Let Everything Go – Part 6 for December 19th

This is a engram lots. One reason God allows us to have problems is so we can demonstrate to a watching world. How we, his children respond who's looking at you in the way you handle your problems and disputes often if someone you don't even know is watching. This is living in the light speaker and author and grandma's.

If you're joining us for the first time and is bringing the weekly message in her series entitled the magnificent Obsession taken from the life of Abraham peers and to introduce today's study in Genesis 19 today will look at what happens when we don't let go of our selfishness Will See What Took Pl. in Abraham's nephew Lot couldn't seem to let go of his own selfishness lot wasn't just shallow or superficial or hypocritical.

He was glaringly selfish and self-centered is selfishness was revealed when Abraham acquired great wealth in Egypt and so did he. He saw the material luxury. The political power the financial prosperity in Egypt at that time and he became fixated on it for himself, even while he was wandering around with Abraham his heart and his mind seem to have settled on gaining for himself the worldly advantages he'd seen in Egypt. In Genesis 13 we read that soon after returning to Bethel from Egypt. Tension developed and tempers flared between lots servants in Abraham's servants. It says in Genesis 13, six. The land could not support them while they stayed together for their possessions were so great they were not able to stay together. There just wasn't enough of what both Abraham and Lot needed to go around and sharing was no longer an option.

Fighting broke out in the home and the situation rapidly deteriorated into a serious spiritual problem and here's the point.

Abraham and lots neighbors. Those who are of other religions intently watch to find out what difference a relationship with the one true living God made on a practical personal day-to-day basis. The practical problem that had become a personal problem was now a serious spiritual problem because Abraham and lots testimonies were at stake. Neighbors were watching, usually and with today's message who's watching you and your home and the frightening thing is there often. We don't know who's watching us. That could be a neighbor Canaanite in parasite. It could be our children certainly and in law, watching the way we handle disputes and I think of the lots in my life and the things that have come up in the personal problems that become practical that that are spiritual because the fighting is broken out and because they call themselves Christians, that other people look at them and they're looking to see a difference and what they see is just in handling the way the world handles it and they don't see any real difference.

And when the dispute arose as solution of course was for somebody to give in or to give up to let go. Selfishness to give up their rights and I think lots with silence because he was hoping his herdsmen would win and wizards and finally shove Abrams people off the land and people as they were when Abraham got well, you know that old man. He just couldn't make it out here in Oregon you know and and he was just hoping that his herdsmen would grab all the land for himself, so he silently just letting the fight take place and is rooting for his side.

On the other hand Abraham in verse eight he's the one that initiated the solution he came to lots and you know that's a very godly thing to do is and that we sent something's wrong and something's not right.

Just go and try to take the initiative that Jill Briscoe has something that she's taught me if you sense that something's not right and just go to the other persons that you know I will write and just pull it out in the open and Abraham pulls it out in the open and he says let's not have caught in between you and me are between your herdsmen. Remember brothers and it's not right. This is a Christian home. We want peace in our family we allot the Canaanites and parasites were watching the sea that were no different than them so lot this is a solution. The whole land as before you.

Let's part company.

If you go to the left on the right.

If you go to the right I go to the left lot you just take first choice and take your left over. You see the unselfishness and Abram could have said lot you little brat you been tagging along since our and dark old man he's promised me all this land and you know you just attack on the next time you're on your own. Get lost go back to Aaron. Instead you see Abraham giving up his rights. The first choice, giving up his right to the land God promised him and wonder if there would be a solution to the dispute in your home in your life if you would be the first to initiate the solution by saying listen we have a problem and you can have it. I give up my rights, I give up. You know what's mine and you just let it go and Abram.

I think was willing to give up his desire for wealth because he want to maintain his witness more concerned about his testimony that he was about any treasure he could hold more concerned with his relationship with God than whatever this world had to offer and what about you, would you give up your right to be right. You're right. The first choice your right to a position your right to something. Maybe it's a inheritance settlements in their fighting with your siblings and the lots in their grabbing for what they can get you to.

Have you ever thought about just giving it up. The world just challenges you and me all the time.

Insist on your rights claim your rights. Instead, assert your rights and Jesus said, unless you're willing to lay down your life. You going to lose its it's when you give up your life that you find Abram lay down in essence his life. What God had promised in three says lot you take first choice.

