WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.839 Think about the history of mankind. 00:00:02.839 --> 00:00:05.639 Who are some significant individuals 00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:07.600 ! throughout the history of mankind 00:00:07.600 --> 00:00:11.240 ! that have changed the course of history. 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:12.919 Who are those significant people? 00:00:12.919 --> 00:00:14.800 ! Those men and those women. 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:17.000 ! Who comes to mind first? 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:18.640 Gabs, you're laughing. 00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:21.240 Jalen Brunson. 00:00:21.240 --> 00:00:23.199 Jalen Brunson. 00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:26.199 The bringer homer of the championship 00:00:26.199 --> 00:00:28.839 after 73, well, since 73. 00:00:28.839 --> 00:00:30.960 But someone a bit more important, please. 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:32.759 Thomas Edison. 00:00:32.759 --> 00:00:34.920 Thomas Edison. Why? Tell us why. 00:00:34.920 --> 00:00:36.920 Electricity. 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:37.719 Electricity. 00:00:37.719 --> 00:00:39.759 Can you imagine, without electricity, 00:00:39.759 --> 00:00:41.679 where we would remain to be? 00:00:41.679 --> 00:00:43.759 Good one. Paul, you were having a little chuckle. 00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:45.560 I was going to go for Jesus. 00:00:45.560 --> 00:00:48.640 He was going to go for Jesus. 00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:49.840 Paul grew up in Sunday school. 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:50.760 Well done. Well done, Paul. 00:00:50.760 --> 00:00:52.359 Thank you. Thank you. 00:00:52.359 --> 00:00:53.240 Anyone else? 00:00:53.240 --> 00:00:54.640 Juju, what have you got? 00:00:58.840 --> 00:01:00.960 Martin Luther King. 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:01.760 Martin Luther King. 00:01:01.760 --> 00:01:02.760 Martin Luther King. 00:01:02.760 --> 00:01:03.760 There we go. Why? 00:01:03.760 --> 00:01:06.760 Civil Rights Act. 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:08.760 Civil Rights Act. 00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:11.040 Had a dream, and the dream came to be it. 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:12.719 Though it's still ups and downs right now, 00:01:12.719 --> 00:01:14.480 but it is a thing. 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:15.600 Let me turn to this side. 00:01:15.600 --> 00:01:16.960 Who we got here? 00:01:16.960 --> 00:01:18.760 Ethan, who are you thinking? 00:01:18.760 --> 00:01:19.760 Billy Graham. 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:20.640 Billy Graham. 00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:21.640 Billy Graham. 00:01:21.640 --> 00:01:23.480 The one who brought so, so many people to Christ. 00:01:23.480 --> 00:01:26.719 Actually, a lot of the prominent Christian leaders today, 00:01:26.719 --> 00:01:30.520 you can probably trace back to some kind of Billy Graham event. 00:01:30.520 --> 00:01:32.240 Right? So that's a huge one. 00:01:32.240 --> 00:01:33.640 Caleb, what have you got? 00:01:33.640 --> 00:01:34.680 Genghis Khan. 00:01:34.680 --> 00:01:36.079 Genghis Khan. 00:01:36.079 --> 00:01:37.079 Tell us why. 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:40.040 Just responsible for all of us. 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:42.880 Just responsible for all of us, what do you think about it? 00:01:42.880 --> 00:01:44.800 Caleb, I don't want to think about it. 00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:48.920 But thank you. 00:01:48.920 --> 00:01:50.120 Where's one last one? 00:01:53.480 --> 00:01:55.400 Well, we said, oh, Martin Luther. 00:01:55.400 --> 00:01:57.120 Ooh. 00:01:57.120 --> 00:02:00.120 Tell us why. 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:02.800 Because if it wasn't for a guy called Martin Luther, 00:02:02.800 --> 00:02:04.640 not the king, we wouldn't be here. 00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:06.079 Why? 00:02:06.079 --> 00:02:08.159 He made some complaints. 00:02:08.159 --> 00:02:10.960 He made some complaints. 00:02:10.960 --> 00:02:12.439 He made some complaints. 00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:14.080 Things got changed. 00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:16.000 And now we're all here. 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:16.560 All right. 00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:18.319 If anyone wants to look into theology 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:20.280 and the history of theology, Martin Luther, Google him. 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:22.520 Okay, that's what he's talking about there. 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:23.520 It's funny. 00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:26.360 None of you mentioned Abram. 00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:31.000 None of you mentioned, or who we now know as Abraham. 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:35.000 Think about the three most maybe significant religions 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:40.719 in the history of mankind or Judaism, Islam, Christianity. 00:02:40.719 --> 00:02:45.200 All of them are agreed on the significance of this guy 00:02:45.200 --> 00:02:48.920 who left home called Abram. 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:53.039 He's the first patriarch of Judaism. 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:59.119 He's the founding father almost of this religion. 00:02:59.119 --> 00:03:02.039 Actually, even Islam. 00:03:02.039 --> 00:03:05.959 How many people do you meet who are Muslims 00:03:05.959 --> 00:03:08.479 who are called Ibrahim? 00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:10.639 The model Muslim. 00:03:10.639 --> 00:03:13.199 And of course, Christianity. 00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:14.759 Abram. 00:03:14.759 --> 00:03:16.199 If you look around, if you travel and you're like, 00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:18.679 well, no, we're in a secular society. 00:03:18.679 --> 00:03:21.479 We don't get impacted by religion. 00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:24.000 That is so not true with respect. 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:25.279 There's a book called The Air We Breathe. 00:03:25.279 --> 00:03:27.000 And if you look at it, you look at the society 00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:29.319 that we have now, the structures that we have in place, 00:03:29.319 --> 00:03:31.799 how they've been impacted by Christianity. 00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:34.680 The values of the faith. 00:03:34.680 --> 00:03:35.640 You can see it's everywhere. 00:03:35.640 --> 00:03:38.280 Now, of course, the world is going up and down constantly, 00:03:38.280 --> 00:03:41.360 but there is no denying the impact of the religions 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:42.960 of the world in the history of mankind. 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:46.560 There is no denying the significance of Abram. 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:49.080 So we're going to look at now, because we've spent a long time 00:03:49.080 --> 00:03:52.800 in Genesis 1 to 11 talking big things, 00:03:52.800 --> 00:03:55.920 talking about creating the universe, the world. 00:03:55.920 --> 00:03:58.560 And then we've talked about how that then started the fall. 00:03:58.560 --> 00:04:02.319 We talked about how sin multiplies and just you've got just constantly 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:04.640 just being fruitful and multiplying was the mandate. 00:04:04.640 --> 00:04:07.640 But ended up what we do is we end up trying to make a name for ourselves. 00:04:07.640 --> 00:04:10.520 And last week, Gabe talked to us about the Tower of Babel, 00:04:10.520 --> 00:04:12.000 how they wanted to make a name for themselves, 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:14.000 build their own tower to reach heaven. 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:16.639 And yet they get scattered instead. 00:04:16.639 --> 00:04:19.959 For the rest of Genesis, we're going to go a teeny, teeny bit faster. 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:21.600 Not that much faster. 00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:23.879 But we're going to focus on one family. 00:04:23.879 --> 00:04:25.319 After hearing about so many different people, 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:27.439 we're now just going to focus on one family line. 00:04:27.439 --> 00:04:32.079 And that starts with the story of Abram in Genesis chapter 12. 00:04:32.439 --> 00:04:34.719 As we have a reshuffle there, I'm actually going to invite a dear, 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:38.959 familiar old brother and friend to come up, Cubon, who's going to come up 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:42.199 and he's going to minister us with the word of God. 00:04:42.199 --> 00:04:45.159 So as per our tradition, can I invite you to stand for the word of God? 00:04:50.439 --> 00:04:52.240 The call of Abram. 00:04:52.240 --> 00:04:53.639 Now, the Lord said to Abram, 00:04:53.639 --> 00:04:58.279 Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 00:04:58.279 --> 00:05:02.199 And I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great 00:05:02.199 --> 00:05:03.639 so that you will be a blessing. 00:05:03.639 --> 00:05:06.599 I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you. 00:05:06.599 --> 00:05:10.120 I will curse and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 00:05:10.519 --> 00:05:13.800 So Abram went as the Lord had told him and Lot went with him. 00:05:14.120 --> 00:05:17.000 Abram was seventy five years old when he departed from Haran. 00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:22.600 And Abram took Sarah, his wife and Lot, his brother's son and all the possessions that they had acquired 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:24.680 and the people that they had acquired in Haran. 00:05:24.680 --> 00:05:26.519 And they set out to go to the land of Canaan. 00:05:26.519 --> 00:05:30.680 When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, 00:05:30.680 --> 00:05:32.199 to the Oak of Moreh. 