Intro: We had a training session here yesterday morning with Paul Hirschy from UB Headquarters, and it was a wonderful morning. I realized many of my own weaknesses as a communicator. Now, I’m sure some of you could have told me much quicker, but nevertheless, it was a good morning.
Afterwards, Diane Brown was saying Sandi Patti was downtown at the rally for David MacIntosh. I said, if she sees you, she’ll probably want you to go out to lunch with her. This morning, let me start by asking “whose friend would you like to be?” Close your eyes, and think, who would you like to have call you up and send you Christmas cards?
A story is told about the pope, when he came to the United States. He was down in Texas, and was riding in a big stretch limo. The driver was pulled over at a gas station filling up, and the pope came up to him. The pope said, “I just love cars. This one looks like it could just fly on the highway. Do you think I could drive it.” The young driver didn’t want to argue with the pope, so he sat in back and the pope took off down the road. Well, the pope decided he’d see just how fast the limo would go. So, he floored it, and about a half mile down the road, he passed a traffic cop. The cop pulls out, flashing lights on, and pulls the limo over. The cop driving says to his buddy, you wait here, I’ll go give this yahoo a ticket. So the cop walks up to the limo, and a minute walks back shaking. His buddy says, who was in there. The shaken cop said, “Well, I never did find out, but he’s got the pope for his chauffeur!”
Sometimes it pays to have the right friends. This morning, I want us to consider a man who alone of everyone in the Bible has this said about him. James 2:23
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
We want to look the next few weeks at the life of Abraham, and see what lessons his life holds for us. Let’s turn first this morning to Genesis 11. READ 11:27-12:5
As I read this chapter this week, I thought, what do all these genealogies tell us? But as I started studying, I was fascinated with what I found. 11:10 tells us that 2 years after the flood, Shem was 100. Then the list of descendants grows. In adding up the years of births and deaths, I found that when Abram was born, almost all his forefathers back to Shem the son of Noah are alive. Abram probably knew Shem and the whole line. Noah was his great (8x) grandfather he died just about 2 years before Abram is born. Now Hebrews 11:13 says that Noah was living by faith when he died. Yet, we have to wonder about the rest of his generations. God chooses to call Abraham, but he passes over Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, and the whole line of generations. Why?
It appears that even in godly families, often the ways of the fathers are forsaken. Remember, God gave the world a new start in the flood. Yet, what happens, even with a godly man like Noah -- children turn from the Lord. Look back in Gen. 10. Here we see the line of Shem, the son of Noah. Eber has two sons: the one Peleg, and the other Joktan. In chapter 10 we see the line of Joktan. And in chapter 11 we see the tower of Babel. Men wanting to “make a name for themselves. In chapter 12 we see the line of the other son of Eber, Peleg. 10:25 tells us in his days the earth was divided. Something happened in his day that divided the peoples. Maybe it was the tower of Babel, when men started turning against God. Incidentally, with Peleg the ages of people are dramatically decreased. Noah 950, Shem 600, Eber 464 - but Peleg 239, Reu 239, Serug 230.
God wants to save a godly race, a people that would be devoted to him. So who does he choose? Not Shem or any other early descendants of Noah. Rater 10 generations removed, a young lad named Abram. Why Abram? I think the answer is found in Genesis 18:19 - The Lord is speaking about Abram, and he says, For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
In chapter 12, we see that Abram receives a call from God. This morning, I want each of us to consider what it means to us to receive a call from God. I would suggest that
I. A Call from God is a Call to Commitment.
In Chapter 12 we see Abram is given a call from God. It is a call that takes boldness.
A. Following God’s call takes boldness.
The account in Genesis makes it seem he receives this call after his father is dead in Haran. Yet, Acts 7:2-3 tells us he received this call in Ur of the Chaldees, or better stated, near the city of Babylon. And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
Abram receives a call to follow God back in Babylon. In the city of his fathers, a city centered against God, Abram receives a call to follow God. God took Noah, and used this one man to come out and be separate. Now that Noah is dead, God chooses Abraham to start a new people special to himself. This call on Abram had powerful force.
*It meant he had to leave - to leave all the generations of family and friends he had built there. He leaves his home there, his traditions, his comfort zones. Yet so convincing is he that his father, cousin, and their families all come with him. Even after his father dies in Haran, Abram moves on to follow God, and once again his immediate family move with him.
*It meant he had to cleave - he had to trust God for direction to this new land, provision in the wilderness, security as he traveled. Hebrews 11:8 says By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. There was no obedience until he went. He obeyed and went.
App: What is it that God is calling you to do? Whatever it is, we need to be willing to do it, to obey and follow God. It might meant we have to pay a price. It might mean we need to step out of our comfort zones. It might mean we might need to walk by faith for a while. But there is no obedience until we go.
--following God’s call takes boldness; it takes faith.
The second thing we see about this call is that
B. Following God’s call brings blessing.
Look at 12: 2-3 - see what God promises is Abram is willing to obey. He will be a great nation, he will be blessed, his name will be great, he affects others, and all peoples are blessed through him, a prophecy of Messiah coming through the line of Abraham.
Why do people work and slave for hours at hard jobs? Many do it to get ahead.
God tells us the way to get blessing is to obey. We have it all wrong. We think to receive blessings we need to “do” -- but rather to receive God’s blessings, we need to “be”.
App: If you knew the reward would be worth it, would you serve God? What if he gave it to you now to spend on this earth? So often we forget all the blessings that are ours in Christ. We fail to obey because we focus on the rust and dirt of this earth: gold, dollars, Kruggerands. We fail to remember all that we can lay up for ourselves in heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt and thieves do not break in and steal.
