Jesus Is Calling | John Challinor

I was crossing the crosswalk downtown Prescott

a little while ago, and as I'm walking across,

I had somebody with me. As I'm walking across

the crosswalk, there's a young lady that I can

tell knows me. I didn't know her. She had a couple

of friends with her, and she's so excited to

tell me a story. And the story was that this

was, I think it was a Tuesday, and so the Sunday

prior, She goes, I was attending church online.

She goes, but I was mid -hike. She goes, so I'm

hiking and I'm attending church while I'm hiking.

Okay, can we just pause and go, what a great

time to be alive. You know what I mean? You can

hike and still be at church. You still get your

gold star for attendance. So she's on this hike

and she goes, it got to a point where you started

to get loud. and animated. And I go, well, that

doesn't sound like me at all. I don't know what

you're talking about. You sure you were, it was

Heights Church, not another church? And she goes,

so you get loud and I'm hiking and all of a sudden

when you get to your loudest point, a mountain

lion jumps up and takes off. Church just might

save your life. I'm just saying, okay? Just saying,

church just might. We talk about the gospel saving

your life. It just might physically save your

life today. You don't know. And so there's this,

and who knew? The mountain lion was listening

to the gospel. Maybe that was the reaction that

the mountain lion needed. But this idea of listening

and responding, right? And a lot of you know

Pastor Bob. It's really fun to ignore Pastor

Bob's calls. It's just kind of a hobby of mine.

And so Pastor Bob, we had this meeting set up

where I was supposed to join him and some others.

And I got stuck in a meeting I was already in.

And so Pastor Bob being Pastor Bob begins to

text bomb me, right? Like, where are you? And

I'm like, I'm in the meeting. I can't get out.

And then he goes, just leave. And his next one

is, get up now. And I'm like, you need to stop.

You're not helping. And so I'm still sitting

there. Well, at one point I put my phone on the

table. And he starts to call. And the first time,

it's a one -on -one meeting at this point. So

the first time I'm like, I'm so sorry. It's just

Bob. And I click it, right? He called six times

in a row. And then left a voicemail about how

this fake story of something that had happened

to someone in my family. And you need to leave

right now to go help them. Right? Isn't it interesting

that we have the option when it comes to listening

of ignoring? We intentionally call somebody to

think about it. It's the most bizarre thing.

We all carry phones. And at any given moment,

someone can call you and interrupt what's happening

right now because they have something they need

to tell you. But you have the choice. You have

the choice of whether I pick up the phone, answer

it or not. What if we take the premise that Jesus

is calling today? That Jesus is calling you.

See, what I believe is that when we come into

a space like this and we take the time to open

the Bible together, you know what's amazing about

the Bible? Is it's all about God. Right? Like

sometimes we read the Bible and we read it through

the lens of me and I make it all about me and

what I can get. And here's the thing. First and

foremost, the Bible is the story of creator God,

the most supreme being there is, and how he wants

to know you and you know him. That's why it exists.

That you would know God. That you would see who

he is in a tangible way, that you would see Jesus.

Why Jesus? You guys, Jesus is the superhero.

There's nothing else. There is no other fix for

us. There is no other thing that can fix you

and fix your marriage and fix your relationships

and fix what you need. There is nothing else

that will fix you and bring you peace other than

the person of Jesus Christ. And this book is

designed to introduce you to him. And I think

this concept of Jesus wants to call and us listening,

but Jesus calling so that we would see him and

something would grow is captured in the story

we're in today. And I'll be honest with you,

this story, I preached it probably from this

stage multiple times. I would preach it in the

way that you probably are expecting it. Because

a lot of times we can take the me lens and read

this story from me. We can take the me lens and

go, this is how this story identifies me. So

in Luke chapter eight and Luke chapter eight

and verse four, we're told this. While a large

crowd was gathering, people were coming to see

Jesus from town after town. He told this parable.

