Three Life Questions

Thank you so much, praise band, for leading us this morning in worship.

What a blessing you are.

If you have your Bibles, I want you to turn to Genesis chapter 13.

Genesis 13 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 13.

Genesis 13 · chapter mention

You know life is strange.

It seems like we kind of live life backwards.

We make some of the most crucial decisions of our life

when we don't know any better.

You see the value of your education when you're finished.

No do-overs.

You see the wisdom of your parents when you're grown.

You know the most about parenting when your kids are out of the house.

And you hear yourself as you get older say,

if I'd only known,

if I could do that again.

So what can we learn from that?

Now I will tell you, I've struggled with saying what I'm about to say

because I know it may be offensive to you.

But the more I ponder, the more I believe it's true.

We're not really prepared to handle life by ourselves.

Now I know a lot of self-made people may take offense to that.

But I'm sorry.

The reality is we're not really prepared to handle life by ourself.

It is as if we were not made to master it on our own, actually.

And if we try, we're going to mess up.

Lot messed up.

Abram's nephew, Lot, messed up.

And I believe the account of his mess-ups are in Scripture

so we don't make the same kind of mistakes ourselves.

So I want us to look at Lot's example this morning.

Not to follow it, to learn from it.

Now, Genesis chapter 13, beginning in verse 1 says,

Genesis 13 · chapter mention

So Abram went up from Egypt.

He and his wife and all that he had and Lot with him into the Negev.

Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

And he journeyed on from the Negev as far as Bethel

to the place where his tent had been at the beginning

between Bethel and Ai,

to the place where he had made an altar at the first.

And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.

And Lot, who went with Abram,

also had flocks and herds and tents,

so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together.

For their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.

And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock

and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock.

At that time, the Canaanites and the Barizzazites were dwelling in the land.

And then Abram said to Lot,

Let there be no strife between you and me

and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen,

for we are kinsmen.

Is not the whole land before you?

Separate yourself from me.

If you take the left hand, then I'll go to the right.

And if you take the right hand, then I'll go to the left.

And Lot lifted up his eyes

and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered,

everything like the garden of the Lord,

like the land of Egypt in the direction of Zor.

This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

That's a prophecy there, folks, aforementioned.

So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley,

and Lot journeyed east.

Thus they separated from each other.

Abram settled in the land of Canaan,

where Lot settled among the cities of the valley

and moved his tent as far as Sodom.

Now the men of Sodom were wicked,

great sinners against the Lord.

I guess having too much is a good problem to have.

You know, I guess it's better than having too little.

But it can also be a huge problem.

Scripture says that he was very rich.

In other words, Abram was rolling.

You know, the word actually very rich,

the word in Hebrew actually means heavy.

So in other words, he was loaded.

He appeared to be doing okay financially

before he went into Egypt.

But remember when he went up to Egypt,

Egypt took care of him.

Because he gave his wife,

he just claimed her as a sister,

gave his wife to Pharaoh for a time.

And Egypt took care of him because of that.

And he was able to take all that he had with him

when the plagues came and Pharaoh said,

take your wife and get out of here

and all your stuff too.

So he left very rich.

And he's loaded with people too.

Family and all those acquaintances,

extended family are like guests.

And Ben Franklin said,

guests are like fish.

After three days, they start to smell.

And it was Abram's fault, quite honestly,

that they were in this situation.

God told him to leave his extended family behind.

But he didn't.

Took his father with him

and his father had him hang out in Haran way too long.

And he was supposed to go to Canaan.

But when times got tough,

instead of trusting the Lord to get him through,

he went to the wealth of Egypt

and profited from it.

But he also inherited the mess that it made for him.

Now as they leave Egypt,

they have conflict.

Literally in the original language,

that speaks of physical and verbal conflict, fighting.

They were getting after it.

And it was the herdsmen against the herdsmen.

So they're fighting over property

and what sheep belongs to who

and all that kind of stuff.

And remember,

they wasn't even supposed to be on this journey.

