MAR 12 2023 | Genesis: Behind the Curtain S3E7 | Behind The Curtain – Season 4

Sea Change Church · Genesis: Behind the Curtain S4E7 · "Behind The Curtain - Season 4" · March 12, 2023
Automated transcript. Not reviewed for accuracy.

Good morning, and one of the things you might have noticed this morning as we did not have a scripture reading as the first time. I think we've ever done that reason being is because I'm going to be doing the last two weeks of this series on Genesis. It's it is episode six or seven and eight of season 4 about the character study of Lot's life.

So we're going to be looking at a whole bunch of different scriptures, but I felt like it was really practical because you have this individual who's a complex character. Who really goes from nothingness to the peak of the mountain being alongside of Abraham being totally blessed to having his life ending up an obscurity in a cave? How did that happen? How did he move from this place of rich blessing and all the way to the to the heights of blessing and then to lose it all and so for the next two weeks, we're gonna look at lot and some different scriptures. And so the one I think thing I want to see if you look in your notes I want to start with this because I found a verse when talking about lot. That was really Brought some complex thought into this it says the life of lot.

Paints a vivid picture of how one can be righteous. Yet make unwise decisions that lead to a deficiency of blessing. And eventual destruction. Now, if you take your pen cross out eventual destruction, that was an overstatement by me and as I continue to study he wasn't he didn't have destruction. We actually don't know what ended up happening to lot but we do know that he ended up in a cave and one of the things you're gonna see about the Bible is 90% of the time things that happen in caves are not good. Like that's one thing you're gonna find out like a lot of stuff happens in caves in the Bible and it's rarely ever good. Okay. Jesus was in a tomb. He wasn't in a cave.

And so we see that he ends up in this cave and the story is kind of sorted. We'll talk about that story next week in part two, but I want to say that something that's really interesting me. You have this guy who as you'll see in a moment. The Bible says is righteous. He's righteous, but he ends up in a cave. Is that possible for us? Is it possible and this is the thought that was so complex and mine and soul bending for me.

To be considered by God in the Heavens to be someone who is righteous. But end up away from the blessing righteous with no blessing. Is that a possibility? This is really really interesting. So there's two points. We're going to look at today. I have become the king of the two-point sermon it's better for you and better for me as well. So we're not here for nine hours.

Number one is the cost of partial obedience. I am I'm so good at partial obedience on about you. Well Master at partial obedience the cost. Partial obedience has a cost. Full obedience has a cost. One has a negative interest and one has compounding interest in a positive direction both have a cost the cost of partial obedience. If you are like me and you have some partial obedience, what does it costing you? Are you even aware of the cost?

And number two stay near the blessing. That's it. Stay near the blessing stay near the fire when it's cold outside. You want to be near the heat, right? Like you want to be near the heat stay near the blessing. Of course, you have to know what's blessed and what's not blessed in order to do that. There was a blessing that was around lot and he chose to keep getting further and further away from the blessing. Let's just start with a quick character study. You're gonna see a box in your notes of who was lot. First of all lot was Abraham's nephew.

Genesis 11:27 says this is the account of Tara's family line Tara became the father of Abram. So that's Abraham's father Abram. That was Tara. nahor and Herron And Heron became the father of lot. So Abraham's brother is the father of lot, which means Abraham lot is Abraham's nephew. So you have this familial Dynamic that is happening. Now, we have to assume that Heron passes away because Abraham takes Abram at the time takes a lot with him if he had a father he wouldn't have done that. So we're assuming that he had no inheritance and it's actually true that had lot had Abraham died without a child that lot would have become the inheritor of everything that Abraham had and so maybe that was the backup plan.

Maybe that was Abraham's backup plan. He didn't his wife hadn't become pregnant. And when he set out, this is just a backup plan and we talked about Plan B. Maybe some of you have abandoned your plan B's lately. That was a sermon I heard a lot about when I said, are you living plan a and do you have a plan B and I encourage you to get rid of Plan B. Doesn't mean you have other things you're doing while you're waiting for playing a but get rid of Plan B. So that's he was I put this Abraham was close to lot.

And lot would have been the air had Abraham not eventually had children now here is the scripture that really brought complexity into this message for me. And I just did a search on Bible Gateway of the word lot and I went through all the scriptures every scripture where lot was mentioned and I came across this one scripture in second Peter that threw a wrench in the cogs because as I look at lot, it seems like he just makes bad decision after bad decision after bad decision. He ends up in a cave and you know committing incest with his two daughters who have children who become rival Nations to the Israelites like that's not a good ending right? Like that's not the way you want to end and he was on a different trajectory.

