[Frank Dunkle] I didn't realize that Mr. Myers hadn't been here the last couple of Sabbaths because I haven't been around the last couple of Sabbaths. I think like many that I've seen around here I was at Camp Cotubic. I was going to say for the past week, but of course it was the week before the past. We were comparing some of us old men about how long it takes to recover when you come back from it. We're catching up on all of that.

Boy, it's kind of dark up here. That's okay. I've got my new eyes I can see. But one of the things I've been thinking about is having served there, it draws attention to how special a thing it is to be in God's Church, to have these wonderful opportunities. To be called to this particular way of life and maybe I realize it at camp because it is so special and we're there in a group, but also talking with young people, we tend to focus on that. Older teams are starting to realize that they're at that point of making a final commitment. I was very pleased to be with some of the older dorms last Sabbath and with a question and answer there are certain things that come up, certain things that come up on a regular basis.

But I was pleased that one of the questions or some of them led towards discussing baptism, and when you make that decision how to commit. That's something I don't know if the teenagers realize that in the ministry we're thrilled when people are thinking about that. As a matter of fact, I think back to when I was that age thing or I'm going to keep this a secret, I don't want anybody to think I'm thinking about baptism. That's not cool. Now I'm thinking, "Yes. It's very cool. It's something we should be considering." I want to talk about some of that. The idea of our calling today. Realizing that this is review for a lot of us here. I hope you don't mind if I look at something pretty basic and fundamental and remind us of some of this. And for those who are younger, it might not seem as much a review, but hopefully it is.

Sometimes we ask the question of “why?” Why are we called? Why do we have this special way of life? I want to address that to some degree but I also want to address that even more basic question of “what?” What is that has us here today? It's nice to be in one of the larger congregations in the United Church of God, but we're not all that large a congregation compared to many others. I know the way I come to get here. I drive past one of those really big churches. When I first moved into the area, it was being...I'm not sure if it was under construction or under enlargement. But I know if I happen to go by there on a Sunday afternoon, sometimes I have to wait a while to be able to make a left turn.

What is it that has us here? It's a miracle something for us to consider. You are here in this room because you are called to be here by the Creator of the universe. That's not a small thing, and it's not something we get to choose. If you're one of those who like titles, I'm been calling this sermon “The Privilege of Our Calling.” The privilege of our calling.

Let's turn to a couple of scriptures to establish this important fact. We'll start with Matthew 9, chapter Matthew 9, “chapter Matthew,” boy, you can tell I’m out of practice. Matthew 9:11, I know what it is I came in here in the afternoon and I'm so used to coming in the mornings that not only did it look odd in the building, but I thought, "You know my coffee schedule's off.” So you'll have to forgive me if I'm a little jittery, it's because the morning coffee wore off. I started getting more, and I do those things where I say half of a sentence then leave off and start another one so.

Let's go to Matthew 9:11. "When the Pharisee saw it, they said to His disciples,” that of course is Jesus Christ's disciples. “'Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ When Jesus heard that, He said to them, ‘Well, those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.’" In other words, He came to deal with certain type of people. “‘But go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.”For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.’” The important thing here is Jesus Christ makes...it shows that He came to call certain people and not necessarily the ones that might have been expected.

Another place this is addressed is in the first chapter of Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 1, I'm hoping many of you expected me to go here, so I'm going to do it early on. But let's start with verse two. Again, we're just being reminded that we're here because we were called. “To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints,” sanctified means “set apart, made holy for a special purpose and “called to be saints, with all who in every place call the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.”

We’ll see a similar statement down in verse nine. "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” So Christianity is a calling. Now, this might seem like an obvious fact, but it bears consideration. From the first passage I read where Jesus said, "I didn't come to call sinners”, or “I didn't come to the righteous. I came to call sinners." You might think, "Well, everyone has sinned. Everybody is being called.” The look on your face is saying, “No, I wasn't thinking that." That's okay if you weren't thinking that. We know everyone will have an opportunity, but while we're here in 1 Corinthians 1, let's drop down a verse 26.

I was going to say one of my favorite scriptures. It's actually because of the song that's based on it that I you know, I grew up with this as you know the middle tune. “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.” So those with the most capability, the ones that are the outstanding in the world, not many of them are called.

