Text: Genesis 12:1-4 Title: “Empty Living: Get Up and Get Out” Sermon Collaboration by Pastor Nancy Cantrell and Jimmy Skeen
NIV 1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." 4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and
“Faithful” … that’s the word we usually here when describing Abraham. But there was a time when that was not always true, a time before “Faithful Abe.” I am not sure exactly how Abram’s story went but if he were here to share with us today, I think he might say something like this …
Abram’s Story:
“…You will never believe the phone call I received. I mean it was really hard for me to accept it so I bet you would have trouble believing it too. You see, I received a call, from the most important being in history … it was God! I know, you might think this old man has lost his mind; in fact it took me a while to accept it myself. You see I have known a lot of pranksters in my day. I could imagine Ben Friend/Phil Rogers hiding behind a rock and calling out my name, “Abram! Abram! This is God speaking!” You know he would love to pull a trick like that!
Not only do I know a few jokesters but there was no reason in the world the God of the universe should call me. I mean I am a nobody? I know you all think I am a man of great faith. You might think I am cut from a different cloth than you, but that simply isn’t true! In fact, I really was in no way qualified to hear from God. If you don’t believe me just look at my resume; I was a sheep herder, that’s what my family was and that’s what I planned on being. I was going into the family business. I spent all day everyday in the middle of dust dirt and … well, even stinkier things! Beyond my vocation, I had a heritage that was far from perfect. My family was not exactly Ned and Nancy Nazarene.
Flip over to Joshua 24:2 with me (Read the verse). 2 Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. That is the legacy my family left for me. My own father “Worshiped other Gods.” And you know what isn’t mentioned in that verse? He taught me to do the same!
I learned from my parents just like you all learned or are learning from yours. I was involved in other religions, serving other gods, living for my own selfish desires. As you can see this is not the type of history that would lead anyone to think God, the one true God, would make a personal contact with me. But it still gets worse. Not only was my history checkered my future was dark.
My wife was barren. We could not have children. My family, my whole world was going to end with me. My entire life was empty. The only living I did was empty living. I had an empty life and an empty future. My life was empty. But you know what I discovered? Nothing God created is meant to be empty.
Then God called to me. It really was God, the God of the whole universe, calling to me! I couldn’t believe it! He called to me right where I was, right in the middle of my stinking circumstances. In the middle of the sheep pooh, smack dab into the muck and mire of my life God called to me. I didn’t clean up, straighten up, or put on make-up, I didn’t have to because God came to me right where I was just exactly the way I was.
I can honestly tell you I was never as excited as I was at that moment. I mean you can’t help but be pumped when God shows up in your daily life, especially when life is empty. But it immediately got even more exciting. You see God told me there was a plan for my life, a purpose for my existence. Like I told you my family was farmers, ranchers, sheepherders, that was the best I could hope for, the only option I had ever considered. But God had another plan for me, a higher purpose.
God said, “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous …” YAHOOO! YIPPEEE! There are no other words to describe my emotions. This little old farmer was speaking with God and I found out I was going to be famous. I got to be honest I really liked this part. God came to me and then told me I was going to be well known, very influential, and who wouldn’t love that message. But the next part of the conversation was a little less exciting.
God said, “You excited? You ready?”
“You bet I am Lord. Lay it on me. Make me a general superintendent.”
God said, “Ok here’s the plan … GET UP AND GET OUT!”
“Uh… excuse me?”
“You heard me, get up and get out, pack your suitcases, hit the road Jack! Leave this empty life. ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family.”
My shouting and celebrating ceased, and the only noise I made came from my jaw slamming against the rock hard earth. I really liked the idea of being famous, but I wasn’t so sure about leaving my home, my family, and my country.
You might not understand this because you live in an individualistic society where you are encouraged to, “Be your own person,” “Make your own way,” where you are rewarded and celebrated for “Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.” Please for just a moment you must stand in my shoes, in my culture, in my society. My entire identity was wrapped up in the community I lived in. My country, my relatives, and my family were not just important relationships they were my very identity. My family defined who I was. My wife was selected from this group, the jobs I could pursue came from this small circle, my friends, my lively hood were all tied up in these communities. God told me I would be famous. But that huge promise came with a mighty push, get up and get out!
Now if you could have been there at this moment in my life you might not think of me as “Faithful Abe” because I was scared, frightened, confused, and timid. Leave my family? Leave my country? Reject my culture? This just can’t be.
Finally, I asked God a question I found I would ask many times, ‘Why?’ I mean I wanted to do God’s will but why did I have to make such a huge change? If God really was all powerful and all knowing why couldn’t God just change me and use me right in the middle of the place where God found me? God’s answer didn’t come directly but I have since learned the answer, it was for my good and His glory. And that is always the answer to “why?”
When God calls He always meets us right where we are, no matter our past, no matter our circumstances. But … He always intends to take us somewhere else. He wants our empty living to be left in the dust and the journey of promise to begin. God knew if I stayed with my family, a family serving other gods, the temptation to stray would be great. For me only by moving to “The land God would show me” would I be free to serve Him completely. Also, if great things were accomplished in me in my current circumstances then others might attribute the glory to me, but leaving my family would cause all the glory to go to its only true source … God alone.
Through the years I have come to learn that God’s call always includes one command, “Get up and get out.” See he meets us right where we are but never intends to leave us there. God’s call and invitation to holiness always involves a change in life.
From self centered to God centered, from self promoting, to God promoting, from self seeking, to God pursuing, from empty living to a hope filled journey of promise.
God’s promise comes with a push but it also comes with a plan. God told me He would make me the father of a great nation and He would make me famous. Not only that but He promised the whole earth would be blessed through me. And you know God always makes good on His promises!
If you read the first chapter of Matthew you will find that the savior of this earth, God’s only Son came from my family. The whole earth was and continues to be blessed through me! What a blessing! But all of this, every ounce of it, is for the glory of the one I serve!
I am not positive but if Abraham were here I think he might have told his story kind of like that. But what I do know for sure is this; Through the years God has called some pretty ordinary people to some pretty extraordinary things. He called a scaredy cat named Moses to be the leader of
God has also called a lot of ordinary people in this church to some extraordinary things. He called a lawyer to the mission field, He called a nurse into pastoral ministry, He called addicts to freedom, He called a 4th grade young lady to walk across the street and lead her neighbors to Jesus.
The best news of all is not what God has done, but what He wants to do. You see God is still in the business of calling people. He is calling to us to get up and get out, to leave our life of emptiness behind. He is calling us out of empty living to a life filled with hope. He is calling us to join Him on a journey filled with promise. God is still in the business of calling people today …
(Phone Rings twice)
There He is again … and this time He’s calling for you!
Response at the table:
This morning If you have heard God call to you to “get up and get out.” We are going to invite you to come to the table. If you know what it is to be empty and this morning you have heard God calling would you consider Jesus? Between now and Easter consider if Jesus is the one you have been searching for. If that is you this morning we invite you to come.
We will receive by intinction this morning. That means you will tear off a piece of the bread and hear the words, “The body of Christ broken for you.” You will then dip it into the cup and hear the words, “The blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sin.” Then eat it. You don’t need to be a member here or ever to have attended here before. All we ask is that you are somewhere on this journey with God, maybe you are just stepping out in faith maybe you are near the end. God is calling us. Out of emptiness and into fullness. To a journey filled with hope. Come to the table.
