Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #10118 - The Wonder of God’s Overwhelming Grace - Genesis 12

Transcript

#10118 - The Wonder of God’s Overwhelming Grace - Genesis 12 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

0:04
Welcome to the study of God's word with pastor and author.
0:07
Ed, Taylor recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora,
0:11
Colorado to learn more about the many resources available,
0:14
through abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream
0:17
Services. Visit us online at Calvary, Co
0:21
dot church or download our free Calvary Church app.
0:25
Now, here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
0:30
Amen. Amen, take your Bibles, open
0:33
them to Genesis chapter 12, Genesis chapter 12.
0:37
We're going to look at the first few verses in a Bible study that
0:41
I've entitled The Wonder of God's overwhelming Grace.
0:46
And so here we are. We opening up the Bible or
0:49
you're flipping to it on your phone or your iPad, or your
0:52
tablet. And we do it, we open and read
0:55
it so much that it's easy to forget that the Bible is filled
0:59
with the Promises of God. This is God's promise book to
1:05
you, and every generation that has chosen to turn away from
1:09
this world and follow him by faith with their lives.
1:14
The Bible is filled with wonderful and glorious promises.
1:17
He offers so much to those who look to him.
1:21
That could just be the turning point for you.
1:23
Right now in your situation is to turn to God.
1:27
Why you've gathered here? Why you're watching online or
1:30
Flipping through the radio. You were here to turn to God and
1:34
be reminded of all that he offers you.
1:37
And in our study today, God makes a remarkable and Powerful
1:41
promise to a man by the name of Abram.
1:44
And really all of the beginning of Genesis is leading us right
1:48
here to chapter 12. I know that many of you enjoy
1:51
the first 11 verses because you're more scientific and you
1:54
love that part of the creation and the marvels of God.
1:58
But I need to remind you that the first In chapters were
2:01
intended to get us to chapter 12 because the whole Bible as
2:05
fascinating as it is with science and with the creation
2:09
account and as fascinating and all the, all the foundational
2:12
doctrines very important, we studied them verse by verse.
2:15
It's not I'm not in any way minimizing their importance.
2:18
However remember the Bible is about Messiah.
2:22
It's getting us to the Savior it's pointing us to Jesus Christ
2:26
and the promise that's going to come through Abram.
2:30
God is revealing himself to one man who heard that promise and
2:35
believed it and lived his life based upon it and I dare say
2:42
that the world has literally never been the same since this
2:46
man Abram. Remember back in chapter 11 and
2:49
verse 26, it says that terralift 70 years and he begat Abram
2:55
nahor and haran as we look ahead.
2:59
I want you to keep this in I mean, we're going to spend a
3:01
couple of studies in Genesis 12. I wanted to tackle the whole
3:05
chapter but as I was putting it together, I thought we should
3:08
pause a little bit just to spend some time in this chapter.
3:12
I want you to remember that Abram was not a perfect man, as
3:16
greatly as he was used. He was not a perfect man.
3:19
His faith in God was not perfect either.
3:22
He had his struggles, his stumbles, his failures.
3:25
You could even say, he had some amazingly huge failures.
3:30
In his life yet in God's great love.
3:33
He reaches down to Abram and blesses him and extends a
3:37
beautiful promise or will learn the word covenant.
3:41
He makes a covenant with Abram. To a very normal everyday man
3:47
who would later become as we know him today, the father of
3:50
faith and it's so vital that you grasp this church that you
3:55
grasp, this chapter that you grasp this individually, it's
4:00
not merely the story or the true story of a man, but of all men
4:04
and women, this is our story, this is our story because
4:07
there's a pattern that we see here of how God speaks and uses
4:11
men and women today by faith. God will call you out of your
4:15
current situation speak to you in a difficult situation, get
4:19
your attention in some way. I daresay.
4:22
There are those listening to me right now that have a similar
4:24
story of God getting your attention and and through a
4:28
circumstance through a series of behaviors, through a moment in
4:31
time, it wasn't a burning bush. It wasn't a voice from heaven,
4:35
but nonetheless God got your attention and if you chose to
4:39
respond to different way, you'd have a different story.
4:43
But you didn't you chose to respond toward God, not away
4:47
from him. And that is the story of Abram
4:50
that he chose to respond to God. And you know I love what I love
4:55
about the Bible is we start to study this man's life is that
4:59
it's not written like a textbook in cold dry language and words
5:06
that are hard to understand and terminology out to figure out
5:10
but God just says it like it is and I appreciate People like
5:13
that in my life, just say it. Like it is as we were looking at
5:16
the gift of exhortation. You could say a person, a man or
5:19
a woman with the gift of exhortation, says it like it is.
5:22
Sometimes it's delivered, a little difficult but nonetheless
5:25
it's just the way it is. That's how God is.
5:28
He speaks the truth. And when he speaks of the men
5:31
and women that he uses, he includes their weaknesses their
5:34
failures, he includes the whole truth and doesn't cite step
5:39
anything, you know, because if God only included the good
5:42
things in the Those that we use we might read the Bible.
5:45
You know what? I can never be used.
5:46
None of these people are like me.
5:47
These guys are all perfect and I'm all jacked up and I don't
5:51
think God could ever use me. But you notice in the Bible,
5:54
everyone that God used was jacked up, everyone.
