Latest / Meadows Baptist Church Podcast / Abraham’s Brother Part 1 The Departure - 6/10/26 - Meadows Baptist Church - Pastor Charlie Branch

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Abraham’s Brother Part 1 The Departure - 6/10/26 - Meadows Baptist Church - Pastor Charlie Branch · Meadows Baptist Church Podcast

0:02
Welcome to the podcast of Meadows
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Baptist Church of Walnut Cove, North
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Carolina. We're so glad you joined us
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today. If you enjoy today's message, be
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sure to subscribe, follow, and share
0:15
with your friends. Now, let's join
0:17
Pastor Charlie Branch with a word from
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God.
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Genesis chapter 13. You find your place
0:30
tonight.
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Continuing our study of the life of
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Abraham.
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And if my memory serves me correctly, I
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think tonight is the fifth message. I
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think the life of Abraham. And uh
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looking at this this story, we're kind
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of going to take a little bit of a side
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note, I guess you would say, uh tonight,
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a detour. Maybe not really. It's still
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in his life, but we're going to talk
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about another individual. And uh through
1:00
this series, my plan is that uh when we
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get to um this gentleman we're going to
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talk about tonight, we're going to have
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parts one, two, and three about him. And
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so we're going to talk about him uh
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through the life of Abraham because he's
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just there. You can't miss him. And so
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some of you know who I'm talking about,
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but we're going to read about him here
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in just a minute. And we'll deal with
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this. I was going to try to deal with
1:23
the whole chapter tonight, but just time
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would not allow me to do so. So let's
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look Genesis 13 verse number one.
1:31
And uh my wife said uh the house is not
1:33
for whosoever will. So um I'm sorry. If
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you want to come, just ask. Amen. and
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then I'll check with her. Okay. So,
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amen.
1:45
>> Amen. Genesis chapter 13
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verse number one. And it's not
1:50
whensoever will either. Just like
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salvation, you can't get if you show up
1:54
at 1:00 in the morning, you might meet
1:56
somebody you didn't want to meet. And
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you say, "What do you mean?" Well, it'll
2:00
be something in my hand. Amen. And uh
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Brother Smith and Brother Wesson. Amen.
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But uh Genesis 13 verse number one and
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uh I hope my daddy don't watch this.
2:11
You'll get on to me anyway. Genesis
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13:E1. The Bible says, "And Abram went
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up out of Egypt, he and his wife and all
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that he had, and Lot with him into the
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south. And Abram was very rich in cattle
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and silver and in gold. And he went on
2:27
his journeys from the south, even to
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Bethl, from the unto the place where his
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tent had been at the beginning, between
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Bethl and Hi, unto the place of the
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altar which he had made uh there at the
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first. And there Abram called on the
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name of the Lord. And Lot also which
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went with Abram had flocks and herds and
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tents, and the lamb was not able to bear
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them that they might dwell together, for
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their substance was great, so that they
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could not dwell together. There was a
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strife between the herdman of
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Abram<unk>'s cattle and the herdman of
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Lot's cattle. And the Canaanite and the
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Perizzite dwelt then in the land. And
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Abram said unto Lot, "Let there be no
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strife, I pray thee, between me and
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thee, and between my herdman and thy
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herdman, for we be brethren. Is not the
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whole land before thee? Separate
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thyself, I pray thee, for me. If thou
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wilt take the left hand, then I will go
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to the right. or if thou depart to the
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right hand, then I will go to the left.
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And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld
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all the plain of Jordan, that it was
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well watered everywhere before the Lord
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destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as
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the garden of the Lord, like the land of
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Egypt, as thou comest unto Zor. Then Lot
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chose him all the plain of Jordan, and
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Lot journeyed east, and they separated
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themselves the one from the other. Abram
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dwelt in the land of Canaan and Lot
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dwelt in the cities of the plain and uh
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pitched his tent toward Sodom. Father, I
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ask you humbly uh Lord, once again
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tonight that you would help us, God. We
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need you. Speak through us, Lord. Hide
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our ignorance, Lord of the youth
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tonight. Would you hide that and Lord,
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would you give us ability to speak Lord
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with wisdom from the word of God? Fill
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us with our spirit and get all glory
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unto yourself. We'll thank you. We'll
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love you for what you do, but Lord, most
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of all for who you are. We give you
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praise and we ask it in Jesus' name for
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his sake. Amen. Genesis 13. Tonight I
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want to speak tonight on Lot uh Abram's
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brother. Keeping with the be of our
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alliteration. This will be part number
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one. And we'll heading this the
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departure of his brother. And you say,
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well, Lot wasn't his brother. Well, the
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Bible says it calls him his brother. If
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you notice uh in verse number verse
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number 14, if you need Bible to back it
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up of Genesis 14, listen to what the
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Bible said. And when Abram heard that
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his brother was taken captive, he armed
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his trained servants born in his own
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house. 318
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and pursued them unto Dan. So this is
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his nephew. This is the son of Haram
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that's mentioned here in the text, but
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nonetheless is labeled his brother in
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the text. And so we're going to title
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this Abram's brother, part one, the
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departure. And so when I notice chapter
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13, what immediately uh I guess really
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jumps off the page to me is the first
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phrase in verse number one where the
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Bible says, "And Abram went up." You
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notice that's a stark contrast from
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chapter number 12 where the Bible says
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in verse number 10, "Then there was a
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famine in the land and Abram went down
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into Egypt." So his journey was he's
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back on track again. He's headed back in
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the right direction. And the famine and
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the flesh and all the other filthiness
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that took place while he was in Egypt
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caused him to get out of there. And God
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in his providence delivered Abram from
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Egypt. And I want you to notice a few
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things by way of introduction. So we see
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first of all he is vacating Egypt there
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according to verse number one. Then he
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makes another visit in verse three and
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four. The Bible says that he went on his
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journeys from the south even to Bethl
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unto the place where his tent had been
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at the beginning between Bethl and Ai.
