Please stand for the reading of the Word
Genesis 12
1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
I’d like to entitle today’s message . . .
My Story’s Not Over
Shall we pray
You may be seated
Introduction
Our reading reveals the beginning of a remarkable journey . . . one that lasted over 100 years.
Abram was around 75 years old when he was called to leave all he knew and follow a God he had JUST MET. And Abram followed Him until he died at 175-years-old.
God met him right where he was - in an idol-making, idol worshiping family - and called him out of the ORDINARY into the EXTRAORDINARY.
God called Abram to a HIGHER way of living - to GREATNESS and BLESSING.
Listen to verses 2 and 3:
"2 ‘I will make you a GREAT nation; I will BLESS you and make your name GREAT; and you shall be a BLESSING. 3 I will BLESS those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be BLESSED.’”
Abram did NOT know how this would all work out - but he did know he had to follow. This was his moment!
Now this walking with God was all NEW to Abram and he would make PLENTY of mistakes. This became obvious from the very start.
God said, "Leave your land AND your father’s household." Abram left his land - yes - but he dragged his father and his father’s household along with him - he brought Terah, Haran and Lot. This was PARTIAL OBEDIENCE.
I’ve heard it said, “Partial obedience is DISOBEDIENCE!" And I get it. We push people to obey FULLY.
But notice what Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”
Terah, Haran, Lot . . . they’re not even mentioned. “PARTIAL” is not even in the sentence. It just says, “By faith Abraham obeyed!”
His OBEDIENCE - the PART about leaving his land - is the PART that God focused on - it was the part that COUNTED at the time!
Now don’t think it did NOT matter. Abram’s will learn that God had predicated the promises on Abram’s faithful and COMPLETE obedience.
Notice verse 1: “. . . get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you” - AND THEN - "I WILL BLESS HIM AND MAKE YOUR NAME GREAT."
But in his new-found faith, God did not SLAM Abram for the part he got WRONG! Rather, He CELEBRATED Abram for the part he got right!
I’m gonna tell you something, God will NOT write you off because of the part of the Word that you’ve YET TO OBEY! Rather, He will REJOICE with you over the part you HAVE OBEYED!
God looks at the part you HAVE DONE RIGHT!
God looks at the part you HAVE SURRENDERED!
And He says, “That’s good! I can work with that! You keep walking!”
Don’t get so high and mighty that you think God writes off people who have not all-the-way OBEYED! If He did that, NONE OF US COULD STAND HERE TODAY!
Lamentations 3:22 – 23 says, “22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."
Abram was NEW AT THIS! He was aNEW CONVERT! He had NEVER followed the Lord before! God was changing his heart from a heart of IDOLATRY to a heart that worshiped the true and living God!
His heart had been a field of weeds and God was re-cultivating it - repurposing it - turning it into a field of beautiful roses and wheat and fruitfulness.
It was as if the areas in which he WAS OBEDIENT were the weedkiller and fertilizer PREPARING THE WAY for more and more obedience in his future.
Now, to be sure, Terah, Haran and Lot SLOWED ABRAM DOWN. As a matter of fact, he got STUCK FOR YEARS halfway between Ur and Canaan.
He had still not even arrived to the land where God had called him . . .
He still had no kid . . . no NATION . . .
And certainly no WORLDWIDE IMPACT . . .
And during this season, it looked like Abram’s dreams would NEVER COME TO PASS. But Abram was DRIVEN, CONSUMED by the Promise of God for GREATNESS and BLESSING and MULTIPLICATION!
He KNEW he was destined for more even though he had TEMPORARILY STALLED!
It looked like he had FAILED . . .
It looked like he had LOST . . .
But Abram REFUSED to be DEFINED by his delays, his failures or his losses!
So often we think we’re the only one who’s ever stalled out or failed or lost. We tend to think, “Well, that’s just how I am! I always miss it! I always fail! I’m a failure! I’m just NOT like ________________ (fill in the blank with your favorite faith hero)!”