5:58
We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
6:01
There isn't an innocent one Among Us.
6:03
Sure, there are some differences, perhaps in the
6:05
consequences, or the level of sin or what we got into or
6:09
whatever. But the reality is, is that God
6:12
tells us that Truth because the truth speaks to us.
6:16
The Bible does say, you know, that God is looking for people
6:18
to use. The Bible tells us in Jeremiah.
6:21
He says, in chapter 5 run to and fro through the streets of
6:25
Jerusalem, see now, and no, and seeker and seek in her open
6:30
places. If you can find a man.
6:32
If there's anyone who executes, judgment, who seeks the truth,
6:36
and I'll pardon her. So you come to God and he
6:39
accepts you in Christ and begins to change you from the inside.
6:43
Side out. The Bible says in Proverbs 24
6:46
verse 16 for a righteous man may fall.
6:49
Seven times and rise again. But the wicked May shall fall by
6:53
their Calamity jot that down. Some of you need to remember
6:56
this and memorize it Proverbs 24:16 why quoted all the time?
7:01
That's the address though man falls seven times he will rise
7:04
again by the grace of God and it doesn't matter how many steps
7:07
you've taken away from him. Doesn't matter how many things
7:11
that people identify your sin and your failure.
7:14
If you repent, God will receive you and begin the work of
7:18
restoration immediately immediately.
7:21
I love that. Now, by way of review, before we
7:24
jump in, I want to remind you. As we enter a new section that
7:28
Genesis is broken up into two sections for events.
7:32
And for people, you remember the four events we've already looked
7:35
at. So we've studied the for events
7:38
chapters 1 and 2. You is the event of creation
7:41
chapters 3 through 5 dick. Tell us about the fall of Man
7:45
chapter 6, through 9, the flood and then chapters 10 through 11
7:50
are the nation's. Now, we start the section of
7:54
Genesis, which take up most of the, you know, most of the
7:57
chapters of the four people from chapters 12, to 25.
8:02
We're going to learn about Abraham, 25 through 26, Isaac,
8:06
27 through 36, Jacob. And then Finally 37 through 50,
8:11
the life of Joseph. And so for the next 13 chapters
8:15
are. So we're going to be studying
8:17
the life of Abraham notice with me verse 1, chapter 12.
8:20
Now the Lord had said to Abram, get out of your country from
8:27
your Kindred, from your father's house, to a land that I will
8:32
show you. Now remember the backdrop of
8:35
chapter 12 is the Tower of Babel.
8:39
From the Tower of Babel here to chapter 12.
8:42
A lot of time has passed seven, different dynasties of Egypt,
8:48
Old Kingdom. Had already come and gone.
8:49
By the time Abram was born Abram in Pagan, his Pagan idolatrous
8:56
culture, the son of a pagan priests cake.
8:59
Understand that Abram in a pagan idolatrous culture, the son of a
9:06
pagan priests hears, the word of The Lord to me that's enough
9:11
just like are you serious? God can speak in any situation
9:16
in any difficult, any rebellious heart that he can reach anyone.
9:21
The answer to that is. Yes.
9:24
And that's where we have. This man is being spoken to by
9:28
God. It says, the Lord said to Abram,
9:33
In the middle of this horrible culture in the center of a
9:36
Godless Society. God spoke to him and reached out
9:39
to him. And to me, it's just the Wonder
9:42
of God's overwhelming Grace. How many times that story's told
9:46
over and over and over again? You know, when you see the
9:50
difficulties all around us, it's easy to think that it's just a
9:54
hopeless situation. You've looked at ABC and d and
9:58
you've added all up and it's hopeless.
10:00
Never going to change. And so what You start to jump in
10:04
with your assessments. You come to the wrong
10:06
conclusion. Listen, when you come to the
10:08
wrong conclusion, that wrong conclusion will lead you to
10:12
wrong responses. So heck we'll look, there's
10:15
nothing nothing's going to happen, I don't know how God
10:17
could reach anyway in this Godless culture.
10:20
And so with that, you begin to say, well, we better do this and
10:23
I want to change this, but the reality is, as God is at work,
10:27
everywhere, his grace reaches into the midst of idolatry and
10:31
paganism. Regardless of the culture and
10:34
the surroundings, the voice of God is going forth, you just
10:39
tune your ears and respond to him.
10:41
The Call Comes to regardless of the circumstances, despite the
10:45
surroundings, apart from the depravity of the culture.
10:49
I think of the heritage of our own church, family Calvary
10:52
Chapel the very beginnings of this group at church and wasn't
10:56
the only church being used. During that time, there were
10:58
quite a few churches that were just filled with the rejects of
11:03
Just hit with the back then it was the hippies.
11:06
It was, the hippies getting all high on LSD and getting caught
11:10
up in the culture and protesting and throwing a no.
11:13
Everything was just out of control back then.
11:16
And God said, it doesn't matter to me what's happening in the
11:19
world, doesn't matter to me, what's happening in the
11:21
politics, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how high they
11:25
are on LSD. How messed up?
11:27
They are in their minds, how many brain cells have been lost?
11:30
God says, I can even restore brain cells, Owls in people's
11:34
lives that they will turn to me. And he poured out his spirit in
11:37
a powerful way and people like me know, I wasn't a hippie, I
11:40
wasn't alive back then but let me tell you a little secret you
11:44
ready? Don't tell anybody I said this,
11:45
but if I was alive back then I would have been a hippie.
11:48
I'm sure of it. Just checking out and being high
11:51
and partying all the time. That was my life, different
11:54
generation. And here I am walking into a
11:59
church like this. One of the foundational cores of
12:02
this church. It's not on the website.
12:03
It's not in our found. Our doctrinal statement, it's
12:06
not in our axioms. It's in my heart.
12:09
Okay, it's not on the website, it's not in the packets.
12:12
In my heart, one of the foundational Parts, one of the
12:16
foundational parts of this church is in my heart and it's
12:19
this. I want to be a part of a church
12:22
where a guy like me can walk in as messed up as he is and Saved.
12:28
That's my heart doesn't need to be up on the website.
12:30
If this church ever becomes a place where a guy like me, can't
12:34
walk in. Can't be among us.
12:36
Can't receive the Gospel through us that we start looking at the
12:39
world differently and write people off like me.
12:41
I don't want to be a part of it. I can assure you the church ever
12:44
becomes that I'm finding another church because that's not the
12:48
Church of Christ. The Church of Christ is reaching
12:51
by the think it was deal Moody. Perhaps, I forget who said this,
12:53
but he says that God reaches even to the uttermost.
12:57
When you start letting the world, you know, think all this
13:00
paganism and I can't believe in and what are they doing?
13:02
And what's happening here? And look what they're doing?
13:04
And I can't believe what's happening to our country and we
13:07
need our country back. Listen, you need to have a heart
13:10
for people. It's people, Jesus Christ.
13:14
He died for The Souls of men and women and boys and girls.
13:21
It was just a few hours ago. We saw this room filled with
13:24
families. And I'm always, you know, it's
13:28
a, it's a beautiful thing in my own heart where I always wonder,
13:30
I wonder about the stories in this room.
13:33
I don't get to hear him. All I get to hear some, I don't
13:35
get to hear him all anymore and I wonder I remember putting our
13:39
own son Eddie into a Christian School that was, like, never in
13:43
a million years. Could you have ever thought that
13:45
was something that we did. We put our son Marie and I put
13:49
our son in a Christian School and we were ranked unbelievers,
13:54
But they had cheap childcare and got Jesus at the same time.
14:00
I thought, man, that's a deal. Two for one.
14:03
I'm always in for a good deal and that started a pathway of
14:08
relationships and connections. And although, I think it saved
14:10
at that church, it ended up leading us to another church and
14:14
softening our heart along the way you have a story.
14:17
And so did Abram Abram? You don't didn't control where
14:20
he got, where the family he was born into or the land that he
14:23
came to or what happened when he was young and Crossing this
14:26
border, and he didn't control any of that, and God, still
14:30
loved him. And who are we to write people
14:34
off, who are we to get all bent out of shape?
14:38
Because something here, and something there, it's all Grace.
14:41
It's a Grace for you, and it's Grace for them.
14:44
It's a Grace for me, and it's a Grace for her.
14:47
It's all Grace. None of us deserve anything.
14:51
Nothing. Well, if you do get what you
14:54
deserve, you don't ask for you, what you deserve, because the
14:58
Bible says, the wages of sin is death.
15:02
When you think of Abram, you think this is God reaching down
15:07
to the on expected. To the one that you would.
15:12
Hey, you're looking for someone. Hey, I know where he's right in
15:15
the middle of that, that Pagan priests house.
15:17
Hit his kid, use him. Nah, no, no, we should go to the
15:22
seminaries. We should go somewhere where
15:24
there's good Christian no, no. That's the guy.
15:27
Because when I use Abram you can hear it in the heart of God.
15:29
When I use Abram, it'll blow everybody's minds and I alone
15:35
will get all the credit me show you this in the New Testament
15:38
bless. You think?
15:39
I'm just making this up, I'm not making it up.
15:41
Don't make things up. Let me show you a fission is
15:43
chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2.
15:46
You got to go go here because this is one of the foundational.
15:50
I want you to see it in your Bible.
15:51
So go all the way in the New Testament.
15:53
Ephesians chapter 2 jotted down. A few, can't catch up.
15:56
You can look it up later because I want this is foundational to
16:00
understand the grace of God. Now, I'm not going to give a
16:02
deep explanation of the grace of God, but I do want to shed light
16:06
on this is what's happening to Abram before.
16:09
This was even written before. It was even written.
16:12
Notice with me, Ephesians chapter 2 in verse Eight.
16:17
Ephesians 2 verse 8. It says, for by Grace you have
16:22
been saved through faith and then Mark that phrase not of
16:27
your selves, that faith is not of yourselves.
16:31
It is what the gift of God and it's not of any of your works.
16:36
So you don't earn it. You can't say, well, here I am.
16:39
I'm here because of my hard work?
16:40
No, no you're not. You're here by the grace of God
16:43
and it's not by works why so that no one Would boast, we have
16:48
nothing to boast in and says as I mentioned we are his
16:52
workmanship his poem created in Christ Jesus for good works
16:56
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
17:00
Like the the reality is that the grace of God creates an
17:04
environment where we are all equal and none of us can boast.
