Title:
Called and Separated
Text:
Romans 1: 1-7
Date:
June 24, 2012
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
The
saints of God in this world are described as “called” and “separated”—set
apart, sanctified, “called saints.” The
apostle Paul describes himself and those saints at Rome as such.
Romans 1: 1: Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ,
called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2: (Which he
had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 And declared to be the Son of God with
power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
5 By whom we have received grace and
apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: 6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus
Christ: 7 To all that be in Rome,
beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our
Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul was
called and separated to be an apostle.
He was called directly by the Lord Jesus Christ to be an apostle—the
requirement to be an apostle. In that,
his call is different from how the child of God is called and separated. But Paul applies this same call to the
saints at Rome. Romans 1: 6: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ; 7: To
all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to
be saints:---Paul says, ‘It is the calling of God, who separated me, by
whom I have received grace and apostleship--and it is the same calling that you
were called separated and now “called saints.”
Title: Called
and Separated
Proposition:
When we see how Paul was called separated we see how all God’s saints are
called and separated.
Divisions:
I. WHO CALLS AND SEPARATES; II. FROM WHAT ARE WE CALLED AND SEPARATED;
III. UNTO WHAT ARE WE CALLED AND
SEPARATED
I. WHO CALLED AND SEPARATED US
In the
eternal purpose of God—God, in his sovereign grace, by divine election separated
Paul. In time, before Paul could be separated for the work which God
foreordained for him, Paul had to be called and separated by grace. All who shall be saved by God, were chosen of
God in Christ and shall be called through the gospel of Christ.
Galatians 1: 15
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called
me by his grace, 16 To reveal his
Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred
not with flesh and blood:
Jeremiah 1: 5: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew
thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and
I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Paul
was called and separated, at one and the same time, to the faith and the
apostleship of Christ by Christ, personally .
Acts 26: 13: At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light
from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them
which journeyed with me. 14: And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a
voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 15:
And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
16: But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this
purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou
hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; 17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the
Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, 18
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance
among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Just as
the Father and Son called and separated Paul, so too, the Holy Ghost called and
separated Paul to the work for which he had called him.
Acts
13: 1: Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and
teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene,
and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2: As
they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me
Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3: And when they
had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them
away. 4: So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia;
and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
Application: Saints are called and separated by God the Father, by
Jesus Christ the Son, and by the Holy Spirit.
It is by divine election, by blood atonement and by the internal work
which always gets the job done—it is an effectual, irresistible, saving call
and separation.
II. FROM WHAT ARE WE CALLED AND SEPARATED--Paul had been a Pharisee—“separate one”—that may be why
Paul uses this word “separated”.
Paul
had separated himself by his confidence in the flesh—in natural, external,
outward religious things.
Philippians 3: 4: Though I might also have confidence in
the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the
flesh, I more: 5 Circumcised the eighth
day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the
Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6
Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness
which is in the law, blameless.
He had
separated himself through much study.
Acts 22: 3: I am verily a man which am a Jew, born
in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of
Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the
fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
Paul
set himself apart from all others in his religious zeal in works religion.
Galatians 1: 13
For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion,
how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: 14 And profited in the Jews’ religion above many
my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions
of my fathers.
Application: Brethren, be sure to understand, that while Paul was in
works religion—looking to the things he had done to separate himself—Paul had not
truly separated himself at all. He
separated himself from the liberal Sadducees, yet he was still one with them—he
proved it because he would sooner embrace them than Christians who truly were
called and separated unto Christ and his gospel. He separated himself from sinners—come not near me I am holier than thou—yet
he was in the same camp with sinners because he was lost. At the time, as religious has he appeared, in
himself he was separate from God
Isaiah 59: 2: But
your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid
his face from you, that he will not hear.
Jude
19: These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
The Lord told the Pharisees that sinners and publicans
shall go in the kingdom of heaven before you—Paul was just such a one before he
was called--all his religion had only taken him further and further into
ungodly rebellion. Paul was like all of
God’s elect before God saves us, we were lost in the darkness of our own
depraved hearts and spiritual ignorance.
