Sermon # 9 - Learn To Speak Right Series

We read in Genesis 17:5, Your name will no longer be Abram, but Abraham, because I am making you the ancestor of many nations. (GNB)

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, and in this exclusive conversation, God told Abram that he would no longer be called Abram but as Abraham, for God would make him the father of many nations.

There are so many who never get over their past, but live with constant regret about things they said, decisions they made, and over incidents that they are unable to forget. We have a God who is the God of the present, and He can turn things around in no time. Though God is the one who is God over all the nations, He is also a God who desires to have a personal relationship with each one of us, whereby He can speak to us, and fellowship with us individually. There is therefore a place for corporate worship, but it is also vital for us to have that personal time, and relationship with God.

All through the Bible we read of times when God met with those who were all alone. Jacob was all alone, running away from his brother, fearful of what lay ahead, when the Lord met him, and he saw the heavens opened with the angels of God ascending and descending from it. When Jesus was alone in the wilderness, and was being tempted by the devil, the Spirit of God strengthened Him, while the angels of God attended on Him. In our most lonely moments, the Lord is closest to us, and He plans to do something astounding in our lives. Instead of brooding over our past mistakes, and constantly blaming ourselves, we must trust God who can intervene to bless, and to recreate all that we have messed up.

God’s call and promise to Abram

When Abram was seventy five years old, the Lord called Abram to leave his country, his people and his father’s house to follow after Him, and this was the promise that He gave to him.

We read in Genesis 12:2, I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will bless you and make your name famous, so that you will be a blessing. (GNT)

Abram and Sarai waited for ten long years, and then probably got frustrated. One can imagine all that might have transpired in those years when they waited to have a child. They might have tried various options, and those around them might have given numerous suggestions. There was no change in their situation, for the only one who could bring about the fulfilment of the promise was God Himself. In desperation, Sarai presented Abram her servant Hagar to be his wife, and the outcome was the birth of Ishmael. The birth of Ishmael did not solve the problem for Abram and Sarai, but instead became the source of much misunderstanding and grief.

This is the same call of God to each one of us who wish to follow Him. He is inviting us to leave behind our people, language, traditions, and come out to be set apart for Him. To those who are willing the Lord promises that they would be blessed, just as Abraham was. In a spiritual sense, if we genuinely choose to follow God like Abraham did, living in obedience to His word, the Lord will use our lives to be a great blessing, through whom many will come to know the Lord, and become His children.

For those of us who are in complicated situations like Abraham was in, who have tried all sorts of alternatives, listened to counsel from all quarters, let us turn to the Lord, and trust Him only for He alone can bring real reversal to our seemingly impossible situations.

Often times like Abram we are unwilling to wait patiently for God’s timing, and hence end up with loads of trouble. Many young children are constantly troubling their parents for cell phones, when they are not really equipped to handle them. Parents often encourage young children to get engrossed with some game on the phone, just to keep them occupied, and over a period of time children get so addicted to the same. When young children should enjoy themselves, play, read the word, and grow in the Lord, they are sadly obsessed with cell phones, which actually become a burden to us as we grow older. There are other youth who are adamant that their parents should purchase for them a motorbike even before they are eligible for a license. The right time to own a motorbike is when you have you are of the right age, have your own job, and are able to make enough money to buy your own bike that too without getting into debt. So many youth are not willing to wait patiently for marriage, and even before they complete their studies or get a job, they end up married, and are drowned with innumerable challenges.