Lot wasn't even supposed to make it to this journey.

And things were shook.

And Lot was blessed with livestock as well.

And verse 5 says they had many tents.

Well, they had people in those tents.

They had a flock of people with them too.

And traveling with that many people,

I mean, if you've ever been on a bus ride for several days,

you know that no matter how big that bus is,

it ain't big enough to be with those people.

And then with more livestock and more food and more water,

all that's needed,

and this is a land that was hit by the famine earlier.

And besides that, Scripture tells us

that the land is filled with Canaanites and Perizzocites.

I mean, Perizzocites sounds enough like parasites

to make you know they're good for nothing, you know.

But plus, let me add,

Abram and his family were rich folk.

Rich folk have a sense of entitlement to them, you know.

I mean, they don't want to just live off the land.

They want to live nice, you know.

I've come to define rich folk as those folks who,

not for a special occasion, just for a meal out,

they'll order an appetizer and dessert.

Man, what's that like, you know?

And there are not a lot of desserts in this land.

It's not there.

And now everyone's sprawling out like Texas

and something's got to give.

And Abram could have said, get out, but he didn't.

He didn't.

He told Lot, pick where you want to go.

If you go to the left, I'll go to the right.

If you go to the right, I'll go to the left.

You pick where you want to go.

Don't ever let that slip by unnoticed.

Because Abram not only treated him like an equal,

which he was not, but Abram put Lot before himself.

Not only does that speak of a corrected course

in Abram's life along the way,

but he is now following and trusting the Lord again.

But it also speaks of an increase in his faith.

Because he's trusting the Lord he's going to provide.

He didn't trust in himself.

He didn't trust in Lot.

He's just trusting in God.

And he gave God control of his future.

And my friend, that's exactly where he needed to be.

And that's exactly where we need to be.

Lot, on the other hand, didn't do so well.

And we can learn from both.

The ramifications for Lot would be huge,

but his future could be different

if his decision-making was different.

But he didn't aim in the right direction.

He wasn't really prepared to manage life by himself.

Nor are we.

Now, I realize when I stand in this room,

I am surrounded by a lot of smart,

successful, and good people.

And then there are those other ones.

But anyway.

But we're prepared to manage our lives by ourselves.

We feel like we are.

But the reality is we're not prepared

to handle life by ourselves.

And to be honest,

we're not intended to handle life by ourselves.

God made us to be in relationship with him

and depend upon him.

And that kind of dependence

kind of rubs against us sometimes

because we like to be independent.

I don't need anybody else.

I don't depend on anybody.

I got this.

Well, watch out

because it'll eventually show what you got.

And if we get that wrong,

it causes a lot of headache.

And Lot got it wrong.

Lot chose for himself.

So this episode in his life

that affected his future

begs us to ask three life questions

about ourselves.

One is this.

Are we merely trusting what we can see?

Are we merely trusting what we can see?

Lot was not grateful for what he had.

He was greedy.

And he was looking for more wealth

and he was looking for more plenty

and he was standing on the ledge

in the midst of a parched land

and he was seeing garden-like plains before him.

Garden of Eden style stuff.

Now I'm telling you,

the Jordan River was winding

through the deepest gorge in the world

with lush and green grass on both sides

and beautiful palms all along the banks.

It was around those areas

that some of the great cities were built.

But what he couldn't see from that angle

was the rest of the river

because the Jordan, the Yarden,

means descender.

And the Jordan River is a sinking down as it goes

and it, as in death of sorts

because when John the Baptist baptized in the Jordan River,

he symbolized the death of the old self

and the resurrection of the spiritually dead

to life in Christ.

And the sad reality is

the life-giving waters of the Jordan

dropped far below sea level,

1,414 feet below sea level

into the Dead Sea,

a sea so salty that nothing can live in it.

And I found out when I visited there

that if you accidentally splash yourself in the eye,

you won't see for quite some time.

They say you can float.

