You Shall Be Called

I'm going to invite you if you can't join with

me in the book of John chapter 1. I'm beginning

John 1 · chapter mention

a new series today entitled Called. And this

series will follow some of the defining stages

in the life and calling of Peter. The great disciple

and apostle of Jesus Christ. Great man of God.

It's going to show us what God can do with an

ordinary life that answers an extraordinary call.

So we're going to... begin today in the book

of John chapter 1 and verse 40. Somebody say

John 1 · chapter mention

called. Every one of us have been called of God.

And it reads as follows. One of the two who heard

John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon

Peter's brother. He first found his own brother

Simon and said to him, we have found the Messiah.

which is translated the Christ. And he brought

him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, he

said, you are Simon, the son of Jonah. You shall

be called Caiaphas, which is translated a stone.

Amen. I'm going to preach today, you shall be

called. You shall be called. Someone say amen.

You can be seated in God's presence. Thank you.

You shall be called. Michelangelo once said of

his statue of David, I saw the angel in the marble

and carved until I set him free. The story goes

that the massive stone had already been worked

on and abandoned by two other sculptors. Considered

too damaged and difficult to work with, it sat

neglected for decades, many years until Michelangelo

selected it and accepted the challenge. And so

with a hammer in one hand and a chisel in the

other, he spent nearly three years bringing his

vision to life, carving the angel out of the

stone, turning a rejected stone into a priceless

work of art. And I want you to know that something

similar happens when God... calls you. When he,

like a sculptor, sees beyond your rough edges

and raw material, beyond what time, neglect,

and misuse have covered, he too sees the angel

in the stone and wants to carve. until it is

set free. Because in the hands of God, the ordinary

becomes extraordinary. The rejected becomes the

selected. Amen. The outcast becomes the called.

Somebody say amen. And perhaps no figure in the

Gospels illustrates this more colorfully and

beautifully than Simon Peter, the unsteady stone

who became the pillar of Pentecost. Simon's story

does not begin in the chambers of power or the

courts of religion, but on a humble shoreline

filled of emptiness and washed -up dreams. Although

a proud... a successful commercial fisherman,

his life was predictable at best, miserable at

worst. Because like all Jewish men in his culture,

Simon grew up with the hopes of one day becoming

something more than just a fisherman. He grew

up instilled with the idea that... he could possibly

become a rabbi. Jewish boys in the first century,

Palestine and Jerusalem, did not dream of being

doctors and lawyers and wealthy businessmen.

They dreamed of impressing a religious ruler,

enough to be called into rabbinic discipleship.

That was the hope of every parent and the dream.

of every young boy. But the reality was that

most could not measure up and did not make the

cut. And while many accepted their fate in life

and made the best of it, earned an honest living,

and attempted to make something of themselves,

a respectable life, a good life, a moral life

even, some must have wrestled deeply. With the

what if. Like what if I had made the cut? What

if I had been chosen? What would my life look

like? If I had been one of those fortunate young

boys. That found favor in the sight of a rabbi.

To be chosen as one of his students. And ultimately

to become a rabbi myself. I wonder if Jewish

men. and that time wrestled with those types

of questions, it seems reasonable that they might

consider what their life could have been like,

especially if they see one of their friends as

a child, now a rabbi themself, and say, maybe

that could have been me. Maybe those what -ifs

enter the mind of Simon from time to time as

he... Like many of his counterparts ran every

day on the hamster wheel. Running and running

and running and getting nowhere. The hamster

wheel of unfulfilled desires. The hamster wheel

of constant motion with never really arriving

at a place of true fulfillment and satisfaction

in life. Maybe, just maybe, Simon longed for

more. Maybe there was... An itch that no amount

of money could scratch. Maybe there was a part

of him that no amount of respectability and morality

and good fortune could feel. Maybe there was

an aspect of Simon's life that just always seemed

to be bent one way, that just could never quite

find his rhythm, never could quite find his place

in the world. And if that's the case, then I'm

sure there were others. Who wrestled with those

things and thought those things about their life.

But what is certain is that in the midst of his

ordinary life. His brother Andrew interrupted

his day. The routine of his day with these words.

We have found the Messiah. We have found the

Messiah. We have found the one who holds the

key to our future. We have found the Messiah.

