The Call of God

Good morning. It's a privilege for me to be here again to share a word with you, all the way from South Africa. And I see I'm preaching to my dad again.

That's quite a shame. I'm normally many times in tears as he lectures there at our college. And very rarely do I get to speak to him.

Could we please open our Bibles to Matthew chapter 26. Matthew chapter 26 verse 36 to 39. Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here while I go and pray yonder.

And he took with him Peter, and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. Tarry ye here and watch awhile with me.

And he went a little further and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my father, if it be possible, let this cup part from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. Now the Bible says a good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

He didn't have it taken away from him. He laid it down. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt, he said.

Let us pray. Father, thank you that I can stand here again and share with thy precious word. And as I always claim, Lord, but it's the same words that I mean every time.

John 15, without me you can do nothing. Father, I beg you that you will work in this meeting. You long to work in the lives of men.

And I ask that, as the psalmist said in Psalm 119, You will open up our eyes that we may behold wondrous things out of thy law. And I trust that you will, because she said, Ask and it shall be given unto you. She said, We have not, because she asked.

And I ask that you will open up our eyes today and speak to us. In Jesus' name, Amen. You know, Isaiah 53 verse 6, it's a famous portion in the scriptures.

Isaiah 53 verse 6 says, Oh, we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him the liquidity of us all.

An entire world from birth, there's about 7 billion people out there right now, has gone astray and turned everyone to his own way. And one by one, as they die, most of them, I can almost guarantee you most of them are falling into a bottomless and endless hell. These sheep that have gone astray.

But Ezekiel 34 verse 5 to 6, says these staggering words of the scattered sheep. And they were scattered because there is no shepherd. And they became meat till the beast of the field, when they were scattered.

My sheep wandered through all the mountains and upon every hill. Yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. Now that's terrifying words, none did search or seek after them.

Now you might ask the question, why did none search after the scattered sheep? Was it because God didn't want them to be found? Was it because God chose that they would not be found ever? If you read Ezekiel 34, two verses later, in verse 8, neither, this is the reason, neither did my shepherds search for my flock. But the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock. Neither did my shepherds.

The shepherds God chose to go to look for the scattered flock. Search for my flock. But the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock.

It's a sad thing when shepherds do that. Now I was in South Africa recently, obviously. And just before I came to America, I was in a large convention.

And on the way to America, I had to go and sleep over the person called Mr. De Bruyn. He was about 50 years old, and he lived in a large city called Voxburg in South Africa. And there as I stayed over by him, he told me how that 20 years back, God had laid upon his life, had told him, definitely, that he was called to full-time service.

And he took the forms of a theological college there in South Africa, of the Ezekiel Church, and he filled them out, because he knew that God was speaking to him. And then at that same time, at the works, where he was working for the railroads, SPURNET, the Railway Association of South Africa, they offered him promotion. They offered him more, a better job, more money.

And as he weighed in the balance, the call of God, and promotion, he chose promotion. So 20 years later now, his son-in-law, his daughter-in-law, the man he thought called to the same church, as a full-time, into full-time service. And he took the forms that his son-in-law had given to him, to give over to the people that had to be given to.

And at this conference where he gave it over, he jokingly said, this is my form. And the man jokingly answered, if it was 15 years back, it would have been another story, brother. But not now.

And he said to me, I believe as we were driving in the car to the airport, I'm not proud of what I did. I'm ashamed that I turned down the call of God. And you will be staggered how many people, for money, for promotion, or for their own dreams and aims, give up the precious call of God.

Matthew 9 verse 36 to 38 says, you all know this, But when he saw the multitude, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then said he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenty, but the labour is a few. Pray ye therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

You see, God longs to send forth labourers, when he sees the multitudes that are scattered abroad and need a shepherd to bring them in. For he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Although some chose darkness rather than light.

God longs to send forth labourers, so that more souls can be saved. And today he sees the scattered sheep, as he saw the multitudes in those days. You must be blind not to see the need of this world.

In England, 3% of the population, approximately, go to church. About 1% of that, I think, call themselves born again. In one country, in Mozambique, there's one million people who do not have one Bible in their language.

And not one person starting churches in that whole nation of people. God sees the multitudes. And like he did in Matthew 9, he is moved with compassion on them, I can guarantee you.

For the Lord said, I am the Lord, I change not. God wants to send forth labourers. Of course, not everybody is called.

Now, I'd like to ask you a question today. And I'd like you to listen carefully. Are you, if you imagine yourself, you know, as a young child, you can imagine things.

If you imagine yourself to be a bottle, are you a bottle in the water, that is, the sea? Or are you a bottle on the seashore, in the sand? And what do I mean by that? Well, if you're a bottle in the sand, then you're still stuck in your aims, ambitions, dreams, and plans. But if you're a bottle in the water, then you've said to God, I abandon myself to thy will. If you've allowed yourself to be thrown into the water, you've abandoned yourself to the will of God.

And you've said, not my will, but thine be done. And you know, two things, one of two things can happen to that bottle that abandons himself to the will of God. Either God can wash him up onto the shore again and give him his dreams and his ambitions to become a doctor, like I wanted to become an actuary or something.

Or, and this is glorious, he can send you forth across the way to active service as a shepherd to bring in the lost sheep. But as long as you're in the sand, God cannot send you. And even if he does, sand doesn't move much.

In our country there was a man, his name was Ethelbert Smith. He was known, when he was alive, as the godliest man in South Africa. In our, he was in our mission.

And it is said that no man, although there were many, in God's mercy, preachers who was used mightily of God in our mission, there was no man who brought more soul to God in South Africa than Ethelbert Smith. But there was a time when Ethelbert Smith was in the sand, as I put it. Just after he got saved, a few weeks after he got saved, God showed him through a little booklet called Just Gloria, The Life of a Lent Messenger.

He worked for three years as a missionary and then died. God showed him clearly through that book that he was called to full-time service. But he had a big idol in his life which he was not willing to give up.

A big idol in his life which he was not willing to give up. And for a few years he did not go forth to join the ranks of our mission as God had called him. And so one day God spoke to him again and in the night time he said, eventually as it had been broken, he said, Lord, thy will.

And then he went forth and he was used mightily of God. So as I said, no man in our mission, 80 years of history and many, many preachers has ever brought so many souls to God as that man Ethelbert Smith. But let me ask you a question in hindsight.

If he had not given up that idol, if he had stayed in the sand, do you think God might have written these words of him? Same words almost as in Ezekiel 34 verse 8b, My shepherd did not search for my flock, but my shepherd fed himself and fed not my flock. Are you a bottle in the water? Are you a bottle in the sand? Or perhaps you're a bottle in the shallow water? You say, if God calls me. You know the bottles in the shallow water, those that say, if God calls me, I will go.

But your heart is toward the sand. In such a way that if God ever did call you, you'd say, no, it's not the call of God. Like Peter said, so easily Lord I'll die for you.

But when it came to the test, he denied Christ, but I, before the cock crowed twice. The call of God is a precious and holy thing. It is so precious, I don't know if you could estimate the value, ever.

Now there's two things we're going to examine on the call of God. The first thing is, who does God call? And secondly, how does God call? Who does God call and how does God call? Let us first examine who does God call. 1 Corinthians 2 verse 27.

Who does God choose to call? But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And God has chosen the base things of the world.

My dad said, at a recent church, the only qualification God looks for is if you love this book and love God with all your heart. Do you think you are too young or uneducated for God to ever choose you? Do you think you are too young or uneducated for God to ever choose you? Deal Moody of your land, I don't know if you've ever read a book on him, he was greatly used to tens of thousands, some estimate millions, who read through him. What qualifications did he have? He had grade 8, standard 6 in our land.

That's all he had. Someone once said, I haven't been to college, but I've been to Calvary. And that's what God looks for.

Do you think you're too old? Is that the excuse for staying in the sand? Oh, God could never choose me. I'm way too old. I don't see anybody too old in this room.

But if you ever thought that, for an example, George Muller of Bristol, when he was 70 years old, God laid upon his life to go forth, touring the world. And for 20 years, till the age of 90, he toured. In those days in ships.

And spoke to over 3 million people. And was used mightily of God till the age of 90. Perhaps you think you're too weak.

Not an athlete, not a good speaker, not good looking or something. I don't know if you've heard of Zak Poonam there in India, I think the story goes, he was preaching to a conference there, and he asked those of you who feel led of God to go forth, to act of service, to preach, or to be a missionary out to the tribes there that have not heard the gospel. Could you come forward? And a group of people came forward there.

One of the people that came forward was a person who didn't have the use of his legs. He came forward on a stick. He took a stick and hit him to the ground and pulled himself forward later.

