Our High Calling (PT2) by Pastor Ed Eze- 17.05.2026

Devotional

Day 1: From Clay to Banquet Table

Jesus told a parable of a king preparing a feast. Servants rushed to highways and hedges, compelling guests to come. Empty chairs filled with unlikely souls—the poor, lame, and overlooked. The table bore no stains of their past, only the promise of new belonging. [01:32]

This banquet reveals God’s heart: He calls not the polished but the willing. The King’s invitation transforms identity. Joseph of Arimathea, a council member, risked his reputation to bury Jesus. His position became a platform for eternal purpose.

You carry stains others see. But Christ’s call drowns shame in purpose. What assignment have you dismissed as “too ordinary” to become holy ground? Where is God inviting you to trade self-focus for eternal impact?

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:12-14, NIV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal one “ordinary” task He wants to anoint with eternal purpose today.
Challenge: Write down your job title or daily role. Circle it, then write “God’s platform” beside it.

Day 2: The Councilman’s Secret Mission

Joseph of Arimathea stood in shadows as religious leaders condemned Jesus. But when Christ’s body hung lifeless, Joseph marched to Pilate. He claimed the corpse, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in his own tomb. The councilman’s quiet faith erupted in courage. [12:24]

God uses hidden faithfulness to shift history. Joseph’s wealth bought the tomb. His status accessed Pilate. What the world called “position,” God called “preparation.” Every resource in your hands exists for divine moments.

You’ve buried gifts, thinking them too small. But tombs become resurrection sites. What resource—skills, networks, finances—have you labeled “mine” instead of “His”? What practical step will you take this week to steward one resource for Christ’s glory?

“Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council… He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.”
(Luke 23:50-53, NIV)

Prayer: Confess any area where you’ve hoarded resources rather than releasing them for God’s use.
Challenge: Text one person today: “How can I pray for or support your God-given mission?”

Day 3: Chosen from the Clay

God bypassed Jerusalem’s elite to choose fishermen as apostles. He picked a persecutor like Paul and a deceiver like Jacob. The Maker of stars delights in reshaping cracked clay. Your résumé’s gaps don’t disqualify—they highlight grace. [26:42]

Heaven’s call defies human logic. The disciples’ lack of education became a canvas for the Spirit’s words. Your weaknesses are portals for His strength. Joseph’s betrayal led to Egypt’s salvation. Your pain has a kingdom address.

What failure screams loudest in your mind? Christ’s call drowns accusations. He kneels in your dust, whispering, “Rise, chosen one.” What lie about your inadequacy will you replace with His declaration today?

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential… But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.”
(1 Corinthians 1:26-27, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for three specific weaknesses He’s transforming into strengths.
Challenge: Share one past failure with a trusted believer, ending with: “But God is rewriting this story.”

Day 4: Mercy Kisses the Unworthy

Paul called himself the “worst” sinner—a blasphemer who hunted Christians. Yet Christ intercepted him mid-rage, declaring, “This one is Mine.” Mercy didn’t excuse Paul’s past; it armed him for purpose. Grace turns persecutors into apostles. [39:01]

Your history cannot veto heaven’s call. Ananias hesitated to pray for Paul, but God said, “This man is My chosen instrument.” The very sins that shamed you become testimonies of redemption.

What chapter of your life do you hide, fearing rejection? Christ already read it—and signed His name over it. Who needs to hear your “before and after” story this week?

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me trustworthy, appointing me to His service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor… I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance.”
(1 Timothy 1:12-13, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one hidden shame, then aloud declare: “Christ’s mercy redeems this.”
Challenge: Write “Mercy kissed me here” over a past regret in your journal.

Day 5: Unshakable Call, Unfading Crown

Paul ran toward a finish line he couldn’t see, fueled by an “irrevocable” call. Roman prisons couldn’t cancel it. Shipwrecks couldn’t sink it. The prize—Christ’s “well done”—outshone every hardship. Your calling isn’t a contract; it’s a covenant. [16:36]

Earthly rewards fade. Promotions rust. Applause dies. But each obedient step stores eternal treasure. Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb became empty. Your sacrifices will birth resurrections.

