"THE CALL" [JOHN 1:43-51].

THE NEXT DAY JESUS DECIDED  TO GO TO GALILEE. HE FOUND PHILIP AND SAID TO HIM "FOLLOW ME." NOW PHILIP WAS FROM BETHSAIDA, THE CITY OF ANDREW AND PETER.  PHILIP FOUND NATHANAEL AND SAID TO HIM, " WE HAVE FOUND HIM ABOUT WHOM MOSES IN THE LAW AND ALSO THE PROPHETS WROTE,
 JESUS SON OF JOSEPH FROM NAZARETH, NATHANAEL SAID TO HIM, " CAN ANYTHING GOOD COME OUT OF NAZARETH?"  PHILIP SAID TO HIM, " COME AND SEE." WHEN JESUS SAW NATHANAEL COMING TOWARD HIM, HE SAID OF HIM, " HERE IS TRULY AN ISRAELITE IN WHOM IS NO DECEIT!"
NATHANAEL REPLIED, " RABBI, YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD! YOU ARE THE KING OF ISRAEL."
DO YOU BELIEVE BECAUSE I TOLD YOU THAT I SAW YOU UNDER THE FIG TREE? YOU WILL SEE GREATER THINGS THAN THESE."  AND HE SAID TO HIM, " VERY TRULY I TELL YOU," YOU WILL SEE HEAVEN OPENED AND THE ANGELS OF GOD ASCENDING AND DESCENDING UPON THE SON OF MAN."
IF YOU HEARD THIS SOMEWHERE BEFORE, IT SHOULD RING A BELL; FOR JACOB ON HIS JOURNEY FROM BEERSHEBA TO HARAN, CAME TO A CERTAIN PLACE AND STOPPED FOR THE NIGHT, FOR THE SUN HAD SET, TAKING SOME STONES FOR A PILLOW LAID DOWN TO SLEEP. HE DREAMT HE SAW A LADDER, WHICH RESTED ON THE GROUND WITH ITS TOP REACHING TO HEAVEN, AND THE ANGELS OF GOD WERE GOING UP AND DOWN UPON IT.  THE LORD WAS STANDING BESIDE HIM AND SAID, " I AM THE LORD, THE GOD OF YOUR FATHER ABRAHAM AND THE GOD OF ISAAC. WHAT JACOB SAW IN A VISION IS NOW A REALITY IN JESUS. (GEN. 28:12).
THERE IS HERE AN IMPLIED CONTRAST WITH JACOB, FROM WHOM OF COURSE, THE ISRAELITES DERIVED THEIR NAME. THERE IS A CLAIM FOR JESUS THE POWER TO READ THE HEARTS OF MEN. NATHANAEL IS DEEPLY IMPRESSED AND ACCLAIMS JESUS THE "SON OF GOD AND THE KING OF ISRAEL."  JESUS TELLS HIM THAT, BECAUSE OF HIS EXPERIENCE AND HIS FAITH, HE WOULD BE GRANTED A DEEPENED UNDERSTANDING AND A CLEARER VISION OF THE NATURE AND  CHARACTER OF THE MESSIAH'S WORK. THE VISION OF THE GLORY OF THE SON OF MAN WAS TO BE A REWARD OF FAITH. JESUS DESCRIBES THE NEW MESSIANIC ORDER WHICH HE WAS TO USHER IN WITH HIS COMING. IN GOD'S CASE, THE "CALL" WE RECEIVE ACTUALLY
BRINGS ABOUT THE RESPONSE OF THE ONE SUMMONED.
