...God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Genesis 22:1
I continue my pause of my study of Jude to use Tony Evan's The Power of God's Names sermon outline series - maintaining focusing on Message Four: Jehovah Rohi and Jehovah Jireh. Today, I continue to focus on those sermon notes that stand out to me - specifically looking at Sermon Point #1: To Understand Your Shepherd, Jehovah Rohi, You Must Realize That You Are Like A Sheep. In describing sheep, the sermon notes share that "sheep...are dumb, defenseless, dirty, and dependent." This last attribute is key - before we truly accept Jesus, we must all get to a place where we say we need Him...desperately. As a litmus test, when God calls us, we must be prepared to answer Him right away. As two examples, Abraham did not hesitate when God called him in Genesis 22:1 and 11. There are of course many other Biblical examples where God called someone and they responded "here I am, ready to submit and serve You God," including Isaiah 6:8, where Isaiah cries out in response to God: “Here I am! Send me.” We should respond because we want to submit and obey, again, because we should recognize that we are completely dependent on God, desperate for Him, and that because God is Our Shepherd, He cares for us and only wants good things for us (although how we define "good" is according to God's definition not our own). On the other hand, there are many scriptural examples where God called someone and they failed to willingly submit to God. Ananias and Sapphira come to mind - see this message from John Piper here. Other examples include Jonah and Judas (the apostle). Take John Piper's recommendation and be more like Barnabas and not Ananias! See also John 15:5 as another example where Jesus shares how "apart from me you can do nothing."
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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are my great Shepherd and my great Provider! Thank You Jesus for being this for me because I desperately need it - I know that apart from You I can do nothing. I am undeserving for how You do this for me as my sin is great and it continues...daily. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
