Iliff and Saltillo United Methodist Churches
June 5, 2005
“When Abram Heard from God”
Genesis 12:1-7
INTRODUCTION: In today’s scripture God chose an ordinary person to carry out His plan and purpose in the world. He was a person who lived in a world of responsibilities duties, temptations and difficulties. He was from a family who worshipped idols. Matthew Henry says that Abram was a “specimen of common humanity, yet God trained him by His continual guidance and grace to the high purposes of serving in His church.” What can we learn from this Old Testament character that we can apply to our lives today?
I. The Lord Initiated the Contact: Sometimes we think that communication with God is always initiated by us when we pray. We ask God to do all kinds of things for us, and we talk and talk and talk. “God I need you to do this today. Help me out God.” We make up our plans and ask God to bless them. Our communication very often is pretty shallow and selfish when we think about it. It’s me, me, me and my needs. Right? But in this case it was God who initiated the communication to Abram. We don’t know what Abram was doing at the time--whether he was busy at his ordinary work, if it was during the day or in the middle of the night, at the end of a trying week--we don’t know when or where it happened, but scripture says, “Abram received God’s call while he was still in Ur of the Chaldees. Nehemiah 9:7 says, “You are the Lord God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees and named him Abraham.”
God initiated the contact and chose him. Have you ever wondered why God picked you out of the crowd and chose you? Abram probably did too. I think that God knew that this man was a person that He could work with in spite of his flaws. He sees our hearts too. Are we people who are willing to do what God asks us to do? Are we willing to move out of our comfort zones to accomplish new tasks--things we’ve never attempted before?
What do we know about Abram?
1. We know that he was already in his 70’s when God spoke to him.
2. He had roots there and was established in his occupation.
3. He lived in the godless, self centered city of Ur
4. His family worshipped idols.
Many people say, “I can’t change because I don’t come from a good family or I live in a bad neighborhood, my friends are not Christians--Abram lived in an environment that was probably a constant temptation to him. Yet God took the initiative to communicate with him.
What does this say to us? When we are baptized we feel that the Lord is working in us to shape and mold us, draw us to Him over a process of time. He is taking the initiative to communicate with us through His Holy Spirit. Sometimes we are not even aware of it. When we pray, it is a divinely initiated experience in that the Holy Spirit draws us to pray. He draws us to feel our need of spiritual things. John 6:44 says that “no one can come to [Jesus] unless the Father...draws him.” We might think it is all our own idea.
Today God may be trying to lead you to a place of greater service and usefulness to Him. Don’t let the comfort and security of your present position make you miss God’s call. He may be trying to take the initiative and you are saying, “I can’t do it, I’m too young, I’m too old, I don’t have the talents or the resources.” Abram could have said, “I’m ready to retire and take it easy now.”
When does God speak to us? I think scripture shows us it can be anytime or any place in our life. Could be while we are busy just doing the ordinary things of life. Most likely it will be when we don’t necessarily expect it. We might say, “It just came out of the blue that I felt God was saying this to me...”
STORY: Marcel working in his garden. God spoke to him one morning while he was planting flowers. He was there all the time trying to communicate to Marcel.
II. Strong Directives: Abram received some strong directives from God. He was to:
1. leave his country
2. his people
3. his father’s household
Why? There were probably several reasons.
1. one was the environment he was living in. The Lord thought it was necessary to call him out of the pagan society so he could work in his life better. A call to separate from the constant idolatrous influences. Many times God does not call us out of our environment. He tells us to “bloom where we are planted.” To Abram he said, “I want you to leave your country, your people, and your father’s household. He probably had established a reputation there and was an influential person.
2. The second reason was to test his willingness to sacrifice what he had built up there and his obedience to go in spite of limited knowledge. To try his faith.
Could he trust God in that?
What about his fears and doubts?
Think of a time when you made a significant, personal sacrifice in response to God’s directives. Today, what place,
people,
priority
might God be calling you to? What would hold you back from going? Abram probably had a lot of reasons to stay. One was a responsibility to his nephew Lot.
When God communicates with you, what will happen if you stay where you are? What happens if you do what you feel God is calling you to do?
III. Clear Promises Along with the Directives: Along with the directives came promises. God said, “go to a land I will SHOW you. God didn’t say to a land that I will GIVE you until later. But right at the beginning God gave him 6 specific promises:
1. make of your a great nation
2. bless you
3. make your name great
4. you will BE a blessing
5. bless those who bless you/curse those who curse you
6. all people will be blessed THROUGH you.
Most of the time we say, “OK Lord bring on the blessing.” We want to claim the promises without meeting the conditions. The promises and the conditions are tied together. If YOU will, I WILL says God. In Abram’s case there were some directives as well as the promises.
Although God made these 6 promises, Abram did not know the name of the town were he was headed--there were a lot of details missing. God pointed him in the direction toward where he was to go.
Sometimes we think these people of Bible days were perfect examples of faith and that they just automatically did everything perfectly. The Bible doesn’t say that. Not all is commendable about Abram--but there was a series of acts of obedience.
Abram was called the Friend of God.
Look in your own experiences. Is there a series of obedient acts where you say, “Lord, I’ll do what you want me to do.” Then do what you think He is telling you to do?
IV. Abram’s Response: What was Abram going to do about God’s directives and promises? What will we do? Scriptures says in verse 4, “So Abram left as the Lord had told him.” God could not have done anything toward fulfilling the promises if Abram had not taken the step of faith to go as the Lord directed him. He still had questions and what ifs--Genesis 15:8 says, “Abram said, O Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession?” Another place he asked God, “O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless?” (Gen. 15:2).
In spite of questions, doubts, and fears, Abram packed up all of his belongs and his wife Sarai and he along with the servants, and cattle--all of his possessions and started in the direction he felt God was saying to go. It was not a fast journey. My research says they traveled 2 1/2 to 3 miles an hour. They didn’t take the most direct route. God directed them by the SAFEST rout. He went from UR to Haran and stopped there and settled for about 5 years. After his father Terah died, the Lord gave him another call and said, “It’s time to move on.”
God’s direction to us usually comes in stages. Genesis 20:1 tells us, “Now Abraham moved on from there...” God cannot take you to step 10 until you take step 1.
You can’t wait until God unfolds it all first. Abram answered the prayer that God offered him--He moved in trusting obedience.
Are you moving in trusting obedience? Sometimes we procrastinate so long until we lose our opportunity. Abram moved quickly. God trained him through consistent new experiences--it was a PROGRESSIVE venture of faith. God was teaching him to live in a continual dependence upon His direction. When they got near Canaan, it says that Abram received a FRESH revelation that Canaan was where they were to be. Do you have a FRESH revelation from God? When we are walking with the Lord, we can hear what He is saying to us on an ongoing basis. We can recognize the nudges he gives us. It was not always easy for them. There was a famine at one point, the herdsmen were fighting with each other, and there were various difficulties along the way. They were not discouraged but PRESSED FORWARD.
CONCLUSION: When God speaks to us to do something, it may be scary to us. It may be a stretching experience which leaves questions, doubts, and fears. There may be sacrifices to make. It may cost us more than we expect. There are conditions that go along with the promises.
In spite of all the uncertainties, Abram found that he reached his destination safely and that God was there to carry out His promises.
What do you want to accomplish for God at this point in your life? How can you do it? Learn to respond as Abram did.
Hebrews 11:8 says, “by faith Abraham when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance OBEYED and WENT...”
Let us Pray:
