Sermon Transcript: “Have You Been Called?” by Bishop Leroy Odom

Speaker: Bishop Leroy Odom, Pastor
Sunday, January 31, 2010 – 11:00 a.m. at New Beginning Church of God

Scripture: – Matthew 4:12-22
12Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; 
13And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 
14That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
15The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
16The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
17From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
18And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 
19And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 
20And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 
21And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 
22And they immediately left the ship and their father and followed him.

The bible says, “and he called them.” The question I want to discuss today is, Have you been called? Has Jesus called you? And then, if he called you, have you answered the call? Then the last part is, how do you know that you were called? These are questions that we have to be concerned about as we try to live this Christian life. The bible says no one can come to the Father except he draws them. To draw them is to call them. So the question is, have you been called? Then, have you answered the call? Jesus called these men, and they answered the call, dropped their nets. Everybody Jesus called, they were doing something. And when he called them, they had to leave something to go with him. There always has been a sacrifice if you’re going to go with him. In the bible, when John the Baptist was baptizing and the Pharisees and Sadducees came to the baptism, he asked them, “who warned you to flee the wrath? Bring forth meat for repentance.” In other words, has your heart been touched? If Jesus called you, then you ought to know it because your heart would have been touched. Have you been touched by his power? And if God touched you, there ought to have been some signs somewhere that you can relate to. For you to answer the call there is something that had to have happened in your life. Repentance takes a contrite spirit. There has to be a yielding of yourself. There’s a giving up to come to him. So we can go back and kind of backtrack in our lives. Have you had such an event take place in your life? It is necessary. It is a point of reference. I always try to emphasize that if you don’t know you’re saved, satan will determine and decide for you whether you are saved. You can’t leave it up to satan for him to determine whether or not you are saved. It is a dangerous thing to have a guessing game or a time of discussion with satan when he comes against you to decide whether or not you are on the Lord’s side. This is something you have to know in advance. Folks say it is always a bad time to wait until times of tragedy to make some decisions. There ought to be some preparation. You ought to have something in place to work with. And so when we talk about God and when we’re going through this life, we have to stop and answer sometimes, have I really been called by God? Have I really been touched by him? And think about it. 

Where were you when he called you? What kind of state of mind were you in? You may not remember where you were physically, but you ought to remember where you were spiritually. What happened to you? How do you know it was God calling you? What changes took place in your life? Did you have to humble yourself? Did you have to make some kind of repentance, concessions, give up something and start anew? When Jesus called these men, they were busy. They were about a trade. They had an occupation. They were working. He called them and he said they dropped their nets to follow him. They had to make a sacrifice to come to Jesus. Not only them. You can look through the bible and you’ll find others that made sacrifices to come to Jesus. There is always something you have to give up. You have to leave something behind. You can’t take everything with you when you go to Jesus. The bible said straightway they dropped their nets and left their father in the ship, going to follow Jesus. One scripture says I’ll let nothing get between me and my Savior. Not father nor mother, nor sister nor brother. The male chorus sings a song that says, I’ll go if I have to go by myself. If mother don’t pray, father don’t pray, sister don’t pray and so on, I’ve got to pray. I’ve got to go. Sometimes in our lives we have to stop and think about it. Did you make that kind of decision in your life? Because it’s necessary if you’re going to continue to do the work that God calls for. In order to complete this mission, you have to answer the call. And everybody that’s going to complete the mission has to be put on the mission. God is going to have to put you in the work. He called these men. They were fishermen by trade, but Jesus said I’ll make you fishermen of men. I’m not going to stop you from working. I’m just going to change the outcome and give you a different way to work. 

