WEBVTT 00:00:04.139 --> 00:00:05.780 Hello and welcome back to the Potter's House 00:00:05.780 --> 00:00:08.560 Seminar Podcast. This is a special series from 00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:10.900 our Prescott Conference that just recently occurred. 00:00:11.119 --> 00:00:13.599 The theme of the conference was Into the Unknown 00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:17.120 and the scripture for the theme was Romans 15, 00:00:17.339 --> 00:00:21.120 20 -21. I have made it my aim to preach the gospel 00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:26.320 to whom he was not announced. So this is a powerful 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:29.809 series of... sermons from leaders in our fellowship 00:00:29.809 --> 00:00:32.429 to include Greg Mitchell, Joe Campbell, Richard 00:00:32.429 --> 00:00:36.350 Ruby, Sergey Golubev, and others along with that. 00:00:36.469 --> 00:00:39.670 So please enjoy and listen along these powerful 00:00:39.670 --> 00:00:44.670 sermons from leaders in our fellowship. Thank 00:00:44.670 --> 00:00:47.850 God. God bless you. God bless you. Amen. Turn 00:00:47.850 --> 00:00:49.770 in your Bibles. Let's go to the Word of God. 00:00:50.149 --> 00:00:52.670 Turn in your Bibles right now to the book of 00:00:52.670 --> 00:00:58.049 Genesis chapter 12. science, there have been 00:00:58.049 --> 00:01:03.049 men, they had theories they believed that could 00:01:03.049 --> 00:01:06.250 help people, but the problem was it was dangerous 00:01:06.250 --> 00:01:10.109 because it hadn't been tested. So there have 00:01:10.109 --> 00:01:14.269 been men that first tested their theories on 00:01:14.269 --> 00:01:16.989 themselves. Have a man, they're going to put 00:01:16.989 --> 00:01:21.569 up a photo, this man, Wernher Forsman, he performed 00:01:21.569 --> 00:01:24.870 the first heart catheterization. What that meant, 00:01:25.549 --> 00:01:30.329 Werner Forsman, he believed that you could access 00:01:30.329 --> 00:01:35.230 the heart through the vein in your arm, but no 00:01:35.230 --> 00:01:39.329 one had ever done that. And so he personally 00:01:39.329 --> 00:01:44.189 inserted a catheter in his arm, threaded it up 00:01:44.189 --> 00:01:47.709 until he believed it was in the right atrium 00:01:47.709 --> 00:01:51.480 of his heart, got up. climbed two flights of 00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:54.299 stairs, went to the x -ray department, had an 00:01:54.299 --> 00:01:58.980 x -ray taken of his chest to prove that he had 00:01:58.980 --> 00:02:02.879 reached the heart. He proved that you could reach 00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:06.819 the heart through the veins. That was in 1929. 00:02:08.740 --> 00:02:12.740 Absolutely unheard of. He wasn't even a surgeon 00:02:12.740 --> 00:02:16.400 yet. Just out of curiosity, how many of you here, 00:02:16.580 --> 00:02:20.759 you have had stents put into your heart? You 00:02:20.759 --> 00:02:24.939 have. Okay. Some of you are alive today because 00:02:24.939 --> 00:02:30.599 Werner Forsman went into the unknown. That is 00:02:30.599 --> 00:02:35.319 what we're going to read in our text. God shows 00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:39.180 us a pattern of having relationship with him. 00:02:39.580 --> 00:02:44.580 That always involves going into the unknown. 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:47.039 And I want to preach a sermon called Into the 00:02:47.039 --> 00:02:49.879 Unknown, Genesis 12. One through four. Now the 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:53.280 Lord had said to Abram, get out of your country, 00:02:53.319 --> 00:02:56.699 from your family, from your father's house to 00:02:56.699 --> 00:03:01.479 a land that I will show you. I will make you 00:03:01.479 --> 00:03:03.360 a great nation. I'll bless you and make your 00:03:03.360 --> 00:03:06.639 name great. You shall be a blessing. I will bless 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:09.039 those that bless you. I'll curse him who curses 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:12.060 you. And in you, all the families of the earth 00:03:12.060 --> 00:03:15.460 shall be blessed. So Abram departed as the Lord 00:03:15.460 --> 00:03:18.560 had spoken to him. And Lot went with him. Abram 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:23.580 was 75 years old when he departed from Haran 00:03:23.580 --> 00:03:25.819 into the unknown. I want to talk about the voice 00:03:25.819 --> 00:03:30.860 of God. Our story here, Abram's story, begins 00:03:30.860 --> 00:03:33.460 with the voice of God. Verse 1, Now the Lord 00:03:33.460 --> 00:03:38.639 had said to Abram, I want you to know this. Listen 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:45.039 to me clearly. God can speak. God will speak. 00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:49.439 220 times in the Bible it says the Lord said. 00:03:49.620 --> 00:03:54.879 46 times God said. 144 times the Lord spoke. 00:03:54.979 --> 00:04:01.819 13 times God spoke. 424 times in the Bible tells 00:04:01.819 --> 00:04:08.699 us about God speaking. And in our text, God speaks 00:04:08.699 --> 00:04:13.289 as a pattern. When God speaks, he reveals his 00:04:13.289 --> 00:04:17.069 will for our lives. Now, he may do that in many 00:04:17.069 --> 00:04:20.870 different ways. Sermons, prayer, need, gifts 00:04:20.870 --> 00:04:23.629 of the spirit. He may speak through a pastor, 00:04:23.769 --> 00:04:26.689 opportunities, offerings. I believe that God 00:04:26.689 --> 00:04:29.689 just spoke through Pastor Campbell in the offering. 