The One True God

The Cost to Know the One True God

To this point we have covered much ground. At the start of the series I mentioned how this would not be an exhaustive look at who God is but instead a look what the cost was for the heroes of our faith to get to know who God is and what it would take for us.

Spoken early in this series were several prophetic words that spoke to a shaking that would come and how we should lean into it and not be afraid

True to form the shaking has come to Remnant and has caused many of us to take that child-like posture as we surrendered and placed our trust in the Lord turning over the things He was asking us for.

I am assured each of you has had to count the cost. Some of you said “yes Lord, even if it costs me everything” others have said “no Lord, I am not ready” Both have made a decision and now await the what is next.

The reality is that each of you had to sit in a space where the Lord may have just given you one small glimpse into the what is next and then waited on your response… this may have led to you to a tenebrous space. (over and against what others have said

“When God is asking you’ll just have peace”…

“When God is asking you wont have questions”… “When God is asking there wont be any anxiety”)

Yet here you sit in a tenebrous space thinking is this really God? The short answer is yes as it leads us to our last stop in this series

In this last stop we will see the call, the anointing, the appointing, the testing and the confirmation

Contrary to popular belief sometimes there is a space of not knowing, a space of questions, a space of testing , and ultimately a cost to know the God who has called you into Himself since the before you took your first breath.

On the road to knowing God in greater ways you must commit to the process

Genesis 22:4–8 ESV

On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

Abraham is now a about 120 years old and is exhibiting some serious faith

These are the Spiritual giants many of us aspire to be like

His faith has an impact on people around him

Isaac is not a little boy in this story it is believed he is between 17-25 yoa

He is not dumb but is well aware something is missing yet is willing to trust

Abraham tells his servants with a cohortative verb… “we will come again”

not just words he meant and believed he and his son would return

what faith!!!

Many read the story and want to get to this space of faith without paying the cost Abraham paid along the way…

moments of anxiety

moments of doubt

moments of only knowing one step and having to believe God more than he believed in himself

In God there are no shortcuts if we are to know more about God and grow into who we have been called to be we must submit to the process… just in case any of us still think God will not test us read verse 1… God tested

Abraham’s Call

The first shaking

Abram following in the path of His Father on the way Canaan

The desire/call to go to Canaan was in the family

death caused terah to settle in Haran failed to move on

What is known about Terah is he was an idol worshipper

the God was one amongst almost 500 gods

How distorted was his ability to hear God that a crises caused him to end his pursuit of the God

yet God is faithful …

Genesis 12:1–4 ESV

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

I want to know what God spoke to Terah to cause him to begin the journey and how heavy the idol worship was that he surrendered his call…

so many of us do just as Terah in the shaking we surrender the call before the journey actually begins

you hear the call in the intimate space but it is too far fetched, too out of this world… or the idols in our life are too big we are too accustomed to this way of life and realize in this brief shaking this glimpse of God is enough

500 gods but this one speaks

Abram now must decide whose voice to follow

Abram was also being shaken it is his brother that has died and now his father is dead “everything is being shaken”

As your world is being shaken silence the noise and listen to what the one true God is asking of you

Who was around to hear God make this call, who would corroborate that God even promised him anything

Yet by faith Abram says yes and takes one step… that is it one step into the God who has called him by name

you are called to make that one step in the intimate space

do not give up just because no one else believes it… trust the voice of God leave the idols behind

The thing is the call was with you before you were born… *mystery everyone in your line has had a call how many have committed to the call who they were from the start, what God had spokn over them from the beginning… today you are being asked to reaffirm that call and press in

Abraham’s 1st Anointing

Genesis 12:7–8 ESV

Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.

The Lord appeared to him

there was no holy man or even a laying on of hands or imparting… the anointing was independent of anyone and simply was the will of God

God honored the one step

how could Abram possibly know the cost other than just believing in the promise

yet he committed to it… I hear you Lord… I do not have all the answers but yes Lord

In the anointing God shows him the vision

your anointing has vision even if you do not understand it

Canaanites were in the land… it was still occupied by the enemy he had to look beyond that

Seals the commitment by building an altar

Genesis 12:7 ESV

Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

To the God who had appeared to him (revealed Himself and spoke him)

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Imprudent to move on for the sake of time

Altar Call

Which of your gods have ever appeared to you?

Which of your gods have ever spoken to you from among the many idols in this world?

Of all the gods/idols in this world none have ever called you by name, yet they have attempted to distort your call from the time you were born

When you first gave your life to Christ they again tried to destroy your purpose… this is the one step today Church you have been enduring a shaking many of you have already taken the first step

That first step was when you first heard your call, yes the road has been hard, yes you have been tested but you’re here… you’re here… I want you to now listen for the vision God is speaking over you

Now in faith build that altar with me… to the one true God… the only God who has revealed Himself to you…