The Call To Faith Strategic Destiny Genesis 11:27-12:3 Sermon #1 The Purpose Of This Series: There are few men who have made such an impact on the history of the world like Jesus Himself, but the man Abraham is one who did. Today he is revered by over one-half the world's population, being held in high esteem by Jews, Muslims and Christians. In God's Word, Abraham is presented to us as an incredible example of a man who lived his life by faith and was considered the "Friend of God." In this series we take a closer look at the life of Abraham to gain a greater ability and spiritual insight to overcome obstacles, deal with difficult issues, confront and restore conflict in relationships and walk with God by faith at a whole other level. This is a series for personal growth and life adventure. Join us as we focus on a strategic journey that you won't want to miss! The Purpose Of This Message: If we are going to look for an example of a man who lived great faith in the Bible, there is no one better to be found than Abraham. Not only was he a man of faith, but James 2:23 tells us that Abraham was called the "Friend of God." In this message, we want to gain insight from a man who lived 4,100 years ago and allow him to influence us toward an uncompromising FAITH in God, being a FRIEND of God. I'm not sure if you are like me, but there were times when my kids would say something or do something that would beg me to ask, Where did you come from? Whose kid are you? We've all come from somewhere, and obviously, we are all going somewhere. Abram, according to the scripture lived in Ur of the Chaldeans with Sarai was his wife, who was childless, unable to conceive, his dad and nephew Lot. Now Sarai was barren; she had no children. Genesis 11:30 What we want the most fruit from may not be what we need the most faith for. There are things in our life that we prop up, put on life support, hoping it will come alive. It may be a dream, a wish or just something...out there, different, more, a lot more. We are attempting to have faith for it because we want fruit from it. Honestly we say, That would make me happy, I want that! That job, that relationship, that car, that thing. Because we want what we think it will give us. What I want the most fruit from may not be what I need the most faith for. Sarai was childless, not able to conceive. When we are focused only on what we want, we can't really see what God wants, and there lays the challenge, hearing and obeying God. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there. Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran. Genesis 11:31-32 Faith is required when the comfortable familiar has to submit to unpredictable future. 1
Genesis 12 flashes back 35 years and starts the story, The Lord had said to Abram, Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you. Genesis 12:1 It would be easy to say that Abram, if anyone was probably set in his ways. He liked his coffee black with wheat toast every morning...and maybe a thin layer of goat cheese with a few grapes. I don't know what he liked, but God did. He knew what was dear to him. He knew not only what Abram would be challenged with in following God's voice, but what we all deal with in following God's voice. Transition: Is when we lose what we once liked for things we've yet to gain. There are many people trying to activate faith without any transition in their actions. Transition: Is a journey with different people to a different place for a different purpose Why? What would God do that for? Because God can't give you something if your hands are full of something else. God wanted to exchange something with Abram, Transition doesn't come without: 1. A death of something familiar, (Father) 2. A responsibility of something unexpected (Lot) I didn't sign up for this I didn't want all this change I didn't want to learn something I'm not interested in I really didn't want to leave 3. An unexpected tug of God (God spoke to him) Transition: Surprised by God (Adventure) Vs. Interrupted by God (Distraction) Transition: More Confusing (Chaos) Vs. More Defining (Journey) Following God is not another confusing state as it is another defining future Abram Had To Make An Internal Change For An External Leading God knew Abram's challenges in obeying the voice of God, but to be able to find the land God would show him, he first had to internally change, challenging him to give up his country, the challenge of giving up his culture/kin, the challenge of giving up his family. (Genesis 12:1) Abram Gave Up His Country- In this case, a country is anyone's land that is subject to anyone. In other words, it is ruled by a government. The good old USA qualifies under that description. I don't believe that we have been brainwashed to believe that the USA is the best country in the world, I really do believe that we are, but we had been much better years back and are encouraged that we still are. There are two specific statements I want to make in reference to this point: 1. Giving up your country does not automatically mean you should be sent or go to the mission field! It is not ungodly to love America. It's wrong that our view or understanding of God is defined by our country or it's leadership, I don't care how many votes he gets or what votes are cast on any policy. To be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ is to give up your countries 2
freedoms to determine your Biblical rights. The Word of God IS the Voice of God! To be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ means you understand that your country does not or can not, ever give you real freedom, here's why, So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36) 2. Giving up your country means that there is a higher government that rules your life. And if that higher government rules your life, it will rule your thoughts, it will rule your actions and attitudes. It's possible that you would never sin, you are squeaky clean as a person, but your attitude stinks! Does the higher government rule your life? Ur of the Chaldees was located in what we call Iraq today. It was in the southeast corner of Iraq, some 75 miles north of the Kuwaiti border. Right in the middle of the area where the Gulf War was fought in 1991. It was, at Abraham's time, located at the place where the Euphrates River emptied into the Persian Gulf. At that time, it was a bustling seaport, where trade was conducted with India and Africa. History also says that this city was a center of intellectual activity. A large public library has been unearthed that