So now look at lots verse 10, lot looked up and the King James version says he lifted up his eyes if you like being given a huge gift certificate to your favorite store in town and you walking to the door and you stand in the doorway and just lift up your eyes and you're looking at everything in that store, knowing you can have anything you want. He just lifted up his eyes and he saw that the whole plane of the Jordan was well watered like the garden of the Lord. He saw two things he saw that the well watered plane of the Jordan look like the garden of the Lord that looked like the garden of Eden is what he saying in other words, it was beautiful. It was comfortable. It was luxurious and I think what he saw was sure and convenience and comfort and luxury.

And you know something which I can get out of living in this tent and live in a home. In fact, that with all my wealth I can afford the finest home in the neighborhood and I would have to ride a camel anymore. I can have the latest model car and my wife can belong to the social clubs they wouldn't even belong to that main country club downtown, my children, they will have to be homeschooled.

I can send to the best schools, maybe even the private schools and he looks at the will board a plane that looks like the Garden of Eden, pleasure, comfort, convenience and luxury.

And then he says it looks like the land of Egypt near Zohar, and each of the sophisticated civilized intellectual achievements.

It would be a place of prestige and a place of position and I think lots looking at like the land of Egypt thing and you know that's what he's thinking about. He's just come from Egypt and I think that's what attracted him and changed his heart turned away from God because he wants to live like back in Egypt.

You don't want to go down there but you know Sodom and Gomorrah that looks like Egypt. And maybe he could build up his reputation and with all of his wealth he could invest in probably make a lot more money and be a leading businessman in the community and then maybe you could even be elected to the city Council he can make a name for himself and increases reputation and be somebody in I think he looks at Sodom and Gomorrah look like the land of Egypt, and he sees possessions and position and prestige and power and that's what he sees those of the desires of his heart just I see that just because he lifted up his eyes, the way it says it is like he looks up with a covetous desire and looking and longing for what he sees the pleasures and the prestige I don't know what the desires of your heart are and we can say our desire is to embrace the magnificence of session and to pursue knowing God and making them known but you know something. Your decisions reveal the desires in your heart. Don't.

And when we look at the lots around us.

They can say also that they desire to know God and that there Christians maybe just a little different track than you and they go to Bible studies, books about the wording you know they can pray. All right, they just got too busy and they don't really believe in a discipline print unless for prayer warriors and stuff but but you know they really following the Lord, but their decisions reveal the desires in their hearts, and you watch their decisions. Lots decisions were so inconsiderate of others. Look at verse 11. So lot shows for himself right there you have to go any farther. You see, the selfishness lot chose for himself the whole plane lots Abram said you could have first choice, but take everything lot just took everything.

And what about Abraham when he was Abraham to pastor his thoughts and his lot didn't care totally selfish in his desires. He was juicing for himself. Everything get while the getting is good. Not only was he getting what he wanted, inconsiderate of Abram, but was totally indifferent to God, because verse 12 says there were cities there cities of luxury and comfort. Everything that we've described, but also verse 13 Says They Were Exceedingly Way kids. There was no thought to the spiritual implication of this no thought of what Sodom would do to the spiritual life of his family know what kind of churches would be there. Maybe lot is distorted perspective with thinking I can go to Sodom and be a witness, I can just go down there make a difference. I'll bring the light into the darkness and rationalizing his compromise with the world so lot goes down there totally inconsiderate of Abraham totally indifferent towards God just seizing what he wanted and I'm reminded of the story of the little boy he went to visit his grandfather and his grandfather had a jar of jelly beans of the grandfather offer them to the little boy. He said son takes in jellybeans and little boy said no grandfather you give me the jellybean in the grandfather said no just reach her hand and get some jellybeans and little boy said no grandfather you get the jellybeans in the grandpas just reach her hand in there, get some jellybeans and little boy said no grandfather you give them to me.

So the grandfather reached and got the jellybeans game the little boy. He's a flat would you get the jellybeans for yourself and the little boy said grandfather is because your hands are bigger and lot reached in the jellybean jar and he grabbed for himself what he wanted, but you know something, he got a lot less than he would've had had he asked his heavenly father to reach in the jellybean John given what he wanted them to have so what do decisions reveal about the desires in your hearts you want what you want or do you want what God wants you to have more than what you wants Abram wanted what God wanted him to have more than what he wanted lot wanted what he wanted, if you want what you want and you insist on getting it. Watch out because you may get it and lot got what he wanted, so he's not letting go of his superficiality. He's not letting go of his selfishness and I'm just going to define Sodom as the world the world is different for each one of us and so it's hard to sort of apply what is worldly is what is worldly view may be not worldly to me and vice versa.

But I'm going to say that worldliness is just a world without God's its values and atmosphere and activities, all without God. It's a worldly pace that so fast. It makes no time for God.

No time for devotional reading, prayer, busy, busy, busy. It's a worldly pattern of behavior where they live according to what they think is right or what feels good or what they can get by with what seems to work but you and I live according the pattern of God's behavior and the pattern of God's word and the principles of his word and worldly priority of me first, not the kingdom of God and worldly preoccupation with pleasure, not Jesus, that worldliness with the world is to you. It may be old friends. It may be certain clubs. It may be certain ways of spending your vacation.

It's just the atmosphere that God lists very attractive listener can be nasty and obscene like the Canaanites and parasites, but it also can be like Egypt very attractive and soon can look fun and beautiful and all of that vacuum apart from God can look really progressive lot was insisting on going to Sodom and he sat there verse 12 is interesting.

He lived among the cities. He's pitched his tent toward Sodom. By the time you come to Genesis chapter 19 lot is sitting in the city gate. You know that means he actually have become a member of the city Council.

It was a councilman. The city leaders that sat in the city gate to pass judgment. They were the judges of the city and lot is sitting in the city gate.

He has put himself in the community worked his way up the social in the business in a professional ladder until not only is he a wealthy businessman in the midst of Sodom. But he is somebody. He's one of the leaders of the city cannot just stop there and ask if the lot in your life has clutch their banana and they seem to be making goodbye and they have a reputation and they only more reputation than you and more money than you and more prestige and position than you know more of a person of influence than you and it looks like you know the been able to serve God to their lives.

But the they left for the world and it looks like they're really successful, especially when you compare it to you. Let's turn the chapter 19 and I want you to just see for a moment what lot God because he got what he wanted, and this is interesting to Peter tells us that he was a righteous, just maybe, Peter also tells us he was constantly vex in his spirit, which means he's living in the world surrounded by all these sodomites and he's made his marketing this reputation. He's a leader in the city but in the inside he's miserable he can enjoy its but he still sits there, but kept him from leaving.

He could've said you know this isn't what I wanted. After all, I thought it would be wonderful. But this really makes me sick Abram I want to come back and would treason you can have all my herds. I want the pastoral and I just want to get out of the world and come back to God. It could have gone back to Bethel but he didn't. He was vexed and miserable and sitting in Sodom not able to enjoy it, but not willing to let go of Sodom that worldliness in his life and so very sitting, and I'll tell you the story leading up to chapter 19. First of all. Chapter 19 Takes Pl. after chapter 18 first part of chapter 18. The three men come to visit Abram. One of them. Of course, is the Lord. The Lord tells Abram that he's going to have a child within the year as it is going to be born.

Then Abram walks with the Lord and we hear that beautiful prayer for Sodom. But you member that one verse where it said that Abram stayed before the Lord and the other two men went on with the other two men. Of course are angels disguised as men. So in chapter 19 we pick up his these two men, these angels disguises men coming to Sodom and lot sitting in the city gate. He sees these two men coming and he doesn't realize I don't think that there are angels, but he knows that they're not sodomites and their strangers as we jumps up and he says please come to my home for dinner.

Come stay in my home tonight and then says no, we really are on assignment were going to walk to Sodom and see what's going on.

Lot is all know don't do that. Please come to my home and spend the night know were going to walk all please I insist, and lot insisted that they come to his home because he knew the streets in Sodom were safe at nights and so these two men came into his home and not serve them dinner and after dinner. There's this enormous commotion at the door banging, screaming, yelling and lot goes outside and there's a gay-rights demonstration at his door and everybody demonstrating for their right to sin and lot says in verse six of chapter 19 goes outside to meet them and he says no my friend, look at that these people were the ones he played golf with and played cards with and did business with and these were his neighbors. These are his friends know my friends don't do this wicked thing because these people outside his door were demanding that lot.

