

1 Thessalonians 2:12--encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. 

Ephesians 4:4--There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called. 

1 Corinthians 1:23-24--but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 
²⁴but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 

• vs. 1 - The call to apostleship 
• vs. 2 - The call to be holy 
• vs. 7,8 - The call to the future 
  1 Timothy 6:12--Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 
• vs. 9 - The call to Christ 
  2 Corinthians 5:17--Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 

1. You are called to be holy. (vs. 2)

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8--It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 
⁴that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 
⁵not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 
⁶and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 
⁷For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 
⁸Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. 

2. You are called to be cross-bearing. 

Matthew 10:38--and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 

Galatians 2:20--I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

Luke 9:23-26--Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 
²⁴For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 
²⁵What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 
²⁶If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 

3. You are called to be Spirit-filled. 

Ephesians 5:18b--...be filled with the Spirit. 

Acts 6:3:--...choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom... 

Acts 7:55--...Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God... 

Galatians 5:13-26--You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love. 
¹⁴The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 
¹⁵If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
¹⁶So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 
¹⁷For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 
¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
¹⁹The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 
²⁰idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 
²¹and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 
²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 
²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 
²⁵Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 
²⁶Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. 

4. You are called to be a person of prayer. 

Mark 11:24--Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 

1 Thessalonians 5:17--pray continually; 

5. You are called to love. 

Matthew 22:36-39--"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 
³⁷Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 
³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. 
³⁹And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  
⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 

Small Group Discussion Questions: 

*Scripture is quoted from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.
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