Confirming Your Calling and Election

Introduction

Good morning. I’d like to talk about something very cheerful this morning, the deathbed. That’s a joke, you can laugh. Have you ever considered what you wish your deathbed experience to be like? Have you perhaps been there with a loved one on their maybe quite possibly literal deathbed? When we consider those thoughts, it’s kind of a solemn thought process that goes through our mind, isn’t it? And I I believe, without having really experienced it at this point in time, that if I were on my deathbed, it would really put a lot into perspective for me of my life. It would make me think about how grateful I was for the time I did have, perhaps relive fond memories of the life I had lived. And perhaps even I would consider things I could do better.

If you’ve ever considered those types of thoughts or been with someone who is perhaps experiencing those very thoughts or something likened to, consider with me what advice would you give to perhaps your children or to your friends or to loved ones if you were on your deathbed this very morning. If you just had five minutes to talk to your children, to give them words of wisdom for the rest of their life, what would you say? Notice with me in the book of 2 Peter in chapter 1, we see Peter is quite close to that thought. While he’s not necessarily on his deathbed, his death is certainly in view. If you look at 2 Peter chapter 1, beginning in verse 12, he writes, Therefore, I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.

I think it is right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder. Since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. So what was it, Peter? What was so critically important to you that you wanted to not only get across in the here and now and to re-emphasize, but to have, as verse 15 says, at a point and in a manner in which the people could recall his words. Let’s read the book of Second Peter beginning in chapter one and verse three. His divine power has granted us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so near sighted, he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election. For if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And of course, those are the verses that precede verses 12 through 15. And of course, as the deathbed view is in mind of verse 14, when Peter says, Since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me, and he’s wanting this message to get across. I like to consider those thoughts with you this morning. These thoughts that Peter held so dear to him that were so important, and I think, as you’ll see, fundamental to the Christian’s faith. Certainly he’s writing to brothers and sisters in the family of Christ here in 2 Peter chapter 1. But if you will, notice with me, first of all, this idea in verse 10, to make your call and election sure.

1. It Is Our Duty to Confirm Our Calling and Election

Perhaps you’re like me, and you often struggle with this concept of having my calling and election sure. First of all, we kind of struggle with, well, what exactly is that calling and election process? Have I gone through it? And if I have, how can I be sure that in verse 11, for in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that I have entrance into that eternal kingdom. Because the truth is that one of Satan’s biggest tools against us is doubt. What he likes to do is to creep into our minds and make us consider maybe I quite haven’t quite done enough. Maybe I didn’t quite do it right. How is the Christian to live?

How is a Christian to make our calling and election sure? How can we feel confirmation? We are doing the will of God. If you will consider, first of all, what is that called in verse 10 and 11? Again, therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election. For if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So there’s the calling, but what’s it about? Consider with me, verse 3. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

So I ask you, who is to confirm this calling? In verse 10, we are to confirm the calling and election. Who is to do it? Is that us or is it God? Well, the answer is very clear in the text. Look at verse 10. Think about it in that lens now. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to conform to confirm your calling and election. It is our duty to confirm our calling and election. It is not God’s fault if we doubt him. God is Almighty, whether we understand that or barely even scratch the surface of beginning to even believe in that great and powerful God. And so what we need to make sure of is that we have our faith in the Almighty God, and not the God that I can perceive of in my mind, the God that I can bind by my thoughts, and the God who is very attuned to all my failures and perhaps a little too much of a disciplinarian when I consider all the times I’ve messed up in my life.

But we see it is our charge to confirm our election. And so what that means is that we need to consider what we have to do about that. But we cannot divorce that thought from what God has done. Remembering verses 3 and 4, what did God do? His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. God has provided the way. God has provided the path. It is up to us to choose to follow it. If you notice that you consider we have to confirm our calling election, that is only possible because of God. And for that we should be eternally grateful to our great and powerful God that He has so much grace and mercy on us. But that doesn’t end the picture.

This idea of making our calling and election sure isn’t that God has chosen to save, and so I want to be saved, and so I’m the part of that team. It’s this concept of I’m going to work in the kingdom of God. I’m going to take advantage of that which his divine power has established for me. And that path is the path I wish to follow. You remember the story, the example that Jesus gave in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 13 and 14. He gives the idea of two paths. One that is broad and easy and leads to destruction. And one is wide and narrow. And it is through that wide and narrow path that we have access to eternal life. See, God is great and powerful, but the choice, the confirmation that we wish to feel and to live out is our decision to make.