But there's this weird verse that says that he was righteous in the New Testament. Like what's that all about? And so it says this in second Peter 6 and 8. If he God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes and made them an example what is going to happen to the ungodly and if he rescued lot, that's key a righteous man Circle that a righteous man.

Who is distressed and depraved by the conduct of the Lawless? For that righteous man living among them. That's the sodomites day after day was tormented in his righteous Soul by the Lawless Deeds that he saw and heard it goes out of its way to use the word righteous with lot multiple times and that he was living in a place and he was super distressed. He was living there and he was like looking and hearing things and seeing things.

He was totally distressed in his soul because he was righteous you remember Abram Bargains with God about going and and saving the whole city of Sodom and Gomorrah because of just ten righteous people well in the end they end up only finding one righteous person and that righteous person is lot and lots family gets to come with him. It doesn't say that lot's family is righteous, but lots family ends up being saved because of the righteousness of lot. That's a really key point for us. Our righteousness has a legacy effect or are ungodliness has a legacy effect. And so we see that he was saved but he was still making these decisions. So here's the first one the cost of partial obedience. Go to Genesis 12:4. You'll see it on the screen probably as well.

This is the partial Obedience of Abram not lot. But Abram that led to this entire thing. So Abram went as guided told him. And lot went with him Circle that and lot went with him. Abraham was 75 years old when he set out from Aaron 75 years old. There's nobody's gonna be able to have a kid. He's got a backup plan B. One of the things you're gonna see.

Is that lot was never supposed to go with Abram when God called him as you'll see lot was never supposed to go and the Bible makes it really clear because it mentions a lot going with him three times. So as you look in the notes a lot is mentioned as having left with Abraham three times. He's mentioned in Genesis 12:4 In 12 five and in Genesis 13:1, why would the Bible mention?

Three different times that lot was going with him. Because he wasn't supposed to take well Abraham was not supposed to take a lot with him. But Abraham was living with a plan B and he was taking baggage with him. Excuse me for using the word baggage because he's a human being and I don't mean that but he was taking a lot of issues with him that God said, I don't want you taking these issues with him as we're gonna see in a moment. There was a huge cost for partial Disobedience for Abraham and for the Israelites today.

I mean the partial Obedience of Abraham over and over again, whether it be with Hagar In Ishmael having that child who they believe is perhaps the father of all the Arabs, but but probably the Egyptians like just that decision. Remember they were in captivity. The Israelites Abrams Descendants the nation that would come from Abraham went into captivity 400 years.

Probably with the descendants of Ishmael his own son because that was a legacy curse not a curse, but whatever you would call a legacy decision that he made that had long-term effects. Now in this passage, we see the lot goes with him. Let's read Genesis 12:1 This was as partial obedience lot was never supposed to go with Abraham in the first place Genesis 12:1. The Lord had said Abraham go from your country.

your people Ooh, this is the key one and your father's household. To the land. I will show you. And your father's household who's his father. We know that his father is Tara and his father had Heron and Heron had a son named lot. That's all part of his father's household. He said go from your he says go from your country. Says go from your people. It's a big it's a big move.

It's a big ask by God. It's a big ask. And your father's household to the land. I will show you. Okay, pretty simple. Genesis let's keep going to 12 4 and 5 partial obedience. So Abraham went as the Lord had told him. Ah, yes Abraham. You're just killing it right now sending it. And lot went with him. hmm if that doesn't practically hit you in the face in your own life.

You need to reread it because sometimes God has said hey, I got to sing for you and I want you to go here and I want you to go there. I want you to leave this see this is this is a leaving and so you say I want you to leave this and I want you to go and do it and you're like, yes, I am obedient to God and so Abraham went and so put your name there went.

But I got to take this I gotta take this side piece with me. I got to take that. You know, I got to take something with me on this on this jump. I gotta have a side hustle along with me as I go. What's that thing that God has called you to you're you're 85% obedient and everyone's gonna look at you and say man at 89% a minus is so good. Like God God goes for a plus. He wants full obedience. He doesn't look at an A minus or a B+ and be like, oh sweet you crushed it. You only took a lot with you lot causes a lot of problems those daughters that he has with with Excuse me, the sons that he has with his own two daughters in the cave end up. Okay becoming the moabites and the ammonites that's a problem for the Israelites later on. So now we have partially possibly three rival kingdoms that come against the blessing that God had given to him. So when we have partial Disobedience, we can see over and over again that it cuts your blessing. I guess the question is, how much do you love the blessing?