And his brother, Andrew, was the one. He was

the link. He was the bridge. He was the conduit

that God used to initiate the calling of Simon.

And this sheds light in my mind and in our hearts

today on one of the very first important lessons

about being called of God. What God wants to

do in all of our lives. And I pray that today

and throughout this series, you will open up

your hearts and you will entertain the possibility

that there is more that God wants to do in your

life. Amen? You've got to be willing to first,

number one, understand that the call of God will

first reveal who your true friends are. Someone

say your true friends. Simon would have never

known the Lord or his true purpose if it had

not been for an Andrew in his life who brought

him to Jesus. This might be the purest definition

of a true friend. Not somebody who simply listens

to you, agrees with you, or who has earned your

trust in some way. Not somebody who simply likes

you. Not somebody who matches you or has a meeting

of the mind with you. Not just somebody who is

agreeable. But someone who pushes you closer

to Jesus. There are people in life that may agree

with you. Rub you the right way. Say what you

want to hear and not push you any closer to Jesus

than you were a year ago. But the first truth

that we must come to terms with in our life is

that people, someone say people. Come on, say

it again, people. In your life can either pull

you back or push you towards your calling in

Christ. And I want to make it very simple for

you today. I want to break it down and make it.

as practical and as simple because oftentimes

we are in the habit of making things so spiritual.

And what I mean by that is we make it so lofty,

so high and so beyond our basic understanding.

I want to make it simple for you to understand

that simply who you associate with and who you

allow into the inner circle of your life can

have a very direct effect on Where you get into

your calling and who God ultimately creates you

to be. As you get closer to Christ, you will

understand and closer to your calling that who

you allow into your circle becomes more and more

important. And for that reason, your circle must

get smaller. Amen, somebody. Your circle gets

smaller, not bigger, the closer you get to God.

The closer you get to his purpose, the closer

you get to seeing the fulfillment of his plan

and his calling in your life, it gets smaller,

not bigger. Can't just let everybody in your

circle. Come on now. Who you allow into your

circle will, whether you care to admit it or

not, will affect your growth. And so you've got

to be careful who you let into your circle. Thank

God that Simon had somebody in his circle that

he could trust. Somebody who was not in competition

with him. Hello now. Somebody that was not jealous

of his success. Somebody that was not competing

with him. But somebody who loved him enough to

show him we have seen the Messiah. Somebody who

was okay with interrupting his life and his daily

routine and said, Hey, Simon, I need to show

you about this man. Somebody who loved him and

was willing to talk to him and help him see that.

there is something greater beyond where you are

and this was the kind of person that that was

willing to grow and so you've got to evaluate

your life today evaluate not with the flesh but

in the spirit evaluate your life today on who

it is that is that is going with you because

uh i want to put it to you simply that if they

cannot grow with you they cannot go with you

come on now if they're gonna walk with you they've

got to be qualified to grow with you they got

to be tough as nails. They got to have thick

skin. They got to have a spiritual mindset. They

got to be spiritually and emotionally mature.

If they're going to go with you to the places

that God is calling us to go in his glory and

in his purpose, then they've got to be willing

to grow and change and develop. I've come to

tell you, number one, and very basically, that

every Simon needs an Andrew. Somebody that's

not trying to compete with you. Somebody that's

not trying to hold you back and normalize. Because

there are people in your life that want to keep

you where you are. So that it normalizes their

mediocrity. And so they are not comfortable with

you going to the next level. Come on. They're

not comfortable with you increasing your spiritual

intensity. They're not comfortable with you getting

more fanatical about your faith. Because there

are people like the crabs in the pot that want

to pull you down to where they are. So you got

to make sure. that you're surrounded with an

Andrew in your life. Somebody that's not tied

to the past. Somebody that's not refusing to

change. But somebody that, like you, has got

their sights set on something greater. Somebody

that's ready to serve God with everything that

they have. Come on, somebody. We've got to get

some people like that in our life. Amen? Hallelujah!

We got to get people like that. And I don't care

how you want to dice it. Those that you allow

into your inner circle can help you or hurt you.