00:04:29.810 --> 00:04:34.490 But however it is, absolutely all through the 00:04:34.490 --> 00:04:40.139 Bible, God speaks. And everything changes when 00:04:40.139 --> 00:04:45.100 we hear from God. Abram heard from God. It began 00:04:45.100 --> 00:04:48.959 his relationship with God. He became the father 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:53.720 of the faith when he heard from God. A man named 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:58.259 Saul was saved when he heard from God. Every 00:04:58.259 --> 00:05:02.199 person here who is born again, you are saved 00:05:02.199 --> 00:05:05.110 because you heard the voice of God. whether that 00:05:05.110 --> 00:05:07.829 was witnessing, preaching, or an altar call. 00:05:08.209 --> 00:05:13.829 Peter, his ministry to the Gentiles began when 00:05:13.829 --> 00:05:18.230 he heard from God through a vision. Martin Luther 00:05:18.230 --> 00:05:22.009 was a Catholic priest and he heard God speak, 00:05:22.230 --> 00:05:26.970 the just shall live by faith. And that triggered 00:05:26.970 --> 00:05:30.490 the Protestant revolution that affects us today. 00:05:30.569 --> 00:05:35.639 We are Protestants. protest the doctrines of 00:05:35.639 --> 00:05:39.240 the Catholic Church, but that happened by a miracle. 00:05:39.319 --> 00:05:46.480 He heard God speak. In our text, God is revealing 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:51.899 Abram's destiny, God's plans for him to make 00:05:51.899 --> 00:05:55.339 impact in the earth. Verse 2, I will make you 00:05:55.339 --> 00:05:58.389 a great nation. I will bless you and make your 00:05:58.389 --> 00:06:01.990 name great and you shall be a blessing. In verse 00:06:01.990 --> 00:06:05.790 3, in you all the families of the earth shall 00:06:05.790 --> 00:06:10.810 be blessed. His future was triggered when he 00:06:10.810 --> 00:06:16.050 heard from God. Mark 1 17, Jesus said to them, 00:06:16.089 --> 00:06:19.670 follow me and I will make you become fishers 00:06:19.670 --> 00:06:23.550 of men. I am here preaching tonight. That is 00:06:23.550 --> 00:06:27.220 a miracle because I never wanted to be a preacher. 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:31.100 I had no plans of being a preacher. But in a 00:06:31.100 --> 00:06:34.439 discipleship class in Perth, West Australia, 00:06:34.500 --> 00:06:37.879 my father was doing, he was teaching how to put 00:06:37.879 --> 00:06:41.699 together sermons. And God spoke to me and said, 00:06:41.819 --> 00:06:45.579 that's what I want you to do. Alter the future 00:06:45.579 --> 00:06:50.300 of my entire life. We have a fellowship today. 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:55.040 A church exists in Prescott because my father 00:06:55.040 --> 00:06:59.360 was called to preach. God spoke, called to come 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:03.860 to Prescott, called to go to Australia. Now there 00:07:03.860 --> 00:07:08.540 are Christians, whether they're Calvinists or 00:07:08.540 --> 00:07:11.980 some of them, they call themselves cessationists, 00:07:11.980 --> 00:07:15.779 which means to stop. They do not believe that 00:07:15.779 --> 00:07:19.899 God can speak today. In fact, They say God does 00:07:19.899 --> 00:07:23.899 not speak. The only way that God speaks is the 00:07:23.899 --> 00:07:28.839 Bible. He will never say anything outside the 00:07:28.839 --> 00:07:34.319 Bible. Those are cessationists. One of these 00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:38.220 cessationist pastors was talking to a Pentecostal 00:07:38.220 --> 00:07:41.120 pastor. He was arguing and he said, we have the 00:07:41.120 --> 00:07:45.199 Bible. God does not speak today except for the 00:07:45.199 --> 00:07:49.100 Bible and that wise. Pentecostal pastor said, 00:07:49.339 --> 00:07:52.879 then tell me how was it that you were called 00:07:52.879 --> 00:08:03.100 to preach? Abraham is called the father of the 00:08:03.100 --> 00:08:08.319 faith. His life forms a pattern for us to follow. 00:08:09.480 --> 00:08:12.860 Everything in serving God and doing the will 00:08:12.860 --> 00:08:18.730 of God depends on us. hearing from God. We must 00:08:18.730 --> 00:08:24.069 contend for a dimension where God can speak. 00:08:24.250 --> 00:08:28.370 The Old Testament, there was a tent, a fancy 00:08:28.370 --> 00:08:33.070 tent called the tabernacle. It housed the presence 00:08:33.070 --> 00:08:36.809 of God that was contained in the Ark of the Covenant, 00:08:36.830 --> 00:08:42.269 but the tabernacle was called the tent of meeting. 00:08:43.500 --> 00:08:48.240 You could go there and meet with God. That is 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:52.399 what must happen in our churches. This is why 00:08:52.399 --> 00:08:56.600 we have prayer meetings before church. Because 00:08:56.600 --> 00:09:01.580 we want... God to speak to us. We want God to 00:09:01.580 --> 00:09:04.879 speak to others. No doubt there are pastors here. 00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:08.779 You have experienced where a dimension of God 00:09:08.779 --> 00:09:11.700 was there. Someone comes to you afterwards and 00:09:11.700 --> 00:09:16.000 they say, that sermon was just for me. And the 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:19.539 next person in line, that sermon was just for 00:09:19.539 --> 00:09:23.960 me. How can it be for you if it was? Because 00:09:23.960 --> 00:09:27.039 God was speaking a dimension of God. That is 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:30.659 why I need you to pray tomorrow morning. I need 00:09:30.659 --> 00:09:33.960 you to pray before the services because God must 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:37.559 speak. This is what conference is all about. 