It may have been in a form of religion we called the worship of Christ
even as Paul thought he was worshipping God, but we were all:
·
Ignorant of God and Ignorant of his
Providence
·
Ignorant of Ourselves and our Sin
·
Ignorant of the Scriptures and Ignorant of
the Gospel.
·
Ignorant of Christ, Ignorant of Righteousness
and Ignorant of Salvation
This is
what Paul had to be called and separated from and it is what all God’s elect
are called and separated from. It gives us great hope to see that God called
Paul. Is anything too hard for the
Lord? No. Christ said, “All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (Joh
6:37)
III. UNTO WHAT ARE
WE CALLED AND SEPARATED
Paul
was called and separated unto the gospel
of God. (Paul was separated to preach the gospel, but like Paul, God
separates all his elect unto the message of the gospel—unto Christ himself.
Romans 1: 2: (Which he had promised afore by
his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3: Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our
Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4: And
declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness,
by the resurrection from the dead:
Before,
Paul was separated to the law. Now, God separated him "to the Gospel of
God". It is called the gospel of
God because God is the author of it. His
free and sovereign grace is the cause of it.
Christ is subject of the gospel--the Author and Finisher of our Faith. The glorification of God’s name and the
calling out of God’s sheep is the purpose of it.
Romans 1: 16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:
for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the
Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17: For therein is the righteousness of God
revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Application: Believer, we are called and separated unto Christ, to
bear witness through the gospel of God, that salvation is of the Lord:
·
God did the choosing
·
God made atonement for the sins of his elect
through his blood--all in perfect justice and God is our Justifier
·
God sanctifies and calls and sets us apart
·
God keeps us
·
God shall resurrect us into glory with him
·
To the praise of the glory of his grace
wherein he made us accepted in the Beloved.
Through
the gospel of Christ, Christ calls and separates his elect FROM darkness INTO Light
1 Peter 2:9: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an
holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who
hath called you out of darkness into
his marvellous light.
Remember, Paul said, “I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the
brightness of the sun, shining round about me.” The Lord spoke saying “rise,
and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee…to make thee a minister
and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in
the which I will appear unto thee.
Just as Christ our Light appeared in this earth and
abolished death and brought immortality to light, in like manner as he appeared
and spoke to Paul, so Christ through the Holy Spirit appears in our hearts—he
is formed in us—and he abolishes the death we were clinging to and brings light
and immortality to light within us through the gospel.
2
Timothy 1:9: Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10: But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour
Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel: 11:
Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher
of the Gentiles.
2 Corinthians
4: 6: For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in
our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ.
This
unction of the Spirit, this mind of Christ, causes us to know and understand
all things.
Proverbs
28:5: Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand
all things.
1
Corinthians 2:15: But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself
is judged of no man. 16: For who hath known the mind of the
Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
1
John 2:20: But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
Application: Brethren, when this Light
shines Christ is made unto us Wisdom and then Christ became our Righteousness
and our Sanctification. True
sanctification of heart in righteousness and holiness of truth is to be purged
and separated from vain works to Christ our Righteousness and Holiness by the
washing of regeneration—it is to have Christ formed in you. Now, in Christ our Light—believers walk in
the Light of Christ and by his Light we distinguish between things that differ:
·
Between
grace and works
·
Between
free grace and free will
·
Between
the Voice of Christ and the voice of strangers.
John 10: 4: And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he
goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will
flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
By this effectual call, God separates his elect out of bondage into liberty—when Christ
becomes our Wisdom he also becomes our Redemption.
2
Corinthians 3: 17: Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is liberty.