Those that come to God must believe that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him…in your mind and in your action. Be ye faithful unto death. We already have something to do. Bring forth meat for repentance. Bring a heart. Come to God. A man must believe before he can receive. You must bring faith to receive from God. When God calls us there are sacrifices that we must all make in order to receive from God. You can’t take everything with you. There are some things that you might love and it might be nice for you, but you have to leave it behind. God don’t need it because he is going to change your occupation sometimes and let you work in a different way. He changes the tools you work with. You still have to work. You still have to go to war. The bible says our warfare is not carnal, but it is spiritual. In other words, we still have to fight. But you have to change the tools you fight with. God always wants us to understand you are joining an army. We don’t dictate to him. He tells us what to do. But you have to be willing to make the necessary sacrifices. There are a lot of men that we talk about in the bible that we get highly impressed with or they lift our spirits because of what they’ve done and how they did it. There were great sacrifices to be made to serve God. We might not be on a ship. We might not be on a sea. But if you come to God, you are going to have to make some sacrifices. The sacrifice of mind, the sacrifice of spirit, the sacrifice of will. You may have ideas of where you want to go, but God may change your destination. He may point you in another direction. Jesus said I came that you may have life and have it more abundantly. The one thing that we can rest assured of is that God will give us a good life. I’m glad that when I look through the scriptures I see over and over again of people that seemingly had everything going in their direction. They were in a good position. But God somehow came in and things started changing in their position. But you see, in the end, God always worked something out that was bigger and better than what they had.