00:05:32.199 --> 00:05:34.199 At the time, the Canaanites were in the land. 00:05:34.199 --> 00:05:36.439 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, 00:05:36.439 --> 00:05:38.519 To your offspring, I will give this land. 00:05:38.519 --> 00:05:41.800 So he built there an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him. 00:05:41.800 --> 00:05:45.720 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent 00:05:45.720 --> 00:05:48.199 with Bethel on the west and I on the east. 00:05:48.199 --> 00:05:51.400 There he built an altar to the Lord and he called upon the name of the Lord. 00:05:51.400 --> 00:05:54.360 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negev. 00:05:54.360 --> 00:05:55.560 This is the word of the Lord. 00:05:55.560 --> 00:05:56.920 Praise be to God. 00:05:56.920 --> 00:05:57.639 Please take a seat. 00:05:57.639 --> 00:05:58.280 Thank you, Cuban. 00:06:02.680 --> 00:06:06.120 In the reading today, we see the one word that is probably the most uncomfortable 00:06:06.120 --> 00:06:07.879 when we talk about the Christian faith. 00:06:07.879 --> 00:06:08.840 That word is go. 00:06:08.839 --> 00:06:11.959 And when you think about Abraham, that's probably what you're thinking about. 00:06:11.959 --> 00:06:12.839 He's the guy who left. 00:06:12.839 --> 00:06:13.799 He's the guy who went. 00:06:13.799 --> 00:06:16.279 Who God told him to do something and he actually went to do it. 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:20.199 And today we're going to unpack a little bit of what that actually means. 00:06:20.199 --> 00:06:22.839 Because it's important for us to realize this. 00:06:23.399 --> 00:06:28.279 Actually, we have also, hopefully, have either encountered God or are hoping to encounter God. 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:33.559 And often we get surprised or we get shocked when we actually realize what the response is 00:06:33.559 --> 00:06:36.759 or what the actual necessary appropriate response is when you meet God. 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:42.120 Because more often than not, when you meet God, the default response, the next response is go. 00:06:42.120 --> 00:06:45.879 When you meet him, then there's a move. 00:06:46.439 --> 00:06:47.079 You see Moses. 00:06:47.639 --> 00:06:48.199 You see Paul. 00:06:48.839 --> 00:06:49.399 There's an action. 00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:49.959 There's a change. 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:52.759 Of course, there's repentance, which is a complete turn of the heart. 00:06:52.759 --> 00:06:56.199 But then there's also just an action where actually, the moment you meet God, 00:06:56.199 --> 00:07:00.039 the moment you invite him into your life, he changes the furniture, he moves things around. 00:07:00.039 --> 00:07:03.079 And most importantly, sometimes, often, he moves you around. 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:05.959 And then we get uncomfortable with that word go. 00:07:05.959 --> 00:07:08.599 I'm going to try and unpack a little bit of the context here. 00:07:08.599 --> 00:07:09.000 Okay? 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:11.639 So the context here that Gabe told us last week was his dad, 00:07:12.599 --> 00:07:15.079 Terah, was actually a moon worshiper. 00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:16.120 He was an idolater. 00:07:16.120 --> 00:07:17.159 So you think about Abram. 00:07:17.159 --> 00:07:20.199 He actually grew up in a home where dad actually wasn't a Christian. 00:07:20.199 --> 00:07:21.639 He did not go to church. 00:07:21.639 --> 00:07:23.799 He did not grow up in Sunday school. 00:07:23.799 --> 00:07:28.439 In fact, what you see happen after the Tower of Babel is the nations get scattered. 00:07:28.439 --> 00:07:29.560 They all have different languages. 00:07:29.560 --> 00:07:32.920 And from there, they start worshipping all these different idols that they have. 00:07:32.920 --> 00:07:38.680 So you've got Abram growing up in this home where dad is actually completely ignoring God 00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:41.240 and spending time worshipping the moon. 00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:44.759 Something else tragic happens in this household is they had three brothers. 00:07:44.759 --> 00:07:46.840 So Abram actually had two brothers. 00:07:46.840 --> 00:07:49.000 One of them actually passes away at a fairly young age. 00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:51.639 And you actually see he leaves behind children. 00:07:52.360 --> 00:07:55.399 And so what happens is actually there's grief in the home as well. 00:07:55.399 --> 00:08:01.000 So you can imagine, for dad's perspective, this is a significant thing that's happening 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:03.560 because there were three boys, then there became two. 00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:07.799 And now, one of them gets a call from God and they start moving. 00:08:07.799 --> 00:08:09.560 So they start off in this land called Ur. 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:13.719 Okay, from that, they then actually head together as a family. 00:08:13.719 --> 00:08:15.239 So with dad as well. 00:08:15.879 --> 00:08:16.919 The whole family. 00:08:16.919 --> 00:08:18.439 Chinese people, I think you get this. 00:08:18.439 --> 00:08:21.879 I think you understand this because the family values are so strong. 00:08:21.879 --> 00:08:25.239 The family ties, the duties, the obligations, the commitments are so strong. 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:31.960 So as a family together with dad, they leave Ur and they start heading to the land called Canaan. 00:08:32.279 --> 00:08:36.039 Now, we don't exactly know why even dad was compelled to go. 00:08:36.200 --> 00:08:38.919 Because actually, it tells us here at the end of chapter 11, 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:42.759 they started going before we hear actually Abraham get the call. 00:08:43.320 --> 00:08:44.519 So the whole family goes. 00:08:44.519 --> 00:08:45.080 Can you imagine? 00:08:45.080 --> 00:08:45.799 Now, why? 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:49.879 Maybe it's because after the grief of the son, dad just wanted to change environment. 00:08:49.879 --> 00:08:51.639 Just wanted to go somewhere else. 00:08:51.639 --> 00:08:52.440 And so he says, you know what? 00:08:52.440 --> 00:08:53.080 I'm done. 00:08:53.080 --> 00:08:53.480 I'm tired. 00:08:53.480 --> 00:08:54.840 I'm actually still grieving. 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:55.639 I'm thinking, let's just move. 00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:56.280 Let's have a new start. 00:08:56.280 --> 00:08:57.000 Let's have a new change. 00:08:57.000 --> 00:09:01.080 So the whole family, dad takes and goes and heads to Canaan. 00:09:01.080 --> 00:09:02.680 But they don't end up in Canaan. 00:09:02.680 --> 00:09:07.560 So what happens then is, on their way to Canaan, they stop in the place called Haran. 00:09:08.200 --> 00:09:08.920 How convenient. 00:09:09.800 --> 00:09:13.800 They stop in the place that is named after the same son who they lost. 00:09:15.160 --> 00:09:17.879 And instead of carrying on into Canaan, they stop there. 00:09:17.879 --> 00:09:18.840 Dad decides, you know what? 00:09:18.840 --> 00:09:19.800 I'm just going to stay here. 00:09:19.800 --> 00:09:19.800 00:09:19.800 --> 00:09:23.000 It makes me think, well, I can kind of see why. 00:09:23.000 --> 00:09:23.480 You know what? 00:09:24.120 --> 00:09:28.600 We've left our old place that reminds me of my son, reminds me of all the grief that I've had, 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:30.600 reminds me, it gives me all these memories. 00:09:30.600 --> 00:09:31.560 We're going to go into a new place. 00:09:31.560 --> 00:09:33.720 Yes, let's head to the land of Canaan. 00:09:33.720 --> 00:09:35.480 But we've stopped in Haran. 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:36.040 Oh, you know what? 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:38.200 It's pretty nice here. 00:09:38.920 --> 00:09:39.720 It's pretty comfortable. 00:09:40.040 --> 00:09:40.840 I worship the moon. 00:09:40.840 --> 00:09:42.759 They've got a really great temple here. 00:09:42.759 --> 00:09:45.800 They've got a great community in the temple where they can worship the moon. 00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:47.560 Let's just hang out here. 00:09:48.200 --> 00:09:52.600 And so then the whole household actually stays in this halfway house in Haran. 00:09:52.840 --> 00:09:53.720 It's that moment. 00:09:53.720 --> 00:09:59.160 It's then when we start into chapter 12, where now we hear the Lord say to Abram, 00:09:59.159 --> 00:10:03.159 go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you, 00:10:03.159 --> 00:10:05.959 and I will make of you a great nation. 00:10:06.519 --> 00:10:07.399 First quick point here. 00:10:08.120 --> 00:10:12.600 Every single person who is a Christian has to make a decision to follow God themselves. 00:10:13.959 --> 00:10:15.399 Some of you have grown up in the church. 00:10:15.399 --> 00:10:17.000 Some of you have grown up with Christian parents. 00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:19.799 Some of you have grown up with parents who are Buddhists. 00:10:19.799 --> 00:10:22.839 Some of you have grown up with parents who are capitalists. 00:10:22.839 --> 00:10:25.959 Some of you have grown up with parents who are, well, whatever it is. 00:10:26.759 --> 00:10:28.439 It doesn't matter what household you come from. 00:10:28.440 --> 00:10:32.360 At one point or another, everyone has to make that decision to follow God themselves. 00:10:33.160 --> 00:10:34.600 We all have to make that decision. 00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:39.240 Just because you have a parent, just because you grew up in a family that follows whatever it is, 00:10:39.640 --> 00:10:44.840 each person must at some point come to the realization that I have to make this decision for myself. 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:46.600 I actually have to go. 00:10:46.600 --> 00:10:47.160 It's interesting. 00:10:47.160 --> 00:10:48.440 He says, hey, you must leave. 00:10:48.440 --> 00:10:51.640 And part of that is you also must leave your father's house. 00:10:53.160 --> 00:10:57.560 Now, remember, dad doesn't worship the God that Abraham hears from. 00:10:58.680 --> 00:11:00.280 We all have to make that decision ourselves. 