You see, Andrew was initially a disciple of John

the Baptist. Andrew was initially not even a

follower of Jesus. But here's what happened when

he met Jesus. This is how you qualify somebody

as being an Andrew in your life. Somebody that

is worthy to walk with you in friendship, in

relationship. Is that when Andrew recognized

that it was no longer good enough to follow John

the Baptist. He followed Jesus instead. And he

recognized that God was moving in another direction.

You've got to connect with people like Andrew

who can discern the move of God. Can I preach

like I want to here today? You've got to put

yourself around people who can recognize where

not God has been. But where God is going. People

who are ready to step out with you in faith.

People who are ready to connect with you in faith

and believe with you and pray with you. And people

that are not stuck in the past talking about

what God did and reminiscing over how it used

to be. You got to get around people in your life

that are talking about the promises of God. Come

on now, somebody. Who's going to pray with me

here today that are focused on the future and

where God has taken us? I don't want to be stuck

in the past. I don't want to be stuck under the

ministry of John the Baptist. That was good for

yesterday. But I need to be connected to people

that realize that the Messiah is in our midst.

The Messiah is in our presence. The Messiah is

on the move. And I need to wake up and smell

the coffee and realize. Andrew said, hey, look

it, that was good for yesterday, huh? That was

good for yesterday. But I've recognized God's

on the move. We're not careful we can get stuck

in the past and get stuck in where God was and

get stuck in how he used to be and get stuck

in a cycle of repetition and never move on and

go from glory to glory and from faith to faith

simply because we're connected to the wrong people.

People who don't pray. People who don't fast.

People who are not in the word. People who are

not connected or submitted to authority. People

who have more gossip than they do gospel. And

we've got to cut these people out of your life.

You're saying, Pastor, That sounds kind of rude.

Are you telling me to absolutely cut them off

if they're depriving you, if they're stopping

you? Come on. I'm not talking about sinners that

need to be saved. I'm not talking about cut off

all your unconverted friends. I'm talking about

church people and religious people who are satisfied

with where they are, and they don't really want

revival. They don't really want to see God. Not

everybody who goes to church on Sunday wants

revival. Not everybody wants revival. Not everybody

wants growth. You'd be surprised how many people

in the church, come on, hello somebody, talk

to me now, want to keep things the way they are.

If I move the piano from the right to the left

side, they'll have a heart attack. Don't move

the piano. I'm used to seeing it right there.

Some of you say, oh, they're not people like

that. Oh, yes, there are. They get offended.

I had a brother one time get offended at me because

I moved his favorite seat. Like, man, he almost

backslid because I moved his favorite seat. He

said, hey, brother, how about you sit in a new

seat? Maybe God's trying to do something different

in your life. You know? I'm sorry, but there's

some people, they don't want things to change.

But I want to be connected to those that want

to see where's the Messiah. Can I tell you something?

I'm not looking for religion. I'm looking for

the Messiah. Anybody else out there? Come on.

Somebody say, I'm not looking for another church

to go to. Hello. If you want to find another

church to go to, just go. It used to be the yellow

pages. Amen. You could just do a Google search

and you're going to find it. It's 31 flavors.

Baskin -Robbins. You can find any church you

want with the pastor that says exactly what you

want. And they sing the right songs that you

want and all of that. It's not about finding

another church or another. It's about keep. your

eyes on Jesus, and you'll never backslide. You'll

never be able to be run out of the church. Don't

get your eyes on the pastor, on the assistant

pastor, on the bishop, on that brother. Get your

eyes on the Messiah. on the Messiah. Even when

man fails or disappoints you, you say, I'm going

to keep serving the Lord because I'm following

the Messiah. Oh, hallelujah. And so I've got

to move on to my second point, is that the call

of God not only reveals your true friends, but

it reveals your true worth. Someone say my true

worth. Let's remember that Simon had no religious

pedigree. Like the other men Jesus invited into

discipleship, he was not known for his education,

social rank, or political stature. Simon was

a part of a hardworking but rag -tied crew of

misfits who had been overlooked by society and

formal religion. But everything changed with

the simple words that we read in our text today.

And the simple words were this, I know some of

you Bible scholars are thinking, well, what's

so fancy about that? What's so deep about that?

I'll tell you why that's deep. For somebody who

has gone unnoticed all of his life. For somebody

who couldn't get the right attention of man.

For somebody who had been overlooked and unheard

for the majority of his life. For somebody who

has flown under the radar. For somebody who felt

like he couldn't get a second look or a chance.

