As we all know, today is the first day of the year. Today marks the beginning of something new, today marks the beginning of new blessings and new hopes. Today is the day when many will attempt to accomplish the resolutions or determinations that they have made about their life. I say this because it is at this time of year when many have determined that this will be the year when they will lose weight. Many have determined that this will be the year when they will watch their spending. Many have determined that this will be the year when they will quit a vice. In reality the list of New Year resolutions can be quite extensive, and making resolutions that will impact positively the life of those that surround and love us is always something good. But as Christians our main resolution should be to do God’s will. Our main resolution should be to be attentive to the word of God, and ready to act upon it immediately. Let us turn now to the word of God to see an example of the rewards that exists when we act according to His will.
Genesis 12:1-4 - Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
Like I always say to better understand the message that God has for us today, it will be necessary to review a little bit of history. Therefore, let us examine the life Abram a little closer prior to arriving at this moment in time. Abram grew up in the city of Ur, and this city was one of the most important ones to the Chaldees. It was a very important city because they had great commerce with other cities and they also had a very extensive library. It was in this city where Abram received his education. Afterwards, the family decided to move to Canaan, however, upon reaching Haran, they decided to stop and live there. It was in the city of Haran that Abram received his inheritance after the death of his father Terah, as was the custom in those times. Everything that I have just told you is very well reflected in Genesis 11:31-32 when we read “And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.” Why is it necessary that we know this? It is necessary that we know this because this small portion of history about the life of Abram lets us know his condition. It is necessary that we note that Abram at this point in life was very comfortable. Abram had very little if any, physical or material needs, but a great change was at hand. God had a purpose with his life. I think that by covering this brief moment of history in Abram’s life, we have all reached the same conclusion. I think that we can all conclude that when Abram though he was the most comfortable, when Abram thought that his life was complete, God called him to leave it all. God called him to leave his safety and comfort. These facts about Abram’s life more or less lead us to this point in history. They lead us to the verses that we will be studying today. Therefore, let us keep these facts in mind and continue with our study.
In the verses that we are studying today we read “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.” Let me tell you that doing this was probably not an easy thing for Abram. I say this because in this point in time, Abram was not a young man. At this point in time Abram was seventy five years old, and the trip to Canaan would not be an easy one. It is important that we note Abram’s age because this fact illustrates two very significant things. Number one is that God can call us at any time, and number two is that God will call us to leave our comfort zone. Why do I say this? I say this because God could have called this man when he was a lot younger but this was not the case. God called him after seventy five years God called him after he was very well accustomed to what he had and Abram was accustomed to the comfort and the blessings that he enjoyed. Therefore; we can firmly say that when he was the most comfortable, God called him to abandon it all and to confront an arduous task, God called him to start anew.
The question we should now ask ourselves is does God expect the same of us? The answer to this question is yes. What God asked Abram was probably something that left him a little confused. After all, God was asking him to abandon the blessings that He had given him. But notwithstanding this, Abram trusted that God had something better for him. Abram had no fear in doing what God had instructed him to do because his faith did not slack. But with this in mind, let us ask ourselves, has God called us to leave our comfort? I tell you today that the answer to this question is yes.
The problem that has always plagued the church is that unfortunately, not all are willing to leave their comfort zone. There are a large number of people within the body of Christ that are not willing to move from the place where they are. They are not willing to move out of their comfort zone because they have permitted fear to stop them. The way it happens is that people get comfortable in knowing that they are saved, and they will become satisfied with only attending the services or events of the congregation. Now, please do not misunderstand me; I am not saying that there is something evil about this. What I am saying is that if we profess to be true believers, then this simply is just not enough. It is not enough because when you get comfortable in the chairs and benches of the church, you will fall asleep. If you get comfortable in the chairs or benches of the church, you will fail to recognize the opportunities that He provides us to be laborers in His kingdom. In other words, you will miss out in the blessings that He has stored for you. In these verse that we are examining today we see that God tells him “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” What we see here is that Abram received the promise of God, that he would be the beginning of the blessings for all of the families on earth. What we see here is that God was giving him the opportunity to be the difference in this evil world. Abram received the opportunity to labor in the kingdom of God. Let us ask ourselves now; has God afforded us the same opportunity? The answer is yes.
I say that God has afforded us the same opportunity because all of us here have been called to spread the gospel. Jesus said this very clearly in Matthew 28:19 when we read “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” We have quite a bit to learn from Abram’s life. Abram went from being a simple man, to being recognized as the father of faith. I tell you today that God is looking for faithful believers. God is looking for men and women willing to enter the battle without fear. God is looking for men and women willing to give the best of them. God is looking for men and women willing to perform wondrous works for His kingdom. God is looking for men and women willing to leave their comfort zone and trust in Him. We do not have to be perfect, we do not have to be all knowing, the only thing that we have to be is willing to trust in Him. The only thing that we have to willing to be is to be guided by Him. Tell the brother sitting next to you, God will guide you to the place of blessings. But in order to be guided, we must possess faith and we must trust His word.
