Redemption Church – RedemptionPlano.com

Welcome everyone to Redemption Church of Plano Tx. My name is Chris Fluitt and I welcome you today.

Hello all out livestreaming, podcast listening, and affluent youtubers. Welcome to Redemption. Make yourself at home.

Hello to all you incredibly good looking people worshipping with us in person.

 

Today I would have all of you to turn with me to Genesis chapter 11.

We are in our brand new series called “VISION”

Vision

I have gotten several excited texts from several of you. You were really pumped that we were doing a sermon series about your favorite Avenger.

Vision from Avengers?

Sadly, this is not the Vision we will be discussing today. But I promise that our Vision series will be even more super.

Vision

We are talking about something so significant that it can guide the rest of your life.  The subject of vision is so important that it can mean the difference between a successful and fulfilling life and a floundering unfulfilling life.

Vision is HOW you are going to ACCOMPLISH that thing you are CALLED to do.

 

Whether you realize it or not, you have a calling.  You have a THING that you are called to accomplish.

Vision is what keeps you focused on your destiny, and maps out your destination.

 Vision focuses you on WHAT and HOW.
 WHAT you are called to accomplish.
 HOW you will achieve the goal.

Over the next few weeks, we are going to be redefining the vision of Redemption Church. We will prayerfully walk through this together, however right now I want you to prayerfully consider your vision.

Do you know what you are called to do?
Do you know how you are going to accomplish?

Before we are through here tonight we are going to spend time praying to God for His vision for our life.

We are reading in Genesis 11 and starting with verse 27.

Genesis 11:27-32 (NIV) 27 This is the account of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.

31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.

32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

What did we just read? We read about Terah. We do not know much about Terah in scripture.

Terah is the father of Abram. Abram is later known as Abraham when God makes a covenant with Him.

If I were to give the briefest synopsis of God’s vision for Abraham it might look like this.

Abraham –> Canaan

Abraham had a divine destination as His destiny. Abraham was called of God to go a place many of us still know as the “promised land.” Israel, the promised land, is known as the land of Cannan.

But Abraham was not the only one who felt a call to Canaan.

*Genesis 11:31 (NIV) Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan…

In Genesis 12 we see God call Abram to Canaan. In Scripture we never see God speak to Terah as God spoke to Abram, but yet we see Terah turn his attention toward a divine location called Canaan.

Terah takes his whole family from a comfortable life in Ur and sets out to the land of Canaan.  If I were to give an equally brief vision of Terah’s life it might look like this…

Terah –> Canaan

I don’t have a scripture that says God talked to Terah, but I find it so amazing that Terah is taking His whole a family to a land that a few verses later God reveals is His divine plan.

I believe God had a plan to use Terah.
I believe God has a plan to use you.
I believe God has a plan to use everyone.

Isn’t that exciting? Do you realize how exciting it is to be able to look anyone in the eye and say God has a plan for them?

God spoke to a young man named Jeremiah and said this…

Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV) “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah was trying to find out if he had a purpose in this world and God declares a divine destiny. 

-Before I formed you in the womb…  Do you know God formed you?
-Before I formed you… I KNEW YOU… Do you believe God knew you before you were born?
-Before you were born God set you apart for a purpose and appointment… Do you know this?

God has a plan for you?  Don’t you think we ought to cry out to the Lord and ask Him about His plan?

God has a plan to save you and God has a plan to use you. His plans to use you predate your salvation date.

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

You have a God given work to do. There is a Godly vision for your life.

Terah, although we have no scripture that says God spoke to him, we believe that God had a divine destiny for him and in verse 31 of Genesis 11 it appeared like He was going to fulfill this vision… but here is how verse 31 ends.

*Genesis 11:31 …But when they came to Harran, they settled there.

Terah had left Ur of the Chaldeans to travel to Canaan, but when they came to Harran, they settled there.

Terah –> Canaan Harran

It is not enough to start your journey, you must finish your journey.
The apostle Paul doesn’t rejoice that he started to run the race, but that he has finished the race in 2 Timothy 4:7.

Child of God who has been destined by God with a divine purpose, I want to ask you a question. Why would someone start out with a Godly vision and not continue in that Godly vision?

If we are not careful we could be a Terah instead of an Abraham.

Redemption if we are not careful we could be just another religious community that started with a vision but drifted from our God ordained purpose.

Parents those children are gifts from God and are a calling for you. Beware the apathy that causes you to forget your God given role in their life.

Stationary Terah

Terah means station. Terah became stationary when there was a divine call to move.

At some point Terah felt strong enough about Canaan that he packed every person in His family and left… but at some point in the journey he began to feel different.

Remind me, where did Terah stop his journey?

*Genesis 11:31 …But when they came to Harran, they settled there.

Does anyone remember the name Haran showing up earlier in the story?

Genesis 11:27-28 (NIV) 27 This is the account of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.

Haran was the name of his son, who had died. I believe what I am about to say to you, God’s Spirit is about to bear witness. What you are about to hear is not a word from your pastor, but a Word from God.

The name of his loss…

The name of his loss… He had lost a beloved son…
Bears the same name where lost hope.

The name of his loss… bears the same name where he lost faith.

The name of his loss… bears the same name where he quit.

The name of his loss and the name of the city he dwelt in for the rest of His life are one and the same.

Do you know the name of your loss?  Is it where you are still dwelling.

Some of us have a story that is progressing like Terah’s…

Joe had a calling to do amazing things, but Joe went through a divorce, so rather than pressing on, Joe settled there in a town called divorce.

Sally had a God call on her life to help so many people, but Sally lost someone really close to her. Sally blamed God because she was hurt and confused, and Sally settled there in a town called hurt and confused.

A young teen Henry was in the center of Church and seemed to have the calling of a future minister, but that Church was not Christ like and Henry saw some of the hypocrisy, coldness, and bigotry.  So young Henry became disillusioned and settled in a town by the same name.

The same Holy Spirit that called you and has used you. The same Spirit that spoke to you a true vision and plan. That same Holy Spirit still wants to talk to you today.

I believe the Holy Spirit says “Do not settle down in the place of your loss.”

Please stay focused in this moment while I ask our worship team to come.

Vision

Everyone listening to me…

Either you know the vision God has for you or you need to seek the vision God has for you.

I want to invite you to talk to God about the purpose He has for you life. God has a purpose for every one of you.

I have this final thing to say and then I want us to come talk to God.

Terah settled in Harran. The rest of the Terah family was going to settle there as well.

The people traveling in life with you will end up dwelling with you. Be very careful where you dwell.  Do not stop short of the divine destination God has for you.

Terah died in Harran, and Abram no doubt was going to stay in that place of loss… but then God spoke and Abram obeyed.

Genesis 12:1- (NIV)The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you,   and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.

It is time for you to get a hold of God’s vision and set out from Harran.