The Problem With Following God: He Doesn’t Tell You Everything
The Problem With Following God • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Good morning! Turn with me this morning to the book of Acts…..Just kidding. Turn with me to Genesis 12.
Well this morning we are kicking off a new series we are calling The Problem with Following God.
Now calm down… this one won’t be 65 weeks long. Only four. Breathe. You can do this.
Before we get started in the word this morning let’s talk about that title for a moment.
Just hearing it probably stirred up some kind of thought or feeling.
Because here’s the truth.
Following God is not something we talk about honestly enough.
We often make it sound smooth, simple, and easy.
But if we’re being real, it can be confusing. It can be costly.
It can be downright problematic.
Now, I know some of us are always doing great. For you, following Jesus has been a breeze. It’s never cost you a thing.
It’s never stretched you or made you uncomfortable.
And maybe… just maybe… that’s the problem.
Following God. Pursuing the life He has called us to live. It is costly. But believe me… it’s worth it.
This morning we’re looking at the moment where a man named Abram first steps onto the stage of Scripture.
He shows up at the end of Genesis 11, living in a place called Haran with his family.
Here’s the problem. Haran was not a place chasing after God. It was known for worshiping the moon god, just like Abram’s hometown of Ur.
Joshua 24:2 even tells us Abram’s father and his family served other gods.
So before Abram ever followed God, he was surrounded by idols.
And that is where God speaks. Right into the middle of idolatry. Right into the middle of confusion.
That’s the tension we’re stepping into:
the very first step of following God often means leaving behind the gods and securities we’ve grown comfortable with.
And that’s exactly what God asks Abram to do in Genesis 12.
Let’s dive in:
1 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.
2 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.
3 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.”
4 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.
5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,
6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.
7 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.
8 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.
9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.
This morning we are going to talk about the first problem with following God:
Problem #1 With Following God Is He Doesn’t Tell You Everything
Pray
You ever just get in your car and drive? No destination. No direction. You just start going.
Maybe you’re cruising to your favorite album in the CD player.
Now, if you’re under the age of 18, let me explain. A CD is a disc…A disc is a circle….And a CD is a circle that has music loaded onto it.
Here’s the wild part. Back in the day, we had to pay $17 for one album. Just one. And you were rolling the dice.
Because you had no idea if the rest of the songs were any good. You bought it for the single. And if you were lucky, track 6 was kind of decent too.
Now you pay $17 for all the albums. Every song ever made.
Whole generations will never know the pain of spending two weeks’ allowance on a CD where the only good song was the one you already heard on the radio.
And yet somehow… we survived.
Kids, listen to your parents. They walked uphill both ways to buy that CD.
And they suffered so you could have playlists.
But back to this road trip. You start out thinking, ‘This is freedom! Windows down. Music up. Anywhere the road takes me.’
About an hour and a half later reality hits. You have no idea where you are. No signal, so the GPS isn’t working. Your gas light comes on.
Your stomach says food. Your wallet says fasting.
That’s when it hits you… you didn’t go on a road trip. You just got lost with confidence.
Now, if my little example stressed you out… Abram’s story is about to have you in the fetal position on the inside.
Here’s the reality: we want God to speak to us… until He does.
We love the idea of God speaking. It sounds comforting. It sounds inspiring. We imagine He’s going to whisper encouragements, remind us how great we are, or lay out a step-by-step plan that makes us feel secure.
But when God speaks, it’s rarely that neat and tidy. His words don’t always soothe us; sometimes they stretch us.
They don’t always confirm our plans; sometimes they confront them.
We say we want God to speak, but so often when He finally does, we find ourselves trying to backtrack. Because when He does, it’s often like what He says to Abram:
1 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.
2 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.
3 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.”
The very first word out of God’s mouth is, ‘Go.’
Notice what He doesn’t say.
He doesn’t say, ‘Hey buddy… it’s me, the Lord. Just checking in. How’s it going? By the way—I love you.’
Nope. Just: Go.
Now, just in verse 1, there is a lot to unpack:
1 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.
First, He says, ‘Go from your country.’ That word country literally means land. Translation: leave the place you’ve called home your whole life.
But He doesn’t stop there. God loves the word ‘and.’ Have you noticed that?
‘Go from your country and your kindred…’
That word kindred is the Hebrew word môladet, which means bloodline. In other words: leave your people. Leave your family tree. Leave your roots.
And then He takes it even deeper: ‘…and your father’s house.’
Not just your extended family. Not just your heritage. But your immediate family too. The ones under your own roof.
So in just one verse, God tells Abram: leave your land, your bloodline, and your household. Everything familiar. Everything secure. Everything that makes you feel safe.
And here’s my favorite part…
‘…and go to the land that I will show you.’
Like… what?!
Hold on. Time out. God, You want me to leave everything I’ve ever known… and You can’t even drop me a pin on Google Maps?
You’re not even going to point in a direction? North? South? Maybe give me a landmark? Nothing?
God basically says, ‘Pack up. Start walking. I’ll let you know when you get there.
Meanwhile, some of the men in this room need detailed directions just to find the milk… and it has its own aisle and a glowing light over it.
Here’s what I love about the call of Abram though. Remember how I said God loves ands? Watch this….
2 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.
God always rewards obedience. Always.
But I want you to notice something important here. God doesn’t say, ‘I will make you a great nation.’ He says, ‘I will make of you a great nation.’
That one little word matters. Because this isn’t about Abram becoming great in himself. It’s about what God will bring through him.
In other words, God is saying: ‘Abram, this is bigger than you. What I’m doing in your life is not just for you….it’s for generations after you.’
The Reward for Obedience Is Eternal, Not Internal
But here’s the problem…too often we get focused on the me reward. What do I get if I obey? What’s in it for me?
We start thinking, ‘If I obey, will I get the job? Will my life get easier? Will my problems go away?’
But God isn’t promising comfort for me. He’s promising impact through me.
The reward that God gives is bigger than my blessing. It’s about legacy, not luxury. It outlives us. It outlasts us.
Can I spoil the story for you? Abram never even got to see the nation God promised. He never lived long enough to watch it unfold.
But because of his obedience, generations did. Nations did. We did.
Look at verse 3
3 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.”
‘All the families of the earth.’ That includes you. That includes me.
Now, quick side note. Because I know somebody’s already thinking about it. Genesis 12:3 is not a blanket command that says, ‘We blindly support everything the nation of Israel does or says.’ I don’t care what our Texas senator says.
We’ll come back to that in the beginning of 2026 when we do a whole series on the end times. I just wanted to drop that note in here so you don’t misread the text.
Verse 4…
4 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.
Now, on the surface this looks like Abram is fully obedient. God said, ‘Go,’ and he went. End of story, right?
But notice this little detail… Abram has an ‘and’ of his own.
“…so Abram went, as the Lord had told him, AND Lot went with him.”
This is partial obedience…
God said, ‘Leave your country, leave your kindred, leave your father’s house’… but Abram takes his nephew.
He obeys… but not completely.
How often do we do this?
I’m going to trust You, God and my horoscope, because what if You didn’t really create the universe?
I’m going to trust You, God and my bank account, because I don’t really believe You’ll provide.
I’m going to trust You, God and my political party, because I think salvation sits in Washington.
I’m going to trust You, God and my career ladder, because my identity is in my job title.
I’m going to trust You, God and my kids’ success, because I care more about their achievements than their holiness.
I’m going to trust You, God and my phone, because I run to scrolling before I run to Scripture.
We may not say it out loud, but we all have an and.
But hear me — there is no such thing as being obedient and.
If Your Obedience Has an And, You Have an Idol
Now notice this… God doesn’t come out and rebuke Abram for this. The text doesn’t say God called him out for sinning. But watch what happens…
In Genesis 13, Abram and Lot end up in an argument that splits up their family.
In Genesis 14, Abram has to drop everything, change course, and risk his life to rescue Lot… dragging him into a battle he never should have fought.
This is a word for somebody. Your in a battle you never should have been in because you were walking with someone you never should have been walking with.
And by Genesis 19, Abram is on his face pleading with God to spare Lot’s life as Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed.
Do you see it? That one little and in Genesis 12 became years of frustration. It cost Abram peace in his household. It dragged him into unnecessary fights. It broke his heart.
Here’s the point… God may not call out your idol on day one… but He will deal with it. And when He does, it will be through the very headaches, frustrations, and battles you thought you could avoid.
Some of us have been dragged through the mud… not because we were following Jesus… but because of what we refused to let go of.
What you refuse to release… God will eventually remove… because He is not going to let an idol sit in the backseat asking ‘are we there yet’ every five seconds on the journey.
God will ask you not to bring it. But if you do, He will give you plenty of opportunities to let it go… and you will not like those ways.
And here’s what happens — instead of moving forward, we get stuck circling the same problems, fighting the same battles, carrying the same weight. Why? Because God won’t let us skip steps.
That’s the lesson Abram shows us. Following God doesn’t come with the whole map.
Obedience Is Step by Step, Not Blueprint by Blueprint
God doesn’t give you the whole picture at once… He gives you the next step. And if you’re faithful in that step, He’ll trust you with the next.
God will give you opportunities to build up faith. Sometimes it’s small steps. Sometimes it’s hard steps. But every step is an invitation to trust Him more.
Jesus said it in Luke 12:48
48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
Quick context. In Luke 12, Jesus is teaching with a parable. He describes a master who leaves his servants in charge while he’s away. Some are faithful with what they’re given. Some abuse it. When the master comes back, each servant is held accountable for what they did with what they had.
So when Jesus says this, He’s not talking about random punishment. He’s talking about responsibility. About stewardship. About being faithful with what God places in your hands.
Then a few chapters later he says
10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
Faith is built step by step… opportunity by opportunity.
Ask yourself: What is my step?
and then….TAKE IT.
lets keep going verse 5
5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,
So they set out on the journey. But real quick, I want to address something. Verse 5 says… ‘and the people that they had acquired in Haran.’
At first glance, that looks like slavery. And it is… but not in the way we think of slavery today.
In that ancient culture, you became a servant in one of three ways:
You went into debt and worked to pay it off…basically like an employee.
You were captured in war…instead of being killed, you were allowed to live and serve.
Or you were born into a servant household.
Now, don’t get me wrong…it still wasn’t ideal. But it also wasn’t what comes to our minds when we think of modern slavery.
They weren’t chained up, beaten, or stripped of humanity. In fact, in many households they were treated well, had their own quarters, and became part of the extended household.
So when it says Abram took ‘the people they had acquired,’ don’t picture chains and whips. This was more like an extended household. Almost like family.
These were the people who lived with Abram, worked with Abram, ate with Abram. And when Abram set out, they set out with him.
Now, another thing I need to point out. Because if you’re tracking with me, you might be thinking… ‘Wait a second. I thought Abram wasn’t supposed to bring anyone with him. Didn’t we just say bringing Lot was partial obedience?’
Yes. But notice the difference. Lot was family God told Abram to leave behind. That was clinging to what God said to release.
These people… his household, his servants… that was different. They weren’t his idol. They were his responsibility.
When Abram obeyed, he didn’t go alone. His obedience pulled his whole household with him.
And that’s an important truth for us. God does not call you to obedience in isolation. Your yes to God always impacts the people around you.
Lets keep going verse 6
6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.
7 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.
8 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.
Now I know this is just two verses later… but in these two verses are months of travel. About 600 miles.
So before you think, ‘Oh cool, it happened fast’… think again. This was not instant. This was not easy.
The Bible doesn’t record it, but you know what this journey was like.
Some of us have had terrible 600–mile drives… and that was with air conditioning, cruise control, and Buc-ee’s every couple of hours.