A lot of folks thought they understood God. You can’t get conceited now to think that because I’m with God I understand everything about God. When I look through the bible, I see prominent people that were striving to serve God. But trying to understand all about God is a lifetime affair. I see the great men of God, one we call senior prophet, Jeremiah. He was serving God, doing what God would have him to do, but he didn’t really understand all about God. He was trying his best to serve God, yielding his life to him. But God kept doing things that he just couldn’t understand and it bothered his spirit and he started questioning God. God had to take him down to the potter’s house to let him see and understand his position so he could learn his place so God could work his plan. After we have been called, we still have to keep ourselves in a place where God can speak to us, because you can get yourself out of position, where you don’t see or hear properly, and God has to pull us back to a place of humbleness. That’s why the story is so great. God took Jeremiah down to the potter’s house. He was a man of God. He was a prophet, but he still didn’t understand all about God. So just because you’re saved today let us not think that we understand all about God. We have to stay humble so that God can speak to us and direct us. And don’t get too high that God can’t take us down. Sometimes God has to take us back to the potter’s house. The bible says one baptism but many fillings. We need another touch from the master’s hand. We need to see a little further and dig a little deeper in order that God can work His plan out in our lives so that we can work properly in the vineyard of the Lord. Jeremiah was called by God and appointed by God, but God had to yet speak to him. Jeremiah was one of the men of the bible we say was born with the holy spirit, but yet he didn’t fully understand God. So sometimes in this life, we have to humble ourselves and not think that because we’re saved we understand all about God. We have to keep ourselves in a humble position. Say God speak to me; open my eyes that I can see. Every now and then you ought to pray that God takes you to a spiritual potter’s house. He can show you the working of him and you can get a better understanding of what God is doing. After Jeremiah went to the potter’s house for that experience, Jeremiah was a better prophet. God could use him more. He found his place in God better. He was of more help. God could depend on him better when he understood his position with God. Learn a little more about God. The more you humble yourselves, the more God can use us.  Jeremiah went to the potter’s house so God could humble him more. Can I do Jeremiah with my people as the potter does with the clay? It takes humbleness that God can use us as he pleases. In the bible, we talk about Esther saying, “if I perish…I’m going to see the king.” But Esther needed some humbleness. She had to be taught a lesson. God had to speak to her heart. She had to heed a call from God for a higher calling than what she had. She thought surely because she was in the king’s house that was all she needed. She was satisfied. She was secured in there. It was a miracle how she got there. But yet God needed to speak to her to take her a round higher. Sometimes we’re in a good place. God has blessed us, but we can’t afford to get satisfied. We can’t get easy in Zion. Maybe God wants to take us to another level. God needs to open our eyes. He needs to speak to us. Maybe God is trying to tell us something and we are not hearing the call. Sometimes we need someone else to help us get the message. Esther was placed in the king’s palace, but her uncle Mordecai had to remind her that maybe she was there for a higher calling than she thought. She was so happy that she was a little slave girl that got to be in the king’s house. She just thought it was all about her. But Jeremiah reminded her that it’s bigger than you. Maybe it’s not about you why you’re there even though you’re enjoying it. Sometimes we are enjoying the blessings of God, but maybe it’s not just about us. Maybe God just has us there for a reason. We must make sure we play the right part. God is loaning us a position to work in and he’s saying to us be sure that we do it right. I put you up, and I’ll take you down. I’ll bless you, but I can take it away. So whatever God allows you to do, make sure you do it properly that God’s work can go on. Esther needed to be reminded by her uncle that her people were in trouble. But Esther reminded her uncle, listen, it is not lawful for me to go in to see the king because I might die. The bible says those that come to him must deny themselves. Esther had to forget about the point that she might die. Sometimes we get ourselves in the way of our progress. It’s too much about me, myself, and I. Was it selfish for Esther to follow the rule that if I go to see the king I might die? If you remember, the Apostle Paul said listen, I don’t know what you think about me obeying you or God, but I’ve got to obey God rather than man. Sometimes God’s call supersedes man’s call. Even though it was wrong for Esther to go to see the king based on man’s law, there was a higher calling. Because man on his natural laws never would have allowed her to be queen. But because of God’s miraculous working, she was a slave girl that overrode all of the homegirls sort of speak and she got to be queen. God was working on her behalf way before her time. So if you’re in a position, don’t think it’s all about me, myself and I. Understand it’s God’s doing. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to serve. Serve like it’s an opportunity, not that you have earned it, not that you have a right. It’s a blessing from the Lord that I have what I have. It’s a good thing. When you’ve been able to enjoy the blessings of God, don’t always think I’ve earned it. Think about it’s a gift from God. God giveth and God taketh away. We have to understand God loaned this to me and I’ve got to use it properly because I didn’t earn it. It’s the blessings of God. Thank God for his grace and mercy that’s in my life. I’m going to use it. I’m going to serve God as though it’s a gift, not that I’ve earned it. It’s a bonus God has given me, beyond what I deserve. Mordecai reminded Esther of the greater calling…listen Esther you are there, but maybe God put you there for a time like this. Maybe you didn’t earn it in the first place. You’re only there because God wanted you there for this moment. So you better take another look at the situation. Let me remind you that if you don’t do it, if you don’t play your part, God will get somebody else. And if he does, maybe he won’t need you anymore in that position. In other words, God’s not going to lose; you’re going to lose. But if you do right by God, he’ll let you enjoy his blessings. But if you mess up, he’ll bypass you. So sometimes when you’re going through life and you see yourself in a blessed position be sure that you remind yourself of how you got there. It’s not all about me. Maybe God got me here for a reason. I must serve my God. So when Esther’s eyes were opened, she heard God calling her from a different perspective. God got in her spirit, and then she said, I’m going to see the king now. Because maybe God’s got me here for this reason. And if I perish, it’s alright because my life is hidden with him because I’m here because of him. If it wasn’t for God, I wouldn’t be here. So if I go on a mission for God, he is going to protect me. Where he leads me I will follow. That’s what we’re talking about. That’s what makes us Christians. We’ve been called by God and answered the call; where he leads me, I will follow. I’m in his hands. I’m serving under his banner. He promised never to leave me, never to forsake me. That’s why we go. I’ve been called by God. Christians have to stop sometimes and ponder in our minds, have you been called by God? Nothing will stop that Christian if you’ve been called by God…if you’ve been touched by God. Not even life or death. This thing is bigger than life. If you understood and analyzed Esther’s situation, you’ll see that the calling that Mordecai reminded Esther of, Esther saw it as bigger than her life. She said I’m going to see the king even if it cost my life because this thing here is bigger than me. When you want to serve God, when you can make God bigger than you, you’re getting ready to do some work now. This thing is bigger than me. How many of us are serving God when God’s plan is bigger than mine? When doing what’s right is bigger than me, I’m not going to stop because I’m taking a loss. I’m doing it because it’s right.