00:11:01.240 --> 00:11:02.600 Who grew up in a Christian home here? 00:11:02.600 --> 00:11:09.320 At some point or another, you will have had to have made a decision by yourself. 00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:11.800 You're sat here probably because of that same reason. 00:11:12.120 --> 00:11:17.240 You're like, actually, I need to not be in the same place as my parents, maybe, because I need to find out my own faith for myself. 00:11:17.240 --> 00:11:20.519 I have to find my own flame to burn for God. 00:11:21.240 --> 00:11:22.519 We all have to have that. 00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:25.180 Joe and I, we grew up in a household where we were Christian. 00:11:25.279 --> 00:11:26.680 We grew up Christian. 00:11:26.679 --> 00:11:30.379 But actually, my dad is the only Christian in his family. 00:11:30.379 --> 00:11:32.479 I mean, he was the youngest of 10. 00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:36.199 And he was the only one that became a Christian when he went to Taiwan to study. 00:11:36.599 --> 00:11:38.419 And as a university student, he made that decision. 00:11:38.679 --> 00:11:43.279 And if it wasn't for him making that decision to leave his father's house, then I wouldn't be where I was. 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:46.620 But that is then no guarantee that Joe and I would then become Christians. 00:11:47.179 --> 00:11:52.319 At some point in our childhood, we have to make that decision to go, well, do we want to follow God? 00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:55.820 This happened for me when I was 17, when dad passed away. 00:11:56.220 --> 00:12:01.000 And at that moment, the kind of the authority in the house, the person who drives and leads the most, he goes. 00:12:01.080 --> 00:12:02.640 And then I'm like, well, he's not here anymore. 00:12:03.580 --> 00:12:08.620 Do I still stay with the Christian faith or do I actually go where my friends are going and go this way instead? 00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:11.980 We all have to make that decision by ourselves. 00:12:12.300 --> 00:12:17.000 And the thing is, when you meet God, often the call is to go. 00:12:17.680 --> 00:12:19.240 Tim Keller says this, and I quite like this quote. 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:24.399 But his call, when we hear God's call, it is often an eviction notice to your self-sovereignty. 00:12:25.299 --> 00:12:31.600 When you hear the voice of God, when you hear the call of God, it's often a self-eviction notice of your own control. 00:12:32.360 --> 00:12:36.860 And that's the hardest thing because you've got to decide for yourself, will I go or will I actually stay? 00:12:37.060 --> 00:12:38.019 And so where does he leave? 00:12:38.100 --> 00:12:39.100 First of all, he leaves his country. 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:42.899 He kind of goes down a list in order of decreasing intimacy. 00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:44.320 So it starts with your country. 00:12:44.440 --> 00:12:45.799 Leave all the systems that you have behind. 00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:47.519 Leave the safety that you have behind. 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:49.620 Leave the civilization that you have behind. 00:12:49.860 --> 00:12:52.120 Leave the national identity that you have behind. 00:12:52.460 --> 00:12:55.299 You have to go and leave all those things that are familiar with you. 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:57.139 Leave the culture that you have behind. 00:12:57.419 --> 00:12:58.019 Leave the cuisine. 00:12:58.279 --> 00:12:59.620 Leave your favorite restaurant. 00:13:00.319 --> 00:13:01.360 Okay, so I left England. 00:13:01.939 --> 00:13:05.899 And so when it comes to restaurants, Fonita's already laughing because you know kind of where I'm going with this. 00:13:05.960 --> 00:13:08.079 Because it is the barren land of food. 00:13:08.080 --> 00:13:11.720 Well, unless you are extremely wealthy and you can eat Michelin stars. 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:15.580 But for the rest of us, my diet mostly consisted of a place called Nando's. 00:13:16.820 --> 00:13:18.660 More specifically, a very cheeky Nando's. 00:13:19.680 --> 00:13:22.060 And what it is, it's just chicken wings and it's just fries. 00:13:22.059 --> 00:13:25.099 And when I'm feeling good that day, I move on to KFC. 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:28.179 And then after KFC, I go to McDonald's. 00:13:28.299 --> 00:13:31.000 And after McDonald's, it's time for Nando's again. 00:13:31.619 --> 00:13:34.459 And if I really don't have time, then I'll go to this place called Greg's. 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:37.279 Which some of you are just laughing just in judgment. 00:13:38.079 --> 00:13:39.799 And not worth it. 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:41.519 You're just laughing tears of sadness. 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:43.919 Reminding you that was the childhood that we had. 00:13:45.860 --> 00:13:47.659 And yet, hey, I'm going back in a couple of weeks. 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:48.519 Guess where I'm ending up? 00:13:50.319 --> 00:13:50.720 Nando's. 00:13:51.220 --> 00:13:51.620 Greg's. 00:13:51.819 --> 00:13:52.299 I'm there. 00:13:52.379 --> 00:13:53.919 I'm just going to soak in the oil. 00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:56.019 I'm going to ask the kitchen whether I can just go in and sit there. 00:13:56.620 --> 00:13:57.720 And just soak up the smells. 00:13:58.299 --> 00:14:00.860 There's still something about familiarity that is so beautiful. 00:14:01.340 --> 00:14:02.059 That is so fun. 00:14:02.139 --> 00:14:04.379 It's just like, I used to walk these streets. 00:14:05.019 --> 00:14:06.100 I used to feel this unsafe. 00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:09.620 It's so fun just to be here. 00:14:09.759 --> 00:14:10.299 Oh, watch out. 00:14:10.299 --> 00:14:10.740 There it is. 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:15.879 But there is a familiarity. 00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:18.319 There is a fondness about going home. 00:14:19.179 --> 00:14:20.500 So he has to leave his country. 00:14:20.740 --> 00:14:22.379 He doesn't have to just leave his country. 00:14:22.600 --> 00:14:23.799 He has to leave his kindred. 00:14:23.899 --> 00:14:25.419 He has to leave behind his culture. 00:14:25.659 --> 00:14:26.919 He has to leave behind his people. 00:14:27.639 --> 00:14:28.139 His friends. 00:14:29.379 --> 00:14:30.879 Think about Noah a couple of weeks ago. 00:14:30.980 --> 00:14:33.059 He had to also go against a lot. 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:36.519 He's been 100 years building this boat in the middle of the land. 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:40.259 And his friends, if he had any, by the way, would have had to ridicule him. 00:14:40.259 --> 00:14:44.159 So this happened with me growing up, going to university. 00:14:44.340 --> 00:14:47.539 Hey, what's the most commonly asked question growing up in a university? 00:14:47.659 --> 00:14:48.799 Maybe in the UK, maybe in the US. 00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:49.200 I don't know. 00:14:49.960 --> 00:14:54.759 The commonly asked question when you see someone, you'll be like, oh, what did you do last night? 00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:55.620 Where did you go? 00:14:56.039 --> 00:14:56.679 Did you go partying? 00:14:56.740 --> 00:14:57.159 Did you go clubbing? 00:14:57.200 --> 00:14:57.899 Where did you go partying? 00:14:57.960 --> 00:14:59.019 Do you remember how it was? 00:14:59.899 --> 00:15:00.679 Do you remember how good it was? 00:15:00.679 --> 00:15:01.839 No, I mean, it's ironic. 00:15:02.059 --> 00:15:04.059 It's the best night of your life that you always forget. 00:15:04.419 --> 00:15:07.839 So, but that's always the culture, the people. 00:15:08.239 --> 00:15:10.299 They look at you and go, well, you're doing something different. 00:15:10.859 --> 00:15:12.159 1 Peter 4 talks about this. 00:15:12.219 --> 00:15:17.719 It says, actually, when you turn and you follow God, your friends, your existing friends, your old friends will look at you and go, you're weird. 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:20.139 Why aren't you following us and doing this thing? 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:22.639 That's what Abraham is being told to do here. 00:15:22.639 --> 00:15:24.980 He's saying, leave your country. 00:15:25.559 --> 00:15:26.100 Leave your country. 00:15:26.620 --> 00:15:28.639 And some will question, but some will ridicule. 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:32.159 And can you think of all the things that are going on? 00:15:32.179 --> 00:15:35.360 And probably the hardest one, the most painful one, is leave your father's house. 00:15:35.659 --> 00:15:36.299 Can you imagine? 00:15:36.559 --> 00:15:46.100 Now, commentators are a little bit unsure as to whether he left to go to Canaan whilst his dad was still alive or whether he was actually gone. 00:15:47.539 --> 00:15:51.620 As I look at this and it says, leave your father's house, it makes me think that actually dad is probably still alive. 00:15:51.620 --> 00:15:53.700 Otherwise, why would it still be called your father's house? 00:15:54.019 --> 00:15:55.899 Because by that point, it would have been someone else's house. 00:15:57.519 --> 00:15:59.259 Can you imagine the conversation with dad? 00:15:59.799 --> 00:16:02.720 Hey, I know we've had a tough few years as a family. 00:16:03.480 --> 00:16:04.440 I know we've lost Aaron. 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:07.679 I know that we've now settled in this new place. 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:08.700 It's pretty nice. 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:15.259 But hey, I'm hearing a voice to go somewhere else and I actually have to leave. 00:16:16.620 --> 00:16:18.480 Can you imagine the feeling of that? 00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:27.940 Actually, Christina and I remember the feeling of when we told our parents who nurtured us, paid for our education. 00:16:29.300 --> 00:16:34.440 And when we told them, hey, actually, we're going to leave the jobs that we are in. 00:16:35.240 --> 00:16:37.519 And we're going to go and study again in seminary. 