1 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:11,560 If you have your Bible, and I hope you do, go and make your 2 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:16,320 way to Genesis chapter 12. Genesis chapter 12 versus one 3 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:18,760 through 3 will be our text this morning. 4 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:22,400 We're diving back into our normal rhythm of walking through 5 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:27,280 a book of the Bible we left off with Genesis about 3 years ago. 6 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:30,120 And not that I expect you to remember everything from 7 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:32,920 chapters one through 11. I'll give you a little recap 8 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:35,920 here in a second, but we're going back to this beginning 9 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:39,480 book of the Bible. It has so many foundational 10 00:00:39,480 --> 00:00:44,080 things about God, about life, about the way he's designed us 11 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:48,160 to walk by faith with him. And so as we walk through the 12 00:00:48,160 --> 00:00:52,600 story of Genesis, we're going to be unpacking this idea of 13 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:55,520 answering the call, answering the call of God. 14 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,480 We're going to see this displayed in the life of Abram 15 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:01,240 and others. But I'm also inviting you in to 16 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:05,680 see how God has a call on your life and you're answering that 17 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:07,920 call somehow, someway, even this morning. 18 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:11,560 And of course, the only the only answer really that's that 19 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:16,040 satisfies that's that, that that is right is yes, yes, by faith. 20 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,880 We're going to see that. And I'm praying that whatever 21 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:23,160 way in whatever direction God is calling you through the word of 22 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,800 God, you will too. I will too say say yes. 23 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:32,680 Well, Genesis one through 11 has been compared to a baseball 24 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:34,800 game. This is a little 25 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:37,120 oversimplification, but if it helps, just get a little running 26 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:41,040 start. Basically, you know mankind is 27 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:45,280 given the opportunity by God to step up to the plate to hit the 28 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,280 pitch of the will of God with their lives and their choices 29 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:51,680 and their living. Adam and Eve have the first step 30 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:55,200 back and perhaps things go OK there for a little while, but 31 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,240 soon enough the pitch comes of hitting the will of God, obeying 32 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:02,240 His instructions, and Adam and Eve swing and miss as they 33 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:06,400 choose to do life their own way and rebel and disobey God. 34 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:09,240 Strike one. Fast forward a little bit to 35 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:13,040 about Genesis 7. Humanity is back up to the plate 36 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:17,120 of God's will in general. Mankind has been given the 37 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,080 opportunity by God to place faith in Him, to walk in 38 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:22,120 obedience to Him or not. And guess what? 39 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:26,760 It was or not, with the sole exception of Noah and his wife 40 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:30,240 and his three sons and their wives, no one on the planets 41 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:32,520 really choosing to honor and obey God. 42 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:33,840 And God says I'm going to start over. 43 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:37,280 They, they, they've missed again the pitch of doing my will for 44 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:39,320 my glory. And with the exception of Noah 45 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:43,520 and his family, God starts over. Strike two for humanity. 46 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:46,840 Fast forward a little bit to Genesis 11. 47 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:49,760 There's a story there of how mankind had been given 48 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:54,240 instructions by God after the flood to start over and multiply 49 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:57,920 and spread out and disperse over the earth and multiply and 50 00:02:57,920 --> 00:03:00,160 fulfill the Commission God had given mankind to do. 51 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:01,520 But what did mankind decide to do? 52 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:02,920 Did they follow God's instructions? 53 00:03:03,920 --> 00:03:06,800 Nope, they gathered together, said we like it right here. 54 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:09,120 We're going to do what we want. We're going to build a tower for 55 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:12,800 our name and our fame against the against God's direction. 56 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,080 And God of course, does something pretty unique. 57 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:18,600 He scrambles their languages to force them to disperse, to form 58 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:22,400 the nations of the world and God forces them to according to his 59 00:03:22,640 --> 00:03:25,120 plan, right. Humanity had opportunity, but 60 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:27,080 strike three. Really the question is when you 61 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,000 get to the end of Genesis one through 11 is what's going to 62 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:34,280 what's God going to do for man who has struck out when it comes 63 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:36,920 to doing the will of God. God made us a perfect world. 64 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:39,520 We've messed it up. The curse of sin has come in 65 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,800 Surely the umpire of life's about to call strike three-year, 66 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:50,320 but do you remember a promise that God made back in Genesis 3 67 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:53,720 right after strike one? Remember a promise God made 68 00:03:53,720 --> 00:04:00,160 Genesis 315, where God said from the woman will come one day, and 69 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:04,200 I'm paraphrasing one born of woman, the seed of one would 70 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:08,800 come one day who will crush the head of the serpent. 71 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,040 In other words, God was prophesying, God was 72 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,360 foretelling, God was promising the fact that one day one would 73 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:20,640 come to do for us what we had failed to do, that He would live 74 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:23,520 without sin, that He would fulfill all righteousness, that 75 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:27,440 He would live out the perfect will of God in our place. 76 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:31,160 So how is Genesis 315 going to come true? 77 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:35,000 How is God going to bless sinners that keep striking out 78 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:37,360 when it comes to His will? With Genesis 12? 79 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:40,800 One through 3 is really the beginning of the answer. 80 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:43,720 What's God going to do to bat for us? 81 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:46,240 What's God going to do to win for us? 82 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:49,440 This is how God is going to begin to fulfill the promise He 83 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:51,040 made back in chapter 3, verse 15. 84 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:54,200 Listen to the Word of God from Genesis 12, verse one through 3. 85 00:04:55,800 --> 00:05:00,720 Now the Lord said to Abram, go from your country and your 86 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:05,480 kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show 87 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:10,320 you, and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and 88 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:14,960 make your name great so that you will be a blessing. 