Leave it all behind
Genesis chapter 12
Introduction-
Good morning, we have come together to worship and lift up the name of Jesus. May your heart and mind be open to hear what He has to say and may the loving grace of our Lord fill you with His presence and His compassion.
This morning I want to share a word. I have spent needed time with the Lord. I am excited that this past Friday night we had a parking lot gathering service and over 1/3 of our church was ready to hear from the Lord. It is encouraging to see we are eager to come together and worship.
I am like most people angry at certain things going on, frustrated at certain things going on, heartbroken over how we treat each other.
I am a person of faith seeking a word from God. Anyone else feeling that way?
As a pastor, I desire to see our churches filled, lives changed, kindness shown to all people, and a mighty move of His Spirit to revive hearts of stone and drive us to the feet of Jesus.
This country needs Jesus!
This country needs to put itself back on His foundation, because we have fallen off the Potter’s wheel and lost our way.
Prayer- (Unity and a heart that points back to the lord and a word of encouragement.)
Would you turn to Book of Genesis Chapter 12. There many chapters on the story and life of Abraham.
What we are going to look at Abraham on his call and response to God.
Here’s what I know about most of us-
We do not like or feel comfortable doing new things that take us out of our individual comfortzones…even if our old comfortzones were not all that comfortable.
We just don’t like change…even good change- because there is a risk.
Genesis chapter 12:1-4 (NIV) Read from the Bible
The Lord said (Told) Abraham
Leave your country
Leave your Fathers household
Go to where I tell you … start walking and I will tell when to stop.
Leave your comfortzone Abraham
Benefits of listening to me
I will make you great
I will bless you
I will make you a somebody
I will bless those that bless you
I will get after those that do you wrong
While you are a somebody, I will bless a whole nation through you
(4) So Abraham left… those 3 words changed his life!
Most people would have stopped at the conversation with the Lord and not moved and taken the risk.
Do you know how many good things don’t happen because people do not trust God enough to move when He says go.
Procrastination-
“The action of delaying or postponing something.”
I will get to it!
In a minute
Ok I will put it on the list
“It is always easy the night before to be up early the next morning”
Illustration-
I remember back in 1977, I was a 21 year Supervisor just promoted and asked to move to Corpus Christi Texas for my job. I was asked to run a big part of South Texas and I was scared. I was leaving my whole family in Wisconsin and going to Texas where everything is big! This fast speaking Northerner going toTexas where talk was slower and drawn out and where most everyone spoke Tex Mex. Tex Mex is Texas English and throw in some Spanish words to make it interesting.
It was there where I grounded my relationship with the Lord and don’t know where I would be today had I not gone to Texas. (Pivotal moment)
I didn’t see it then but realized it later.
No one really jumps up and down and wants to race to a place they have never been before.
Not many feel comfortable getting out of their comfortzone- it is an act of faith!
We all have stories if we took time to tell them.
So Abraham left…
God said leave one place and Go to another.
I am not telling where yet, but I am telling you to go.
You do not have all the particulars, but you have my assurance I am going with you.
Identity theft is an unauthorized use of your information for personal gain.
Spiritual identity theft is the lie that Satan tells us that keeps someone from being who God says they are.
This morning is about believing who God says you are.
It is about being who God called you to be.
Is there anyone here this morning that wants to get back their identity?
Is there anyone who is tired of listening to the lies of who people think you are and want to believe God for who He says you are?
Funny thing about fate- you do not have a choice-
Fate -some are rich and some poor
Fate -some people get the breaks and some don’t
Fate -one person get’s the job over another.
Fate says what will be -will be- it is all fate. You have no choice in the matter.
Some people believe that we were predetermined – that God predetermined some to be saved and some others to be destroyed.
I have a hard time with that- that is not what my Bible says- my Bible says that “God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life!”
We are part of “the whosoever”- on purpose, a plan that God has for each of us.
To believe otherwise would be a lie from the devil.
We were created in God’s image- Means that we were created by God and we have a soul, and we will live forever somewhere. We are eternal beings.
God will hold us responsible for what he has given us.(Money, talents, gifts, opportunities )
My Bible- tells me that prayer, trusting in God, discipleship Jesus death, burial, resurrection can change my fate. I HAVE A CHOICE!
God has a plan for my life and He has a plan for your life- AND I PLAN TO BE IN IT!
Jeremiah 29:11- “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
God says that we have free-will- it means we have a choice.
God did not create robots.
