"Now the LORD said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'To your offspring I will give this land.' So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb" (Genesis 12:1-9, ESV).
One of the candidates in the last election for President in the Philippines claimed that he had read all the speeches of Winston Churchill.
My attention was really caught by his remark. For I had read a short version of the biography of Churchill. The man was even below the average, while in his class. He was able to pass the military exam, because the topic he had studied was exactly the subject in the exam. In the army, he was even demoted. But there was no point in his life, he got discouraged. He believed in the Providence of God. And he believed that he was destined for greatness.
Past in his 60's, while most men are enjoying their retirement, Churchill became the Prime Minister of Britain and led the people through WW2 until victory was gained!
In our text, we will study about a person, who believed the Sovereign Being who promised that he would become great.
This time let’s examine the passage that should give us some ideas of the workings of the Sovereign God, especially when He calls. Let us explore our topic, SOVEREIGN GOD CALLS, as we focus on our text (Gen. 12:1-9).
What could the Omnipotent God, who is in control of all things, do in our time? In what way(s) He manifests His Sovereign power in our life right now? What happens when He calls?
In Genesis 1-11, Moses, the writer of the Book, related how the world was ruined because of men's rebellion against God.
Chapter 11 narrated the rebellious act of men -- building a city and a high tower to promote their own selves and just to stay in one place. But, in the same chapter, it also displayed the Sovereign act of God. His Divine Will and Plan is Supreme and overrules whatever "great" plan of man.
Now, as we launch in chapter 12, we could see how God started the work of redemption.
In our text His Sovereign Act is displayed as He called Abraham. And as we study it, we could also learn at least three things, when the Sovereign God manifests His working in our life.
So, what do you think could happen, when the Creator of the Universe calls you? First…
I – God Blesses You In His Way (vv. 1-3).
We read verses 1-3, “Now the LORD said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'"
God's command to Abram, later to be called Abraham, was initially given while he was in the city state of Ur in the land of Mesopotamia (Acts 7:2).
"Ur lied along the Euphrates river and was a land of grand architecture, riches, comfortable homes, music, and art..." When Abrahan received the command, he was living in "essentially... a booming economy..." But, the society was known for its idolatry -- worshipping the moon-god.
Abraham was not, then, a believer. Only in chapter 15, verse 6, wherein we read that he became a true believer and God counted him as righteous.
In our text, God Sovereignly opted to bless him. In the first phase, He would make Abraham "a great nation" and make his name great. Instead of extending His blessing in an economically favorable place, God decided to bless Abraham in an unknown place.
Ordinarily, it would be easy for Abraham to rise in prominence in Ur, or even in Haran. But God did not regard or consider the favorable place to grant His blessing. He could grant the favor not just in a favorable place, or in the way that human beings could perceive as ideal.
Notice also that Abraham did not even have that kind of great desire. He did not make a plan how he could become one. It was a pure God's Sovereign choice to bless him. And so, He Himself determined how it could be achieved. He initiated the blessings that would come to Abraham.
And in the passage, do we see how God initiated the blessing? He issued a command.
Believers or lovers of Christ, whether we are in whatever difficulty or in sufficiency, could we still expect great blessing from God?
Yes, we can expect great blessing from Him. But, when or what manner it would come, it's not for us to decide. God could also determine just what it is. And He could even initiate it.
And remember how God could initiate it. By the command He gives to us. The command could come to us through His Word. It could come through His servant He used to bring the message. It could come through our superior. It could come through someone we least expect. But as long as the command is in accord with God's Word, it could bring a blessing.
Whether the command is humanly unreasonable, whether it would nudge us out from our comfort zone, the Sovereign God could use it to create blessing in our life.
No wonder the Psalmist told God, "...for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love. I will lift up my hands toward your commandments which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes" (Ps. 119:47-48).
What else God can do, when He calls you?
II – God Enables You To Obey (vv. 4-6).
We read verses 4-6, “So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.”
When God displayed His glory to Abraham (Acts 7:2) and he heard his command, Abraham promptly obeyed. "So Abram went, as the Lord had told him..."