“God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” You think of how many people are on the planet. I think I jotted down six billion and then said, "I don't think that's right. Is it closer to eight now?" There's a lot of people on the planet. Out of those, I think it's about a one and a half billion or so identify as Christian. That's just those calling themselves Christians not debating how well they understand what the Bible teaches. That leaves billions who don't call themselves Christians. Many of those perhaps never heard any of what's in this book on which we base our lives.

If that's the case, we would say a lot of people aren't being called. God hasn't opened that opportunity to them. But we're different. We believe we're among the foolish, or the not wise at least that God has called. Then what exactly is that calling? I said I want to answer the basic question. I was going to say I cheated. It's not cheated but I got out my Strong's Concordance with the lexicon. I still use that one more than some of the elaborate ones because I like to keep it short. But the Greek word that's used there in 1 Corinthians 26 is klétos, if I'm pronouncing it correctly. It can mean “invitation or invited.” It comes from the base word of kaleo, which means “to invite.”

There is such a thing as an open invitation. Mr. Meyers mentioned going to a wedding. I've been in a lot of times where there's someone in the congregation gets married, and they have an open invitation to all the congregation. Everyone's invited. But that's not what this is. Is it? The invitation to be part of God's Church isn't an open invitation at that time. Some aren't called, not many mighty, not many noble are called. This indicates there's a selection process. We might see that demonstrated if we turn back to Mark 1, Mark 1:14, to see Jesus Christ not just talking about who is called, but going and inviting some people to join Him in His work.

Mark 1 beginning in verse 15. Actually I wanted to start in verse 14. This is after John was put in prison. “Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God.” We often cite this is a encapsulating essence of the Gospel. “Saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.’ As He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were a fisherman. And Jesus said to them, 'Come after Me. I'll make you become fishers of men.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” He extended an invitation. Come with me. I'm going to give you a change of profession.

“When He gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. Immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee on the boat with the hired servants and went after him.” This is where I speculate...this has nothing do with my sermon but we know James and John were nickname later by Christ, “Sons of Thunder.” We often think of that because of their boisterous and energetic manner. But sometimes I wonder if it was more of a commentary on Zebedee.

Because I can imagine two of his best workers go off and leave to follow this guy. I'll bet he was making some noise a bit like thunder. That's just speculation. And you might say, "Well not many mighty not many noble are called." But apparently a lot of professional fishermen are called. I thought that once and I thought, "Wait, a minute. The Bible describes them, but Zebedee wasn't called, those servants, they didn't get the invitation.” As Jesus was walking along that seashore, it must have been a good fishing spot. How many fishermen were there? Perhaps dozens? Hundreds? Four were called. Not all of them. So it's a limited number which is encapsulated very well. Encapsulated? That's not the word I wanted to say.

Summarized in John 6:44 one of our memory scriptures. John 6:44. At least is one of the earliest ones I memorized. "No one can come to Me..." This is Jesus Christ speaking. "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I'll raise him up at the last day." You have to have that invitation. Verse 65 says something very similar. “He said, ‘Therefore, I have said to you no one can come to Me unless it's been granted to him by My Father.’"

That explains why there is a hundred and some people here, but not all the rest of the town of Milford. I don't know how many more, well, they couldn't fit in this room. Certainly, if everyone in Cincinnati had that invitation, you would think many more would have responded. But of course, and a sense that leads us to the other side of that equation. Because not everyone who gets an invitation, accepts the invitation. There's a responsibility that goes both sides.

We see that actually, I wanted to read John 6:65 to lead into verse 66. Because what I didn't read in this chapter is that Jesus Christ made some hard sayings. He taught some things that they didn't quite understand, which we do. Looking back, He was explaining about how His body and blood represented sacrifice for sin, and we symbolically partake of that in the Passover. At the time, they didn't understand that, many of them thought He was speaking of cannibalism.

In verse 66, it says “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” They started to respond to the invitation and then they went back. And that reminds us something about an invitation, a calling. An invitation you might get in the mail that says, "You're invited to attend a party.” We've all been invited to a function tomorrow afternoon that will be at the Sipe’s home." But it's not a warrant. It's not a subpoena, where if you don't respond they'll send armed guards out to get you and bring you in. Invitations can’t be refused or declined. I think of that partly from an experience I've had that I’ll bet most of us have shared.