00:09:37.720 --> 00:09:42.360 It is not just getting to meet up and have meals 00:09:42.360 --> 00:09:45.879 with friends. It is not just about getting to 00:09:45.879 --> 00:09:50.779 dress up on a Thursday night. We are here to 00:09:50.779 --> 00:09:53.409 hear from God. How many of you came? To hear 00:09:53.409 --> 00:10:01.210 from God. I'm curious, how many of you, you were 00:10:01.210 --> 00:10:03.990 called to preach in a conference? Lift up your 00:10:03.990 --> 00:10:06.529 hand. In a conference you heard from God. Thank 00:10:06.529 --> 00:10:12.309 God. Yes. January of 2021, a number of Marines, 00:10:12.470 --> 00:10:15.929 they were coming to a conference from 29 Palms. 00:10:15.970 --> 00:10:19.509 One of their fellow Marines, he asked, what are 00:10:19.509 --> 00:10:21.149 you doing? They said, we're going to Prescott 00:10:21.149 --> 00:10:23.990 for a conference. And a young man named Brady 00:10:23.990 --> 00:10:27.809 Raina wasn't even saved. He said, can I go? And 00:10:27.809 --> 00:10:30.350 so they, I don't want you to do this, but they 00:10:30.350 --> 00:10:33.590 snuck Brady into their room. Didn't tell the 00:10:33.590 --> 00:10:37.110 check -in ladies. Brady, who was unsaved, came 00:10:37.110 --> 00:10:41.070 on a Monday night. He heard from God, got saved 00:10:41.070 --> 00:10:44.330 on Monday night. The next night he got filled 00:10:44.330 --> 00:10:48.149 with the Holy Spirit. Later in the week, a call 00:10:48.149 --> 00:10:51.149 was made for those who are called to preach. 00:10:51.330 --> 00:10:55.429 And Brady came up to Pastor Jake Snyder and said, 00:10:55.570 --> 00:11:00.970 I want to go. Will you send me? He heard from 00:11:00.970 --> 00:11:03.850 God and thank God later on. Now Brady and Alicia, 00:11:04.009 --> 00:11:06.950 they're pastoring in Lake Havasu City because 00:11:06.950 --> 00:11:14.029 he heard from God. Thank God. How many of you 00:11:14.029 --> 00:11:17.149 were called? to be missionaries in conference. 00:11:17.509 --> 00:11:20.570 Lift up your hand. Amen. Thank God. That's what 00:11:20.570 --> 00:11:23.309 happened to Lisa and I. We were teenagers in 00:11:23.309 --> 00:11:27.090 a conference watching a conference video that 00:11:27.090 --> 00:11:30.149 almost exclusively dealt with the Philippines. 00:11:30.370 --> 00:11:33.370 All the footage was from the Philippines. And 00:11:33.370 --> 00:11:36.350 in that conference video, God spoke to both of 00:11:36.350 --> 00:11:40.950 us and said, I want you to go to Africa. We heard 00:11:40.950 --> 00:11:44.309 from God. It changed the course of our lives. 00:11:45.230 --> 00:11:49.230 pastors here do not miss this first Peter 4 11 00:11:49.230 --> 00:11:53.690 says if anyone speaks let him speak as the oracles 00:11:53.690 --> 00:11:58.529 of God what that literally means is that when 00:11:58.529 --> 00:12:05.039 you preach God is speaking through you a preacher 00:12:05.039 --> 00:12:09.580 comes from a word a herald one who declares the 00:12:09.580 --> 00:12:13.940 message from the king that is the miracle when 00:12:13.940 --> 00:12:18.000 you are faithful to the word of God and you declare 00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:22.149 the message From the king. Then I have people 00:12:22.149 --> 00:12:25.389 who come. I had no idea what was going on in 00:12:25.389 --> 00:12:28.750 their life. And they say that is exactly. What 00:12:28.750 --> 00:12:31.750 I'm going through. Exactly what I needed to hear. 00:12:32.029 --> 00:12:37.470 Because preacher. You speak for God. God speaks 00:12:37.470 --> 00:12:41.769 through you. That is why. Don't take this lightly. 00:12:42.129 --> 00:12:46.350 We must cry out to God. To give us revelation. 00:12:46.730 --> 00:12:50.860 In his words. In his will. That is why when I 00:12:50.860 --> 00:12:55.379 pray and read my Bible, I am attracted to a word 00:12:55.379 --> 00:12:59.360 or a verse. I know like Moses being attracted 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:03.059 to the burning bush, God has a message for me 00:13:03.059 --> 00:13:07.840 in there. And then if I will obey God and... 00:13:08.120 --> 00:13:12.820 mind the truth so that I can hear from God. Like 00:13:12.820 --> 00:13:16.620 it says, Proverbs 2, verse 4 and 5, if you seek 00:13:16.620 --> 00:13:19.960 her as silver, search for her as hidden treasures, 00:13:20.139 --> 00:13:22.580 then you will understand the fear of the Lord 00:13:22.580 --> 00:13:25.039 and find the knowledge of God. Listen to me, 00:13:25.080 --> 00:13:28.720 pastor. Do not get your sermons off the internet. 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:34.539 Do not simply step into the pulpit with something 00:13:34.539 --> 00:13:41.169 you got off sermoncentral .com. Don't just borrow 00:13:41.169 --> 00:13:45.129 someone else's sermons. And God forbid I have 00:13:45.129 --> 00:13:49.110 heard pastors be excited about AI. Did you know 00:13:49.110 --> 00:13:52.970 AI? You just say, I want a Bible study on righteousness. 00:13:53.009 --> 00:14:00.870 It'll do it for you. Shame on you. You need to 00:14:00.870 --> 00:14:04.509 hear from God so the people can hear from God. 00:14:04.629 --> 00:14:09.460 Listen, our future, your people's future. The 00:14:09.460 --> 00:14:13.440 church's future depends on us hearing from God. 00:14:14.419 --> 00:14:18.100 Do you know that hearing from God is a measuring 00:14:18.100 --> 00:14:24.059 stick? Because hearing from God must be a current 00:14:24.059 --> 00:14:28.860 condition. Hearing from God must be up to date. 00:14:29.399 --> 00:14:33.779 God forbid if the only time God spoke to you 00:14:33.779 --> 00:14:38.899 was back 30 years ago. I ever tell you about 00:14:38.899 --> 00:14:47.100 that time God, I'm glad, but this is 2025. In 00:14:47.100 --> 00:14:50.919 our text, Abram is hearing from God, but then 00:14:50.919 --> 00:14:54.059 if you follow his life, there is a progressive 00:14:54.059 --> 00:14:59.559 revelation. God's speaking again and again and 00:14:59.559 --> 00:15:03.549 again. Hearing from God is a measuring stick. 