2. Our God Is a God of Peace

And so that kind of changes this whole question of how can I make my calling and election sure? How can I confirm it? Well, I have to choose to do that. And if we make up our mind that we can choose it, we can have peace. Then all of a sudden, the words of Paul in Philippians chapter 4, I hope you’ll turn with me there. Philippians chapter 4 will make a little bit more sense. In Philippians chapter 4, notice with me in verse 4, Paul says, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your request be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things. And the God of peace will be with you. And the God of peace will be with you. There’s a struggle sometimes, and I share, I certainly share in this struggle, and perhaps you do as well. To somewhat think of God as not a God of peace. After all, we read in the Old Testament how God would strike down nations and even punish his chosen people, the nation of Israel and the people of Judah for not obeying him.

And then we read all the warnings of Jesus who can who warns us of hell. And those warnings are very real, and that God is our God. But we must not mistake the fact that our God is a God of peace and a God who in verse 7 does what for us? Well, he offers us the peace of Him, which surpasses all understanding, which will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. But we can only have that peace if we understand that God. And if you notice what Paul warns about is that the God of peace will be with us if we do what? You see another contingency there? We’re going to see that in 2 Peter chapter 1. But Paul does it here in Philippians 4, too.

Look at verse 9. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Do you see the condition of that statement? If you take my example, Paul is saying, and you practice it, if you take on the attributes of Christ and you live them out, then you will have the God of peace with you. Then the peace of God that surpasses understanding can be yours. And what is that peace? That peace is a sweet comfort. That comfort is something that guards us, that says, I don’t have to be anxious about this life, because it doesn’t matter. What happens to me now, what happens in my job and in my bank account, it doesn’t matter, and not because it’s trivial and because my feelings don’t matter, but because God and eternity are what’s most important.

3. What Is the Call? Called Through the Gospel

If we consider that the importance of God and following Him is eternity, all of a sudden the way I feel at work and the way I feel driving on the way to work is off is far less important, isn’t it? And we get that because we’re here on a Sunday morning. We understand that God is important. Greg, I understand that I need to make my calling and election short. I just don’t know how to do it. But what we need to make sure of is that we don’t chase that God, that God of peace into being a God that has done something he hasn’t. Maybe you’ve heard of predestination. The idea that God has chosen and elected us as individuals before the creation of time. Is that the type of calling that Peter is writing about?

Is that the type of calling and election that process that we’ve gone through? If so, I have a major question about how we can make that sure. How can we make a calling and election confirmed if we aren’t the ones choosing? But look with me at 2 Thessalonians, because then we have a question to answer. What is the call? Peter, what is the call, Paul? If you look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, read with me verse 13 and 14. But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. And people say, There it is, God chose me. Keep reading.

Verse 14. To this, he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why were they called? Paul, why have I been called? And through what? Through the gospel for what purpose? So that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a multi-step process. God didn’t close his eyes, pluck out some names, and say, These will be mine. The gospel is the conduit of the God of the God of peace who is calling for us, but we have to heed that call. If we’re going to have the peace of God, it’s more than just listening, it’s doing. It’s a life that is changed by the gospel that we heard. Real faith works. Real faith practices.

And we’re going to see that progression in 2 Peter chapter 1. Do you remember in verse 5 how faith kind of began that list of qualities that Peter went into? Real faith works. The gospel calls us to a life of action. It doesn’t make sense to believe in a Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who died for our sins, and then to say, Well, that’s great, I believe it. There’s action that needs to be taken. And so if I want that peace of God, yes, I have to obey him. But how can I be sure that I am doing it? Go back to 2 Peter chapter 1.

4. No Once Saved, Always Saved

In 2 Peter chapter 1. Notice with me beginning in verse 8. Peter says, For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election. For if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. Well, you know what? One way to understand these verses is to say, with God no one will be lost. In fact, you know what’s very reassuring is that once I am saved and once I am with God, once my calling and election has been confirmed and processed, I am good for eternity.