contained thousands of ancient texts written on clay. That region was also well suited for raising flocks and herds. Which may account for the fact that Abraham was, for the whole of his life, involved with sheep and cattle. While Abraham was able to break free of the idolatry of the land, his relatives were not. It is also recorded that the people of that area were involved in some of the most wretched forms of idolatry known to mankind. That city was an important center for astrology and for the worship of the stars and the moon. Abram Gave His Culture and Kin- Have you ever been out of the country? How about out of the state? People do different things in different states. People who are technically U.S. Citizens but live in what we call territories, like the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are self-governed to an extent, but they are ultimately beholden to the federal U.S. government. When you visit those places you would say, They do things differently than us. When we like a town or a country, what we are really saying is that we like the culture. There are things we really like and things we dislike. For instance, a German individual who observed the differences in their customer service and ours noted: Every major business in the U.S. has a toll-free telephone number to help with complaints or instruction. In Germany, if you call your cell phone company to complain about a charge, they charge you for the call. American women often work until several days before giving birth, and then start to work again a few days later; there is no financial support for parents during this time, except for some tax breaks. In Germany women are not allowed to work 6 weeks before their due date and are not allowed to come back to work until 8 weeks after giving birth while receiving their full salary during this time; after that the mother or father can take one year off, receiving 66% of their net pay and a job guarantee. These are just two differences, of course incomparable differences, when you are looking at cultures. If you were to ask, Which would you want to trade for, customer 3
service or financial assistance, job security and paid time off during a pregnancy and birth? To me it would seem like a no brainer, get the baby support, but shockingly enough, in the past 50 years, as the world has experienced an unprecedented increase in population, (population doubled since 1970, thanks to the spread of modern medicine that allowed control of infectious diseases), Germany has been in an increasing population decline. They are noted as the 4 th from last country in the world in population growth, (#224) with births, 8.3 births/1,000 population. (The US didn't do so hot either, we were rated at #154, 13.83 births/1,000 population). (Resource: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/peo_bir_rat-people-birth-rate?vm=r&s=1) There are cultural differences, and we like what we like. We like our freedoms and our ice cream and fat foods too! (We were world leaders, sitting in the #1 spot for the fattest people in the world!) We even like the diversity, it's part of our culture and growing. From the time that Abraham left Haran onwards Abraham lived in a tent (cf. Heb. 11:9), rather than houses, moving from place to place taking his flocks and herds with him (12:6; 13:3-5). When he followed the voice of God, it changed how he did life. Abram gave his culture to God. But the Bible was more specific, he gave his kindred, his relatives. That is a much narrower group of people. It's our extended family, even weirdo uncle Joe. It is looking at them and saying, I know I am a part of you and you are a part of me. I have gotten much of my identity through you, where I go and what I do and how I think. But now I am now going an unfamiliar direction to be an unfamiliar people. You will no longer have the opportunity or power to influence me or give me direction. It's not that I reject you, but it's that I choose God. I will love you, but I am headed down a different path. I will no longer be dependent on this family for future hopes or provision. I am headed down a new path for the direction of my life. Abram Gave Up His Family- This would be such a painful challenge. It never says anything about his mother for one of two reasons, she had already died, or, in their culture, if the mother had become widowed, it was not only normal but expected that the oldest son take responsibility for her and where ever he went she would go. She would have been completely dependent on him. It's important to see here that Abram's father had died, hence releasing him or at least not challenging his commitment to his father. In the New Testament, Jesus had called a young man to come and follow Him and he said, I must first bury my father. Which meant that he needed to wait until his dad died first and then he would follow. Jesus had a strong comment about that young man. This was something that Abram didn't have to contend with. His dad died and God spoke to him. FEAR IS THE ENEMY OF FAITH- Fear is faith in the wrong thing. Fear will have great affect on your faith. You may be operating in fear right now and not know it. Life will be measured by how we responded to opportunities and challenges through fear or faith. Here are some facts: You will be defined by what you are willing to do or not do By others 4
By God (God changed Abram's name) You will be defined by what you are willing to press through, even when you have not obtained your greatest desire Being defined by others is reflected by what you do, good or bad Being defined by God is reflected by obedience, no matter what anyone else thinks! The transition from faith to fear goes like this: Faith, Disappointment, Distrust, Frustration, Anger (Anger is a reflection of fear) Abram Had To Make A Present Change For A Future Promise. Notice that God said two key words, go and show. God could have told Abram what He was going to do but He would rather show him. I still believe that God would rather show us than tell us. Often when God starts leading us, requiring us to go, we ask for an explanation and He is wanting response in a positive way, go! GO and God will SHOW! I'm sure Abram could not fathom that when he obeyed God in following His voice that one day he would eventually be standing in front of the worlds most power leader as God spoke these Word into his spirit, But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Exodus 9:16 But he had to Go before God would SHOW! There had to be DILIBERATE ACTIVITY THAT WAS DIFFERENT THAN BEFORE. HE