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And if you remember our study from that
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week, that tent where he placed his tent
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between Bethl and Ai, it was a place of
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identification. There's a good
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illustration for us here that Abram had
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to come back and realize who he was. You
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know, if you ever get to a place where
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you're controlled by the flesh, you need
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to get back to that place of
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identification, realizing who you are
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and get control on the right sector of
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this thing. I notice not only in this
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visit that he goes back to his tent, but
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he does go back to the truth as well in
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verse four. The Bible says in verse
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four, unto the place of the altar which
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he had made there at the first, and
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there Abram called on the name of the
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Lord. And so there he goes again back to
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a place where he can pray. Now we know
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that while he's in Egypt, we have no
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record of Abram calling on God. But when
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he makes it back into the promised land
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there to Bethl where he had built the
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altar and where he' pitched his tent
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there, he calls upon the Lord. And so
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Abram is restored in this text. But you
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see, there's another problem in Abram's
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life. And I want to point him out to you
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tonight. His his name is mentioned in
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verse number five. The Bible said, "And
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Lot also, which went with Abram, had
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flocks and herds and tents, and the land
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was not able to bear them that they
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might dwell together, for their
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substance was great, so that they could
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not dwell together." So, Abram is back
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in the land where he's supposed to be.
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But there's still something else that
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God wants to get out of his life. And
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you'll notice on next week when we look
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at verses 12- 18 of this text that when
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Lot departs, business picks up. in
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Abram's life. And you say, "Preacher,
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what is it so much that has to why does
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it have to do with Lot hindering Abram
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in the text?" Well, one writer put it
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this way, and I'm not dogmatic on this,
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but it very well could be true that it
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may have been Lot's influence that
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caused Abram to go down into Egypt. You
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say, "Why is that?" Well, remember that
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famine that came in the land? The Bible
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says that famine came and they had great
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flocks and herds and all of that. And
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you know what? Lot had flocks and herds
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just like Abram did. And so something
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influenced him to go down into Egypt.
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Now, you can take that for what it's
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worth tonight, but certainly the rest of
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Lot's life illustrates to us a man who
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is controlled by his flesh. And so, he
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is hindering Abram. And of course, the
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command of God in Genesis 12 when he
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said, "Get thee out of thy country and
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from thy kindred and from thy father's
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house." So that would denote his the
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entirety of his family that he was to
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leave them behind. But I notice in this
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text there is an event that comes and
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instead of Abram choosing to make Lot
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depart, God by his providence brings up
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an event in the text that is going to
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cause Lot to depart from Abel. And I
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want to say this uh tonight on the
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preface of this that departure tonight
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many times is um by men's own choosing.
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But sometimes God has to bring up events
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in people's lives to bring about
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departure for it to take place. Now you
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say, "What do you mean by that?" Well,
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you can think about relationships,
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situations, families, friendships, work
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situations, and let's just be real.
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There's some places you don't need to
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stay.