00:15:03.769 --> 00:15:08.110 Don't rest on past voices. Don't assume because 00:15:08.110 --> 00:15:11.889 you heard from God one time in the past, you're 00:15:11.889 --> 00:15:17.750 set for life. We're here in conference. What 00:15:17.750 --> 00:15:24.470 does God have to say to you this week? That is 00:15:24.470 --> 00:15:29.419 what is crucial. What attitudes does God want 00:15:29.419 --> 00:15:32.840 to deal with? Habits, approaches in ministry, 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:37.179 giving. What does God want to say to you this 00:15:37.179 --> 00:15:42.620 week? You came to conference. Does God want you 00:15:42.620 --> 00:15:47.320 to do something different in ministry? Or some 00:15:47.320 --> 00:15:49.659 of you, you're going through problems. You do 00:15:49.659 --> 00:15:52.279 anything different. Does God want you to stay 00:15:52.279 --> 00:15:56.139 and fight it out? You need to hear from God. 00:15:57.799 --> 00:16:01.519 How long has it been since God spoke to you? 00:16:03.059 --> 00:16:06.340 First Samuel 3 .1. Now the boy Samuel ministered 00:16:06.340 --> 00:16:08.279 to the Lord before Eli and the word of the Lord 00:16:08.279 --> 00:16:11.899 was rare in those days. There was no widespread 00:16:11.899 --> 00:16:14.960 revelation. You know what happens to people who 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:19.139 are not doing well spiritually? They stop hearing 00:16:19.139 --> 00:16:22.980 from God. Now they will try to put it on the 00:16:22.980 --> 00:16:27.240 pastor and the church. I'm not being fed. You 00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:34.100 used to be fed. Same church, same pastor. That's 00:16:34.100 --> 00:16:39.480 not a good sign. You're in danger. If we stop 00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:42.000 hearing from God, our churches are in danger. 00:16:42.259 --> 00:16:46.360 Our ministries are in danger. I declare to you, 00:16:46.379 --> 00:16:51.899 we live or die by hearing the voice of God. Photo 00:16:51.899 --> 00:16:54.059 they can put up, you know, earlier this year 00:16:54.059 --> 00:16:57.580 in February, a Black Hawk helicopter. into a 00:16:57.580 --> 00:17:01.539 passenger jet in Washington, D .C. One factor 00:17:01.539 --> 00:17:08.240 in why these aircraft collided, the tower was 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:11.180 speaking, giving a warning of the approaching 00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:15.460 jet, but they had their thumb on the button speaking, 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:20.140 and so they missed a crucial part of the message. 00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:26.029 And because of that, 67 people died. Because 00:17:26.029 --> 00:17:30.529 they didn't hear what they're supposed to hear. 00:17:30.569 --> 00:17:34.829 Let's talk secondly into the unknown. When God 00:17:34.829 --> 00:17:38.269 speaks to Abram, he's living in a city called 00:17:38.269 --> 00:17:44.529 Haran. Haran was a city in the area called Mesopotamia. 00:17:45.690 --> 00:17:50.230 This city was absolutely filled with idolatry. 00:17:50.230 --> 00:17:54.750 The worship of idols and just... of minor interest, 00:17:54.809 --> 00:18:02.470 one major God was the moon God called sin. Idolatry. 00:18:03.369 --> 00:18:08.089 One mark of idolatry is the desire for control. 00:18:09.029 --> 00:18:12.390 Literally, this is what idol worshipers do. You 00:18:12.390 --> 00:18:17.730 choose a God to worship based on what you feel 00:18:17.730 --> 00:18:21.029 that you need. What do you need? I need money, 00:18:21.150 --> 00:18:25.400 then I worship. A money God. I need power. Then 00:18:25.400 --> 00:18:28.920 you worship the God of power. You need children. 00:18:30.059 --> 00:18:33.579 Then you worship the fertility God. On and on. 00:18:33.660 --> 00:18:37.279 The sex God. Whatever it is that you feel. But 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:40.599 you're the one who decides. And you're the one 00:18:40.599 --> 00:18:45.140 who picks. The God. And so worshiping idols. 00:18:45.779 --> 00:18:50.420 If you fulfilled. Some element. Of worshiping 00:18:50.420 --> 00:18:55.950 the idol. then the idea is that God will give 00:18:55.950 --> 00:19:01.910 me what I think is best. So you're worshiping 00:19:01.910 --> 00:19:07.170 a God, but you retain control. That is what was 00:19:07.170 --> 00:19:12.269 going on in Haran. The problem is that is how 00:19:12.269 --> 00:19:17.289 many people approach Almighty God. They approach 00:19:17.289 --> 00:19:23.390 God the same way. I will worship God because 00:19:23.390 --> 00:19:27.569 I want him to give me what I want and what I 00:19:27.569 --> 00:19:33.049 think best. And I want to retain control. Manoah 00:19:33.049 --> 00:19:36.609 and Jacob both met the angel, the Lord, literally 00:19:36.609 --> 00:19:41.990 God in visible form. And they asked God the question, 00:19:42.250 --> 00:19:47.349 what is your name? Because this was an ancient 00:19:47.349 --> 00:19:52.910 belief. If you knew the name of the God, then 00:19:52.910 --> 00:19:59.410 you could make that God give you what you wanted. 