00:16:37.980 --> 00:16:39.139 We're going to go study counseling. 00:16:39.980 --> 00:16:42.580 Christina had to leave her job in the hospital as a cardiac physiologist. 00:16:42.580 --> 00:16:46.340 To join us in God's call. 00:16:46.440 --> 00:16:49.420 Actually, she was the one who heard God's voice first about this. 00:16:49.460 --> 00:16:50.400 And you can ask her about it. 00:16:51.320 --> 00:16:52.500 Can you imagine the conversation? 00:16:52.580 --> 00:16:56.340 And again, with parents who don't believe, by the way, who worship the moon. 00:16:59.420 --> 00:17:01.580 And then his dad would have been like, well, wait, what do you mean leave? 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:03.080 I already lost one son. 00:17:04.220 --> 00:17:05.220 I can't lose you as well. 00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:08.279 And then Abram says, no, I get that. 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:11.059 Can you imagine the betrayal that dad would have felt? 00:17:12.460 --> 00:17:15.980 This could have been a moment where he said, actually, well, from this point on, I don't even have you anymore. 00:17:16.039 --> 00:17:16.519 I only have one. 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:23.380 He then, of course, does take his brother, the deceased brother's son, Lot, with him as well. 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:26.779 But can you imagine the pain of being called away from the father's house? 00:17:27.099 --> 00:17:28.559 And this is probably the hardest part. 00:17:29.019 --> 00:17:34.220 He said, leave everything that you've ever known, all the people that you've ever loved, and go. 00:17:34.680 --> 00:17:36.000 But I'm not going to tell you where you're going to go. 00:17:37.059 --> 00:17:38.359 To a place where I will show you. 00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:39.399 Are you kidding me? 00:17:40.899 --> 00:17:42.519 When we get called by God, we're like, you know what? 00:17:42.740 --> 00:17:43.839 God, we would like to go. 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:44.920 Okay, you're calling me? 00:17:44.960 --> 00:17:46.039 Okay, can you tell me where I'm going? 00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:48.079 Can you tell me how I'll be provided for? 00:17:48.200 --> 00:17:50.420 Can you tell me where I'll be living? 00:17:50.779 --> 00:17:52.599 Can you tell me which spouse you've prepared for me? 00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:57.259 Okay, whereas God here, when he makes that call, that self-eviction notice of self-sovereignty, 00:17:57.679 --> 00:18:00.319 is one where it's like, hey, you go, but I'm not going to tell you yet. 00:18:00.339 --> 00:18:00.939 I will show you. 00:18:02.399 --> 00:18:07.619 I think some of us are sat at that crossroad, where we feel God calling us somewhere, but 00:18:07.619 --> 00:18:08.539 we actually don't know where. 00:18:09.980 --> 00:18:11.579 And so we're then, well, what do we do? 00:18:12.480 --> 00:18:15.439 And often the call always goes back to, trust me. 00:18:16.219 --> 00:18:19.079 Come to me, and be with me, and I will lead you. 00:18:19.079 --> 00:18:23.599 Oswald Chambers in one of my favorite devotionals of all times, called My Upmost for His Highest. 00:18:24.059 --> 00:18:26.039 I've read it just on rotation over the years. 00:18:26.099 --> 00:18:32.099 And one line he says is, faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows 00:18:32.099 --> 00:18:32.919 the one who is leading. 00:18:33.859 --> 00:18:35.279 You don't know where he's leading you. 00:18:35.319 --> 00:18:37.819 You just know that he's the one who is leading you, and that's all that matters. 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:41.879 I remember in my school, my dream always growing up was to be a teacher. 00:18:42.899 --> 00:18:43.720 What kind of teacher? 00:18:43.799 --> 00:18:44.799 It kind of evolved over time. 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:48.740 At first, I wanted to be a teacher, but then eventually I became a science teacher. 00:18:49.079 --> 00:18:51.399 Not a very good one, by the way, being a science teacher. 00:18:51.720 --> 00:18:52.879 And then I was in the school. 00:18:52.879 --> 00:18:55.179 I went back to the school that I grew up in. 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:56.019 I think it was the dream job. 00:18:56.059 --> 00:18:59.960 And if you knew me, and I've shared this before, I'm someone who just likes to stay and do the 00:18:59.960 --> 00:19:02.079 same thing every day over and over again. 00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:03.059 I don't like adventure. 00:19:03.139 --> 00:19:03.779 I don't like change. 00:19:04.579 --> 00:19:06.079 And I just want to keep going in the same way. 00:19:07.159 --> 00:19:12.439 So I was sat in my own classroom, biology classroom, teaching at the school that I thought 00:19:12.439 --> 00:19:13.119 I'd retire in. 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:20.699 And then God calls, and I would have never been able to guess the journey that he took 00:19:20.699 --> 00:19:21.279 us on. 00:19:22.359 --> 00:19:29.199 To the point where I'm now stood in Hong Kong, speaking to you, with an extra child. 00:19:30.599 --> 00:19:34.139 It's mind-blowing to me, especially the last part. 00:19:36.699 --> 00:19:37.059 Devastating. 00:19:37.059 --> 00:19:41.200 But yeah, it brings so much joy. 00:19:42.779 --> 00:19:46.000 And I'm like, thank goodness I wasn't in control of my own journey. 00:19:46.919 --> 00:19:50.179 Thank goodness I didn't get to tell God, hey, this is where I want you to lead me. 00:19:50.579 --> 00:19:52.519 Even though that's not really how being led by God works. 00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:59.159 But when he says go to a place that I will show you, it's often to a place that we don't 00:19:59.159 --> 00:19:59.299 know. 00:19:59.299 --> 00:20:04.399 Now, can we feel the weight of why Abram was such a significant character? 00:20:05.740 --> 00:20:06.460 And so he goes. 00:20:07.399 --> 00:20:11.440 Interestingly, I think chapter 12 is after chapter 11 for a reason. 00:20:12.819 --> 00:20:14.519 And the reason is because 12 comes after 11. 00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:16.099 Thanks, Gaps. 00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:16.700 I saw that. 00:20:16.779 --> 00:20:17.259 I saw that. 00:20:18.220 --> 00:20:21.879 But the other reason is because in chapter 11, the Tower of Babel, people wanted to make 00:20:21.879 --> 00:20:22.559 their name great. 00:20:22.659 --> 00:20:23.859 They wanted to make a name for themselves. 00:20:23.960 --> 00:20:26.059 They wanted to build a tire so they could go as high as possible. 00:20:26.440 --> 00:20:28.240 But then God says, no, that doesn't happen. 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:29.039 Not on my watch. 00:20:29.299 --> 00:20:33.680 Chapter 12, God himself comes up and shows up and says, Abram, I'm going to make your 00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:34.079 name great. 00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:39.779 See, when God chooses in his sovereignty to do whatever he wants to do, he will make your 00:20:39.779 --> 00:20:40.059 name great. 00:20:40.139 --> 00:20:42.500 And actually, we're going to find out that Abram's not that great a character. 00:20:43.759 --> 00:20:49.960 But what you see here is when God's in control, he will decide when you go up and when you 00:20:49.960 --> 00:20:50.259 go down. 00:20:50.359 --> 00:20:53.700 I think that encourages some people, especially if you are in the corporate world or in any 00:20:53.700 --> 00:20:56.139 kind of job that you're in and you're wondering, why am I getting that? 00:20:56.200 --> 00:20:58.099 Why am I not getting that promotion yet? 00:20:58.099 --> 00:21:00.000 Why am I not getting that job yet? 00:21:00.219 --> 00:21:01.980 Why am I not getting the thing that I want yet? 00:21:02.139 --> 00:21:04.839 The question really is, wait, are you really asking God? 00:21:05.159 --> 00:21:06.359 Because when God wants to, he will. 00:21:07.579 --> 00:21:10.179 But if he's calling you to wait, then he's calling you to wait. 00:21:10.180 --> 00:21:16.960 Of course, today is a significant day in the history of basketball. 00:21:17.500 --> 00:21:18.980 The New York Knicks win their first title. 00:21:19.640 --> 00:21:23.400 And as I've been following this week, I was reminded of something that happened quite a 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:26.660 few years ago when there was something that happened in New York called Linsanity. 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:35.100 Linsanity was when one Asian kid who managed to get to Harvard, but also really good at bouncing 00:21:35.099 --> 00:21:40.599 a ball, a guy called Jeremy Lin, ends up kind of having his career just completely catch fire. 00:21:41.299 --> 00:21:45.480 And in 2012, he became the most searched person on Google. 00:21:46.139 --> 00:21:48.419 So literally the most famous person in the world in that year. 00:21:49.699 --> 00:21:53.240 If you watch some of his interviews and you go back to him talking about this period of 00:21:53.240 --> 00:21:58.259 time in Linsanity, he will say that there were some very, very specific things that had 00:21:58.259 --> 00:21:58.599 to happen. 00:21:58.660 --> 00:22:03.460 I think he named 17, which were things that have had to have happened that were completely 00:22:03.460 --> 00:22:07.839 out of his control, that were not planned by him at all, that most of all, most of them 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:12.839 were actually rejections from other people that led him to the place where the circumstances 00:22:12.839 --> 00:22:16.039 were perfect for that season to happen. 00:22:17.279 --> 00:22:18.379 Completely out of his control. 00:22:19.019 --> 00:22:24.240 And he sits there and he says, well, that just shows you my name became what it was, not 00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:27.319 because of anything that I did, but because God in that moment chose to do it. 00:22:27.319 --> 00:22:29.859 And God can choose to do anything he wants. 00:22:29.919 --> 00:22:34.500 And he says to Abram here, I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and 00:22:34.500 --> 00:22:35.319 make your name great. 00:22:35.919 --> 00:22:36.779 It's interesting, isn't it? 00:22:37.119 --> 00:22:39.079 Chapter 11, they're the ones trying to do it. 