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>> Amen. There's some jobs you don't need
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to keep. Amen. There's some people that
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would call you their friend, but you're
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never you've never been a friend to them
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because really they're not a friend to
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you. Amen. And I notice in this text
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that Lot is much that way. Now, what
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leads into that? Well, we pointed out he
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has vacated Egypt. He has visited back
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to the altar. But then the vastness of
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these men is mentioned in verses 2:es
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five and six. He is said to be rich in
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verse number two. In verse number five,
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Lot is said to be also wealthy with
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flocks and herds and tents. In verse
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number six, the Bible says the land was
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not able to bear them that they might
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dwell together because their substance
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was so great. So what they had gathered,
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what they had brought in, how God had
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blessed Abram and Lot was along with
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him. And no doubt he was blessed because
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Abram was blessed. And so as their
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substance got greater and their servants
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became more in number, uh the the place
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where they were living there at Bethl
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was not big enough. It was not large
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enough to feed all of the cattle and all
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of the sheep and all of the animals that
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Abram had. And you notice that out of
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that there comes out of the vastness
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there comes a variance. In verse number
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seven, the Bible says there was a strife
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between the herdman of Abram's cattle
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and the herdman of Lot's cattle. So when
10:50
you think about history, when you look
10:51
at it, I really I mean we don't know a
10:53
whole lot about this day. We do know
10:55
more about the New Testament day, but
10:57
more than likely they didn't have fences
10:59
built at this time. And so probably
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Lot's cattle and Abram's cattle were
11:03
always getting mixed up. And if you've
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ever had cattle and you had a lot of
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them get mixed up with other people's,
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it gets to be very annoying. I'll say
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that from experience. Okay, we had we've
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got about the family farms probably got
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about 200 up there and there's times
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when other people's fences and most time
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it was our fence because it was so sorry
11:24
it wouldn't hold nothing. Amen. But they
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would get out and go to other people's
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pastures and he gets to be very
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frustrated. And so this is a real
11:32
problem much more so in the fact that
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they probably didn't have fences because
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there were herdmen that were hired there
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to keep these animals. And so the
11:42
herdman there are at variance one
11:44
against another. And then I noticed this
11:46
in verse 7, something you'll miss if
11:48
you're not careful. The Bible says in
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verse 7, the last phrase, "And the
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Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then
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in the land." So the the the servants,
11:57
the herdmen are at variance one with
11:59
another. They're frustrated. Uh it's
12:01
getting too large to handle and they're
12:04
in this tight confined place. But then
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there's also the matter of their
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vulnerability. You say, "What do you
12:09
mean?" Well, the Canaanite, the Bible
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says the Canaanite and the Perizzite
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dwelt then in the land. So, the enemy
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was present with them. It was around
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them at that point in time. And so, you
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say, "What does that mean?" Well, you
12:23
think about this. You've got this large
12:25
amount of animals, this large amount of
12:27
people. There's already strife in this
12:30
little farm. Amen. That's here together.
12:32
They're trying to keep everything
12:34
separated. They're frustrated. They're
12:36
fighting. But then you've got the enemy
12:38
on the outside that sees all this
12:40
expanse. And let me say this. Do you
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know when you're the most vulnerable is
12:44
when you're in a fight.
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>> Amen. When you are when your family,
12:49
listen to me. When your family is the
12:51
most vulnerable to attacks of the enemy.
12:53
Is when you're frustrated.
12:56
>> When your marriage when your when your
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children when they are the most
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vulnerable is when you are at variance
13:02
for whatever reason. And then it may
13:03
just be a little scuffle. But how many
13:05
of you know the devil prides himself and
13:08
taking little scuffles, little things,
13:10
and making big problems. Amen. Because
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it's the little foxes that spoil the
13:14
vine. Amen. And so the vulnerability is
13:17
mentioned in verse number seven. And
13:20
that basically leads us into the message
13:22
tonight. This brings about the decision
13:24
of Abram in the text. And I want to give
13:26
you three things tonight out of this
13:29
text concerning Abram and Lot and their
13:31
relationship. Yep. The Bible said in
13:33
verse 8, "And Abram said unto Lot, let
13:35
there be no strife, I pray thee, between
13:37
me and thee, and between my herdman and
13:40
thy herdman, for we be brethren." Now,
13:42
there's a lot I could say about Abram
13:44
tonight, but his righteousness is again
13:46
put on display here in the text by his
13:49
desire uh to make amends. And I'll call
13:52
this point tonight the consoling of Lot
13:55
or the consoling of Abraham or Abram. In
13:58
the text, the Bible says he speaks up
14:00
and says, "Let there be no strife." That
14:02
that strife, that contention. And notice
14:05
where he says. He said, "Let there be no
14:06
strife. I pray thee," what's he say
14:08
first? "Between me and thee." They're
14:11
the leadership. They're the ones that
14:13
are in charge of these things. And their
14:16
delegates are the ones who are fighting
14:18
one with another. Now, how many of you
14:20
know that when when things happen in
14:23
businesses or really in families is a
14:25
better picture of this? If you've got
14:27
two children that are uh you know, maybe
14:30
having a little scuffle on the
14:32
playground or at a ball game or
14:34
something like that, and then uh two
14:36
mamas or two daddies, daddy of this
14:38
child and the daddy of that child, or
14:40
sometimes the mama of this child and the
14:42
daddy of that child, or sometimes the
14:44
whole team of this side and one parent
14:46
on this side. Amen. You know what I'm
14:48
saying? that scuffle gets to be bigger
14:50
than just two kids fighting with one
14:52
another.
14:53
>> And so Abram goes to Lot and says, "All
14:55
right, look. We don't need to there
14:56
don't need to be any division here." Let
14:59
me say this tonight. Departure is done
15:01
best when it's done softly.
15:04
>> I can give you three things tonight
15:06
about this. Departure is done best when
15:08
it's done softly, when it's done
15:10
silently, and when it's done swiftly.
15:13
Right? If you want a three-point
15:15
outline, that's the way you should. If
15:17
you are having to depart a business, you
15:19
ought not go out there with signs and
15:21
sirens ablazing. Amen. Making a big
15:24
stink and a big fuss over everything.