In my family, my sister had that invitation and began to respond and then decided it wasn't for her. I’m trying to think if I’ve shared in this congregation. My grandmother was the first one in our family to understand God's calling and it turned to this way of life. My sister and I began attending services with her, and then our mother did and was called and eventually baptized. But as my sister was 17, about to turn 18, I sort of knew she was already going along different lines. But there was a decisive moment. Her and my mom were having some kind of disagreement and my memory's vague because this was 100,000 years ago or something like that it seems.

I think they were disagreeing over what she was going to wear to services that day, and words got hot and my mom said something like, "Well, why are you even bothering to go to church in the first place?" My sister said, "I'm only going because you make me go." As I said, about to turn 18, she was going to be getting married for long, and mom said, "Okay. I'm not going to make you go anymore. You're old enough that this should be your decision." And from that time, my sister you could say officially declined the invitation. This isn't to say that she's a bad person. My sister's a good person. I love her and all that, but she looked at the invitation you could say in the mail and then said, "No. This isn't for me."

I want to turn to an example in the Old Testament. Because the ancient nation of Israel gives us an example of what it's like to have a calling and then perhaps turn away from it. I'm not going to turn to the story of the Exodus, but we'll probably remember of course, God what we know He called Abraham, worked with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and they did heed. They went through various things and then their descendants went into Egypt, grew into a nation… I'm recounting coming up to the Passover, but we've rehearsed that recently. We know that God brought them out, brought them to Mount Sinai and He gave them an invitation. Or we might say a proposal that, "I want to be your God. I'm going to give you a set of laws and if you agree to live by them, I'll bless you, I’ll give you all kinds of good things."

And the people said, "All that the Lord has said we will do." God made them an invitation. They accepted or we say it's a special relationship. You could say He was proposing something like marriage, and it's later typified as marriage. When a young man proposes to a young woman, Of course it could mean older man an older woman, or whatever, but and makes an invitation to join their lives together. And that's what happened with God in Israel. This wasn't the type of invitation that He's extended to us at this time with spiritual promises. At that point it was a physical relation... well, I better back up. I didn't have that in my notes. I know it's only a physical relationship, but it was physical obligation for physical blessings.

But then Israel decided they didn't want to continue that. What happened as described in a vivid analogy and in the book of Ezekiel 16 I want to read briefly from that. Partly to show how a commitment can be made and then broken. Also to show how God feels about these things. I think He cast it in this light and in this analogy to show how much God felt the betrayal that came later.

Starting at the beginning of the chapter in Ezekiel 16 It says, “the word of the Eternal came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abomination’s” Here Jerusalem as the capital could stand for the whole nation. So he's going to explain what went wrong. “And say, ‘Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: “Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite. Your mother a Hittite.’” You didn't come from anything special. The special calling invitation wasn't because you were so good. “As for your nativity, on the day you were born, your navel cord wasn't cut, you weren't washed in water to cleanse you; you weren't rubbed with salt, or swaddled in swaddling clothes. No eye pitied you to do any of these things for you, or to have compassion on you; you were thrown out in the open field and when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.”

Again, this could symbolize us because while I'm talking about a physical calling here in this analogy, there was nothing special about any of us that made us merit God's calling. We were sort of like this, just wallowing and helpless.

Moving on in verse 6, "When I passed by and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you ‘Live!’ I made you thrive like a plant in the field; you grew and matured, and you became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, you were naked” or “but you were naked and bare. When I passed by again and looked upon you, indeed your time was a time of love; so I spread My wing over you covered your nakedness. I swore an oath to you and entered a covenant with you, and you became mine."

Here is like into a proposal of marriage, and it was accepted. God made this covenant with Israel and it's symbolized by marriage. He gave many good things in verse 10. “I clothed you in embroidered cloth, gave you sandals of badger skin; clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. Put a jewel in your nose, and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. And thus you were adorned with gold and silver, clothing of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty."

How many husbands here would like to be able to do all this for your wife? I'd love to put gold and silver and fine clothing. Probably everything except the nose ring. Those don't appeal to me. I know they do to some people, but every husband wants to give his wife all the best things. Of course, have her appreciate them. This isn't to say that wives don't feel the same about their husbands, but I want to stay within the analogy here. God gives tremendous blessings to those He calls now. I want to talk about that a little bit later, but it's not all just obligation and looking forward to eternal life—but life's going to really stink now. God gives great blessings to those who respond to the calling that He gives us.