All of a sudden, the King of Kings and the Lord

of Glory, the Messiah, looked at him. Someone

say, he's looking at me. Oh, after a lifetime

of being prejudged and unseen and unnoticed and

under the radar, finally been seen and he hasn't

been seen just by any man of the cloth or in

political position but he's been seen by God

almighty and in that moment I've come to tell

you that his existence was validated his persona

was healed oh his worth was restored just by

Jesus looking at him oh maybe you don't know

what I'm talking about but some of us in this

place know what it's like to be overlooked. Come

on now. You know what it's like to be passed

up for somebody else. You know what it's like

to be not chosen because somebody else. You know

what it's like to be passed by. You know what

it's like to not be preferred. You know what

it's like to go from the first to the back of

the line. You know what it's like to be skipped.

You know what it's like to be going around. Oh,

and if you've ever experienced that feeling,

then you know that it will break. you. It will

sadden you. It will disappoint you. It'll make

you feel like you're a nothing and a nobody.

It'll make you feel like your life has no meaning

and no value. It'll make you feel like you're

never going to be good enough to measure up to

people's standards. It'll make you feel like

your best is not good enough. It'll make you

feel like you're just a speck of dirt on the

planet. But when the Lord puts his eyes on you.

It restores who you are. It restores your identity.

It restores your work. Come on, am I preaching

to somebody here today? Ah, come on now somebody.

Do you remember where you were when the Lord

looked at you? Come on, somebody better preach

with me here this afternoon. I said, do you remember

where you were when the Lord looked at you and

you felt like I've been seen my life has meaning

my life has value my life is worth saving I've

come to tell you today Thank you for seeing me.

Some of you have this little old me mentality.

Oh, little old me. Would God use little old me?

Would God look at little old me? Poor me. Nobody

likes me. Be quiet with all of that kind of talk.

Your God likes you when he loves you. And if

God raises you up, there's no man that can pull

you down. When God sees you. Hallelujah. I feel

the Holy Ghost right now. I feel the Holy Ghost

right now. God sees you, Brother David. God sees

you, Brother Isaac. God sees you, Brother Jose.

He sees you. I said he sees you. He said me right

here I am. Yes, Brother Kevin. He sees me. I

wonder what you would do for the next minute

if you really believe that God sees you. He's

watching you right now. How are you going to

worship me? Praise me. How are you going to respond?

Because I see you. Oh, hallelujah. Hallelujah,

God. I'm talking to you today from somebody who

has been overlooked in my past. And some of you

might think, oh, not you, Pastor Jacob. Like

you're a pastor and you've done this and you've

done that. The devil is a liar. You don't know

all the things that I've had personally to deal

with in my past. How many times I've been overlooked.

How many times I've been dismissed and disregarded.

Oh, I can tell you. But I don't want to come

up here and play a sad song for you. I don't

want to come up here and play a violin for you.

could all sit around here, cry, play violins,

and talk about how bad it's been, but I've come

to tell you about a God that sees. Oh, every

man can turn their back on you, but if God sees

you, it'll turn everything around. Come on now,

somebody. Everybody can close their eyes to you,

but if God sees you, if God sees you, it don't

matter. man turns a blind eye to you. If God

sees you, whatever God looks at, he validates.

He validates. He validates. And God is validating

somebody right now. I feel this in the Holy Ghost.

He's validating somebody right now. And he's

trying to tell you, I see you. What does God

see exactly? Can I keep preaching? Is that all

right? I'll tell you what somebody say. Go ahead.

I'll tell you what he sees. He sees uncarved

potential. He sees the diamond in the rough.

He sees the angel in the marble. And God sees

you that way today. And that means if he sees

you, ah, someone say he sees all. of me oh come

on I want to preach this thing so bad he sees

all of you some of you have become so good at

portraying only the best of yourself and that's

why when you go through trials and tribulations

your life crumbles and falls apart because you're

fake and you don't tell it like it really is

but you got to understand in the presence of

God he sees all of you you can fool your pastor

you can fool your brother or your sister but

honey you ain't fooling God God's sees the good.

He sees the bad. And he sees the ugly. He sees

the things that you've been saying in your heart.

He sees the dirt and the grime and the filth.

