I.  INTRODUCTION:

 A. God calls us today to serve Him.

      1. A good example of how God does this and to what effect is found in the account of Abraham's call from God (Gen. 11: 31 - 12:3)
 GEN 11:31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there.
 GEN 12:3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. "

II.  THE EFFECTS OF GOD'S CALL WITH ABRAHAM:

 A. The causes of God's call:

    1. God had to speak to him (Gen. 12: 1)
GEN 12:1 Now the \Lord\ said to Abram, #"Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;

    2. God had plans for Abraham (12:2)
GEN 12:2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;

    3. God had plans for others affected by Abraham (12:3)
GEN 12:3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. "

 B. The costs of God's call:

    1. Abraham had to leave his country (12:1)
GEN 12:1 Now the \Lord\ said to Abram, #"Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;

    2. He had to leave his family (12:1)

    3. He had to leave his sight - didn't know where he was going (12: 1)

  C. The compensation of God's call

    1. Abraham lived close to God (Jas.2:23)
JAM 2:23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "\And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,\" and he was called the friend of God.

    2. Abraham had influence over others for good (Rom.4:16-18)
ROM 4:16 For this reason {it is} by faith, that {it might be} in accordance with grace, in order        that the promise may be certain to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,
ROM 4:17 (as it is written, "\A father of many nations have I made you\") in the sight of Him whom he believed, {even} God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.
ROM 4:18 In hope against hope he believed, in order that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, "\So shall your descendants be.\"

    3. Abraham had the fulfilled promise of his heritage (Gen.25:8)
GEN 25:8 And Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied {with life;} and he was gathered to his people.

III.  THE EFFECTS OF GOD'S CALL FOR US:

 A. The causes of God's call:

    1. He has to speak to us (Heb. 1:2; 2 Thess. 2:14; Rom. 10: 17)
HEB 1:2 in these last days has spoken to us in {His} Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
2TH 2:14 And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
ROM 10:17 So faith {comes} from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

    2. He has a plan for us (Eph. 1: 3-6)
EPH 1:3 ¶ Blessed {be} the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly {places} in Christ,
EPH 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love
EPH 1:5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
EPH 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

    3. He has plans for others affected by us (Matt. 28:19-20)
MAT 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
MAT 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. "

 B. The costs of God's call:

    1. We must leave the world (1 Jo.2:15-17; Rom. 12:1-2)
1JO 2:15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1JO 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
1JO 2:17 And the world is passing away, and {also} its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.
ROM 12:1 I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, {which is} your spiritual service of worship.
ROM 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

    2. We must be willing to leave our family (Matt. 10: 34-39)
MAT 10:34 ¶ "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
MAT 10:35 "For I came to \set a man against his father\, \and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law\;
MAT 10:36 and \a man's enemies will be the members of his household\.
MAT 10:37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
MAT 10:38 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
MAT 10:39 "He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.

    3. We must live by faith, not by sight (2 Cor.5:7; Rom.8:24-25)
2CO 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight--
ROM 8:24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees?
ROM 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

 C. The compensation of God's call:

    1. We will live close to God - without sin (I Jo. 1:5-7; Eph. 1:7-10)
1JO 1:5 ¶ And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
1JO 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and {yet} walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
1JO 1:7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
EPH 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,
EPH 1:8 which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight
EPH 1:9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him
EPH 1:10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, {that is}, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth.

    2. We will have godly influence over others (Matt.5:14-16; I Tim.4:16)
MAT 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
MAT 5:15 "Nor do {men} light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house.
MAT 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
1TI 4:16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

    3. We will have an eternal inheritance (I Pet. 1: 3 -9)
1PE 1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1PE 1:4 to {obtain} an inheritance {which is} imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
1PE 1:5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1PE 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
1PE 1:7 that the proof of your faith, {being} more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
1PE 1:8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
1PE 1:9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

IV. . CONCLUSION:

 A. Abraham answered God's call by faith when he obeyed God (Heb. 11: 8)
HEB 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

    1. We answer God's call when we obey (Heb.5:8-9; Rom.6:16-18)
HEB 5:8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.
HEB 5:9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,
ROM 6:16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone {as} slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
ROM 6:17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
ROM 6:18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

    2. Heed God's call - obey the gospel today (Acts 2:36-41)
ACT 2:36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ-- this Jesus whom you crucified."
ACT 2:37 ¶ Now when they heard {this}, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?"
ACT 2:38 And Peter {said} to them, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
ACT 2:39 "For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself."
ACT 2:40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!"
ACT 2:41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls.