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Sermons from the Book of Genesis |
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A Barna Report showed that most professing Christians in this country live in the South. 42% of evangelicals in this country live in the South, while 24% live in the West, 24% live in the Midwest, and only 10% live in the Northeast.1 Barna found that those in the South are most likely to be involved and, in most cases, those in the Northeast are least likely to be involved. Southerners are more than twice as likely as Northeast residents to attend Sunday School, to participate in a small group, and are about 50% more likely to read the Bible or volunteer at their Church.2
The story before us is a story of two Christians and where they lived. They lived in 2 different geographical locations and lived entirely different kinds of lives as Christians. It’s the story of an uncle and his nephew. There is Uncle Abraham and nephew Lot. Lot was the son of Abraham's brother Haran. Notice Genesis 11:27, “Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.”
Now Abraham and Lot were not only family related, they were also faith related. They were not only members of the same physical family; they were also members of the same spiritual family. Notice Genesis 12:4, “So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.” Abraham had left Ur because of his faith, and the fact that Lot went with him, is an indication that he shared the same faith. Lot had embraced and accepted the same God that his uncle Abraham had embraced and accepted.
When we come to Genesis 13, we find that even though they both were Christians, they lived entirely different as Christians. Abraham is representative of the spiritual man and Lot is representative of the carnal man. When you look at Abraham, there is much evidence of his faith in God. But when you look at Lot, there is little evidence of his faith in God. To be honest with you, there is very little that is seen in the life of Lot that would make you think he was a Christian.
In fact, it would be easy to doubt that Lot was saved. Yet we read in 2 Peter 2:78, that Lot is called "just Lot” and a "righteous man." It was not that he was just and righteous in his practice, but in his position. Lot was a saved man, but he didn't live like it. He is what the Bible calls a carnal man. Uncle Abraham was strong in his faith; nephew Lot was shallow in his faith. Lot was like many Christians that will live in heaven when they die, but live for the world while they are alive. He was not only living in the world, but the world was living in him.
Now lets look at Uncle Abe and nephew Lot and notice the contrast of the lives they lived as Christians. First, we see:
1. LOT AND THE LIFE CONTROLLED BY ONE'S FLESH
Paul said to the believers at Corinth, "Are ye not carnal and walk as men?" Paul was saying to them, "You are saved, but you are not acting like it." The same thing could have been said of Lot. Lot was a carnal Christian who lived a life controlled by the flesh. Instead of the flesh being a servant of Lot, Lot was a slave to his flesh.
Lot reminds me of an overweight businessman that decided it was time to shed some excess pounds. He took his new diet seriously, even changing his driving route to avoid his favorite bakery. One morning, however, he arrived at work carrying a gigantic coffee cake. Everyone began scolding him for breaking his diet. He smiled and said, "This is a very special coffee cake. I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning and there in the window was a host of goodies. I felt this was no accident, so I prayed, 'Lord, if you want me to have one of these delicious coffee cakes, let me have a parking place directly in front of the bakery.' And sure enough," he continued, "the eighth time around the block, there it was!"
There are a lot of Lot's. Many who are saved live a life that is controlled by the flesh. They are saved, but carnal. Their life belongs to Christ, but their love belongs to the world. Now notice in Lot marks of a carnal Christian.
First, there is:
A. THE DESIRES OF THE CARNAL CHRISTIAN
Notice Genesis 13:5-7, “And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. And the land was not able to bear them that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.” Both Uncle Abe and nephew Lot were wealthy. They both had flocks and herds, servants and tents. In fact, they both had so much that there was not room for both of them together. There was not enough pasture space and not enough water to take care of both. The Ponderosa was not big enough for both, and the cowboys of Lot found themselves fighting with the cowboys of Abraham. A range war was about to break out. But the real problem was not with herds, but with the heart.
Notice Genesis 13:8-10, “And Abram said unto Lot, Lot there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.”
Abraham said, "Lot, we don't need this fighting. It will be best if we go our separate ways. You go anyway you want to and I'll go the other way. If you want to go to the left, then I will go right. If you want to go to the right, then I will go left." We read in verse 10, that Lot lifted his eyes and beheld the well-watered plain of Jordan. He looked at the lush pastures and plenteous streams of Jordan. Immediately he knew that was what he wanted.