00:19:59.609 --> 00:20:05.349 You could control that God. And there's something 00:20:05.349 --> 00:20:11.710 in the human heart that we crave security, free 00:20:11.710 --> 00:20:16.029 from danger, free from threat. Some people hate 00:20:16.029 --> 00:20:21.880 the feeling of not being in control. They hate 00:20:21.880 --> 00:20:24.799 feeling out of control. Maybe that was their 00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:27.440 past. Maybe you suffered abuse, abandonment, 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:31.519 poverty, relationship breakdown. A point in time 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:34.400 when your world was in chaos and there was nothing 00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:38.819 you could do. So there are people, they hate 00:20:38.819 --> 00:20:45.779 not having security or control. In a photo in 00:20:45.779 --> 00:20:51.170 France, They had huge protests. Actually, this 00:20:51.170 --> 00:20:54.390 has happened a number of times because they will 00:20:54.390 --> 00:20:57.529 try to pass a law saying if you're under 26, 00:20:57.690 --> 00:21:01.829 we can fire you in the first two years of your 00:21:01.829 --> 00:21:05.910 contract if you're not working well. Millions 00:21:05.910 --> 00:21:09.730 of Frenchmen protested in the streets holding 00:21:09.730 --> 00:21:14.170 signs that said against precariousness. That 00:21:14.170 --> 00:21:21.210 sign said kill. precariousness, killed job insecurity. 00:21:23.710 --> 00:21:26.890 But this is how people are. I want to serve God, 00:21:26.950 --> 00:21:31.009 but I want to kill insecurity. I want to make 00:21:31.009 --> 00:21:35.710 sure that I stay in control. We want God to operate 00:21:35.710 --> 00:21:40.369 on our desires. We want God. All right, God, 00:21:40.490 --> 00:21:42.490 if you want me to do something, I want you to 00:21:42.490 --> 00:21:45.519 clearly spell out what's going to happen. Every 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:49.279 step of the way, God, you have to get pre -approval 00:21:49.279 --> 00:21:58.180 from me. Our idea of blessing. God, use your 00:21:58.180 --> 00:22:04.079 power to give me what I think is best, what I 00:22:04.079 --> 00:22:06.859 want, what I'm comfortable with. As a matter 00:22:06.859 --> 00:22:11.140 of fact, people get offended with God when he 00:22:11.140 --> 00:22:14.599 doesn't do things the way that they think. is 00:22:14.599 --> 00:22:17.240 best. Some people come to church and they are 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:22.559 angry at God because God, I had it all worked 00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:27.440 out. I told you what you should do and you didn't 00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:30.660 run the universe the way that I thought best. 00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:35.119 John 6 verse 66, after Jesus said this, many 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:41.539 of his followers left him and they stopped following 00:22:41.539 --> 00:22:48.690 him. So back to our text, God called Abram to 00:22:48.690 --> 00:22:56.450 leave Haran, the city of idolatry or controlling 00:22:56.450 --> 00:23:03.230 the gods. Listen, built into having relationship 00:23:03.230 --> 00:23:08.650 with God is this element of the unknown. Genesis 00:23:08.650 --> 00:23:11.880 12, one. Now the Lord had said to Abram, Get 00:23:11.880 --> 00:23:14.160 out of your country, from your family, your father's 00:23:14.160 --> 00:23:20.000 house, to a land that I will show you. I wish 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:23.599 I had a video of this conversation with his wife. 00:23:24.440 --> 00:23:31.299 Honey, God spoke to me today. Oh, what did he 00:23:31.299 --> 00:23:37.480 say? He wants us to move. Move where? He said 00:23:37.480 --> 00:23:44.519 he'd tell us later. Do you think that she just, 00:23:44.619 --> 00:23:50.579 wow, don't she smell his breath? Like, what have 00:23:50.579 --> 00:23:53.099 you been drinking? Like, you want to move without 00:23:53.099 --> 00:23:56.519 knowing where we're going? Listen, there are 00:23:56.519 --> 00:23:59.839 things in life, if you're going to serve God, 00:24:00.099 --> 00:24:07.079 they're not meant to be in your control. God 00:24:07.079 --> 00:24:11.559 wants us to do things, and he doesn't tell us 00:24:11.559 --> 00:24:15.859 every detail. He's telling us to leave. Abram, 00:24:15.859 --> 00:24:20.200 leave what is familiar. What will it be like 00:24:20.200 --> 00:24:24.500 if I do the will of God? And God says, I'll tell 00:24:24.500 --> 00:24:28.299 you later. Leave what is comfortable. What are 00:24:28.299 --> 00:24:31.539 the conditions like there? And God says, I'll 00:24:31.539 --> 00:24:35.660 tell you later. Because built into serving God, 00:24:35.819 --> 00:24:40.579 we are called to risk. That's a risk. He leaves 00:24:40.579 --> 00:24:43.720 family and friends. everything that is comfortable 00:24:43.720 --> 00:24:45.859 and familiar. We don't even know where we're 00:24:45.859 --> 00:24:51.519 going. That is risky. Psalm 107, 23 and 24, those 00:24:51.519 --> 00:24:54.180 who go down to the sea and ships, who do business 00:24:54.180 --> 00:24:56.920 on great waters, they see the works of the Lord 00:24:56.920 --> 00:25:00.519 and his wonders in the deep or in deep water. 00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:05.039 1 Samuel 14, 6, Jonathan said to his armor bearer, 00:25:05.059 --> 00:25:08.440 let's go to the camp of the uncircumcised. Maybe 00:25:08.440 --> 00:25:13.950 the Lord will help us. That is powerful. There's 00:25:13.950 --> 00:25:19.589 no guarantee. Maybe we might win. We might not. 00:25:21.089 --> 00:25:26.390 But we're going to risk. So really, what our 00:25:26.390 --> 00:25:30.269 text is actually saying then, serving God is 00:25:30.269 --> 00:25:35.609 all about surrender. Surrender means to give 00:25:35.609 --> 00:25:39.849 up or to hand over control. to another, which 00:25:39.849 --> 00:25:44.009 means we hand over control to God. Abraham and 00:25:44.009 --> 00:25:47.430 Sarah, they were surrendering their lives and 00:25:47.430 --> 00:25:51.950 their futures to God. God, we will go where you 00:25:51.950 --> 00:25:55.970 lead, wherever you decide. We'll do what you 00:25:55.970 --> 00:25:59.049 say. I pray that tonight in the offering, you 00:25:59.049 --> 00:26:02.329 said, God, I'll give what you want me to give. 00:26:03.190 --> 00:26:06.630 Moses and Joshua, they were told. Take off your 00:26:06.630 --> 00:26:09.950 shoes. But God, if we do that, we'll be vulnerable. 