God's Calling
GEN. 12:1-3
In the 2011 International Conference. Samuel Kim.(Shepard of Harvard)
INTRODUCTION
It is my tremendous honor to be with you this morning. For me to stand here is a miracle in itself as I didn't know about it until I received a month and half ago an email forwarded by my mom with the program schedule. To my surprise, my name was on the schedule. After some conversations I learned that I was given this special opportunity. May our Lord Jesus Christ be glorified through this. Let's pray.
In line with this conference's theme '나를 보내소서' I would like to share the story of Abram and how he was send out by God and share a little how God has been working in my life.
OVERVIEW:
As we read today the story of Abram I want us to focus on how His calling came about. How did Abram receive His calling? I believe he received his calling as he listened to God's voice, obeyed His will and remembered His calling. We need to do the same.
MAIN
1. Listen to His voice
CONTEXT:
From chapter 11 to chapter 12 we see a generational switch in the family of Abram. Abram, a native of Ur of the Chaldeans, follows his father Terah to go to Canaan. However, they didn't make it there, because when they arrived in Haran, they decided to stay there. Abram didn't make the decision on his own, but the decision was made for him through his father. He just followed. However, after Terah passes away, there comes a decisive moment in Abram's life. He receives his personal calling from God. He hears personally God's voice. Unmistakenly, God was calling him and Abram listened. This made all the difference in his life.
How many of us have grown up in church or have long been in church and never or seldom heard a personal word from God? How is it that in the Bible we find so many examples of how God calls His people and yet today there are many who have never heard His voice. This was something that I always wondered while I grew up.
EXAMPLE:
As you might know my parents Joseph and Paula Kim are missionaries in Germany. Thus, I was born there and grew up as a missionary kid. I was very rebellious as a kid and young teenager. My parents and the other missionaries in Germany can attest to that. For them Me standing here sharing God's Word is really a miracle. When I grew up I had always such a hard time obeying my parents. Anybody here can relate? For some reason, anything that came out of my parents' mouth (especially mom's) sounded like 잔소리. Do this or that. Especially read the bible, pray more, write 소감, memorize verses. We used to have Sunday service in our living room with dad preaching, mom praying, Jo playing 특송 and me reading Scripture. However, whenever my dad preached I fell asleep for some reason. He was also a lecturer at the university in Germany and thus his preaching style resembled that very much. Since mom knew I had that inclination she always sat behind me to poke me with her pen in case I dosed off. She had to poke me a lot of times. At that age my thoughts of God was much informed in how I saw my parents. I felt they were very demanding. I thought God was like that too. That He was all the time demanding and requiring me to do this or that. I thought I could never please Him. That's why I rebelled against my parents and against God as well. Thus, when I was 16 my parents send me abroad to the U.S. for a high school exchange year. Finding myself in the land of “liberty” I chose not to attend church, not to read the bible and not to pray. Instead, I sought meaning in philosophy by taking an ethics course in the University of Rochester, went to a Buddhist temple for a seminar and had many debates with my host parents who were atheists. Eventually, I came back to a Korean church, not because it was a church, but rather because it was Korean. I craved 김치 and 밥. It was in a Friday night worship service that in the time of worship I realized that I could have a personal relationship with God. There was no mom to poke me. In fact I could lie on the floor, raise my hands, jump up and down. It didn't matter. I could just be myself.. And God loves me as who I am. That's all that mattered. He spoke to me that night in a very personal way. No audible voice from heaven, no angelic “hallelujah” choir in the background, but just a simple internal reassuring voice from Him to me: “Sam, I love you. You are my son.” This made all the difference.
LESSON:
We need to hear his voice personally. That shows that we have a personal relationship with Him. We can't relate to Him through other people or depend on hearing from Him through others. We need to hear from Him personally. Yes, God does also speak through people. But as His sons and daughters we should have a continuous conversation with Him in which we hear Him speak to us personally. God still speaks today. God speaks to us in many ways. Let's tune in.