17:08
There's nothing that we have to offer apart from Christ.
17:10
We would all have the same ending.
17:13
A Destiny and an eternity apart from him.
17:16
It's all Grace. It's not for 55%, it's not 65%.
17:21
It's 100% the grace of God and it's zero percent anything that
17:26
we could boast in. It turns us into hearts of
17:30
appreciation. It's like, man, God, you're so
17:32
good, you're so good to us. So coming back to Genesis 12.
17:36
Now, speaking to Abram Idolatry difficulty.
17:41
He says, I'm going to make you a great nation verse 2.
17:45
I'm gonna bless you. I will make you a great nation.
17:49
I will bless you and make your name great.
17:53
You shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you
17:57
and I will curse him who curses you and in you mark this word,
18:01
all the families of the Earth shall be blessed five times.
18:08
There is movement of God's part toward Abram of what he will do.
18:15
Five, I Wills, I will make you a great nation.
18:18
I will bless you, it's not mentioned there, but it's
18:20
implied. I'll make your name great.
18:22
I will you will be a blessing and I will bless those who bless
18:27
you. I will curse him who curses you
18:28
and all the families of the earth will be blessed.
18:31
God is speaking with Abraham and promising, him something great,
18:36
but he places all the emphasis upon himself, On the one hand
18:41
you're going to act Abram but on the other hand, God says I'm
18:43
going to do it for you. And it's important here to
18:47
remind, just to be reminded here today.
18:49
No matter where you are in life, what your status in life is It's
18:54
just just pause for a second and let me remind you that God
18:58
desires to bless you. In the most pure essence.
19:04
God's desire is to bless you. He says it right here.
19:09
I'm going to bless all the nations through you Abraham.
19:14
It's all going to come through this Covenant, you're going to
19:17
be a big part of it. It started in the garden, but
19:20
now Abram in the middle of idolatry Pagan, you know, City,
19:24
it's like you're going to be a part of something special.
19:27
The whole world's going to be blessed because of you, you
19:29
could look back today. You right now, us, we right now,
19:32
listening can go. Go.
19:34
Thank you of all the people. You want to see in heaven.
19:37
I wonder how many of you have Abraham on your list.
19:39
Just to go up and say. Thanks, bro.
19:41
Thanks for listening. Thanks for obeying.
19:44
Thanks for being a part of the plan.
19:45
It all came through you, I know you want to see know what was it
19:48
like with the ark and you know, as anime.
19:50
I was the garden Walking with God without sin.
19:52
You there's all these things but, you know, make sure
19:54
Abraham's on your list. Hey, thanks for listening.
19:58
You know, this section of scripture, this man of Faith.
20:02
This is almost every missionary ties their call to this
20:06
scripture. Every Church planner ties.
20:08
This call to scripture, everyone like that steps out in fake kind
20:11
of goes back and says all the Lord spoke to me through chapter
20:13
12. Yes!
20:15
Yes. Get up and go do something
20:17
different than you're doing right now.
20:19
Some of you go to a mission, go to the mission field, some of
20:21
you go plant a church, I was talking to a brother this
20:24
afternoon, as I did. An airport run, I was coming
20:26
back to the office. I was speaking to him.
20:28
And what did he do? It's time to step in.
20:30
I was going to go launch off move a couple thousand miles
20:33
away from Colorado and go bathe with God's call upon his life,
20:36
get up and get out. And as you get up and get out,
20:40
what are you going to experience?
20:41
You're going to experience the I Wills of God.
20:44
What's God's going to do on your behalf?
20:47
You know, we get all into our head like I'm going to do a
20:49
great work for God, I'm gonna do a great work for you, you're not
20:51
going to do any great work for God, God is going to do the
20:55
great work, and you're going to get to be a part of it.
20:57
It's his work, it's his work very painful painful process for
21:03
me to learn that in the church planning Arena because
21:06
originally we were headed to another city.
21:08
I was so encouraged because you know, when you're taking a step
21:10
of Faith you some of us we have to build up our faith and we got
21:14
I just I'm not a big man of faith and I'm just we're going
21:16
to do it. We're gonna do it.
21:17
We're gonna do it. Let's go do it.
21:18
Let's go do it. Then you go do it.
21:20
And then you step out and then that City, you know, the Lord
21:23
humble me greatly and send me back home.
21:25
Almost like saying, I don't need you here.
21:27
Go home what my whole life was tied to this?
21:32
This was God's call upon my life only to hear.
21:35
God say no, it wasn't not here. It was no go home and so we did
21:42
Crush my spirit crush me completely.
21:46
But what was being crushed was not.
21:47
God crushing me. He was cutting away.
21:49
The Flesh of My Life. And I was launching off with all
21:53
this Faith, man-made faith. God given Faith, whatever it
21:55
was, I don't even know and my mindset was this.
21:58
God, I am going to go do a great work for you.
22:02
That's my heart and I believe it was as pure as you could get but
22:05
obviously God knew there was some impurities in it.
22:09
I'm going to go do a great work for you, God and I'm willing to
22:12
move my family and I remember thinking I will pump gas for
22:16
Jesus. If I have to leave my career
22:19
least live off of savings and We'll put it all on the line me
22:22
and my little family, we will go broke and in debt to do the work
22:27
of the Lord and God said I don't need you go home. and I
22:31
interpret that I don't need you ever to plan a church.