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:40.419 Let's make a name for ourselves. 00:22:40.700 --> 00:22:44.679 And then God's kind of almost responding to that and saying, hey, I will be the one that 00:22:44.679 --> 00:22:44.960 does it. 00:22:45.779 --> 00:22:46.879 I will make your name great. 00:22:47.099 --> 00:22:48.639 And then, and I will bless you. 00:22:48.779 --> 00:22:51.799 And here's the second part that us Christians don't really like to hear because we like the 00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:54.439 fact that God blesses us, but then we like it to stop there. 00:22:54.440 --> 00:23:00.019 And because what we want to hear is, hey, Alison Cara, I am going to bless you and you're 00:23:00.019 --> 00:23:03.279 going to enjoy everything that life and this city has to offer. 00:23:03.620 --> 00:23:08.279 And you're going to have such a wonderful, comfortable, luxurious, happy life, healthy 00:23:08.279 --> 00:23:08.720 life. 00:23:09.700 --> 00:23:13.080 We hope it's a full stop, but it's not a full stop for them. 00:23:13.180 --> 00:23:14.360 It's not a full stop for me and you. 00:23:14.440 --> 00:23:16.779 It's not, wasn't a full stop for Abram because what does he say here? 00:23:16.779 --> 00:23:19.500 So that you will be a blessing. 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:23.460 Most of us are here. 00:23:23.619 --> 00:23:27.319 I'm hoping, I'm praying that you will sit here right now and go, I'm pretty blessed. 00:23:29.139 --> 00:23:30.879 Everything I have is from God and it's so good. 00:23:32.079 --> 00:23:37.700 What if I then told you that everything that you have right now was actually supposed to 00:23:37.700 --> 00:23:38.440 be passed on? 00:23:40.139 --> 00:23:43.000 You have the blessings that you have right now because you're supposed to be a blessing 00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:43.619 to someone else. 00:23:44.740 --> 00:23:45.779 The nations are failing. 00:23:46.559 --> 00:23:47.140 They're dying. 00:23:48.299 --> 00:23:52.880 And yet God chooses one family to bless so that that one family ends up blessing the 00:23:52.880 --> 00:23:53.640 nations again. 00:23:54.599 --> 00:23:58.940 We should sit here going, well, we are blessed and we have whatever we have, whatever resources 00:23:58.940 --> 00:23:59.359 we have. 00:24:00.380 --> 00:24:04.200 We're supposed to look out and go, well, how can we be a blessing to others? 00:24:05.500 --> 00:24:08.140 I'll bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you, I will curse. 00:24:08.440 --> 00:24:10.640 And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:15.120 It's interesting when the favor of God is on you, it doesn't really matter where you 00:24:15.120 --> 00:24:15.300 go. 00:24:15.420 --> 00:24:16.920 It doesn't matter how bad your boss is. 00:24:17.640 --> 00:24:21.660 When the favor of God is with you, then it will continue to go that way. 00:24:23.300 --> 00:24:27.040 But when the favor of God is actually telling you to go somewhere else, you're going to 00:24:27.040 --> 00:24:30.520 find it very, very hard to go where you want to go whilst you're trying to make a name 00:24:30.520 --> 00:24:30.880 for yourself. 00:24:30.940 --> 00:24:34.720 And the question really that we all have to ask is, when we pray that prayer that your 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:38.620 kingdom come in the Lord's prayer, the question really is, are we actually praying 00:24:38.619 --> 00:24:41.639 for his kingdom to come or are we actually praying for our kingdom to be built up? 00:24:42.639 --> 00:24:45.699 And we have to be so honest with ourselves when we say that, oh, well, I'm not trying 00:24:45.699 --> 00:24:46.979 to build a kingdom. 00:24:47.099 --> 00:24:48.239 I'm not trying to rule over people. 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:49.639 Well, you're trying to rule over yourself. 00:24:50.019 --> 00:24:51.399 You're trying to rule over your family. 00:24:51.839 --> 00:24:53.059 You're trying to get what you want. 00:24:53.099 --> 00:24:55.539 So then in some ways, it is about us. 00:24:55.599 --> 00:24:56.919 It is about our own kingdoms. 00:24:57.479 --> 00:25:01.599 That's why Jesus says, your kingdom come, your will be done. 00:25:02.379 --> 00:25:03.839 An amazing verse four. 00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:06.179 So Abram went as the Lord had told him. 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:10.019 Just as ridiculous as when Noah got their instructions to build a boat. 00:25:10.359 --> 00:25:14.099 And all we hear is, and Noah did what he was commanded. 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:19.019 We see the same ridiculousness here when, when someone is told to leave their country, leave 00:25:19.019 --> 00:25:20.459 their kindred, leave their father's house. 00:25:20.759 --> 00:25:25.339 And he just says, and scripture just says, so Abram went as the Lord had told him. 00:25:26.339 --> 00:25:28.179 See, at this point, we just have to stop again. 00:25:28.419 --> 00:25:30.299 When you meet God, you are often called to move. 00:25:30.299 --> 00:25:34.200 The question is, how do we hear God? 00:25:34.879 --> 00:25:38.200 How do we actually do what he just did there? 00:25:39.399 --> 00:25:42.859 It makes me think actually, maybe we all need practice in this. 00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:47.319 So just a couple of things from me, as I talk about how I heard from God and how I heard 00:25:47.319 --> 00:25:48.519 and followed God's call. 00:25:48.859 --> 00:25:51.259 Often, a lot of it was actually me just waiting. 00:25:52.700 --> 00:25:55.899 We always complain that we don't hear from God, but then I wonder whether we actually 00:25:55.899 --> 00:25:59.299 even make time to actually spend in quiet, to listen to him. 00:25:59.299 --> 00:26:00.440 Do you do that? 00:26:00.700 --> 00:26:02.220 I wish I could hear God's voice. 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:06.879 My family and I, we watched the Netflix documentary on dinosaurs yesterday. 00:26:07.379 --> 00:26:12.139 And Morgan Freeman's voice, just so, yeah, just so soothing. 00:26:13.019 --> 00:26:15.359 And I was like, well, his voice is often used to be God, right? 00:26:15.460 --> 00:26:18.299 I mean, but I was like, if only I could hear God's voice. 00:26:18.839 --> 00:26:20.119 And it's in the form of Morgan Freeman. 00:26:20.859 --> 00:26:21.680 And it's easy. 00:26:21.879 --> 00:26:27.299 And it's whenever I press the button to do it, then I can hear God tell me what he wants, 00:26:27.399 --> 00:26:28.240 what I want him to tell me. 00:26:28.240 --> 00:26:30.240 But it doesn't really work like that. 00:26:30.359 --> 00:26:34.740 So often I say I want to hear from God, but then I spend my whole day being busy with other 00:26:34.740 --> 00:26:35.059 things. 00:26:35.380 --> 00:26:37.240 And then God's like, well, I'm speaking, but you're not really listening. 00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:39.480 1 Kings 19. 00:26:39.819 --> 00:26:42.240 When God actually speaks, it's not through the earthquake. 00:26:42.380 --> 00:26:43.099 It's not through the fire. 00:26:43.180 --> 00:26:43.819 It's not through the wind. 00:26:43.940 --> 00:26:44.519 It's through what? 00:26:45.220 --> 00:26:47.920 A still, small voice. 00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:52.519 This city, this culture, this world is so noisy. 00:26:53.420 --> 00:26:58.220 How are we expected to hear God's voice when we actually never stop to listen for that still, 00:26:58.640 --> 00:26:59.220 small voice? 00:27:00.920 --> 00:27:02.140 Can we stop and wait? 00:27:03.660 --> 00:27:04.620 But waiting is hard. 00:27:04.700 --> 00:27:06.539 There's another quote about waiting that I find is interesting. 00:27:06.840 --> 00:27:07.980 Because we don't like to wait. 00:27:08.060 --> 00:27:09.440 We like to make things happen very quickly. 00:27:09.440 --> 00:27:12.440 And we like to actually go and grab God's voice ourselves. 00:27:12.820 --> 00:27:13.900 But yeah, Andrew Murray says this. 00:27:14.200 --> 00:27:15.500 Waiting on God is not laziness. 00:27:15.640 --> 00:27:17.360 It's the suspension of self-reliance. 00:27:17.660 --> 00:27:20.259 It is the decision to do nothing until God has spoken. 00:27:20.400 --> 00:27:23.680 So that when we move, we move in his strength alone. 00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:29.060 So often, even though the call is go, until you hear that go, you wait. 00:27:31.539 --> 00:27:33.880 And for some people here, God's telling you to wait. 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:38.799 Because it's actually very easy and very dramatic to have everyone conclude from today's sermon 00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:40.720 that we must all go somewhere. 00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:41.980 So just go. 00:27:42.060 --> 00:27:42.640 It doesn't matter where you go. 00:27:42.640 --> 00:27:43.000 Just go. 00:27:44.060 --> 00:27:45.160 But that's not what the whole point is. 00:27:45.200 --> 00:27:47.740 The whole point is we only go when we hear God's voice. 00:27:47.840 --> 00:27:49.160 And until then, we wait. 00:27:50.220 --> 00:27:53.560 Noah didn't leave the ark for a year. 00:27:54.680 --> 00:27:57.060 Even though he saw that he could go soon. 00:27:57.660 --> 00:27:59.360 But he still waited on God's voice. 00:28:00.380 --> 00:28:00.799 So wait. 00:28:01.500 --> 00:28:03.279 Second, discern with others. 00:28:03.779 --> 00:28:05.380 The amount of times I ask, Christina, what are you hearing? 00:28:06.220 --> 00:28:06.980 What do you think? 00:28:07.320 --> 00:28:09.100 When we first got the call to go into ministry, 00:28:09.180 --> 00:28:10.600 and we just had Ruben at that point, 00:28:10.600 --> 00:28:13.220 it didn't make sense for us to quit both our jobs to go into ministry. 00:28:13.380 --> 00:28:14.920 We started talking to the people who knew us. 00:28:14.960 --> 00:28:15.759 Do you think we're good for this? 00:28:16.180 --> 00:28:17.400 Do you think this is what God's calling us? 00:28:18.680 --> 00:28:21.360 And actually, so often, I actually see people who end up in ministry 00:28:21.360 --> 00:28:23.120 who actually didn't really hear God's voice. 00:28:23.119 --> 00:28:24.919 And actually, if you ask the people around them, 00:28:25.419 --> 00:28:27.119 they'd be like, yeah, that person really didn't. 00:28:27.199 --> 00:28:29.239 That person thought they heard God's voice, but they didn't really. 00:28:29.859 --> 00:28:33.739 It's very easy to actually mishear God's call to go into something like ministry. 