That’s peace, isn’t it? I have come to God, I cannot be shaken from him. I have come to God, I will not fail, no matter what I do, no matter how I choose to live, and no matter what I think of living after Jesus Christ. Not so fast. Notice what is the end of verse 10? Remember we talked about the contingency in Philippians chapter 4? Look at verse 10. For if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. How can one saved always save? The doctrine of once I’m with God, it’s okay. Be in any way conditional. It can’t. Can we be sure, though? Of course we can. But to go to the extreme and to say, God is a God of peace, and I will be with him forever because I have chosen him at this point in my life, that is foolish, and that is unscriptural.

Look with me at Hebrews chapter 3. If you take notes and you want to have some quick references on the idea of once saved, always saved, and what the Bible does with that, write down these three passages. Beginning in Hebrews chapter 3. Look at me in the book of Hebrews. There’s three different passages in this book that make it very clear what Christians have to do. In Hebrews chapter 3, notice with me in verse 12. Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

And let me ask you, you brilliant takers of logic in the audience.

Note this. Follow this word by word with me, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart. Who is it to? Brothers. What is he warning them against? An evil unbelieving heart. Why? Leading you to fall away from the living God. How can you fall away from something you have not once been with? I cannot fall from this platform if I am not up here. Do we see that? Look with me now at Hebrews chapter 6. I hope you wrote down Hebrews chapter 3, verses 12 through 14. Now write Hebrews chapter 6, beginning in verse 4. Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 4. For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

It is impossible, it is written. Obviously, anyone who comes to God can be saved, but how are we to understand this? This is a firm warning that if you’ve experienced the goodness of God and you fall away, what’s going to bring you back? But for our discussion, and we’re trying to understand this God of peace and how to make my calling and election sure, notice who these people are who’s warning against that they can’t come back. In Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 4, those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, these are saved people. These are people who know Christ, have obeyed Christ, and taken advantage of the path of God that God’s divine power has laid out for us.

And yet, the Hebrew writer decided it was important to say that if you fall away after doing that, it is impossible for you to return again. Why? Because you’ve tasted all the goodness. If you take all the good and you’ve rejected that, what’s going to bring you to Christ? If you’ve shared in all those positive aspects of religion. But more importantly than religion, what is it? A faith in God. What else does God have to offer you? What else can this church do for you other than teach the will of God and suggest to you that if we live these ways and we accept God’s great grace and mercy, that you can be saved for eternity. There is nothing else. And so he’s warning them, you can’t come back.

That’s another strike. Now let’s look at strike three in Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 26. For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Does anything make it quite clearer than Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 26? For if we go on sinning deliberately, note that word, deliberately, after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin. These are people who have heard the word and have chosen to live a life that is not the life that the Father wishes for us to live. So when you say, well, what is the call and election?

Well, it’s the gospel call. Can I be sure? How can I be sure? Well, the answer is most certainly not. If you have accepted it, you are good to go. It’s a whole lot more than that, isn’t it? We have to be bearing fruit. Do you remember the 2 Peter chapter 1, verses 8 and 9? If we practice those things, we won’t be unfruitful. Now look with me in John chapter 15. In John chapter 15. John chapter 15. Read verse 1 and 2. Jesus says, I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch of me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. What happens to the unfruitful, verse 2?

Every branch of me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. It can be lost. And so we’re left with this real ugly, and from our perspective, picture. We have a life that we have to live in a certain way, and I can’t just live however I want and be saved. And yet, Peter writes in chapter 1 and verse 10, make your calling and election sure. Or confirm your calling and election. So how can I do that? And Greg, how can I have this peace if I’m so worried about falling away? We need to consider what the gospel writers thought about this peace and how to obtain it. And so to do that, let’s go back to our text in 2 Peter chapter 1 and read, beginning in verse 5.

5. Set Tangible Goals: Add These Qualities

In 2 Peter chapter 1. In fact, we’ll begin in verse 3. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. Notice verse 5 and 6. For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self control with steadfastness and steadfastness with godliness, and moving on to verse 7, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

How are we supposed to have confidence? How can I know that I can be sure? How can I live as a Christian? How can I live as Paul did, or as Peter did, knowing that no matter what happens to me, including death, I will be saved. How can we have the confidence that Paul did? That he was going to depart, that he had run the race, that he had kept the faith. Do you sometimes question that like I do? There’s a good basis for it. We better keep ourselves in check because there is no concept of once saved, always saved, that is in accordance with the scriptures. We need to continue living and seeking after Christ. But I’ll tell you what, there still is God. God’s divine power did what in verse 3?