But on the bus, on the way to the Dead Sea,

that overcrowded bus I was talking about,

somebody said,

you know they say

that if you ever get upside down in the Dead Sea,

you bob and you can't get back up.

So I went out there in the Dead Sea.

Don't laugh at me.

I went out there in the Dead Sea

and I laid back.

You know, I've seen people with pictures

reading the newspaper

and they're just floating.

And I leaned back

and I thought I leaned back a little too far.

And I didn't want to be the one dude

in American history that visited Israel

that drowned in the Dead Sea from bobbing

and they couldn't get the old boy back up.

And so in my effort to sit back up,

I splashed myself with a seawater

that's ten times saltier than ocean water.

And the trip was over.

I was done.

The guy I was with said,

hey man, watch it.

I said, I can't see anything.

It's a horrible experience.

Lot should have known better.

That's all I'm saying.

What looked promising though to Lot's eye

was actually choosing death.

And it's a lesson for us.

Don't let money and possessions

and property be your guide.

Don't let that stuff

cause quarrels

and fights

and divisions.

It's not worth it.

And that was

not only Lot's,

that was not his only mistake.

The second question

I think we ought to ask ourselves is this.

Are we solely

making our own

decisions?

Because Lot was

protecting his status.

really.

Instead of his family.

He was trying to get

everything that he possibly could

no matter what the cost.

But the reality is

the best may not always

look like the greatest.

He was choosing for himself

instead of trusting God.

He felt certain

for what he could see.

And you shouldn't feel certain

about what you can see.

Actually, that's exactly

the opposite of living

a life of faith

when Hebrews 11.1

describes faith as this.

Faith is the assurance

of things hoped for.

The conviction of things

not seen.

The things that you cannot see.

How can we be certain

about the things

that we cannot see?

We put our faith

not in what we can do

and not in what we can see

but what in God can see

and what God can do.

And what God will do.

And that's why

it's so important

that we must be

spirit led in our lives.

Because that is the opposite

of how we think

in the flesh.

And most of the time

we believe it is the stuff

that we can see

that we can be certain of

as we prognosticate

about things.

But instead of what

God will show us

and Lot learned

the difference.

Sadly.

Let's learn from Lot.

Let's don't make

the same mistake.

In reality

his greatest uncertainty

his greatest mistake

came because

he trusted what he saw.

What he thought

he could grasp.

Third question is this.

Are we hanging out

in the right places?

Are we hanging out

in the right places?

He pitched his tent

among the wrong people.

He pitched his tent

near Sodom.

Now you know

that we get our word

sodomy

from that word

because of the depth

of the sexual sin

in that area.

However,

their sin was more

than that.

Ezekiel 16,

49,

and 50

says this about Sodom.

It says,

Sodom

had pride,

excess of food,

and prosperous

ease.

But did not aid

the poor

and needy.

They were haughty

and did an abomination

before God.

Now let me be clear

about Sodom

and we'll get there

in a week or two.

If you think

the Christian church

can turn a blind eye

to the sinful

sexual abominations

of the world,

you're wrong.

We can't.

The world is loud.

Loud about the matters

of sex and gender.

And the church

needs to stand

and proclaim

the truth

in the matter

as boldly

as we hear it

from others.

But just as true,

if we are proudly

and easily

ignoring the needs

of others,

Scripture says

we're haughty

and an abomination

as well.

It is not our job

to focus on one

and not the other.

It's our job

to take care

of both.

And not only

was Lot pitching

his tent near Sodom,

but the Canaanites

and the Perizzites

were also living

in that land.

Those are enemies

of God's people.

They are stumbling blocks

for Lot.

But his conflict

was with a believer,

which was Abram.

Abram,

a man of faith.

So let's not act

like Abram

and Lot

because the reality

is if believers

struggle against each other,

while we're struggling

against each other,

there's a lost world

out there

in the same land

that we will fail

to reach

if all we do

is get fascinated

with each other.

Those who are against

the work of the Lord

are lurking.

They want to embarrass us

or see us

embarrass ourselves.