The problem is that if we don't listen to His voice, we will inevitably listen and heed to other voices: the voices of the world, our own selfish voice, the voice of others. There are so many distracting voices. How do we distinguish among the voices, which is His?
His voice is always in line with His Word. It is always in line with His character.
What is He telling you today?
TRANSITION:
However, it is not enough to just hear His voice, but also to have faith in His words.
2. Obey His will
CONTEXT:
Let's just stop for a moment and think about Abram's situation. At the moment he heard God's voice there hasn't been anyone who had heard such since the times of Noah. Terah wasn't a believer either. Abram probably doesn't know anyone personally who had heard God's voice. Moreover, the content of God's message was contrary to all that would make sense. As Abram obey sand embark son His journey inverse 4 he takes an important step in the unknown. Not only is he very old, but he is also taking with him his wife Sarai and nephew as well as his servants. Thus, he was not only responsible for his own life, but had also to take care for his immediate family and entourage. Rom. 4:16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's off spring-not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
EXAMPLE:
When I finished high school in Germany I was asking God what he wanted me to do. Thus, I went to a prayer retreate place to spend couple of days praying and fasting. I imagined that God would speak to me suddenly like he had done to Samuel in the bible in an unmistkable voice from heaven saying “Sa~mu~el~, Samuel~” As I was sitting there in the sanctuary waiting for this voice to speak to me, I just noticed how my stomach was crumbling and crying out desparately for nourishment like 비빔밥ㅁ. Day after day passed without any sign from God. Finally, on the last day I received a simple word from Him through His words in Psalms. It was just one word. I was convicted right away. No long speech, no fanfare, no spectacular revelation. Just one word”. “Wait”. Wait!?!? I had no idea at that moment what that meant and what God was going to do. I was 19 at that time as Germany unlike other countries has 13 years of primary and secondary education. My friends were applying to colleges in German or doing civil service, while I chose to take a year off. It seemed like the world around me was moving on to better and brighter things, while I was stuck in waiting, but I just told myself that if God wants me to wait then that is what I will do. I will trust Him. Instead of staying in Germany for the entire gap year, God led me to Korea half way through. Compared to those my age, I felt so behind. Friends two years younger than me had already started college, while I was working as a tutor to sustain myself in Korea. Eventually, God led me to apply to colleges in the U.S. and I began my undergraduate at age 20 at Gordon College near Boston. Through His guidance and by His grace I was able to finish a double major in Spanish and Secondary Education within three years while being certified to teach English as a Second Language, Spanish and German. Right afterward I began my master at Harvard and finished it in one year being one of the youngest in my cohort. His word to “wait” seemed so counter intuitive to me and didnt' make any sense to me at the time that I received it. However, as I trusted Him and waited, I saw how God worked in miraculous ways and brought me where I am right now. The year of waiting turned out to be a year of learning how to trust Him and sharpening my focus. When God speaks, let's not doubt. He can take us to places we can't even imagine.
LESSON: Often times when God tells us something it seems so counter intuitive to our own nature. Sometimes he says “wait”, when everyone around says “go”. Sometimes he says “go”, when we would rather like to stay. God will do whatever it takes to move us out of our comfort zone and to grow in our trust in Him. Abram might have wanted to stay as he was already settled being 75. His entire father's household was now at home in Haran. Rationally, it seemed like nonsense to leave that place. It was risky.
When God speaks, let's not doubt. Let's have faith and obey.
James 2: 17 - 18 “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”
Faith needs to be show itself in action. After we hear God's voice, trust His words, we need to obey His will.
TRANSITION:
Nonetheless, in our journey we often forget how far He has already brought us and what He has called us for.
3. Remember His calling
CONTEXT:
As Abram traveled through the land we read that he built an altar wherever he went. In verse 7 we read how the LORD reappeared to him, reaffirming His calling and promise. In verse 8 Abram builts another altar and calls on the name of the LORD. We can see how Abram remembered the LORD and His words. We need to do the same. Wherever we go and whatever we do, we need to remember the LORD.
