Sermon Tone Analysis

*Intro*

Sometimes life slows down and refuses to move.

We feel stuck on pause.

There is a gap between what God has promised and the circumstances we find ourselves.

God doesn’t seem to wear a watch or seem to care much about our alarm that we have set up to tell him when and how things should run for us.

Others seem to have their lives on “play.”

Why are we the only ones stuck in this twilight zone?

How do we survive?

How do we keep going?

This is the story of Abraham.

His life is all about living in the reality gap between promise and fulfillment, many of which he never saw in his lifetime.

For Abraham, what kept him going in the difficult times (not perfectly) was the call of God in His life.

Moses writes this story as the children of Israel are on the plains of Moab about to enter the Promised Land, which was also filled with Canaanites.

I believe Moses here is motivating the people of God to see that what will keep them going and thriving in the gap is /obeying and embracing the call of God, which is backed up by the promises of God to bring the kingdom of God on the earth for the glory of God/.

The title of this mini-series is “Embrace the Call Part 2.” Today we will finish up talking about how Abraham responded to this call.

First let’s review:

*I.

**God’s call breaks into our hopelessness and impossibilities (Gen.

11:27-30)*

We saw God’s amazing plan of redemption in Abraham’s life.

He had all the cards stacked up against him.

He came from at least nine generations of people having children around 30 years of age, but he was 75.

Secondly, his wife Sarai was barren.

Thirdly, he was from Ur, a city known for idol worship as they worshipped the moon gods.

The seed of the woman was to come from Shem and God chooses the most unlikely of people for His purposes.

The Word of God speaks life into barrenness.

And when we are stuck on pause, we remember that the God who did that in creation, in Abraham’s life and in our lives through Christ, can do so in any situation that seems hopeless.

Secondly,

*II.

**Embracing God’s call means surrendering control (Gen.

11:31-12:1)*

This is really the theme of Abraham’s life.

He had to continually surrender his control of timing and the whats, whens, hows and whys.

His faith was not about knowing where he was going, but getting to know and love the One who was leading him.

We saw that it is really hard to have fellowship with God while we are holding to the sword of our wills.

He had to surrender all, especially his own desire for security.

Surrendering does not mean, “Show me and then I will believe you Lord,” but God says, “Believe me and I will show you.”

Thirdly,

*III.

**God’s call always pulls you in to send you out (Gen.

12:2-3)*

This was key.

Abraham had real dreams, but surrendered that for God’s bigger dreams.

Abraham’s blessings would come so that he might be a blessing.

It wasn’t about him being the center of the Universe, but allowing God to be in the center.

Abraham was a “dog,” we said, as one who served His master and lived for his master.

A dog says, “You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, You must be God.”

A cat says,  “You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, I must be God.”

We cannot live as though God revolves around us.

We revolve around Him! 

In the end, we know Jesus secured for our ultimate security.

Jesus took on our hopeless situation, as we were children of wrath.

And God’s word spoke, “It is finished!”

into that barrenness.

And after Jesus rose again, He sent His disciples out.

We know that ultimately we are secure and all of life is God’s because of the cross.

As a result, we can surrender, let go and serve the Lord and His Kingdom!

How did Abraham respond to all of this?

There is only one point we will look at as we begin this New Year 2012:

*IV.

**We must respond to God’s call with obedient faith (Gen.

12:4-9)*

What does it mean to have obedient faith?

First of all, it means:

/a) //Rooted in God’s Word /

Notice Gen. 12:4.

Abraham’s decision was based on God’s Word: /as the LORD had told him.

/Abraham only had the “naked” Word of God.

Abraham did not have the Bible as we have it, just God’s spoken Word.

I don’t see any evidence that God DOES NOT speak audibly any more, but most of the time He speaks to us through His Word.

And when I say God’s Word, I don’t mean skimming and flipping through the pages of God’s Word looking for it land magically on some page (like flipping a coin).

When we say God speaks to us through His Word, we mean that as we dig into His Word, meditate and study it, chew it and struggle through it, we start to think like God.

As we start to think like God, we start to see what God’s heart is about and as we start to see what God’s heart is about, we receive His wisdom and the Holy Spirit, who brings us to His Word to help us apply and believe God’s Word.

What is wisdom?

Wisdom according to the Bible is the ability to make the most God honoring decision in any situation.

And foolishness is the inability to discern consequences of poor choices.

And how do we get wisdom?

From fearing the Lord.

How do we fear the Lord?

By getting to know Him through the pages of Scripture.

Let me encourage us to be in God’s Word this year.

Do you know that you can read through the Bible if you just invested 10 minutes a day?

Totally doable.

Some of us spend more than 10 minutes a day on facebook or checking our emails and playing with our phones or listening to the radio or sitting in traffic.

Going to be waiting around a doctor’s office?

Read the Word.

Have a plan.

Have a quality plan not a quantity plan.

This might mean you spend one month studying and reading the Beatitudes or Sermon on the Mount.

Or a whole week reading Ephesians 1.

Or two weeks in Ruth.

No one said you have to finish the chapter.

Study a paragraph.

Or since we are in Genesis for a while, you will pretty much know what passage is going to be preached next.

Perhaps you can read and study the next passage the whole week and prepare your heart for the Word to be preached on Sunday.

Or do it with someone.

Start small.

If you miss a day, you get back in it.

Think quality!

The goal is not to go through the Bible, but have the Bible go through us.

Why are we doing it?

Not because God will be happy and bless your day if you do it.

No God blesses you because Jesus took your curse and gave you His blessing.

But you cannot receive His blessing if you are not around to receive it.