TITLE:Pursuing Gods Will:
TEXT: Genesis 11:27-12:9
Theme: Gods will
P.S. You and I have a responsibility to pursue the will of God everyday of our lives, wherever we are in lifes journey. (Hayford p.12)
Introduction:
In my message last week, I concluded by quoting John Stott, “Nothing is more important in life than to discover and do the will of God.(Stott p.203).
Stott describes the two types of Christians and how they apporaoch the will of God.
First there are the Christians who spend their lives “discovering the will of God.” These could be described as the Marys of the church. Forever sitting at the feet of Jesus They attend every seminar, buy evry book, and pepper every prayer with the hope of discovering Gods will for thier lives.
Tragically, these believers often end up frustrated and exhausted after a while as they discover their lives not getting any better and the world has passed them by.
Then there are the “Do the will of God Christians.” These are the ‘Marthas”f the church. They are constantly working and doing. They often are found teachng SS, on committees, when the church doors are open, they are not just their, they are cleanig the doors, washing the floors, cooking the meanls.
Thier frustration is with those Christians who they perceive to not be as ‘committed’ to the work of the Lord as they are.
Sadly, many tumes these well meaning, workers for the Lord end up on the ash-heap of speitiual burn-out where they lose their energy, passion, and effectiveness for serving God.
What we often forget is that little connecting word, “AND”. The will of God is not exclusively activity nor is it exclusively waiting. It is both working in tandem together.
Illustration: (From SERMONCENTRAL Online)Chuck Swindoll has written a marvelous book entitled, "The Mystery of God’s Will: What Does He Want For Me?"
In the introduction to this book, Swindoll writes, "In the past, I often viewed the Christian life, or even life in general, as a matter of getting from here to there . . . from Point A to Point B. I now believe that God’s will for us in this life is not some black-and-white objective equation designed to take us to an appointed destination here on earth as much as it is about the journey itself. It is not so much about our own well-thought-through ’mission’ for our lives as it is about what matters to Him in our lives.
Our human tendency is to focus solely on our calling-on where we should go, how we should get there, and what exactly we should do about it. God’s concern is the process that He is taking us through to mature us and ready us, making us more like His Son. In other words, all of us-including you-are works in process."
You and I have a responsibility to pursue the will of God everyday of our lives, wherever we are in lifes journey. (Hayford p.12)
Over the next several weeks I invite you to join me on a journey of discovery as we follow the life of Abraham, and the lessons he teaches us in PURSUING THE WILL OF GOD for our lives.
Read Genesis 11:27-12:9
I. There’s a place in Gods Will For You No Matter What Your Age or Past: (12:1-4)
One of the common misbeliefs concerning Gods will is that God only uses the young. After all it is the young people who possess all the energy, and resources and creativity. God could not use someone who is over 40 or fifty or sixty.
Yet, the Bible syas, that David was called by God as a shepherd bot of 15. Mary the Mother of Jesus was prbably about 14 when the angel Gabriel announced to her that she would be the mother of the Saviour.
Among Jesus disciples there were young men in their late teens and early twenties.
David’s son Solomon, concluded at the end of his life, after ammassing wealth, education, power anf influence, the most important thing is to serve God starting when you are young.
Remember the Lord in the days of Your youth...” (Ecclesiastees 10:1)
Conversly, some mistakenly believe that God could never use a person who is old and out of touch.
Yet when God wanted a person who would model faith for generations to come, he chose Abraham at the age of 75. God could have called him when he was a young business man living in power and influence in his thrities. But He didn’t. In His wisdom, God reached out and touched Abrahams shoulder and spoke vision into his heart at a time of life, when Abe should have been thinking of fishing on the Euphrates, not starting life over in a new country.
Others mistakenly believe that God cannot call a person who has an undesirable past. Yet it was when Moses was a washed up, has been prince of 80 that that God said, “Go to Egypt, I have a job for you to do...”
Look at the geneology of Jesus. There you will find a prostitute, an adulterer, a murderer, an idol worshipper,...And all these God called and used inspite of thier pasts.