Send the strangers out to them so they can harm them and not the don't do this wicked thing and then lot the show you how far is standard of righteousness is lowered. So I have two unmarried daughters you can have them but don't hurt these men because of claimed protection under my roof. Can you imagine anything as disgusting as that you think you would never stoop that low, but you know something when you drift from God you stop reading his word and you measure yourself other people that live around you pretty soon our standards get lower and lower and lower. But God's name is Evan change so lot is loaded standards appointed offer his daughters and they wouldn't accept that as of the strangers in his home pulled him back inside, shut the door.

The men outside from breaking down the door and they said lot judgment is coming. God's going to destroy this place you go tell your family and let me go back to friends for minute, because this is what the friend said to him in verse nine, they said get out of our way. You've come here as an alien. Now you want to play, the judge will treat you worse than them and you see the way his friends turned on and you think you have friends in the world and their really wonderful friends and you do business and you play golf you do all of these things but listen to me. Amos said two people can walk together and less their greed and in your heart if that person doesn't also belong to Christ and how can you be best friends with a person like that because sooner or later the rubber will hit the road and you make the choice. And Jesus said if you not for me or against me lot lost his friends and then we see him losing his family because the strangers pulling back in the house. They say judgment is coming.

If you have any family in Sodom warned that judgment is coming so lot goes and he runs to tell his sons-in-law really there men that are engaged to marry his daughters in verse 12 and the two men told him go tell your sons on anyone else because were going to destroy this place and in verse 14, lot went out and he spoke to his sons-in-law who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said hello I get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city, but his sons-in-law thought he was joking lot you know if there is a God in heaven, and it is so important. You have told us about him before, and if there was really an accounting for sin.

If there's going to be judgment for sin, you would have been living the way you been living and so lot you know we think you're just hysterical. Maybe that gay-rights demonstration is upset you so go home turn on the TV get something to drink, just chill out. You feel better in the morning. If we raise our children. Example, the say that God is not first in that God is just not important enough to really like leave everything behind and let everything go for you know the message I children get message I children get is that he's not important at all and the little bit of faith. Maybe we had my generation is going be lost in the next generation lots sons-in-law thought he was joking. They wouldn't believe him. And so the Angels he went back to tell me couldn't get a sons-in-law on in verse 15 with the coming of the dawn the angels urged Lot, sing, hurry take your wife and the two daughters that are here will be swept away when the city is punished and look at verse 16 when he hesitated he just couldn't let go and so the Angels had to literally drag him out of the city with his two daughters and with his wife to come out of the city and the angel said don't look back just shake the dust off your feet and get out of there and lots wife looked back longing for Sodom. All of her beautiful things are beautiful home, or beautiful friends. She'd worked so hard to position yourself in the community and she came under constant Jesus said, remember lots wife because she despised God's gracious first. Now here's and with this final word in Luke 1732 Jesus warns us to remember lots wife. Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it. Lots wife teaches us by her miserable example not to despise God's gracious offer of salvation by clinging to our own pride and possessions in position, clinging to our sin in Galatians 67. The apostle Paul reminds us, do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. There are serious consequences to sin. Always, without exception. Adam ate the forbidden fruit his wife. It offered and the Bible says, then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked. Satan had told Eve her eyes will be opened and should be like God, knowing good and evil. Her eyes were opened. All right, she knew evil because she was saturated and it God is not mocked while you and are free to sin. However, we want were not free to choose the consequences before you consciously choose the sin. Consider the consequences may be your thinking. It's already too late for me.

I'm living with the consequences. Now I can't go back, but it's never too late for God, your heavenly father can redeem whatever wrong choices you have made, but you need to go to him and tell them about it. He will walk with you in the maze of circumstances and the tangled web, your sins are made, and he will bring you through Psalm 8613 says for great is your love toward me. You have delivered me from the depths of the grave go to God asking to cleanse you of your sins. Follow the example of the Psalmist in Psalm 32 five. I will confess my sin to the Lord, do it. Invite God into your life to take control of everything. Your sin is covered. Your forgiven Romans 64 says, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, we too may have a new life God offers you a start living in the day, living in the light is a weekly study in God's word with teacher and author and Graham wants learn to listen to his voice, then start making the choice to keep on going and believing and trusting who God is go to and Graham wants outboard take advantage of the many helpful free resources to get you started doing this again for living in the life