Now notice how the land is described in verse 10. It was as the garden of the Lord, (Eden) and like the land of Egypt. It was a little bit of Eden and a little bit of Egypt. John Phillips says Lot had 2 reasons for choosing the well-watered Jordan valley. The Jordan valley was "even as the garden of the Lord" - that was his religious reason. It was "like the land of Egypt" - that was his real reason.3
Lot wanted both the earthly and the heavenly. He wanted Eden and Egypt at the same time. He wanted to have one foot in the things of God, and the other in the things of the world. Lot was like so many Christians who go to Church and think of God on Sunday and but forget God on Monday.
Someone has said that there are two questions that every person has to answer. One has to do with heaven or hell, and the other has to do with heaven or earth. Lot had answered the first question when he left Ur of the Chaldees to go with Abraham. He answered the second when he left Abraham for the well-watered plains of Jordan.
D.L. Moody said, "The place of the ship is in the sea; but God help the ship if the sea ever gets into the ship."
That was Lot's problem. He was in the world and the world was in him. He had gone to Egypt with Abraham. When Abraham left Egypt, he took Lot out of Egypt, but he never got Egypt out of Lot. The desires of a carnal Christian are earthly. Even though he is saved, he stills loves this world and longs for this world. He will give one day a week to please God, and the next 6 days to please himself. There are people who sit in the services that are Christians, who will leave the services and until next Sunday, they will not think about God, live for God, serve God, but instead will live in this world and for this world. That's a "Lot Christianity." That's a carnal Christian.
Furthermore, there is:
B. THE DECISIONS OF A CARNAL CHRISTIAN
Notice Genesis 13:11, “Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.” Here is Lot making a decision based on what he wanted to do and not what he ought to do. You don't hear him asking God what he should do. You don't see him seeking the will of God in the matter. No, verse 11, says, "Then Lot chose him." He did what he wanted to do.
The carnal man is not interested in what God's wants or what pleases God. The carnal man does not seek God about the decisions of life. He does what the flesh wants: what he wants. You say, "What was so bad about his decision? If it were me I would chosen green pastures over desert sands." Notice Genesis 13:12, “Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.” He pitched his tent toward Sodom. As soon as he leaves Abraham he starts heading in the direction of Sodom. You say, "But what was wrong with that?"
Notice Genesis 13:13, “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.” Sodom was a city of rampant iniquity, base immorality, and wicked lifestyles. It was a city and a people that had no room for God, no concern for God, no desire for God, no respect for God. Lot didn't think about his faith. He didn't ask, "Is there a good church there where I can worship? Is there a good, sound, Bible preaching Church there where I can hear the Word of God and grow as a Christian? Is there a good Church there where I can be spiritually fed?" No, he never considered his faith when he made his decision.
I have seen people offered a promotion or a job that requires them to move to another place. They get excited about the increase in salary they will getting and the position they will hold. What is so troubling is that the last thing they think of is their faith. They check out the housing, the neighborhoods, etc. everything but whether or not there is a good Bible believing, Bible preaching Church. They forget the spiritual focusing only on the material.
If I have heard it once, I have heard it a dozen times: "Oh, preacher, we are starving spiritually. There is just no place where we get be fed and grow spiritually. Preacher, all the churches are dead."
I mean this from the depths of my heart, and God is listening. I would not give up the spiritual for twice the material. Yet, the believer controlled by the flesh never thinks about his faith.
Lot didn't think about his family. We later will learn that Lot had two daughters. When he made his decision he thought only of himself. He did not think about the kind of place he would be rearing his daughters. He didn't think about the kind of schools they would have to attend. He didn't think about the kind of people they would be around. He didn't think about the kind of things they would be exposed to. He didn't even think that he was taking his family into a place where he could lose his children.
What am I saying? The carnal Christian, the Christian who lives controlled by the flesh, doesn't make decisions on the eternal but on the earthly.
Someone has written:
One ship sails east and another sails west, By the self same winds that blow; Tis the set of the sails and not the gales, That tells them the way to go.
The carnal Christian sets his sails by the winds of the world, not the winds of heaven.
We not only see Lot and the life controlled by one’s flesh, but we also see:
2. ABRAHAM AND THE LIFE CONTROLLED BY ONE'S FAITH
A Chinese man and a Jewish man were eating lunch together. Suddenly, without warning the Jew got up, walked over to the Chinese fellow and smashed him in the mouth, sending him sprawling. The Chinese man picked himself up, rubbing his jaw and asked, "What in the world did you do that for?" The Jew answered, "That's for Pearl Harbor!" The Chinese man in astonishment said, "Pearl Harbor? I didn't have anything to with Pearl Harbor. I'm Chinese. It was the Japanese that bombed Pearl Harbor." The Jew responded, "Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese - they're all the same to me." With that they both sit down again, and before too long the Chinese man got up, walked over to the Jew and sent him flying with a hard slap to the jaw. The Jew yelled out "What did you do that for?" The Chinese man answered, "That's for the Titanic." The Jew said, "The Titanic? Why, I didn't have anything to do with the Titanic!" The Chinese man replied, "Goldberg, Feinberg, ICEBERG they're all the same to me!"