MANY VERSES IN THE BIBLE SHOW THE MEANING OF THE WORD  "CALL,"  BUT NONE MORE CLEARLY THAN THOSE IN ROMANS [ 8]. JOHN MURRAY WRITES, NOTHING CLINCHES THE ARGUMENT FOR THIS FEATURE OF THE "CALL," MORE CLEARLY THAN THE TEACHING OF ROMANS [ 8:28-30]. LISTEN: " GOD WHO SEARCHES OUR INMOST BEING KNOWS WHAT THE SPIRIT MEANS, BECAUSE HE PLEADS FOR GOD'S PEOPLE IN GOD'S OWN WAY; AND IN EVERYTHING, AS WE KNOW, HE CO-OPERATES FOR GOOD WITH THOSE WHO LOVE GOD AND ARE  "CALLED" ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. FOR GOD KNEW HIS OWN BEFORE EVER THEY WERE,, AND ALSO ORDAINED THAT THEY SHOULD BE SHAPED TO THE LIKENESS OF HIS SON, THAT HE MIGHT BE THE ELDEST AMONG A LARGE FAMILY OF BROTHERS. THE "CALL" IS STATED ACCORDING TO GOD'S PURPOSE AND FINDS ITS PLACE IN THE CENTER OF THAT UNBREAKABLE CHAIN OF EVENTS WHICH HAS ITS BEGINNINGS IN THE DIVINE FOREKNOWLEDGE. THIS IS JUST SAYING THAT, THE EFFECTUAL "CALL" INSURES PERSEVERANCE BECAUSE IT IS GROUNDED IN THE SECURITY OF GOD'S GRACE AND PURPOSE. THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY GOD AND BROUGHT TO FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST BY THE POWER OF THIS SUMMONS ARE THOSE "CALLED" TO BELONG. TO JESUS CHRIST. WE ARE "CALLED TO BE  SAINTS." ( ROM.1:7), THAT IS TO BE SET APART TO GOD BY HIS "CALL."  WE ARE TO LIVE "HOLY LIVES" . THIS IS THE POINT OF PAUL'S ADMONITION TO THE BELIEVERS IN "EPHESUS"; I THERE, A PRISONER FOR THE LORD, BEG YOU TO LEAD A LIFE WORTHY OF THE CALLING TO WHICH YOU HAVE BEEN "CALLED."  (EPH. 4:1).
LAZARUS WAS DEAD BEFORE CHRIST CALLED HIM FROM THE TOMB. HE WAS IMPERVIOUS TO  ANY "CALL."  IF YOU OR I WERE PRESENT, WE COULD OF CALLED LOUDLY, PERSUASIVELY, BUT LAZARUS WOULD STILL NOT HAVE RESPONDED. WHEN JESUS CALLED, IT WAS DIFFERENT. HIS "CALL" HAD POWER TO BRING THE DEAD BACK TO LIFE. IN THE SAME WAY HIS 'CALL" QUICKENS THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY GOD TO BE HIS PEOPLE, AND NONE FAILED TO QUICKEN (HAS NOT COME ALIVE.) AS JESUS SAID, " MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE, AND I KNOW THEM, AND THEY FOLLOW ME." (JN. 10:27).  THE CIRCLE IS NOW WIDENING AND IN THE GOSPEL TEXT (1:43-51), WE HAVE THE CALL OF PHILIP AND NATHANAEL. ON THE FOURTH DAY, 
JESUS IS MINDED TO SET OUT ON A JOURNEY TO GALILEE. HE FINDS PHILIP, WHO IN TURN FIND NATHANAEL. PHILIP MAKES THE CONFESSION THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST, WHO WAS FORETOLD BY MOSES AND THE PROPHETS. GOD IS A TALKER. IN MANY AND VARIED WAYS, THE AUTHOR OF HEBREWS TELLS US, GOD SPOKE TO THE PEOPLE OF OLD BY THE PROPHETS, BUT IN THE LAST DAYS [GOD] HAS SPOKE TO US BY A SON. (HEBREWS 1:2). LOQUACIOUS (TALKATIVE) IS GOD THAT GOD'S WORD BECAME FLESH AND LIVED AMONG US. GOD IS STILL LISTENING AND TALKING BACK. JESUS IS EVIDENCED  OF GOD'S LISTENING AND TALKING. HE IS THE WORD THAT PERSISTS TO THE GRAVE AND "CALLS" US TO NEW LIFE.  HOW WILL WE DISCERN THE WORD'S OF THE LORD? SAMUEL DID SO BY FEELING HIS WAY IN THE DARK,  BY PERSISTING IN ANSWERING THE "CALL" EVEN WHEN HE FIRST MISTOOK ITS SOURCE. GOD PERSISTED IN CALLING. SAMUEL PERSISTED IN RESPONDING TO THE "CALL." WE WALK IN THE DARK IN FEELING OUR WAY ALONG THE CONTOURS OF OUR BAPTISM, THE LORD'S SUPPER, OUR PRAYERS, THE READING AND HEARING OF GOD'S WORD IN SCRIPTURE. SAMUEL, PHILIP, NATHANAEL, WERE AVAILABLE TO GOD'S  "CALL."
 ARE WE?