22:35
So you just go home and go back to work and be a good little
22:39
Christian. That's what I settled.
22:42
Until God awakened through a whole series of events a
22:46
different call. To a different city, different
22:50
circumstances. So shocked Marie and I vote,
22:53
I'll call that which we responded to, but we came to
22:56
Aurora, very different than that other City came broken Humboldt
23:02
alone because we had a whole team ready with us, and I'm
23:05
going to be a church planning. Team is all going to be great
23:07
and nobody came with us this time.
23:09
It's just me and Marie and the kids.
23:12
And when we came to this city, I didn't come here to do a great
23:16
work for God. God said, I'm going to do a
23:19
great work at. I'm going to do it in this city
23:22
if you want to be a part of it. Move.
23:26
And he did, he arranged everything and we didn't I
23:29
didn't have to leave my career. My career move me here.
23:32
They made it all. They did so much for us to bring
23:36
us here was so much the will of God that they literally put our
23:39
cars on trucks and drove them out here for us.
23:43
While they put us on, we on a plane.
23:44
The five of us with one way ticket.
23:48
Not a, not a round trip. The company said will paper.
23:51
One way you go out and work that job right up here in Aurora, on,
23:55
on Parker Road. Where those big four buildings?
23:57
Are I forget the crosses at Yale their Parker and Yale.
24:00
I worked in one of those buildings there for many months
24:02
as we were working. So God wants you to know
24:06
wherever you are right now, that he's ready to do a great work
24:09
and he invites you to be a part of it, you're not going to be
24:12
the one doing a great work. It's not you.
24:16
He calls you and we thank Abram because he wants to bless you.
24:21
He wants to bless you. It's God's heart to bless you
24:24
somewhere along the way, the church has forgotten.
24:28
This wonderful truth. The priorities of the church at
24:31
large have shifted away from the loving nature of God, away from
24:36
his free-flowing, Blessing away from a true teaching of the
24:40
grace of God. It seems like more and more
24:42
pastors and churches. Today are on Mort, Christians
24:46
are taught today. All about what you need to do,
24:48
for God what your obligations are and how unhappy God is with
24:52
you, because you're not doing enough.
24:54
That is not the word of the Lord.
24:56
And so you hear over and over, you have to serve and you need
24:59
to give more and I can't believe what kind of church you are,
25:02
you're not giving enough, you're not serving enough, you're not
25:05
this enough and this other church has more numbers and
25:07
you're not bringing people to church and on and on the list
25:10
goes, And as a result, you'll find a lot of beaten.
25:16
Frustrated and guilt-ridden, Christians not living up to the
25:21
standards. Of the pastor's in the higher
25:25
earnings that beat them down every week for their own
25:28
purposes. All the while All the while.
25:35
God never stopped, showering, his love and grace and mercy
25:38
upon your life. Because he loves you.
25:43
He loves your family. He loves your children and your
25:46
grandchildren. He loves you and your singleness
25:49
as you wait for God's. Will to be developed?
25:52
He loves you. And the language of Grace is
25:56
not. You have to please understand,
25:59
you have to stay away from sin. That's not the language of
26:03
Grace. You have to give that's not the
26:05
language of Grace. You have to know you know what
26:08
the language of Graces, check this out.
26:11
You get to stay away from sin so you don't wreck your life.
26:16
You get to give as a response to the overwhelming blessings of
26:21
God upon your life. You get to serve You do you
26:24
remember how you spent your Saturday nights and your Friday
26:27
night? Do you remember how you treated
26:30
your neighbor? You know those of you that
26:31
didn't have a walk with the Lord?
26:32
Do you remember how dark it was? And now by the grace of God, you
26:36
get to serve them, you get to love them.
26:40
You get to help them. How about this one for some of
26:43
us. This is me personally.
26:45
How about this one? You actually now get to care
26:49
about your neighbor. You get to care about the person
26:52
on the other side of the fence, their kids run around the park.
26:57
The families that are moving into the neighborhood, those
27:01
that are coming in from other countries.
27:02
You get to care for them. Now you get to pray for them,
27:06
you get to serve them, you get to have hope for them.
27:11
You get to think of others more highly than yourself, that's the
27:14
language of Grace and it starts right here Abram.
27:17
I want you to understand you are going to be a part of my
27:20
blessing forever. It's all going to come through
27:23
you this little encounter. It's all going to come through
27:26
you. And when you and I when we
27:28
realize all that God has done the natural responses, it's
27:33
loving obedience, and growing faith.
27:38
And I apologize. if I have ever misrepresented the grace of God,
27:45
and for all the other pastors, And leaders that have somehow
27:50
become a barrier between you and a true understanding of the
27:54
grace of God, forgive us. And come into a newness of life.
28:00
Forgive those that have hurt you in the past and come into the
28:03
newness of life. So that you can enjoy the last
28:06
days of your life in the grace of God, using the right
28:10
language, you could, you could spend the rest of your life,
28:13
upset with the guy that hurt you and waste the rest of your life.
28:17
When you can just instead respond going, you know what,
28:19
Lord bad circumstance, something learned from, I'm going to grow
28:22
from it. I'm going to move forward and
28:24
enjoy your grace. I don't have to give anything.