I heard the great Dr. King say, if you’re only doing right because you want to achieve something, you’re not doing right. You’re doing right because it’s right to do right. Even if it doesn’t benefit me today, it’s just right. Some folk only do right when they count up the cost to see what’s in it for me, and then right begins to be the proper thing to do. But right is right even if it doesn’t benefit me today, it’s just right. God’s got a bigger thing. Now you’re getting ready to serve God because you’re doing what’s right. I understand that Apostle Paul always reminded the people who he was. He got a call on that Damascus road. He had authority. He was in power, a very eloquent man. He had the king’s seal, the king’s authorization to do whatever. But he got another call. We read scripture that the folk that sits in darkness saw a light. Have you seen the light? Can you see? Paul was in darkness. With all the power he had riding down that Damascus road, he still was in darkness, because when that light shine about him, that light was brighter than the daylight. You see, God’s light is brighter than your light. Why do I say that? Any light that’s put on in a light, if the light is brighter than the light that you put on, it makes no reflection. That light is going to have to be brighter than the light to make any difference. So if God’s light wasn’t any brighter than the light of the day, then they never would have seen the light. The light would have been just a mere figure; it would have been nothing. But they were riding at noonday. God’s light came and shine so bright they could see it and it knocked them down. That light took over. God’s light will take over any light. That’s why when we talk about walking in the light, it’s bigger than the ordinary light. Thank you, Lord. Paul recognized when he saw the light, he answered the call, and he wasn’t ashamed of the call he answered. It put his life in jeopardy because he answered the call of God. And his life was no more of value above the calling. But he said he was going to serve God in spite of. If it cost my life, I’m still going to do this because I’ve seen the light. I’ve seen a light of life. I’ve seen the purpose of why I’m here. That’s what kept them going until they reached the end. When he got to Nero’s chopping block, he said I have finished my course. I’m ready to be offered up. He saw a light that was brighter than any noon-day light. Have you seen the light? Have you answered the call? Are you sure? Paul was sure. Every time he got a chance, he reminded the people of when he saw the light. And he was not ashamed of the light. The light represented the gospel. Paul said I’m not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God under whom that believe. If you believe it, you can receive it. But if you don’t believe it, there is nothing for you. To some, it’s a stumbling block. To some, it’s a stepping stone. Don’t stumble over God’s word. Pray that God opens your eyes that you can walk the ladder of success. Every round goes higher and higher. We are climbing Jacob’s ladder by faith. If you see, you can walk this ladder of success and of the beauty of life. But you must see the light.

You can’t take it all. You’ve got to walk away from some things. Some folks think they have to walk away from all bad things. That’s what trips us up sometimes in life. We think that everything you leave to serve God has to be a bad thing. That’s something that we never get a hold of good. There are sacrifices you have to make for God. Sure it would be nice if you could stay, but for God, you have to make a bigger sacrifice sometimes. It’s not always bad things you have to leave. It’s just that God wants your time. And God has something better and you have to trust God to make the move. You have to rearrange your schedule sometimes. Sometimes you can have a schedule made up, and somebody else calls and says cancel that meeting and go to this meeting…cancel that and go to this. You have to look at the priority of which one should be attended first. So God wants to be the priority in your schedule making. That’s what God is calling for. Paul was on his way to persecute the church. He had authorization from the king. He was scheduled to go there. His friends expected him to go there. When they found out that he changed his mind and altered his schedule, they were after his neck. They wanted to kill him because he let them down. They wondered why you did it. You are a traitor to us. But Paul said I saw a light. I got a calling from a higher king. I had to obey. I put my life on the line for this king. That’s what God wants us to do. Sure, you have plans, but have you got the calling from the higher king? Have you seen his plan worthy of your life? Are you willing to say Lord for God I’ll live and for God, I’ll die? I found a king to serve that’s greater than the king I had. That’s what God wants. I found something better than what I had. I altered my whole life to follow this king. That’s what God is looking for, those that will alter their lives to follow the king. Have you heard the call? Have you answered the call? Do you know you heard it? The evidence is you have to show something you left. What concessions did you make? What did you stop doing? Did the enemy get upset with you because you were not there at your appointment? That’s what you have to ask yourself. You can’t keep all of the world appointments and say I have been called by God. That’s why the Bible said woe unto anybody that everybody speaks well of. You have to disappoint somebody to serve God. You can’t please the devil and God at the same time. You can’t keep these two schedules. They will conflict. One of them is going to have to be the priority. Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. When you read the Bible and study it, it comes at us. It comes right after our soul. It comes after us, who you are, who you’re going to be, what you are going to do, who you’re going to serve, who you’re going to pattern after, who is going to be the anchor of your life. The anchor, who you look to for safety. You need a strong anchor. When a ship comes to sea, you tie it onto something strong so the waves don’t blow it back out. And then when you’re out to sea on the ship sometimes they have this heavy weight. The Bible says they let down the anchor. In other words, when you find you can’t go any further and the waves are taking you contrarily, what you do then is let down the anchor. The Bible says when you’ve done all to stand, stand anyhow. Letting down your anchor is I’m going to stay right here until this storm blows over. You need an anchor to hold you. I’m in a storm. I’m in a twister here. The wind is coming after me in every direction. What am I going to do? I’m going to wait a while. I’m going to stand still and let God speak to me. I’m going to let my anchor down. God is an anchor in the time of trouble. That’s why you need an anchor. Just to stand still. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy will come in the morning. I’m going to anchor right here and wait a while. This too will pass. If you don’t have an anchor, you will get blown with the sea. You need an anchor. Let Jesus be your anchor. He’ll be an anchor in the time of storm. You need it in special times when the ship is just turning and twisting and you can’t go frontwards, taking you in contrary ways. You say listen, the best thing for me to do is put it down and stay right here. When this thing is over, then we’ll decide what to do. That’s when you need an anchor, something to hold onto. You need faith in your lives. When you don’t know exactly what to do, I’m going to stay right here and pray and let God speak to me. I’m going to anchor. Thank you Lord.

Have you heard the call? Did you answer? I need to know. The evidence is what did you leave? What concessions did you make? What changed about your life? Any real changes? Anything you can point to? Paul was very happy. Every time he got a chance he talked about his conversion on the Damascus road. He didn’t mind anybody talking about it. Job said I’m going to wait on the Lord until my change comes. The Hebrew boys said I’m not going to bow down. If God doesn’t deliver me, I’m going to stay right here. Daniel said I’m going to pray to my God anyhow. He didn’t care. Threaten my life, I’m still going to pray. He heard a call. He anchored himself in God’s word. That’s what I’m talking about. Esther said after her uncle Mordecai reminded her and she got that call from God and God touched her heart and let her realize who she was and where she was, she said listen, I got to answer God’s call. I have to go see the king now because this thing is bigger than me. I thought it was all about me. Sometimes you might think it’s all about you. But God opens your eyes and lets you see it’s bigger than you. I’m only here on a mission. Thank you, Lord for giving me a chance to work. I’ve got to stay about my father’s business. It’s God taking care of me not myself. Sometimes you can think that your brilliancy is why you’re there. Some of us worked on a job and maybe someone else was a little smarter than you, but they’re gone, and you’re still around. Why? Maybe it’s bigger than you. So you have to stop and thank God for my blessing. Thank you, Lord. I don’t know what happened. I don’t understand all of this, but thank you Lord I’m still here. So maybe God has a plan that’s bigger than you that he is working out through you. So we say Lord open my eyes so I can get myself off of me so I can understand it’s God’s doing. Not me, myself, and I. It’s the Lord that’s pushing me through. Thank you, Lord. Somebody prayed for me and I am operating in the plan of God. I am just a tool being used by God, benefiting off of somebody else’s prayer. Solomon benefited from his father. He didn’t earn it, but it’s Solomon’s temple. It’s not all about me. Thank you, Lord.