15:26
Amen. You ought to be polite about that.
15:29
And if the problem is on your part, you
15:31
ought to do everything you can to make
15:32
it right. But I know not every time that
15:35
you deal with departure, it's not always
15:37
you're not always able to do that. And
15:39
so, but the best thing you can do,
15:41
regardless of what others may say
15:43
against you, is you ought to try to
15:45
resolve it. But if you cannot resolve
15:47
it, you need to remove yourself from it.
15:49
Amen.
15:51
>> Notice this. He says there's the
15:54
consoling. Look what he says. He
15:55
consoles him concerning his followers.
15:57
Let there be no strife, I pray, between
15:59
me and thee, and between my hermen and
16:01
thy herdman. So, he tells them, "All
16:03
right, your followers are men. We don't
16:06
we don't need them to be fighting all
16:07
the time. We need to deal with that. Let
16:09
there be no strife. I know that the
16:10
pressure is high and things are hard.
16:13
Let me say this. That's the reason why
16:15
lot a lot of times we struggle in the
16:17
church because let's just be real. The
16:19
pressure is high right now.
16:21
>> It's hot. And if you don't know that,
16:23
it's cuz you're not real involved in.
16:25
>> Amen. Let me tell you this. You get
16:27
involved in the fight, you're going to
16:29
find out there's something to fight for.
16:30
Amen. You start out in this thing, you
16:33
got to realize, friend, the casualties
16:34
will be high if you're not careful. And
16:36
what I notice here, Abram knows that. He
16:39
says, "Let there be no strife in amongst
16:41
the followers." But then he points out
16:43
the family. Look what he says in verse
16:44
number eight. Between my herdman and thy
16:47
herdman, for we be brethren. We're
16:50
family. Hey church, we're family
16:53
tonight. We're saved by the grace of
16:55
God. There don't have to be any strife.
16:57
Amen. I tell you this tonight, my my
17:00
greatest failures I I personally believe
17:03
in my life, my number one greatest
17:05
failures because I believe this one guy
17:07
said it this way, every failure in
17:08
Christian life is traced back to a
17:10
prayer failure. But I think the greatest
17:12
failures that I have struggled with is
17:14
is dealing with relationships.
17:17
You say, "What do you mean by that?"
17:18
Well, every relationship is different
17:21
because every person's different. And as
17:24
a preacher, as a pastor, you have the
17:26
responsibility of managing lots of
17:28
relationships.
17:30
The men who get the jobs at the big
17:33
corporation with uh, you know, the big
17:35
money and the big package and all of
17:37
that, most of the time they get it not
17:40
based really upon their ability to do
17:42
the job, but it's based upon their
17:43
ability in the PR realm of things, how
17:46
good they are with people. Because the
17:49
higher the up, the ladder you go, the
17:50
better you got to be with people. Amen.
17:53
You got to make sure that you've got all
17:55
your eyes dotted and all your tees
17:57
crossing. It ain't so much about the
17:59
labor part, but it is about the loyalty,
18:01
about the trust. And you know this if
18:02
you been in business or worked in any
18:05
type of business any amount of time. I'm
18:07
not that old, but I've seen it from a
18:09
young age growing up on the farm and
18:10
then growing up in a grade and
18:12
construction outfit, seeing men come
18:14
through. When there's a matter of
18:16
distrust, what does it do? It begins to
18:18
break the tower of authority down. when
18:21
distrust and disloyalty takes place. And
18:24
here's the thing about it. Naturally, we
18:26
in our flesh are disloyal
18:28
>> and we're untrustworthy.
18:31
>> Amen. And so, you know what my failure
18:33
is? Many times I'll say things and do
18:36
things that in my flesh I know that I
18:38
wasn't supposed to do, but I'm trying in
18:40
my mind to fix a problem when really I
18:43
can't fix it myself.
18:45
>> See, Abram has made the right decision
18:47
here. He says, "Look, there be no
18:49
strife." He's not so much concerned
18:52
about the problem as he is concerned
18:53
about the people.
18:56
>> If you ever get to a place, and
18:58
especially in the church, if you ever
18:59
get to a place where you're more
19:00
concerned about the problem than you are
19:02
about the people, you've forgotten what
19:04
the ministry is involved in.
19:06
>> Amen.
19:07
>> And here's the thing about it. I know
19:09
that there's casualties. I know that
19:10
every I know every bit of that. I get
19:12
get that. We can't compromise the truth.
19:14
But I'll tell you this, there's a tear
19:16
in my eye every time you watch one
19:19
depart
19:21
>> wrongfully.
19:23
>> Amen.
19:24
>> It It hurts. It's supposed to because
19:27
you know what? I care more about the
19:28
people than I do about the problem.
19:31
Amen. It's not Listen to me. It's not
19:33
their departure that bothers me. It's
19:35
not, you know, well, they're stabbing me
19:36
in the back. No, it's I'm I'm wondering,
19:38
you know, I'm their I'm their
19:40
undersheperd. What are they going to get
19:41
when they leave?