28:28
And that is, you know, if you want to think about giving us
28:30
such a big deal in churches today, I'll tell you right now,
28:32
you don't have to give anything to this church.
28:34
Don't you walk over to the Bosch so I can't believe they're gonna
28:37
give us a little man. Find somebody with a key will
28:42
give it back. We'll find a guy with the key to
28:47
those box of. Give it back.
28:48
You don't the Bible says, don't give grudgingly you want your
28:51
money. Keep it, spin it.
28:53
However, you want. But just understand.
28:58
I can't teach you something other than what God has said.
29:04
And so he says not to give grudgingly.
29:08
But he says you're to give All That You Are.
29:11
As a Living Sacrifice. Some of you had a brother call
29:16
on the radio today, there's struggling on one area of their
29:19
life but these also struggling in another area of his life.
29:22
He's got some big struggles in his life but he's also I don't
29:25
want to go to church anymore. I'm like dude, go to church,
29:27
that's a gimme. If you can't do the gimmes
29:30
you'll never build up Faith to deal with the big ones in your
29:32
life. Do the easy ones giving as a
29:34
gimme? That's so easy.
29:36
Write the check, go to the online and did it to do
29:39
anything. Just hit send.
29:41
I'm you can do it. Automatic it or just boom.
29:42
Just like the government take it right out.
29:45
As unto the Lord, It's a gimme. And so when you don't follow
29:49
through with the guineas in response to the grace of God,
29:52
maybe you don't fully understand how much God loves you and is
29:55
taking care of you, your entire life, your entire life and maybe
30:01
you don't know. Yet that it's not about money,
30:03
it's about your heart, my heart. We'll be learning that here in
30:08
New soon because we're going to be looking at the gift of giving
30:10
this weekend and we'll see what a beautiful thing it is to give
30:14
of ourselves until the Lord. We give first ourselves to the
30:17
Lord, and then we realize everything belongs to him.
30:19
That's what Abraham's being asked here.
30:21
He's not being asked to give a tithe, he's not being asked to,
30:24
he's kind of, he's saying, okay, this is a big one, you know, he
30:27
starts big. Hey, I want you to get up and
30:29
leave everything, you know. Everything you get up and go
30:34
because I've got something I'm going to do for your life
30:37
through your life Abram. I want you to get up and go.
30:41
I'm going to bless, I'm going to bless.
30:43
I'm going to bless God, hasn't changed.
30:45
Its matter of fact, in the New Covenant, you have to respond in
30:48
the New Covenant. How much more Does God?
30:51
Love you and Christ. How much more?
30:55
It's so much more. You're experiencing so much more
30:57
than even a broom got to experience.
31:01
You get to experience a know so much more than even Abram did.
31:06
Now this protection, let me just a quick note here.
31:11
In verse 3, he says I will bless you.
31:14
Those who bless you and curse. Those who curse you and in you
31:18
all the families of the Earth shall be blessed in this
31:21
abrahamic, Covenant. This Promise This protection,
31:27
that's given to Abraham. Abraham is also that the nation
31:31
that would come from him Israel. Every nation that has tried to
31:36
come against Israel, has failed Babylon, Rome Egypt, Germany,
31:42
Etc. And I believe we as a country, I
31:46
believe we, as a church, have been blessed because of our
31:49
support of Israel, because of this promised right here, I'm
31:52
going to bless those who bless you.
31:54
And we have a heart to bless Israel and to support Israel and
31:58
to pray for them and to support them in many ways.
32:02
But understand this, this is my clarification for you.
32:06
When we say, we support Israel. We are not saying that Israel as
32:10
a government is Flawless. We are not saying that we agree
32:15
with every decision that people in leadership in Israel have
32:19
made or going to make. As a matter of fact, most in
32:23
Israel today are secular and have rejected Messiah.
32:27
So it's not a blanket approval of even those things that are
32:30
sent for an anti-god, that doesn't make any sense.
32:33
So, don't let people throw that in the media and things.
32:35
So I, you know, your support of Israel.
32:37
Do you support this? Of course not.
32:40
But we love Israel. Why?
32:41
Right here, you everybody. Have anyone ever asked you to
32:43
take them to Genesis 12? I'll tell you right here.
32:46
The Bible says, if I bless and care for Israel, I'll be
32:49
blessed. That's a gimme.
32:50
I'm taking it. We love because of Israel,
32:54
because of Abraham. We're blessed.
32:57
So, I just want to make that clear because sometimes you get
32:59
bombarded. Maybe you're talking about it at
33:01
work and so I can't believe that you agree with it.
33:03
No, we don't agree with sinful things.
33:05
We'd say the same for our government.
33:07
We love our country. We support our country everyone.
33:09
That's given their lives serving them.
33:12
Yes, because I'm weak. Does that mean we agree with
33:14
every decision? Absolutely not.
33:18
We all have blood on our hands. It's not an innocent one Among
33:24
Us. And where do we hide?
33:26
We hide in the grace of God, his forgiveness, his goodness.
33:32
So Abram responds, notice in verse 4.
33:35
So Abram departed, let me just say, let me just ask you to mark
33:40
this so Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, you want
33:44
that to be your life. God tells you to do something
33:47
you want to do it. There's no time that passes.
33:50
This is the response that he gives.
33:54
He left. And it says Abram was 75 years
33:59
old when he departed from her ran, and he took his wife, Sarai
34:03
and this and lot his brother's son and all their possessions
34:06
that they had gathered in the people whom they had acquired in
34:09
Haram and they departed to go to the land of Canaan.
34:12
So they came to the land of Canaan.
34:14
Abram passed through the land to the place of shechem as far as
34:18
the terebinth tree of moray and the Canaanites were then in the
34:22
land and the Lord appeared to Abram and said to your
34:25
descendants, I will give this Land and there he built an altar
34:29
to the Lord who had appeared to him and he moved from there to
34:32
the mountains east of Bethel. And he pitched his tent with
34:36
Bethel on the west and aiai on the East and he built an altar
34:40
to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord and Abram
34:43
journeyed going on, still toward the South Now, you can jot this
34:49
down in chapter 11 and beginning in verse 27 we didn't cover it
34:55
very deeply last time but this is the overview of Abraham's
35:00
life and you'll notice in verse 31 that Tara took his son Abram
35:05
and his grandson lot, the son of haran and his daughter-in-law
35:08
Sarah, his son, Abraham's arrived, Abraham's wife, and
35:11
they went out from them from Earth, to the Chaldeans to go to
35:14
the land of Canaan. And they came to haran and Delta
35:17
dwelt. Are so that's the summary of his
35:19
life. And now we're coming to chapter
35:21
12 where we're getting it laid out the little bit more in depth
35:25
and in detail Abram left with his father and took a pit stop
35:28
in her. An Now, many look at this and
35:32
they have some debate on this. But I tend to agree with the
35:35
side that this is an example of half-hearted obedience Abram was
35:39
told to leave his home and his family behind her on was about
35:43
halfway between earlier and Canaan.
35:46
And going halfway is not the way of obedience going halfway is
35:50
not the way of obedience. You may view it a little bit
35:53
differently and that's okay. You say, well he got up and he
35:55
obeyed and he left and you come to the conclusion.
35:58
It was full obedience to me. It's not a debate.
36:00
Issue and nothing to argue about.
36:02
But I noticed that there was a pause and many times, people
36:06
Reese will and I'm sharing this with you.
36:08
So you don't make this mistake many times especially in this
36:12
day in the western church and the way things are comfort and
36:15
ease. They mistake half-hearted
36:16
obedience for complete obedience.
36:19
And wonder why they're always battling and struggling why
36:23
their whole identity now has become struggling and you have
36:26
to ask yourself. Am I fully obedient to What the
36:28
Lord Has revealed to me? Am I fully obedient to what he's
36:33
given to me and the fruit of Disobedience will show up in
36:36
many different areas, it'll show up in your finances, it'll show
36:40
up in your job, it'll show up in your relationships, it'll show
36:43
up in your home, it'll show up in your health, half-hearted
36:47
obedience, or full Disobedience will plague you and chase you
36:52
until you bring it to the cross. Galatians chapter 6 and verse 7
36:57
says do not be deceived, God is Not mocked for whatever a man
37:02
sows that he will also reap. And that is a promise that goes
37:07
both ways. You sow to the flesh, you're
37:09
going to reap corruption, but if you sow to the spirit, you're
37:13
going to reap everlasting life to your choice.
37:16
Scholars believe that Abram spent and wasted some 15 years
37:22
in her own God doesn't speak again to Abram until he leaves
37:26
her own. There was nothing to say to him
37:29
until he was fully ready to obey.
37:33
And so obey God when he tells you to do something, when his
37:35
word tells you to leave, to avoid that to embrace this, to
37:40
step, out to trust him, because the heavens will be silent until
37:46
you fully obey so Abrams on the move again.
37:48
Beginning in verse 7, God Appears to him and he comes to
37:53
the place and verse 7, I'm going to give you this land and he
37:56
built an altar. There you notice that.
37:59
Also in verse 8, he built an altar.
38:02
And the area. He is in verse 8 is at Bethel.
38:05
Bethel means the house of God. AI means a place of Ruin.
38:11
And as we get into Joshua, you know, that it was a ruinous
38:14
place for the children of Israel.
38:16
It was in Bethel that God's presence.
38:19
There would God built an altar there and all Was built and
38:23
Abram worshipped and called upon the name of the Lord.
38:28
And as he's moving forward, worshiping God is moving you
38:33
worship. God is moving you worship.
38:35
God is leading you worship. God is blessing you worship.
38:39
That's the rock, proper response.
38:40
The proper response in our lives is not complaining and murmuring
38:45
but worshiping worshiping God. So he comes to Bethel.
38:50
He pitches his tent, he Build an altar.
38:53
He starts Journey again in verse 9.
38:56
And there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to
39:00
Egypt to sojourn there for the famine was severe in the land.
39:07
Abram took, this massive step of Faith, left.
39:10
Everything half-hearted obedience, but nonetheless, and
39:15
the first big test, he looks to Egypt for help you Bible
39:21
students know that Egypt is often a type and a picture of
39:24
the world. Many times Egypt is used as a
39:27
picture of our own flesh on our own devices and resources and
39:31
the famine scared him. Have you noticed in the news
39:37
recently? That they're speaking about
39:40
food, shortages. You see that in the markets, the
39:45
shelves are very different. They talked about grain
39:49
shortages because of what's happening in Ukraine.