00:26:10.970 --> 00:26:14.910 God is saying, leave the future with me. Philip 00:26:14.910 --> 00:26:18.309 was carried away by the spirit. It was beyond 00:26:18.309 --> 00:26:25.170 his control. You know, the old story, a man was 00:26:25.170 --> 00:26:29.990 just stirred and he wanted to show God how much 00:26:29.990 --> 00:26:33.210 he loved him. So he wrote on top of a piece of 00:26:33.210 --> 00:26:36.660 paper, he wrote, things I'll do for God. He started 00:26:36.660 --> 00:26:40.099 listing prayer and getting involved. He made 00:26:40.099 --> 00:26:43.359 quite a list at the bottom. He signed it. He 00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:45.640 was feeling pretty good. He started praying, 00:26:45.880 --> 00:26:48.839 kind of showing that to God. He felt God speak 00:26:48.839 --> 00:26:53.259 to him, tear that up, get out another piece of 00:26:53.259 --> 00:26:57.279 paper and write things I'll do for God, leave 00:26:57.279 --> 00:27:00.779 it blank and sign it. And God said, I'll fill 00:27:00.779 --> 00:27:08.519 it out for you. That's called surrender. To a 00:27:08.519 --> 00:27:14.059 land I will show you. That is the issue we have 00:27:14.059 --> 00:27:19.799 to face on the first night. Will you go? Will 00:27:19.799 --> 00:27:27.240 you pioneer? Will you go overseas? Will you stay 00:27:27.240 --> 00:27:31.839 if that's what God wants? Will you send? Will 00:27:31.839 --> 00:27:38.930 you release? Will you give? Because to surrender 00:27:38.930 --> 00:27:44.109 is trust that involves faith. Hebrews 11, 8, 00:27:44.150 --> 00:27:47.950 by faith, Abraham obeyed God's call to go to 00:27:47.950 --> 00:27:50.769 another place. God promised to give him. He left 00:27:50.769 --> 00:27:54.589 his own country, not knowing where he was to 00:27:54.589 --> 00:27:58.009 go. To surrender means you have to have the faith 00:27:58.009 --> 00:28:02.150 that God loves you. Listen, God has your best 00:28:02.150 --> 00:28:05.369 interest at heart. He is not dreaming up ways 00:28:05.369 --> 00:28:09.630 to make you miserable. You got to trust his love. 00:28:10.269 --> 00:28:13.589 You have to trust that God is wiser. I know you've 00:28:13.589 --> 00:28:15.829 told God again and again how to run the universe. 00:28:16.170 --> 00:28:21.309 Why don't you let him run your life? Because 00:28:21.309 --> 00:28:27.730 he is wiser. He knows what will be best. Next 00:28:27.730 --> 00:28:31.400 photo. James Calvert and his wife Mary, they 00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:35.099 went as missionaries to the cannibals of the 00:28:35.099 --> 00:28:38.480 Fiji Islands. On the way there, the ship captain 00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:41.339 tried to turn him back saying, you will lose 00:28:41.339 --> 00:28:44.200 your life and the life of those with you if you 00:28:44.200 --> 00:28:48.539 go among such savages. James Calvert said to 00:28:48.539 --> 00:28:52.660 the ship captain, we died before we came here. 00:28:54.220 --> 00:28:58.579 That's surrender. We died before we came. We 00:28:58.579 --> 00:29:02.119 already settled that issue. They spent 17 years 00:29:02.119 --> 00:29:06.039 and James Calvert and his wife who were surrendered, 00:29:06.220 --> 00:29:10.559 the most powerful chief in the islands was converted, 00:29:10.660 --> 00:29:15.599 changed the course of Fiji because they were 00:29:15.599 --> 00:29:19.359 willing to go into the unknown by surrender. 00:29:19.440 --> 00:29:25.430 Let's look finally at leaving Haran. Our text 00:29:25.430 --> 00:29:28.789 says the Lord had said, you understand that God 00:29:28.789 --> 00:29:32.809 apparently had spoken before they started the 00:29:32.809 --> 00:29:35.670 journey and they stopped at this place called 00:29:35.670 --> 00:29:42.609 Haran. Haran means crossroads. Scholars say it 00:29:42.609 --> 00:29:47.769 was located at the crossroads of different trading 00:29:47.769 --> 00:29:54.240 routes of Mesopotamia. Haran was a good place 00:29:54.240 --> 00:30:00.460 to secure your financial future. Crossroads cities 00:30:00.460 --> 00:30:05.380 on trading routes. That's a good place to make 00:30:05.380 --> 00:30:10.160 money. But Haran was a crossroads city. There 00:30:10.160 --> 00:30:15.140 were roads going in many optional directions. 00:30:15.160 --> 00:30:18.799 You could go in many directions from Haran. But 00:30:18.799 --> 00:30:25.099 the Bible says, Abram left Haran. Verse four, 00:30:25.140 --> 00:30:28.700 he was 75 years old when he departed from Haran. 00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:33.359 He left, which means he obeyed God. Verse four, 00:30:33.440 --> 00:30:38.079 Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him. 00:30:38.180 --> 00:30:41.000 I am praying and I'm believing that God is gonna 00:30:41.000 --> 00:30:44.240 speak tonight and God is gonna speak this week. 00:30:45.779 --> 00:30:48.640 But if God speaks and we don't do what he says, 00:30:51.630 --> 00:30:56.109 It does no good. But he acted on what God said. 00:30:56.170 --> 00:31:00.710 He did what God told him to do. Some of us this 00:31:00.710 --> 00:31:02.910 week, it has to be a week of obedience. God, 00:31:02.990 --> 00:31:05.589 I'm going to do what you're telling me to do. 00:31:06.930 --> 00:31:10.650 The Bible says he left, which removed his options. 00:31:10.910 --> 00:31:14.730 Verse four, he departed from Haran. He departed 00:31:14.730 --> 00:31:17.549 from the crossroads. You know what that means? 00:31:18.430 --> 00:31:25.839 He chose. One road. That means he left other 00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:33.819 possible roads. Let me ask you a question. Is 00:31:33.819 --> 00:31:39.400 the will of God just one possibility for your 00:31:39.400 --> 00:31:47.579 life out of many other options? Are you keeping 00:31:47.579 --> 00:31:52.359 your options open? Just in case the will of God 00:31:52.359 --> 00:31:59.299 doesn't work out. Abram left Haran. He chose 00:31:59.299 --> 00:32:06.799 one. That is what releases destiny. What happens 00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:10.539 when you leave Haran and obey God? The first 00:32:10.539 --> 00:32:14.680 thing is that the will of God will unfold for 00:32:14.680 --> 00:32:16.839 you. Some of us, we would love to have all the 00:32:16.839 --> 00:32:20.059 details. One year from now, you'll go and you'll 00:32:20.059 --> 00:32:24.539 turn left on it. There is so much that God did 00:32:24.539 --> 00:32:28.779 not tell Abram on the day he said, leave Haran. 00:32:29.799 --> 00:32:33.680 Later, God would tell him the dimensions of the 00:32:33.680 --> 00:32:37.059 land. Later on, he would learn of the nature 00:32:37.059 --> 00:32:39.960 of God, the God of the ages, God of fruitfulness, 00:32:40.200 --> 00:32:46.539 God our provider. But God's will is only revealed 00:32:46.539 --> 00:32:52.650 by Matthew 25, 29, to everyone who has, more 00:32:52.650 --> 00:32:55.410 will be given and he will have abundance. That 00:32:55.410 --> 00:33:00.549 word has. It's talking about using or acting 00:33:00.549 --> 00:33:06.569 on what you have right now. You will never have 00:33:06.569 --> 00:33:13.970 more of God than you will obey. But if you will 00:33:13.970 --> 00:33:22.930 obey, God will unfold his will for you. Second 00:33:22.930 --> 00:33:26.390 thing is you become the friend of God when you 00:33:26.390 --> 00:33:29.769 leave Haran. You know, God is pleased when people 00:33:29.769 --> 00:33:32.910 obey him enough to obey, believe him enough to 00:33:32.910 --> 00:33:36.529 obey. James 2 .23, Abraham believed God and it 00:33:36.529 --> 00:33:38.369 was accounted to him for righteousness and he 00:33:38.369 --> 00:33:41.670 was called the friend of God. You know, there 00:33:41.670 --> 00:33:44.589 are people... Here tonight, you're watching online. 00:33:44.730 --> 00:33:47.930 You are not seeing all that you want to see, 00:33:48.069 --> 00:33:52.609 but you are obeying. You have left Haran. Can 00:33:52.609 --> 00:33:55.230 I tell you something? You are the friend of God. 00:33:55.269 --> 00:34:00.390 God is pleased. Please don't think that the pleasure 00:34:00.390 --> 00:34:04.269 of God is related to numbers, noise, and nickels. 00:34:05.029 --> 00:34:07.849 Yes, that may come in time, but there's something. 00:34:07.910 --> 00:34:10.889 God is pleased with their people. You are battling 00:34:10.889 --> 00:34:14.530 it out. But you're doing it in obedience to God. 00:34:14.650 --> 00:34:19.230 You are the friend of God. Third thing is you 00:34:19.230 --> 00:34:22.429 release the blessing of God. The Bible is an 00:34:22.429 --> 00:34:26.530 honest book. He speaks here about curses. People 00:34:26.530 --> 00:34:29.469 who curse you. You do the will of God. It's not 00:34:29.469 --> 00:34:31.829 going to be smooth sailing. There are going to 00:34:31.829 --> 00:34:37.949 be problems. But at the same time that God is 00:34:37.949 --> 00:34:43.019 honest about problems. He gives four words, four 00:34:43.019 --> 00:34:47.079 promises. He says, I will show, I will make, 00:34:47.239 --> 00:34:51.079 I will bless, I will curse. Verse two and three, 00:34:51.199 --> 00:34:55.760 two times God says, I will bless you. It's a 00:34:55.760 --> 00:34:59.239 picture of prayer. It is adding something supernatural 00:34:59.239 --> 00:35:02.599 to your life. We see a good picture of it when 00:35:02.599 --> 00:35:08.550 Jesus broke the bread and the fish and he blessed 00:35:08.550 --> 00:35:12.789 it. He added something supernatural and suddenly 00:35:12.789 --> 00:35:18.170 it was more than enough. God is saying, if you 00:35:18.170 --> 00:35:20.889 will obey, if you're willing to leave Haran, 00:35:21.150 --> 00:35:25.449 God said, I will supply whatever is necessary 00:35:25.449 --> 00:35:28.909 to help. It was Hudson Taylor's that all God's 00:35:28.909 --> 00:35:32.090 giants have been weak men who did great things 00:35:32.090 --> 00:35:36.289 for God because they reckoned on his being with 00:35:36.289 --> 00:35:39.920 them. What happens when you leave Haran, the 00:35:39.920 --> 00:35:42.960 fourth thing, it has to do with what you can 00:35:42.960 --> 00:35:46.860 become. And I am speaking about the significance 00:35:46.860 --> 00:35:52.300 of your life. Abram's life, if he stayed in Haran, 00:35:52.480 --> 00:35:55.679 his entire life likely would have revolved around 00:35:55.679 --> 00:35:59.840 caring for animals. Like a shepherd. That would 00:35:59.840 --> 00:36:03.940 have been the sum total of his life is animals 00:36:03.940 --> 00:36:09.869 that are not going to live forever. Earning money 00:36:09.869 --> 00:36:14.730 that will not last. But if he stayed in Haran, 00:36:14.909 --> 00:36:21.789 he and Sarah would have no wider impact. Scholars 00:36:21.789 --> 00:36:27.530 say very likely Haran was only 20 ,000 people 00:36:27.530 --> 00:36:32.210 max. It was probably a few thousand up to 20 00:36:32.210 --> 00:36:36.389 ,000. If they stayed in Haran, they would have 00:36:36.389 --> 00:36:40.940 lived, made money. died and have been forgotten. 00:36:42.320 --> 00:36:47.980 But when you obey, you connect your life to the 00:36:47.980 --> 00:36:52.800 purposes of God, eternal purposes in heaven. 