The Call of Abram Part One (text)

The Call of Abram Part One

This morning we come to the call of Abram. At chapter 12 we leave the first section of Genesis known as the Primeval History and we step into the second and much longer section of the Patriarchal History which centers around the human drama of Abram and his descendents.

Let’s jump right in beginning in chapter 11:10 and we’re going to read through to 12:9.

Gen. 11:10-12:9

This is an important passage in Genesis and we’re going to unpack it by looking at it in two parts, the first being God’s calling of Abram, and the second part being Abram’s response to God’s call. I thought we could cover both parts in one morning, but as I got going I realized it needed two messages, and Matt is scheduled to do the next section and he has graciously agreed to postpone his message until the following week. Actually he sounded kind of happy about getting another week to prepare!

I. God’s calling

Chapter 12 opens with God addressing Abram right out of the blue: “Now the Lord said to Abram…” God calls Abram away from everything he knows, to go to a land he doesn’t know, and God says He will bless him and make him a great name and a great nation.

As we read through the Bible we see that God is a God who calls. He calls Moses to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt. He calls a young shepherd boy named David to be king of Israel. He calls Jeremiah while Jeremiah is still in his mother’s womb to be His mouthpiece to the nation of Israel. Jesus calls His apostles to leave what they’re doing to follow Him. God calls a guy named Saul who hates the church and wants to destroy it to be His apostle and to preach the gospel to the nations and to write more than half of the NT.

Each of these heard God’s call and their lives and destinies were forever changed because of that call. In the New Testament the importance of God’s calling really explodes. Any person who responds in faith to the gospel does so because they have been called by God and their eternal destiny is transformed because of that call.

but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1 Cor. 1:23-24

In other words, as Christ crucified is preached, Jews will be offended, and Gentiles will think it’s silly. That’s everybody – Jews and Gentiles. But to those who are called – both Jews and Gentiles, that same message is Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. They hear the story of Jesus crucified on a cross to pay for our sins and they aren’t offended or think it’s ridiculous. They are saved. Calling makes all the difference. Three thoughts about the call of God:

a. God’s call is powerful to accomplish what He has called for

Recently I heard a preacher on a CD open his message with a sentence that went something like this: the universe and the earth were created by words and then went on to talk about the power of our words. After 10 minutes I had to turn the message off cause I was getting so frustrated. Words didn’t create the universe. God did. God’s words have the power to create the universe because it’s God who speaks them. God’s words have power. What God commands happens. What God speaks into being comes into being. And when God calls, that call contains the power to fulfill what the call calls for.

When the 450 prophets of Baal called for their gods to burn up the offering on the altar their words had no power – none at all. Eiljah began to mock them – maybe their god had taken a walk or was tied up in the bathroom. Then he called upon the living God and fire fell from heaven. Words aren’t the power – God is.

When Jesus called Lazarus up from the grave, the final choice to respond or not wasn’t up to Lazarus. The call of Jesus – Lazarus, come forth- contained the irresistible power to shake death off and be resurrected.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

God didn’t just call us out of darkness and then hope we would respond. The call contained the power to move us out of darkness (of death) into light (of life), to accomplish what He called for.

This has enormous implications for us when we share the gospel with someone who doesn’t believe. The power isn’t in your words. God doesn’t call you to convince them of the reality of the gospel. We are to give the gospel call out freely, but knowing that it is the call of God that will open their hearts to receive and believe the gospel.

Here God calls Abram and in that call is the power to create a people where there was no people. Listen to the power and authority in God’s call: Go…and I will make you a great nation (this to a man that wasn’t able to have one kid) and I will bless you and make your name great… and I will bless those who bless you and curse those who dishonor you…and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed…

God’s call is powerful to accomplish all that He has called for.

b. God’s call is based on His sovereign will

The question is, why does God call Abram? As we read the passages leading up to chapter 12 we get a clear picture of what it was about Abram that singled him out for God’s special favor…nothing. Nothing. There was nothing Abram had done to deserve God’s call and blessing. Out of the blue God calls a pagan man who has grown up in a pagan culture and lifestyle and promises to be with him and bless him and make him into a great nation.

