The message this morning is the beginning of a four part series that I’ll teach when I’m here. We will study the character of Abram or Abraham. Abraham is an important character in the Bible, and his life deserves our careful study.
We find the first mention of Abram in Genesis 11:26. The name Abram means "exalted father." By Genesis 17, God changes Abram’s name to Abraham, which means "father of many nations." God made a covenant or agreement with Abraham to be his God and the God of his descendants.
Abraham’s descendants are the Jews, and Jesus came from the line of Abraham. We’ll have plenty of time to get to know Abraham and his relationship with God over the next few weeks. To start, we will look at how Abraham answered God’s call.
Whether we are aware or not, God is calling each one of us. He is first of all calling us back into relationship with Him. Some people have never thought about God because they’ve been indoctrinated by a naturalistic worldview. Others are distracted by work or family demands, by certain crisis in life or by the pursuit of the American dream.
In addition to calling us to relationship with Him, God also calls us to a certain way of life. For instance, He calls us to love one another, to serve one another, and to forgive one another. The universal commands of the Bible can be labeled as the call or will of God for mankind.
A more loose understanding of God’s call involves our circumstances and talents. The understanding here is that God is the Creator and Sustainer of all there is. If you make your home in Alaska, God probably didn’t call you to be a tropical fruit grower. And C.H. Spurgeon noted, "If you stutter, chances are, God didn’t call you to be a preacher." God’s calling can involve our circumstances in life.
Our awareness or interest in God’s call or God’s will generally heightens when we are in transition. "What school is God calling me to?" Or, "Is it God calling me to stay in this job?" When we are deciding where to live, whether to have children, or how to respond to important challenges or opportunities, we want to know God’s will.
After all, most of us believe that God is wise and good, and therefore, His call or will for us is wise and good. So we can benefit greatly by learning how to respond correctly when God calls. Without further introduction, let’s look at Genesis 12 and 13, and learn from Abram.
First, when God calls, we need to get off our rear. Genesis 12:1-4.
Our rear is what is behind us. God’s call is what is ahead of us. Often times, we cannot move ahead, until we let go of our past. Our past may be the values, beliefs and traditions we grew up with. Our past can be our failures or even our successes. Our past can be what is familiar.
In order for Abram to become a great nation, to be blessed by God and to be a blessing to others, God needed Abram to leave the idol worship of his family. God needed Abram to leave the nomadic and directionless existence of his people.
Change is hard for most of us. Change introduces many unknowns. We generally don’t want to change until we know the benefits of the change. But we usually don’t know the benefits of the change in advance. That’s why leaving what is behind us has to be a choice of our will.
If you want to answer God’s call for a personal relationship with Him, you may, for instance, need to leave your desire for autonomy or doubts behind in order to move ahead with God. If you want to answer God’s call to have a godly marriage, you may, for example, need to leave your parents’ controlling influence behind to move ahead. God calls us to leave our parents in order to cleave with our spouse. When God calls, we need to get off our rear.
Second, when God calls, we need to expect challenges to appear. Genesis 12:8-10.
Soon after following God’s instruction, Abram was faced with a famine. A famine is no small challenge. When you can’t put food on the table for yourself and your family, you begin to wonder if you’re in God’s will. And so Abram took a detour into Egypt.
Many Christians mistakenly interpret difficulties in life as signs of being outside of God’s will. Yet, the Bible teaches that when we are in God’s will, we can expect challenges to appear. Job, for instance, was in God’s will, but he lost his wealth, health and family. Paul was in God’s will, and he was beaten, imprisoned and eventually executed.
Believe it or not, there are greater benefits in life than wealth, health, and human companionship. The approval of God and friendship with God are of far greater value. The world calls us to a life of least resistance, a life of temporary pleasures. God calls us to a life of character-building and eternal pleasure. We need to answer the right call.
If you want to answer God’s call to a personal relationship with God, expect challenges, whether from family or society. If you want to answer God’s call to raise godly children, expect challenges, whether from your children’s peer or from the media. But don’t let the challenges keep you from answering God’s call. Deal with the challenge and then continue on to answer God’s call.
Third, when God calls, we need to have integrity in facing fear. Genesis 12:11-13.
If Abram continued toward the Negev, he and his caravan would starve to death. If Abram went down to Egypt, the Pharaoh of Egypt might kill him in order to have his beautiful wife, Sarai. Abram chose Egypt, and he lied about his wife, Sarai, in order to save his own life.