Has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. What did he grant to us in verse 4? By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature. God has made it possible. How can I have faith? How can I know? Because I know God. And we have to read our scriptures and have a relationship with him if we’re going to say such a thing. All of a sudden it makes sense now. Those who are sure in their faith, you know them. Perhaps it’s an elder. Perhaps it’s a mom or dad who has passed away that you knew near the end of life. How were they so comforted by death?

Because they knew God. They knew where they were going because they trusted the promises of the Almighty God who made it all possible, and all we have to do is walk through that path that God has cleared for us. But it’s not necessarily that easy. And so sometimes we say, of course, like Paul wrote in Philippians chapter 3 and verse 20, our citizenship is in heaven. I should live for heaven. But I’ll tell you what, if you’re like me, that’s very difficult, isn’t it? If you said our goal is heaven, that’s hard to achieve. Can you consider with me how can we make our calling and election sure? How can we confirm it? Set tangible goals. Realize that Peter is not saying you have to be perfect, although we’ll talk about a contingency of what he said that’s important in this text momentarily.

He’s saying, add these things, and if you do them, you will not be unfruitful. We don’t want to be unfruitful. We’ll be plucked from the tree. But we can do it. But it takes work, it takes effort, it takes time. Consider often Matthew chapter 25, the parable of the talents, and we say, there are some of us who have lots of talent, and they have lots that the Lord expects from them. And there are some who have less, and the Lord still expects from them. But what about in our growth? Do we really think that the Almighty, all knowing God who knows even the hairs on our head, doesn’t know that you’ve been a Christian for four days and someone else has been a Christian for 40 years?

Do we not realize that our God knows that? Do we not realize, and can we not take comfort in the fact that our God, who loves us so much that he gave his only begotten son, knows our struggles and knows that we are trying or that we might not be. Consider that if we set tangible goals, it will help us reach that goal. But we need to not set just one of them as a goal, but all of them. Consider with me. How can I be doing this? What goals should I set? And once and for all, how can I confirm by calling an election? Notice with me in verse 5. We’re going to take these step by step, as you may have guessed. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue.

Now let’s take this and begin with the most obvious point. Does it surprise anyone that faith is what started here? Look with me in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Of course, he’s talking to believers, so of course faith is necessary. But if you look at 2 Corinthians chapter 5, notice the heart of our lifestyle. Beginning in verse 6, so we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

What is our faith? It’s a faith that not only knows God exists, that not only knows that God wishes that all men be saved, but that our home is with the Lord. When you come on a vacation and you come home, if you’re like me, you really hope that house is still there or your apartment complex has not burned down. What a shock that would be, right? If we start putting our goal as something as tangible and real as having a faith that knows God is preparing a place for us. Like Jesus said he’s doing in John chapter 14. It makes these next steps a whole lot easier. And another comment on great on faith before we move on. We talked about this. God is great.

God provides grace. We have to provide the faith that God’s grace is enough. Faith in God is not just believing that God exists. Faith in God is knowing it and living it. And the truth is, sometimes we doubt the grace of God. If you struggle with thoughts of, have I done enough? Will I be saved? The answer is no, you haven’t done enough. God’s grace is there for you, though. Not a single soul in here can do enough to earn heaven. But with God’s grace, it is possible. The question is, how much do you trust in God that if you are doing the best you can and obeying his will as he says, that Jesus and God will keep their promises to us? How much do you believe that?

Then we see back in 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 5, he had said, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue. Virtue is moral excellence. Look with me at 1 Peter chapter 3. Going over just a little bit if you’re still there, 1 Peter chapter 3. Notice in verse 16. Having a good conscience so that when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it’s better to suffer for doing good if it if that should be God’s will than for doing evil. Can you imagine a life that is so shaped that if someone accuses you of something negative, that people would balk? Maybe at the office someone accuses you of something and people would say, that’s not the Adam I know.