Some of us have had terrible 600–mile drives… and that was with air conditioning, cruise control, and Buc-ee’s every couple of hours.
Abram’s family did this on foot. With animals. With tents. With kids asking, ‘Are we there yet?’ every mile.
And just so we’re clear… the kids weren’t an idol like Lot. They were just… a lot.
It was slow. It was exhausting.
The path of obedience is long but the destination makes it worth it.
Here is where i want to camp out for a bit.
8 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.
This is an interesting place for Abram to stop.
Bethel means ‘House of God.’ Ai means ‘heap of ruins.’ And Abram is camped out between them.
Now here’s something fascinating. Ai hadn’t always been a heap of ruins. Archaeologists tell us that before Abram’s time, Ai was actually a thriving city. It had massive stone walls, a strong gate system, even a temple complex. It was impressive. Powerful. The kind of place people looked at and said, ‘That’s where I want to be.’
But by the time Abram passed by, all that was left was rubble. What once looked amazing was now just a landmark of destruction.
And that’s a picture for us. Sometimes the things we think are amazing… the things we chase after and build our lives on… are really just heaps of ruins. They may look strong. They may look attractive. They may even look like they’ll last forever. But without God, they will fall.
So Abram has a choice. Do I build my life toward Bethel, the house of God… or do I pitch my tent toward Ai, the heap of ruins?
Where are you building your life?
King Solomon is known to be the wisest person that ever lived…you know what he said?
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
When Solomon writes Ecclesiastes, he calls himself the Preacher. Now, don’t picture a preacher with a mic and a pulpit like me. The Hebrew word there is Qohelet — it literally means ‘the one who gathers people together.’
So really what Solomon is saying is, ‘Everybody come close. I’ve lived it all, I’ve tried it all, now let me tell you what it all adds up to…’
And here’s what he says: ‘Vanity of vanities… all is vanity.’ In other words, everything without God is meaningless.
What looks amazing now ends up being nothing more than a heap of ruins.
Don’t build your life on the meaningless. Build it on Jesus.
He is the solid rock. The firm foundation. The house that will not fall when the storm comes.
Everything else is sinking sand. But Christ is the cornerstone.
God didn’t give Abram the whole picture.
He didn’t tell him everything.
Why? Why doesn’t God give us the full picture?
If God gave you the whole picture, it wouldn’t be faith — it would be sight.
If You Need the Full Picture to Trust God, That Isn’t Faith. It’s Fear.
Faith doesn’t demand details. Faith takes steps.
But here’s the thing about faith… faith doesn’t stop with me. Faith leads to greater. Greater than my comfort. Greater than my plans. Greater than my lifetime.
And here’s why:
Faith reveals God’s sovereignty.
Because when I trust Him step by step, even without the full picture, I’m declaring that He’s the One in control — not me. I’m showing that my life is under His rule and not my own.
That’s what Abram’s obedience is really about. His faith wasn’t just securing a blessing for himself — it was revealing God’s sovereignty and opening the door to something far greater.
Let me show you how… verse by verse, Abram’s call in Genesis 12 is prophetically pointing us forward to something greater….
Verse 1 – The Call to Leave
“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house…”
Abram was asked to leave everything familiar behind — his land, his bloodline, his inheritance. In the ancient world, those three things defined your security, your identity, and your future. God was calling Abram to walk away from all of it.
But this wasn’t just about Abram. It was pointing forward. Philippians 2:6–7 tells us that Jesus did the very same:
“Though He was in the form of God, He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
Abram left his father’s house. Jesus left His Father’s throne. Abram stepped away from inheritance. Jesus set aside glory.
And in the same way, following Jesus still means leaving behind the old life: security, identity, inheritance, to find all of that in Him.
Verse 2 – The Promise of a Nation
“I will make of you a great nation…”
God promised to build a people through Abram. But it wasn’t just about ethnicity or genealogy.
Through Christ, that nation becomes the Church — a holy nation made up of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation (1 Peter 2:9). When you put your faith in Jesus, you step out of your old bloodline and into His.