But if we drop down to verse 15 we'll see that… we're reminded that Israel relapsed on following through on that commitment. “But you trusted in your own beauty, and played the harlot because of your fame. Poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it. You took some of your garments and adorned multicolored high places for yourself and played the harlot on them. Such things should not happen, nor be.” I call that a great understatement.

If you drop down to verse 23, “Then it was so, after your wickedness,” or “after all your wickedness—‘Woe, woe to you!’ says the Lord God." I wanted to include that because I've often said any time God says “woe” to you, that's pretty serious. I don't ever want to hear Him say that to me. Let's go down to verse 35.

“Now then, O harlot, here the word of the Eternal! Thus says the Lord, God: ‘Because of your filthiness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your harlotry with your lovers, and all your abominable idols, because the blood of your children which you gave to them, surely, I'll gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, and all those you loved, and all those you hated; I'll gather them from all around against you and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness. I'll judge you as women who break wedlock or shed blood are judged; and I'll bring blood upon you in fury and jealousy."

I'm going to leave off there because this is an example of I think an analogy we understand, but it might help us to realize the setting of some of the parables that Christ would give. One I want to look at. Because God as we see the full story shows that He yet will have mercy on the people of Israel. Their punishment came and it was severe, but that's not the end of the story because God has plans to give a new and a different invitation to every one of them. Similar to us, let's read the apostle Paul's explanation of this in the book of Romans. I want to go to Romans 11. Romans 11:1

Keep in mind of what we just read in Ezekiel, and Paul says, "I say then, has God cast away His people?" He's speaking of the people of Israel, all those in the 12 tribes. And you might think that if you just read that, "Oh, God is done with them." But he says, “Certainly not!” And Paul says, "I'm also an Israelite, the seed of Abraham, and the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.” So God did punish them, but He hasn't forgotten them. He hasn't given them away or cast them away permanently. “Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?” It goes on there where Elijah says, “… I’m all alone, they seek my life” and there's none left, and God says, "No. There are some." That's a different story in a sense.

What we can say and we'll see through Paul's writings are we do that God stopped working with Israel as a nation in the sense. He wasn't finished, His word shows that especially when Christ returns, He's going to bring the survivors who are Israelites back to the land that he gave them. He'll establish them there and they will be a model nation. But He'll also give them a new calling. He'll give them the same calling has given to us to accept His Spirit and live His way of life. They won't be called because of who their ancestors were then, just as we're not called because of who our ancestors were.

We’re called because God chooses whom He will. Not the wise, not the mighty, the noble born. As a matter of fact, He says He chooses those who aren't that to put those to shame. We'll revisit that in a moment but we can see...you might ask, "Well, why did He call them in the first place?” Probably for many reasons, but one I think is to show and have recorded it for all time in His Word that a group of people can have everything they need, they can have a perfect law, they can be protected from their enemies, they can be guided by God's servants, but if they don't have God's Holy Spirit, they're not going to attain success. To become like God, you need the Spirit dwelling in you. That's something we should cherish, because that is a part of our calling, we're called to have His Spirit in us and become like Him.

Let's move down and Romans 11:7, "What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were hardened." That elect, that's another from the Greek word eklektos means “chosen, selected.” The physical nation of Israel is often referred to as the chosen ones, the chosen people, but they broke their covenant with God, and God began choosing individuals. That’s one of the points I made earlier. You're here because God chose to call you. I'm not up here me telling you, I'm here also because of that calling, and not one that I deserved or earned.

God began choosing individuals rather than choosing a nation, and then bring those individuals together into a group. Let's read Matthew 22 or turn to Matthew 22, Matthew 22 of course is a perfect example of how this worked. "Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and He said: ‘Well, the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son. He sent out his servants to call those who were invited.’" Here's a clear invitation, they're invited to the wedding, but what? They wouldn't come they weren't willing.

As I mentioned, an invitation can be declined, but fortunately God is patient. How many of you, if you look back to when you were first called at first, "No. I'm not interested in that." But here it says, "Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “I've prepared my dinner’" God doesn't let us off real easy, if He wants to invite us and call us in, He wants to make sure we know that we have that invitation. "I've prepared my dinner; my oxen, and fatted cattle are killed and all things are ready, come to the wedding.’"