So so we're told there's a large crowd and just

it's worth pausing before we read the rest to

understand that. The large crowd has come, and

when Jesus begins to do anything in a large crowd,

there's a reason why he's doing it. They would

see, they would know, and they would experience

him. The point was that they had showed up and

what they're going to experience of the Messiah,

of the Savior, of God's Son in human form, the

God -man, that what they're going to take away

from that is they're going to know him more,

they're going to see him more, and they're going

to experience more. Maybe it's just worth pausing

that the reason you're in the room today is not

to have a good time. The reason I hope you have

a good time, I hope that this isn't a miserable

experience. But the reason you're in the room

is to see Jesus. The reason you're in the room

is to experience him for yourself. Why? Because

the only thing that will change you, the only

thing you were made for, that you were built

the way you are for, is to know the person of

Jesus Christ. And so in a crowd, it's about seeing,

knowing, and experiencing. Verse 5. A farmer

went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering

the seed, some fell along the path. It was trampled

on and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky

ground. And when it came up, the plants withered

because they had no moisture. Other seed fell

among thorns, which grew up with it and choked

the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil.

It came up and yielded a crop a hundred times

more than was sown. When he, when Jesus said

this, Jesus called out, whoever has ears to hear,

let them hear. His disciples asked him what this

parable meant. He said, the knowledge of the

secrets of the kingdom of God have been given

to you, but to others I speak in parables so

that though seeing they may not see, though hearing

they may not understand. This is the meaning

of the parable. The seed is the word of God.

Those along the path are the ones who hear, and

when the devil comes and takes away the word

from their hearts so that they may not believe

and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones

who receive the word with joy when they hear

it, but they have no root. They believe for a

while, but in the time of testing they fall away.

The seed that fell among the thorns stands for

those who hear, but as they go on their way,

they are choked by life's worries, riches, pleasures,

and do not, key word, mature. But the seed on

the good soil stands for those with a noble and

good heart who hear the word, retain it, and

by persevering, produce a crop. No one lights

a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it

under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand

so So that those who come in can see the light.

For there is nothing hidden that will not be

disclosed and nothing concealed that will not

be known or brought out into the open. Therefore,

so based on all of that, therefore, consider

carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be

given more. Whoever does not have even what they

think they have will be taken from them. So you've

been around church, familiar passage. And normally

when this passage is taught, and again, I've

taught it this way. I don't think it's a misinterpretation

of the passage, but we instantly jump to, so

what soil are you? Like, how do you, like, are

you one that like you received it with joy, but

then you fell away? Are you one that like, you

just feel like every time that you get close

to Jesus, the devil comes in? Are you one that

you're like, no, I can look at my life and there's

this, we often look at it through that lens,

but. But I don't know that that's accurate to

what the story is. Here's what I mean. Verse

five starts this way. A farmer went out to sow

his seed. The focal point of the story that Jesus

gives is the farmer. The focal point, it doesn't

say, and there were soils. It says that a farmer.

went out and he is scattering seed. Here's what's

interesting. We missed the point that the parable

is actually about the farmer who over time we

understand is actually God himself as the person

of Jesus. That the farmer went out with an intention.

Why do you take something? Why do you take a

seed and why do you plant it? What are you hoping

will happen? Something will grow. There will

be some kind of harvest. This farmer goes out

with intentionality. This farmer goes out with

the intention that he is going to do something

and it's going to produce over time this abundant

harvest. Now, this farmer is unlike any I've

ever known. Here's what I mean. Verse five, a

farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering

the seed, some fell along the path. And then

it continues on. Some fell in the rocks, some

fell in the weeds, and some fell in good soil.

Now, we lived in Canada for five and a half years,

one stoplight town. All around were farms. I

would never have chose it, but God chose it for

us. And I got to know farmers. I know nothing

about farming. I didn't grow up in a farming

family. I grew up in England. There were sheep

everywhere. That's about as close as I got to

farming. What I learned about farmers is they're

exceptionally hard workers. No, we don't give

farmers a cheer for that. They're exceptionally

hard workers. In fact, you know how I know. I

used to teach in a church. And so the majority

of people there were farmers. And I taught on

Sabbath once about how they need to rest. And

one of them came up to me and went, that's cute,

but you know the cows still need to be milked.