Galatians
5:13: For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for
an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
We were
by nature children of wrath, even as others; but now, in Christ, we are freed
from the curse and condemnation of God’s holy law. We were slaves dominated under sin--but now,
in Christ we have become the servants of righteousness. We were under the bondage of the prince of
the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience: but we are now Christ’s free men. Grace has set us free! Those who were
once driven by the law of works, now are led by the Spirit, walking in the law
of faith and love—old things are passed away, behold ALL THINGS—have become
new.
Galatians 5: 1: Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of
bondage.
By this
effectual call, God’s elect are separated out
of this world unto THE fellowship.
1 Corinthians 1:9: God is faithful, by whom ye were
called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
The
Gospel of love and grace called and separated Abraham from his former land of
idolatry, from his unbelieving family and former friends to follow Christ—to no
longer love the world or the things of the world because those things are not
of God.
Application: Brethren, at no time has God ever called his people and told
them to be joined with this world and the religion of this world. GOD SEPEARTES
HIS CHILDREN FROM FALSEHOOD, EFFECTUALLY COMMANDING US TO NO LONGER JOIN WITH
IT.
Deuteronomy
7: 2: And when the LORD thy God shall deliver
them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou
shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: 3: Neither shalt
thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son,
nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4: For they will turn away thy
son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the
LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. 5: But thus shall ye
deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and
cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. 6: For thou art
an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a
special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of
the earth….26 Neither shalt thou bring
an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou
shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed
thing.
Revelation
18:4: And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people,
that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Paul
was in works religion but he was not saved by it or left in it. God saved him
by Christ himself calling him out of it and separating him from it. He does the same in our day through the
gospel of God.
AND
WHAT SWEET FELLOWSHIP HE GIVES! Those called and separated unto the
fellowship of Christ have been called unto the fellowship of Jesus Christ to Mt
Zion, heavenly Jerusalem. We now have
access and communion with our triune God at his throne of grace! We have fellowship with His saints on earth
and in heaven (Hebrews 12:22-23)
Ephesians 2: 19: Now therefore ye are no more strangers
and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of
God;
Hear the Spirit of God and be not beguiled.
2 Corinthians 6:14: Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?
and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ
with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what
agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the
living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I
will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from
among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean
thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall
be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 7:1 Having therefore
these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of
the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Application: I realize this gospel does two things. It convinces those who are effectually called
and separated by God that we are saved by grace and are complete in Christ—it
unites us together with Christ more and more.
But this same gospel makes others feel lost.
Illustration: “Are you saying I’m going to hell!”
If the
gospel makes you feel lost, if it makes you uncomfortable, if you think it is
stripping you of something you have confidence in other than Christ—then heed
the word of the Lord! Don’t ignore it. Don’t attempt to suppress it! It may be that
God is calling and separating you unto Christ.
But
believer, remember that until
God has done the calling and separating, sinners may very well depart from the
gospel or separate you from them because of it.
The Master says to us:
Luke 6: 22: Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and
when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you,
and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
It may cause great sorrow because it may be
our dearest companion—even an unbelieving husband or wife. But brethren,
God has called us and separated us unto holiness, not uncleanness. When the unbelieving
depart, do not let it bring you back into bondage or turmoil or unrest. Remember, God
has called us unto peace.
1
Corinthians 7: 15: But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or
a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to
peace.
·
Peace which passes all understanding
·
Peace he gives in the midst of the
tribulations which the world cannot give or take away.
·
Peace in believing that we are one with God
by the blood and righteousness of Christ
Colossians 3: 15: Let the peace of God rule in your
hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body.
We
have seen: 1) Who does the calling and
separating: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit—it is
effectual, internal, saving. 2) From what God calls and separate us—from the
old things that have passed away; from self and self-salvation; from darkness
of sin and ignorance; from all that separated us from him. 3) To what has God
called us: from
darkness to light; from bondage
to liberty; from the world into the fellowship of Christ Jesus; from
uncleanness to holiness; from turmoil to peace, into his grace, into his
kingdom.
One
last question: shall those he has called and separated ever be separated from
him again? No way.
Romans
8: 35 Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are
accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that
loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, 39 Nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen!