Priority #5 : The Great Commission

Chapter 29 - Listen, He Calls Your Name

Listen your name is being called. In looking through the word of God I find many times where God moved in close to an individual life and He called them by name. And He had a reason and a purpose for the call. I think of Samuel in an hour of darkness and blackness in the land of Israel, they had drifted from God, God was left out of their thoughts and their hearts and a voice was heard, "Samuel," God speaking to the heart of a boy. I think of Moses as he drew near a bush that he saw burning and he heard that voice, "Moses, Moses the place that you're standing on is holy ground. Moses I have a job for you to do." And God spoke to Moses, He prepared Moses for a time of great deliverance and He let him know of the power and the presence of the supernatural God.

 

I think of the time that he called Saul. He said, "Saul I have a reason, a purpose for your life. There are some rulers, kings and men of authority that won't have a chance to hear if you don't get on the ball." God called him. It took a rough kind of a call but he listened. His writings have given hope to people down through the ages. I think of Adam. The word tells us that in the cool of the day God would come down and He would speak with Adam, they would commune together. Talk about a wonderful fellowship. But sin separated Adam and Eve and because of fear they hid themselves. You remember God called out and they hid themselves because of the fear of God. God cried out, "Adam where are you?" I often thought God who knows everything, was he trying to find out where Adam was? I believe that God knew where Adam was don't you? He knew just exactly where he was hiding.

 

But I believe that question came to Adam to let Adam answer his own need. He could ask himself let's see where am I? Where am I in relation to the call of God, where am I in relation to the position that God has given me? What about those days of sweet communion and fellowship? Here I am now separated from that. Where am I? Where am I in regard to the days of judgment coming? So God's call went out to Adam and he had to answer it. He had to come out and say, "God I was hiding because I was afraid because I had disobeyed You." I mention these things today to bring us right up to date. God is still calling men and women. His voice is still sounding out. There are many, many general calls in the Word where he calls out, "come unto Me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest." There's the call that we're to come and reason with Him and though are sins might be as red as crimson He said they would be just as white as snow. God gives that general call. Everyday people are coming into my office; you're meeting people on the job in various places. And you've probably heard the same question; people are asking themselves and me, I don't really know for sure what brings me here. I don't know, I don't know why I am here. But there was this circumstance in my life, there was this thing, this people said something.

 

Linda brought a young lady into my office that gave her heart to Jesus, so that was her spiritual daughter. Her spiritual daughter brought her sister and she gave her heart to the Lord this morning so now you're a spiritual grandmother. This is happening to many people. But the words that they're telling me is, "I don't know why I am here, it just seemed like well this worked out and this and this" and there are probably hundreds of you out here this morning that if you were to try and pin point and find an exact reason why you happened to land here in central assembly you would be hard pressed to find an answer. But I have an easy answer for you. God called you. He zeroed in on you. He spoke your name.

 

I have a letter that I haven't shown anyone else; I'm going to go see someone this week. Someone's heart is crushed because of a tragedy that came into the home and in the letter they said I just can't understand why God would do this to me and my children. I just can't understand God doing this?" I'm going to let her know what I'm telling you now. God didn't bring that tragedy. But I'll tell you what God does. God uses these tragedies and these things that come, circumstances in our lives, situations that may be unpleasant. God uses them to channel His voice through to our hearts. He sees the opening because of the hurts. And God Himself uses those things that sometimes look so hard that come are way as a telephone line right into your heart. And he says, "Listen I'm standing right here, I am able to lift you above this thing, I have something better for you." And he speaks to us through the storm. Have you seen that happen in your life? God is calling, God is speaking. Praise God.

 

I have the joy of telling them, that they're looking at the pressure, but Jesus called them and their there. He called them by name. His desire is to add new purpose, new meaning to life. I had a young man stop by my office last night. It looked like the sun had gone down in his life. Sorrow had come, he told me that he almost felt like, well what's the use of going on living because the pressure and the hurts were so severe in him. But he has a friend that comes to the church here and he felt possibly if I come maybe I can have a little ease, maybe I can find out a little bit some way out, some light, some lift to this load. And he came last night. While he was sitting in my office he recognized that in the sorrow God's voice could be heard, Bill, Bill I want you, I have something better for you. Bill opened his heart and said Jesus I want you. Bill told me a strange warmth came down over his life. The cold chill that was pressing in left him. He listened to God's voice as God zeroed in. He heard many calls, he knew what God could do but at this moment of heartache and sorrow he could hear his name being called and he answered the call.

