Called

Shem and the Call of Abram

I. The Importance of Genealogy – Genesis 11:10-32, Luke 3:23-38

1. Keeping meticulous records and genealogies established God’s people as chosen, as partakers of the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Citizenship, culture, and inheritance were tied to family history.
2. “Later on, Genealogies were essential to proving whether a Jewish male could serve in the Levitical priesthood. Priests could only be from the tribe of Levi and descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses. If a man could not prove this connection, he was unable to serve as a priest.”
3. “Genealogies emphasized the importance of the family unit in Jewish culture. Traditional Jewish culture emphasized marriage between a man and a woman who were responsible for raising children and continuing the legacy of their family with the next generation. The Jews took seriously their responsibility to continue the line that would bring honor to the family name.”
4. “Finally, the genealogies of the Jews were important in tracing the line of the Messiah. The Old Testament made it clear that the Messiah would be the Son of David.”

{gotquestions.org}

Everything has always pointed to Jesus. From creation, through His royal lineage and connection to King David, to His death and resurrection, to His second coming. Everything in scripture points to Jesus.

2 Samuel 7:12-16
God promises David that his son Solomon would succeed him and establish his kingdom, Solomon would build the temple, and that “…the right to rule would always remain with David’s dynasty. Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of these promises”. While presently He is not ruling from the throne of David, at His second coming He will assume this throne. (NAS commentary)

 Jeremiah 23:5
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.”

Jeremiah 23:5

Branch: a shoot, a messianic title signifying the new life the Messiah will bring. (NAS commentary)


“In that day the heir to David's throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.”

Isaiah 11:10

“You once said, “I joined forces with my chosen leader,
    I pledged my word to my servant, David, saying,
‘Everyone descending from you is guaranteed life;
    I’ll make your rule as solid and lasting as rock.’” - Message

Psalm 89:3-4 – a covenant made with David ensuring his seed would be established forever.

“Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question:
‘What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?’
They said to Him, ‘The Son of David’.”

Matthew 22:41-42

5. VID – “That’s My King”
Shadrach Meshach Lockridge was the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, in San Diego, California, from 1953 to 1993. He was known for his preaching across the United States and around the world. This is a clip from his sermon titled “Seven Way King” or “That’s My King”.

II. The Call & the Covenant

From Genesis 12:1-4:

1. The LORD spoke to Abram.

God formed Abram, He knew him. He set him in history, at the exact time and place according to His plan and will for Abram’s life, all for His divine purposes. Abram belonged to God, and He didn’t have to do anything to earn God’s favor or the call that was already on his life.  God knew where he was, the man who would father His nation, His chosen people, the man who would become a hero to his people, known for His great faith in his even greater God. The God who found Abram, and merely had to speak in order to call him to his destiny... “Go,” He said. So Abram “went forth”. A call and a response, a command and obedience, all from a God who wrote the word ‘purpose’ into a man.

God made a promise to Abram, and He would continue to re-iterate this promise throughout their time together. The promise where God would lead Abram to a new land, where through him a great nation would be born. The promise of God to guide, protect, and bless His people.

Similarly, God calls us, grafted into His grand design through His son, Jesus Christ (Romans 11). God formed you, He knows you. He set you in history, in this exact time, place, country, and culture according to His plan and purposes for your life. You belong to God, and you didn’t have to do anything to earn His favor or the call He has put upon your life. God knows where you are; He knew where to find you. He knows where you’ve been, and He has a plan for where you’re going. The God who found you also made a promise to you - His name is Jesus. With unfailing love, He reconciled you to Himself through Jesus’ blood, and because of this you now have both eternal life after death, and a purpose-filled life to live while you still have breath and time here on Earth.

Found – called out – redeemed – and re-purposed for His Kingdom, for your good and for His glory.

2. God said, “Go,” and Abram “went forth”.

{So how is God telling you to “Go?”}

Perhaps you have ailing family members or neighbors, lost people in your life that God has entrusted to you that need to hear about Jesus before they die, so they too can discover their Purpose.

Maybe you’re called to “go” and love that person in your life that you can’t stand.
To raise your children or grandchildren in the Truth. Maybe you’re called to serve in this church, to be a part of the body of Christ. Perhaps it’s time to turn your religion and rules over to Jesus.

Maybe you are called to shine light on Facebook, to go overseas, to go across the street, to lead a Bible Study, to pray. To make and deliver meals, to seek out lonely people, to befriend that person. To be humble. To look like Him. In Christ, we were all called from darkness, out into light, and told to “Go” in two huge ways.