And do you love the I mean, do you love the blessing? Do you love God's blessing? And how much are you willing to give up? Because every time we do partial obedience, we give a little bit of that blessing you see what happens is Abraham ends up righteous, but not blessed. That's possible Abraham ends up righteous and because of Christ's righteousness, we can be righteous.

But we can end up not blessed in our life not making choices that lead to the blessing there's this scripture and I didn't get the reference for but it's in the New Testament and if you were to Google escape from the Flames verse you'll see it. It says that if you don't make Godly decisions that the things that you did in your life will be burned up and you will escape into heaven as if running through the Flames. That's not the way you want to go to heaven. You want to go to heaven heaped with God's blessing mercy and love and so we see that he was never supposed to be there the question is this what are you taking with you?

What is in your backpack? What is in your arms? What's in your hand as you run from the house? What is that thing? You're like I'm gonna take this with me just as a backup plan. And God is saying Let It Go. I need you to let it go and drop it and move on. This is the cost of partial obedience. Let's look what happens to Abraham because of this.

Due to the decision a partial decisions I should have wrote. a partial obedience by Abraham Abraham was forced to negotiate with territory for lot. Creating family disunity. We'll see that in a second. He had to negotiate. Second he had to go to war to save lot risk his own life. And be party to creating two Nations that would trouble the Israelites for generations to come the and I ammonites and the moabites.

I mean that's a massive cost he paid for this first of all as we'll see in just a moment a lot begins to be blessed because he's next to Abraham and when lot is blessed lot has to eventually split and they have an argument between them. The herders have an argument lot starts having an argument with Abraham because of this Disobedience it brings a wedge into the family.

It brings a wedge into the family and sometimes as a father our Disobedience and our family and doing things behind the scene that maybe no one knows about is bringing a wedge into your family. You don't even know it Mother's the same way children. When we do partial obedience, we can bring a wedge into that family. How much do you want the blessing?

How much do you want the blessing on your family? I mean, do you do you know the blessing and do you love the blessing you want to know what keeps me out of trouble a lot? I fallen in love with the blessing. I love the blessing. I've fallen in love with the blessing the book but just the love for the blood the love for where God is just to be near the fire is where I want to be and there's you know, I don't make every right decision. There's a lot of partial obedience but there's a lot of right decisions why because God has shown me what it looks like to live near the fire and to live near the blessing. Do you love the blessing? Maybe you need to fall back in love with the blessing final thing. Is this part 2 Stay near the blessing.

I put this over the course of years. Lot chose to move further away from the thing. God was doing and closer and closer to the thing that God was rejecting. mmm That's good. I know I wrote it but it's still good over the course of here. Just playing. I'll just play it. Over the course of years lot chose to move further away from the thing. God was doing and closer and closer to that which God was rejecting.

Are you moving closer to the thing that God is doing do you mean have a clue what God's doing? It has to be a certain level of awareness to know what God's doing. Are you moving closer to the thing that God is doing are you moving closer to the thing that God is rejecting. aw, Tozer said this all things as they move towards God are beautiful.

And they are ugly as they move away from him. All things that move towards God are beautiful and they are ugly as they move away from him. You can see the actual hideousness. Behind the beauty of the thing that offers itself to us in temptation. If Eve could have seen the Hideous destruction if Adam could have seen the Hideous destructive. They could have seen what it looks like in all the murder and War and everything that was behind the putrid wickedness that was behind them. What was being offered him if they could only see it. They would have known and perhaps they would have made a better choice and move towards. What was beautiful.

you see that thing that looks beautiful that thing that oftentimes gives Comfort it actually has this hideous thing pray that God shows you the hiddenness of wickedness behind the thing that we oftentimes want to go for all things as they move towards God are beautiful and as they move away they are ugly as a aw Tozer said, all right, let's read this Abraham was the heart and was the heart of the blessing.

And whom I think it was whom I changed out the notes and whom he blessed got blessed. Okay. Abraham Abraham was the heart of the blessing. He was the Beating Heart of the blessing. He was the center of what God was doing. He was the place that you want to be and whoever Abraham bless. Was blessed scripture says that and and in Genesis 12:3. He says whoever you bless the scripture doesn't say this, whoever I tell you to bless I Will Bless he says Abraham whoever you decide to bless will be blessed. He puts it in his hands and that's why I bless you every single week at the end of the sermon because we need blessing right?