They are also

the evils

of the flesh nearby.

Scripture says,

like a lion

seeking whom

he may devour.

You need to remember

as what Ephesians 6,

12 tells us,

that we don't

wrestle against

flesh and blood,

but against the rulers,

against the authorities,

against the cosmic powers

of this present darkness,

against the spiritual forces

of evil

in the heavenly places.

Our battle's not

against flesh and blood.

Our hatred

don't need to be shown

upon each other.

So while Christians

take their eyes

off of what we're

supposed to be doing

and deal with

the trivialities

among each other

or just selfishly

set our own course

and do our own thing,

the enemies of the Lord

are striving

to divide

and to conquer.

Why wouldn't the devil

take full advantage

of that?

Church,

we can't be asleep.

He took advantage

in Lot's life

because Lot

wasn't paying attention

and Lot didn't

see it coming

and the text

reminds us here,

prophesies to us

that this is before

the Lord destroyed

Sodom and Gomorrah

because God

saw it coming.

Lot didn't see it coming

and Lot didn't

trust God

with what he was to do.

He just looked

with his eyes.

He picked

what he thought

was best.

Friend,

we don't know

what tomorrow holds

but we better know

that the one

that holds tomorrow

we better know

the one that holds tomorrow

and we better let him

call the shots

of our life.

If not,

we will inevitably

keep pitching

our tents

a little bit closer

to Sodom

every time.

Just inching.

Just moving

that way.

Just moving

that way.

There's an option.

There's an option

that we ought

to take

and I think

God,

Abram,

claimed that option

and the option

is to trust

the Lord.

Trust the Lord.

He let God

lead him

and I want you

to watch

what happens

when he let God

lead him.

it's in Genesis

Genesis 13 · chapter mention

chapter 13

beginning in verse 14

and it says this.

The Lord said to Abram,

after Lot had

separated from him,

lift up your eyes

and look from the place

where you are

northward and southward

and eastward and westward

for all the land

that you see

I will give to you

and to your offspring

forever.

I'll make your offspring

as the dust

of the earth

so that if one

can count

the dust

of the earth

your offspring

also can be counted.

Arise,

walk through the length

and the breadth

of the land

for I will give it

to you.

So Abram,

oh I love this,

moved his tent

and came

and settled

by the oaks

of Mamrie

which are at Hebron

and there he built

an altar to the Lord.

Oh,

pick up on this difference.

He didn't trust

his vision.

He trusted God's.

He didn't choose

for himself.

He let God choose.

He didn't pitch

his tents

with the wickedness

of the world.

He pitched his tents

in the oaks

of Mamrie.

Mamrie is a

Hebrew word

for fatness.

That sounds

a lot better

than descending

down to death,

don't it?

Not only that

but it says

he also was

in Hebron

and Hebron

means fellowship.

So in other words

he was in a place

of fatness

and fellowship

and he built

an altar

to the Lord.

He didn't try

to manage

his own life decisions.

He let the Lord

do that

and God built

a great nation

through him.

As Jesus

reminds us

he sought

first the kingdom

of God

and his righteousness

and all these

things

whatever they are

in your life

these things

will be added

unto you

as long as you

seek

the kingdom

of God.

These things

are that stuff

that you need

or the stuff

that you're worried

about.

Trust God

he'll take care

of that.