Warning: we need to go into some deep theological waters for the next few minutes so stay with me now. There is mystery in this matter of God’s sovereign call and we’ve got to be ok with mystery. If we could figure out everything about God He wouldn’t be much of a God. But God’s word offers some specific revelation about God’s call that we need to fearlessly look at even if it’s hard to understand.

God’s call to Abram was not based on Abram deserving it, but on God’s sovereign will. Moses was chosen as a baby and providentially survived a mass murder of Hebrew babies going on in Egypt; Jeremiah was called and ordained to be a prophet while he was in his mother’s womb. God’s call is based on His sovereign will. That’s true for us as well. You are not saved because of anything God saw in you (or me) but because God sovereignly chose to save you in His mercy.

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 2 Tim. 1:8-9 (ESV)

God saved us and called us – not because of our works but because of His will before the ages began. Ephesians likewise says that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. It is language that clearly wants to disavow any idea that God called us because of something we were or did. Romans 8 reinforces this truth with this declaration:

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Romans 8:30

This is an amazing verse that stretches to eternity past (where God predestined us) and stretches to eternity future (where God glorifies us) and in between God calls and justifies. It’s God’s work, not ours.

I totally understand the problem: it doesn’t seem fair. It doesn’t seem fair that some are called and others aren’t. That whole idea can seem offensive. But we can’t throw this truth away because it doesn’t fit our idea of “fairness”.

• Fairness is a very highly prized American value, but it’s not a biblical category. Righteous, justice, mercy, love, grace are all biblical categories. But not fairness. Listen, the reality is the world isn’t fair. If you were born healthy and with food to eat then you were born with an unfair advantage over the child born with defects or little or no food to eat. If you have a good education, good looks, athletic skills or a sharp mind you live every day with advantages that others do not have.

• As one pastor put it, God is better than fair – He’s perfect. Perfect is infinitely better than fair. In all of this – the seeming unfair (and sometimes cruel) disparity all around us – needs to drive us to humbly trust God and His perfect righteousness, justice, wisdom, and love. No one will be able to accuse God in the final day – which means that the child born with defects or little food or a dull mind or inability to get an education will one day bless God for his or her portion. It will all be righted – fairness won’t be the issue. We will all be amazed at the rightness and goodness of God. Here’s why I’m making a big deal out of this: when we try to judge God or biblical truths by a code of fairness we put ourselves in the position of judge of God and that’s just arrogance on our part. We don’t see everything. We don’t know everything. Our standards are tainted, fallen, often foolish, and don’t even work that good when we try to run our own puny little lives much less qualify us to run the universe. Humility that accepts mystery goes a long way here.

• On top of that, if we locate God’s selection in something we do or are, we haven’t removed the problem but we have created another big problem. First, our salvation becomes evidence that something in us – whether you call it faith or openness to God’s message or whatever – is better than the person who rejects God’s message. We had faith – they didn’t. Our hearts were softer – theirs weren’t. Our character was more noble, theirs weren’t. It’s better to be a person who believes in Christ than a person who rejects Christ. Room for boasting.

• But, how did you come to have that heart? How did you come to have a softer heart, a better faith, a more open mind? Didn’t God give it to you? Couldn’t He have given it to the lost person too? Do we think that our softer heart, open mind, stronger faith originated finally and completely in us apart from God? Wow. Then we really do have something to boast about. And we’re in deep weeds of pride

Deep stuff but stay with me a little longer and we’ll bring this boat back to the shore. How do we think about all this then? We are all sinners, lost, hostile to God, free to choose sin, but because of sin unable to choose God on our own. That is what lost means. And all will receive justice, but some receive mercy.

