Genesis 12:1-7
Hebrews 11:8-16
"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going." Hebrews 11:8
Here is a man who is seventy-five year old.
He has worked hard all his life.
He and his wife are childless.
He has lived in the same area since birth.
He has been a leader in the community, and is respected by all.
You would think that he would be looking forward to retirement, slowing down,
and enjoying years he might have left.
One day as you pass his home he is packing all his earthly possessions.
It doesn't seem possible that he would be moving.
He has accumulated enough possessions to live comfortably.
Why would he want to move?
You ask him why he is moving.
He tells you that he has had a revelation from God.
God has told him to to gather up his family and belongings and go to a new country.
You probably think that he has gone off the deep end.
He has become a religious fanatic.
He doesn't even know where he is going.
It's hard to imagine that he he is starting out with no specific destination in mind.
This describes Abraham's situation in the twelfth chapter of Genesis.
Who is Abraham, and why is he so important?
Abraham was someone God was going to use in a very significant way.
We know Abraham as an example of great faith.
Hebrews 11 tells us that it was "by faith that Abraham obeyed God's call."
Abraham was like you and me.
He was a normal person who, as far as we know, didn't have any special abilities to get God's attention.
Abraham was married to Sarah, and they were old and childless.
Abraham responded to God's call.
When God said to Abram, 'go,' -- the Bible says that "Abram went, as the Lord had told him."
God is going to do something special in Abraham's life.
Abraham is said to be "barren."
His family line is done.
He has no real future.
He has nowhere to go.
"Barrenness" is another way of saying things are hopeless.
God's call holds out the promise of a future in a hopeless situation.
God can change hopeless situations.
God promises a future where there is no hope of one.
God asks the impossible.
God expects Abraham to leave all that is known and comfortable.
God tells Abraham to leave his stable and secure world.
When God says, "Go!" -- we must go.
To stay might seem safe, but it bring a barren life.
Leaving is risky, but it is the way of promise and hope.
Notice the promises that God makes to Abraham.
God says:
"I will make you..."
"I will bless you..."
"I will magnify your name..."
"I will bless those who bless you..."
"I will curse those who curse you..."
God is telling Abraham: You will be a great nation; you will be blessed; your name will be great;
and other nations will be blessed or cursed by how they treat you.
God has made some extraordinary promises to him.
God's promises demand a decision.
Abraham can either trust God totally and do what God says, or ignore God's call and stay put
in familiar surroundings.
Abraham trusts God.
He obeyed. He went.
He believed the promises.
He asked no questions.
This is faith -- acting on the promises without any visible evidence.
The more we study about Abraham, the more we are amazed by his reaction to God.
Faith requires action--when God speaks we must act.
Faith requires trust--that God will provide the resources to carry out the task.
Faith requires a decision--to choose God's way over or way.
Responding to God's call involves a complete trust that God will provide the needed supplies
for the mission to which He has called us.
We trust God's promises to equip us for His service.
Phillips Brooks said, "You never become truly spiritual by sitting down and wishing to become so.
You must undertake something so great that you cannot accomplish it on your own."
Are you willing to risk something for God that you could never achieve on your own?
When we trust God to accomplish things beyond our ability,
God will fulfil His promises.
There is a story about a man who was crossing a desert.
He ran into trouble and was dying of thirst when he spotted a pump near an abandoned shack.
As he approached the well, he noticed a jug of water near the pump with a note attached.
It read: "There is just enough water in this jug to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first.
This well has never gone dry, even in the worst of times.
Pour the water in the top of the pump and pump the handle like crazy.
After you have had a drink, refill this jug for the next person who comes along."
Would you drink the water in the jug, or would you follow the instructions
and use the jug of water to prime the pump?
If you followed the instructions to prime the pump without first taking a drink, you would be exercising
the kind of faith Abraham had.
You follow the instructions.
You take a risk by pouring out all the water into the pump.
You would get nothing to drink if the pump fails.
You trust the message.
You act in faith and you have all the water you want and more.
Do you respond to God's call from a deep desire to follow God's will?
Abraham made a life-changing decision.
He experienced God's power when he obeyed.
God might call us to leave the familiar for the unknown.
God might call us to take a step of faith without knowing the consequences.
Abraham's call is a an example for us.
God's call can come to us at any time.
We should be ready if God calls us to new directions and new ventures.
It may require us to leave what is comfortable and move on.
It may require us to make a difference right where we are.
When God calls, remember Abraham.
Be ready to go forward in faith and receive the promises of God.
When we answer God's call great possibilities become ours.
Sermon by Dr. Harold L. White