89 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:20,440 I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you I will 90 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:24,960 curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be 91 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:27,640 blessed. Father, I ask that as we open up 92 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:30,280 your word today that you'd make it clear to us that you would 93 00:05:30,280 --> 00:05:34,600 Pierce our hearts, that you would draw us to obey, Father, 94 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:37,360 to put our faith in you and trust you and your will and your 95 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,360 promises for our lives. We pray in Jesus name. 96 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:44,920 All God's people said, Amen. How is God going to rescue 97 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:47,440 sinners who have struck out? How's God going to bat for us? 98 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,280 How is God going to win for us? What God, what is God going to 99 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:55,640 do for Genesis 315 to unfold? And by the way, what pattern? 100 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:57,840 This is what I really want to unpack for us this morning. 101 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:03,000 What pattern do we see in these verses of the pattern that God 102 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,560 invites us to embrace for our lives? 103 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:10,840 What pattern does God want you to embrace in your life when it 104 00:06:10,840 --> 00:06:12,520 comes to saying yes to Him by faith? 105 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:15,960 This is the pattern of life we're going to see here in this 106 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:19,080 pattern that God uses and shows us in His Word through Abraham. 107 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:22,840 And here's the first part of it. You ready in your notes #1 God 108 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,880 calls us. We see in verse one that God 109 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:29,760 calls us. You see, Abraham here receives 110 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:35,120 God's invitation to participate in God's plan for his life. 111 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:37,280 I want to say that one more time, because this is, this is 112 00:06:37,280 --> 00:06:38,400 true for you too. All right. 113 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:44,000 Here Abraham receives God's invitation to participate in 114 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,680 God's plan for his life. All right. 115 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:52,000 This is how God, by his own mercy and grace and love, 116 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,320 relates to us as sinners who struck out. 117 00:06:55,320 --> 00:07:01,480 He invites us to join His team. He invites us to participate in 118 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:05,680 His plan by His power with him. This is amazing, right? 119 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:07,280 God calls us. God invites us. 120 00:07:07,280 --> 00:07:10,080 He doesn't force us, He doesn't pressure us. 121 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:13,000 He calls us. And of course, Abraham's call 122 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:17,440 that we just read about here is incredibly unique, by the way. 123 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:22,240 That's true for all of us. In other words, no two of us 124 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:25,520 have the exact same call of God on our lives. 125 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:29,800 I want you to think about that God has a unique only for you 126 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:32,680 plan and purpose for you that's different than mine. 127 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,920 Now it all relates to knowing His Son and making His Son 128 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:38,040 known. It all is connected with being 129 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:40,400 made like Christ and fulfilling the Great Commission. 130 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:42,320 It all involves glorifying Jesus. 131 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:45,520 But God has No2 plans that are exactly alike for any two 132 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:47,560 people. Abraham's call was unique. 133 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:50,440 Your call is unique. And of course, here Abraham's 134 00:07:50,440 --> 00:08:01,600 call was to pack, load, move and leave house, home, family, 135 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:06,760 country, kindred, loved ones, inheritance, everything he knew. 136 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:09,520 Here's I want you want something I want you to realize true about 137 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:11,360 Abraham's call, true about your call. 138 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:17,080 God's call always involves an element of leaving. 139 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:23,480 God's call always will involve an element of leaving, you say 140 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:24,240 Kyle. What do you mean? 141 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:28,240 It may not mean having to leave house, homeland, loved ones, and 142 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:33,240 everything you know, but it might to 1° or another. 143 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:36,799 You see, God's call will always involve leaving something, 144 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:41,799 somehow, someone. God's call will always involve 145 00:08:41,799 --> 00:08:43,840 leaving to some degree, you say Kyle. 146 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:47,480 Why is that? Because you can't join God's 147 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:49,320 plan unless you abandoned your plan. 148 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:54,880 You can't participate in God's will until you say no to whose 149 00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:57,120 will? Your will. 150 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:01,160 Embracing God's will for your life is always going to involve 151 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:04,360 an element of leaving behind something that you perhaps would 152 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:07,320 have chosen, that you would have kept, that you would allowed to 153 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:09,800 have stayed the same. God's call on your life is 154 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:12,800 always going to involve a matter of leaving, right? 155 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:16,120 In other words, to put it in mathematical terms, the math of 156 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:19,000 God's will for your life is always going to involve 157 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:23,160 subtraction. But this is where we as 158 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:27,760 Christians often go wrong. Why is that? 159 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:33,640 Because this is where we often refuse to let go of something 160 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:37,280 God caused us to let go of. In other words, lots of people 161 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:43,160 love addition, and I'll take Jesus in addition to everything 162 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:46,760 else I know and love. I'll take Jesus and add him to 163 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:49,760 my plan. I'll take Jesus and make him the 164 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:53,240 icing on my cake. I'll take Jesus and place him 165 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:55,480 between the bread of the sandwich I'm already making. 166 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:58,520 I love addition. We all love addition, don't we? 167 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:03,000 But God's will for your life always, always, always involves 168 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:06,360 some level of subtraction. But this is where we often go 169 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:09,840 wrong because we refuse. We often refuse to let go of 170 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:12,360 what God is calling us to leave behind. 171 00:10:12,560 --> 00:10:15,200 God's call to Abraham was to leave house, to leave home, to 172 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:18,120 leave country, to leave kindred and go, go where did you notice 173 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:23,680 what God says to the land? I will show you now if you're in 174 00:10:23,680 --> 00:10:26,000 Abraham's shoes, you're like, wow, God, that's real clear. 175 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:31,240 Not y'all awake this morning. Come on now, I know it's cold. 176 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:33,360 I know it's early. I mean God, don't you at least 177 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:35,200 want to give me a pin? Don't you want to give me an 178 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:39,000 address like drop me somewhere so I know like where I'm headed? 179 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:41,400 That's like, I'm going to show you man. 180 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:45,680 Just pack, just load, just leave, just go. 181 00:10:46,560 --> 00:10:50,520 Unbelievable. How am I supposed to get there? 182 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:53,000 How am I supposed to know where I'm going? 183 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:55,560 How am I supposed to know the final destination? 184 00:10:55,640 --> 00:10:57,760 Let me give you another little truth about God's call. 185 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:00,760 The call of God never comes with all the answers. 186 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:05,520 The call of God in your life will always require some level 187 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:08,160 of subtraction. And y'all, the call of God will 188 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:10,800 never immediately come with all the answers. 189 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:14,560 You can mark it down. You see here, the call of God 190 00:11:14,560 --> 00:11:16,640 never starts with the final destination. 191 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:20,560 It always requires faith. The call of God does come with 192 00:11:20,560 --> 00:11:22,840 the promise of God. I will show you. 193 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:27,360 And the call of God always comes with all we need to know to 194 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:28,560 follow. Let me say that one more time. 195 00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:33,080 The call of God always comes with all that we need to know in 196 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:35,840 order to follow. In other words, God will always 197 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:39,920 give you the step you need when you need it, but God is not 198 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:42,280 interested in beginning to show you the final destination. 199 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:44,800 If he did, it'd probably mess us up. 200 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:48,600 If y'all were here for the FCA banquet on Thursday night, we 201 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:52,280 got to hear a man by the name of Ned Yost share his story. 202 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:55,240 It was an amazing story. Of course, you know, a very 203 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:59,560 successful baseball player and manager and of course it took 204 00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:01,280 him a long time. He didn't come to faith till 205 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:04,960 later in life and then he realized God was calling him to 206 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:09,040 be a faith leader in the baseball community. 207 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:11,600 But it took him a while to realize that final destination 208 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:15,080 that God had in mind. This is what God does. 209 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:17,200 God calls us. Let me just stop and ask you, 210 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:22,880 have you heard the call of God to participate in His plan for 211 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:28,440 your life? Have you responded to the call 212 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:34,000 of God to be on His team and live His will and His path, His 213 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:36,760 plan, His purpose for your life? And have you said yes? 214 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,440 Have you been willing to let go of whatever it is God wants you 215 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:43,520 to let go of in order to embrace whatever it is God wants you to 216 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:47,320 embrace? And if not, I, I pray that you 217 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:52,920 hear God inviting you to His plan even now as I speak, that 218 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:55,040 you would say yes to God's plan on your life. 219 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:57,760 You say, Kyle, why do I need to say yes to God's plan? 220 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:01,240 Let me just kind of go back to the square one beginning and 221 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:04,400 remind us, right? Maybe this is for you if you've 222 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:07,160 yet to really understand the situation you're in spiritually, 223 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:10,760 That we all as human beings are sinners that have struck out of 224 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:14,240 the will of God and deserved to be called out forever. 225 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:19,480 We deserve God's separation from God, condemnation from God, 226 00:13:19,560 --> 00:13:22,560 judgment from God because of our unrighteousness, breaking the 227 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:24,560 law of God, having sinned against God. 228 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:29,280 And yet God in his mercy, love and grace sent salvation for you 229 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:30,400 and for me. And if I could put it in the 230 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:33,440 words of Genesis, God didn't send salvation for us in a 231 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:35,680 wooden boat, but in a wooden cross. 232 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:41,000 And where we should have been, Jesus hung for us, paying our 233 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:45,040 sin debt, paying the wrath of God we deserve, so that we could 234 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:49,080 escape the coming flood of the judgment of God against the sin 235 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:52,760 of mankind, which is coming. And only those that are covered 236 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:55,640 by the blood of Jesus, having said yes to Him by faith, will 237 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:59,200 escape the flood of the judgment of God against the sin of 238 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:02,760 mankind. We've struck out, but God says 239 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:04,920 there's a way out. His name is Jesus. 240 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:07,880 If you'll place your faith and call on Him for salvation. 241 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:10,720 Have you done that? This is where the call of God 242 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:12,680 begins. This is where the invitation to 243 00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:15,160 be on God's team begins. We don't deserve it. 244 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:17,040 God invites us. He won't pressure you. 245 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:19,320 He won't force you. He won't shout at you. 246 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:23,400 He lovingly invites you. Have you said yes? 247 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:26,160 God calls. Can you hear Him calling? 248 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:32,000 This is God's pattern #2 God calls second, God calls us to 249 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:34,920 bless us. God calls us to bless us. 250 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:38,720 Y'all. Abram was asked to do a ton of 251 00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:44,000 subtraction in his life in order to say yes to God's call. 252 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:46,720 But here's another little truth about the call of God in our 253 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:48,880 lives. But God's addition. 254 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:53,800 God's addition always makes any subtraction he asked of us 255 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:57,880 totally worth it. God's addition always makes 256 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:01,680 whatever subtraction He asked of us totally worth it. 257 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:05,440 And I just want you to check out the math of edition that God was 258 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:08,880 calling Abram into. Notice this land, Abram, I'm 259 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:11,280 going to give you a land. I'm going to leave a home and a 260 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:14,200 home forever, a place that is particularly yours and your 261 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:16,160 offspring. I'm going to make you a nation. 262 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:18,600 I'm going to give you offspring and descendants more than people 263 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:20,880 can count. I'm going to give you a name and 264 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:22,920 identity. I'm going to give you blessing 265 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:24,520 and impact on the lives of others. 266 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:27,560 Abraham, I'm going to give you protection in My presence to go 267 00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:29,320 with you. I'm going to invite you in to 268 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:32,800 fulfill My plan and purpose, not just for you, but for all of 269 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:35,360 mankind, for all the families of the earth. 270 00:15:35,400 --> 00:15:36,800 Are you kidding me? Right? 271 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:40,800 I mean, unbelievable. Yes, Abram is asked to subtract, 272 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:44,360 but look at the addition that God is asking and inviting Abram 273 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:47,040 into. Listen, I want you to mark down 274 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:49,840 a couple things in your notes about this right here. 275 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:53,960 Number one, the blessings of God's call are infinitely 276 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:57,040 bigger, better, and beyond anything we leave behind. 277 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:02,680 The blessings of God's call are infinitely bigger, better, and 278 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:06,600 beyond anything and everything we could possibly leave behind. 279 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:09,920 You see, what I mean is the blessings of saying yes to God 280 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:15,360 always outweigh whatever earthly sacrifices God calls us to make. 281 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:19,520 You might say, well, Kyle, my goodness, if I if I knew the 282 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:22,520 call of God on my life was as big and bright and beautiful as 283 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:24,880 Abrams sounded like, I might be more excited too. 284 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:28,600 I might be willing to do some subtraction if I knew all that 285 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:31,600 was in store. And perhaps it's in that moment 286 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:34,600 we need to be reminded, right, that the very second we have 287 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:38,960 Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are infinitely better 288 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:41,520 and beyond anything and everything we could ever 289 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:45,320 deserve. Our sins have been washed clean. 290 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:49,000 We've been given new life. We've been given the hope of 291 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:50,840 heaven. We've been given the promise of 292 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:53,680 the Holy Spirit, the promise that Jesus will never leave us 293 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:56,520 nor forsake us, that he's going to guide us to our last breath. 294 00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:59,080 We're going to see him face to face that Jesus is returning for 295 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:01,680 us. The very moment, the very moment 296 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:04,680 you have Jesus, you're always infinitely better than you could 297 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:07,640 ever deserve. Not to mention the truth that 298 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:10,599 now that we have Jesus, right, and that's bigger, better, and 299 00:17:10,599 --> 00:17:12,359 beyond anything we could leave behind. 300 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:14,800 And then we can live life through the ups and downs and 301 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:17,560 the trials and tribulations, knowing that to live is Christ 302 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:20,680 and to die is. And then this light, momentary 303 00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:23,160 affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory 304 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:25,520 beyond anything we could ever ask or imagine. 305 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:29,120 That what's coming for the people of God cannot even be 306 00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:32,360 compared to whatever you might be asked to subtract in life to 307 00:17:32,360 --> 00:17:35,120 follow Jesus. Listen, it's a joke compared to 308 00:17:35,120 --> 00:17:37,160 what God has in store for you and for me. 309 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:42,920 It doesn't compare. Second thing to write down under 310 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:45,040 how God calls us to bless us is this. 311 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:48,840 The blessings of God's call are impossible. 312 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:53,320 Outside the supernatural power of God, the blessings of God's 313 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:56,880 call are impossible. We need to recognize that 314 00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:01,120 outside the supernatural power of God. 315 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:04,480 You see, as wonderful as all these blessings sound, as we 316 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:10,120 read them and as Abraham heard them, it appears obviously 317 00:18:10,120 --> 00:18:16,120 they're all not just improbable, they're humanly impossible. 318 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:20,960 Let's just break this down. Abraham is 75 when he hears this 319 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:24,720 call from God. Sarah is 65. 320 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:27,720 And remember some of these blessings, God said he was going 321 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:32,320 to give them land, name, nation, blessing, offspring, y'all? 322 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:36,360 They've been trying for years to have offspring to no avail. 323 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:42,200 They tried for decades. They've long given up hope. 324 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:44,320 Now that Sarah's had the hot flashes years ago, they've 325 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:47,440 really given up hope. All right. 326 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:51,000 This is a dead end. There is no physical offspring. 327 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:53,680 God, how in the world you going to do any of that? 328 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:55,840 This situation? God, you've promised me 329 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:58,840 something. This isn't just improbable, it's 330 00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:03,600 actually absolutely impossible outside the supernatural divine 331 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:05,320 intervention of God. I'm just going to tell you to 332 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:07,880 receive the call of God and say, yes, God is always going to 333 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:12,080 require faith because God always wants to do and you only can be 334 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:13,920 accomplished by his supernatural power. 335 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:17,240 And you know what's so ironic? It's so funny how we often lose 336 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:20,360 faith that God could ever use us or do anything in our lives or 337 00:19:20,360 --> 00:19:23,240 have a plan for us or do anything of eternal significance 338 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:25,400 with us. And it's like we forget. 339 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:29,880 It's like we forget that our salvation was impossible without 340 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:33,360 God. We're only alive and in Christ 341 00:19:33,360 --> 00:19:36,160 because God has not just overcome the improbable, He's 342 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:40,160 done the impossible. Here's what I mean. 343 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:41,400 I don't think we appreciate this. 344 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:44,680 No one, the Bible says, can just say yes to Jesus when they want 345 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:47,360 to say yes to Jesus. Did you know that the Holy 346 00:19:47,360 --> 00:19:49,560 Spirit has to draw them? Did you know the Holy Spirit has 347 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:51,400 to open your eyes? Did you know the Bible says 348 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:55,160 you're blind until God removes the scales from your eyes and as 349 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:57,360 of your heart can see the truth from the lies. 350 00:19:57,480 --> 00:19:58,880 Then you realize your need for Jesus. 351 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:02,800 You if you're saved, that is a miracle of God. 352 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:06,840 And then why, if we're alive and a believer as a result of a 353 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:09,880 miracle of God, why would we doubt the plan of God only 354 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:12,040 possible by other miracles of God? 355 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:14,720 Wouldn't we just say, hey, if God did it once, God could do it 356 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:16,560 again? But nowhere like the Israelites 357 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:18,760 who got to see like 10 amazing plagues. 358 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:20,880 Then they get to the Red Sea and they're like, Oh my goodness, 359 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:25,480 what are we going to do? What, what where you been? 360 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:30,040 Where you been? What's God been doing right? 361 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:31,640 But that's how we live, is it not? 362 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:38,360 We like, we're like, where's God, you know, comes through 363 00:20:38,360 --> 00:20:41,320 again, comes through again. Why would we doubt God has 364 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:45,320 powerful supernatural, not just improbable, but infinitely 365 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:48,080 better than we could imagine, plans for us when we're alive in 366 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:51,960 Jesus by the supernatural power of God. 367 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:56,480 You know, God calls us, God calls us to bless us. 368 00:20:56,480 --> 00:21:00,320 Thirdly, God calls us to bless us to bless others. 369 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:03,640 God calls us to bless us to bless others. 370 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:04,760 Listen to verse two and three again. 371 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:10,280 God says, and I will make you a great nation and I will bless 372 00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:14,960 you and make your name great. Watch this so that you will be a 373 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:17,920 blessing. I will bless those who bless you 374 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:20,600 and then who dishonors you, I will curse. 375 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:25,000 And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 376 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:30,600 The call of, of God on Abraham's life was never just about Abram. 377 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:35,280 You see that it was a small part of something much, much bigger. 378 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:38,280 Let me just tell you again, God's call on your life is never 379 00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:41,320 just about you. This is something we take for 380 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:43,120 granted. We, we often think, well, my 381 00:21:43,120 --> 00:21:46,240 choices about whether I embrace God's call on my life, that that 382 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:48,280 just affects me, that that's personal to me. 383 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:52,680 No, no, it's not. It's always going to ripple 384 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:55,400 effect in somebody else's life. God's call on your life is never 385 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:58,720 just about you. It is always about the plan and 386 00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:02,040 purpose of God that He has for you in the lives of others. 387 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:04,880 What if Abram would have said no to God's call on his life to be 388 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:06,640 a blessing to all the families of the earth? 389 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:10,440 What if you were to say no to God's plan and purpose for your 390 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:11,760 life? How many people would it affect? 391 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:15,520 You can't even imagine. God's call on your life is 392 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:18,960 always a small slice of something much bigger. 393 00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:23,120 And your response to God impacts the lives of not just your life, 394 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:25,120 but the lives of countless others. 395 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:29,920 Countless others are impacted on your response. 396 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:32,840 And by the way, your yes, can I put it like this? 397 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:36,720 Your yes to God's call on your life is God's invitation to 398 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:42,440 eternal significance beyond your wildest imagination Your yes the 399 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:46,880 God's goal in your life is God's invitation to countless to 400 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:51,720 eternal significance beyond your beyond your imagination. 401 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:55,920 Y'all, as soon as God tells Abraham that he's going to bless 402 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:56,920 him, he tells him. Why? 403 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:01,720 So that, so that you, Abraham will be a blessing. 404 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:04,280 Y'all, in order not to assume anything, let's just define what 405 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:07,800 it means to be a blessing. What is it to be blessed? 406 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:12,000 To be blessed right is to experience the favor of God. 407 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:14,280 It is to experience the favor of God. 408 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:17,800 What is the favor of God is being invited into a personal 409 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:21,520 relationship with God be to be blessed is to know God. 410 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:24,760 To be blessed is to experience God, to know his person, his 411 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:27,800 power, his presence, his protection, his provision, his 412 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:30,440 plan, his purpose. To be blessed is to be used by 413 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:34,160 God, to be accomplishing the will of God by his power, 414 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:36,120 spreading the knowledge of God, glorifying God. 415 00:23:36,120 --> 00:23:39,960 All these things are ways, right, that the blessing of God 416 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:44,000 has experienced in our lives. And the greatest way, the 417 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:48,360 ultimate and greatest way that this promise would be fulfilled 418 00:23:48,360 --> 00:23:53,120 to Abram is that through the line of Abram, a son would be 419 00:23:53,120 --> 00:23:55,840 born. Not just any son, but the Son of 420 00:23:55,840 --> 00:24:00,920 God, the promise, the promised offspring of the woman that 421 00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:04,960 would crush the head of the serpent promised in Genesis 315 422 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:08,280 would come through the line of Abram, born a savior of the 423 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:11,240 world, bringing the message of the good news of the gospel. 424 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:13,840 That is that Jesus has done for us what we could not do for 425 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:17,320 ourselves to save us. Offered to the Jew 1st and also 426 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:19,120 to the Gentile. The way we put it in the 427 00:24:19,120 --> 00:24:22,040 Christmas story, it's going to be good news of great joy for 428 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:23,960 all people. The way it's put here in 429 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:26,800 Genesis, in you, all the families of the earth will be 430 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:28,080 blessed. You want to jump to the New 431 00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:31,600 Testament to see how it's stated in Galatians 3 verse verse 8 and 432 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:35,040 the scripture Paul writes what this is fascinating for seeing 433 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:37,680 that God would justify the Gentiles. 434 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:42,000 That's all the non Jews by faith preached the gospel. 435 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:46,800 Who first preached the gospel? God did the Bible said God 436 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:50,280 preached it to Abraham when he said in you all the families of 437 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:52,120 the earth we're going to be are going to be blessed. 438 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:56,360 God preaches the gospel before him to Abraham saying in you all 439 00:24:56,360 --> 00:25:03,000 the nations will be blessed to this day and until the day Jesus 440 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,800 returns. The greatest way God uses us to 441 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:11,680 bless others is when we share the good news of Jesus with them 442 00:25:12,360 --> 00:25:16,120 and how they can be saved. I just want to stop here for a 443 00:25:16,120 --> 00:25:19,760 moment and I just want to continue to clarify something 444 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:22,280 that we talk about as a church all the time because we end 445 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:26,400 every service with as you go, you go to what in the world does 446 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:28,680 that mean? Let me just tell you what that 447 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:31,200 means. To make disciples. 448 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:37,560 To make disciples is simply to help others become more like 449 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:39,560 Jesus. That's it. 450 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:44,240 It's to help others become more like Jesus. 451 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:46,440 Now you say, well, Kyle, that's kind of got two parts to it. 452 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:48,640 It does. The first part of that is 453 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:51,440 introducing people to Jesus. They can't be like him. 454 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:54,160 They can't follow him. They can't know him until 455 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:57,040 they're introduced to him. This is why the Bible says faith 456 00:25:57,040 --> 00:25:59,080 comes by hearing by the word of Christ. 457 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:01,160 How can they be saved without a preacher? 458 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:03,000 That doesn't mean a paid guy on a stage. 459 00:26:03,120 --> 00:26:05,480 That means a Christian bold enough to open up their mouth 460 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:09,240 and say Jesus loves you, He died for you. 461 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:12,680 He wants to save you if you'll trust Him for forgiveness of 462 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:14,880 your sin. To make disciples is to 463 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:18,440 introduce people to Jesus and then to help walk people towards 464 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:21,640 obedience to Jesus so their daily lives they look more like 465 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:23,480 Jesus as they get to know Him right? 466 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:25,840 Making disciples means inviting people to church. 467 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:29,280 Making disciples means praying over people when you get an 468 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:31,760 opportunity. Making disciples means 469 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:35,520 encouraging A fellow believer in Jesus of how does it look to 470 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:39,200 follow and obey Jesus in life in ordinary situations and moments. 471 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:43,160 Making disciples dads looks like modeling Christ likeness in your 472 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:44,720 home. Wives, it looks like modeling 473 00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:47,320 Christ likeness in your homes. It looks like parenting your 474 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:49,880 kids to disciple them to know Jesus, opening up the word of 475 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:51,680 God, living it out in your workplace. 476 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:55,280 Y'all it's it's, it's so simple. We lose sight of it sometimes. 477 00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:59,200 Discipleship is just becoming more like Jesus. 478 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:03,840 What we're saying is when you leave here today, tomorrow and 479 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:06,880 until we return, introduce people to Jesus and help them 480 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:09,080 walk more closely with Jesus. That's what we mean when we say 481 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:12,480 make disciples. This is the blessing promised to 482 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:16,080 Abraham continuing to go forth through all the families of the 483 00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:16,400 earth. Y'all. 484 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:19,120 This is the mission of God that he's been up to since the 485 00:27:19,120 --> 00:27:21,600 beginning, preaching the gospel. This is the mission he's invited 486 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:23,560 us into. And this is the mission of our 487 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:26,840 church to make disciples of all nations starting right here to 488 00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:30,680 the ends of the earth. I think we should just, let's 489 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:32,040 just remind ourselves of the basics. 490 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:36,640 You ready? Life's greatest blessing is 491 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:39,520 knowing God through his Son Jesus Christ. 492 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:44,080 That's it. You want to know what life's 493 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:50,280 greatest problem is when people don't know God through his son 494 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:54,840 Jesus Christ. The world's greatest problem is 495 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:58,040 lostness. That means spiritually out of a 496 00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:02,360 relationship, not knowing God through his son Jesus. 497 00:28:02,360 --> 00:28:05,280 Abraham, I'm going to bless your life so that you can give the 498 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:07,840 greatest blessing to countless others. 499 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:12,800 God calls us to bless us and use us to bless others. 500 00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:15,560 Now, I want you to watch this for a second because I'm going 501 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:18,800 to kind of change gears here for a second to speak to something 502 00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:22,080 that this text brings up. And I want to try to just be 503 00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:23,720 very clear. I'm doing this just because I 504 00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:26,960 think pastorally this is helpful for us as believers to process. 505 00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:32,240 Notice this though, Abraham is blessed by God to be a blessing, 506 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:35,240 right to all the people. Did you notice that much of the 507 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:40,080 blessing that is promised is dependent on how people treat 508 00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:42,000 Abram? Do you notice that? 509 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:44,680 God's like, hey, people that do this, I'm going to do this. 510 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:46,120 People that do this, I'm going to do this. 511 00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:48,720 Do you notice that? There's kind of a conditional 512 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:52,240 situation here, All right, It says, I'll bless those who bless 513 00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:55,520 you and him who dishonors you. I will curse. 514 00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:59,320 Let's be more specific. God promises to bless those who 515 00:28:59,320 --> 00:29:04,200 seek the honor, the good and the blessing of Abraham in his 516 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:06,960 offspring. And then God promises to curse 517 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:11,360 those who seek the dishonor, the harm, the hurt of Abraham in his 518 00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:13,560 offspring. I don't know if you've noticed 519 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:17,280 this verse is somewhat of a lightning rod in our culture 520 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:20,200 today. Anybody see the Tucker Carlson 521 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:24,680 interview with Ted Cruz where this verse, this subject came 522 00:29:24,680 --> 00:29:25,240 up? Anybody. 523 00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:28,520 Few of you. All right, you can Google that 524 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:34,600 Ted Cruz took some heat for his lack of ability to really speak 525 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:38,560 clearly on a stance that he took on this right here. 526 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:42,200 So I, I, I want to just speak about this because when the word 527 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:45,080 of God brings up things in our culture that we ought to know 528 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:48,760 where we stand and how to process this is helpful for us, 529 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:50,960 right? So this verse, I'll bless those 530 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:52,840 who bless you, I'll curse those who curse you. 531 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:55,120 What does this mean? What does it mean today? 532 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:57,160 What did it mean then? What's it mean spiritually, 533 00:29:57,360 --> 00:29:59,080 historically? What what does this mean? 534 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:02,280 All right, well, here's the deal, I don't have all the 535 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:05,360 answers, but I, I want to state some things that I believe are 536 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:08,800 true with all my heart. Now if you don't agree with 537 00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:10,520 these things, you don't have to e-mail me today. 538 00:30:10,520 --> 00:30:13,560 That's OK. All right, I realize people 539 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:16,040 don't agree with everything that I say, but you just take your 540 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:18,800 eyes to the word of God and make up your mind for yourself. 541 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:20,680 That's, that's what, that's what you're supposed to do as a 542 00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:23,080 believer. All right, But let me just tell 543 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:24,600 you some things that I believe with all my heart are true. 544 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:27,080 And I've stated these, I'm going to read them because I want to 545 00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:30,320 be very clear #1 these are not in your notes. 546 00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:31,480 This is extra. This is for free. 547 00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:38,440 God chose, God chose one man, Abram, and his descendants, that 548 00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:42,960 is ethnic Israel, Jews, through whom he would bring the Savior 549 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:49,160 to the world #2 Satan hates these people. 550 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:50,480 Oh, these are on the screen. Look at here. 551 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:55,600 Satan hates these people and incites the world to hate them. 552 00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:01,600 anti-Semitism, that is discrimination against or hatred 553 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:05,440 of Jews in various forms and degrees, has existed since the 554 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:10,240 days of Abram. It's hit seismic and tragic 555 00:31:10,240 --> 00:31:12,600 proportions in world history at times. 556 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:15,840 It's on the rise again today. It's been wrong. 557 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:17,920 It is wrong. It always will be wrong. 558 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:21,120 It's not just wicked, it is satanic in its motivation. 559 00:31:23,040 --> 00:31:26,920 It's wrong. Now let me say this, does this 560 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:31,480 mean, does this mean that one must politically support 561 00:31:31,520 --> 00:31:34,040 everything Israel does or decides? 562 00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:41,080 No, no, doesn't mean that. Does this mean we ought to seek 563 00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:45,040 their survival, their good, their prosperity, and their 564 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:48,720 protection? Yes, yes. 565 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:51,320 I'm not being political, I'm just being biblical. 566 00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:57,280 By the way #3 God repeatedly promised to give the land. 567 00:31:57,280 --> 00:32:00,880 I want you to watch this one. God repeatedly promised to give 568 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:06,360 the land of Canaan to Abram and his offspring as an everlasting 569 00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:08,280 possession. You don't have to look for in 570 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:10,160 your Bible. In fact, if you just look over 571 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:14,360 chapter 13, look at verse 15. Listen to this for all the land 572 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:16,320 that you see. I will give to you and your 573 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:17,920 offspring. What's that next word? 574 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:26,320 Forever, forever. God promised Abraham and his 575 00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:30,000 offspring this, this land forever. 576 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:33,440 If you turn to Genesis chapter 17, I won't read all this, but 577 00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:36,160 beginning in verse 7, it says, and I will establish my covenant 578 00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:39,040 between me and you and your offspring that throughout their 579 00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:42,360 generations, for how long a covenant, an everlasting 580 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:45,120 covenant to be God to you and your offspring after you. 581 00:32:45,360 --> 00:32:47,560 I'll give to you and your offspring after you the land of 582 00:32:47,560 --> 00:32:49,840 your sojournings, all the land of Canaan. 583 00:32:49,840 --> 00:32:53,480 For here it is again, everlasting possession, and I 584 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:57,160 will be their God. I believe with all my heart the 585 00:32:57,160 --> 00:33:00,920 reason why there's no Hittites, Hittites, Jebusites, 586 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:05,120 Girgashites, Amorites, other, whatever bites, but there's 587 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:07,520 Israelites. You know why? 588 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:13,320 Because of the promise of God, because of the covenant of God 589 00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:15,480 with Abraham. You know why Israelites are in 590 00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:19,000 their land today? Because of the promise of God. 591 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:24,000 Because of an everlasting possession promised of God, God 592 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:27,560 promised to give him as a it's a continuation of the promise of 593 00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:32,720 name, nation, land, offspring #4 the land of Israel and Jerusalem 594 00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:37,080 is at the center of God's plan for His return, His earthly 595 00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:39,880 reign, and His creation of a new heavens and a new earth. 596 00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:42,680 You read your Bible and I can show you verse after verse like 597 00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:46,000 Jeremiah 317. This is at that time Jerusalem. 598 00:33:46,080 --> 00:33:50,640 Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all 599 00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:53,400 nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in 600 00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:56,720 Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own 601 00:33:56,720 --> 00:34:02,320 evil heart #5 It is true that the majority of ethnic Israel, 602 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:05,360 that is Jews, have rejected Jesus as their Messiah. 603 00:34:06,760 --> 00:34:09,639 You can read about why in Romans Chapter 11. 604 00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:13,400 Because of unbelief, God has given them A hardness of heart 605 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:15,360 against the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 606 00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:22,600 Number six, some of the Jews have received and will receive 607 00:34:22,679 --> 00:34:26,800 Jesus as their Messiah. The Bible says in Romans 9 and 608 00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:28,480 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel. 609 00:34:28,719 --> 00:34:31,440 Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the 610 00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:34,239 sea, just like God said it would, only a remnant of them 611 00:34:34,239 --> 00:34:36,280 will be saved. Only a remnant of them, a small 612 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:41,400 minority of them, are going to put their faith in Jesus #7 613 00:34:41,840 --> 00:34:45,280 Ultimately, only Jews and Gentiles who place their faith 614 00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:49,080 in Jesus will be saved. Listen to Galatians 37. 615 00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:54,280 Know then, that it is those of faith who are the sons of 616 00:34:54,360 --> 00:34:56,480 Abraham. Why am I telling you these 617 00:34:56,480 --> 00:34:57,640 things? Let me just give you some very 618 00:34:57,640 --> 00:34:59,400 practical things that are takeaways. 619 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:01,840 Whether you agree with what I've just said or not, I want you to 620 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:04,360 read your Bible for yourself. Let me give you some takeaways 621 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:10,600 #1 anti-Semitism is satanic. Don't be fooled, don't be fooled 622 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:16,400 #2 we ought to pray for and seek the blessing, especially the 623 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:20,240 blessing of salvation for the people through whom God brought 624 00:35:20,240 --> 00:35:24,960 the Savior. And #3 wherever there is a 625 00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:27,360 hatred of Jews, mark your calendar. 626 00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:29,600 There's a hatred of Christians right behind them. 627 00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:33,880 Always. Wherever you see a hatred of the 628 00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:38,120 Israelites, which is satanically motivated, mark your calendar. 