C. Following God’s call should bring Anticipation of Accomplishment.
God never gives us a task that he doesn’t want us to complete. He doesn’t give us tasks in vain. As God calls Abram to go to the promised land, he expects him to arrive there. In 12:5 we see they finally arrive there. 12:6 tells us And the Canaanite [was] then in the land. So, who are these Canaanites? Look back to 9:25, 10:15-19 -- these were descendants of Ham. Following God’s call means that Abram is given the land of his relatives. Look at 12:7. Abram’s offspring are given the land. Why? Because the Canaanites did not choose to follow the ways of God. They made all forms of idols and worshipped them. When Moses comes into the promised land, they are to destroy all the people living in the land, because they are so completely sinful. Deut. 18:12 says because of their sins they were driven out of the land.
Abram anticipated an inheritance for his descendants. But what descendants?
Remember 11:30 tells us that Sarai is barren -- she can’t have any children -- yet God is promising to give this land to Abram’s children. We will come in the future to the story of Isaac, but just consider this one thing: how did Abram and Sarai have a child? Not through the servant of their household, not through Abram’s efforts to have a child by his maid, but through trusting God. Hebrews 11:11 tells us Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
Abram Anticipates the Accomplishment of much in his following the call of God.
App: What are you expecting God to do? So often we say we believe in him, but we don’t trust him for anything. It’s sort of like the husband who says, “Honey, I trust you, but you’re not going to drive my car.” My mom has driven my dad’s truck I think only one time in the last couple years. Do we really want to see God do anything in our lives? Do we want to follow his call? If so, what do we want to see him do? Do we want to see this church grow? Do we want to reach our families and friends and neighborhoods with the gospel? If so, it means we are going to need to change our lives!!
D. Following God’s call involves Adoration -
12:7 - when Abram comes into Canaan, he builds an altar to the Lord. Why? not to make himself feel good. Did you ever drag a whole lot of rocks across a field and heap them up. That’s a lot of work. Why did he do this? Abram wants to worship the Lord. Look again in verse 8. Once again, in a new place, Abram worships God and builds an altar. Look in 13:3-4 - as Abram goes down to Egypt, and later comes back, once again he worships the Lord.
Somehow I get the idea if we are serious about following the call of God, we are going to worship God, wherever we are, wherever we go. If you go to Florida for a month, don’t say, well I guess I can’t make it out to church. Find a church. McBrides go to church regularly there. Putts go to Chuck McKeown’s church. Newells have found a church to attend.
Let worshiping God be a central focus of your life. Never get so self-centered that you think the call of God is all about you and your giftedness. Never think you are doing God a favor by serving him. He is the one who made you in the first place.
App: How important is worshiping God to you? On our sign out front I put, “What are you telling your child about God when you sleep in on Sunday morning?” We show by our actions what we really believe about God. Does he have first place? Then how much of our time is given to him? Paul Hirschy shared that only 25% of churchgoers ever spend 1 hour a week beyond the worship service in a small group studying the Bible. I have good news for you. This morning we are getting started in the book of Acts in SS. I invite you to join us.
E. Following God’s call sometimes means wandering.
In 12: 8-9 we see Abram in the land of promise, yet he wanders from place to place. Heb. 11: 9 tells us By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as [in] a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.
Sometimes even when we know what God wants, and we know we are right with God, it can still be hard for us to understand exactly what we are to be doing. There are times of wandering in our lives. We all face times when we say, “OK now what?” Abram had those times as well. But even when he couldn’t see clearly, he still trusted.
I have been facing one of those times recently. Last year, I had the whole year planned in January or early February. This year I have been praying, but didn’t sense what God wanted me to preach on. Well, this week as he led me to Abraham, I started seeing all kinds of things I never put together even though I had read them dozens of times.
If God puts you through a time of wandering, that’s OK.
App: Have you told God that you need a clear road map, or are you OK to let God take you on circles in his path? Sometimes God takes us on circles, not because he doesn’t know where we are headed, but because he is waiting on us to be ready to go there. Let’s be content just being with God. We don’t have to know the way.
F. Following God’s call might mean seeing yourself fail.
READ Gen. 12:10-20
Abram faced failure in his following God. It’s good to see giants of the faith fail. Because if they fail, I don’t have to beat myself up if I fail. That doesn’t excuse my failure, and I need to confess it, but I know I am only human. If I fail, I need to seek the forgiveness of God.
Abram’s sin is not in going to Egypt. Rather his sin is his deception about his wife. As a result of his deception Pharaoh’s household is given serious diseases. Why is he deceptive? He fails to trust the hand of God to keep him safe. Really he fails to believe the word of God.
God has promised him a land and offspring to inhabit it. He has trusted God all the way from Babylon, but suddenly he forgets to trust God.
App: Do we ever forget to trust God? Sometimes we get embarrassed or give in to peer pressure when we are around others. We say, “What would they think. They won’t like me” but God calls us to obedience at all times. Does your boss know you are a Christian? Does your barber know you are a Christian? How about your banker? Let’s be bold in serving Christ. Don’t give in the the lies and threats and intimidations of Satan. Satan wants to play upon your fears. Perfect love casts out all fear. If you love God, you don’t need to be afraid!
Concl: Abram is a great example for us in following the call of God, a call to commitment. This morning, ask yourself some questions:
*Do I have the boldness to step out of my comfort zones?
*Do I find my security in my God over others?
*Do I seek future rewards over present gains?
*Do I influence others in following God’s call?
*Do I follow through to completion that which I do for God?
*Do I expect to see God work in my life?
*Do I worship God for how he is working in my life?
*Am I content to follow God even when I don’t know what he is doing?
We can learn in each case to follow the example of Abram and be a man committed to following the call of God.