The point is, There’s a place in Gods Will For You No Matter What Your Age or Past(hayford p.11)
Notice what the Lord says to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation...I will bless you...I will make your name great...
You see, the onus of responsibility is upon the Lord. When He calls a man or woman, young person or grandma, HE always provides the giftings and annointings to fulfill the plan.
Do not write yourself off of Gods program. Do not assume Gods will is for someone else. Don’t presume He is finished with you or has set you aside.
So, if the responsibility of the call is Gods, then my responsibility is to submit to His call and humbly follow him
II. Don’t Settle For Second Best:(11:31,32)
We are told in chapter eleven that “Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran…Haran died in the presence of his father in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans.” Terah was Abrams father and Abram had two other brothers, Nahor and Haran. Haran died before his father in the birthplace of all three brothers, the Ur of the Chaldeans.
Illustration;
Ur was a fabulous city. It was near the Persian Gulf, over by Iran, and even in 2000 BC it had an advanced culture.
Back in the twenties and thirties Sir Charles Leonard Woolley excavated Ur and came up with some of the greatest treasures of archeology. In Ur’s royal cemetery they found 16 tombs, each one filled with golden headdresses and gold and silver harps. Each tomb also contained up to 74 bodies of servants who were buried alive with the king.
Woolley’s excavations also revealed that the houses in Ur were 2 stories high and were whitewashed to be pleasing to the eye. The larger homes had up to 20 rooms, with well-equipped
kitchens, good plumbing and sanitation. Their schools taught mathematics, astronomy and medicine.
Abraham was not a country bumpkin from the back side of the desert who didn’t know anything. He probably had a very comfortable life in the most advanced culture of that culture.
After the death of Haran, Terah took his family and made his way to Canaan, but he would not make it to Canaan for we are told in verse thirty one that Terah and his family “went as far as Haran, and settled there.”
Why, after leaving everything they wrked for and lived for in Ur, would Abraham and his family caravan suddenly come to a halt?
Well we can presume that practically they were tired and needed a rest. Haran was at the midway point between Ur and their destination, Canaan. Like Ur it was a well situated city with culture, wealth, a familiar language and most of all idol worship.
It may have been that Terah met some old friends while in Haran. We do know he was elderly and could have very well become ill, so Abe needed to find a place for his father to rest.
Perhaps they only intended to stay a day or two. This became a couple of weeks. Soon things began to get comfortable until before they knew it, they were settling in.
I can here the family conference now. Well, dad is sick and we don’t want to burden him. Lot: There is an excellent university here, that I can go too. Sarah; I just joined the ladies sewing guild at the temple. Then there were the business contracts. The meetings. Its just like home. There are so many people here to witness and minister too. Yes all good reaosns to stay. BUT IT WAS NOT GODS INTENTION FOR THEM TO STAY IN HARAN!
Like Abraham and his family, many Christians are frustrated in thier lives simply because in the pursuit of Gods will, they fall short. They grow comfortable where they are, and just settle for second best.
O, I am not saying they have backsliden or lost thier salvation. But many have lost thier passion for the Lord, simply because they stopped short of Gods best; I here it all the time,
Pastor I know God says not to marry an unbeliever, but well, there are no Christian men in our church, and well my boyfriend he is a nice person, has a good job, and well he has no problem with me going to church. Besides, I can always lead him to the Lord...HARAN
Pastor, I know I should go to Bible College and train for the ministry, but things are just too good at work now, I can’t leave at a time like this. My kids are going to college, my wife has a good job, and what about the mortgage?...I’ll wait till the kids have graduated, then go into the ministry...HARAN
Pastor, I know I should tithe, but theres the light bill, and the cable bill, and the kids hockey registration and my golf membership is due...maybe next month I’ll have more cash flow...HARAN
Haran is the place of second best. It sounds like home. It is comfortable. It is sensible. But it is the place of second best. The words of verse ring somberly in our ears, Terah lived 205 years and DIED IN HARAN! Haran is the place of death. I do not mean eternal death. But when we choose the second best over Gods best for our lives, we invite spiritual death to take over. Our passion for God turns to tradition and convenience.
