WHERE HE LEADS ME, I WILL FOLLOW

Scottie Sellers

Jefferson Church of God

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WHERE HE LEADS ME, I WILL FOLLOW

Genesis 12:1–9 KJV 1900

1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4 So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. 6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7 And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him. 8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

INTRODUCTION:

Luke 9:57–62 KJV 1900

57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Luke 9:57-

1. In this passage, there are three different guys who give reasons as to why they can’t follow Jesus immediately.

They say they want to follow Him but it’s as if they want to follow Him on their own terms.

But that’s not how it works.

If we are going to follow God…we must follow Him whenever & wherever He leads us.

2. In , we read of a man by the name of Abram who left everything to follow God.

He left everything to go to a land that the only way he would know he had arrived was when God told him to stop.

However, I have to admit that Abram (Abraham) wasn’t perfect in following God.

He made mistakes along the way.

3. So, tonight as we look at this passage we are going to learn 8 truths about following God.

1) Following God Begins with a Call (v 1)

Genesis 12:1 KJV 1900

1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

God called Abraham to follow Him & leave everything else behind.

1. God called Abraham to follow Him & leave everything else behind.

But notice that this wasn't the first time that God called to Abraham…The text says - "the Lord had said to Abram…"

This implies that God had spoken to Abraham before…but when & where.

Acts 7:1–4 NKJV

1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?” 2 And he said, “Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.’ 4 Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.

God spoke to him while he was in Mesopotamia.

tells us specifically this was Ur of the Chaldeans…This is known today as Iraq.

2. The point is this - God had already called to Abraham…but Abraham didn't fully respond…so God calls to Him again.

God calls to him a second time.

Lesson

God is gracious & doesn’t give up.

I don’t know how long it was in between the time that God first called Abram while he was living in Ur until the time when God called again to him at Haran, but it had to have been some time since they had to have traveled 600 miles, and apparently they had settled down in Haran until Terah died.

One commentator suggested it was 25 years between Abram’s first call and his second call.

But I find it incredibly gracious of God to not give up on Abram.

So let me ask you - Is there something that God has asked you to do? Have you been sidetracked? Maybe today God would want to remind you of your calling.

Lesson

The life of faith always begins with a call from God.

In other words, we don't just start following God on our own.

Abraham didn't just decide to start following God…It was a response to God's call.

The life of faith isn't initiated by us…it's initiated by God.

He calls & we must choose if we will follow.

The bible is clear that no one can come to Him unless the Spirit draws them first.

John 6:44 KJV 1900

44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:65 KJV 1900

65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

NOTE: The call of Abram raises some questions that the Bible doesn't answer.

First, why did the Lord pick this one man, out of all the men of the earth?

Why didn't God choose some of the other inhabitants of the world, or of Ur to call to this new adventure called faith?

Abram was a pagan & an idolater…so what made God choose him.

The answer to those questions is: I don't know!

I would ask this question: "Why does God call anyone?" Why did He call you and not your neighbor? Why did He call you and not your coworker? The answer to those questions dwell within the cloud of God's sovereign and the answer is not for us to know.

Regardless of why God calls who He does, those who have been called by Him should rejoice in the fact that they are saved and secure in the blood of the Lamb!

2) Following God Involves Separation (v 1)

1. God tells Abraham to leave his country & relatives behind & go to a land that he's never been before.

Abraham is to break away from everything that he knows…from everything that is familiar & comfortable…and follow God's call.

2. Now why would God ask Abraham to leave his family?

His family would be a hindrance to him.

Joshua tells us that Abram’s father, Terah, served other gods () while at Ur.

Ur was known for its worship of the Sumerian moon god named “Nanna”

God didn’t want Abram to be influenced by all of his family…so he told him to leave.

3. Notice the word "thee" in 12:1.

Notice the word "thee" in 12:1.

Yet, when they left Ur, notice that it was "they" who went, 11:31.

It seems that Abram compromised by not separating from his family as he had been ordered...He failed to fully submit to the Lord's call!

It wasn’t until the death of his father Terah that Abram left Haran to go to where God was leading him.

The name Terah means "A Station or delay."

It has the idea of a stopping place, a rest area or a roadblock.

Apparently, Terah was a roadblock between Abram and his doing the will of God.

However, when Terah was removed from the scene, Abram was ready to move on in the things of God.

And God now tells him to leave the rest of his family behind.

Abraham was called to separate himself from everything that would hinder the progress of the walk of faith!

Lesson

Terah is a type of the flesh and other things that hinder our progress in the things of God.

Until those things are taken care of...there will be little or no progress in your life.

What is your Terah this evening - If you aren't exactly where the Lord wants you to be, you have a Terah.

You have a roadblock between you and your doing what the Lord has told you to do.

And it has to go…It has to die.

So, what's holding you back this evening?