It reminds me of the end of Revelation where says “the Groom and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And all who are ready say ‘Come!’” God is calling us that way, but some people, here it says, “they made light of it and went their ways, one to his farm and other to his business. The rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.” Well now, God doesn't want us to treat His invitation with spite or kill His servants, especially those who get up and speak on the Sabbath, please no killing.

“When the king heard about it, he was furious. He sent out his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘Well, the wedding is ready, but those who are invited were not worthy. Therefore go to the highways and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’"

In a sense Israel represents the initial invitation. Even though we understand now that they weren't invited to have the Holy Spirit just yet, but that would be coming. But God stopped working with a nation then and started turning to individuals. “He sent the servants out to the highways gathered together all they found, both good and bad. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.”

We're here, we're those wedding guests brought in from here and there wherever both good and bad. If you're brought in bad, you don't need to stay that way. Of course, God calls us to grow and change. We often say, "Not many wise men now are called,” “we're the foolish of the world” but it doesn't call us it will stay foolish, that's fine. You’re going to stop being foolish and grow in our might and our strength spiritually. “When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man who didn't have on a wedding garment and he said, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’” How could you respond to this invitation and not act appropriately, not dress properly?"

“The king said to his servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away and cast him into outer darkness; and they'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Wow! That's pretty solid stuff. But one thing I like a pause though, who is thrown into outer darkness? We often and I think appropriately see that as a symbolic of accepting God's Spirit, responding the invitation, and then turning away from it and ending up in the lake of fire.

But all the people that spurn the invitation to start with, doesn't say they're bound hand and foot and cast into outer darkness. If they represent the Israelites and perhaps many people who get the invitation and decline it. That's not all there is for them, they're going to have their opportunity, and people like my sister, I believe she's going to have her opportunity, she declined the invitation. She didn't show up and not bother to change into a wedding garment, at least that's the interpretation I want to have on it.

Let's go back to Romans 11 if you will with me, Romans 11 and we'll read beginning the verse 28. This is looking back where Paul had been talking about Israel's role and you can see that. He's writing to the Romans—Gentiles who didn't necessarily know or understand God's history with Israel. So, he wanted to make it clear how God worked with the nation, but now he's working in a church. And he says, "Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake." Okay, so, you're not part of the Israel, you're not necessarily friendly to them, Romans. “But concerning the election, they are beloved for the sake of their fathers. And the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

The new covenant is an invitation to a better relationship which God has offered to us. We believe will be offered to them. Moving ahead he says, "For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience,” God is working through us as individuals called into His Church and we have mercy, “… even so these also have now been disobedient that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.”

Not cast into outer darkness, but a chance to have mercy, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” God's calling in His mercies, they're amazing. It's just fabulous. But again, I want to do a basic review because I said, “Well, Israel declined the relationship it's like a woman married who goes and commits adultery and the marriage is dissolved."

Well, how am I saying they will have their chance? Well, I think we know that and every year we go through a Holy Day schedule that reminds us of the way God set it up for all of mankind. We’re in the midst of that schedule now the spring Holy Days are past, we're looking ahead to the fall. The meaning and symbolism of the days remind us that God's plan is for everyone. The invitation might be to a few at this time, but it's not meant to always be for only a few, with all the rest cast out into outer darkness. God has a plan for all people, but it does follow a schedule, and the spring Holy Days focus on those whom God calls earlier, we are included there.

Of course it begins with the Passover which is very important, without Christ’s sacrifice, without a way to cover our sins, there'd be no point to ever call anybody, we'd all have to pay for our sin and we'd be dead forever. But our sins can be washed away and forgiven. Then of course the Feast of Unleavened Bread represents that we don't come just as we are, we have to put sin out of our lives, we put on the wedding garment. We don't want to be the one who's that, "How did you come in here without that?" I hope of God looks at us, if He looks at me and says, "Oh, you're not quite there." He's giving time to, “okay, come on, get that wedding garment on, learn how to do the bow tie” and I'm going to learn that one of these days.

Of course, that Agent that makes it possible, we celebrate on Pentecost, reminding us that God has poured out His Spirit. God dwelling in us, is what makes it possible for us to put sin out of our lives, to become what He wants us to be. We also know then that God founded the Church. He calls us as individuals and also as families, I do want to address the fact that the calling is “to you and to your children” as Peter said on Pentecost. There is a calling available and He calls us into a group, the Church.