III. The lesson is that pursuing Gods will involve being called out of our comfort zones.
Now the Lord said to Abram, Get out of your country, from your family and from your fathers house, to a land I will show you.(12:1)
I do not want to mislead you. Pursuing Gods will is never easy. We sing the chorus I’ll go where you want me to go dear Lord, I’over mountian, valley or sea. I’ll say what you want me to say dear Lord, I’ll be what you want me to be.”
Then you sense God saying to teach that Sunday school class of junior high boys. God tells you to make a pie for that obnoxious neighbor. God leads you to witness to the high school drug dealer.
Your answer? I can’t do that. I’m not qualified. I’m too young. Or my favorite, “I don’t think God would have me do that.”
What we are saying really is, I don’t want to leave my comfort zone.
When God calls you to do His will, He may very well wrench you away from that which is familiar to you, that which causes you to build your security upon things you know, rather than upon what you know about him. (Hayford p.18)
Now I want you to understand what this statement doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean that God will’s will is to quit your job tomorrow, sell your house and move your family to some remote native tribe in Africa.
What this statement is saying is, when God calls you to pursue Him, He will stretch you in those areas you have placed your security.
A Final point I wish to give you is that
III. Pursuing Gods will does not end with a destination, it is a journaey of pursuing Gods presence
(12:8,9)
It is a fact, that when life begins to produce change, our first reaction is to grab hold of those securities which give us comfort. The things that are known.
When God brings changes into our lives, it is not meant to destroy us, but to stretch us in our faith and knowledge of Gods presence and faithfulness.
You see, when you set out to pursue Gods will for your life, do not make the mistake that you are heading for a destination, and once you have reached it your search is over.
Discovering Gods will does not end with a destination, it is a journaey of pursuing Gods presence.
In order to do this, there will be times in our lives, when our world will be rocked in order for us to take our eyes off the things of this world, that are passing away, and place our faith onto the things that are eternal.
Our world has recently endured a physical shaking. Things that people had placed their securities in have litterally been washed away. Now, I do not mean to minimize the disaster in Asia as something trite. But let me ask you, when your world is rocked, by disease, financial hardship, fanily problems, where do you turn for security?
You can place your security in RSPs, stocks, family, education, government, even the church, but the fact is, this world is falling apart.
The Bible says, “the world is passing away and the lust thereof, but those who do the will of God abide forever.” (1 John2:17)
With this realitzation, we need to adopt the attitude of Abraham,
Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to a place he was going to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was going.
I can just hear Abe speaking with his nieghbors,
Why are you packing Abe,...?
I am moving
Where are you moving too?
I don’t know
Well, what will you do when you get there?
I don’t know yet
Why are you moving?
Because God told me
Thats incredible, you mean to tell me you’re going to follow God and you don’t even know where you’re going?
Listen, when I follow God, I know where I am going, I just don’t know the coordinates.
It has been wisely said that it is better to follow the Lord and not know exacltly where you are going, then to think you know where you are going, and not be following the Lord. (Hayford, p.20)
Abraham did not know the specific details of Gods will, but one assurance he did have was as he obey God said, ‘I will bless you.”
Isn’t that where you and I want to be? Where the blessing of God abides.
Like Abe, the Lord calls you and I from where we are and says, ‘leave your securities and comfort zones behind, and I will show you what I can accomplish through your life.”(Hayford, p.20)
Conclusion:
In closing I would like you to consider 4 questions. It goes without saying that each of us who claim Christ as Savior want to know His will for our lives. But let me ask first of all,
What comfort zone may God be calling you to leave, in order to start the journey of pursueing Gods will?
The second question: What frightens you most about what God may be calling you toward? What frightens you about that unknown?
Third, In what ways have you resisted God’s willingness to bless you? God wants to give you a good life, not a miserable one. God wants to give you joy and fulfillment, good things. Now have you, for whatever reason, resisted receiving His blessings?
And finally, do you begin to sense new or deepened ways in which God is calling you to bless others? In this new year, is it possible that, even though it all feels stressful, and even though it’s tough to have to change, is it possible that out of all that, God wants you to bless somebody else?