That’s that’s not the Cayley I’ve met. How embarrassing would it be, though, if someone said something that was false and they said, Well, I guess that could have happened. That goes along with what I thought about him. That goes along with how he’s acted to me in the past. We need to add to our faith virtue. If we believe in God, we need to live a life more towards the meaning of the word of moral excellence. We need to live like Christians, as people called out of the world. What did Peter say in 1 Peter chapter 1 at the end of verse 4? Having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire, God has pulled us out. Let’s stay out and live out, not getting sucked back into the corruption of the sinful desires of the world.

And so we come to knowledge. And of course we need knowledge, but I have a question for you. How much do you truly seek knowledge? Do you consider perhaps sometimes the Bible is difficult, the Bible is hard. How can I get all that knowledge? What type of goal can I set for myself? Can I suggest that if you are afraid of how expansive the depths of the Bible are, that’s all the more reason to get going and studying harder. If the Bible is the words of life, the words of God, and we understand that it might be a little complex for us, doesn’t that just mean that we should dig in that much harder, that much more frequently. Consider the fact that we have sermons online today, not from here necessarily, but across really the country and probably the world.

There are Bible class materials that you can download from the internet. There is a Bible still in some hotel rooms, hopefully in our homes, that we can pull off the shelf and dig into the words of life. How much do we crave knowledge? How much do we crave the understanding of what God expects for us? So if we’re going to set goals, we need to not only have faith that God is preparing a home for us and convince ourselves of that, and to live upright lives, but set goals for my study and my growth. The Bible expects us to grow for lack of time. I won’t look at Hebrews chapter 5 and verse 12 through 14. But the Bible shows us, the Hebrew writers suggest, as Christians, we better be growing.

We better be able to move on from the milk of the word, and perhaps we have responsibilities as teachers, even with our increased understanding. So we come to verse the end of verse 5, and virtue with knowledge, and then verse 6, and knowledge with self control. What a challenge. Proverbs chapter 25 and verse 28 says a man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. Can you imagine a city like that that’s been broken into and left without walls? Can you imagine the corruption, the pollution that would go on, all the theft, perhaps all the stealing, the escaping, the infiltration that could happen? It would be utterly defenseless. If we don’t have self-control, and we we go with the waves to and fro, and we are set off like that, and we’re upset just like that.

And we don’t have restraint. How are we going to accomplish any of these things? That reminds me very much of the next one. And self-control with steadfastness. And steadfastness with godliness. You see how self-control and steadfastness, patience, work together? If we’re going to make it, if we’re going to get through this life, we better be in it for the long haul. And that means short-term sacrifices for eternity in the long run. And it sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn’t it? Sounds like a pretty great deal to be a child of God, to inherit what he has offered to us. And then we see with brotherly and godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection with love. If we truly respect God that much, not only will we shape our lives in a way of godliness to be like him, but it will spread to others too, even when it’s hard.

Look with me in 1 John chapter 4, our final passage for the morning. In 1 John chapter 4, beginning in verse 20. Please turn with me there. 1 John chapter 4 and verse 20. If anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has seen, has not seen. And this commandment we have from him, whoever loves God must also love his brother. If we love God, our life is going to be so shaped that when we come to that question of how can I make my calling and election sure? It’s by looking at those qualities. Looking at the words of life and seeing, do I do that?

Conclusion

And if I am adding these to my life day by day, and I know that this is the God who, through his divine power and his eternal love that he sent his son Jesus on the cross to die for us, I can make it because God wants me to. But it does not come just by saying, I believe in God, God is powerful, it’s that easy. We have to work, we have to set goals, and we can do it if we trust in God enough.

Maybe you haven’t obeyed God this morning, whether you’ve never heeded the gospel call at all, or maybe you have, and you’ve since fallen away, not failing to add these qualities to your life. Just know that at any point in time, the Lord can come back, but at any point in time that God’s given you it’s an opportunity to come forward, to make things right, whether in your personal life, with an elder, with a brother or sister that you know, you can do it, but get back on track today. Don’t delay. Take advantage of our wonderful God’s grace and mercy this very morning. If there’s anything that this church can do for you in any way, please come forward right now as we stand and sing the invitation song.