I was like, oh, never thought about that. I appreciate

that. That's helpful. And so we're in this, we're

learning about, one of the things I learned about

farmers is this, they plant a lot of corn. Their

cornfields were straight lines. They were works

of art. You could tell the farmers have been

out drinking the night before because it's not

so much, you know. But when they grew, when the

corn grows, it grows in rows and it's clean and

you're just passing cornfield after cornfield

and they look like pieces of art. You know what

you don't see is corn up on the hill because

the farmer just got a little excited. The farmer

in this moment is unlike any other farmer. What

I know from being around farmers is when you

plant, every seed is money. And so it's not something

to be wasted. But what you get from this farmer

is the picture is this farmer is just going around

and he's just scattering seed. And he's not paying

attention seemingly to where it's falling or

is he paying attention? Right? So he's going

along and he's scattering seed and it says that

some falls on the path. Now the path. And in

those days, between seasons, they would walk

across one another's farms, farmland, and it

would basically create a path that was trodden

down. So when it says path, it was actually used

to be good soil and was used for farming. And

now it's just across their field. And so the

thought is that he's just scattering seed and

it's going on the path. And the thought is maybe

later he'll come back and till it all into the

ground. But then you have the farmer. says that

he scatters the seed among the rocks. And it's

not rocks as we think of. It's rocks like a limestone

ledge is what they believed. And there was a

thin layer of dirt on top. And he's just scattering

seed. And then you have the thorns and the weeds.

Now, here's what's interesting. Any farmer I've

ever known. They know what a path is. They know

where their ground is shallow. They know where

the rock ledges are. They know their ground.

They could tell you where it ends, where it's

good to do it to, where you stop and why. They

know all the ins and outs of their field. They

know the difference between a weed and a thorn

and the crop that they're looking for. And yet

what we're told about this farmer is he is just

out there scattering seed. I tend to believe

that this farmer knows what he's doing. I think

he knows the difference between rocks and thin

soil and thorns and good soil. And he knows where

the path is. And yet, and yet it says that he

scatters the seed. Why? Because what's the intention

of him doing it? He wants a harvest. I love the

picture you get of God is he is generous to us.

He's generous. He's not stingy. He's not going,

I ain't going to put it there because he's scattering

the word of God wherever it'll go that just maybe

it'll grow in the rocks today. Just maybe it'll

grow where there was thorns and be strong enough

to not be choked out by the thorn. He knows the

ground. At this moment, you guys, I see God as

generous and I'm processing this the way it works

as a communicator. It's on your mind all the

time. So Thursday, I'm laying, my wife's putting

the kids to bed. I'm laying downstairs and I'm

stretching out my back and all of a sudden I

jump up and I go, oh my gosh, the sower knew.

And I run over to my notebook and it goes, the

sower knew. And it like blew my mind. That the

sower knew the ground he was putting the seed

on. And he still put it on that ground. The sower

knew that the devil was coming. And he still

puts the seed in hope the opportunity that something

will grow. Right. Like he knew he knew that on

the path, the birds. Right. Like he knew that

the weeds are going to grow up and and all the

distractions of this life and the pleasures that

they're going to fight for what he's sowing.

And it says he still took the word of God and

gave it. He's still trying. He's still trying

to call. He's still speaking. Even even when

you sit here and you go. I think I'm that soil.

This morning, he's still scattering seed. That

just maybe in your life today, just maybe today

is the day that it grows. Just maybe today is

the day. I mean, how good does that make God?

How good does that make God that he's willing

to take a risk on you today? How beautiful does

that make him that he's so generous that he's

not like... Have you seen them? He ain't doing

that. He's going, just maybe, just maybe today.

And I love, I love, you get down and it says

that like his goal is this crop, right? And in

verse eight, still other seed fell on good soil

that came up and yielded a crop a hundred times

more than was sown. So his goal is this harvest.