Romans 8:15–17 says: “You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons… The Spirit himself bears witness that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”
You are no longer defined by your earthly family tree. Your identity is in your adoption into the family of God.
Verse 3 – Blessing for the World
“In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
This was never about Abram being the blessing himself. It was pointing directly to Christ.
Galatians 3:8 says: “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’”
Jesus is the blessing. He is the one through whom salvation is available to every family on earth. Abram’s obedience set the stage, but Jesus is the fulfillment.
And here’s what it means for us: your obedience is never just about you. When you say yes to God, others are blessed — your children, your community, even generations you’ll never see.
Verse 4 – The Journey of Faith
“So Abram went, as the Lord had told him…”
Abram obeyed without the whole picture. He walked by faith, not sight.
And Jesus modeled the same obedience. Philippians 2:8 says He “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
That’s what faith looks like: trusting God step by step. If you need the full picture to have faith, then you don’t have faith…you have fear.
Verse 5 – The Outsiders Come Along
“And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions… and the people they had acquired in Haran.”
This detail is huge. Abram didn’t go alone. Outsiders came with him. People who weren’t his bloodline were included in the journey of God’s promise.
That is a prophetic preview of the Gentiles being grafted in. From the very beginning, God was showing that His covenant was not just for one nation, but for all nations.
Galatians 3:7–9 makes it clear: “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham… In you shall all the nations be blessed. So then those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”
Abram’s caravan was the shadow. The Church is the reality. Jew and Gentile together in Christ. You and I are living proof of Genesis 12:5.
Verses 6–7 – The Promise of Land
“To your offspring I will give this land.”
This promise looked like land in Canaan, but Paul explains in Galatians 3:16: “The promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ.”
The true offspring is Jesus. And through Him, our inheritance isn’t a piece of real estate in the Middle East. It’s an eternal kingdom — a new heaven and a new earth.
Verse 8 – The Tent and the Altar
“He pitched his tent… and there he built an altar to the Lord.”
Abram lived in a tent — temporary, fragile. But he built an altar — permanent, worshipful.
Here’s where it points to us. We don’t build stone altars anymore. Because in Christ, we are the altar.
Romans 12:1 says: “I appeal to you… to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Abram laid stones. We lay down our lives.
Abram built an altar. We are the altar.
Every step of obedience, every act of surrender, is worship.
Verse 9 – The Journey Continues
“And Abram journeyed on…”
Abram’s obedience didn’t end at arrival. It continued step by step. He kept going, because God’s call is always forward.
That’s the same call Jesus gives His church. The Great Commission is not, “Arrive and get comfortable.” It’s, “Go. Keep moving. Keep reaching. Keep bringing the nations into the promise.”
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Think about it — Jesus didn’t say, “Sit and wait for them to come to you.” He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations.”
That means our faith is never stationary. It is always moving, always multiplying, always reaching outward.
Abram’s step of obedience laid the foundation for a people of faith. Jesus’ command in Matthew 28 builds on that foundation and sends us out with the same forward motion: Go.
Abram’s life was prophetically pointing to Christ. His obedience was pointing to something greater.
And the same is true for us. When God calls us to obey, it may feel like a problem. We don’t have the full picture. We don’t know what it’s going to cost. We don’t see how it’s going to work.
But here’s the truth: what feels like a problem is not really a problem. What feels like a problem is actually the plan.
God didn’t give Abram all the details, because the story wasn’t ultimately about Abram. It was about Jesus. And God doesn’t give us all the details, because our story isn’t ultimately about us. It’s about Him.
The “problem” of following God is not really a problem. It’s the pathway to His promise. It’s the evidence that we’re walking by faith. And just like Abram’s obedience pointed forward to Christ, our obedience now points back to Him.
Don’t ask God for the results. Ask Him where to step.
So here’s the question: Will you take the step? Even if you don’t have the full picture. Even if it costs you. Even if it feels like a problem.
Abram found the promise. Will you?