When the fall Holy Days come, we start turning to look at: what about all the rest of the world? What is their opportunity? Trumpets represents Christ coming back to this earth with glory and power and the resurrection of the saints. The Day of Atonement represents Satan being put away and reminds us of a reconciliation through Christ sacrifice and then in the Feast of Tabernacles, we celebrate the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth, when everyone who lives then will be called.

Those of us who are called now, called the firstfruits, will get to work with those people and help them to learn and grow, that's an important thing. And will be, I believe preparing those people to work, also with all those who will be raised and what we call the “second resurrection.” Theologians call it sometimes the “great” or “general resurrection.” When all who have ever lived are going to be raised back to life and have their opportunity. They will have a calling, the invitation will be extended.

Matter of fact I want to turn to Revelation 20 to remind us of that. Revelation 20 is where we see, our calling doesn't look as special in a sense then, Revelation 20:11, "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were opened."

We believe these books here represent the books of the Bible and by opening it means their understanding is opened, and they all have that invitation. If now, not many wise men are called, then many wise men will be called. I was trying to think of how to put that to the music of the hymn, but I'm not going to...that wouldn't work very well, but they'll finally understand. They'll have an opportunity to know the things that we know now and to live God's way, without Satan's interference. You might say, "Well then why is our calling so special? Why is it such a privilege?"

We see a hint of that earlier in that chapter in verse 4, backing up, "I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. And I saw the souls of them who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who would not worshiped the beast or his image, and not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years." That's we believe is about us, living in reigning with Christ a thousand years, “But the rest of the dead didn't live again until the thousand years were finished.” And we just read about the rest of the dead rising then, “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection.”

We're called now, accepting that invitation gives us an opportunity to be blessed and holy. To not have any susceptibility to a second death. This is “Over such the second death has no power, but they'll be called priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” That's a pretty good thing, that's something we look forward to, I look forward to. Not that I necessarily want to be reigning and all that, but I certainly want to be immune to a second death. I'm not sure if I'm immune is the word I want, but I want to be so in line with God's way of life that there's no doubt, no thought of turning away and going the way that God doesn't want.

I want to accept that calling and that invitation and become like him and be ready to teach others to be that way. Of course, we see a fuller description of that resurrection in Ezekiel 37, I'm not going to turn there. But if you remember, it's a vivid description of a valley full of dry bones and God speaking to Ezekiel, “Can these live?” “I don't know, you know.” He says, “Yeah, this is the whole house of Israel” and He describes the bones coming together and then coming up and being covered with flesh and skin, breath coming into them, describing a resurrection to physical life. Again, the dead, small and great standing before the throne physically alive.

Now there it says the “whole house of Israel.” I wanted to mention that because, if we turn just a few pages forward from where we are in Revelation to 2 Peter 3:9, reminds us that that invitation that's going to come at that time isn't just for the house of Israel. They'll have that opportunity, but not them alone. Okay. I wanted 2 Peter, not 1 Peter. 2 Peter 3:9. "The Lord is not slacken concerning His promise, as some counts slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish,” I’m going to emphasize. God doesn't want any to perish, Israelite or not, “but that all should come to repentance.” God's plan is for all, for everyone.

Their invitation will come according to His schedule and His timing. Because God is a God of love. He's not condemning people without them having a chance. As I said, the billion or so living in the nation of India today who may have heard of Christianity, and may not have, say they have never had an invitation. They're not written off forever, but as we read in Revelation 20:6, "Blessed and holy is he who has a part in the first resurrection.” We're given an invitation to be blessed and holy, a special privilege. I won't turn there but if you want to make note, Hebrews 11:35, calls it “a better resurrection.” It's a privilege to be called now.

There might be special challenges and of course there are special challenges. We're called at a time when all the world isn't trying to go this way. And when Satan the Devil is permeating the airwaves so to speak, and trying to convince us to go another way. It's a privilege. Of course it's not a right, it's not something we can qualify for or deserve. Of course, no one can cause himself or herself to be called. God chooses. Matter of fact, I do want to read John 15:16. John 15:16. This was on that Passover, the last Passover that Christ spent in the flesh, and He was giving a lot of teachings to His disciples before He was taken away from them. And what He said to them that night I think applies to all of us here. He said, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you."

