This is a sermon preached by PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, from BRINGING BACK GOD.
The Lord appeared to Abraham one day and gave him an incredible command: “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee” (Genesis 12:1).
What an amazing thing. Suddenly, God picked out a man and told him, “I want you to get up and go, leaving everything behind: your home, your relatives, even your country. I want to send you someplace, and I will direct you how to get there along the way.”
How did Abraham respond to this incredible word from the Lord? “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” (Hebrews 11:8).
What was God up to? Why would he search the nations for one man, and then call him to forsake everything and go on a journey with no map, no pre-conceived direction, no known destination? Think about what God was asking of Abraham. He never showed him how he would feed or support his family. He didn’t tell him how far to go or when he would arrive. He only told him two things in the beginning: “Go,” and, “I will show you the way.”
What an incredible thing God was commanding. He told Abraham, in essence, “From this day on, I want you to give me all your tomorrows. You’re to live the rest of your life putting your future into my hands, one day at a time. I’m asking you to commit your life to a promise that I am making to you, Abraham. If you will commit to do this, I will bless you, guide you, and lead you to a place you never imagined.”
The place where God wanted to lead Abraham is a place he wants to take every member of Christ’s body. Indeed, Abraham is what Bible scholars call a “pattern man,” someone who serves as an example of how to walk before the Lord. And Abraham’s example shows us what is required of all who would seek to please God.
Make no mistake, Abraham was not a young man when God called him to make this commitment. He was already an uncle to Lot, and probably had plans in place to secure his family’s future. So he had to be concerned over many considerations as he weighed God’s call. It would mean separating his family from their relatives and friends, and having to trust God completely to provide for them all. Yet Abraham “believed in the Lord; and (God) counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).
If God asked you, leave your country, leave your family, and go, could you? Could you follow Abraham’s example and please God? We can trust in God to provide for us, we can trust in Jesus-PASTOR JOHN COLLINS preached at BRISTOL and MARIETTA that Jesus is everything that we need. If we are called to serve God, then we can trust in both God and Jesus to be there and trust them completely like Abraham did.
Listen to www.blogtalkradio.com/pastorjohncollins for more sermons by PASTOR JOHN COLLINS. Follow what BRINGING BACK GOD is doing by going to www.bringingbackgod.com. See clips of PASTOR JOHN COLLINS on YouTube. You can contact him by email at bringingbackgod@outlook.com.
God bless you.
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