19:42
>> That's right. Where are they going to
19:44
get what I'm trying to give them here
19:45
when they're out there?
19:47
>> Say, "Preacher, well, there's other
19:48
churches." I know that just as well. But
19:50
you know what? It's a whole lot harder
19:51
when you get out to start back.
19:53
>> It takes a long time to find a place to
19:56
be.
19:57
>> Amen. And I'd hate I'd hate to wander
20:00
out there. I That's what That's what
20:02
keeps me awake at night. But
20:03
nonetheless, I I see this this
20:05
vulnerability. And Abram, he deals with
20:07
that. The consoling of of his followers
20:09
of his family. Notice this. You see the
20:13
divide that's pointed out here. There's
20:15
a clear de difference between Lot and
20:17
between Abram. Now, I know Abram is the
20:20
patriarch. He's the one with the
20:21
authority in the text. He's the one that
20:24
that should be speaking up in the text.
20:26
But you don't see Lot making any
20:28
statements through here. And I'm going
20:29
to get to that just a minute. But notice
20:31
what Abram says in a continued
20:33
statement. He goes from consoling him,
20:35
dealing with their stri, but then he
20:37
show expresses to him the contingency.
20:40
And you say, "What do you mean?" Well,
20:42
notice that first phrase in verse number
20:44
nine. What's your Bible say, church? Is
20:46
not the whole land before thee?
20:50
Now, let me ask you something. Who who
20:52
had this land been entrusted to?
20:55
Abram. So, you know what Abram has done?
20:59
He's basically written a blank check and
21:02
said, "Lot, here it is. You go wherever
21:05
you want to go. Get what you need. The
21:07
whole land's before you." gives him the
21:10
option, gives him the opportunity. And
21:14
what is what is the condition? Well, you
21:16
see in the contingency here, this
21:18
possibility that arises there is the
21:20
necessity of partition. Look what he
21:22
says. It's not the whole land before
21:24
thee. Separate thyself, I pray thee,
21:27
from me. So, here in the text, he tells
21:30
Lot, "All right, it's time for you to
21:31
go." And let me say this, all right?
21:35
And I I I don't know, this is weird for
21:37
me to say this, but I I saw it from the
21:40
side of growing up, but there's a time
21:43
when your children, you have to tell
21:44
them to get out of the house.
21:48
>> There's a time when young men, they get
21:50
up in their 20s and they won't provide
21:52
for themsel.
21:58
>> Baby birds sometimes got to fall out the
22:00
nest to learn how to fly.
22:03
Look, I'm not being hard-hearted, but
22:05
when we've got men and bother boys, what
22:08
they are, they stay at home 20, 30 years
22:11
old, and they play video games all night
22:13
and sleep all day.
22:16
>> They got to get out. This ain't directly
22:19
in the text, but it's applicationally in
22:22
the text. Amen.
22:23
>> He said, "Get out." He said, "You got to
22:25
separate yourself." Why? Because it was
22:28
creating division. Let me say this. When
22:29
you get a when you get a a young boy
22:32
that becomes a man and he's still at
22:34
home, you know what's going to happen?
22:35
Inevitably, that wife is going to be as
22:37
he grows up that that boy, a man that
22:39
thinks he's a man staying at home thinks
22:41
he's going to have some authority the
22:42
older he gets. Then that wife, there's
22:44
going to be a struggle there. All right,
22:46
you get what I'm saying?
22:47
>> There going to be some problem there
22:49
with headship. We've had a lot of that
22:51
in this country, especially the last
22:53
generation. My parents, that generation,
22:56
they dealt with that greatly because
22:58
there was great pro prosperity in and
23:00
the fathers, my grandfathers, and then
23:02
the generation after that that come
23:04
along after that, my dad's generation, a
23:06
lot of them sit at home spoiled and
23:08
they're the ones that's filling up
23:10
prisons and drug rehabs and all kinds of
23:12
places in this day and time.
23:14
>> Because of the prosperity, you know,
23:16
that's right.
23:17
>> Amen. And so now we're coming back
23:20
around again. And my generation seeing,
23:22
well, the way daddy did it ain't
23:24
working. The way mama did it ain't
23:27
working. We going to have to learn how
23:28
to work.
23:30
God puts lot out here in the text. And
23:33
this is by the Lord. We'll we'll point
23:35
that out on next week. But there's a
23:37
separation here. Notice not only the
23:39
partition, but then there's the
23:41
preference. Look what the Bible said in
23:42
verse 9. Separate thyself, I pray thee,
23:45
from me. If thou wilt take the right
23:46
hand or left hand, then I will go to the
23:49
right. Or if thou depart to the right
23:50
hand, then I will go to the left. Abram
23:52
is giving him the option. And and and
23:55
rightly so, Abram is blessing Lot in his
23:58
departure here in the text. But you see,
24:00
Abram here, this reveals something about
24:02
Abram. And and I like what FB Meyer said
24:05
about this. He said, "The man who is
24:07
sure of God can afford to hold very
24:09
lightly the things of this world. God
24:12
himself is his inaliable heritage. And
24:16
in having God, he has all.
