Treasure and Trust

Today on Clement life with Jeannie Greer call to ministry of the call to be used while were always one of the same because God only was Wesley there is no such thing as a follower of Jesus, who is not actively invades the channel of blessing to other people. God is like a spiritual tornado never pulls you in, without also hurling you out Monday and welcomed. I'm your host Molly events.

We hope you had a great holiday weekend and are ready to jump back into God's word with that author and theologian Jeannie Greer answers the question how do we receive the blessings of God. Everyone wants to experience God's blessing, but we really grab hold of abundant life, like the Scriptures talk about what is it that were supposed to do.

Be sure to stick around to the end of the show today for a special message from Pastor JD for now get into our teaching pastor Jeannie titled it treasure 12 one now the Lord said to Abraham from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you that I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing and I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you I will curse you all the families of the earth will be less that you study this passage when things you'll see is that this story begins in a remarkably similar way to the way that the Noah story begins and that is intentional. If you remember, by the time Noah lived the world had become so wicked that God chose one man and his family and started over through them and destroy the rest of humanity with the flood story repopulate the earth to Noah and his descendents. Well, Genesis 10 and 11 are the story of those descendents and what you find is that by the end of chapter 11 there is one kind of godly lives of the sons of Shem and they are all now living in the place of idolatry which makes you assume that they become idolatrous to one final guy in the slot I got into Iraq and he's got one son named Abram and Abram is childless Taras name literally means the moon, which is a Hebrew metaphor for the end to be like your me say the caboose to what he's indicating is that it's over. The godly line have succumbed to idolatry and Abram is childless, so no his descendents have left the world of the exact same condition that it was there when God said no out of it so it looks like it is about time for God to destroy the world again project humanity has been a complete and utter failure but instead of destroying the earth. God do something different this time he calls out Abraham and he gives him this promise, he promises him, but he will bless him and more than that he will make their name great by making them a blessing to the whole earth like no one. Abraham found grace in the eyes of God and through him all of us would, by grace rather than God destroy the world again later in the flood. This time he chose a family.

Choose a family destroy everybody else because of families that I will bless you and him to make your name great is through you to bless everybody in the blessing that he was talking about was an explicit promise of the Messiah through Abraham's descendents.

God was to send the Messiah that will bless all the families of the earth like Noah's Ark, this Messiah would shield his people from the wrath of God, and he would commence a new creation, a new race, one that no longer was inclined toward evil, but one that love God and follow God and did what God had intended them to do the blessing that God is talking about here is the blessing of salvation it would start in Abraham's house, but it would extend to the whole world and every single one of us in this room that knows Jesus Christ as their Savior was included in the promise that God made Abraham didn't destroy our wickedness to a flighty to see destroy our wickedness by sitting the Savior will be destroyed in our place so that we can have a blessing to God promised Abraham that what was required of Abraham to receive this promise. What was required of Abraham to become this blessing. He had to leave all that he knew to obtain it. You had to take his hands off of everything that he owns and everything he loved in order to become God's child, and then to become God's vessel blessing and you had to believe God for the impossible. Abram and Sarah are childless, which is of course a challenge for any couple, especially in days before their modern medicine but there's little detail in verse four that shows you why. This is especially challenging. Met is that Abram is 75 and his wife is 60 by that point in your life that you know if it ain't happening and going to happen right to get an amen and amen. I happen at that point. So he's told to forsake all that he was clinging to venture out into the unknown, trusted, and nothing but the promise of God for something that was absolutely unbelievable.

Now there are five crucial things about the mission of God in understanding how you what it looks like for you to follow God that I want to observe for you out of these four verses before we before we go on. They are number one. Following God always means venturing out into the unknown following God always means venturing out into the unknown gotchas. Abraham, a rental should go to a new land I have for you. Abraham says where is that God says I'll tell you later neighbors. I will at least give you some GPS coordinates, put it in my camel and the cameras would go. My wife once you know she likes it or how long to get there… They you go God says Abraham only give you a son, a neighbor says how God I'm 75 and Sarah 60 got so that's when I later discussed this, God says the Abram you know later we'll find out gotchas.

They promote you, this metal and you sacrifice your son and this is why got to the mic and explain that you is what you to do it all of Abram's interactions with God involve him venturing into the unknown. I love how John Calvin summarize God of Abraham's discussion here. John Calvin said basically gotchas, Abraham, close your eyes and take my hand close your eyes Abram and take my hand. I'm not to tell you were going not to tell you how to get to get there.