He sees the habits you can't break. He sees the

emotions you can't check. He sees all of that.

He sees the entirety of who you are. And yet

he still wants to work in your life. And yet

he still wants to bless you and anoint you and

My God. He sees all of it. He sees all of it.

Nothing is hidden. The eyes of the Lord are upon

the righteous. There's all. He sees me. And I

don't got to pretend with God. I don't have to

act with God. God sees it anyway. God sees it

anyway. Oh, someone say he sees. He sees. He

sees. And even when he sees, he doesn't dismiss

us. Can you imagine if your boss knew what you

did, he would have fired you a long time ago.

Y 'all ain't saying nothing to me right now.

If your boss would know half the stuff that you

have thought, he would have fired you a long

time ago. If he knew that you almost quit on

your way to work, he would have said, don't bother.

Come and turn around and go home. I don't need

your help. But yet, that's the way some of us

are with God. We're talking ourselves this way,

and God says, yeah, I hear all that, but I still

love you, and I still want to use you. How many

of you are thankful to God that he doesn't judge

you and cast you off for the thoughts you think

and for the emotions you feel and for the stuff

you've been through? Thank you, Jesus. God. Thank

you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. And so he sees

me. And Simon, Simon is feeling like, wow, I

finally have been seen. Someone is finally paying

attention to me. Someone is finally watching

me. Someone is finally watching. And God says,

yeah. I don't just see the bad stuff, Simon.

I see the good stuff, too. I see the good stuff,

too, Simon. I'm not here to condemn you, Simon.

I'm not here just to talk about, you know, all

the bad that's going on in your life. I'm not

here to air your dirty laundry, Simon. I'm also

here to tell you what you're made of. I'm here

to tell you there's something in you. I don't

just see a fisherman, Simon. I see a fisher.

Of men. I don't just see a man. I see a future

man of God. Oh this brings me to my next point.

And I got to preach this for a little while longer.

Is that the. call of God doesn't just reveal

your true friends and your true worth, but it

reveals your true identity. Someone say my identity.

Oh, yes. Simon. Oh, if there was anybody probably

vote as least likely to succeed in the religious

realm, it had to be Simon because Simon was the

opposite of patience. His name is synonymous

with impulsiveness. He was synonymous with being

impulsive and hot -headed and loud -mouthed.

And he had a short fuse and a long tongue. He

was a ready -fire -aim kind of guy. And that

must have at times cost him friends, cost him

business that he don't even know he'd lost because

he couldn't keep his impulsiveness and his hot

-headedness together. Oh, he couldn't keep his

emotions in check. And when a leader or when

somebody is getting ready to build a team, they

might look at those attributes and say, you know,

that's just too risky. That's just a liability

to have this. You know what I'm saying? It's

a liability to have this person on my team because

he's going to cost me at some point. You know

what I mean? And when you read through the story

of Simon Peter, he did do some things that Jesus

said, oh, boy, I got to fix. He was fixing things

that Simon thought he was helping. I'm helping

Jesus. I got your back. He was really hurting

Jesus. Jesus had to tell him, get behind me,

man. You're getting in my way because of his

impulsiveness. And everybody knew. this about

simon everybody knew that that simon was a he

was a a hard working he was he was driven he

was diligent but he was also easily bothered

and opinionated and that would be his achilles

heel that would be his downfall at some point

in the future when he would fail i'll get to

that in another sermon but it was because of

that impulsiveness because of that that that

just the way he was easily just you know brash

and the way that he responds to things that From

day to day, you had to guess. Everybody around

Simon had to guess what kind of Simon are we

going to get today. That's the definition of

instability. Some people think instability is

like, you know, you're showing up one way wearing

black. The next day you're wearing green. Man,

that person is unstable. No, instability is defined

as people around you never knowing what version

of you they're going to get. That's instability.

Instability is like people having to play rock,

paper, scissors with you, you know. What are

we getting today? Oh. Stability is people knowing

exactly what they're going to get. Doesn't matter

come hell or high water, the rock is going to

be a rock. Amen. But up to this point, Simon

had a reputation. And everybody was playing rock,

paper, scissors with him. It's very hard to build

something with somebody like Simon who was always

playing rock, paper, scissors. But when Jesus

laid eyes on him, he put all that stuff to side.

