In the process of coming to know the Lord, and as our up-close and personal relationship with Him gradually develops and matures, along with our hunger and thirst for His righteousness, the goal of ultimately knowing Him as we are known by Him will come to fruition. That fullness of perfection is the pinnacle of our crowning achievement: "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." (1 Corinthians 13: 11-12)
And that being the case, the Lord Jesus Christ teaches us accordingly, truthfully, humbly and lovingly: “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22: 14) From a purely spiritually driven perspective, we and those who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth (John 4: 24). To ensure that the context of the foregoing passage has not been compromised, it is of necessity that I bring to light supporting scripture and in proper context so that the "Truth and Whole Truth" serves as our guiding light. That is, the Word of God, or the Word Himself that occupied flesh and lived for a season among those (us) who were in dire need of the redeeming work of His saving grace.
To elaborate, this condition was and still is available to all, and exclusively by the glorious gift of His "CALL", or "SALVATION" (deliverance, safety, preservation, healing and soundness). I am not fully convinced that over the course of this temporal life, and in a sin-stained world, we will be able to genuinely appreciate the value of the permanence of eternal life until our entrance into the unending kingdom of our God and Christ: "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. " (2 Peter 1:10-11)
From a New Testament perspective Jesus teaches us and thus calls to our attention that “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14) More specifically, and at this juncture of this message, I call to your attention three (3) men of courage, compassion and fortitude in the Old Testament narratives. These men of character and faithful allegiance were not only called (summoned), but responded to that call and subsequently were chosen (selected). Those men were Joseph, Moses and Gideon. Be advised that their acceptance of this divine assignment was not a mere fleshly reaction, but a spiritual commitment or the essence of salvation rest: “For we which have believed do enter into rest, as He said, As I have sworn in My wrath, if they shall enter into My rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” (Hebrews 4: 3)
The above truthfully warrants an up-close and personal study of these fascinating and faithful men of distinction. Even as such men, they, as we, do err because of the faults embedded in our flesh driven nature. Naturally and factually this is a trait that humankind has been plagued with since the fall in the Garden of Eden: “And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; “Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3: 17-19)
The Joseph story is a lesson in loyalty, selflessness and love. It is a heart-wrenching narrative of a young man who was in the spotlight and the object of his father's favor, but was plotted against and endured the animosity of his eleven half-brothers. His calling came after, and as a result his brother's jealous rage he was lied about, thrown into a pit, sold into slavery. In spite of it all, Joseph used his God ordained gift of interpreting dreams.
Pharaoh of Egypt personally freed Joseph because word circulated about Joseph's ability to interpret dreams. Because of his gift, Joseph was called out of slavery, chosen by Pharaoh, and gradually assumed the ranking of Prime Minister of all Egypt. Only Pharoah himself out ranked Joseph in authority in the land of Egypt. Hear the words of Pharoah: "And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt." (Genesis 41: 38-43) However, let us not forget that the true origin of the calling and selection of Joseph was the fact that the Lord God Almighty found favor in Joseph. The name Joseph actually means "He will Increase".
In the Book of Exodus, whereby the storied life of Moses is told, we will extract pertinent passages with respect to the purpose and plan that God had for Moses. In summary, Moses was awarded a tremendous responsibility as God summoned and used Moses to deliver the nation of Israel, which numbered approximately 2,000,000 people, out of 430 years of bondage in Egypt. Most of us probably remember the account of the parting and crossing of the Red Sea. Incidentally, the name Moses, by definition means "Drawn Out".
In consideration of the unlikely evolution of the life and varied events that would define the life of Moses, the flavor of the following scene seemed to merit consideration and utilization. As strange as it might seem, in putting these passages under the proverbial magnifying glass, a light came on. The task of leading and tending to a flock of sheep was apparently a training ground that God used to groom Moses for the leading of His chosen people out of slavery of which the requisites were discipline, patience, care, perseverance and obedience. And not necessarily in that order: "Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And He said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." (Exodus 3:3-8).
In the final chapter of today's message of how being both called and chosen is not only a privilege and a responsibility, but one must possess the character and qualities of humility, love, sacrificial service, bravery and boldness. And, in my humble opinion, the forgoing order of such attributes are perhaps and at least to some degree accurate. That being said, we now peer into the case of the character of the Old Testament judge, Gideon. He also assumed the rolls of prophet and military leader. And his name is pretty much defined by how he was described and groomed by his God to serve as God's steward in various capacities: "And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man." (Judges 6: 12-16).
In my final assessment in the acts of Gideon, his heart and submission were made public by his building an altar in the worship of his God. This is both notable and admirable. We must all consider the act of elevating our honor, adoration and worship towards our God. Besides, He is more than WORTHY: "And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites." (Judges 6: 19-24)
And thus, the GIFT of being CALLED and CHOSEN.
Comments