I'm not going to answer all the questions. To do this one step at a time. You know that this is me talking to you to close your eyes and you were going to take my hand me tell you why love that because I see is a pastor so many people who are unwilling to do this which is why they never know God and why they never experience what God has for them… If I surrender to you what you knew about this right here you meant to be a missionary. Do I have to you are about to be poured out that break up with my boyfriend or got all understand this house is gonna work out how this trust you and I go become what is annoying like Jesus freak out of people. Today people to get on and I got a become that God says for now, I'm not gonna tell you close your eyes and take my hand because this is going to go one step at a time and if you know this is me talking to you then you have to trust that I'm going to do what I set out to do and I'm not going to show you what the end of the of the road. Looks like I missed you to show you that you take my hand a walk with me.

That's how God always calls people. That's the one hurdle so you cannot get over is because you have to see where your goal before you go you got A's and B's and see I got is on the tell you which one I was tell you. Take my I'm not tell you to turn your brain off you had to decide if this is really God speaking to you. You got inside of God is the one who wrote the Bible. But once you conclude that it is him.

That is me. It is he that is speaking to you that at that point you have to say God wherever you want to go wherever you want to go I'll go anywhere holding your hand number two God called the salvation of his commission in the ministry or mission. One of the same God's call to salvation is commission in the ministry are want to say you notice that God first called Abraham is also his commission in the mission. Reason I say that is because there's a misconception among Christians. I find that you called me got shot at one point and then later on, you get cold business.

I want to go into his mission as a butterfly cup 2.0 or graduate-level or for anyone you know, kinda kind of place in Chris yet exist in the Bible to calls. The call to be his child and the call to be his and his mission are always one of the same Abraham, I am blessing you make you a blessing same sentence or think about other people Bible, Moses knuckle Moses in the barn burning bush. What he said when the burning bush veg out for about 10 years.

What school you continue to talk about burning bush and then I'll send you the first conversation I have the burning bush about send you to Pharaoh. I call you to be my servant and to be my emissary all at once. Peter got called Jesus call Peter Wagner really did it yet and cast his net on the other side about you later fill the fish bombing the boat sank.

And Jesus says follow me because that's what I would do with your life.

That's how you're to catch men. The apostle Paul when God called the apostle Paul appeared on the road to Damascus and Jesus said, rise up at 2665% of your feet front appear to you for this purpose make you a minister and a witness of the things you've seen in the things which I will yet show you the call to ministry and the call to be Jesus follower are always one and the same because God only blesses you to make you a blessing.

There is no such thing as a follower of Jesus, who is not actively engaged as a channel of blessing to other people. God is like a spiritual tornado. He never pulls UN without also hurling you out. Jesus said to his disciples. John 1516 you can choose me I chose you and I chose you to go bring forth fruit and that your fruit would remain, and it is my father's glory, that you bear much fruit, which is really good news for some of you because you got understand that when God shows you meetings usually just to save you he chose you to make you an instrument of salvation for some of your lives to be characterized by selfishness and mistakes you cause pain and you might think that Jesus only has enough grace allotted for you to just save you pretty much all he knew if you were so bad so damaging to save you like that that I got nothing left. When Jesus shows you grace. It is for the purpose of making you an instrument of grace and about what I have seen over my life is the more grace.

Jesus had to use in saving you the more grace he uses you through you to bless and to save others. Jesus calls you he blesses you to make you a blessing. That's number three you are only blessed you are blessed to be a blessing. You're blessed to be a blessing question is that how you see the blessings in your life do you see the blessings that God is given to you have something that God gave you to pass through you to others or only rephrase like this.

Do you see yourself more as a reservoir of God's blessings or channel of God's blessings are you a reservoir. God's questions were you a channel for them on a pastor.

He said that there was a guy in his church with a multimillionaire is remarkable guys that I've ever known this man give away money faster than anybody I've ever he does is write checks all the time.

Try to get you ministry started at my friends that I asked Scott what is like what your goal all this. How do you know that you succeeded.