00:28:33.979 --> 00:28:36.619 It's very easy to mishear God's call to go into anything, actually. 00:28:36.899 --> 00:28:38.559 So you need wise counsel. 00:28:39.039 --> 00:28:40.719 And scripture says, seek wise counsel. 00:28:41.119 --> 00:28:44.119 Look at the people who will look at you in the eye and say, I disagree with you. 00:28:44.119 --> 00:28:50.079 Look at the people who know you well enough, who will sit and go, well, you know what? 00:28:50.619 --> 00:28:53.199 I think that might be God, but let's just wait for a little bit longer. 00:28:53.299 --> 00:28:54.459 Why don't I ask him with you as well? 00:28:54.519 --> 00:28:55.259 Let's do this together. 00:28:55.359 --> 00:28:57.859 Let's pray and fast together over this time, and let's find out together. 00:28:58.119 --> 00:28:59.019 So that's something else you can do. 00:28:59.379 --> 00:29:02.239 Another thing, this all sounds so cliche, but here it is. 00:29:03.899 --> 00:29:06.419 He speaks often through this book. 00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:07.859 Often. 00:29:07.859 --> 00:29:14.079 Sometimes he speaks supernaturally, but often he uses this book. 00:29:14.759 --> 00:29:19.819 Again, we want to hear God's voice, but we don't really spend time with reading the messages that he wrote us. 00:29:20.099 --> 00:29:21.259 So I think that's important as well. 00:29:21.719 --> 00:29:23.719 And then finally, when you wait, you pray. 00:29:24.419 --> 00:29:27.240 The prayer isn't, hey, God, can you tell me where to go? 00:29:29.619 --> 00:29:31.699 The prayer actually is just mold my heart. 00:29:32.740 --> 00:29:35.759 How often have we found, those of us who have gone into ministry or have done anything, 00:29:35.759 --> 00:29:37.279 made any decision in following God. 00:29:37.279 --> 00:29:41.759 Once you wait and you walk and you talk and you pray, God starts to just mold your heart. 00:29:42.039 --> 00:29:45.899 So your heart changes within a matter of weeks, and you don't even realize how. 00:29:46.559 --> 00:29:49.079 It just happens because you're simply praying that prayer every day. 00:29:49.700 --> 00:29:50.799 Give me today my daily bread. 00:29:51.480 --> 00:29:52.779 Your kingdom come, your will be done. 00:29:53.359 --> 00:29:55.960 And just watch God change your heart, and then it will make it more clear. 00:29:57.119 --> 00:29:58.779 Interestingly, he goes. 00:29:58.940 --> 00:30:00.460 God calls, Abram goes. 00:30:00.819 --> 00:30:03.379 And just when you think he goes into paradise, why? 00:30:03.379 --> 00:30:05.599 Because it's Canaan, and because God told him to go. 00:30:05.839 --> 00:30:06.759 So it must be good. 00:30:06.759 --> 00:30:11.059 Now it's painful because he left his dad and his family, but it must be amazing when he gets there. 00:30:11.119 --> 00:30:11.960 It must be paradise. 00:30:12.339 --> 00:30:17.660 And yet what you see here in verse 6, Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Morah. 00:30:18.059 --> 00:30:20.440 At that time, the Canaanites were in the land. 00:30:22.680 --> 00:30:26.859 So God, you took me to a place that you said you'd give to me, but there's people there. 00:30:26.859 --> 00:30:30.000 What are we going to do with the people? 00:30:31.179 --> 00:30:37.839 So often when we hear God's voice, we expect it to be, to just green pastures. 00:30:38.019 --> 00:30:39.399 We have zero resistance. 00:30:40.099 --> 00:30:41.699 Oh, God called me into this career. 00:30:41.919 --> 00:30:43.199 God called me into this ministry. 00:30:43.319 --> 00:30:44.279 God called me to this city. 00:30:44.379 --> 00:30:45.879 And you think, God, this is so hard. 00:30:46.139 --> 00:30:47.279 This is probably not it. 00:30:47.339 --> 00:30:48.299 Well, here's the thing. 00:30:48.879 --> 00:30:51.839 God calls Abram to Canaan, and yet the Canaanites are still there. 00:30:51.839 --> 00:30:53.159 There is resistance immediately. 00:30:54.399 --> 00:30:58.279 There are people that he has to look at and go, well, how am I going to get rid of those? 00:30:58.659 --> 00:31:01.899 Just me, my wife, and my nephew, and our goats, and our sheep. 00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:03.980 How are we going to take over this whole land? 00:31:04.480 --> 00:31:05.119 It's impossible. 00:31:05.459 --> 00:31:06.179 So what does he do? 00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:10.459 As soon as he gets there, verse 6, at that time, the Canaanites were in the land. 00:31:10.579 --> 00:31:13.539 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, to your offspring, I will give this land. 00:31:14.339 --> 00:31:17.379 So God shows him this land, but there's people there. 00:31:17.500 --> 00:31:19.399 It's going to be very hard to get rid of those people. 00:31:19.400 --> 00:31:21.940 But then God says, I will give you this land. 00:31:22.160 --> 00:31:23.080 So what's his next step? 00:31:23.120 --> 00:31:24.820 His next step is like, okay, give me a piece of paper. 00:31:25.140 --> 00:31:26.040 Let's round up the troops. 00:31:26.240 --> 00:31:27.200 Let's come up with a strategy. 00:31:27.580 --> 00:31:28.280 You come from the east. 00:31:28.480 --> 00:31:29.200 You come from the west. 00:31:29.280 --> 00:31:31.180 And let's just invade, and let's just destroy this people. 00:31:31.300 --> 00:31:31.460 No. 00:31:31.740 --> 00:31:32.320 What does he do? 00:31:33.040 --> 00:31:35.240 He builds an altar, and he worships. 00:31:36.100 --> 00:31:40.120 When God calls you to a place that you aren't even sure how you're going to get to, 00:31:41.000 --> 00:31:45.480 the default response, the go-to move for you and I is to worship. 00:31:46.440 --> 00:31:47.080 Just say, you know what? 00:31:47.100 --> 00:31:48.900 I actually don't know where you're going to lead me. 00:31:48.900 --> 00:31:52.340 I actually don't know how I'm going to get there, but I will worship. 00:31:52.640 --> 00:31:53.840 That's the one thing I can control. 00:31:54.759 --> 00:31:56.400 And so Abram worships here. 00:31:57.140 --> 00:31:58.660 So then he builds an altar. 00:31:58.900 --> 00:32:01.960 Then he moves to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent. 00:32:02.160 --> 00:32:03.540 And there he builds another altar. 00:32:03.620 --> 00:32:07.180 So everywhere he goes, he builds an altar, just like Noah did when he came out of the boat. 00:32:08.400 --> 00:32:11.759 He says, the only reason we're even alive is because of him. 00:32:12.380 --> 00:32:16.259 The only reason we're even considering these two jobs is because of him. 00:32:16.259 --> 00:32:20.319 The only reason we're trying for a child is because of him. 00:32:20.700 --> 00:32:23.900 The only reason we have the problems that we have is because of him. 00:32:23.980 --> 00:32:28.039 So my default response, my go-to move is to worship. 00:32:29.299 --> 00:32:30.779 That's what Abram does here. 00:32:31.099 --> 00:32:33.160 And so he worships, and then he stays in Canaan. 00:32:33.160 --> 00:32:41.500 Just when we think that is great and that is all there is, we sadly then see the downfall. 00:32:41.820 --> 00:32:48.180 So very quickly, even though he makes that obedient step of faith, very quickly by verse 10, we see something happens. 00:32:48.820 --> 00:32:50.740 He goes to this land that God told him to go to. 00:32:51.000 --> 00:32:52.220 And what happens in verse 10? 00:32:52.620 --> 00:32:53.779 Now there was a famine. 00:32:53.779 --> 00:32:57.619 Again, if I'm him, I'm shocked. 00:32:57.740 --> 00:32:58.680 God, you brought me here. 00:32:59.259 --> 00:33:01.119 And now my family is going to die with no food? 00:33:02.339 --> 00:33:03.259 So what does Abram do? 00:33:04.559 --> 00:33:09.059 I can judge and I can point my finger right now, but I can also just look and think, I think that's actually what I would do. 00:33:09.240 --> 00:33:15.660 If I took my family to a place that I think God was taking us, and there is a famine and my children are dying, or at least at risk of dying, 00:33:15.980 --> 00:33:18.420 I'm going to take matters into my own hand and I'm going to move somewhere else. 00:33:19.200 --> 00:33:20.339 And so this is what Abram does. 00:33:20.339 --> 00:33:22.259 He then goes down to Egypt. 00:33:23.639 --> 00:33:25.919 So he leaves the plan of God. 00:33:26.559 --> 00:33:27.939 He walks and goes somewhere else. 00:33:28.199 --> 00:33:29.259 Wait, that's outrageous. 00:33:30.099 --> 00:33:34.759 God's plan was for him to walk to a land that was filled with enemies and also that there would be a famine. 00:33:36.139 --> 00:33:41.639 This completely bashes out any prosperity gospel, any God is only for our good concept here. 00:33:42.379 --> 00:33:45.379 God leads him to a land where there are enemies and there is famine. 00:33:46.059 --> 00:33:49.220 And so he goes and he goes away to this land. 00:33:49.220 --> 00:33:49.940 It's interesting. 00:33:50.059 --> 00:33:51.759 It reminds me of Psalm 23. 00:33:51.960 --> 00:33:53.079 It's just the most beautiful Psalm. 00:33:53.220 --> 00:33:53.940 The Lord is my shepherd. 00:33:54.559 --> 00:33:56.539 He leads me in green pastures and still waters. 00:33:56.660 --> 00:33:57.740 He leads me on the right path. 00:33:57.819 --> 00:33:58.920 It all sounds so beautiful. 00:33:59.039 --> 00:33:59.819 Verse 1 to 3. 00:34:01.000 --> 00:34:05.480 And then it's like verse 3 is he leads me on the path of righteousness for his name's sake. 00:34:05.500 --> 00:34:07.920 And it just sounds, God is the shepherd. 00:34:08.220 --> 00:34:09.119 I won't need anything. 00:34:09.240 --> 00:34:10.860 And I'm going to go to this place that's beautiful. 00:34:11.019 --> 00:34:11.920 And I'm just going to stay there. 00:34:12.119 --> 00:34:14.280 And boom, verse 4 slaps you around the face. 00:34:14.280 --> 00:34:17.300 And even though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death. 00:34:18.200 --> 00:34:23.840 Wait, God, we just said, we just sang that God is taking us to these green pastures and still waters. 00:34:25.280 --> 00:34:28.080 But the truth is sometimes he leads us to the valley of the shadow of death. 00:34:28.920 --> 00:34:31.080 Sometimes he leads us to those tough places. 00:34:31.860 --> 00:34:32.040 Why? 00:34:32.260 --> 00:34:36.720 Because everything is an exercise, an opportunity to grow our faith and trust in him. 00:34:36.820 --> 00:34:37.180 That's it. 00:34:37.600 --> 00:34:39.200 You look at any challenge that we have. 00:34:39.199 --> 00:34:43.259 The challenge, why God has left you that challenge is because he wants you to trust him. 00:34:43.719 --> 00:34:46.679 And how do we grow in trust is when we face resistance. 