The first, to “Go…” and “make disciples of every nation, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19

And secondly, to love God, and to love others.

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35

And it might cost you something. Your time, your money, your talent, your comfort, your familiarity, your family. Jesus said to pick up your cross and follow Him.

As for Me - One Sonic Society

“I have heard the call, and I will not be moved. I have set my heart on one thing. When the cost is great, YOU are greater still. As for me I will raise your banner high.”

3. Lastly, from verse 8, as Abram stopped in Bethel, “house of God”, he built an altar to the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord.”

{The called call upon the name of the Lord}

III. Abram’s Lie, and God’s Grace – Genesis 12:9-20

Key Points:

1. Plotting and Planning ignore Protection and Provision
2. Schemes usually involve more than one person
3. Sin Affects more than just the Sinner
4. God blesses the Sinner - not their Sin
5. God is Faithful to Faithless People
6. God’s Grace Outweighs Mistakes

Lessons & Lies

Taste - Justin Jarvis

Here is the mixed bag of lessons He's given me lately. Some are from Him for me, and others are what I see going on around me.

1. You can have conviction, but it should always be rooted in love. Love is the foundation for any good quality you want to have {all in aligning our character to His (Romans 12:2)}.

{Humility, gentleness, patience, kindness, compassion, and friendliness.} 

Not to mention the other fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23.

Conviction/Passion is never an excuse to be a jerk about what you believe, even inadvertantly. Think of who has been entrusted to you, and of just how much Jesus loved His church. This will motivate us to love {and will naturally smooth out any rough edges}.

Ephesians 4:2-3

2. Flattery is not the same as encouragement. Be careful with your words, even the seemingly good ones, because above everything else, you're speaking to someone's heart.

3. Sometimes we say completely stupid and untrue things, and when we're cringing and shaking our heads later on, it seems like it's easier to be forgiven by others for our faults {or to forgive others for theirs} than to forgive ourselves. Forgive yourself. Forgive yourself and move forward, or our faith is a lie.

4. Be careful and protect your heart when it comes to dating - when they say they like you, or you think you like them, remember - Jesus is your first love. I can say this with authority, because I've failed {and then grown, and continue to grow} in allowing Jesus to be the absolute core of my life. Everything should stem from and flow out of the idea that Jesus is your first love, the center, or core of your life. So it goes: Jesus, then romantic interest/future spouse, then friends, then career/aspirations/dreams/goals, etc. The order may look different for each person, but pay attention to who/what takes up the first spot.

5. Along with #4, sometimes they don't like you. They just like that you like them.

6. Lie: you are alone in your battle.

"No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it." - - 1 Corinthians 10:13, Message

"Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith." - - 1 Peter 5:9, Message

"Your grace is a dream I cannot shake/taste and see/it's sweeter than anything"

7. Lie: you can't be used by God because of your past, your sins, or your present battle.

"Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ...” - - 1 Corinthians 1:27-31, Message

"Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

My grace is enough; it’s all you need.

My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become."

- - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Message

8. Pray for any lie, deceit, or hypocrisy in you, as a leader, as a teacher, as a parent, as a brother... to be exposed and then annihilated. I'm praying this presently, and He's answering me. The answers strip down and reveal just how deep my depravity runs. Deeper still, I see my need for Jesus, and at the bottom, a vast endless sea of steadfast love.

10/4 Thought

I had a thought this morning, thinking about my friendships throughout the years.

Some come for a season, then go entirely, leaving only memories and lessons to sift through.

Some are timeless... the kind where we move, say 'I do', have babies, and form new friendships that never replace the old.


Some are blossoming for the first time, others after a long winter... still others fading.

Some never take root {and were never meant to}. It's a hard lesson to let people go, or really, to let go of the hold they have over you... to simply cut ties and walk, when everything in you wants (or wanted) the opposite.

I don't know if it's ever right, or justified, or biblical to just give up. When we're loved with unfailing love and charged to love others in the same way. When we want unity, maturity, and to walk upright in truth, preferably together. When we want lasting friendships that ultimately point to Him.

But I also know that running toward a wrong thing is like walking backwards. A moot point.

 {So for now, I don't want to necessarily let go of you, but reach all the more for Him.}

Serving and loving a God who multiplies the things He takes away, even when it's painful to pull away, even when we don't understand the 'how' or 'why'... will end well, for our good and for His glory (Romans 8:28).