Listen, God maybe is trying to tell you something. Just maybe there’s a Mordecai trying to get a message through to you. Esther was the queen. Mordecai was just a man in the city. But he had a message from God to send to Esther. Even though she was in the king’s palace, she needed a message from God from the outside that she could see what God was doing on the inside of the palace. Sometimes we’re too close, we can’t see. We need an outside vision so we can see the inside plan. God got a way to show us what God is trying to do. Just because you’re there you might be missing it. Maybe someone on the outside has the inside scoop to tell you. That’s what happened to Esther. Esther was in the king’s palace. She was in there, in a position to see the king. She didn’t see Mordecai on the outside of the palace. He had the vision to give Esther that Esther could see what she could do inside the palace. She was in it, but she couldn’t see it. Mordecai had to open her eyes to God’s working. My friends, have you heard the call? Did you answer? Are you sure? Check out what you left. See if you made any concessions. See what God brought you from. Look back and see where God took you to know if you’re on God’s plan. God is still calling. God is still seeking. God is still using us. Maybe you’re on the inside of the palace. Listen. Get a word from God so that God can use you in the proper way. Remember the words Mordecai said, Esther if you don’t do it, help is going to arrive from another way, and just maybe you are going to lose your crown. Be sure that you let God use you properly in your place that you don’t lose your crown.

Let us all stand to our feet. Have you heard the call? Has God called you? Have you answered? Hallelujah. Do you know for yourself that you heard the call? God called us to a calling that’s higher than us. When God sure enough calls you, you put your life on hold. You understand that the plan is bigger than mine. You are a soldier. A soldier takes an oath to protect the constitution if it costs his life. The mission must be bigger than you. I’m going to serve God if it cost my life. My life is wrapped up in my general, in my Sargeant, in my captain. He has me under his control. He’s going to take care of me. I trust him with my life. Thank you, Lord. There’s one oath that we don’t talk about much that the soldiers have out. They just believe in their heart. The pledge is if a soldier goes down in a foreign place they are not going to rest until they get that soldier back to his homeland. That’s one thing the soldier has in his mind that they said they are not going to leave anyone behind. As a child of God, if you fall in this army, God is going to see to it that he gets you home. That’s what we live for. Our soul is resting. God is not going to let us die in a foreign land. Our soul is protected by God. We shall get home. God’s going to take us home. That’s why we give our lives to him because he is going to take us home. Although I fight, I have confidence in God that one day I’m going home. The dead in Christ shall rise first. I might fall, but I’m not going to stay in a foreign land. I’ve got to go home one day. God promised to take us home. Oh God, thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. I believe you God that one day. I may fall, but you’re coming to take me home. I may die in the army, I may die fighting, but my soul is going home one day. Thank you, Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Joseph was sold into captivity. But Joseph when he met his family, he joined up again. He made them promise whenever you leave this place, I might die here, I might be buried in this old place…I know you’re going out…God promised you a better place. But when you go out, take my bones with you. Hallelujah. We might die but one day we are going to be caught up to meet him in the air. We will not be left behind. The dead in Christ shall rise first. God is going to take us home. Hallelujah, we have hope beyond the grave. Joseph had hope beyond the grave that he was going out of that place. Take my bones with you. God said he’s going to take us out of here. The dead in Christ shall rise. We are going to be caught up together to meet him in the air. Joseph went out with the people of God, out of captivity. They didn’t leave him behind. They dug him up and took him with them. God is going to pick us up out of the grave. We’re going home with the people of God. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord Jesus. We’re going home one day. I’ve heard the call, I’ve answered. I’m on my way home. Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Prayer:
God bless us today as we stand here before you. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for calling us. Thank you, Lord for giving us a mind to answer, a spirit to answer, Yes Lord. Yes to your will. God, as you spoke to Jeremiah and took him to the potter’s house, God if I’m too high, take me down. Take me to the potter’s house. Speak to my heart Lord. I want to serve you. I want to serve you properly. I want to be used in your vineyard properly. Use me, Lord. We ought to all cry and say use me. If you have to take me to the potter’s house, take me. But Lord don’t leave me. David told the Lord one day, Lord take my money, take my prestige but do not take your Holy Spirit from me. I cannot live without you now. I need you. Thank you, Lord Jesus. We need God today. We need God more than anything in the world. Lord, I need you. I need your spirit. I need your touch. I need your comfort. I need your love. I need your protection in a time like this. Bless our hearts. Bless our souls. Bless us today. We love you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Thank God. Amen.