Remember, we read the example of them walking along the seashore and saying, "You two. You come with me. You and you, come with me." And He told them, “You didn't choose Me, I chose you that you should go and bear fruit, and your fruit should remain, and whatever you ask of the Father in My name He'll give you.” And again, we read in John 6:44, "No one can come to Me unless the Father calls him." And I'll remind you, I'm not going to turn there, Acts 2:39, and 1 Corinthians 7:14 is where we've come to understand that God's calling is to the children of those who are called.

I’ll often say, if you're here because your parents were here, you didn't sneak in by accident. God the Father said, "No, I want you." It's not something, "Oh, my parents are called, so I have to go along." You might look at the other way. Maybe God called your parents just to get you. I don't like to think that, but for all I know though, maybe Connor or… God wanted Conner and so He called me, and my parents, and Sue, and her parents. That gets pretty complex. But the simple basic point of fact, there was a scripture says, "The calling is to you and your children” the promise is to you and your children.

In 1 Corinthians 7 it talks about the unbelieving mate is sanctified by the believing mate, else your children would be profane, but now they are holy. Adult or child, you're here because God the Father looked and said that one. That one I want, they have a special invitation. The sad part for some of us is we can't choose to extend that invitation to someone else only the father can do that. Some of you might have shared this experience. I had it when I was about 18. I was working there at Wendy's and the drive-through and there was a girl there that was awful cute. I did something that I've advised that the kids at camp not to do. I asked her out, and I fell in love with her, and you know what? I prayed that God would call her. I begged Him to.

But His timing wasn't right. It wasn't up to me to decide, I learned that lesson the hard way and suffered from it. That's why I advise young people, don't go that way because you don't want to suffer the bad results or bring it on someone else. And I don't say it casually but I don't want to dwell on it and I certainly don't want people to say, "Well, you did it and you turned out all right." Well, I did it, but I wasn't all right for quite a while afterwards.

We have to learn we can't tell God who to call. I wish we could sometimes, but He knows what's best. And He'll bring it about when He wants. And it's a special wonderful thing to be called. Let's turn to Ephesians 1, if you will. Ephesians 1:16. Actually, I want to read verses 16-19. I keep looking up at the clock. We are a 90 minute service here, right? I know that, when I travel with the ambassador choral, as I go in a congregation a lot of times, now I forgot to ask, is it 90 minutes’ services or a 120 minutes? Lot of the times I'll go an hour and 45 then. But I don't think I'll do that today, unless I keep talking about doing it.

Ephesians 1:16. Paul says, "don't cease to give thanks to you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,” The spirit of wisdom and revelation that alone is a fabulous blessing, “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling." We know the hope of the calling, and “what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power” It’s special to be called, one of the privileges we have as do understand why we're here in the first place.

Years ago the Church used to publish a booklet called, “Why Were You Born?” It's a great thing to know the answer to that question. If you grew up in the Church, you might have been told it so much in your life you feel like you always know it. But it's not that way. And before I was employed by the Church, I was around a lot of institutions of higher learning and people from different walks of life and I dealt with a lot of very smart people, very highly educated people. But a lot of them, they were happy in a certain sense, but I could tell at times they weren't so happy.

Some of them, they were struggling with understanding “why is it all here, what's it all about?” A lot of them have a distorted view of human life. And they get depressed, because they can see the futility. If you don't understand God's plan, it's easy to look at things the way Solomon described at the beginning of the book of Ecclesiastics, “all is vanity.” It's all for nothing. If you read through all of Ecclesiastes, you'll see that Solomon realized what really did matter. So many highly educated, even wealthy people in the world don't have that.

But our calling gives us peace of mind. There's nothing, you can't put a price on that. But that's not even all we have. I've got a note to remind myself, I put in bright ink. This isn't because we're better than anyone else. Remember, we're not better, not more deserving, but we are better off for the calling and it's a privilege. A special thing that was granted to us, and we can expect physical blessings. Psalms 103 recounts some of these. I'm going to turn to Psalms 103 to read just the first few verses. It’s another one that we sing as a hymn often enough.

Psalm 103, "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, forget not all His benefits." Being called, it’s almost like when an employer offers you a job and says, "Now, here's some fringe benefits." God offers us benefits with his calling. “Forgives all your iniquities, heals your diseases, redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like eagle’s.”