Whenever we respond to God’s call, we can expect to face fear. In the Old and New Testament, God repeatedly commanded those who were obedient to Him to have no fear. Such a command would be meaningless if fear were not a normal emotion experienced by those who take on God-size goals.
In dealing with fear, we don’t have to compromise our integrity. We don’t need to manipulate numbers or people in order to accomplish God’s will in our lives. If God is really in control, and He is, then we can face our fear with integrity.
Abram lied and put to shame his own wife and his God. When we face our fears with integrity, we gain the benefit of seeing God act on your behalf, and we grow in courage and in faith.
Fourth, when God calls, we need to handle people with care. Genesis 13:5-9.
Abram learned from the Egypt episode that God can be trusted to come through in the midst of his problems. This time, rather than manipulate the situation or the people, Abram generously allowed Lot to have first choice. Abram could care for Lot, because Abram knew that God would care for Abram.
Sometimes I’m so focused on the task of accomplishing God will that I forget to treat people with kindness and care. When this happens, I see people as obstacles to God’s will. I forget that part of God’s will is always that we love one another.
If we want to answer God’s call to do something big for God, we need to handle the people around you with care. If we want to answer God’s call to be a witness at work, we need to handle the people around you with care. If we want to answer God’s call to be a spiritual leader, we need to handle the people around you with care. The people around us include our spouse, our children, our co-workers, even the drivers with whom we share the street.
Fifth, when God calls, we need to update what we hear. Genesis 12:7 and 13:14-17.
Abram received God’s call in Genesis 12:1, but he continually checked in with God. God’s call does not come with maps, itinerary, or a final destination. So we need to continually hear from God. And some ways to hear from God include filling our mind with God’s Word, listening to God when we praying, and waiting for God to make a way where there is no way.
We don’t just hear one thing from God and then charge off to make our own plans and to take our own actions to arrive at a destination. How many of us would answer a phone call that tells us we’ve won a million dollars, and then hang up the phone in order to figure out by ourselves how to claim the prize? No, we stay connected to get the instructions.
Mel, Doug, Bill, Connie and I have been heavily involved in the search for our future worship facility. I’ve spent hours calling potential facilities and meeting with people. But I also continually listen for God’s guidance. My prayer has been, "God, I’m willing to go wherever You want us to go. I have not personal agenda or preference. God, is this place it? Please show us."
You want to be in God’s will regarding your job? Check in with God regularly. You want to be in God’s will regarding your financial plans. Check in with God often. You want to lead this church to be great for God. Become a prayer.
Sixth, when God calls, we need to remember God was there. Genesis 12:8 and 13:3-4.
Abram built altars to God to worship God, but also to remind himself that God spoke to him, made promises to him and acted on his behalf. These altars became places where Abram could return to gain confidence and faith in God. They helped him remembered God was there.
I’m a pastor, but I sometime wonder if God called me to be a pastor. Then I remember the way He used me to care and to lead other to trust Christ. There are times when I wonder if I’m serving the true God. Then I remember how the power of Jesus Christ name removed demonic manifestation from an apartment occupied by college students. The Buddhist priest who tried before couldn’t remove the demons. These are altars that remind me that God was there.
He was there preparing the way for you to trust in Jesus Christ. Remember the prayers God answered to help you trust in Him? He was there to give you courage to be baptized. He was there when you decided to serve Him. He was there when you failed. He was there when you succeeded. There was never a time when He was not there. There were only times when you forgot that He was there. That’s why altars are important.
In the eleventh century, King Henry III of Bavaria grew tired of court life and the pressures of being a monarch. He made application to Prior Richard at a local monastery, asking to spend the rest of his life in the monastery.
"Your Majesty," said Prior Richard, "do you understand that the pledge here is one of obedience? That will be hard because you have been a king."
"I understand," said Henry. "The rest of my life I will be obedient to you, as Christ leads you."
"Then, I will tell you what to do," said Prior Richard. "Go back to your throne and serve faithfully in the place where God has put you."
When King Henry died, a statement was written: "The King learned to rule by being obedient."
We don’t need to go into full-time ministry to answer God’s call on our lives. When God calls, we do need to get off our rear, expect challenges to appear, have integrity in facing fear, handle people with care, update what we hear and remember God was there.