24:20
You say, "What do you mean?" Well, Abram
24:22
was called to inherit all the land of
24:24
Canaan. But you see, it wasn't the land
24:25
of Canaan that mattered to Abram. That's
24:28
why he could look at Lot and say, "Any
24:31
of it you want, because I'm just going
24:34
to go where God tells me to."
24:37
Because you know what? the land. It
24:39
matters so much to him as the Lord of
24:40
that land did.
24:42
>> And you notice here in the text, out of
24:44
the contingency, notice the choice of
24:46
Lot. A lot more I could say about that,
24:47
but I want to get done with this
24:48
tonight. The Bible says in verse number
24:50
10, "And Lot lifted up his eyes." This
24:53
is the first problem. We see the face of
24:56
Lot that's expressed in his choice. You
24:59
see, Lot
25:01
is a man illustrated in the word of God
25:03
as a man who's always controlled by what
25:05
he could see.
25:07
And you notice out of his face in verse
25:10
number 10, you see his focus. Look what
25:12
the Bible says. And Lot lifted up his
25:15
eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan
25:17
that it was well watered everywhere.
25:19
Now, what is the industry that Lot and
25:22
Abram are involved in? It's animal,
25:25
isn't it? It's cattle. It's sheep. It's
25:28
it's it's keeping flocks. They were they
25:30
were herdsmen. And so Lot sees he looks
25:33
out. He he lifts up at eyes and his
25:36
focus. He sees that plane. Now, what do
25:38
we know about bottomland?
25:40
All of y'all know about the bottomland
25:42
on the Dan River. It's a very precious
25:43
item right now. Okay. Nonetheless, not
25:46
getting off into that. But what I'm
25:48
saying is bottomland is very valuable.
25:50
Why? Because it'll grow things in a in a
25:52
drought. People that's got bottomland
25:55
right now's got crops.
25:57
>> People that's got bottomland right now
25:59
has got got grass for their cattle to
26:02
eat in. What are you saying? Well,
26:03
that's what this is. This was a a land
26:05
where water was plenteous and the Bible
26:08
said in verse 10, it was well watered
26:10
everywhere. So, his focus is you you
26:12
say, "Well, he's just looking for
26:14
something to benefit his cattle." Well,
26:15
this this goes back to what his problem
26:17
is. He's focused on his prosperity.
26:20
He's focused on what is going to be the
26:23
best for Lot.
26:25
>> Let me say this. If you're always
26:28
focused on what's best for you,
26:30
inevitably you're going to leave behind
26:31
others
26:33
>> in your wake suffering. You say,
26:34
"Preacher, where did Lot get this idea?"
26:37
Well, it could be from his from his
26:39
uncle Abraham.
26:41
Chapter 12, verse number 12. Therefore,
26:45
it shall come to pass when the Egyptians
26:46
shall see thee that they shall say,
26:48
"This is his wife, and they will kill
26:50
me, but they will save thee alive. Say,
26:52
I pray thee, thou art my sister, that it
26:54
may be well with me for thy sake, and my
26:57
soul shall live because of thee. Abram
27:00
was protecting himself, but Lot in this
27:02
text, he's not protecting himself. He's
27:04
protecting his pocketbook.
27:07
>> Amen. You can tell what a man's God is
27:10
by how he spends his money.
27:12
>> Amen. You can tell where his focus is.
27:15
And you notice out of his focus in verse
27:18
number 10, he's looking toward that
27:20
plane. His focus is industry. You see
27:23
the familiarity. Look what the Bible
27:24
says. Even uh before the Lord destroyed
27:27
Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden
27:29
of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, let
27:31
me give you this. First of all, there's
27:33
a fantasy that's seen here. You say,
27:35
"What do you mean?" Well, notice that
27:36
phrase again. It was well watered
27:38
everywhere before the Lord destroyed
27:39
Sodom and Gomorrah. What's that next
27:41
phrase? Even as the garden of the Lord
27:45
This land was like a dream.
27:50
Now, doesn't that sound familiar?
27:53
What has what have men given their
27:56
lives, their wives, and their homes,
27:58
their families away for in this country
28:00
for the last hundred years? Chasing
28:03
what?
28:05
You see, what this represents is is
28:07
something that Lot had never seen with
28:08
his eyes. You see, that garden had been
28:11
long disappeared. But when he saw that
28:14
plane, you know what he imagined in his
28:16
mind? That garden.
28:20
You ever heard somebody look at a piece
28:21
of property and say, "Man, this looks
28:22
like heaven."
28:25
It's an imagination.
28:27
It's a fantasy. Lot seeing this and
28:30
thinking, "Man, he's get written me a
28:33
blank check. I can do whatever I want."
28:36
Look what he says. Then there's not only
28:38
the fantasy I to give you this, but
28:40
there's the familiarity in verse 10.
