Sermon Tone Analysis

WHERE HE LEADS ME, I WILL FOLLOW

INTRODUCTION:

Luke 9:57-

1.

In this passage, there are three different guys who give reasons as to why they can’t follow Jesus immediately.

They say they want to follow Him but it’s as if they want to follow Him on their own terms.

But that’s not how it works.

If we are going to follow God…we must follow Him whenever & wherever He leads us.

2. In , we read of a man by the name of Abram who left everything to follow God.

He left everything to go to a land that the only way he would know he had arrived was when God told him to stop.

However, I have to admit that Abram (Abraham) wasn’t perfect in following God.

He made mistakes along the way.

3. So, tonight as we look at this passage we are going to learn 8 truths about following God.

1) Following God Begins with a Call (v 1)

God called Abraham to follow Him & leave everything else behind.

1. God called Abraham to follow Him & leave everything else behind.

But notice that this wasn't the first time that God called to Abraham…The text says - "the Lord had said to Abram…"

This implies that God had spoken to Abraham before…but when & where.

God spoke to him while he was in Mesopotamia.

tells us specifically this was Ur of the Chaldeans…This is known today as Iraq.

2. The point is this - God had already called to Abraham…but Abraham didn't fully respond…so God calls to Him again.

God calls to him a second time.

Lesson

God is gracious & doesn’t give up.

I don’t know how long it was in between the time that God first called Abram while he was living in Ur until the time when God called again to him at Haran, but it had to have been some time since they had to have traveled 600 miles, and apparently they had settled down in Haran until Terah died.

One commentator suggested it was 25 years between Abram’s first call and his second call.

But I find it incredibly gracious of God to not give up on Abram.

So let me ask you - Is there something that God has asked you to do? Have you been sidetracked?

Maybe today God would want to remind you of your calling.

Lesson

The life of faith always begins with a call from God.

In other words, we don't just start following God on our own.

Abraham didn't just decide to start following God…It was a response to God's call.

The life of faith isn't initiated by us…it's initiated by God.

He calls & we must choose if we will follow.

The bible is clear that no one can come to Him unless the Spirit draws them first.

NOTE: The call of Abram raises some questions that the Bible doesn't answer.

First, why did the Lord pick this one man, out of all the men of the earth?

Why didn't God choose some of the other inhabitants of the world, or of Ur to call to this new adventure called faith?

Abram was a pagan & an idolater…so what made God choose him.

The answer to those questions is: I don't know!

I would ask this question: "Why does God call anyone?"

Why did He call you and not your neighbor?

Why did He call you and not your coworker?

The answer to those questions dwell within the cloud of God's sovereign and the answer is not for us to know.

Regardless of why God calls who He does, those who have been called by Him should rejoice in the fact that they are saved and secure in the blood of the Lamb!

2) Following God Involves Separation (v 1)

1. God tells Abraham to leave his country & relatives behind & go to a land that he's never been before.

Abraham is to break away from everything that he knows…from everything that is familiar & comfortable…and follow God's call.

2. Now why would God ask Abraham to leave his family?

His family would be a hindrance to him.

Joshua tells us that Abram’s father, Terah, served other gods () while at Ur.

Ur was known for its worship of the Sumerian moon god named “Nanna”

God didn’t want Abram to be influenced by all of his family…so he told him to leave.

3. Notice the word "thee" in 12:1.

Notice the word "thee" in 12:1.

Yet, when they left Ur, notice that it was "they" who went, 11:31.

It seems that Abram compromised by not separating from his family as he had been ordered...He failed to fully submit to the Lord's call!

It wasn’t until the death of his father Terah that Abram left Haran to go to where God was leading him.

The name Terah means "A Station or delay."

It has the idea of a stopping place, a rest area or a roadblock.

Apparently, Terah was a roadblock between Abram and his doing the will of God.

However, when Terah was removed from the scene, Abram was ready to move on in the things of God.

And God now tells him to leave the rest of his family behind.

Abraham was called to separate himself from everything that would hinder the progress of the walk of faith!

Lesson

Terah is a type of the flesh and other things that hinder our progress in the things of God.

Until those things are taken care of...there will be little or no progress in your life.

What is your Terah this evening - If you aren't exactly where the Lord wants you to be, you have a Terah.

You have a roadblock between you and your doing what the Lord has told you to do.

And it has to go…It has to die.

So, what's holding you back this evening?

Anything that would hinder us from making progress has to be removed from our lives.

Some times God’s call requires us to make a choice between people and God.

And some times God’s call requires us to make a choice between people and God.

It seems important for God to tell Abram to leave his “father’s house”.

He needed to leave behind this house that worshipped the moon god.

Yahweh wanted Abram to follow Him.

NOTE: God’s call requires us to leave the old life behind.

God doesn’t want you to be a half-hearted disciple who only goes part of the way with Him.

God wants us to be serious, completely serious about following Him.

God doesn’t want you to be a half-hearted disciple who only goes part of the way with Him.

God wants us to be serious, completely serious about following Him.

3) Following God Involves Trust (v 1, 4)

1. Abram didn't know where he was going…so he had to trust God completely.

"Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him"

Abram didn't know where he was going…so he had to trust God completely.

2. Notice that he didn't ask God for any directions…he simply trusted & obeyed God.

NOTE: Sometimes the “go” comes before the “where”.

Sometimes the “go” comes before the “where”.

We want to know all the details of the trip before we go.

We want to feel comfortable...But God often doesn’t give us the details because He wants us to trust Him.

You can only change the direction of a car when it’s moving.

If you’re looking for God’s direction in your life and you aren’t sure what He wants you to do, perhaps you need to just start moving.

Maybe do the last thing God asked you to do.

Maybe just start serving.

Lesson

All Abraham had was a promise from God but he trusted God's Word.

When all you have is what God has said to you…you can believe what God has said.

We have to follow God by faith & not by sight.

We have to live by promises & not explanations.