He created mankind with a brain and decision making abilities.
That is why we will be accountable for the decisions that we make.
Our destiny will be determined by who we belong too!
God spoke to Abraham and he had a choice of wither he was going to listen and obey-
(4) Abraham left- he took his family, his possessions and he set out.
He arrived at Canaan, the lord spoke to him “To your offspring, I will give this land.” He took God at his word and believed him to do what he said he would do.
He built an altar and worshipped! He thanked God by worship.
He then went east of Bethel and again built an altar and “Called on the name of the Lord.”
You cannot tell me that prayer doesn’t work or God cannot guide us through life’s troubles and journeys.
Every time God gave Abraham something, he thanked God for it!
Every time, Abraham needed something, he knelt before God and asked him for it.
Prayer of Jabez
1 Chronicles 4:9-
“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, I gave birth to him in pain. Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain. And God granted his request.”
How many would have that kind of relationship with the Lord that you would ask God to bless you and enlarge your territory.
We have not because we ask not!
Some things we can learn from Abraham
You have to be obedient to see the full blessings of God
Abram did not become Abraham until God was able to fulfill the promises upon him. He was not the Father of all nations until he was obedient to the Lord and willing to go!
(Genesis 32) Jacob to Israel, only after he wrestled with God and prevailed was his name changed. He would not let go of God until he blessed him.
Jacob threw a hip out…how many have learned the hard way that wrestling with God is not a good thing.
I would rather walk with a limp than miss what God has for me!
(Acts 13) Pharisee Saul to Apostle Paul after he left what he thought God wanted and did what God wanted. Come on now! That is good preaching!
We think we know what God wants! How many know what God wants and will change course and do it?
We don’t know much about Abraham’s life before he was 75 years old- just shows you that it is never too late to get on track.
I know he sold idol statues before he followed God. (Genesis 38)
You may have to give up some things to walk with the Lord
You may have to change some of your friends you hang around with to walk with Jesus.
I did.
How bad do you want to be obedient? Do you want earthly things more than the things God has offered you?
Obedience is costly!-
Supernatural does not happen in our comfortzone
I believe some will never see God’s best because they were not willing to get out of their comfortzone.
The fear of risk froze them into not making the right decision.
Procrastination caused them to run out of time.
Everyone of us has our own minefields to work through and overcome to be what God has created us to be.
If you can do it without God, it is not supernatural.
If we want to do the supernatural- H. B. London
“We have to make space for what he values. It means we stop running at the speed of light down the road that goes in the opposite direction from the kingdom of God.”
Illustration- ALMOST
The analogy of the house that almost didn’t burn down because a family almost installed a smoke detector. They were almost saved by people who almost volunteered.
They point us to the fact that if you almost did something, it is the same as not doing anything at all.
Nothing is impossible with God
In the passion translation of the text-
12:1- Yahweh (God) said to Abraham- “Leave it all behind’
God is telling some of us to leave it behind- you will see God do His miracles after you stop looking back!
Egypt is behind you and your future is in front of you.
Sometimes our worse enemy is our past and what is behind us.
Sometimes we base our victories on what we are able to do instead of looking to see what God can do.
Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing is impossible.”
Do what you can, God does not expect us to do what we can’t, He is the one that does the impossible.
He has no limits except to go outside his character and His will.
12:2- “Follow Me”
If you look behind you and nobody is following, you are not a leader- if you say that you are following God, and He can not see you, you are not following close enough.
Close-
One of life’s hardest battles is hanging on or letting go-
Can we take a minute here?
For most of us, we will not be asked of God to become the Father to many Nations- that was the task asked of Abraham… but all of us as believers are asked to leave things behind us so that we can move forward.
We are asked to stretch our faith and walk sometimes without seeing all the particulars.
We are asked to step out in faith! That is why it is called a step of faith!
How many this morning would say with me that I am willing to trust God with my life and to do what He wants with it.
As I take each step that the he would give me faith to take the next step and the next step and even when I am out of my comfortzone, I will step in faith.
I know it takes obedience to see God do with our lives what He desires.
I understand that I will not see the supernatural until I let God do in my life more than I can do myself.
I know that nothing is impossible with God and I am ready for Him to do something new.
We can all say amen when we agree with something someone is saying, it is another thing to say go ahead God and do it and even if it hurts.
The greater risk is not taking the risk and regretting it later in life.
The greater risk is having to say to the Lord, I am sorry for not listening.
Prayer- obedience to be listening and obeying Him