EXAMPLE:
I still remember the day I applied to Harvard. It was on Monday January 4th, 2010 at 9:56 pm. The application deadline was on that very night at 10 pm. I remember being filled with a self-doubt and quite edgy whether I had perhaps forgotten something in the application or made some major mistakes. Before moving any further I just kneeled down at that moment and said “God, if you call me to be there, let the door be opened. Just let me be a light and salt there and go there a san ambassador of Christ.” With that I pressed that button to submit my on line application just few minutes before deadline. Harvard was the first graduate school that replied. The first line started with “Congratulations...” I didn't need to read no more. I just scream doubt of joy and raising my hand sand just giving thanks to God. People came storming in to my room thinking something had happened to me. Step by step God opened the was in providing for me housing, grants to cover my tuition, a work place at the university, and dear friends. However, as classes started and the work load increased in addition to all the extra curricular commitment like student government and as a small group leader at church, time passed by so quickly. The first month was gone in no time. I was quickly consumed by my studies. And I had to remind myself “Sam, wait, stop. Why are you here?” Thankfully, I had a brother in Christ who graduated last year and was working in the same office with me at Harvard. His name is Samuel as well, so that people always referred to us as “Sam^2.” Together, we reminded each other of what matters most and started a prayer group on campus. Students from my cohort started to come. Sometimes people from outside Harvard as well. We had often dinner at a student dormitory cafeteria and it was there that we had the most opportunities to share about Christ with non-believers. After eating a pumpkin or two and drinking some gingerade people started to a skinteresting questions like “what is the difference between religion and spirituality?” These prayer meetings and conversations turned to be seeds planted. It wasn't until couple months later, after I had graduated I received a call from Sam about a student that we had prayed with and who had finally accepted Jesus Christ into her life. I am sure that there are many more seeds planted of which we won't see the fruits until perhaps much later. As I am here in Korea working currently for UNESCO I have to remind myself continuously why I am there. Yes, of course
LESSON:
Why is it so hard to remember? It is so easy to forget, because we don't have to do anything to forget. It just happens. On the other hand, it takes effort to remember. It is a continuous process of reminding oneself. Why am I here? What is most important? What truly matters?
Why are there so many competing demands on our life? What are we going to prioritize? What matters most?
As Abram stopped at the great tree of Moreh at Shechem (verse 6) he could have just said “Wow, this is a cool tree with a lot of shade, I think I will just stay here” He could have stopped at any given point on the journey and settled for less like his father Terah did who had set out for the land of Canaan but settled on the way at Haran. I wonder how that also happens so easily in my own life.
TRANSITION:
Let's remember His calling in our lives. Why are you where you are? What is God preparing you for.
CONCLUSION
Like Abram I hope we would be a people that listens to His voice, obeys His will and remembers His calling.
Have you perhaps wondered whether God still speaks today? May this conference be a moment of hearing His voice personally.
Has God perhaps called you to something that you haven't started yet? May this time be the decisive moment of turning to Him and submitting to His will in obedience.
Has God called you to something in your life that you should remember? If so, I pray that this conference would be a moment of remembering for you.
CALL: If there is anyone here who would like to make a decision for Jesus Christ and take a decisive stand in saying “God, here I am speak to me, reveal to me your will, I want to listen, trust and obey you and remember your calling” I would like you to raise your hand. Just raise your hand as a personal commitment that you are making this morning that this conference shall not pass without you tuning into His voice.
PRAYER: Thank you Father for being here with us this morning. How amazing it is to know you as our Father. Thank you that we can relate to you personally and that you are still speaking today. Grant us listening ears that we would always be tuned into your will. Help us to trust your Words that you speak to us. Grant us strength to obey your will and to do whatever you ask us to do. Thank you. In JC's name. Amen.
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