00:34:46.939 --> 00:34:49.019 And that's how we flex that muscle of faith. 00:34:49.599 --> 00:34:52.659 And so he goes to this land where the Canaanites are there, where there is a famine. 00:34:53.019 --> 00:34:56.899 But yet he, right here, the father of the faith, loses faith. 00:34:56.980 --> 00:34:58.339 And he heads down to Egypt. 00:34:58.739 --> 00:35:00.639 And then a really unique situation happens. 00:35:01.059 --> 00:35:03.059 So it happens that he's married to a very beautiful lady. 00:35:03.319 --> 00:35:04.839 Who at this point is actually 65. 00:35:05.319 --> 00:35:08.739 But I used AI to help me calculate what a guesstimate for a modern day would be. 00:35:08.739 --> 00:35:12.639 It would probably, maybe a lady in the early 30s. 00:35:12.959 --> 00:35:19.079 So he goes and he gets worried because he knows that Sarai is so beautiful that when he goes to Egypt to get food, 00:35:19.859 --> 00:35:22.239 that actually they'll look at her and they'll want to take her. 00:35:22.739 --> 00:35:26.339 Maybe even more significantly, they'll not only take her, they'll also kill him. 00:35:27.000 --> 00:35:27.719 So he's scared. 00:35:28.459 --> 00:35:31.959 So he leaves the land God tells him to go to, to try and find somewhere else, 00:35:32.159 --> 00:35:34.359 which kind of is understandable because you and I would all do that. 00:35:34.399 --> 00:35:35.119 So let's not point fingers. 00:35:35.119 --> 00:35:39.420 But then he goes and then he's scared for his own life because of his beautiful wife. 00:35:39.719 --> 00:35:43.679 So then he tells Sarai, hey, can you tell them that you're actually my sister? 00:35:44.239 --> 00:35:45.619 Which actually is a half-truth. 00:35:45.739 --> 00:35:47.639 He actually, she actually was his half-sister. 00:35:48.039 --> 00:35:49.659 How many of us deal with half-truths? 00:35:50.679 --> 00:35:52.960 How many of us sometimes we look at something, it's not going well, 00:35:53.019 --> 00:35:54.279 and we start to come up with excuses. 00:35:54.779 --> 00:35:57.859 We start coming up with reasons why we're not going to do it the way God wants us to do it. 00:35:57.860 --> 00:36:02.180 So we start coming up with half-truths and we then justify it in our own minds that that's what we're doing. 00:36:03.760 --> 00:36:07.140 Again, you need wise counsel to look at you and say, you are dealing with half-truths. 00:36:08.300 --> 00:36:11.280 You need to stick to the absolute truth and nothing but the truth. 00:36:11.539 --> 00:36:12.640 So anyway, he tells her this. 00:36:13.579 --> 00:36:16.940 And this is where the founding father of the faith, the first patriarch, 00:36:17.260 --> 00:36:18.480 you're like, what on earth are you doing? 00:36:18.519 --> 00:36:20.940 Because he doesn't just, it's not just the white lie. 00:36:21.260 --> 00:36:24.380 It's not just him saying, hey, can you tell them that you're my sister and then we'll all be okay. 00:36:24.380 --> 00:36:29.039 The moment they find out that actually she's just his sister, they take her. 00:36:29.760 --> 00:36:31.579 Pharaoh takes her into his harem. 00:36:31.780 --> 00:36:36.700 So he actually sacrifices his own wife into Pharaoh's harem. 00:36:36.820 --> 00:36:38.039 And actually, she stays there. 00:36:38.099 --> 00:36:40.720 We don't know how long, but it's likely months to a few years. 00:36:43.019 --> 00:36:43.420 Imagine. 00:36:46.140 --> 00:36:49.260 If any of us decided we're so scared we're going to give up. 00:36:49.660 --> 00:36:50.640 How would you look at me? 00:36:50.639 --> 00:36:54.379 If Christina and I went to somewhere, I said, Christina, tell people that you're my sister. 00:36:54.659 --> 00:36:56.039 So they will go well with me. 00:36:56.599 --> 00:36:58.299 And then Christina actually gets sacrificed. 00:36:59.500 --> 00:37:00.500 How would you look at me? 00:37:01.239 --> 00:37:04.879 People, that's the founding father of the faith. 00:37:06.259 --> 00:37:07.359 And so we've got a problem. 00:37:08.279 --> 00:37:09.639 This guy is dealing with half-truths. 00:37:09.779 --> 00:37:11.279 He doesn't trust God to stay in Canaan. 00:37:11.440 --> 00:37:12.199 So he leaves. 00:37:12.900 --> 00:37:16.879 And then Sarai actually has to go to be with Pharaoh for that time. 00:37:17.539 --> 00:37:18.699 But of course, the Lord sees. 00:37:18.699 --> 00:37:19.939 The Lord sees. 00:37:20.259 --> 00:37:20.960 And what happens here? 00:37:21.799 --> 00:37:22.699 Plagues start to happen. 00:37:22.799 --> 00:37:23.759 Isn't this an interesting thing? 00:37:23.839 --> 00:37:30.399 Isn't this an interesting precursor to when the Israelites actually end up as slaves in Egypt and the plagues that come? 00:37:32.960 --> 00:37:34.419 So the plagues come. 00:37:34.980 --> 00:37:39.179 Pharaoh, we don't know how, realizes that actually Sarai is actually Abram's wife. 00:37:39.279 --> 00:37:40.460 Maybe it's through a dream. 00:37:41.079 --> 00:37:45.819 Maybe God actually speaks to Pharaoh himself and tells him, actually, you should not be with this woman. 00:37:45.980 --> 00:37:47.000 This woman belongs to Abram. 00:37:47.000 --> 00:37:50.019 Anyway, for whatever reason it is, he finds out. 00:37:50.099 --> 00:37:52.239 And then he goes straight to Abram and said, why didn't you tell me? 00:37:52.400 --> 00:37:54.239 Why did you lie and say that she was your sister? 00:37:54.340 --> 00:37:55.059 Now I'm in trouble. 00:37:55.139 --> 00:37:56.099 Now my people are in trouble. 00:37:57.360 --> 00:38:00.679 Interestingly, again, this first patriarch is just the same as Adam. 00:38:00.860 --> 00:38:02.019 He stays completely silent. 00:38:02.940 --> 00:38:04.420 He doesn't say anything. 00:38:04.420 --> 00:38:07.480 He's made of the weak stuff. 00:38:09.519 --> 00:38:12.820 And so actually, interestingly, he was afraid that Pharaoh was going to kill him. 00:38:13.280 --> 00:38:15.619 But instead, Pharaoh ends up being a much better man than him. 00:38:16.400 --> 00:38:17.220 And I says, you know what? 00:38:17.500 --> 00:38:17.880 Go. 00:38:18.880 --> 00:38:23.220 Take your wife and take all the things that you've had in this land of Egypt and go. 00:38:23.219 --> 00:38:27.619 So interestingly, Abram does this just douche move. 00:38:28.119 --> 00:38:31.379 But he actually leaves Egypt a much more wealthy man than when he first went in. 00:38:31.939 --> 00:38:34.599 He sacrifices his wife, which now tells us who he is. 00:38:35.579 --> 00:38:38.559 And he comes about with all the, you know, you see verse 16. 00:38:38.659 --> 00:38:40.199 And for her sake, he dwelt well with Abram. 00:38:40.359 --> 00:38:43.879 And he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys and camels. 00:38:43.880 --> 00:38:52.420 Can you imagine Sarai trapped in Pharaoh's harem, seeing husband outside with all this land now, all these animals and all these servants? 00:38:55.320 --> 00:38:56.360 It gets exposed. 00:38:56.619 --> 00:38:58.860 She gets taken, given back to Abram. 00:38:59.019 --> 00:39:01.099 And then they leave together with all that stuff. 00:39:01.200 --> 00:39:04.400 That would have been the most awkward car ride home ever. 00:39:08.300 --> 00:39:13.460 And so we sit here and go, okay, God, if you look at scripture, if you look at the New Testament, 00:39:13.720 --> 00:39:15.159 I'm nearly finishing here, so stay with me. 00:39:15.980 --> 00:39:20.880 If you look at scripture, what you'll see here is Abram, or soon we'll know him as Abraham. 00:39:21.860 --> 00:39:22.860 He becomes this guy. 00:39:22.960 --> 00:39:29.880 Actually, if you look at Hebrews 11, the hall of fame, of faith, he gets the most, he gets the most verses. 00:39:30.780 --> 00:39:31.940 He has the most talked about him. 00:39:31.980 --> 00:39:32.820 And I'm going to finish this. 00:39:32.880 --> 00:39:33.559 I'm going to go there now. 00:39:34.000 --> 00:39:35.240 And feel free to go there with me. 00:39:35.240 --> 00:39:36.579 Hebrews chapter 11. 00:39:36.940 --> 00:39:40.240 You see, actually, a lot that is said about Abraham. 00:39:40.239 --> 00:39:47.339 From basically verse 9 to 12, it's talking about him. 00:39:48.899 --> 00:39:51.619 But how can, and actually, and the book of James talks about it. 00:39:51.719 --> 00:39:53.219 The book of Galatians talks about it. 00:39:53.259 --> 00:39:54.279 The book of Romans talks about it. 00:39:54.319 --> 00:39:54.779 Which is this. 00:39:54.979 --> 00:39:57.939 And it always says that Abraham was counted as righteous. 00:39:59.279 --> 00:40:03.739 And I'm like, I struggle to believe someone who's willing to give up his wife for his own personal gain. 00:40:03.739 --> 00:40:06.059 And says nothing when confronted. 00:40:06.359 --> 00:40:08.179 How can that person be counted as righteous? 00:40:08.299 --> 00:40:09.519 It makes no sense. 00:40:09.799 --> 00:40:12.539 I don't really have that much respect for Abraham. 00:40:13.500 --> 00:40:14.199 But then why? 00:40:14.739 --> 00:40:15.879 Why is he in scripture? 00:40:16.619 --> 00:40:18.539 That he is counted as righteous. 00:40:18.659 --> 00:40:19.459 What did he do? 00:40:19.919 --> 00:40:21.379 Well, the truth is he didn't do anything. 00:40:22.699 --> 00:40:26.779 The few words before that, when he's counted as righteous, it says when he believed. 00:40:28.539 --> 00:40:29.619 So what did he believe in? 00:40:29.899 --> 00:40:30.959 Well, it wasn't what he believed in. 00:40:31.000 --> 00:40:32.199 It was who he believed in. 00:40:32.199 --> 00:40:39.619 What we see in Abraham is the only way to be counted as righteous is in who you believe in. 00:40:40.139 --> 00:40:46.119 You see through his actions that he was not a perfect man by any, by any stretch of the imagination. 00:40:46.759 --> 00:40:49.679 And yet somehow he's still counted as righteous. 00:40:50.199 --> 00:40:52.460 Because this, by Hebrews 11 verse 8. 00:40:53.579 --> 00:40:57.859 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. 00:40:58.019 --> 00:40:59.579 He went out not knowing where he was going. 00:41:00.099 --> 00:41:00.460 Great. 00:41:00.460 --> 00:41:05.199 What a huge step of faith that maybe we should all ask God where he wants us to go. 00:41:05.559 --> 00:41:08.300 By faith he went to live in the land of promise as in a foreign land. 00:41:08.960 --> 00:41:12.519 Living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 00:41:14.519 --> 00:41:15.220 It's interesting. 00:41:15.400 --> 00:41:20.780 I think I've got a clue here as to why Abraham ends up being such a famous, significant man in the history of mankind. 00:41:20.780 --> 00:41:22.940 It's because he had faith in God. 00:41:23.160 --> 00:41:24.740 God called him to go to Canaan. 