And he hit him to the ground again and pulled himself forward a little more. And eventually, inch by inch, he got to the front of that room. But didn't stop there.

Inch by inch, he went out of that conference afterwards and started up towards the mountain and over the mountain to the other side. Eventually, he got to the tribe there, which had never accepted the gospel. But when he came there, they accepted the gospel.

In a country now which has only 1.5% of the entire population that calls themselves Christian. God has chosen the weak things of this world. Do you think, do you think you've got too little wisdom? You know, my dad used to say of me and Glenn there in college, they've got a lot of fire but very little wisdom.

And I think I agree with him. You know, I remember when me and Glenn decided we want to do children's meetings. And we were the two boys that volunteered for the children's meetings all the time.

And the very first time that you were called out to this town called Worcester in South Africa to help with the children's meetings, we had to travel quite a few hundred kilometers, a couple of hundred miles too. And when we got there, we were shown this big hall with lots of white chairs. I still remember those white chairs.

And we thought there's going to be lots and lots and lots and lots of children. So we bought lots of sweets, took all our pocket money and bought sweets for the children. And we decided in those days to have what is known as a puppet show for these children, with these hand puppets.

And you know what happened? The very first night when they had meetings, only three children came. And we traveled all these hundreds of kilometers and only three children came. But you know how pathetic we were with our puppet shows? I don't know if you're this bad, but we were so shy of those children.

When I, I think I had a puppet show and then he had a puppet show. And first they said I had my puppet show. And my puppet, well I was so shy, they glimpsed that my puppet forgot to open his mouth.

The funny thing was when he had his puppet show, he was so shy that his puppet forgot to open his mouth. And so it went on. In case you doubt what the word of God says, and I'll just read it to you again, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.

And God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And God has chosen the base things of the world. I often say from the pulpit, and I mean it from the bottom of my heart, if God can use me, he can use anybody.

If God can use me, he can use anybody. I'm so pathetic. So we've examined who does God call.

Now let us look at how does God call. You might ask, how did God call me? I remember at college, I used to sing this song. And I'm not going to sing it to you, because I've got a very bad voice.

I generally sit out of the choir. But I'm going to read a little bit of it to you. I used to sing this from the bottom of my heart, because I did not have a calling.

Send me forth, O blessed Master, where our souls in sorrow bowed. Send me forth to homes of want and homes of care. And with joy I will obey the call.

And in thy blessed name, I will take the blessed light of the gospel there. Call me forth to act of service. And my prompt response shall be, Here am I, send me.

I am ready to report for orders, Master, summon me. And I'll go on any errand of love for thee. And I used to sing that from the bottom of my heart, because I wanted to be sent forth.

I put myself in those ways, and I said, God, you know, sometimes you put yourself in the ways, and God throws you back. But I wanted to be sent. And I remember there, in South Africa, last year, from the 21st to the 23rd of November, Peter Schultz, born again in Revival in 1940, greatly used of God, now old and he's 70, suffering from some kind of sickness, but still so used of God that young people are in tears as he preaches, and broken.

When I was at this youth camp, and Peter Schultz was the preacher, I remember in the very last meeting on Sunday, I was turning about in my Bible, thinking of how disobedient I'd be, in different ways, since God had given me the assurance of salvation. And then I suddenly read there of how soul was rejected because of disobedience. And I felt so down.

I felt terrified. And Mr. Peter Schultz was preaching there in the front. And a thought came into my mind, I must get up.

I must get up and run to the front to kneel down to pray. And just as I thought that, God near Peter Schultz said, if I was you, I would get up and run to win souls. And tears started to come down my face.

Suddenly God said, you have been called. And I looked down at my Bible, I don't normally do this, but there I read, in my Bible, it just opened up on this page, and I saw underlined piece, Nahum 3 verse 18, I read these words, And Glenn, he was sitting next to me, put his arm around me, he didn't understand why the tears were rolling down my face. I felt that God could choose such a base man, a young man as me, to go forth to act as a servant.

That's why God called me. Now God can call in many ways. He can call you over a short period of time in a moment, or He can call you over a long period of time.

He can call you as a young boy, He can call you as an old man. He can call you to circumstances, or He can use the advice of God in a man as well. The one way in which God definitely calls a person, is when the Holy Spirit starts to work in you, in a way you've never understood before.

