Sermon Title: Called To Bless Our Family (Genesis 13:5-14:24)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
In every way, Lot was completely indebted to Abram.
When Lot lost his father, Haran, at a very young age; Abram became the closest thing he would ever have to a father.
In fact, his every possession was acquired as a direct result of his close familial relationship with Abram.
And yet, “quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s” (Genesis 13:7) because the land simply “could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great” (Genesis 13:6)
Lot’s reprehensible ingratitude is due to the prevalent and insidious darkness found within both the human heart and human society; that is existentially defiant against the good, loving and faithful God.
Even today, it is clearly evident that almost all of society’s greatest struggles and troubles happen within dense urban cities; where the sheer intensity of people living in close proximity guarantees the radical destruction of the person’s physical, mental and emotional well-being.
But, this is a huge problem that we are already keenly aware of.
The authorities and powers of this world are simply misaligned to God’s Will and defiant to His command for Mankind to: “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth.” (Genesis 1:28)
In time, the academics of the world would begin to realise that the only solution to the problems of the world is decentralisation; in submission to God’s foremost Covenant -originally given to the very first Man to “fill the earth.”
Abram understood this well.
In this conflict, Abram knew that he had the upper hand.
Whatever possession that Lot had, came from Abram to begin with.
Understand this.
Abram was no pushover.
He was smart, strategic, strong; and in every way, a prophet of God, a leader, warrior, and the very model of the working class.
While the world built cities, Abram continued to live in tents.
While the world built armies, Abram forged friendships with his neighbours by being a blessing to them.
And yet, he gave in to Lot.
Abram did not feel entitled to ‘boss’ or bully Lot into a resolution to his benefit or favor.
And the reason he gave to Lot was this.
“Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives.”
“Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company.
If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” (Genesis 13:8-9)
To part company with those whom you love, or of close relation to you is very difficult; and sometimes, necessary, when conflict does arise.
Are you prepared to be as radical as Abram to put your family’s needs before your needs and rewards?
Although he had every right to do so, Abram did not pull rank over Lot; nor did he try to convince Lot to stay.
Instead, in conflict, Abram literally chose not to quarrel; not to take offence; not to stand his ground, nor push back; choosing instead to remain “close relatives”.
From a place of godliness, strength and humility, Abram gave in to Lot.
The land did not matter to Abram; God, alone, mattered to him.
Understand that your family is very important - for they are divinely placed by God in your life.
Thus, if and when conflict arises - trust God; give them space, and wait upon Him.
This is to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received”; that you “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:1-2)
Though painful and tragic, Abram chose to give Lot space; even allowing him to possess his choice piece of land.
And so, “Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east.
The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. (Genesis 13:11-12)
That Lot chose to live among the cities near Sodom – whose people “were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord” - belied his own sinful and wicked condition. (Genesis 13:13)
In Abram’s grief that followed after Lot had parted from him, the Lord assured him,
““Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west.
15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.
16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.
17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”
18 So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents.
There he built an altar to the Lord. (Genesis 13:14-18 – Bold emphasis mine)
God’s Covenant with Abram required him to remember that he is blessed to be a blessing – that in fact, through him, “all peoples on earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:4); including his closest family, Lot, in spite of this fall-out.
If conflict arises, trust God – give them space – and W.A.I.T. upon Him.
To W.A.I.T. upon the Lord, is not to simply do nothing.
It is to Worship GOD; Accept His Sovereignty; Intercede for your family before God; and during which, to continually Trust and obey God for His divine opportunity for you to yet again, be His Witness in their lives.
With regards to those of my family who refuse to believe God, just as Abram did, we must “built an altar to the Lord”; drawing close to Him, establishing an authentic relationship with Him and W.A.I.T. for His divine opportunity to bless your disbelieving family members.
For Abram, that divine opportunity to bless Lot came soon enough, when in an uprising, two groups of kings in the region went to war against each other, and Lot – along with all his household and possessions – became collateral damage in the wake of the conflict and were ingloriously taken captive. (Ref: Genesis 14:1-11)
The account of Abram’s epic rescue of Lot and his household is recorded in Genesis 14:13-20:
“13 A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew.
Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram.
14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.
16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.”
17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And praise be to God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”
In God’s divine call to be a blessing to your family, know that you are never alone – God will go before you.
Thus, in everything, put God first; acknowledge His Sovereignty, and give Him glory.
The Apostle Paul instructs us, “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
In his total victory over the armies of the reigning king, Kedorlaomer, and his allies, Abram honored God by coming before Him through “Melchizedek king of Salem” and “priest of God Most High” (Genesis 14:18) to worship Him and present his tithe.
Abram’s complete disregard for the king of Sodom reveals the Christian’s own requirement to remain solely and utterly in God’s debt; to honor Him first, and completely in everything – which means that earthly authorities must hold no place of honor nor worth in our lives; and certainly never hold sway over our lives that must be dedicated to loving and serving Christ alone.
We are called to bless our family; and to be God’s blessing in their lives, we must Worship God alone; Accept His Sovereign Will; Intercede for them; Trust and obey the Lord solely and utterly.
Never act on your anxiety or self-interest to see the lost saved; act only under the divine direction and power of God – for He is the Lord whom the lost truly belong to.
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
I acknowledge that You have divinely placed every member of my family in my life.
Grant me strength, wisdom and humility to be as radical as Abram in putting the needs of my family before my own.
Lord, You alone matter to me; and if and when any situation of conflict does arise between members of my family and I, that I will continue to trust You, O Lord, to give them space and wait upon You.
May I live a life worthy of Your Calling that I have received; to be completely humble, gentle and patient; bearing with them in love (Ref: Ephesians 4:1-2) – just as You bear me in Your love.
I am blessed by You – to be a blessing to all, especially my own family.
Grant that I may W.A.I.T. upon You – when I must give my unbelieving family members space to find their own way; that I may Worship You; Accept Your Sovereign Will; Intercede for my family; Trust and obey You when You lead me to be Your witness in their lives.
Help me daily establish an authentic, intimate and passionate relationship with You, dear God; as I WAIT for Your divine opportunity to bless my disbelieving family members.
In everything, Holy Spirit, grant that I may put God first; acknowledge His Sovereignty, and give Him glory. (Ref: 1 Corinthians 10:31)
Grant also, that I may have the audacious faith to remain solely and utterly in Your debt; to honor God first and completely in everything –that earthly authorities will hold no place of honor nor worth in my life; and certainly never hold sway over my life – for I am wholly dedicated to loving and serving Christ Jesus alone!
As Abram did, may I raise my hand daily in sworn oath that I am utterly devoted to You alone, O Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth - that I am blessed by You, to live out my life’s calling to be a blessing to my family.
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
In every way, Lot was completely indebted to Abram.
When Lot lost his father, Haran, at a very young age; Abram became the closest thing he would ever have to a father.
In fact, his every possession was acquired as a direct result of his close familial relationship with Abram.
And yet, “quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s” (Genesis 13:7) because the land simply “could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great” (Genesis 13:6)
Lot’s reprehensible ingratitude is due to the prevalent and insidious darkness found within both the human heart and human society; that is existentially defiant against the good, loving and faithful God.
Even today, it is clearly evident that almost all of society’s greatest struggles and troubles happen within dense urban cities; where the sheer intensity of people living in close proximity guarantees the radical destruction of the person’s physical, mental and emotional well-being.
But, this is a huge problem that we are already keenly aware of.
The authorities and powers of this world are simply misaligned to God’s Will and defiant to His command for Mankind to: “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth.” (Genesis 1:28)
In time, the academics of the world would begin to realise that the only solution to the problems of the world is decentralisation; in submission to God’s foremost Covenant -originally given to the very first Man to “fill the earth.”
Abram understood this well.
In this conflict, Abram knew that he had the upper hand.
Whatever possession that Lot had, came from Abram to begin with.
Understand this.
Abram was no pushover.
He was smart, strategic, strong; and in every way, a prophet of God, a leader, warrior, and the very model of the working class.
While the world built cities, Abram continued to live in tents.
While the world built armies, Abram forged friendships with his neighbours by being a blessing to them.
And yet, he gave in to Lot.
Abram did not feel entitled to ‘boss’ or bully Lot into a resolution to his benefit or favor.
And the reason he gave to Lot was this.
“Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives.”
“Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company.
If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” (Genesis 13:8-9)
To part company with those whom you love, or of close relation to you is very difficult; and sometimes, necessary, when conflict does arise.
Are you prepared to be as radical as Abram to put your family’s needs before your needs and rewards?
Although he had every right to do so, Abram did not pull rank over Lot; nor did he try to convince Lot to stay.
Instead, in conflict, Abram literally chose not to quarrel; not to take offence; not to stand his ground, nor push back; choosing instead to remain “close relatives”.
From a place of godliness, strength and humility, Abram gave in to Lot.
The land did not matter to Abram; God, alone, mattered to him.
Understand that your family is very important - for they are divinely placed by God in your life.
Thus, if and when conflict arises - trust God; give them space, and wait upon Him.
This is to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received”; that you “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:1-2)
Though painful and tragic, Abram chose to give Lot space; even allowing him to possess his choice piece of land.
And so, “Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east.
The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. (Genesis 13:11-12)
That Lot chose to live among the cities near Sodom – whose people “were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord” - belied his own sinful and wicked condition. (Genesis 13:13)
In Abram’s grief that followed after Lot had parted from him, the Lord assured him,
““Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west.
15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.
16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.
17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”
18 So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents.
There he built an altar to the Lord. (Genesis 13:14-18 – Bold emphasis mine)
God’s Covenant with Abram required him to remember that he is blessed to be a blessing – that in fact, through him, “all peoples on earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:4); including his closest family, Lot, in spite of this fall-out.
If conflict arises, trust God – give them space – and W.A.I.T. upon Him.
To W.A.I.T. upon the Lord, is not to simply do nothing.
It is to Worship GOD; Accept His Sovereignty; Intercede for your family before God; and during which, to continually Trust and obey God for His divine opportunity for you to yet again, be His Witness in their lives.
With regards to those of my family who refuse to believe God, just as Abram did, we must “built an altar to the Lord”; drawing close to Him, establishing an authentic relationship with Him and W.A.I.T. for His divine opportunity to bless your disbelieving family members.
For Abram, that divine opportunity to bless Lot came soon enough, when in an uprising, two groups of kings in the region went to war against each other, and Lot – along with all his household and possessions – became collateral damage in the wake of the conflict and were ingloriously taken captive. (Ref: Genesis 14:1-11)
The account of Abram’s epic rescue of Lot and his household is recorded in Genesis 14:13-20:
“13 A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew.
Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram.
14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.
16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.”
17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And praise be to God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”
In God’s divine call to be a blessing to your family, know that you are never alone – God will go before you.
Thus, in everything, put God first; acknowledge His Sovereignty, and give Him glory.
The Apostle Paul instructs us, “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
In his total victory over the armies of the reigning king, Kedorlaomer, and his allies, Abram honored God by coming before Him through “Melchizedek king of Salem” and “priest of God Most High” (Genesis 14:18) to worship Him and present his tithe.
Abram’s complete disregard for the king of Sodom reveals the Christian’s own requirement to remain solely and utterly in God’s debt; to honor Him first, and completely in everything – which means that earthly authorities must hold no place of honor nor worth in our lives; and certainly never hold sway over our lives that must be dedicated to loving and serving Christ alone.
We are called to bless our family; and to be God’s blessing in their lives, we must Worship God alone; Accept His Sovereign Will; Intercede for them; Trust and obey the Lord solely and utterly.
Never act on your anxiety or self-interest to see the lost saved; act only under the divine direction and power of God – for He is the Lord whom the lost truly belong to.
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
I acknowledge that You have divinely placed every member of my family in my life.
Grant me strength, wisdom and humility to be as radical as Abram in putting the needs of my family before my own.
Lord, You alone matter to me; and if and when any situation of conflict does arise between members of my family and I, that I will continue to trust You, O Lord, to give them space and wait upon You.
May I live a life worthy of Your Calling that I have received; to be completely humble, gentle and patient; bearing with them in love (Ref: Ephesians 4:1-2) – just as You bear me in Your love.
I am blessed by You – to be a blessing to all, especially my own family.
Grant that I may W.A.I.T. upon You – when I must give my unbelieving family members space to find their own way; that I may Worship You; Accept Your Sovereign Will; Intercede for my family; Trust and obey You when You lead me to be Your witness in their lives.
Help me daily establish an authentic, intimate and passionate relationship with You, dear God; as I WAIT for Your divine opportunity to bless my disbelieving family members.
In everything, Holy Spirit, grant that I may put God first; acknowledge His Sovereignty, and give Him glory. (Ref: 1 Corinthians 10:31)
Grant also, that I may have the audacious faith to remain solely and utterly in Your debt; to honor God first and completely in everything –that earthly authorities will hold no place of honor nor worth in my life; and certainly never hold sway over my life – for I am wholly dedicated to loving and serving Christ Jesus alone!
As Abram did, may I raise my hand daily in sworn oath that I am utterly devoted to You alone, O Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth - that I am blessed by You, to live out my life’s calling to be a blessing to my family.
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.