You Have Been Greatly Loved

00:00:00.000 | 1 Corinthians 1 26 commands us, "Consider your calling."

00:00:10.680 | So what is our calling?

00:00:12.280 | Pastor John explained in his sermon by that very title preached back on April 25th, 2010.

00:00:18.400 | Here's a clip of what he said in that sermon.

00:00:21.000 | Verse 26, "Consider your calling, brothers."

00:00:27.840 | That's what I'm asking you to do right now.

00:00:29.920 | Do some considering right now.

00:00:31.800 | And the first thing I suppose you'd ask is, "What's he talking about?

00:00:34.920 | My job?

00:00:35.920 | A carpenter?

00:00:36.920 | Nurse?

00:00:37.920 | Teacher?

00:00:38.920 | Homemaker?"

00:00:39.920 | No, that's not what he's talking about.

00:00:42.800 | How do you know that's not what he's talking about?

00:00:45.080 | Well, mainly I know because of verses 22 to 24.

00:00:50.200 | Read this.

00:00:51.200 | "Consider, consider your calling, brothers and sisters.

00:00:53.880 | Consider your calling as I read," verses 22 to 24.

00:00:57.600 | "Jews demand signs.

00:01:01.320 | Greeks seek wisdom.

00:01:04.680 | But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews, and folly to Gentiles," or

00:01:13.480 | Greeks, same, he's using them interchangeably, "but to those who are called, both Jews and

00:01:20.800 | Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

00:01:25.480 | So when the called look at Christ crucified, they don't see stumbling block.

00:01:30.400 | They don't see folly.

00:01:31.720 | They see power.

00:01:33.480 | So there are three groups, right?

00:01:35.480 | Three groups in those verses.

00:01:36.880 | Number one, Jews.

00:01:38.100 | Number two, Gentiles.

00:01:39.160 | Number three, called.

00:01:40.800 | That's not quite accurate, is it?

00:01:42.080 | Let me say it a little more carefully.

00:01:44.280 | There are Jews who are not called, Gentiles who are not called, and Jews and Gentiles

00:01:51.360 | who are called.

00:01:53.360 | Those are the three groups.

00:01:54.360 | Are you with me?

00:01:56.040 | This is -- we're considering our calling.

00:01:57.960 | We're obeying verse 26.

00:02:00.200 | There are Jews not called, Gentiles not called, Jews and Gentiles, some of whom are called.

00:02:08.560 | And then he describes the response of each to the cross.

00:02:11.720 | Jews, yeah, stumbling block, crucified Messiah, never heard of such a thing.

00:02:16.440 | Gentiles, foolishness, a dying God, silly, mythological.

00:02:20.560 | Called power, my God.

00:02:23.520 | What kind of call is that?

00:02:24.520 | I'll tell you what kind of call it is.

00:02:27.500 | It's the kind of call that creates what it commands.

00:02:31.000 | The call gives light.

00:02:34.480 | The call creates sight.

00:02:37.440 | The call raises the dead.

00:02:41.040 | Lazarus, come forth.

00:02:44.120 | He didn't decide to.

00:02:46.000 | The call raised him from the dead.

00:02:48.000 | Let me give you an analogy that could be misleading.

00:02:51.520 | It helps me.

00:02:52.600 | Just to get your handle on it because lots of you have never been taught about the call

00:02:56.080 | of God.

00:02:57.080 | The mighty, effectual, irresistible, powerful, saving, awakening, life-giving call of God

00:03:03.760 | that saved you.

00:03:05.120 | You've never been taught about this.

00:03:06.200 | So you need a little analogy to help you.

00:03:09.120 | What is he talking about?

00:03:10.280 | I've never heard anything like this.

00:03:12.040 | I thought I just believed in Jesus.

00:03:15.240 | And suppose somebody is asleep and you want to wake them up.

00:03:20.620 | What do you do?

00:03:21.620 | Well, you bend over.

00:03:22.620 | They're sound asleep.

00:03:23.620 | You bend over them and you say, "Wake up!"

00:03:30.280 | And they bolt right upright.

00:03:33.400 | Now what are the dynamics of that moment?

00:03:37.440 | They were sound asleep and bang, they were awake.

00:03:41.560 | Did they hear the call and say, "I'll think about that before I wake up.

00:03:47.640 | And then I'll decide if I want to wake up."

00:03:50.240 | When God issues a call to your dead heart and says, "Wake up!"

00:03:55.240 | You wake up.

00:03:56.240 | You did not make yourself a Christian.

00:03:58.040 | Just face it.

00:03:59.180 | You didn't make yourself a Christian, which is why you should feel so incredibly loved.

00:04:04.900 | In fact, if you need a text to say that, just go to Ephesians chapter 2 verse 4 where Paul

00:04:10.680 | says just as clearly as can be, "Because of his great love."

00:04:15.240 | It's the only place he uses that phrase in all the New Testament.

00:04:18.000 | "Because of his great love, he made you alive when you were dead."

00:04:24.280 | So if you have any spiritual life in you at all, you have been greatly loved.

00:04:29.960 | Beautiful.

00:04:31.480 | And a special thank you to Ask Pastor John podcast listener, Luis Sanchez from Hialeah,

00:04:37.320 | Florida for suggesting this clip.

00:04:39.240 | It comes from John Piper's sermon, "Consider Your Calling."

00:04:43.080 | You can download the full message and over 1,200 other sermons from John Piper free of

00:04:48.040 | charge from our website right now, DesiringGod.org.

00:04:53.000 | I'm your host Tony Reinke.

00:04:54.000 | We'll see you tomorrow.

00:04:54.000 | [music]

You Have Been Greatly Loved

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