I want you to know, every hero of the faith got stuck at some time or failed at some time or dropped the ball at some time!
Ask Adam . . .
Ask Eve . . .
Ask Noah . . .
Ask David . . .
Ask Elijah . . .
Ask Jonah . . .
Ask Peter . . .
Ask Mark . . .
But they did not let that DELAY or FAILURE or LOSS DEFINE THEM . . .
And you can’t let a bad season or a mistake or a failure or a delay DEFINE YOU - even if it’s because of your own PARTIAL OBEDIENCE - even if it’s your OWN FAULT!
You have to say . . .
“I may have PARTIALLY OBEYED - I may have gotten stuck ½ WAY . . .”
“I may have WASTED SOME TIME BUT MY STORY’S NOT OVER!”
“THIS IS NOT THE END OF MY STORY! THIS IS JUST A CHAPTER!”
“I’M TURNING THE PAGE! I’M WRITING A NEW CHAPTER!”
As a matter of fact, here’s what GREAT FAITH looks like: IN THE FACE OF FAILURE . . . IN THE FACE OF LOSS . . . FAITH RISES . . . LIKE A PHOENIX . . . OUT OF THE ASHES . . . OUT OF THE RUBBLE . . . AND SAYS . . .
“I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM!”
“I CAN HAVE WHAT GOD SAYS I CAN HAVE!”
“I CAN DO WHAT GOD SAYS I CAN DO!”
“I STILL HAVE A DREAM!”
“GOD’S NOT FINISHED WITH ME YET!”
Isaiah 61:3 says, He’ll give us “beauty for ashes . . . the oil of joy for mourning . . . and establish us like trees of righteousness!"
Joel 2 says, He’ll “restore the YEARS the locust and cankerworm have eaten” . . .
Your best days are NOT behind you! YOUR STORY’S NOT OVER!
Hey Samson . . .
Hey Gideon . . .
Hey Bathsheba . . .
Hey Rahab . . .
Hey woman at the well . . .
Hey woman caught in the act of adultery . . .
I know a MAN FROM NAZARETH WHO IS A SAVIOR!
HE’S WRITING IN THE SAND - THE NEXT CHAPTER OF YOUR LIFE - THOSE DREAMS HE PUT IN YOUR HEART - THEY’RE WAITING ON YOU!
Abram finally did move on. He spent some time in Egypt and out of fear he lied like a rug! He told the king that Sarai was his sister so the king took her into his harem. That was almost a disaster!
It’s not that Abram was malicious. He was a survivor. And he was doing all he knew to do to survive even though it certainly compromised his integrity.
But did God throw Abram away?
No! As a matter of fact, God gave the Pharaoh a dream and warned warned him not to touch Sarai.
God protected Sarai . . . Abram . . . the king . . . and HIS WORD . . .
God was working around Abram’s mistakes and missteps because God was determined to see His Word come to pass in Abram’s life!
Listen . . .
Some of you have compromised your integrity at times because you were afraid and did what you felt like you had to do to survive.
That doesn’t make it right but I’m here to tell you, God is determined to see the Word He’s spoken over you come to pass in your life!
He “watches over His Word to perform it” . . .
God is “not a man that He should lie” . . .
Your story’s not over . . .
There’s a chapter BEYOND THE FAILURE IN EGYPT . . .
There’s a chapter BEYOND THE SEASON OF FEAR AND COMPROMISE . . .
I love the fact that through the good times and the bad times, Abram NEVER lets go of his dream! He’s constantly asking God every time he gets a chance, “What about my dream?”
Then God put His promises in a language Abram could understand - the language of the Blood Covenant. This originated in the Garden of Eden with the bloody skins after the Fall - where God made promises and shed blood.
