A distinguished preacher once said, “There is a definite, proper end and issue for every man's existence; an end which God intended for him. That which man is privileged to become, called to become, ought to become; that which God will assist him to become, and which he cannot miss except by his own fault. Every human soul has a complete and perfect plan cherished for it in the heart of God -- a divine biography marked out, which it enters into life to live”.
Surely, this is a great thought, and one that gives to every lifeeven the smallest and most obscurea sacred dignity and importance. Nothing that God thinks about, plans and creates can be trivial. The lowliest place in this world, to the person whom God made to occupy that place, is a position of rank and honor glorious as any, because for it God formed an immortal being in his own image and with immeasurable possibilities to fill.
George MacDonald, the Scottish poet and clergyman says, “I would rather be what God chose to make me than the most glorious creature that I could think of; for to have been thought about, born in God's thought, then made by God, is the dearest, grandest, and most precious thing in all thinking”.
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Today is special. So was yesterday. So is tomorrow. They are special because we have been called for service to Christ. God calls us, just as he once called a man named Abram.
2. Perhaps a definition is in order. Os Guinness, in his book “The Call” defines calling as
The most comprehensive reorientation and the most profound motivation in human experience—the ultimate why for living in all history. Calling begins and ends such ages and lives of faith, by placing the final aim of life beyond the world where it was meant to be. Answering the call is the way to find and fulfill the central purpose of your life.”
3. God uses two calls in your life: a primary call and a secondary call. The primary call is when he calls you into fellowship with him; it is a call to a person (himself), rather than a purpose. The secondary call comes after becoming a Christian; it is a call to Christian service to a purpose rather than a person.
4. We must not confuse secondary call with natural gifts. Natural gifts may or may not have anything to do with a secondary call. Remember, the secondary call is a call to serve God, and every Christian receives it. Look with me at the call of Abram. OYBT Gen 12.
[God calls everyone. Be sure you are listening, and follow him in faith; his grace will provide all that you need to fulfill his purpose in your life.]
II. THE CALL AND THE PROMISES (vv. 1-3)
1. The divine silence that persisted for ten generations is shattered. Yahweh’s voice is again heard in the land of Haran, where for some unexplained reason the intended migration of Terah and family from Ur to Canaan had come to a halt.
2. God calls Abram, son of Terah, saying, “Go forth…to a land which I will show you.”
A. Of particular interest is the triple object following the imperative “Go forth from (1) your country, (2) your homeland, and (3) your father’s house.”
B. God uses this triple object in his first communication with Abram (here) and his last (cf. 22:1f, take your son, your only son, Isaac). Each is in a sequence of less intimate to more intimate.
3. God’s promises to Abram contain seven elements: [1] I will make you a great nation; [2] I will bless you; [3] I will make your name famous; [4] and be a blessing; [5] I will bless those that bless you; [6] curse those that curse you, and [7] by you others shall be blessed.
4. Amid all these promises, one thing remains clear. Until Abram goes forth, nothing happens. In other words, Abram must respond to God’s call; he must take action, take a leap of faith; if he does, God’s grace will carry him; that is part of the promise.
III. ABRAM’S RESPONSE (vv. 4-5)
1. Abram responds. He packs everything he owns, gathers his wife, his nephew, the persons he had acquired (servants?) and leaves his comfort zone on a journeyknowing neither his direction nor destination.
2. Now that is answering the call of God; “I don’t know where I am going, how I will get there, or why God wants it this way, but I am going. See ‘ya later…”
3. By the way, did I mention he was seventy-five years old when God called him? Rather kills the notion that God selects workers according to age!
[God calls everyone. Be sure you are listening, and follow him in faith; his grace will provide all that you need to fulfill his purpose in your life.]
IV. LESSONS FROM ABRAM IN ANSWERING THE CALL: We learn much from God’s call and Abram’s response. The lessons contained here are appropriate to each of us as we enter new phases of life and new forms of service to God:
1. Abram was willing to follow God despite his lack of information. When God calls you into his service he reveals only what he deems necessary for you to obey. Abram knew almost nothing, except that he was leaving home and family.
2. Abram was willing to follow God despite his reservations. It would be naive of us to assume he had no concerns about this trip. After all, why uproot now? Why can’t God simply carry out his will for me where I am?
3. Abram was willing to follow God despite conventional wisdom. Abe is seventy-five; his wife is ten years younger, but barren. So, what is this about making me a great nation? I have no lineage, no heirs, and Sarai is already beyond childbearing years (she had a child at ninety!)
4. Abram was willing to follow God despite his own plans. He could easily have said, “I’m set in my ways, I’m settled in my lifestyle…find someone else to do it.” Yet, he set aside his own ambitions to follow God’s call; and the human race benefits from his decision to this day.
V. HOW TO ANSWER THE CALL
1. When God calls you, be sure to answer. Walter P. Chrysler, founder of the automobile company that bears his name once said, “The reason people don’t succeed in life is because while opportunity is knocking they are in the back yard looking for four leaf clovers.” The message? Pay attention, so that when God speaks, you are listening.
2. Follow God where he leads you, with or without all the details. God may not give you much to go on when he calls you into his service, but if you step out in faith As Abram did, he will walk with you every step of the way.
3. Trust Gods’ prompting of you, even when you have doubts. When you follow God’s direction Satan will fill you with doubt. Don’t listen to him; the only voice of any value is God’s. He made you for a specific purpose, to meet an exact need in his kingdom. Bring your doubts and concerns to him and he will answer.
4. Follow Gods’ calling whether it is popular or not. Living in submission to God will sometimes cause friction between you and your friends. Remember, that a true friend wants what is best for you, and serving God is in everyone’s best interest!
5. Be ready to lay aside your plans for God’s. This is a tough one, but brings with it great reward. When you lay aside your own ambition and channel your energy into responding to God’s calling, he will give you unimaginable joy; that which you will never have going your own way.
[God calls everyone. His primary call is to him, as he invites you into a relationship with himself through Jesus Christ. The secondary call is a call to serviceevery Christian is called to service. Be sure you are listening, and follow him in faith; his grace provides all that you need to fulfill his purpose in your life.]