When it comes to Christians, they are not all the same. When it came to Lot and Abraham, they were not the same. Lot goes in one direction and Abraham goes in the other. Lot would later regret his decision. Abraham would never regret his. Whereas, Lot is representative of the carnal Christian, Abraham is representative of the spiritual Christian.
Paul said to the believers at Corinth, "I could not write unto you as spiritual." Can we be called spiritual? Are we the kind of Christian whose life is controlled by his faith? When you look at Abraham, you see a spiritual man.
Think with me of the:
A. DISTINCTIVES OF THE SPIRITUAL CHRISTIAN
When you look at Lot, you see the marks of the carnal Christian. But when you look at Abraham, you see the marks of a spiritual man. We see that sensitivity is one of the distinctives of a spiritual Christian. Notice Genesis 13:7-8, “And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.” When it came to the division between them, the issue with Abraham, was not who got the best deal, or who got the best land, or who won the fight. Instead, he was sensitive to certain spiritual matters.
Notice again Genesis 13:7, “And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.” Notice the statement, "And the Canaanite and the Perrizite dwelled then in the land.” This division was being watched by a lost world. Abraham the spiritual man was more concerned with his witness than he was his wealth.
If Abraham had been a carnal man, he might have reacted by saying, "Look here young man. I didn't have to bring you along in the first place." He could have really made a scene, but instead, he was conscious of the fact that their testimony could be injured and his witness before a lost world damaged.
I have seen people through the years get upset and mad about something in the church, mad at the preacher, etc. I have seen them behave in such a way that made it clear, it didn't matter if they caused a Church split, destroyed the testimony of the Church, or whatever. All that mattered was their getting their way.
A spiritual man doesn't behave that way. He is sensitive to the fact that division and strife hurt the name of Christ. Abraham said in verse 8, "Let's work this thing out for "we are brethren." Abraham knew that the things that united them were more important that the things that divided them.
We also see that selflessness is a distinctive of a spiritual Christian. Abraham could have said, "I am your elder. I am the one that brought you. I should get first choice." But instead, he exemplified a mark of selflessness and allowed Lot to choose first. The spiritual Christian does not make "Me, Mine, and I" number one. Actually, a spiritual Christian is one that is dead to self. The "I" has been bent into a "C", representing that he is crucified with Christ, even though he lives; yet it is not him, but Christ that liveth within him.
Dr. Stuart Holden was sitting one day with some friends and they were talking about golf. One of them asked, "By the way, Holden, what is your handicap?" Without a moments pause, Dr. Holden replied, "Myself'."
The spiritual man is a crucified man. Self no longer reigns on the throne, but Jesus. Self has been nailed to the cross.
We also see that submission is a distinctive of the spiritual Christian. Someone might ask, "What if Lot had chosen to go in the other direction. Would Abraham have gone to Sodom?" Abraham was not leaving the choice in Lot's hands, but God's hands. He had learned that when he took things into his own hands, the mistakes were serious. But he knew when he left it in God's hands, he would not regret the outcome. He was trusting God to take care of the matter.
A carnal man takes things in his own hands, but a spiritual man leaves things in God's hands. The spiritual man is content to let God work and have His way in the situations of life. The marks of the spiritual man are totally the opposite of the carnal man.
Think with me also of the:
B. DIVIDENDS OF THE SPIRITUAL CHRISTIAN
1. Notice Genesis 13:14-18, “And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.”
Lot chose the best land, but when it was all said and done, God gave Abraham all the land. God said, "Look to the north, south, east, and west, all this I will give to you and your seed forever." God said, "Walk through the length and breadth of the land, and check out all that is yours." No one ever gets short changed that puts God first in his or her life. The carnal man will always live to regret the direction he took, but the spiritual man will never regret that he served God.
Someone has written:
But to every man there openeth, A high way and a low; And every man decides which way his soul shall go.
Joshua said in Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
You must choose this day, if you are going with Uncle Abraham or with nephew Lot.
1. “The Barna Report” May/June 1997 2. “Ibid” 3. John Phillips, "Exploring Genesis" (Moody Press, 1980) p.123. |