But then listen to this. When he had said this,

when Jesus had said this, so when he just told

that story, when he had said this, he, Jesus,

called out. Whoever has ears to hear, let them

hear. I got ears. You got ears. Isn't that obvious,

Jesus, that people got ears? And this phrase,

whoever has ears, let them hear, it's not unique

to this moment like it's used in other places

in scripture. It shows up a lot in John's writing.

Whoever has ears, let them hear. But that's not

what got me. Right before that, at the end of

that verse, it says, he, Jesus, called, Jesus

called out. And as a communicator, I went. He

just changed his inflection. Is that actually

in the original? So then I go to my Bible stuff,

right? Like my different tools and pull up things

and I go, okay, in the original language, was

that word called out there? And sure enough,

because sometimes in translation, we add words

to make it like make sense. So we get the context.

And it specifically is a word in the Greek for

called out. And it means to summon, which is

to bring attention to, to use a louder voice.

So Jesus not only is summoning, but he is calling

out. He is using a loud voice to get your attention.

So he's just told this whole story. But the point

is what he's about to say. That word called out

in the original language is phoneo. The root

word of phoneo. is phone. Think about it for

a second. We get our word for phone from the

Greek. And what it means is to transfer voice

from one place to another. Isn't it interesting

that we use the phrase, hey, I'll give you a

call. I'm going to call you. Pastor Bob calls,

just make sure you ignore. I'm going to call

you. Right. Like we've taken the word from its

original context in the Greek and Alexander Bell.

And when the phone was invented, they used it

because of what it communicates about taking

your voice and transferring it across the distance.

Then I've got something so important to tell

you that I'm going to interrupt. Everything that

you're doing right now, I'm going to take this

moment and I'm going to put it into your space.

Disrupt where you are because I've got something

to say. That is what Jesus is saying when he

goes and he calls out. Jesus is calling. And

here's what's interesting. What he says next,

whoever has ears to hear, let them hear. What

he's saying is. Those of you that actually hear

my call, and in our context with our phone, we

have to hit a button or swipe across to accept

the call. Those of you that have heard the call,

I'm asking you to engage spiritually. I'm asking

you to engage with the conversation. I'm asking

you to be attentive to what I'm telling you.

I'm asking you to have a response. That's what

he's saying. Those that have ears, he's saying,

do you have the spiritual ears to hear the conversation

that God wants to have with you today? Because,

don't miss it, Jesus is calling. That's the point.

I love, you guys, this is like Jedi mind tricks

happening in this teaching. He shares a story

about hearing and listening. And then he goes,

and the main point is, I'm going to use my loud

voice. Engage with it. Talk to me about it. Don't

let it just pass by. Don't physically just hear.

You ever call your kids? Those of you that have

kids or maybe you are a kid that gets called.

You ever been on the phone with your kid? And

you have them repeat what you just said to make

sure that they what? Heard you. And they repeat

it word for word. And you're like, OK, they got

it. And then and then they get home. You're like,

what'd you do? And it's the opposite. And you

go, you didn't really what? Hear me. You didn't

really hear me. That's what Jesus is saying.

I called you. We talked. You told me back my

words, but you never engaged with it on a spiritual

level with me. That's what he's getting at here.

Notice what happens. The people that are following

him, they hear him cry out, call out, say this.

Notice what it says. Verse nine, I believe it

is. Eight, sorry. No, it is nine. I was right.

His disciples asked him what? this parable meant.

Wait, entire crowd of people, the disciples are

the ones that have intentionally followed him.

And what happens with those intentionally following

him? They engage him on what? The spiritual conversation.

Hey, Jesus, what do you actually mean by that?

Hey, I hear you calling Jesus, but what does

it actually mean? Would you explain that to me?

They're engaging him at the level that he's asking.

Verse 10. He said the knowledge. So Jesus says

the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of

God has been given to you. But to others, I speak

in parables so that though seeing they may not

see, though hearing they may not understand.

These are some of the most terrifying verses

in the entire Bible. And here's what I mean.

These verses, actually the context of the, though

seeing they may not see, though hearing they

may not understand, it comes from Isaiah. And

Isaiah was a prophet that was sent to the nation

of Israel. Israel is not doing what God wants

them to do. They've heard, but they're not what?