00:36:53.139 --> 00:36:57.059 Verse 3, in you all the families of the earth 00:36:57.059 --> 00:37:00.760 shall be blessed. When you obey, you connect 00:37:00.760 --> 00:37:06.579 your life to what Almighty God is doing in the 00:37:06.579 --> 00:37:11.789 entire earth. Think about this, Abram and Sarah, 00:37:11.889 --> 00:37:17.630 he's 75. His wife wasn't a spring chicken as 00:37:17.630 --> 00:37:24.550 they leave here. When people saw this older couple 00:37:24.550 --> 00:37:28.849 traveling by, they probably were not impressed. 00:37:29.690 --> 00:37:33.750 They're just an older couple traveling through, 00:37:33.809 --> 00:37:37.550 but what they didn't know Abraham and Sarah, 00:37:37.730 --> 00:37:42.210 that was the most significant couple in the entire 00:37:42.210 --> 00:37:46.590 world. They didn't realize that couple would 00:37:46.590 --> 00:37:51.210 determine history. Some of you saw news today 00:37:51.210 --> 00:37:56.110 that is playing out because of the lives of Abraham 00:37:56.110 --> 00:38:04.360 and Sarah. Their lives became significant. There 00:38:04.360 --> 00:38:06.699 are people here, I don't know what you do for 00:38:06.699 --> 00:38:08.960 a job. I don't know what you plan on doing in 00:38:08.960 --> 00:38:12.159 life. But there are people, it may be that God 00:38:12.159 --> 00:38:18.380 is going to call you. He's going to tell you 00:38:18.380 --> 00:38:22.860 his plans. And if you obey that call and cooperate, 00:38:23.119 --> 00:38:27.119 it may be that people in other cities, in other 00:38:27.119 --> 00:38:31.659 nations. their lives will be transformed. They 00:38:31.659 --> 00:38:35.699 will be saved from hell forever. And then you 00:38:35.699 --> 00:38:40.079 could make disciples that would impact the world 00:38:40.079 --> 00:38:47.920 simply by leaving Haran and obeying God. And 00:38:47.920 --> 00:38:50.980 every single person, not every person here is 00:38:50.980 --> 00:38:54.949 called to preach. But every single person here 00:38:54.949 --> 00:38:59.190 and watching online, if you are born again, when 00:38:59.190 --> 00:39:04.750 you got saved, God saved you in a local church. 00:39:05.210 --> 00:39:08.829 And please, I want you to understand something. 00:39:09.050 --> 00:39:16.630 You became part of changing the world. Listen. 00:39:20.429 --> 00:39:22.929 I want them to put a photo up. I want you to 00:39:22.929 --> 00:39:27.969 see this photo. This photo was taken last year. 00:39:29.110 --> 00:39:32.070 This is not everyone who happened to be there 00:39:32.070 --> 00:39:36.010 on a Wednesday night, but these people were in 00:39:36.010 --> 00:39:40.789 the church saved in 1978 in Prescott, and they 00:39:40.789 --> 00:39:50.320 are still in the church today. Amen. Okay. It's 00:39:50.320 --> 00:39:53.360 wonderful longevity. You can stay safe. That's 00:39:53.360 --> 00:39:56.260 great. But let me tell you why that is powerful. 00:39:57.320 --> 00:40:02.840 Because by the time this photo was taken in 1978, 00:40:03.199 --> 00:40:07.900 we had already from Prescott planted a church 00:40:07.900 --> 00:40:15.000 into Mexico, into Holland. And in 1978, we planted 00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:19.079 a church in Perth, West Australia. Many of the 00:40:19.079 --> 00:40:23.039 people in that photo, they gave in offerings. 00:40:23.219 --> 00:40:27.000 They tied. They were faithful. They prayed. Just 00:40:27.000 --> 00:40:30.340 those three churches. Let me tell you the impact. 00:40:30.780 --> 00:40:37.340 Mexico now has 436 churches in 16 nations. Holland 00:40:37.340 --> 00:40:42.539 has 124 churches in 21 nations. From Australia, 00:40:42.579 --> 00:40:48.440 there have come 432 churches in 34 nations. that 00:40:48.440 --> 00:40:53.000 group of people, their lives are as of tonight, 00:40:53.139 --> 00:41:02.059 there are 992 churches in 71 nations. Amen. Thank 00:41:02.059 --> 00:41:10.679 God. Next photo. Here is 1985 and now you see 00:41:10.679 --> 00:41:14.059 more people. God has saved them, added them to 00:41:14.059 --> 00:41:16.920 the church. And the reason why I'm showing this 00:41:16.920 --> 00:41:21.019 is by, 1985, in addition to all the churches 00:41:21.019 --> 00:41:23.780 planted in the three that I just said, we planted 00:41:23.780 --> 00:41:27.280 churches in the Philippines. And the reason why 00:41:27.280 --> 00:41:31.119 that is important is as of tonight, there are 00:41:31.119 --> 00:41:37.300 now 927 churches in 10 nations from the Philippines. 00:41:37.860 --> 00:41:47.789 Thank God. When you commit yourself to a local 00:41:47.789 --> 00:41:52.409 church, that is reaching the world. I can be 00:41:52.409 --> 00:41:54.329 a Christian in another church. Yeah, you could. 00:41:54.429 --> 00:41:58.349 And do what? Help with a soup kitchen? Knit blankets 00:41:58.349 --> 00:42:02.570 for homeless people? That's fine. I'm not against 00:42:02.570 --> 00:42:05.329 it. God bless. I want the homeless to be warm. 00:42:06.429 --> 00:42:14.559 But I want to reach the world. Be back. That's 00:42:14.559 --> 00:42:17.539 what it takes. That's why it's powerful. And 00:42:17.539 --> 00:42:20.559 every local church, every local church comes 00:42:20.559 --> 00:42:23.639 under assault. Every local church has ups and 00:42:23.639 --> 00:42:25.599 downs, but thank God there are people who say, 00:42:25.699 --> 00:42:29.579 God saved me. I'm leaving Haran. I'm leaving 00:42:29.579 --> 00:42:32.059 the options. God called me. I'm going to commit 00:42:32.059 --> 00:42:34.800 myself to the will of God. And then there are 00:42:34.800 --> 00:42:37.239 people, God has called me and I'm going to fulfill 00:42:37.239 --> 00:42:41.599 the call of God. I will leave Haran. And I want 00:42:41.599 --> 00:42:43.360 to be a part of reaching the world. How many 00:42:43.360 --> 00:42:45.639 of you, that's what you want to do in the will 00:42:45.639 --> 00:42:48.519 of God? Let's bow our heads. Thank God all across 00:42:48.519 --> 00:42:49.239 this place.