The Holy Spirit starts to work in you. This is Paul said, Woe unto me if I preach not the gospel. To give an example of this, Dr. Colin Peckham of the Faith Mission, there in Scotland, he used to be my dad's principal about 30 years back I suppose, I don't know how old my dad is now.

But he has been greatly used of God. Even in his 70s now, you hear the stories about in Japan, in the large conferences, these hardened men are seeking God in brokenness under his ministry, across America too, across the world. He has been greatly, greatly used.

But there was a time as a young man where, he suddenly felt this drive of the Holy Spirit to preach. And he wondered, Could this be of God or is it me? Could this be of God or is it me? And he went for the advice of a very godly man in South Africa who is still alive, 89 years old, Mr. Finnymore, brought my great granny to the Lord, at revival in the Durban Central Prison. A godly, godly man, still on fire for God at 89 years old.

And he asked Mr. Finnymore, Mr. Finnymore, I don't know what to do. I don't know if I'm called or not. And Mr. Finnymore said to me recently, I would never do this to other people, because it's very dangerous to tell someone something like this.

But when he saw this woe unto me if I preach not the gospel in Mr. Pecker, he looked at him and he said, Colin, it's obvious you call. And that, as I understood, gave Colin peace. And he went forth to act of service.

Not only that, as I said, he got greatly used across this world, Dr. Colin Pecker. God often confirms his calling through the word. You know, I remember March 2003, this year, I was struggling, wondering if the devil or myself had told me of that calling there at the youth camp.

And as I wondered, had God called me or was it myself, I was in a struggle. Until I went to listen to the preaching at a monthly meeting there of Mr. Drosty, an old man. And after the meeting, I met Mr. Peter Stoltz again.

And I hadn't told him at that camp that I was called. And so he came up to me and said, I'm so glad to hear that you called of God. And he was full of joy and happy.

And I looked at him, you know, I was struggling, and I said, oh, yes. But from him I walked ten meters away, about ten meters. And as I walked about ten meters away, I opened up my Bible.

And it opened up at random, at Nahum 3, verse 18. Thy shepherd slumber, O King of Assyria. Thy nobles should dwell in the dust.

People are scattered and no man gathereth them. And there God confirmed my calling. God often confirms calling through the word of God.

You know, God was serious when he said to his disciples, Pray ye the Lord over harvest, that he will send forth labourers. He was very serious when he pointed to them. You know what happened to those twelve disciples? Ten of them went forth to act of service.

One of them chose money, Judas. He betrayed Christ for money. Many people throw... God doesn't joke when he calls people.

Could we please bow our heads? And when your head is bowed, I'm just going to read Matthew 9, verse 36 to 38 again. But when he saw the multitude, he was moved with compassion on them. Because they fainted and were scattered abroad.

A sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenty, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

And I'd like to ask those of you, as you can see as I stutter through my sermon, I'm one of those weak and base things. And I'd like to ask those of you, perhaps you've given a full surrender in other ways before, but as far as your future goes, as far as your future career, your life, your dreams, those of you who want to tell God today, that I want to jump into the sea and abandon myself to the will of God, that if he wishes he can send me anyway, with all my heart. Those of you who wish to tell God today, with all your heart, that I want to abandon myself to the will of God, so that you can either wash me unto my dreams, or send me across the sea to act of service.

Those of you who wish to tell God that today, concerning your future. And God is listening and God is looking, I can guarantee you. I wish you to raise one of your arms.

Thank you for all those hands. And perhaps there's one of you, I'm going to pray for those hands now, but, perhaps there's one of you, like as I heard the call, also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? Then said I, Jeremiah, send me. Perhaps there's one of you, the Lord is touching his heart, today, to go forth, to full time service.

And if you are, I would wish that you would tell me, because I'd love to pray for you. That's the one great thing that will keep a person, is a prayer of the saints. You know, Paul asked every single church to pray for, except the backslidden church of Galatia.

That's how important prayer was to Paul. I'll pray for those who've lifted up their hands. Father, thank you for all those, that said that they wish to be, bottles in the sea.

And Lord, I know that you long for people willing, to go. And not all are called, but that, you are pleased, when people throw themselves into the sea. And say, Jeremiah, send me Lord, if it be thy will.

And so we take this offering Lord, of their future, and we give it to thee. Hitherto we asked nothing in my name, therefore ask this we may receive. Lord, in thy name, we present this offering.

In Jesus name, Amen.