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

The Call of God on your life is: 

• Personal -  1 Cor. 1:9 
• Irrevocable -  1 Thessalonians 2:12--encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. 
• Special  -  1 Cor. 1:26-31 
• Eternal - 1 Cor 1:7-8; 1 Tim. 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. 
• Powerful - 1 Corinthians 1:23-24--but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 
• Incredible - Ephesians 4:4--There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called. 

TEN CHECKPOINTS: Am I answering the Call of God? 

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... 

What does it mean to be Spirit-filled? (Galatians 5:13-26) 

• Live by the Spirit (not human nature) - vs. 16-21 
• Aim to emulate the character of Christ (to whom you are called) - vs. 22-23 
• Die to the sinful nature - vs. 24 
• Keep in step with the Spirit (monitor closely) - vs. 25 
• Evidence the Spirit - vs. 26 

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

Mark 11:22-24--"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 
23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 
24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  

As you live your life... (1 Thessalonians 5:17) pray continually; 

ACTS 

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." 

See also 1 Cor. 13. 

6. You are called to bear fruit.  

Luke 13:6-9--Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 
7So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' 
8" 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. 
9If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' " 

Matthew 21:18-20--Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 
19Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. 
20When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked. 

John 15:8--This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 

• vs. 1 - Jesus is the vine 
• vs. 2 - Fruitfulness vs. fruitlessness 
• vs. 4-6 - Remain (abide) - union life in Christ 
• vs. 7 - Word 
• vs. 8 - Character fruit - Gal. 5:22-23; and People Fruit - reproduce ourselves through love (vs. 9ff) 

7. You are called to selflessness. 

Luke 14:33--In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. 

Philippians 3:7--But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 

2 Cor. 8:9--For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 

Phil. 2:5-11--Emptied... humbled... 

Small Group Discussion Questions: 

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