Boy, a week and a half ago I was needing to have my youth, no, it was only a week ago, and a week a half ago. I needed youth and vigor renewed, and I want a good...well, we had pretty good things. I was thinking, in Cotubic, a lot of people are saying the food was better than before. But still Last week I went to the store and I bought a package of Little Debbie’s. That's not because of being called, but for some reason I thought of that, when you thought about putting good things in your mouth. Now I'm getting sidetracked.

But I want to say though, we’re given tremendous blessings. It occurred to me, once and again it's come back to me. You know, even if God didn't promise us eternal life, if this life were all that there were, living by God's way, following His commandments would still be the best way. It would bring the happiest life with the most benefits now. It's absolutely true. A lot of people wouldn't believe that, but it's worth considering. I know at the class at summer camp this year. Frank McCrady was going through an exercise where he had the campers, he broke them into group saying, “Let's look at each of the Ten Commandments and look at the benefits you get now in this life by living by them.” There's great benefits from living God's way and it's a wonderful thing.

Another benefit that we get looking around us, we don't get to choose who is called, but we do get to share our calling. We're called, we're invited to be in a special group. I won't turn there, but if you remember Matthew 16:18, where Christ said, He's talking to the disciples He says, "You're Peter, you're the stone, but on this rock I'll build My church."

That's the first place in the Bible the term “church” is used. And we know, we've often heard in Greek. It's ecclesia from ek “out of” and kleses “invitation” we’re the called out ones. We've been invited out from the world, and we come into a special group, who also have this privilege. I do want to turn to Colossians 1, Colossians 1, and read a couple of scriptures there that remind us of what we're a part of. Colossians 1:18 “He" that is Jesus Christ, “is head of the body of the Church, and who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence."

Looking down in verse 24, says something similar, "I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the Church." This is where we get the phrase “body of Christ” and Jesus Christ is the head of that body, which we're part of. While we're here, if you turn a few pages over to 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy 3:15 tells us something important about that special group, that group of called out ones. Paul writing Timothy says, "If I'm delayed, the likes of you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the Church.” The Church is “the house of God.” He doesn't need a physical temple anymore. He dwells in us through His Spirit. The Church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of the truth. The Church is the pillar and ground, a pillar holds up something and a ground is like an anchor, a foundation. That's a high responsibility. We have special benefits. It's a privilege, but it doesn't come without any responsibility.

And you know one of the reasons that’s so amazing? Remember back in 1 Corinthians 1:26, we're not the mighty, we're not the noble. God planned it that way. He's using us instead of those people. He could have called mighty, intelligent people to do this work, to uphold the truth, but He called us to show that it's Him doing it. This is God's work. We're the body of Christ. With Him working through us we can't fail, even though we're the weak in the foolish of the world. Because it says in 1 Corinthians, the verse before that in verse 25, “God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of man's power.” God's foolishness is greater than our greatest accomplishment, our greatest intelligence.

Again, we're not here because we deserve it. We're not better than those who aren't called, but because of God's calling, we are better off. Because as I said He gives us so many great blessings and responsibilities. I'm reminded of Christ said “to whom much is given much is required.” And I can't hear that without thinking of Ben Parker saying, "With great power comes great responsibility." Some of you are going to chuckle about that. The others I'll fill you in later. But we have great responsibility, which includes” being true to that calling, sharing it, preaching the gospel to others, and preparing to be the bride in that wedding to Christ that's coming up.

Of course, doing so, we have the blessings now. The peace of mind. The healing, the provision, God says, "I'll never leave you alone." Yes, brethren and I call you that because we have the same Father. We've all been called to be part of this body. We're the ecclesia, the called out ones. Each of us individually was invited by God the Father to have the special opportunity and all the blessings that come with it. Coming back to the main point I've been saying, our calling is a miracle and a privilege.

Let's conclude by turning to 2 Peter. I put the glasses on too soon. 2 Peter 1:10 to remind us of one of the greatest things of this. 2 Peter 1:10, "Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure.” Don't take lightly that privilege calling. That invitation you have make it sure. “For if you do these things, you'll never stumble." I believe He's referring to some things above that show is how to make it sure. “For so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly.” It doesn't mean we're barely going to squeak through. If we're making good on that invitation, God is going to make it in an entrance abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We need to be loyal and faithful to that calling, and that will lead to us being born into God's Family. That's the end result of the miracle and privilege of our calling.