Abraham did not offer any excuse. He did not count the inconvenience or difficulty of long travel. He did not consider his weakness -- he was already 75 years old. He did not hesitate to leave his comfortable life.
He did not protest before God. So different was his reaction. Only one thing we can deduce: When God gave him the command, He also gave him obedience.
The tendency of people is to question, to doubt, or resist any command. That's inherent in the sinful nature of man. As our first parents doubted and rebelled against the very good command of the Supremely Good God, everyone of us has the tendency to disobey.
According to the Bible, people "... did not see fit to acknowledge God..." (Rom. 1:28A) They did not see fit to acknowledge God's Authority. So, what did He do to them?
We read in the last part of the verse and the next two verses: "...God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents" (verses 28B-30).
To obey God's command, we need His Sovereign grace.
Believers or lovers of Christ in GCF, are we obedient? Is it easy for us to submit to God's Authority and other authorities over us?
If we are recipient of God's grace of faith, we are now also given the right to become children of God (John 1:13). In God's eyes, we are "obedient children" (1 Peter 1:14). We are no longer "sons of disobedience" or "children of wrath, like the rest of mankind" (Eph. 2:2, 3).
Believers are given not only the common grace of obedience to obey human laws, but we could avail of God's special grace of obedience to obey His spiritual laws.
Unfortunately, many believers of Christ find it comfortable to live in disobedience. Or, they tried to obey as relying on their feelings,on convenience or human effort. Do we have that kind of attitude?
We need to realize that as lovers of Christ, God sees us, not only as obedient but He gives us obedience. Through the Holy Spirit, we have the power to obey. We need only to ask Him for that power.
Finally, what could God do, when He calls you?
III – God Inspires You To Worship (vv. 7-9).
We read verses 7-9, "Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'To your offspring I will give this land.' So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb."
God again appeared to Abraham and spoke to him, when he reached Canaan. Then, "... he built an altar to the Lord..." When he moved in another place of Canaan "... to the hill country on the east of Bethel" again "he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord."
Though he didn't know much about God by that time, yet when God brought him to the land God promised, Abraham "built an altar to the Lord." He was moved to make a way to worship God.
Consider also that he was in the land occupied by the Canaanites, wicked, idolatrous, large and fierce people. It's not easy or even safe for him to worship the true God in the place. Yet, Abraham was bold to build even two altars of worship in the place.
Because people do not see the greatness of God, they fail to value what God has given, and they do not have the idea or could not yield to what God requires of them, they take lightly the act of worship. They limit their availability or readiness to worship. They are easily threatened by almost just anything to avoid worship. They are not inspired to worship.
Abraham did not know so much about God by that time. He just had a glimpse of His glory. He heard just a very limited of God's declaration. He just arrived to the land promised to become his. He did not yet enjoy the possession of it.
However, God inspired him to worship. Abraham was even bold to worship even in the midst of difficulty and danger.
How about us believers or lovers of Christ? What threatens us as we come to worship the Creator and Sustainer of all things?
Are we threatened by the rain, the brownout, the many stairs to climb?
But be inspired more than Abraham.
God may not appear to us in Theopany, but He revealed more of Himself to us in His Word. We are more familiar of His Greatness.
Be inspired to worship.
We heard more of His Word of promise, command, decree, testimony, encouragement, counsel. We have a greater glimpse of the wonderful new heaven and new earth.
So, be inspired to worship.
We are not just given a piece of land. We are to inherit all things. And we inherit eternal life. And we have the Holy Spirit Himself in us, as the Guarantee to obtain it.
Should we not be more inspired to worship Glorious God, who adopted us to become His children and to enjoy eternity in His Kingdom?
CONCLUSION:
All people received the so-called general call to a new life. Some will respond and others will not.
But, when a person received the special call, the Sovereign call from God, the Bible tells us, he will be justified and finally be glorified.
It was demonstrated it in a limited way in the life of Abraham. And we could also experience it. The Sovereign God could also bless us in His way. He could enable us to obey. And He could inspire us to worship.
