Discovery, Decision, & Action

Scripture: Psalm 139:1-5,12-17; 1 Samuel 3:1-20 and John 1:43-51.

Sermon:

In her book, A Man Called Peter, Catherine Marshall tells how her late preacher-husband felt a sense of destiny a sense of call in his life. One dark night, Peter, then a young man, decided to take a Shortcut across the Scottish moors. He knew there was a deep deserted limestone quarry in that area, but he was confident that even in the dark he could avoid it. Suddenly, he heard someone call, "Peter." There was great urgency in the voice. Peter stopped and responded: "Yes who is it? What do you want?" There was no answer. He walked a few more steps and then heard the voice calling more urgently, "Peter!" He paused then he stumbled and fell on his knees. Putting out his hand to catch himself, he found nothing there. He was at the very edge of the abandoned stone quarry. Just one more step would have meant certain death." The calling that night confirmed for Peter Marshall that he was clearly being called by God for ministry.

And I am convinced that each of us has been called by God to fulfill a purpose, to fulfill a spiritual calling in this life. We are called to become a part of the Masters plan. Samuel in the O.T. was called by God, and in turn he responded thus fulfilling God's plan for his life. This calling this process can be divided into 3 steps: (1) the step of discovery, (2) the step of decision, (3) And, thirdly, the step of action. Discovery....Decision...Action! How do these steps apply to us as followers of the Christ. First there is discovery: Samuel heard someone calling him over and over and each time he was convinced it was Eli. But with Eli's help Samuel finally realized who was truly calling him, it was God himself. Samuel made a discovery. It was God that was calling him. God had called Samuel 3 times and each time Samuel was sure he was convinced it was Eli.

• And Eli too was being utilized by God For it was Eli that gave Samuel insight in discovering the purpose of God's call. I want to be available for God to use me, when he calls others.

Samuel did not know God's voice he did not know who was calling, but Eli did. Philip was discovered by Jesus and Jesus also called him to follow. Then Philip found Nathanael and told him about this Jesus, Philip called to Nathanael to Come Come and see! When Jesus saw Nathanial coming toward him Jesus called out to Nathanial and proclaimed what kind of man he was. Are you beginning to grasp the message in the Scriptures today? The initial calling always comes from God. God discovers us as we are. God discovers us where we are. And that call that discovery always requires us to make a decision. God acts first God makes the opening call to each of us. And our initial step after God's call to us is to "Come and See". The initial step of any undertaking is vital. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Chinese proverb by Laozi, not Confucius. If you do not start the race you cannot finish the race. Having a relationship with God is paramount in your calling as a believer. You don’t find God. God comes to you. God discovers you. God is calling you. There is on old hymn which proclaims this so clearly: Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, Calling for you and for me; See, on the portals he's waiting and watching. Watching for you and for me. Come home, come home, You who are weary come home, Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling. Calling, O sinner come home." If you are hearing this, either Jesus has called you or Jesus is calling. He is calling us into relationship He is calling us to Come and See. He is calling you and he is calling me to Come To Come and Discover Him. (1) So this Discovery ....in turn (2) leads to Decision. We have been called into relationship with our Lord. Now, how you respond to that calling is the decision. Remember When God called Samuel the 4th time Samuel heard and knew the call was from God. He discovered God's calling, and answered with these words, "Speak, for your servant is listening." God is calling each of us to be his own; To be in relationship with Him. Are You Listening? Each of you has been called. Now it’s decision time. What will you do with that call? You must make a decision. Some liken this time of discovery to that of "tire-kickers".

ADD: I’ve never really learned anything from kicking the tires.

These people when they are shopping for a new or used car, will discover the cars, and they will kick the tires they may kick a lot of tires, yet they never buy. There are many tire-kickers, who at times visit churches; they see and hear; And even once in a while they are moved by something in the Service. But they never really intend to buy. BUT Discovery always leads us to make a decision. If the Decision is to accept the calling then there is maturity there is advancement in your faith in your spiritual life. And as you pass from one new beginning to another, you realize a greater dimension to your life a greater dimension in your relationship to and with God. One of my favorite acts in a circus is the aerial acrobats they swing from the high trapeze bar. I watch in amazement as they swing high above. Higher and higher, then in a split second, one lets go of that bar, performs some sort of acrobatic move in the air and then is caught in the hands of another. The catcher is always prepared to catch the one flying through the air. What does it take, for that performer to let go of that bar and fly into the hands ....of the waiting catcher? What does it take to let go of the roots and rocks, as we hang on the side of a cliff, to surrender our perceived safety. And grab hold to the life-giving rope that is lowered to us? What does it take to be more than tire kickers to be more than window shoppers? What does it take to let go of ourselves, to surrender ourselves into the hands of Jesus? What does it take to let go of your life and let Jesus have full control total control? It takes faith, Faith in God's promise to us. Faith which allows us to develop a deeper a richer relationship with Him. The Scriptures are clear Christian Faith is an Action Faith. It is not a stagnate Faith. It is a Faith that requires us to do something. (1) There is Discovery, and Discovery (2) leads to a Decision .... (3) which in turn leads us to Action. Samuel and Philip put their decision of faith into action. Samuel proclaimed to the Lord "I will listen". Philip asked Nathanael to "Come and see Come and See this Messiah." And Nathanael in his response made a declaration of faith: "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Once you have discovered God's calling to you, once you have made a decision of Faith to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Then, and only then, will you experience a rebirth. You will be a person of action Faith. James in his epistle puts it this way: "Even so Faith without works is dead" James 2:17 Or it could be restated , Faith without Action is Dead. Some may feel that they do not want to engage in Action until they are "A Stronger Christian". These may be the same people that would have you believe you become a perfected golfer, skier or tennis player by simply reading about it thinking about it, or deciding to. We truly become stronger not only in Sports but in our Christian walk by combining prayer, study and action. Jesus states in the Gospel of John that you should Love one another as I have loved you. That makes faith, and thus action so much easier. Love gives us the desire to introduce others to our Lord and Savior. Who among us has never enjoyed a restaurant, movie, book, or vacation destination, and not had an eagerness to share the experience with others? We need to exercise our faith, through action. And by telling others about Jesus, we grow. FAITH LEADS TO ACTION AND ACTION LEADS TO FAITH. In his epistle, James goes on to state that as a result of works, as a result of action, faith was perfected. That is, our faith becomes stronger. It becomes mature due to... our Action. Our actions proclaim our faith. They proclaim who we really are. I heard about a comment that was shared at a parent teacher conference about a high school student named Justin, by his high school chemistry teacher. She said Justin was an exceptional student and that he was not afraid to work with other students that were considered odd or different. Justin was a pretty well-known kid at school. But he was not afraid to be available to those that might be looked down on by the rest of the student body. He was not afraid of how he would be perceived by the rest of his class. When Justin saw a person in need he stepped forward to fulfill that need. It is possible that the opposite of Love is not Hate, it is Fear! And, it is fear that often keeps us from stepping out and doing the right thing.

• It could be the fear of how we are perceived by others.

• Fear that we might be considered odd or different.

• Fear that they will reject our friendship.

We need to be willing we must be willing to step out and do Gods work even in the presence of fear. Action builds faith and faith reduces fear. (So does knowledge) Do not let fear separate you from Gods plan for your life. "Fear Not"....."Be not Afraid!” Yield. Yield to the calling of Jesus. Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, Calling for you and for-or me; See, on the portals He's waiting and watching, Watching for you and for me. Come home, come home, Ye who are weary come home, Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling. Calling, O sinner come home." Lets Pray