And he said, you know what I see? Forget the

scissors, forget the paper. I see a rock in the

making. I see a rock in the making. And so Jesus

declared a word over his life. Just give me a

few more moments. He declared a word over his

life. And he said, you are Simon, the son of

Jonah. You are Simon, the son of Jonah. Now,

you see, I think it's interesting. Like, how

many of you think Simon already knew his name?

This is not a trick question. How many think

Simon knew his name? Amen. You think Simon knew

his name was Simon? That's a no -brainer, right?

So why did God have to tell him, your name is

Simon? Like, duh, I know what my name is. He

didn't have to tell me. The reason why God says

your name is Simon before he moves on is because

you can't move on to becoming Peter until you

first recognize the Simon in you. Many of us,

we want to grow, but we're unwilling to deal

with the fact that many parts of our life are

still very much Simon. God has to locate us.

God has to pinpoint us. And this is not going

to be comfortable. It's not going to be easy.

It's not going to feel good. This is not the

feel good part of the message today. You missed

that. We already covered it. You should have

shouted when you had the chance, right? God.

We want to grow. But in order to grow, in order

for God to do his work, his will in our life,

when he calls us, he first confirms who you are.

Today. We all want to be just about who we're

going to be tomorrow. Don't you know who I'm

going to be? God said, you need to know who you

are today. Someone say today. Who am I today?

God said to Simon, look, I got plans for you.

Plans to use you, to raise you up. Don't worry

about that. That's coming. But for right now,

you're still Simon. You're still Simon. And that

must have felt like a bit contradictory. Like,

wait, maybe he turned to Andrew and said, hey,

man, I thought this guy was going to tell me

good things about me. I didn't come here to be

put down. I didn't come here to be told I'm Simon.

You told me we found the Messiah. He's over here

telling me what. Everybody knows him. I could

have told him who I am. This is not revelation.

But before you have a revelation, watch this,

you need to have a realization. You can't get

revelation without realization. Realization is

the beginning of a revelation. And before God

gives him a revelation, he's first got to have

a realization that I am still Simon. I'm a work

in progress, but I'm still Simon. I've got things

to work on, but... In order for me to pursue

my calling, listen, everybody today, you cannot

be in denial about who you are today. If I'm

going to make you into Peter, if I'm going to

make you into a fisher of men, you first have

to accept that you're Simon. You still got to

accept that you're impulsive. Still got to accept

that your emotions are running wild. You still

got to... You still got to accept that you're

a ready, fire, aim person. You still got to accept

that there are things in your life that are out

of order and out of balance. You still got to

accept that you're still the student and not

the teacher. You still got to accept that you

have ways to go. You still got to accept, Simon,

that you don't know it all yet. You still got

to accept that there are things about you that

I'm not fond of, things about you that got to

change. Because ultimately, Simon, I've called

you, but you need to accept where you are. And

accepting where you are can bring us to the second

point, which is when God calls you, he does.

He doesn't just confirm who you are today. He

affirms who you'll be tomorrow. Someone say tomorrow.

He doesn't just tell me who I am today. All you

got to do is look at a clock to tell you what

time it is. I know what time it is right now.

I know I've got these things in my life. I know,

but he says, you shall be, you shall be called

Caiaphas. As I close, you shall be called Caiaphas.

Here's what you have to catch. Simon's name change

was valid. If you can put up the verse before

that. His name change was valid. When Jesus looked

at him and said, you are Simon today, he said,

and you shall be called. Someone say, you shall

be called. You shall be called Caiaphas. His

name change was official. He didn't have to contact

Social Security to get his name changed legally.

You know, his name was changed. God said it,

and that settles it. His name change was valid,

but he still had to grow. Into Peter. You know

why? We read in scripture that it continues to

call. You read in the word. He's continued to

be referred to even after this moment. He continues

to be called Simon. And then he's called Simon

Peter. It was progressive. And then he's called

just Peter. The brother can come to the keys.

He's progressing. He's progressing. So guess

what happened? Jesus said, your name is going

to be called Caiaphas. That's pretty cool, huh?

I mean, when you get a word like that, that's

got to make your day, right? Someone say amen.

That's got to make your day. Like, from now on,

everybody, there's a new sheriff. It's Caiaphas.