28:43
Even as the garden of the Lord, like the
28:45
land of what?
28:47
>> Egypt. HOW DID HE KNOW WHAT Egypt looked
28:50
like?
28:52
He just been took there.
28:56
Now, Abram was smart enough to know that
28:58
Egypt was not all the world had to
29:00
offer.
29:02
But Lot felt otherwise.
29:05
You see, the blessing that Lot received
29:07
when he was with Abram, when he was at
29:09
Haran, you think about this. Lot lost
29:11
his daddy there. They journey into the
29:14
land of Canaan. Yeah, Abram builds an
29:16
altar. There's a lot of spiritual
29:18
awakening there. But in Haran, there is
29:20
a a substance that is built. There's
29:22
servants. There's all of this stuff. And
29:25
so God and and when Abram fails to
29:28
follow the Lord, he journeys off into
29:30
Egypt and Lot goes with him. And whether
29:32
or not Lot wanted, we don't know. But
29:35
but all we do know is Lot did go there
29:37
and Lot did see it. And when he saw that
29:39
plane of Jordan, it was familiar. You
29:42
better got to be careful taking your
29:44
children to the world.
29:47
>> Careful places you go.
29:50
Cuz what you allow them to behold
29:51
through their eye gate. Certain things
29:53
they'll never be able to forget.
29:57
>> Eye gate, eargate, however,
30:00
certain things that create an image in
30:03
the mind and it mars them. And you
30:05
notice that out of his focus, this
30:07
fantasy that he has conjured up in his
30:10
mind, it looks like the garden of the
30:12
Lord, like what Eden would look like.
30:13
And it was familiar. It look like
30:15
something he had seen before. And the
30:17
Bible says in verse number 11 that this
30:19
choice is final.
30:21
Look what the Bible say in verse 11.
30:23
Then Lot chose him all the plain of
30:27
Jordan. Now, what do we know about Lot's
30:29
story? We're going to get to it later on
30:31
in the series about Abraham. But the
30:33
next time Lot goes out of the plane of
30:35
Jordan, he's walking out by himself.
30:40
His wife dies on the trip out and his
30:43
two daughters are all that's left.
30:47
This choice is final
30:50
because it was beautiful. Let me say
30:52
this. Just because something looks
30:54
beautiful,
30:55
just because it's a dream, it's too good
30:57
to be true.
30:58
>> Yeah.
30:59
does not mean it's from God. YOU SAY,
31:01
"PREACHER, HOW DID Lot was just choosing
31:03
what was BEST FOR HIM?" WELL, LET ME
31:04
THINK. LET ME ASK you something. Did Lot
31:07
have to leave?
31:11
Why did Lot not say, "Abram, I've got to
31:14
stay with you."
31:16
And this is hypothetical tonight, but
31:18
think about all that Lot left. Lot
31:21
number one, left Abraham.
31:23
What's Abram? He's the patriarch. He's
31:26
the father of the faith. He's the one
31:28
that God called out of the Caldes, out
31:30
of a wicked nation, a godless people,
31:33
and set his name on Abram. WHY DID LOT
31:36
NOT REALIZE, HEY, I need to stay with
31:38
him?
31:40
But if that's not enough, Lot didn't
31:41
only leave Abram. I hope you're writing
31:43
this down. Lot didn't only leave Abram,
31:45
but he left the altar.
31:47
>> You see, when Lot left Abram, there's
31:50
never another mention of an altar in
31:53
Lot's life. He leaves behind, you see,
31:56
he leaves behind rel righteousness with
31:59
Abram. He leaves behind the patriarch.
32:01
He leaves behind the altar. He leaves
32:02
behind religion. He leaves behind an
32:05
opportunity to talk to God.
32:08
Leaves it behind.
32:11
Notice this. He left not only Abraham
32:14
and the altar, but he left the approval
32:16
of God. You say, "What do you mean?"
32:19
Well, when Lot journeyed out, you know
32:21
what he did? He was journeying to a
32:24
place where he was no longer under God's
32:26
protection. And you know what happens?
32:29
Chapter 14 rolls around. Abram's going
32:31
and bailing him out.
32:34
You turn there and look at it. Chapter
32:35
14, he gets in a mess. Those cities,
32:37
they're wicked without God. The Bible
32:39
literally says that, describes it that
32:41
way. Lot pinches his tent towards it.
32:43
And out of that, the Bible says in
32:45
chapter 14 that they go to war. Lot
32:47
loses all of his inheritance when he
32:50
gets there. Loses everything. Abram has
32:52
to go rescue it. You say, "Preacher,
32:55
what's the emphasis of that?" Well, his
32:56
focus on this fantasy, it just really
32:59
didn't live too long, did he? Let me say
33:01
this. He He might have been there long
33:04
enough to multiply his hurt a little
33:06
bit, but it wasn't just very short down
33:08
the road and he lost everything.
33:11
Just because something looks
33:14
pretty on the forefront, there's a whole
33:18
lot behind that that you can't see.