We need to be a people of blessing and if you're not a person who blesses begin to continue to bless. Genesis 13:59 talks about this moving away. Here's the familial upsetness that happens because Abraham is so close lot. Excuse me is so close to the blessing that he gets so blessed that his flock and Abraham's flocks and all their stuff and blessing that God has given them cannot be contained in the same land.

And so Abraham comes to him with a choice to maybe split up now if you're Abraham, if you're lot, probably the smart thing to do would be to say hey, you know what? Let me just give my sheep to you and I just want to hang out near you like whatever I can just be a servant in your house, but that's not a lot wants. Lot actually goes into negotiation.

With Abraham and Abraham says to him. Here's this land that God has promised me. But because we have this issue because a partial obedience lot you go and choose whatever you want. You can choose whatever you can take from me my blessing. And abrah and lot moves into that place. So here's what it says in Genesis 13:5 through 9.

Says now a lot was moving about with Abram. We know that this is before he was Abraham. And he also had flocks and herds and Tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. stop pause In retrospect, I think living in the cave because there ain't no flocks in the cave. There ain't no herds in the cave and there ain't no tents in the cave. There's just a cave and it's two daughters and some nastiness. Okay. That's all there is. He loses everything?

Everything is lost. I think in retrospect. He might have said you know what let's just sell off my blocks. We'll get the money. We'll give you the money. I just want to hang out here because you're where it's at dude God and the blessing is where it's at. I think as he looked back he would look back and say I just want to be near you, you know, one of the interesting things.

when Abraham when lot flees from Sodom He negotiable see this next week. He negotiates to go to another little town. That was evil. The God was gonna destroy. He's like, oh can I just negotiate to this other little town because they're not so bad. And so the angel lets him go there and then he ends up not being able to go there and that's how he ends up in the cave.

You know another place he could have gone. back to Abraham Why not go back to Abraham? Something's broke broke in excuse me. Something's broken there that familial tie has been severed for one reason or another due to partial obedience. Go back to the go back to the blessing. But yet he wants to go he negotiates to go to this little Mid City, they places, you know, just broken and then all of a sudden he can't even go there and he ends up in this cave. So it says and quarreling a rose between Abrams herders and lots.

The Canaanites and The Peasants were also living in the land at that time. So Abram said a lot. Let's not have any quarreling between you and me or between your herders and mine. I think he's trying to cut ties at this point, but we're close relatives not for a while. Not for long. is not the whole land before you let's part company Abraham says if you go to the left, I'll go to the right. If you go to the right, I'll go to the left. It's a bad negotiation. Why?

Because God had already taken up on a hill and he said do this 360 Degrees he told Abraham to do that and he says everything you see is yours. Now. He's having to negotiate and give his Blessing away. Now here's the thing Nothing's Gonna Stop God's promise. So a lot can go take all he wants but a lot ain't gonna get to keep it because God already promised it to him God's promise some things to you.

God's promised some things to you. And sometimes we just give those away we make trades and Bargains and before we know we start losing it and as we see a lot because of his decisions are righteous man with partial obedience who didn't want to be near the blessing ends up in a cave and away from that blessing. Since you go to the right or the left now, here's the final Point as we close.

I talk about tent pitching because a really interesting verse word here in Genesis 13 11 through 12. and I think we see lot leaving Abram and then pitching his tent. It means he pitches and he went lives somewhere else. Here's the key. Where are you pitch your tent matters. Who you pitch your tent near matters? The question is where are you pitching your tent? Let me tell you a little something about camping. Okay, we took my favorite place to camp.

A hotel. All right. That's my favorite place to camp. We went truth truth Cecily truth. The Four Seasons, that's it. You get Four Seasons there too. Right except I get a down comforter is what I want. My wife loves the camp Lucy and I we're done. We went to Yosemite hard ground just and Lucy and I they go out. Do these massive hikes Lucina like we just go hotel. We want to get out.

And so they went on a camping trip without us this last time but I decided no more camping. You know, why? I'm tired of looking for like the worst spot the best of the worst spots to put my tent like everywhere you go. It's like okay. This is the best of the worst spot. It's like my cleanest dirty underwear. You know what I mean? I don't wear it.