Anything that would hinder us from making progress has to be removed from our lives.

Hebrews 12:1–2 KJV 1900

1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1 KJV 1900

Some times God’s call requires us to make a choice between people and God.

And some times God’s call requires us to make a choice between people and God.

Matthew 10:37 KJV 1900

37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

It seems important for God to tell Abram to leave his “father’s house”. He needed to leave behind this house that worshipped the moon god. Yahweh wanted Abram to follow Him.

NOTE: God’s call requires us to leave the old life behind.

Matthew 16:24 KJV 1900

24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

God doesn’t want you to be a half-hearted disciple who only goes part of the way with Him. God wants us to be serious, completely serious about following Him.

3) Following God Involves Trust (v 1, 4)

1. Abram didn't know where he was going…so he had to trust God completely.

"Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him"

Abram didn't know where he was going…so he had to trust God completely.

2. Notice that he didn't ask God for any directions…he simply trusted & obeyed God.

Hebrews 11:8 KJV 1900

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

NOTE: Sometimes the “go” comes before the “where”.

Sometimes the “go” comes before the “where”.

We want to know all the details of the trip before we go.

We want to feel comfortable...But God often doesn’t give us the details because He wants us to trust Him.

You can only change the direction of a car when it’s moving.

If you’re looking for God’s direction in your life and you aren’t sure what He wants you to do, perhaps you need to just start moving. Maybe do the last thing God asked you to do. Maybe just start serving.

Lesson

All Abraham had was a promise from God but he trusted God's Word.

When all you have is what God has said to you…you can believe what God has said.

We have to follow God by faith & not by sight.

We have to live by promises & not explanations.

We live our Christian lives based on what God says…not what we see or how we feel.

If we are going to follow Him…we have to trust Him.

4) Following God Involves Obedience (v 4)

1. We have already seen that Abram wasn't obedient the first time that God called to him.

But this time, he went out after God called him.

There doesn't seem to be any hesitation this time…There doesn't seem to be anything standing in the way this time.

Abraham has removed the distractions & hindrances & he is ready to be obedient now.

NOTE: It's much easier to be obey God when you remove the hindrances from your life.

When you get rid of the distractions…it becomes much easier to obey God.

Lesson

Abram's delay in obedience was costly to him.

While he lingered in Haran precious years past him by…Those were years that could have been spent enjoying the best God had to offer.

Instead, those years were spent watching the father he loved waste away…Those years were spent being grieved by the sins of a family still in the grip of idolatry.

God was gracious to Abraham & gave him another opportunity…but it's always best to hear God's voice & heed God's voice immediately.

We don’t have time to delay in obeying God.

Have you been putting something off that God has asked you to do? If so, the time for delay is over.

Lesson

Following God requires complete obedience.

This was something Abram didn't do to begin with…He left Ur of the Chaldeans but settled in Haran until his father died.

Always remember that partial obedience is simple disobedience!

Until you have done all God says to do, you haven't done what God said to do!

5) Following God Involves Surrender (v 5)

1. Verse 5 tells us that when Abraham left to follow the Lord, he took "all his substance."

In other words, when the Lord got Abraham, the Lord got everything he had!

It’s apparent that Abraham was fully surrendered and totally committed to following the Lord.

He took his immediate family and all his belongings with him.

This reveals that he had no plans to turn back on God.

He wasn’t planning on returning to Haran.

NOTE: Following God requires total surrender.

We can’t follow God and continue to depend on our past, possessions, or abilities.

Lesson

You can gauge the level of a person's commitment to the Lord by how much of that person's "stuff" has been dedicated to the Lord!

We get hung up on the tithe...And, I believe that a person ought to tithe.

But, what you do with the other 90% is just as important to the Lord as what you do with His 10%.

God doesn't just want His part, He wants your part too!

He gives us what He does so that we might use it for His glory and for His work.

That's why some folks don't ever have anything! They peel off a dollar for the Lord and spent the rest of the ten on themselves and the things of the world, God won't bless that!

When He has you and your checkbook, He can bless you in ways you have never imagined. By the way, the way to get is to give, ; .

That is not the motive for giving to the Lord and in His name, but it is a benefit!

How much of your stuff does the Lord have? Or, do you have "your pile" and "God's pile"? If you do, I'll guarantee you that your pile is bigger!

You had better be careful, He might blow on your pile. If He ever does, there won't be anything left, . By the way, if you have a problem with your tithes and offerings, you really don't have a problem with your tithes and offerings. You have a problem with your heart!

Now the real issue here is bigger than just God wanting our money.

The real issue is about surrender…The real issue is - does God have all of us…does God have everything.

The only way to enjoy the Christian life to the full is to come to the place of total surrender, where your everything is on the altar, .

You might think, as you read the life of Abraham, that God wanted Abraham's stuff.