This is my goal this is my goal is to balance my last check before I die I would take every bit of what God's given me and I want to turn it back into his cane because God did not give me this just for me. God gave me this to be an instrument in the his kingdom is that how you see the blessings in your life is so because you understand you been loved by God to know how you so that you love people extravagantly the way that you been loved means you give generously to people as you been given generously to it means that if you been given wisdom you will share your wisdom with others. Anything you been given a talent you ask you how is this talent go to blessed the kingdom of God.how is it that I build my own kingdom.

That's what it means.

Here's number four to receive the blessing and become the blessing with take our hands off everything and I got our trust in his kingdom. Our delight to receive this blessing and to become this blessed we are to take our hands off everything and make God our trust in his kingdom.

Our delight, you realize that when God called Abraham listen. He didn't make he didn't tell Abraham he wanted Abraham to add a little God to his life at a few tweaks to his morality he called Abraham to a whole new basis for living.

He said Abraham everything that you look to for security. I want you to walk away from everything that you have submits your life building. I want you to walk away from that because I want to become your security and I want my kingdom to become your delights.

What kingdom are you living for right does that characterize you see following God is not just adding a little God to our lives. It means making God our trust for the future and his kingdom. Our delight just calibrate for all of us in this room have something, probably a set of things that we look mostly for security and we look to as our treasure what we what we love. For example, for many minutes succeeding in your career. That's what you gotta have seen senior career helps you have identity as a man, it helps you make sure that your to provide anything that you need right you have enough money in the bank as it is security. Some of you men live for your hobbies, riots, what you spent so much money on them.

It's what you devote so much time to them. We have some students that security for them to get into the right schooling to the make the right grades. That's what they look to is kind of their security for the future for some of you just getting married, have a great family got a comfortable life after you're married and that's what the good life is that security that's treasure following God means letting go of all of that as your primary treasure in your security and means making God, the source of both of those things. And if that is assembly difficult you that I can assure you never fall through. That's why so many people miss this facility will stay religious but never actually become followers of Jesus because they don't know what it's like to take your hands off everything and say Jesus it's all yours. You show me where you will be to go, what you want me to do your my treasure your my security. I heard it referred to as a Copernican revolution of the soul. You #click number Copernicus doing this because that's the world. Copernicus discovered he discovered that unlike what astronomers thought the earth was not at the center of everything in the whole universe you revolved around it. Copernicus discovered the Bureau that she was in orbit around the sun was nothing really except for little Patty Hunter Rocco the moon that was orbiting the earth, and he was a Copernican revolution because we were at the center having everything orbit around us. We were actually orbiting. Things were much larger than us Copernican revolution of the soul. Many of you have come to church you come to God to try to figure out how to get God back in orbiting your life you I got how I get to the part of the family had to get your partner career and I did. She was a part of my eternity and God says will question because you don't come to me to add a little bit of me to your life.

You gotta discover that this is this is not even this is not even your universe. Not even the center of anything you can orbit me and you have to start answering what purpose I have for you in my kingdom, which means I've got a become your delight. My kingdom has to become your kingdom.

I have to become your treasure you orbit me. Not me orbiting you is that access number five number five to become the blessing we have to believe the impossible become the blessing of the leave believe the impossible. Abraham, I do believe what he couldn't understand what seemed impossible that I thought it he had to believe God would keep his word. He had to close his eyes and take God's hand and somewhere along the way he/cologne on his hundred-year-old body and put on some Marvin Gaye and he started a family that is in the Bible making up his word with that concept for you to follow God means that you believe some equally impossible things, one that he can save you to use your life a blessing just like you promised three that he will answer the questions that you will know the answers to, for he will provide for you resources for what he tells you to do following God of every step always means believing God that God will do the impossible. Even when you don't know how it works out what the answer is or where it's coming from.

Now before I apply this to your ticket. One other place where Abraham was tested on this university help God sometimes will teach a lesson that he'll come back a few chapters later in life and test you wanted to see whether or not you actually learned if you're like me you usually fail miserably in your back and relearn the lesson was forgot about the new Abraham insert chapter 22 is that stories of over 10 chapters we got your Bible to chapter 22 Genesis 22 Genesis 22.

Abraham is grandma Sarah had their miracle baby.

The name of the baby was Isaac, which means son of laughter know how humorous it shows you the Bible writers understand this is ridiculous, humorous, right Isaac born when Sarah is 90, which means that when they both had a birthday that year they both got diapers to totally different times in different types right this is funny it's funny, there's a 90-year-old woman where her own diapers about put diapers on her kids. After these things God tested Abraham. There were tested and said to him, Abraham and Abraham said here I am to take your son, your only son, Isaac, and you love and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there is a Burt's offering a one of the mountains of which I shall tell you now I know some you have raised some questions on the gotta say that somebody there are answers to those questions.