 

The pressures, the heartaches, well God doesn't only speak through them, God speaks through some of those good things that He's doing for you did you know that? He tells us the goodness of God leads you, he says come on and He calls your name. And his goodness his blessing on your life, those many times when He smiled on you when you didn't deserve it. God was calling your name and saying come on, I love you, I'm showing you my favor and I want you to be mine. So he's calling today. Many, many of you are here this morning who haven't as yet responded to the call but you have felt that awakening, that strange beckoning toward Him. And the voice of the Lord has gone out through all of the earth.

 

We're living in a time of the closing era of this dispensation. And God is moving by His Spirit, His voice is being heard. And He's not only calling you but He's waking you up that you might hear the call and He's calling your name. He's offering you new purpose, new hope, new life. And you can see the examples of what He is doing by these many, many people who have found Christ even in just recent weeks and months, their lives have turned around. There are people that feel that I'm too far off can God do anything with me, it just seems as though I've failed and I've fallen flat on my face every time I've tried to do anything that was decent. Yes He's calling you; your name is being called.

 

Some of our young people who were bound and ensnared by the enemy in this wave of homosexuality that's sweeping the land, God totally delivered them. They're different people. But they felt yesterday that because of what's being printed in the newspapers, in time magazine and other areas of the media, that this is a way of life that a person involved in this cannot change that the only thing that will free them is death. And these men that the command of faith, the liberating power of God performed a miracle and freed them. And they couldn't stand to think of these words going out and young people that may being led in that direction knowing there's no hope anywhere, and so they went down to the newspaper office yesterday. And sat for an hour an a half being interviewed by a reporter. They had their pictures taken. They said we've counted the cost, we don't know what people will think of us because there's so many people that will wrap their robes about them and say I don't want anything to do with anyone that's been involved with that sort of a thing. But they're washed, they're cleansed new people and so they've counted the cost. So don't be surprised if you see some pictures and some names of some people and you're going to be shocked and you're going to say, you mean I was hugging that guy and he was a homosexual. You sure were. And that's not all, you're probably sitting beside someone that has had troubles like that. But God has forgotten all about it. Their lives are turned around, homes are restored.

 

Regardless of what the background may be, that awakening that stirring, that longing for something that He's offering to you. That purpose, that hope, that whole new life. He's calling your name; He's calling your name. Where there is just from a dissatisfied life, whether it's from a religion that's burdensome and that's weighing you down, your name is being called. Your name is being called. But the challenge comes to you what are you going to do about it when He calls your name? Hebrews 3:7-8. We have a definite warning and a promise. That if you will listen to his call, if you will answer his call He's waiting there to receive you. To welcome you into his family, to put his best robe around you, that's a robe of righteousness that makes you acceptable to God. Imputed righteousness.

 

But for those who hear his call as He calls over and over again and asks us not to turn away or harden our hearts. "Today if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts as in the day of provocation in the wilderness, Israel hardened their hearts." Verse 15, "if you hear his voice don't harden your hearts but yield to Him." Draw near to Him. They that draw nigh unto God He will draw near unto them. Do you know that the longing of your heart that brought you to this place this morning, you have already answered the call of God, you felt that yearning, that longing and your searching and you're like that son that Jesus spoke about, he turned toward home and while he was still a way off his father saw him and he didn't say, "I'm going to wait till he gets up the steps and in the house and goes through a month probation and then I'll see if I want him back." Oh no. The father saw him way off and he ran to where he was and your father saw you. He saw you as you came. He knows the questionings that are in your mind and the search. He knows the perplexity that you're going through, the desire for something better. He sees all of this. Do you know something? He has run to where you are. He's right with you now and he's saying let me usher you right into the very best that I have. I've got a big fatted calf I want to kill. I want to have a banquet because you have turned towards home. Let's go together and he's link arms with you. Praise God. And there's great rejoicing when you come walking through the door into his dwelling place with Him.

 

Have you heard his voice? Listen I've spoken mainly to those who have been away from the Lord but He's calling all of us. He's calling some of you for real service for God. He's calling some of you for the experience of being filled with the supernatural power of God as Moses saw the supernatural and was called for a time of great deliverance. Each one of us. God is putting his finger on our lives and we're hearing our names being called. He has a place for everyone in his great service. Listen, this morning your name is being called, God's voice is being heard.

 

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