What temporary comfort competes with your eternal assignment? Fix your eyes on the Unseen. What one compromise will you renounce today to press toward the prize?

“For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given].”
(Romans 11:29, AMP)

Prayer: Ask God to reignite hunger for His “well done” over human approval.
Challenge: Cancel one non-essential activity this week to create space for prayerful focus.

Sermon Summary

The high calling of God stands as a holy, heavenly invitation, not a low bar but a banquet spread by the Most High. Philippians 3 sets the tone. Paul refuses to act like one who has already arrived. The text drives him to forget what is behind, reach for what is ahead, and press toward the mark for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus. The call is high because the Caller is high. It is upward because it pulls a believer beyond self, beyond ego, beyond the fear of what people will say. Praise God.

This calling does not leave ordinary life untouched. The call turns assignments into something eternal. Career is not separate from calling. Career becomes a platform. Joseph of Arimathea shows what happens when a believer interprets his position through God’s purpose. He risks reputation to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus, and his quiet courage is recorded forever. Hallelujah.

Because the call is high, it demands the whole life. Paul’s line before Agrippa makes the danger plain. He says, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. That wording admits a real possibility. A believer can neglect, downplay, or postpone the call. God’s invitation requires surrender now.

The reward of this call is eternal. Paul talks like a man counting the days as deposits toward a crown. He knows God never calls and dumps. He rewards those who diligently seek Him. The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. God does not make copies. He places unique deposits in each believer and expects those gifts to be stirred. His choosing is eklegomai. He selects intentionally. He knows the past, rules the present, and has confidence in the grace He will pour into the future. So He chooses the lowly to shame the high and mighty, and He writes a bright “but God” over the story.

First Timothy 1 lays grace on thick. Mercy kissed me, Paul says. History does not intimidate grace. The believer’s past becomes irrelevant to the destination God sets. That is why acknowledgment matters. When the church owns the call, identity stabilizes, shoulders square, and no one gets to despise what God has anointed. Jesus teaches dusting off one’s feet when rejected. The loss is on the place that refuses the gift.

Finally, the call grows the person it grabs. Grace floods like a river until faith and love rise. Transformation runs like the butterfly’s stages. The upward call keeps pulling from glory to glory. Praise God.

Key Takeaways

1. The call is an upward invitation. This invitation is not about comfort. It is God’s pull beyond self-preservation and reputation into Christ’s own life and aims. The banquet image rebukes small expectations and dares the believer to sit where grace seats him. The prize is not found by drifting but by pressing. [01:14]
2. God turns daily work into eternity. When calling reinterprets career, the office or shop floor becomes an altar. Assignments gain weight that outlasts headlines because purpose is tied to Christ’s mission. Hidden obedience, like Joseph of Arimathea’s bold request, becomes part of the everlasting record. [08:46]
3. Surrender protects against quiet disobedience. “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” exposes the quiet ways a believer can ignore God by delay or half-measures. Full surrender is not drama but daily yes. Whole-life consent keeps small compromises from calcifying into a wasted season. [13:22]
4. Grace outruns any stained past. “Mercy kissed me” is the gospel’s verdict on a hostile history. God’s choosing is not naive about sin, and yet it is not intimidated by it. Shame loses leverage where grace assigns a future and puts a person back into the fight. [39:01]
5. Gifts and calling are irrevocable. God’s deposits do not expire, even when a believer hesitates or stumbles. Unique graces are meant to be stirred until they shape habits, opportunities, and courage. Growth then becomes stewardship, and overflow becomes normal. [18:36]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:28] - Our High Calling: Invitation
[03:52] - Pressing Toward the Prize
[06:55] - God Sees the Best Version
[07:14] - The Upward Call Beyond Self
[08:46] - Assignments Given Eternal Weight
[10:32] - Career Becomes a Platform
[11:52] - Joseph of Arimathea’s Bold Act
[13:22] - The Call Demands Surrender
[15:22] - Not Disobedient to the Vision
[16:36] - Eternal Reward and Crown
[18:36] - Irrevocable Gifts and Calling
[24:24] - Extraordinary Calling of the Ordinary
[31:44] - From Larva to Butterfly
[47:01] - Flooded With Incredible Grace