629 00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:41,560 You're going to see the hatred of Christians right behind them. 630 00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:45,680 It happens every time, y'all. So I got off a little bit of a 631 00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:47,640 tangent on that. What's the point that I want you 632 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:51,000 to walk away with today? I want you to see the pattern of 633 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:52,760 life that God is inviting you in. 634 00:35:53,680 --> 00:35:57,360 God is calling you. God is calling you to bless you. 635 00:35:58,160 --> 00:35:59,920 God is calling you to be a blessing. 636 00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:05,480 Have you said yes? Have you said yes? 637 00:36:06,120 --> 00:36:10,080 I want to read you something that Philip, you sent me this 638 00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:13,520 not long ago in an e-mail. This is Philip Archer. 639 00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:17,760 That is, I printed it off. This is a little letter written 640 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:22,360 by somebody by the name of John Hatcher, and he's writing a 641 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:25,360 little poem about the reason why they're headed back to the 642 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:28,560 mission field. He he titles it, he'll refer 643 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:31,280 with the to it as the job they're called to do. 644 00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:34,200 I want you to when you hear Job, I want you to hear calling. 645 00:36:34,760 --> 00:36:38,160 OK, not everybody's called to go to Brazil as a missionary, but 646 00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:41,080 God has a calling on your life. I want you to hear these words 647 00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:44,120 and see how they might inspire and encourage you to embrace the 648 00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:47,040 job, the call that God has on your life. 649 00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:51,240 He says, dear friends, we're back in Brazil and here is the 650 00:36:51,240 --> 00:36:57,200 reason why. The job I by sin, a worthless 651 00:36:57,200 --> 00:37:01,760 slave, loathsome, lacking loss, depraved, devilish, damned 652 00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:06,560 enemy, alien, arrogant nave. But God appeared with merciful 653 00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:09,160 pardon, rich and free by word divine. 654 00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:11,960 The Spirit said he'll run the race for thee. 655 00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:15,920 He ran the course I did see as he neared the end, he fell 656 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:20,400 bloody beaten, but remembering me arose and reached the end the 657 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:26,280 tree and paid my debt. The hell by grace he, my race is 658 00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:29,120 one. I'm no longer slave, but son, my 659 00:37:29,120 --> 00:37:31,760 son, said he in loving tone. I have a job for you. 660 00:37:32,080 --> 00:37:35,280 I need you. So for someone in the gap must 661 00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:38,960 stand and preach. If other slaves my grace would 662 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:42,400 reach, will you do the job? Will you go? 663 00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:46,400 I've redeemed in every land and tongue and tribe and trail. 664 00:37:46,600 --> 00:37:48,360 Is your love enough to take the job? 665 00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:52,840 Will you go or will you fail? My heartbeat to break, my chest 666 00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:56,440 dragging back The old flesh cried What out there? 667 00:37:56,480 --> 00:38:00,000 You'll have no rest, you'll die. And then the Spirit came, And in 668 00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:03,520 his strength I said, I'll go, by your grace, I'll do my best. 669 00:38:03,720 --> 00:38:06,280 And the old flesh was right. He's had no rest. 670 00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:08,880 Too hot he cries of blistering sun. 671 00:38:09,040 --> 00:38:11,200 Too dangerous to seize. I may die. 672 00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:14,480 And he's afraid of robbers. Gun but the Spirit says remember 673 00:38:14,480 --> 00:38:16,840 the elect he ran for them as well as you. 674 00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:21,240 So to the plow do not look back just ahead keep Jesus in view. 675 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:24,960 One day soon I'll see him there who ran the race for me and I'll 676 00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:29,000 see the ones who heaven share through the job he gave to me. 677 00:38:29,240 --> 00:38:32,560 I'll take my crown with joyous heart and cast it at his feet 678 00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:35,760 and say with sweat, pain, tears all through Father, thanks for 679 00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:41,160 the job you gave me to do. God has a job for you. 680 00:38:42,680 --> 00:38:45,960 Only question is will you say yes? 681 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:52,520 It'll appear improbable because it's impossible unless by the 682 00:38:52,520 --> 00:38:57,240 Holy Spirit you say yes and allow Him to have His way in 683 00:38:57,240 --> 00:38:58,840 your life. John and praise team are about 684 00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:00,160 to come out. Here's what I'm going to do. 685 00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:05,120 I'm going to invite you to ask yourself where you are when it 686 00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:07,800 comes to the call of God on your life. 687 00:39:08,720 --> 00:39:11,320 Do you have things that are holding you back? 688 00:39:11,320 --> 00:39:14,040 Are you refusing to do any subtraction? 689 00:39:15,280 --> 00:39:17,960 Then I invite you maybe to step out from where you are. 690 00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:20,800 Come get on your knees or stand. Use these steps as an altar 691 00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:24,240 before God and tell God, God, subtract whatever it is you want 692 00:39:24,240 --> 00:39:28,120 to subtract. God, help me say no and walk 693 00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:30,880 away to whatever it is you want me to walk away from so I can 694 00:39:30,880 --> 00:39:32,760 embrace whatever it is you're calling me to. 695 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:36,000 God, maybe I've been dealing with unbelief, believing that 696 00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:38,560 you can't use me, that the plan's too big for me. 697 00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:41,960 I'm unworthy, I'm incapable. The answer to that is all yes, 698 00:39:42,680 --> 00:39:46,200 but God. But God, God, I'm coming today 699 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:47,320 to get before you. Just say God. 700 00:39:47,320 --> 00:39:51,720 I believe because of you, I'm going to say yes. 701 00:39:52,440 --> 00:39:54,880 I don't know the final destination, but I'll take the 702 00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:57,000 first step. Maybe you need to say yes to 703 00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:00,640 Jesus as your Savior, give your life to Him and start the whole 704 00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:03,160 journey where God says start by faith in His Son. 705 00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:07,680 If there's anything else holding you back, would you be willing 706 00:40:07,680 --> 00:40:10,840 to come and give it to Him? God has a plan for you, bigger 707 00:40:10,840 --> 00:40:13,400 and better and beyond anything you could ever plan for 708 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:15,640 yourself. If you'll say yes, I'm going to 709 00:40:15,640 --> 00:40:18,280 pray that I'm going to ask you to stand and respond as God 710 00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:20,080 leads you. Heavenly Father God, I want to 711 00:40:20,080 --> 00:40:22,720 lift up. Every single person under the 712 00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:27,360 sound of your word this morning here in the room, maybe online, 713 00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:32,440 that you're calling to say yes, Father. 714 00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:36,280 I pray they would by faith say yes, Father. 715 00:40:36,280 --> 00:40:38,600 Whatever's holding them back, they'd let go of. 716 00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:41,720 Whatever's keeping them from trusting in Jesus, they would 717 00:40:41,720 --> 00:40:43,200 let go of. Whatever's keeping them from 718 00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:46,800 living out the calling on their lives, they'd let go of and 719 00:40:46,800 --> 00:40:50,160 embrace the pattern by faith of your call, Your blessing to be a 720 00:40:50,160 --> 00:40:54,120 blessing and the Father We would see our lives impact the lives 721 00:40:54,120 --> 00:40:57,640 of countless because of our yes to you in Jesus name I pray, 722 00:40:58,320 --> 00:40:59,600 Amen. Would you stand with me church 723 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:02,480 family, I'm going to stand here. We'll have encouragers. 724 00:41:02,480 --> 00:41:04,200 It'll be close. We're going to sing and worship 725 00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:06,120 is your chance to say yes to God. 726 00:41:06,120 --> 00:41:07,400 Don't let anything hold you back. 727 00:41:07,720 --> 00:41:09,800 Let's worship him together. And you respond as the Lord 728 00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:11,560 leads you this morning, you come.