ILL: This past week at T4G I had the privilege of hearing Matt Chandler, pastor of the Village Church, share about his current fight with brain cancer. But he also shared how his great great great grandfather was hung for robbing trains and he said it only got darker after that up to his father. He is the first Chandler male to graduate from high school, first Chandler male to attend college. And the first Chandler male to come to a saving knowledge of Christ. That’s the call of God – in the midst of darkness. Not because Matt’s a better guy than his great, great grandfather or father. The glory for the mercy doesn’t belong to Matt Chandler. It belongs entirely to God. So it is for you and I – we aren’t saved because of anything in us that was superior or smarter or wiser. God’s mercy and God’s mercy alone to God be the glory!

Application:

First of all, we need to recognize that God is perfect and trust Him with the mystery involved. Then we stand amazed and humbled and grateful that Christ knew us by name before we were born and chose to die for our sins and to call us by name. And trust that He will bring us safely home.

And we preach and share and witness to everyone about the good news of Jesus Christ – that anyone who believes in Christ will be saved, by faith, not works. And we don’t get into all that stuff that I just shared – we just extend the open armed invitation of the gospel. But we pray that God will open their eyes and hearts and bring them to faith because we know that if God doesn’t do that, they will never do it on their own. And beyond that, we trust God and accept mystery and don’t try to figure it all out. And above all we don’t reject the clear teaching of scripture because we don’t have it all figured out.

By the way, if you aren’t a Christian, what this means is that Jesus died on the cross to pay for the sins of the world and you can reject him on your own but you can’t receive Him on your own. If your heart is ever moved to believe in him, to trust him, and to love him, it’s because God did it in you. Must not use that as an excuse but as motivation to call upon Him – the Bible clearly says if you call upon the Lord He will save you. It’s you calling – and then you will find afterward that He had called you first.

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 1 Cor. 1:2

c. God’s call is faithful

Really quickly, but this is important. God’s call is faithful. He will always fulfill His promises. God promised Adam and Eve that there would be a redeemer and it would be through their seed. Cain and Abel were born but soon Abel was dead and Cain was a murderer. The promise seemed dead. But Seth was born. And through the generations God’s line of faith was preserved. Then Noah and the flood and after the flood Noah blesses Shem, and through Shem’s line the line of faith will continue.

But then hundreds of years – 500 or more pass and the light of faith has flickered out. The world has descended into a dark place of pagan worship. Ur was a place that worshipped the moon. They sacrificed to the moon god. Sarai was named after the moon god’s wife. Total pagan culture, world, dark, no faith or light.

But God is faithful to His promises. Not one promise of God will ever be unfulfilled or broken, and after centuries and centuries of darkness, God reignites the light through a pagan Gentile named Abram by calling him – and setting him apart – and promising him that through him the line will continue and ultimately the entire world will be blessed through him. He will be the father of the Jews, the nation through whom the word of God would be given to the world. And the Savior of the world would be given.

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Cor. 1:9

When we feel afraid or small and insignificant and the world seems random, cold, cruel, and evil seems so powerful, so overwhelming, where do we go to deepen our faith, strengthen our faith? It’s good to look at God’s faithfulness in your life – that’s helpful. But if that’s all you have you’re missing a huge resource of strength and assurance. That’s the meta-narrative of God’s promises and faithfulness in all of human history from the beginning to the very end and everything in between (where we live). God will keep His promises. Centuries cannot erase that, and neither can your particular trial.

Next week we’re going to look at Abram’s response of faith and obedience. We have a part and we’re going to look at that next week. But this morning let’s think about God and His vastly bigger part. About His sovereignty. His power. His faithfulness to His promises. Then let’s realize that before the world was created God designed the cross to save sinful men and women like us – out of love. Not because of anything in us – but He loves you by name and called you by name. Let’s root our joy and confidence in God for He is worthy and good and glorious and faithful and nothing can kill our joy when it’s based on Christ.

Let’s pray.