00:41:25.040 --> 00:41:25.860 And he goes there. 00:41:26.080 --> 00:41:34.880 But actually, the reason why we can have hope that if Abraham can be counted as righteous, so can we, is that we have to look to who he was looking towards. 00:41:35.040 --> 00:41:36.300 Who he had faith in. 00:41:36.480 --> 00:41:37.040 It's interesting. 00:41:37.039 --> 00:41:38.980 It says here, he went out not knowing where he was going. 00:41:39.059 --> 00:41:40.880 By faith he went to live in the land of promise. 00:41:41.360 --> 00:41:45.179 He went to live in the land of promise, but then he pitched a tent. 00:41:45.179 --> 00:41:51.440 If you go to live in the land of promise, it wouldn't just be a tent. 00:41:51.579 --> 00:41:53.980 If I did it, I would try and set up my whole life. 00:41:54.039 --> 00:41:58.819 I would start building things so that this is the place that my family and I will stay forever. 00:41:59.119 --> 00:41:59.759 Yeah, what does he do? 00:41:59.899 --> 00:42:02.039 He only keeps living in tents. 00:42:02.500 --> 00:42:02.739 Why? 00:42:02.919 --> 00:42:05.099 And we see later in Hebrews, it says this. 00:42:05.419 --> 00:42:09.940 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 00:42:09.940 --> 00:42:19.720 You see, when you look at the Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11, these people were promised something by God, but ultimately their eyes were not focused on the things that they were going to get. 00:42:21.099 --> 00:42:22.960 Their eyes were focused on something much bigger. 00:42:23.039 --> 00:42:28.700 So even though he was actually sat in the land of Canaan, he still decided, you know what, I'm going to live here as a soldier and I want to live here in a tent. 00:42:29.059 --> 00:42:31.539 And I'm not going to settle my family here. 00:42:31.740 --> 00:42:32.059 Why? 00:42:32.200 --> 00:42:34.119 Because my eyes are actually on something further. 00:42:34.119 --> 00:42:39.159 On verse 10, he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 00:42:39.940 --> 00:42:40.860 He was looking further. 00:42:41.900 --> 00:42:50.579 The reason why we can believe and be counted as righteous is if we believe in the designer and the builder. 00:42:51.500 --> 00:42:52.159 God himself. 00:42:52.280 --> 00:42:59.139 Interestingly, he sacrifices his wife, who ends up carrying the seed of the one who actually does rescue mankind. 00:43:00.159 --> 00:43:03.619 Trapped in Pharaoh's harem, eventually released. 00:43:03.619 --> 00:43:10.440 And if you carry on going down the line of Abraham and Sarah, you end up with a man named Jesus. 00:43:11.579 --> 00:43:15.259 Who actually, he himself left his father's house. 00:43:17.420 --> 00:43:18.819 To usher in a new kingdom. 00:43:19.579 --> 00:43:20.239 A new city. 00:43:21.400 --> 00:43:26.039 A new garden city where man would once again be able to walk with God. 00:43:26.039 --> 00:43:31.159 Our goal, our job, is to keep our eyes focused on him. 00:43:32.679 --> 00:43:34.639 To cling on to him, Hebrews 12 carries on. 00:43:34.639 --> 00:43:40.039 Therefore, since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely. 00:43:40.480 --> 00:43:42.800 Look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. 00:43:44.420 --> 00:43:48.639 The only way that Abraham gets counted as righteous is because he's believing in God. 00:43:48.639 --> 00:43:54.159 The only way we are counted as righteous is if we look and believe in God. 00:43:55.179 --> 00:43:57.619 And remember what Jesus did for us. 00:43:57.739 --> 00:44:02.639 Ultimately, he left his father's house so that we could go in to the father's house. 00:44:03.119 --> 00:44:04.319 A.W. Tozer says this, 00:44:04.759 --> 00:44:07.219 The true disciple is a resident alien in the world. 00:44:07.639 --> 00:44:10.980 If you find your soul completely comfortable in the current cultural landscape, 00:44:11.199 --> 00:44:14.379 you have likely stopped following the pioneer who walked out of it. 00:44:15.019 --> 00:44:16.199 Let me read that one more time. 00:44:16.199 --> 00:44:19.439 The true disciple is a resident alien in the world. 00:44:19.439 --> 00:44:23.980 If you find your soul completely comfortable in the current cultural landscape, 00:44:24.519 --> 00:44:29.239 you have likely stopped following the pioneer who walked out of it. 00:44:31.679 --> 00:44:35.719 Caleb and I had breakfast a few days ago and we were talking about what is home. 00:44:36.859 --> 00:44:39.000 Maybe you would not call Hong Kong home. 00:44:39.919 --> 00:44:41.559 Maybe you would call somewhere else home. 00:44:42.159 --> 00:44:44.039 Maybe there's a yearning to go home. 00:44:44.039 --> 00:44:44.199 Maybe there's a moment. 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:44.199 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:47.379 and yet as a believer 00:44:47.379 --> 00:44:49.779 there is only really one home 00:44:49.779 --> 00:44:52.000 the city 00:44:52.000 --> 00:44:53.779 whose foundations are built 00:44:53.779 --> 00:44:54.619 by God 00:44:54.619 --> 00:44:58.139 and actually until we get there 00:44:58.139 --> 00:44:59.139 nowhere 00:44:59.139 --> 00:45:02.059 not even sitting in a cheeky Nandos 00:45:02.059 --> 00:45:04.179 is will make me feel 00:45:04.179 --> 00:45:06.059 completely at home and at peace 00:45:06.059 --> 00:45:08.899 but if I look 00:45:08.899 --> 00:45:11.579 if I look further 00:45:11.579 --> 00:45:14.559 I'll see someone who left 00:45:14.559 --> 00:45:15.940 his father's house 00:45:15.940 --> 00:45:18.819 Abraham left his father's house 00:45:18.819 --> 00:45:19.920 not knowing where he was going to go 00:45:19.920 --> 00:45:22.599 but Jesus left his father's house and knew exactly 00:45:22.599 --> 00:45:25.079 where he was going to go and he was going to end up on the cross 00:45:25.079 --> 00:45:26.980 for me 00:45:26.980 --> 00:45:28.900 for you 00:45:28.900 --> 00:45:31.059 and in that 00:45:31.059 --> 00:45:33.099 one act of 00:45:33.099 --> 00:45:33.360 love 00:45:33.360 --> 00:45:37.259 we all now have a space 00:45:37.259 --> 00:45:38.340 in his father's house 00:45:38.340 --> 00:45:41.179 isn't that incredible 00:45:41.179 --> 00:45:45.039 so we go 00:45:45.039 --> 00:45:47.559 final quote 00:45:47.559 --> 00:45:50.500 we are not called to settle down in the world 00:45:50.500 --> 00:45:51.559 and make ourselves comfortable 00:45:51.559 --> 00:45:53.239 we are called to be a mobile 00:45:53.239 --> 00:45:55.139 radical tent dwelling people 00:45:55.139 --> 00:45:57.079 loose to the things of this earth 00:45:57.079 --> 00:45:58.719 anchored only to the city 00:45:58.719 --> 00:46:00.139 whose architect and builder 00:46:00.139 --> 00:46:01.000 is God 00:46:01.000 --> 00:46:02.199 Elizabeth Elliot 00:46:02.199 --> 00:46:04.440 here's the thing 00:46:04.440 --> 00:46:07.299 I shared about how Christina and I 00:46:07.299 --> 00:46:08.219 were called to go 00:46:08.219 --> 00:46:10.659 one day you should ask 00:46:10.659 --> 00:46:11.599 Aaron and Rebecca 00:46:11.599 --> 00:46:12.659 about their call 00:46:12.659 --> 00:46:13.399 to go 00:46:13.399 --> 00:46:17.439 but so often in church 00:46:17.439 --> 00:46:17.779 we think 00:46:17.779 --> 00:46:17.980 okay 00:46:17.980 --> 00:46:18.939 some people are 00:46:18.939 --> 00:46:19.899 called to go 00:46:19.899 --> 00:46:20.659 specific people 00:46:20.659 --> 00:46:21.239 to be pastors 00:46:21.239 --> 00:46:23.239 to be missionaries 00:46:23.239 --> 00:46:24.459 Pastor Gabe 00:46:24.459 --> 00:46:25.359 has a very specific 00:46:25.359 --> 00:46:25.939 call to go 00:46:25.939 --> 00:46:27.059 you forget that actually 00:46:27.059 --> 00:46:27.599 Pastor Gabe 00:46:27.599 --> 00:46:28.459 is a normal 00:46:28.459 --> 00:46:29.219 human being 00:46:29.219 --> 00:46:33.199 who worked as a trader 00:46:33.199 --> 00:46:33.859 in Jane Street 00:46:33.859 --> 00:46:35.559 and then felt God 00:46:35.559 --> 00:46:36.259 call him to go 00:46:36.259 --> 00:46:39.359 can you imagine 00:46:39.359 --> 00:46:40.039 if each of us 00:46:40.039 --> 00:46:40.779 went home today 00:46:40.779 --> 00:46:41.159 and said 00:46:41.159 --> 00:46:41.399 God 00:46:41.399 --> 00:46:43.000 what are you calling me to do 00:46:43.000 --> 00:46:43.480 to go 00:46:43.480 --> 00:46:44.079 or to stay 00:46:44.079 --> 00:46:45.639 what is it 00:46:45.639 --> 00:46:48.480 imagine if we actually 00:46:48.480 --> 00:46:48.879 listened 00:46:48.879 --> 00:46:51.619 imagine if we actually 00:46:51.619 --> 00:46:51.959 heard 00:46:51.959 --> 00:46:54.019 imagine if we actually 00:46:54.019 --> 00:46:54.639 did it 00:46:54.639 --> 00:46:57.279 I truly believe 00:46:57.279 --> 00:46:57.839 he is speaking 00:46:57.840 --> 00:46:59.579 let's just spend 00:46:59.579 --> 00:47:00.380 just a final moment 00:47:00.380 --> 00:47:01.860 now as I wrap up 00:47:01.860 --> 00:47:02.280 in a prayer 00:47:02.280 --> 00:47:04.579 our response today 00:47:04.579 --> 00:47:05.320 maybe is just 00:47:05.320 --> 00:47:06.160 to sit 00:47:06.160 --> 00:47:07.559 and to 00:47:07.559 --> 00:47:10.780 wait on that 00:47:10.780 --> 00:47:11.539 still small voice 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:11.699 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:41.679 Thank you. 00:47:41.699 --> 00:47:47.219 Lord Jesus, you 00:47:47.219 --> 00:47:50.799 call us out of our comfort zones, 00:47:51.519 --> 00:47:53.579 our systems, 00:47:54.500 --> 00:47:56.119 our safety net, our identity, 00:47:56.879 --> 00:47:58.199 our culture, our people, 00:47:59.359 --> 00:48:00.139 our cuisines, 00:48:01.659 --> 00:48:02.679 our accomplishments, 00:48:04.079 --> 00:48:04.779 our duties, 00:48:06.899 --> 00:48:09.119 and you call us out to a place that is unknown. 00:48:11.699 --> 00:48:13.359 To a place that you will show us. 00:48:18.359 --> 00:48:19.579 Our prayer today is, 00:48:19.679 --> 00:48:21.099 would you first let us hear your voice? 00:48:23.419 --> 00:48:25.579 And two, then give us the strength to actually follow. 00:48:29.339 --> 00:48:32.980 We're not happy with just staying with the status quo. 00:48:32.980 --> 00:48:36.339 We're not happy in staying in our comfort zones. 00:48:36.340 --> 00:48:41.900 We want you. 00:48:44.620 --> 00:48:46.000 We don't want to make excuses. 00:48:46.400 --> 00:48:48.140 We don't want to take matters into our own hands. 00:48:48.240 --> 00:48:49.800 We don't want to deal with half-truths. 00:48:51.920 --> 00:48:52.620 We want you. 00:48:53.320 --> 00:48:53.860 The way, 00:48:54.780 --> 00:48:55.320 the truth, 00:48:55.860 --> 00:48:56.700 and the life. 00:48:56.699 --> 00:49:17.819 In your name we pray. 00:49:17.819 --> 00:49:20.000 Amen.