I don't have time to answer this question for you today, but what I want you to consider is what this meant for Abraham. God knows what it means for Abraham is yes, we all love our children but for Abraham. That was something more than just a beloved child that was everything he hope for the future. That was what he left Atlanta for this was the fulfillment of the promise. All of his hopes all of his dreams. All of his security all of his affections are centered upon the head of this child, and God looked him dead in the face and says take your son but you freeze your only son.

He's only got one son. What is a need to be clarified right figures on all your only son only got one son so but once on his moment son, whom you love. Is he spelling out for him exactly what it's costing Abraham your lease on the fulfillment of this promise, the one that you love and I want you to walk up that mountain and I want you sacrifice them to me.

Abraham begins this journey with you walking up this mountain was just touching scene where Isaac looks at his daddy said that I said what if you fire to the knife and see if sacrifice all Abraham says that God is supposed become very famous.

If you been in church, he says son God will provide the land for the sacrifice Jehovah gyrus what he said that God will provide the land medical make a way out of the mountain a Randles. The altar puts the wood on the altar takes Isaac and puts them on the altar and raises his knife to slaughter his son right before he plunges the knife into his chest, an angel of God appears in front of Abraham. Don't do this, God was testing you to see if he was still your security and he was still your treasure or somehow the blessings of God had replaced God and he wanted to know if the time came. If this was still all about him and then angel Wanda said now that you have gone through this. Now God knows that you love him because you were willing to sacrifice your son, your only son you love God sees the love that you have for what is being tested Abraham it's a question that I think you really ought to ask yourself is God your primary treasure and trust is God your primary treasure you want to know how you could know you know the CFO authority to tell you what to do with everything in your life you come to a point were you told God he can have it all. All of it is your life a blank check to God. Everything you own everything. You are everything you have everything you ever hope to be. Is it in his hands to do with what he wills. If you never come to that position.

A place and you're not really a disciple of Jesus, which is why Jesus talked about so many religious people never enter the kingdom of God because the religious means that I become a church.

They like to hear tips for living.

I like to hear what the Bible has to say about this and that they never come no place for this is Jesus you are my treasure you are my security is my hands are open and they are often everything because you are what I'm seeking is he your primary treasure and is your trust is given his challenging questions to consider today your listening to Summit life in a message titled treasure interest. So tomorrow is an international holiday known as giving Tuesday we were really cool opportunity here at Summit life to make an impact on church planting and ministry opportunities among Afghan people in an undisclosed location. So if you been with us for very long. You know the value we place on growing the church around the world. Yet my am very excited about this to be able to focus on this on this giving Tuesday, is a very unique opportunity were able to support a family and a ministry that I know and love.

Personally, I'm unfortunately were not able to share their names or location. As you can imagine when you consider doing the predominantly Muslim country. There are some pretty extreme security concerns. I will tell you though that this family has been living among and serving Afghan people for many years and they are frequently telling stories of Afghan people were coming men, women coming to faith in Christ that are sharing the gospel with their neighbors often adds great personal risk of themselves.

I'm focus it's serious and you watch the news and you see all that chaos is going on what you know that God is doing something amazing in the Afghan people and is using people like my, my friends, this family was there living in an organized ministry. It's an official ministry that would not able to disclose the names and we want to do our part to be able to support bless and multiply their ministry Molly.

What's special about this giving Tuesday is that every gift that we received tomorrow is going be matched up to $30,000. Your gifts are going to enable the funding of a training facility housing for local ministry leaders, language, education, support, and other other transportation needs.

Its obesity is also also be funding the startup cost of manufacturing businesses that give leaders an avenue to build bridges and relationships in the Afghan community and also based on what comes and we we would love to assist in funding the medical project that medical care for pregnant women as a way to really step into the gap to meet a need in a way that points to love and generosity of Jesus.

So you would like to invest in bringing the gospel real good news to Afghan people go to JD Greer.com anytime tomorrow like us and we will match your gift up to $30,000 is pretty exciting. Every gift given tomorrow Greer.com fixing 335 28 520 Molly teaching here on. Be sure to join us Tuesday, following my