39:52
And I dare say, this is a word for someone that you are scared.
39:57
You're scared. And the Temptation will be when
40:01
you're scared to not trust in the Lord.
40:06
That's the Temptation. Oh, I can't believe it.
40:09
I can't believe it. We're so used to getting two
40:11
loaves of bread, aren't me? We're so used to buying 12 cans
40:15
of tomato sauce. We're so used to things that
40:18
most of the world doesn't have access to.
40:21
And it's conditioned us to trust in the arm of, man.
40:24
I don't know that. I don't know.
40:26
You just got to sort it out. I know there are times when I do
40:28
in times when I don't, you just have to sort it out for
40:30
yourself. I don't know where you are in
40:31
that, but now when times get tough, just know that there is a
40:35
Temptation before sin, there is always the Temptation before sin
40:40
and it's the place of Temptation where you Avoid sin right there.
40:45
It's the place of Temptation so you're walking through and you
40:48
go all the empty shelves. Oh, the I heard the news.
40:51
Oh the, yeah, it's it's very much in the last days of talks
40:54
about famines coming in a lot. Yes, it could very well be.
40:57
We, in our generation, we're going to face very, very
40:59
difficult, hard times and some of you may even, we saw it
41:03
during covid, they're hoarding hoarding hoarding of all things,
41:06
toilet paper, That was the big deal.
41:11
It was a manipulative work of our culture to get your
41:14
basement. Fill with toilet paper, where
41:16
you going to write a diary on or what are you going to do with
41:18
it? Like, but here's the thing,
41:20
here's the thing with God's prepping the church for in
41:23
response to difficulties in the world and response.
41:27
You may find it necessary to take some food and store it away
41:30
for a difficult day. That's nothing wrong with that
41:34
being prepared for the future being prepared.
41:36
Joseph did that in the seven years of famine, nothing wrong
41:38
with is very biblical, but understand this, there is the
41:42
temptation to trust in that arm and the hand of God like you
41:47
have that, that no new story, it scares you and you're waiting
41:50
for the new story that's going to encourage you.
41:52
Oh, there's more grain. Ha!
41:54
Yes! There's more grain.
41:56
No, no. Faithfulness of God, it's his
41:59
faithfulness. And if you do, if you do
42:02
anything cuz be great, if you choose this, if you do look
42:05
forward to stalking and preparing for the future, just
42:08
understand this, it is not only for you.
42:14
So make sure that you remember the world in which you live.
42:19
And what do we teach you here? What have we taught you over the
42:21
years? We think about the food bank
42:23
here. What do we see when you're going
42:24
shopping? Get something for you and you've
42:28
already been building that habit or at least thinking about it.
42:31
Maybe you're just starting your already been billing.
42:32
Get one for me, one for someone in need one for me, one for
42:35
someone in need and when you start doing that you like, yeah,
42:38
it doesn't really affect any like I'm giving unto the Lord,
42:40
giving unto the Lord dropping it in the cart.
42:42
I don't even know where it goes. I'm not Sure who gets it but I
42:45
can tell you this, the shelves, get empty, you replenish them
42:48
shelves, get empty, they get replenished the resources, go
42:51
out, but they come through the church, they come through the
42:54
church. And God is using you and if he's
43:00
going to continue to use us in the last days, then listen
43:04
understand the Temptation like Abram and we're going to have to
43:07
close your because we're out of time but the temptation to Abram
43:09
here is he got scared? And he went down to Egypt.
43:15
And nothing good is going to happen, going down to Egypt.
43:18
You can read ahead, chapter 12, we'll pick up here next time.
43:22
So, father, we know that Temptations come our way and
43:25
difficulties are all around us and the temptation to go to
43:29
Egypt to think of only ourselves, or is always among
43:33
us. We're just similar to Abram. and
43:38
we hear in your call, and Wanting to live our life and
43:42
difficult times. And I pray that you would give
43:46
us wisdom. And increase our faith.
43:51
So that in these last days, even as Brad was such a great section
43:56
of prayer today, God, you know, when we think, you know what?
44:00
When did we bless you? Jesus.
44:03
And then I just can hear Jesus go, Matt, your whole life was a
44:06
blessing to me when you hope this guy with water and you hope
44:09
this guy with spaghetti sauce, you hope this guy with a buck.
44:13
You hope this guy with a room like your whole life honored me.
44:19
and what a glorious day, that will be when we somehow
44:24
Unbeknownst to us receive the rewards that you have in store
44:30
for us, so that we might accept them and then cast them at your
44:34
feet. There's it was all you all
44:37
along. Thank you, God, for your
44:40
faithfulness. Jesus name.
44:44
Amen. We pray that you've been
44:47
encouraged by this Bible. Study delivered live from the
44:49
sanctuary of Calvary Church for prayer.
44:52
Call us at 877, 30 Grace. That's eight 77304, 2:53 to
45:01
listen to this message in its entirety or to join us for our
45:04
live stream Services. Visit us online at Calvary Co
45:09
dot church or download our free Calvary Church app.
45:13
Be blessed as you wish. Jesus this week.
45:14
Jesus this week.