The swearing of oaths . . . and the shedding of blood became a language utilized by individuals and tribes and clans. The idea of "the two shall become one” is behind the Blood Covenant. It’s STRONG LANGUAGE . . .
You would think that would have made Abram get his act together - but no - out of DESPERATION - with time running out - it’s already out for Sarai - and it’s almost out for Abram - Abram marries Hagar!
She was a DISTRACTION from the Covenant that God had made with Abram! But he and Sarai came up with a MAN-MADE SOLUTION. The result was Ishmael.
About 14 years or so into this, Abram has to send Hagar and Ishmael away.
Again, he had failed. He had lost.
But he refuses to be IDENTIFIED AS A FAILURE AND A LOSER!
Finally, In desperation, when there was NO WAY for him or Sarai to have a kid, he cries out one more time and God changes his name.
Abram get’s the “Ha” of “Jehovah” and what he couldn’t do in his own strength - with God - all things became possible!
25 years into his walk with God, God gives him Isaac!
You see, the reason God didn’t write Abram off 25 years earlier or 15 years earlier or 5 years earlier is because God knew HE’S GONNA GROW UP . . . HE’S GONNA LEARN HIS LESSON . . . HE WILL BECOME THE MAN I’M CALLED HIM TO BE!
As a matter of fact, God knew this 25 years before when He said, “I will make your NAME GREAT!"
ABRAM DID NOT EVEN KNOW THE NAME GOD WOULD GIVE HIM THAT WOULD BE MADE GREAT – ABRAHAM! WHEN GOD MADE THAT PROMISE - HIS NAME WAS ABRAM! BUT GOD KNEW - HE WILL DEVELOP! HE WILL GROW! HE WILL BECOME THE MAN I'VE CALLED HIM TO BE!
I’m telling you, there are people in the house today, you HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS IN YOU - THE GREATNESS - THE BLESSING - THAT GOD’S PUT IN YOU - THAT GOD’S SPOKEN AND DECLARED OVER YOU!
“Eye has not seen . . . ear has not heard . . . neither has it entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for them that love Him . . .” (1 Corinthians 2:9) . . .
All you’ve seen is the PARTIAL OBEDIENCE . . . THE STALL . . . THE FALL . . . THE MISTAKE . . .
BUT GOD’S NOT CONDEMNING YOU!
GOD’S NOT THROWING STONES AT YOU!
GOD’S GONNA GIVE YOU A FRESH START!
THE PROCESS HAS PREPARED YOU FOR THIS MOMENT!
THIS IS YOUR DAY!
It all shifted for Abram in about 90 days - when God changed his name - within 3 months Sarah was pregnant!
Somebody’s in for a SHIFT . . . A TURN AROUND . . . 25 YEARS OF WONDERING . . . SUDDENLY TURNED AROUND . . .
Closing . . .
James . . . met him right after jail . . . his story was not over . . .
White supremacist . . . his story was not over . . .
Diabetic episode . . . gun . . . felon . . . his story was not over . . .
Hopkins . . . survived . . . his story was not over . . .
Baptized him . . .
God touched him . . .
A couple of years later . . . “Thank you Donavon” . . . you see . . . his story was not over . . .
Closing
Maybe you’ve started out following Jesus but not with your whole heart . . . or maybe you’ve stalled out . . . maybe you’ve lost your integrity . . . maybe you’ve tried to do in the flesh . . . what only God could do . . . maybe you’ve failed . . . maybe you’ve lost . . .
Don’t be DEFINED BY THOSE FAILURES AND LOSSES . . .
YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE . . . YOU ARE NOT A LOSER . . .
GOD HAS A DREAM FOR YOU . . .
HE’S DECLARED GREATNESS AND BLESSING OVER YOU . . . if you believe God is speaking to you . . . come . . . now . . .
Pray . . . “Holy Spirit . . . draw . . . it’s Your kindness that leads us to repentance . . . “
*Celebrate . . . now . . . I never like to close the service without asking . . .
