Sunday February 12, 2017
“Grace Alone”
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony
of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for
the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called
us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according
to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus
before time began – 2 Timothy 1:8-9
Called by God
C. Effectual Calling
1. Called by God the Father
2. Called in the Power of the Spirit
3. Called by grace to holiness and heaven
God’s call is
gracious in the sense
that it shows us the graciousness of God. But it is also
gracious in the sense that it is totally unmerited, indeed ill-deserved
on our part. To be called is to be
the recipient
of grace ( 2 Timothy 1:9). Remember Paul’s powerful word to the
Corinthians when he argues out this point – God has not called many of the ‘greats’
of this world but set his divine invitation on the poor and lowly as though to
indicate that his call to men is drawn out from him by nothing but his own
love and favor to sinners (1 Corinthians 1:26 – 29).
God’s call
his holy. We are called Saints. Of
course, we are called to be saints, but Paul undoubtedly means something more
when he uses this expression. It is the calling of God that separates us for
God, that sanctifies us. To stand under that call is therefore to be given up
to a life of holiness and to be locked in to the pathway of obedience which
leads to his heavenly kingdom. It is important to notice that the very
character of our calling is a determination factor in our witness. We are
called to live in such a way that the praise of God may be seen (1 Peter 2:9)
and called to suffer with Christ in imitation of his life (1 Peter 2:21).
As far as
its direction is concerned, the divine call is heavenly. We share in a
heavenly calling (Hebrews 3:1), and this is the hope to which he has called you
(Ephesians 1:18) in which we have already begun to share here and now
(Ephesians 4:4). We are called to God’s kingdom and glory (2 Thessalonians
2:14) and are given the assurance that the God of all grace, who has called you
to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, strengthen and establish
you (1 Peter 5:10). It is clear then that God’s calling is something which both
begins the Christian life and determines the shape of it in every stage in this
development.
Challenge:
We say the
word but we really do not comprehend what and how it affects us… GRACE! Oh, how
amazing as we echo the lyrics of John Newton’s anthem: “Amazing Grace” how
sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me…Let us praise Him today. Let us
make known in our actions how grateful we are for how he saves us. Absolutely
nothing in my hands I bring…
This Day in Christian History:
February 12, 1554 – Lady Jane Grey, the 9 day queen, was executed along with her husband this day. She had been
well-tutored, could read and write several languages fluently, and appreciated
the positions of the reformers, some of whom she had met and corresponded with.
Memory Verse:
But of Him
you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness
and sanctification and redemption— 1 Corinthians 1:30
He ‘oku mei
He‘ene ‘Afio ho‘omou tu‘u ni pea ‘ia Kalaisi Sīsū: ‘a ia kuo fokotu‘u mei he
‘Otua, ko hotau poto‘anga, ko hotau fakatonuhia mo fakamā‘oni‘oni‘anga, pea mo
hotau huhu‘i – 1 Kolinito 1:30
Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)
Week
7 – Exodus 32-34; Phil 3
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