Let it be known. It's Caiaphas. That's got to

feel great. The only problem is the next day

he woke up still feeling like Simon. The only

problem is the day after that. Looked himself

in the mirror. He's like, you know, I heard what

Jesus said about me. But why do I still feel

like Simon? And there would be times and points

in Peter, Simon Peter's calling, where he acted

more like Simon than he did Peter. But God was

so gracious. Because in the gracious, patient,

loving, building hands of God, Even though we

act like Simon or sometimes a combination of

Simon Peter, God never takes back his word. So

in God's eyes, like Michelangelo looking at the

rough edges of that unfinished block of marble

and stone. In God's eyes, he looks at you and

he looks at me and he says, I see the angel in

the marble. I see the Peter in the Simon. I see

not just who you are, but who you shall be called.

I feel the Holy Ghost in this place right now.

Oh, God, I feel God. What you shall be called.

What you shall be called. What you shall be called.

You know what God is calling you? A stone. You

know what a stone is? Something that's solid.

Something that's steady. Something that's unmovable.

Unshakeable. Always abounding in the work of

the Lord. Something that is rooted. Something

that is planted. Can I just break it down for

you? Can I give you a clear picture? He's calling

you a rock of a servant of God. He's calling

you a stone, a rock solid soul winner. A rock

solid prayer warrior. A rock solid servant. A

rock solid. solid leader. He said, but pastor,

I don't feel like that right now. Things aren't

like that in my life right now. Things are a

bit shaky at work. They're a bit shaky in my

marriage. They're a bit shaky in my heart. Things

are not as quite stable as I want them to be.

But that's not how God sees you. He sees you

as the solid rock. He sees a solid rock. He sees

a strong husband. He sees a strong wife. He sees

a strong mother and a strong father. He sees

a strong young man and woman. He sees somebody

that rocks solid. Rocks solid. servant in the

house of God. He sees it. He sees it. And God

wants you to see that today. But this is all

that I've come to tell you today. It's what you

shall be called. Would you stand with me at this

hour? And as you stand there, I invite you to

close those eyes. I want you to pray with me

right now. God is working in this place. God

is moving in this place. Let me tell you something.

God has called you. God has appointed you to

reach the world. to reach the lost to lead your

family into the kingdom of heaven he's called

you to stand strong in this hour come on church

he's called you to stand tall in this hour he's

called you to be a Pillar in the church. Every

single one of you under the sound of my voice

has got pillar potential. Hear me when I'm saying

this today. You have got pillar potential. I

don't care what your employer thinks of you.

I don't care what your in -laws or your outlaws

and in -laws say of you. I'm telling you, you've

got pillar potential. God sees it in you. He

sees the angel in the marble. He sees the diamond

in the rough. He sees what he called you to be.

and the word of the Lord shall not return to

him void but it will accomplish that which it

has been set to do but here's the thing your

character has got to catch up to your calling

oh pastor what is this series all about this

series is all about your character being caught

up to your calling your maturity has got to catch

up to your calling your emotional and intellectual

and spiritual maturity has got to catch up to

your calling ah hallelujah your attitude has

got to catch up to your anointing oh your spirit

has got to catch up to your gifting God is saying

I did not calls you I did not make a mistake

when I looked at you and I say you're the one

that I want to use at City Light Church you're

the one that I want to use to spread the gospel

you're the one that I want to use to save your

family but hear me today while you work on you

while you work on that Simon while you work on

that area is for somebody today. You say, I'm

not petered yet. That's all right. I don't think

any of us in this place are. But if you can open

up your heart today to the word of the Lord,

if you can say, God, here I am, God. Let your

word come to pass. Let it come to pass. I wonder

if there's somebody right now that can receive

it by faith. You can come to this altar, brother.

Sister, you can come here right now by faith.

By faith. You can claim it today by faith. You

can claim your inheritance by faith. You can

claim your calling by faith. You can say, I am

who God calls me to be. That's who I am. That's

who I am. Is there somebody right now? Is there

somebody that just wants to grab a hold of that

right now? Is there anybody who wants to grab

a hold of that word? Grab a hold of that word

for your life today? Come on, God. God's not

done with you. God's just starting. God's just

beginning. God's just getting started in your

life. Come on, is there somebody right now?