All Nations Presbyterian Church: Morning Sermon Series

On Sunday morning, we looked at the golden passage at the start of Genesis 12. God called Abram to the land, giving him such incredible promises for the future. And Abram obeyed, despite being 75 years old and not having any children. This passage showed us God's grace in calling someone out of the worship of other gods to be his special person; Abram didn't deserve any of this. And it also revealed what obedience looks like, trusting in God's promises even if we cannot see how they might all happen with our eyes right now. God's promises to Abram were fulfilled in stages, with some aspects coming true even in Genesis, but focused ultimately on Jesus and his coming to pay for our sins. We can rest in the fact that we also have been shown such grace and are called to obedience. This week, reflect on the great promises of God, of salvation, of forgiven sins, and of glorious hope. Spend time thanking Him for the grace shown to you.

Last Sunday morning, we heard from Habakkuk 2:1-4 together. We especially saw that to deal with the agony of unanswered prayer, we need to learn how to wait. Although we like to get everything we want right away in our modern world, often prayer requires us to wait in faith for God to act, because God’s timing is different from ours. Habakkuk’s prayers were not answered until 15 years and 60 years after he prayed. In fact, Habakkuk may have actually died before he saw the full answer to his prayers. This encourages us to continue praying and trusting in God’s perfect plan and timing, because God may choose to work in 15 or 60 years later, or even long after we are dead. Even when we do not see the full answer to our prayers right now, our prayers ultimately make us wait for the return of Jesus Christ, when all will be made right and the agony of unanswered prayer will be over forever. This week, take some time to ask God for a patient, trusting heart to wait for God’s perfect timing, to persevere in your prayers, and to wait for the return of Jesus Christ.

On Sunday morning, we looked at Genesis 11, which starts with the account of the Tower of Babel. This is a story of the human condition and shines a light into what we are all like. Instead of dispersing across the world and honouring God, we saw this group of people gathering together and building their own reputation. They were seeking their own security and belonging in themselves instead of in God. God frustrated their efforts, and they ended up dispersed and known for their futility and not their achievements. All of us seek security and belonging in the wrong places; it is just as much sin to seek our own reputations as it is to live a life of crime. This passage shows us how futile this is; none of us are powerful enough to bring about a secure life. We need Jesus. Jesus offers us the security in being one of God's children that we can never find ourselves. Consider how much of your money and life is spent on achieving security and reputation and confess anything you need to before God.