Leave It All Behind

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-