33:20
There's a whole lot of things. You see,
33:22
you see, Lot had little sympathy. You
33:24
say, "What do you mean? Lot had little
33:26
sympathy with the pilgrim spirit." You
33:28
see, the reason why Abram could look at
33:30
Lot and say, "You choose wherever."
33:32
Because Abram wasn't going to stay
33:33
anywhere.
33:35
Why? Because he was a pilgrim.
33:38
Canaan land was not his home. Amen. That
33:40
was where God told him, "I'm going to
33:41
give it to you." Amen. But this is what
33:44
the story of Abram we learn is that
33:46
Abram was not looking for the land. He
33:48
was looking for the Lord. He was looking
33:49
for, Paul said it this way, a city that
33:51
hath foundations whose builder and
33:54
makers got somewhere that was eternal.
33:56
Amen. Somewhere that's not earthly.
34:00
And and out of this, we see the Bible
34:02
said in verse 12, Abram dwelt in the
34:04
land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the
34:07
cities of the plain and pitched his tent
34:09
toward Sodom.
34:11
You say, "Preacher, what what do you
34:13
mean when when you say it was final?"
34:15
Well, Abram took Lot out of Canaan land
34:19
once, but you know what? When he was
34:21
with Abram, he came back. But when Lot
34:24
went out himself,
34:26
he never came back.
34:29
Where you take your children, you might
34:32
be able to bring them back, but when
34:34
they go for themsel,
34:37
>> are you hearing me?
34:38
>> When they go for themsel,
34:41
they may not ever come back.
34:45
When I read this text, I'm reminded of
34:48
this this fact. I wrote this in my
34:50
margin. When we think about Lot, it's
34:53
impossible to overlook the negative
34:55
effect that Lot had on Abram. It's
34:58
impossible. And this is what burdens me.
35:00
I was thinking about this just today.
35:03
You know, my dad's in the ministry,
35:04
pastors a church, and for years, for
35:06
years, he's influenced my life, still
35:09
does, and and always will for that
35:10
matter. But now I've reached the age in
35:13
ministry where
35:15
maybe I'm not affecting him directly,
35:17
but the decisions I make and things I
35:19
say and do do affect him more than they
35:21
did when I was little. I have an
35:23
influence on my father more so than I
35:25
did 10 years ago. Now, I'm not saying
35:27
that I'm an in, you know, I'm, you know,
35:30
any
35:32
authority to him by any means. But what
35:34
I'm saying is is when children grow up,
35:37
they influence not only those who come
35:39
after them, but those who are before
35:41
them. You see, I have a responsibility
35:43
to encourage them to continue.
35:46
And if I fail that, you think about
35:48
this. Abram cried a whole lot of tears
35:50
over Lot.
35:52
>> He prayed a whole lot of prayers for
35:54
Lot. And it's my responsibility as one
35:57
who's on the backside because it's the
36:00
very same thing God has said. He's given
36:02
us that blank check and said, "Wherever
36:04
you want to go." Lot could have stayed.
36:07
Let me say this. Lot could have went
36:09
somewhere where he could have built an
36:10
altar.
36:12
>> Lot didn't have to just forsake God. Lot
36:16
didn't have to just quit on God. Lot
36:18
didn't have to just walk out. He could
36:20
have followed God. He could have went a
36:21
hill over.
36:23
>> They just couldn't stay in Bethl. That's
36:25
what it was. They couldn't stay there
36:26
together. And you know what? Abram don't
36:28
even stay there. You notice that in the
36:30
text, verse number 12, Abram dwelt in
36:33
the land of Canaan. Verse number 17, I'm
36:35
getting ahead of myself here, but that's
36:37
all right. Look what the Bible says. God
36:38
tells him, "Arise, walk through the land
36:40
in the length of it and in the breadth
36:42
of it, for I will give it unto thee."
36:44
Verse 18, then Abram removed his tent.
36:47
You see, Lot went and dwelt in the city
36:50
because he wanted something permanent.
36:52
But you know what Abram did? He lived
36:54
his life in a tent
36:57
because he wasn't concerned about
36:59
building a city. You know, I'm afraid of
37:03
I'm afraid that if we're not careful,
37:07
Meta's Baptist Church, I might preach
37:10
here. And I hope that I hope the Lord I
37:12
was telling my wife this other day, and
37:13
I don't mind telling the wind. Now, turn
37:15
that turn that thing off, brother. This
37:16
is good enough. I don't mind telling the
37:19
>> Thank you for joining our service today.
37:21
We'd love it if you join us in person.
37:23
the next time you are able at Meadows
37:26
Baptist Church. Our physical address is
37:29
2988
37:30
Stewart Road in Walnut Cove, North
37:33
Carolina. Our service times are Sunday
37:36
school at 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning
37:38
worship at 11:00 a.m., Sunday evening
37:40
worship at 6:00 p.m. and Wednesday
37:43
evening Bible study at 7:00 p.m. For
37:46
more information, visit us at
37:48
meadowsbaptisturch.com.
37:50
Thanks again for tuning in.