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Philippians 3:12-14 (ESV)
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Observation Questions

What does Paul mean by "forgetting what lies behind" in Philippians 3:13? How does this contrast with how people often approach their past mistakes or successes?
In the sermon, Joseph of Arimathea is described as risking his reputation to honor Jesus (Luke 23:50-53). What specific actions did he take, and why were they significant? [08:46]
According to Romans 11:29, why is it important that God’s gifts and callings are "irrevocable"? How does this truth challenge common fears about failure or inadequacy?
The sermon mentions Paul’s statement, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). What does this imply about the possibility of ignoring or delaying God’s call? [15:22]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul use the metaphor of "pressing toward the goal" in Philippians 3:14? How does this imagery reflect the tension between human effort and divine grace in pursuing God’s call?
Joseph of Arimathea’s boldness came at a time when Jesus’ disciples had scattered. How might his example challenge believers to act courageously even when others hesitate? [12:24]
The sermon states, “Grace is not intimidated by your history” (1 Timothy 1:12-14). How does Paul’s testimony in these verses redefine the relationship between past failures and present purpose?
What does it mean for a believer’s career to become a “platform” for eternal purposes? How does this shift in perspective transform ordinary work? [10:32]

Application Questions

What area of your life (e.g., relationships, career, habits) have you not fully surrendered to God’s call? What practical step could you take this week to move toward surrender? [13:22]
How can you view your daily work or responsibilities as an “altar” with eternal significance? Name one specific way to approach a routine task this week with intentionality for God’s kingdom.
The sermon emphasizes that “your past is irrelevant to your destination.” What lie or regret from your past still holds you back? How can you actively replace that thought with the truth of God’s irrevocable calling? [39:38]
Paul urges believers to “stir up” their gifts (2 Timothy 1:6). What unique ability or passion has God placed in you that you’ve neglected? How could you begin to develop or use it this month?
Joseph of Arimathea risked his reputation to honor Jesus. Where is God asking you to prioritize obedience over others’ opinions? What would it look like to take that step boldly? [12:40]

Sermon Clips

The spirit of God said to me that your career is not separate from your calling. It becomes a platform for it. It becomes a platform. So I'm not just leaving now, and every single day, I'm I'm heading to that place, that building, and and that's what my life is about. And then I finish, and then at the end of the day, I go back home, and I just wanna sleep, and then I I I repeat the circulate. No. It's just a platform. [00:10:34] (26 seconds)

God was doing a work in him. He was doing a work, and that is the beautiful thing about the the the the the call of God upon our lives, brothers and sisters. It goes from glory to glory. That's why we should not rest and be content because there is always something that is better around the corner. Are you with me brothers and sisters? It's a high calling. So the third point there is that you have to grow until the grace outgrows you. Grow until the call overwhelms you. Continue to grow. Continue to grow. Amen. Because it gets better, and it gets sweeter like fine wine. It just gets sweeter and sweeter and sweeter as you remain in the core. [00:47:37] (50 seconds)

So you know that you're a child of God, that even when they come now and they tell you that oh, that that job that you are doing, ehm, we have, we can't hold you on anymore, that you have to go. All you have to do is just go back to your closer. But God you called me. God, your hand is mighty upon my life. God, you told me that there is a plan for my life. That there is a purpose for my life. You are not afraid. Praise God. Because he's at work in you. Both to will and to do of his good pleasure. [00:44:22] (32 seconds)

You are beautifully and wonderfully made. That organization has somebody. Don't go and then you are doing your hand like this and you know, you are sorry for everything. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Because you don't want them to say anything to you. No. Go with your shoulders square. You're a child of God. The greater one lives inside of you. What did I say? The one that has called you is high. Amen. It's an upward call. Joseph of Arimatria realized this, so he went boldly to punt Pontius Pilate and say, give me the body. [00:46:15] (38 seconds)

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What makes God's calling a high calling?

How does divine calling transform ordinary work?

How does grace override a believer's past?