So sorry. John MacArthur just had a heart attack. Where you pinching your tent where you pitching your tent? It matters, let's look at this lot chose for himself the whole plane of the Jordan and set out towards the east. the two men parted company Abraham lived in the land of Canaan Well a lot among the cities and the plane and he what pitched his tent where near Sodom not inside them. He's near it.

He's in there not in it. But he's near it. This pitch his tent right there. He's a city guy. He liked that City. Remember it said that he was troubled. He was troubled by all the stuff that was around there and everything he heard and everything. He saw them why you pitching your tent next to the city if you're so troubled. I don't know. Maybe maybe those two daughters like we want to live near the city.

Better parties and go clubbing at night. I don't know whatever the issue is. Maybe his wife. Just wanted to be closer to the market. He's got all these like, you know, herds and flocks and the whole thing. He pitched it next to the city. Now it's interesting because Lots tent pitching. Became tent ditching and that isn't very good. And I did write that as well, but it's still there.

Go to Genesis 14:11. Look what happens? The Four Kings seized all the good. This is when the kings came after Sodom and Gomorrah and and took everything away and Abraham had to go and rescue lot earlier in the story. The four king sees all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food that and went their way. They also carried off Abraham's nephew lot and his possessions since he was where living in Sodom see his tent.

He ended up ditching the tent. He was living near there next thing, you know, he's living in the city matter when the Angels come to rescue him. He's has a house. He's taken up residence in the city. As a matter of fact, we'll see next week. He was sitting at the city Gates. He was one of the leaders of the city. Except the man got upset with them were like, who are you you newcomer like that's happened, you know all the time. I got funny story about that. It's not secretary friend of mine from Mission Beach.

He moved up to La Jolla like when he was like seven started surfing here got into a scuffle out. It wouldn't see they're very much local the guys like 60 years old now and the guy said to him you're from Mission Beach. Anyways, you don't belong here and it's like I moved here with six. That's how lawy is right there. You're not. Hello. It is same thing happened a lot. He got influence and all of a sudden they turned on him.

They turned on he was at The City Gate. He had all this he was living in the city. See he was at the heart of the blessing. And then he chose a plane that plane looks good to get a little further away from the blessing and then he said I'm gonna pitch my tent but not here in the plane. I want to get next to that City and then you know what? He don't have any more tents. We're not even sure he has any more like livestock. We're not sure he has any of that like all this money. Where's his money? Where's all this stuff? Like he just has a little house. That's it by the end and then he just ends up in a cave by himself, but the Bible still says he's righteous.

You can be very righteous in Christ. We're righteousness in Christ, and you can make a whole bunch of decisions that ruin your life. And you can die righteous and escape the Flames that's going to ruin your life. Where are you pitching your tent? What websites are you pitching your tent near? What relationships are you pitching your tent near? What bottles of whatever are you pitching your tent near? What pills are you pitching your tent near? What bad decisions.

Are you pitching your tent near every time you pitch your tent near something. It's gonna have influence in your life. One of the other says that he ended up there. So I guess that's the end of that. I guess that's the end of this this first series this first part on lot. It's a question of where do you want to live? And where is the blessing?

You know one of the things I know about Ministry and especially being at this church. Is that I see God's blessing on this church. I saw before I got here. I didn't bring the blessing. I just saw it, and I want to be near it. I want to be near the blessing and one of the things that keeps me on rail. There's a thing whether it's skiing snowboarding or surfing the thing that keeps you safest is when you're on the rail.

When you're on the flat part you're less stable, but when you're on rail means you're carving you have this like real stability on rail. One of the things that I know that Ministry does for me is being on rail keeps me on rail the problem. Most unsafe place for me would be to leave Ministry think all time. There's a lot I could do a lot I could do you got to be called the ministry by the way, or you won't you won't make it so you got to be called but God called me here and I thought to myself this just keep people say why don't you try something else. Do you ever want to like leave? Somebody ask me this week everyone leave the church. I'm like, yeah all the time all the time but I ain't going nowhere because this is the safest place for me, you know, if I was like retired or just left to go like in my 50s and retire like that's just doesn't feel safe to me at the moment. Maybe when I'm somebody I'll be a lot safer. But right now this is a spot. This is where the blessing is for me. This is where it is and hopefully it's for you as well find the blessing know the people that are blessed and stay near them find those ones that God is on find those things that God is doing move towards it because that's where the beauty is. Amen.

Let's stand I want to bless you.