but it may

be like

for Abram

in your life

it may be

that you need

correction

in your life

you need

repentance

in your life

you need

to turn

180 degrees

and that's

exactly what

Abram did

he had to

go back

from where

he had

started

and trust

the one

that he trusted

when he was

there before

before he tried

to go on

his own

because when

he went

on his own

and made

his own

decisions

he pitched

his tents

in Egypt

and placed

his wife

in Pharaoh's

house

and placed

his nephew

under the

influence

of evil

presence

and got

their mind

off of what

it needed

to be on

and led

them to make

bad decisions

along the way

and it wasn't

until Abram

came back

to where

he had been

when he was

right with God

that God

told him

walk the

land

everything

you see

and everything

you touch

I'll give

to you

and I'll

bless you

beyond measure

that's an

old man

he's talking

to

and he

just promised

him the

world

I want to

close with

one more

life question

I know I

said three

I lied

one more

what do

we do

when we

realize

we messed

up

I got

good news

for you

we begin

again

we begin

again

time is

wasting folks

but we can

begin again

and we can

get it right

aren't you

thankful today

that God

always allows

us to come

back

and make it

right

aren't you

thankful today

that God

always allows

us to come

back and make

it right

amen

but we first

have to admit

that we're not

really equipped

to manage

our lives

on our own

and before

you take

offense of

that I

want you

to know

God never

intended for

us to do

that

he always

intended for

us to walk

with him

and depend

upon him

and allow him

to guide us

so let's not

trust our eyes

let's trust

the Lord

let's not

choose for

ourselves

let's let

God choose

and let's

watch where

we hang

out

let's be

careful where

we pitch

our tents

instead

let God

guide us

and when he

guides us

we'll be

blessed

with every head

bowed and

every eye closed

in this room

I ask you

for something

I ask you

if you've ever

made a decision

to follow the

Lord Jesus

as your

personal Lord

Savior

I want you

to know

if you

haven't done

that

you've made

a lot of

wrong decisions

along the way

and the reality

is

that I'm

thankful today

that you have

an opportunity

of salvation

today

if you'll admit

to the Lord

Jesus that you

are a sinner

that you've

done wrong

that you realize

it's separated

you from the

Father

that you'd

like to

take Christ's

sacrificial death

as your salvation

and surrender

your life

to the Lord

Jesus

I want you to

know he'll guide

your path

you can trust

him

that's a big

step

more than you

can see

I get that

but I promise

you

he's right there

with you

guiding you

all the way

God's drawing

you to himself

today

don't ignore

him

you respond

as he speaks

to your heart

and life

we'll stand

in just a moment

and we'll sing

and as we do

more important

than singing

it's your

invitation to

come

we'd love

to guide

you in what

it means

to have a

personal

relationship

with Christ

maybe you

know that

you do have

a personal

relationship

with Christ

but the reality

is you're

not going

in the right

direction

you're pitching

your tent

in the wrong

place

you're living

off your own

site

you're not

doing exactly

what you need

to do

you need

to come

back

to a place

where you

were before

in your life

where things

were right

and make it

right again

and I'm

thankful that

God allows

you to come

back

we can trust

him with that

you may want

to do that

personally

where you

are

you may

want to

do it

at this

altar

you may

want a

pastor

to pray

with you

whatever it

is

I just

encourage you

to be

obedient

to God

maybe God's

drawing you

to be a part

of this

fellowship

you know

this is your

church home

God's made

that clear

to you

I encourage

you to come

as God

leads you

we'll guide

you through

that process

or maybe

there's one

here today

who's made

a personal

relationship

with Christ

and made

that commitment

to Christ

but there's

never been a

time when you

look back

over your life

since that time

you gave your

heart and life

to the Lord

Jesus Christ

and I want you

to know

if that's the

case

it'll be a

great hindrance

in your life

to keep you

from being

everything that

God would have

you to be

the devil

loves

to play off

of our

lack of

public

confession

of faith

to make us

weak in our

faith

so just

trust him

with that

I have

no idea

how God

spoke to you

I know how

he spoke to me

this week

as I worked

on this

but I want

you to know

you'll never

be satisfied

unless you

follow the

Lord Jesus

and in him

you'll find

your satisfaction

so just

trust him

today

and be

obedient

to him

Lord Jesus

I love

you

and I

thank you

for allowing

us to study

your word

together

to worship

you dear

God

to hear

from you

God

give us

the boldness

the fortitude

the wisdom

the strength

dear God

to respond

in obedience

as you speak

to our hearts

and lives

lead us

right now

oh God

I pray

in Jesus

name

amen