Spiritually engaging. So the prophet is sent

with a word for them. But what God tells the

prophet is this. Hey, when you go and give your

message, I'm going to give them what they want.

What does that mean? Well, when he shows up and

he gives the message, if the heart is humble,

God will give repentance. If the heart is recognizing,

hey, we've been doing the opposite thing that

God wants, then God goes, I'll give him repentance.

But he also says that if the heart is hard, it

will become more hardened. God is going to give

you what you want. That's terrifying. Because

for some of you, Jesus has been calling. And

he's been saying, hey, that person in your life

that hurt you really, really bad, you need to

forgive them. And what you've done is you see

Jesus calling and you know what it's about because

he wants you to forgive that person. You're like,

nope. I'm not ready for that, Jesus. And Jesus

calls again. Why? Because he's generous and he's

scattering seeds. Right? So Jesus calls again

to interrupt your regularly scheduled program

of your day. And sometimes, Jesus is tricky,

you guys. We've got a tricky Jesus out here on

these streets. Because sometimes you'll pass

a building and think of that person. You're like,

how did that building connect to that person?

And Jesus goes, you need to forgive them. And

you're like, nope. I'm not ready. You know what

God gives you when you refuse it, right? Like

this is the point of this whole thing. He'll

give you what you want. If I don't want to forgive,

I grow bitterness. And God goes, okay, be bitter.

And then we get old and crusty and moldy. And

our wrinkles hit the floor. And we're these nasty,

mean people. Why? Because we've been growing

a harvest of bitterness. And the whole time,

generous Jesus has been like, no, I want a conversation

about that. Because I don't want you to be bitter.

I got better for you. Don't be bitter. Be better.

Wow, there's a... Tell Pastor Todd that when

you see him. But isn't it amazing? Jesus is calling

her. No, no. No. It terrifies me, you guys, that

he will give me what I want. That's the scariest

verse in the whole Bible to me. Because I know

my heart and I need Jesus to call me and call

me and call me. And I got to learn how to pick

up, pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up. But what

Jesus is saying, it's not enough to just pick

up and be like, okay, Jesus, I can tell you exactly

what you said. He goes, I need you to engage

on a spiritual level with me in this conversation.

It's fascinating to me. If you've got a physical

Bible or you'll read this later in a physical

Bible, which I don't know, I feel like I'm supposed

to say this. You guys with this conversation

today, you need to get around the table with

somebody this week. And you need to tell them

Jesus is talking to me and he's talking to me

about this so that you have some accountability

for what Jesus is telling you. Because otherwise

it'll just go in one ear and out the other. You'll

get onto in and out later and it'll be over.

But when I get around the table and somebody

asks me, hey, what did Jesus tell you? How'd

you respond to that? Are you engaging him on

a spiritual level? That will transform you. You'll

have an opportunity later to sign up for groups

in a couple of weeks. I think you should sign

up for groups if you're not in one. Why? Because

you need to get around the table where somebody

will go, what conversation is Jesus having with

you? Because we don't want to grow bitterness.

We want to grow bitterness. It's interesting

with our Bibles. You know the little subtitles

in your Bible, right? So in my Bible, this is

what happens. A lamp on a stand separates the

parable of the sower from the next section. That's

not inspired. That was put there by humans to

help us try and organize. The verse numbers are

not inspired, right? Like they were put there.

And I think it's done as a disservice. Here's

what I mean. So he goes from the parable of the

sower. He tells the soils. And then listen, he

goes. No one, verse 16, no one lights a lamp

and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a

bed. Instead, they put it on a stand so that

those who come in can see the light. For there

is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed

and nothing concealed that will not be known

or brought into the open. Therefore, therefore,

the entire dialogue of Jesus, the parable of

the sower, Therefore, based on all of that, consider

carefully how you listen. That's the whole point

of the whole thing. Consider carefully when Jesus

calls. Consider carefully how you listen. Jesus

is calling all the time. How do I know this?

I was in my bathroom on Monday morning. I was

getting ready for work. My work that day. involved

jumping on a Zoom call. Yes, I feel the same

way. Actually, it was Google Meets, but I still

feel the same way about whatever that is, platform

that is, video conferencing that I felt in COVID.

And I'm standing, getting ready, and I start

to have all these moments of insecurity. I start

to have all these moments of the 25 people on

there. I kind of know that one of them may be

And I got all this pressure inside of me going,

God, I need to do well. I need to not look stupid.

I need to sound wise. I need to impress. I need

to show up. I need to put on a good display.

God, it's really healthy. I need to put on a

good display for Heights Church. And in my bathroom

on a Monday morning, Jesus called. And you know

what he said? What's on your neck? And I touched

my neck. He goes, that's right, you're loved.

And because you're loved by God, that means there's

nothing to prove and nobody to impress. Just

a God to serve. Go serve me. I entered that call

and I got to just serve God in that call. Why?

Because Jesus is calling, even in the bathroom

on a Monday morning. Some of y 'all might be

getting a massage later. Jesus is going to call

you in your massage. Just be ready. Some of you

may be doing the most mundane thing in your week.

Jesus is calling because he's generous and he

wants a conversation with you. I fear though

that some of us, I had a moment with my family.

You know how kids are. Kids will poke each other

until one of them responds, and then somebody

inevitably gets hurt. I mean, it's just the way

it happens, right? And so two of my daughters,

they're going at it. In the midst of that, one

of them gets hurt, and my wife responds. And

she's talking to my daughter that had hurt the

other one. And my daughter, as my wife is talking,

my daughter's just doing this. She's still talking.

And at some point, at some point she goes, I'm

sorry, I came unglued. There's a lot of things

in my life that are okay. Ignoring your mother

is not one of them. Right? I don't know if you

should clap for that because I had to apologize

later. So I don't know. But I came unglued, right?

I'm like, that's not okay. And we wouldn't do

it to one another yet to God. God's calling and

we're just what? We're ignoring him. I know you

want to have a conversation about my lust. It's

okay. I know you want a conversation about my,

it's okay. I know you want a conversation about

my relationship. It's okay. Like we just ignore

him. And at some point we're like, would you

leave me alone? But you need to know God is generous

and he's going to continue to sow. Why? Because

he cares about you and the abundant harvest inside

of you. That he's got good for you. And he wants

to know when Jesus calls, will you answer? Will

you answer? I believe that God wants to have

a conversation in this room right here, right

now. There are some of you that don't know Jesus.

And I know for a fact Jesus is calling today

because that's who Jesus is. And some of you,

you need to answer that call and for the first

time engage in with your faith and go, I put

my trust in you today to save me because I cannot

save myself. I believe that you bled and you

died. And I believe that on that cross, you paid

for my sin. Some of you need to have that conversation

with Jesus right now today. For others of you.

Jesus is calling and he wants a conversation

about that. And he wants a conversation right

here, right now, today. So we're going to create

space. We're going to worship together. We're

going to sing about the beautiful name of Jesus.

We're going to sing about how good he is and

how powerful he is. But the hope is that there's

an internal conversation. Even as you worship,

the Holy Spirit is speaking and wants to. Why?

Because Jesus is calling. Will you pick up? So

I'm going to pray for you that you pick up in

these next moments that we have left together.

So God, we come before you. God, thank you for

being good and kind and gracious. Thank you for

being generous. Thank you, God, that even as

we sit here and some of us would identify as

soil that's not prone to grow anything, that

today would be the day. Because you're still

scattering and you still want to harvest and

you still want to conform us to the image of

Jesus because that's what's best. You still want

the abundant life for us. That's why you gave

your life. And so God, I ask that you help us.

Would you meet us in this place? God, as we lift

our voices in worship and we declare what a beautiful

name the name of Jesus is, God, as we declare

how faithful you are, how good you are to us,

why are we on your mind? And yet you meet us

here. So God, would you speak? Would we listen?

Would we engage? Would we answer your call? And

would we be forever changed? Thank you for loving

us. Thank you for the gift of life. And everybody

said, amen.