We will have to traverse through difficult situations, we will go through situations where we may not be able to understand the purpose of it all, but never forget, that there is a purpose in all that God does. This is something that is very well reflected in Psalm 138:8 when we read “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.” God expects us to conquer our fears and defeat our weaknesses so that we may see the manifestation of His glory, power, and grace, in our life, and in the life of all of those that surround us. But if we are not willing to move toward the place that He guides us, if we are not willing to leave our comfort zone, and conquer our fears, then we will not be able to recognize the opportunities that God provides us to be a laborer in his kingdom. We will not recognize that the Lord can glorify himself and often does, at any time. We will not recognize that He glorifies himself in our weakness. Look at how Paul said it in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 when we read “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
Continuing with our study we read “So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.” Abram obeyed God! Our faith and obedience will be rewarded just as God rewarded Abram, but this is something that only happens when we remain in His will. This is something that only happens when our faith is genuine and we trust in Him regardless of how difficult or painful the situation may appear to be. Although a circumstance may appear to make no sense, although a situation or circumstance may appear to be confusing, although the price that we may have to pay appears to be too costly, we have to be willing to trust in God and move according to His will. In many occasions this is not something easily done, isn’t that true? There are times when we listen to God speaking to us, but it is not easy to obey Him. God spoke to Abram in an audible fashion, and he listened and obeyed. Can you imagine what would have happened if Abram had not obeyed? I don’t even want to imagine it because if that had been the case, then none of us would be here today. I say that none of us would be here today because our Lord and Savior is a descendant of Abrams bloodline. Look at what we find in Matthew 1:1 when we read “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
God does speak to us by many means. God will speak to us through His word. He speaks to us by giving us conviction us of our sins. God will speak to us through our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. God frequently speaks to us, and I tell you today that it is time to star listening. It is time to start obeying. I know that at times obeying his will is difficult to do. It is difficult to do because in almost all instances that God speaks to us, that which we must do is not easily accomplished. This was certainly the case with Abram; his trip would not be an easy one, but his did not stop him. Abram would be God’s instrument and would completely trust in Him. Brethren, just as God had a purpose with Abram; God has a purpose with life of every person that allows themselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Abram would be a blessing to many, and God wants you to be a blessing to many as well. God had a purpose with the life of Abram, and God has a purpose with your life. God has a purpose with the life of every person that surrenders his life to Jesus. Look at how well this is reflected in Romans 8:28 when we read “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” It may very well be that we will not see His purpose immediately; it may very well be that we not understand it, but of thing that we must be sure is that God does not err when He calls us. God knows our potential, God knows our heart. Look at what He tells us in 1 Samuel 16:7 when we read “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
As a church we can not remain seated in the chairs and benches, we have to get up and labor for God. We have to leave our comfort zone and move toward the will of God. We have to seek that our hearts be restored; we have to seek that out hearts be renewed. Let us always remember what we find in Proverbs 11:20 when we read “They that are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the LORD: but such the blameless in their way are his delight.” Let us remember that God will never call us to be in discord, or be jealous or envious of our brothers and sisters. God will not call us to gossip, discredit or cause a division. God will never call you to disobedience or to be rebellious. God called Abram to do something different, so that he could be a blessing. God has called all true believers, so that they to may be a blessing. Tell the brother next to you, God will guide us to the place of blessings. Let us remember that God calls us to be different, but never to sin. Look at what the Lord said in John 3:20-21 when we read “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, which his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” God calls us to be different, but never to contemplate sin. God does not call us to justify sin. Remember always that God will never dwell were sin abounds, because God is holy.
As the people of God we must move toward His will. It is time to realize that we can not live outside His will. We can not afford to ignore what He tells us. If we are not attentive to His voice, and obey Him, then we will never reach all the blessings that He has for us.
In conclusion. We are now beginning a new year, and God is calling you to move. We can not allow for anything to stop us from accomplishing His will. We can not allow anything to separate us from His will. The Lord calls us to be different, He calls us to listen to His voice and separate us from this world. All of this will not be in vain, we shall have our reward. Look at how the Lord lets us know in Mark 13:13 when we read “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” God speaks to us today, God calls us to listen and be obedient to His word. Let us search for His purpose at all times, let’s seek His will, and His face. Let’s never forget that He recognizes us four what we can be, and not what we think we are. I am sure that the world saw Abram as a simple man, but God saw him as the father of faith. In the first book of Samuel the world saw David as a boy, but God saw him as a king. This is something we find in 1 Samuel 16:13 when we read “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.” The world saw John the Baptist as a prophet like we find in Matthew 14:5 when we read “And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.” But God saw him as the one that would prepare the way for the Lord, as we find in Matthew 11:9-10 when we read “But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 10For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.” The world saw Peter as a simple fisherman, but God saw him as a worker for His kingdom. Look at how the Lord said it in Matthew 4:18-19 when we read “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Let us never forget that God has seen what we can become; he knows our potential and He desires that we develop it. Do not allow the influences of this world from becoming the person that God wants you to be. Do not allow the influences of this world to determine you future, and to impede your blessings. God is calling you to a new place; God is calling you to a place of blessings. The question now is, are you willing to move?