God didn't need Abraham's stuff and He isn't interested in your stuff either!

All God ever wanted from Abraham was Abraham…and what God wants from you is you!

here the Lord wants us too!

6) Following God Involves Opposition (v 6)

1. This verse says, "And the Canaanite was then in the land."

That statement reveals much about the country that Abram was moving into.

2. The Canaanites were a godless people, trapped in a system of religion that involved the worship of many gods.

They practiced human sacrifice, various fertility rites, and had no regard for morality and decency.

Abram was headed into hostile territory, where no one would be sympathetic to his lifestyle or to his God.

Yet, he was determined to follow God regardless of the opposition from darkness that he faced!

Lesson

Nothing has changed since Abraham's day!

Those who determine that they will live a life of total dedication to the Lord soon discover that "the Canaanite is still in the land."

The world, the flesh and the devil have no sympathy whatsoever with our desire to live for the Lord.

If you choose to live a life of total dedication, you might as well know up front that there will be opposition.

2 Timothy 3:12 KJV 1900

12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Of course, if the Lord Jesus faced opposition and difficulty when He walked in this world, why should be expect any better treatment?

If JC faced opposition and difficulty when He walked in this world, why should we expect any better treatment?

;

John 15:20 KJV 1900

20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

In spite of the fact that the world is against the child of God, we should still determine in our hearts that as long as there is breath in our bodies, we will live for the Lord, regardless of the personal cost.

Who cares if we are opposed, mocked, hated or ridiculed? Who cares if persecution comes our way?

A life of total commitment demands that we stand faithfully in the face of all opposition.

7) Following God Involves Faithfulness (v 9)

1. This passage closes by telling us that Abram continued on his journey with the Lord.

He had many stops along the way…but he kept his eyes on God & kept walking by faith.

The reason he walked faithfully with God b/c he wasn't tied to this world.

Hebrews 11:9–10 KJV 1900

9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Abraham was living on this earth…but his sights were already on heaven.

That's how he could remain faithful.

Lesson

If we want to follow God faithfully, we must remember that we are simply passing through this world.

This world is not our home.

Philippians 3:20 KJV 1900

20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

1 Peter 2:11 KJV 1900

11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

We shouldn’t feel comfortable in this world…We should feel out of place…We should feel like a stranger or foreigner.

(Illus. Traveling to another country)

May the Lord help us to get our eyes and our hands off this world!

When we begin to live on a higher plane, we will see the things of this world become less and less important.

When we determine that we will be heavenly minded, it will transform our walk down here.

If we will seek those things that are above it will take us away from thinking that we have to have this or that…and we will be satisfied with Jesus!

NOTE: The reason people become unfaithful is b/c something else takes the place of Jesus in their lives.

Jesus no longer is enough for them…so they waver back & forth…and they never gain a lot of spiritual traction.

They don't grow spiritually & by their lack of faithfulness & fruitfulness…may prove themselves to be false converts.

Matthew 24:13 KJV 1900

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

NOTE: A faith that doesn't endure or last…isn't genuine faith.

A faith that fizzles before the finish had a flaw from the first. (Adrian Rogers)

8) Following God Involves Times of Testing (v 10)

Genesis 12:10 KJV 1900

10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.

Abram had been obedient but now his faith is being tested.

1. Abram had been obedient but now his faith is being tested.

The verse says there was a famine in the land and he went down to Egypt.

He didn’t go to to stay permanently but notice that he didn’t seek God to find out what he should do.

I believe that if he would have asked God…God would have told him to stay put & trust Him.

However, in a moment of crisis Abraham panicked & became faithless…so he decided to do his own thing.

Lesson

There will be times when trials come & our faith will be put to the test.

And we will have to decide what we will do - we can trust God or trust our own plans.

Lesson

Egypt in the Bible is symbolic of the world.

Abraham in a sense began to rely on the world…rather than God.

For some reason, he thought he would better off in Egypt rather than trusting God.

And to be honest…many times we are guilty of trusting in the things of this world…more than we are God.

We often look to the world as our source rather than God.

NOTE: It’s easy to trust God when everything is easy…but can you still trust Him when everything is going wrong.

Can you trust Him when the famine hits?

Can you trust Him when the storm comes?

Can you trust Him when you lose your job?

Can you trust Him when the doctor says your sickness is incurable?

Can you trust Him when your money is gone?

Can you trust Him when your spouse leaves?

Job 13:15 KJV 1900

15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: But I will maintain mine own ways before him.

NOTE: We can’t just be fair weather believers.

We must trust Him & follow Him whether we’re on the mountain or in the valley.

He’s still God…and He’s still good no matter what we’re facing in life.

CONCLUSION:

Will you follow Him wherever He leads?

Will you follow Him regardless of the cost?

It is my prayer tonight that no matter what comes our way we will be fully devoted followers of JC.