Responding to God's call today

Genesis 12v1-9

INTRODUCTION

I begin with a question. It is an obvious question; it is an important question, it is a difficult question. Are you satisfied with life? Genesis 25:8 says Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age and satisfied with life. This leads to two more questions: How could Abraham die in such a positive way, and how can we do the same? To answer these questions we are going to look at the life of Abraham. Galatians 3:6 says, “Consider Abraham… who believed God.” We will consider why Abraham is called the father of the faithful. We will consider how he lived a life of faith before the Mosaic Law. We will consider God’s calling on his life, and how he responded to this call. In doing this, we will consider God’s call on our life, and how we should respond. Notice first from Genesis 12:1-3 that to respond to God’s call, like Abraham we need to be…

SENSITIVE TO GOD’S CALL (vs.1-3)

Fulfilling God’s call

Verses 1-3 sum up God’s call to Abram. Notice the resolve here: “The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you… I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Sensitive to the Lord

The name Lord occurs six times in vs.1-9. This is the name Yahweh or covenant God. For us it is the Lord Jesus. Verse 1 says, “The Lord (Jesus) said to Abram.” Notice that Abram was close enough to God for this to happen. He was close enough to hear God’s voice. He was sensitive to God’s call, and God blessed him. Notice how this comes out in vs.2-3. God says, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you… and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” The word bless here means to endue with power for success, prosperity, and fruitfulness. This is what God wants for us all, but we need to be sensitive to his call…

Seeking God’s call today

When Abram left Haran, he put his future in God’s hands. This may seem scary to us today, but it is what we need to do to be blessed. In John 10:27 The Lord (Jesus) said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” This is how we are blessed today, but there is so much noise… so many interruptions… so many distractions. In this context, it is difficult to hear God’s voice, to discern his will, and to respond to his call. We need to do something about this, and it leads to a further point. To respond to God’s call today, we need to be sensitive to God’s call; we then need to be…

SUBMISSIVE TO GOD’S CALL (vs.4-6)

Immediate submission

In v1, The Lord (Jesus) said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” In v4, Abram responds. He went, as the Lord had told him. Abram had such a close relationship with God that he only needed to speak once and it was done…

The magnitude of his submission

Notice that the Lord did not tell Abram where he was going or what he would do. Nevertheless, Abram obeyed. Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”

Genesis 11:30 tells us that Abram’s wife was childless. It would be difficult therefore to fulfil the promise of v2 that he would be a great nation. Nevertheless, Abram obeyed. Verse 5 says, “Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and… they set out for the land of Canaan.” Abraham was not being called to a monastery. He was called to serve God in his present circumstances. This included his family.

The distance between Haran and Canaan is about 400 miles. This may help us understand the magnitude of Abram’s faith and obedience. Nor was a comfortable life waiting for Abram. Verse 6 says, “Abram travelled through the land as far as Shechem. At that time, the Canaanites were in the land. There was a great struggle ahead. Nevertheless, Abram was submissive to God’s call.

We need to submit now

Verse 4 says Abram was 75 years old when he set out from Haran. Given that Abraham died at the age of 175, he was at his peak when he responded to God’s call. This is crucial in our response to God’s call. We should not wait until it is time to retire before we commit ourselves. Commit yourself now to God and to his ways. Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them.” Respond now to God’s call. Respond now—not tomorrow, not next week, not next month or next year. Respond now as you become sensitive to God’s call and submissive to God’s call. When this happens, we will be…

SECURE IN GOD’S CALL (vs.7-9)

The Lord encourages Abram

One thing we will see in the life of Abraham is that he wasn’t perfect. He struggled like the rest of us. As he moved on with God, however, he responded to God’s call and became secure in his faith. Verse 7 says, “The Lord (Jesus) appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” Abram’s response was to build an altar to God.

Abram worships God along the way

Verses 8-9 tell us that from Shechem, Abram went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. Here he built another altar to the Lord and called on his name. After this, Abram set out and continued toward the Negev. As he travelled, Abram worshipped. This was to become the pattern of his life. Abram left behind no statues, no property, and no great wealth. He did, however, leave altars to the glory of God. This was his earthly footprint. Hebrews 11:9-10 says, “Abraham made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country… He was looking forward to a city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” This is our calling too. We are here to build the kingdom of God.

The Lord is with us

Like Abraham, we may struggle in our walk with God, but the Lord is with us. He is with us in his word, in his Spirit, in fellowship with others, and in personal and collective experiences of his presence. This leads to a greater knowledge of God, a deeper experience of his love, and a growing assurance of our relationship. A prayer in Colossians 1:9–10 says, “We should continually ask God to fill us with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding… so that we may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God.” This is how we become secure in God’s call.

CONCLUSION

It is an obvious question; it is an important question, it is a difficult question. Are you satisfied with life? Abram was satisfied with his life, and we can learn from him. We can learn from him that true satisfaction is found in the one true seed of Abraham—Jesus Christ. We can find satisfaction in Jesus Christ who said, “Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

Bernard Cartledge