COULD NOT BE IN THE SAME RUTINE, THE SAME ENVIRONMENT, THE SAME LIFE TO EXPERIENCE LIFE DIFFERENTLY. THERE HAD TO BE CHANGE! The voice of God lead Abram in a journey that would set destiny for millions and millions of people. When God called him, He said, Go! It was a parting. For us, it may not be geographical, but it will influence how we do life. To hear the voice of God is to GO to Him for everything. It is to having Him above anything else. God told Abram, Go! It was severing him from the familiar and the comfortable. Every country, culture and family has it, Familiar- What we always do. Comfortable- What we always like. Regardless of where we came from or of what baggage we may carry, when God calls us to come and follow Him. Our response to that will change us for His glory. He can make new creatures of us for the glory of God. God did not Show Abram until Abram would GO! We live by faith, not by sight. II Corinthians 5:7 To be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ, it comes from putting God s Word in our mouths, minds and in our hearts. Matthew 12:34-35 says, For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. It s Our Word Against God s, or God's Words As Ours 5
Abram was called to leave behind everything he loved and everything that had shaped his life, to leave his Country, his Culture and Kin and his Family behind, not knowing where he was going! Have you ever felt that way? Not knowing where you were going? If so, you have someone to follow today that has been there, the children wondered in the desert, but who led them? God of course. His direction is a course not designed by man. When the call of God does come to a life, it is a call for that person to sever all ties with the past life. His call is a call to a new life with new priorities, new promises and a new Lord. His call is for total commitment, Then Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 God's call to Abram was to leave the old life of familiar and to begin a new life of faith, where every moment is lived in utter dependance upon the Lord alone for every step and every need. That was the nature of the divine call of Abram, it was a call to follow without your being controlled by having to know the destination. Here is what His call is for us, it is to leave the details to Him, regardless of the costs, the questions or the destiny, His call was and still is to GO and He Will SHOW! I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Genesis 12:1-3 God makes some incredible promises to Abram. A Great Nation Blessed By God A Great Name He Will Be A Blessing God Will Bless Those Who Bless Him God Will Curse Those Who Curse You The World Will Blessed Through Abram's Faith Abram didn't know how it would all out, but he trusted that God would do it. All he had was enough faith to GO, to take a step in the direction that God had spoke to him about. He was to step in the direction of God's leading and left the details to God. When you read through God's Word you find that everything God promised to give to Abram, He did give him! He kept His promises. Because Abram believed, we can believe God. We can trust the promises of God. Romans 4:21 tells us that Abram was fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. Genesis 15:6 tells us that when Abram died, he went to a place called paradise. Well, he waited there some 2,100 years. Then one day a man appeared in paradise, His name was Jesus. He had just died on a cross for the sins of everyone in paradise and for the sins of all who would believe on Him, (1 Pet. 3:18-19; Eph. 4:8-10). When Jesus appeared in that place 6
that day, a descendent from his own seed, his own faith and through him Abraham became a blessing to all the families of the earth. When Abram left Haran, he couldn't see the future, he could only follow, He trusted God to take care of it and the Lord fulfilled every promise, just as He had said that He would! And as we live this life of faith in this world, there will be many times we can't see the way, we will walk by faith and not any instruction other than where to take the next step. When Abram made that step he did not see what all God through his act of obedience. It all starts with one step of faith, and then another step of faith, and then another. If you are not taking steps of faith in your life, I challenge you today to see if you are really following God. I'm not saying you aren't a Christian, you've made a confession of Jesus Christ, but are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Living IN Faith Is Not The Same As Living BY Faith Have you ever heard, I know that God will get me through this! I'm trusting IN God and I know He'll make a way. I've heard that. And there is nothing wrong in those statements, as long as that is not the extent of your faith. I want to call that, Because of Faith, because of my kids, because of my marriage, because of my finances...i going to trust God. And there are times that we live all live in Because of Faith, BECAUSE HE LIVES, I CAN FACE TOMORROW. BECAUSE HE LIVES, ALL FEAR IS GONE... But have Have you stepped out in Instead of Faith? See, instead of my kids, instead of my marriage, instead of my finances, instead of how I feel, and not knowing where I am going and fear wants to cause me to run back and hide, I will SHOUT TO THE GOD WHO DELIVERS ME! INSTEAD OF THE FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES, I WILL CONTINUE TO SOW MY SEED THROUGH MY GIVING. INSTEAD OF LETTING MY KIDS ACTIONS AND FAILURES TO DETEMINE HOW I FEEL ABOUT MYSELF I WILL TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL MY HEART! INSTEAD OF HEARING WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT ME I WILL DECLARE WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT ME, I AM HIS SON, I HAVE BEEN BOUGHT WITH A PRICE AND I HAVE A PROMISE. I do not seek God to deliver me out of my woes, but woe to me if I don't follow God to lead me into promises He can only SHOW me. If I have resolved that my problems deserve my faith I am only living in a small dimension of the power and glory of God. I don't want to only live IN faith, I want to live BY faith! God's Word Is God's Voice And God's Call Is To Come And Follow Him For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith. Romans 1:17 CONCLUSION: You need to make that first step of faith, if that be for salvation or a step of faith to total surrender to God. It's time to get past the ordinary influences around you that will never make a difference. Like Abram, God responds to people who respond to Him. 7