Toward Sodom
Genesis 13:

The sermon today really boils down to this statement from Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Please ask yourself as we go on Who do I serve?

I. Division between men vv 5-9
Premise: If we let division creep in and go untended then we have pain.

A. Lots selfish choice

While, fishing in Labrador, Clarence Birdseye noticed it was so cold that fish he caught froze as they came through the ice. Later when he thawed them in water they began to swim. That observation led him to try quick freezing fish to retain a fresh flavor. His experiments worked and in 1924 he launched a frozen seafood company in Gloucester MA. Five years later he sold his company, Birdseye frozen foods , for 22 million dollars. Birdseye was successful because he saw an opportunity and quickly acted on it, but while quick action can be a recipe for business success, it doesn't always work out to a person's advantage. This is the case with Lot.

As time went on in the new land of promise Lot's herds as well as Abraham's began to multiply. In verses 1-4 we see the hand of blessing on Abraham and it seems as if

Lot was blessed along with him. God often does this sort of thing you know? Blesses others for His children's sake: Gen. 19:29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

And later on Abraham's grand son Jacob carried that same blessing:
Gen. 30:27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine eyes, [tarry: for] I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.

Look at Joseph, slave and child of God in Gen. 39:5 And it came to pass from the time [that] he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.

Here God prospers a pagan 's household because of Joseph. Potiphar should have hung on to him.

Look at the blessings that come on a household when the Ark of God rests there: 2Sa 6:11 And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obed Edom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his household. 12 And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that [pertains] unto him, because of the ark of God.

So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness David saw it and said, "Hey that is great, bring that thing to my house!

In Acts when there is a storm and the ship is about to sink, we note that Paul isn't the only one spared look: Ac 27:24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

Listen, there is often great blessing associated with God and His people. Have you noticed that some people come to church and their life seems to go better? They receive a burst of good fortune and things really pick up for them? They don't receive Jesus as Lord, they come and for a while things get nice for them. Guess what, God still blesses others for His children's sake. There is profit in hanging around God's people.

But you need to know that after a while that begins to wear thin as the message sinks in and the human spirit begins to resist then there is usually defection and discomfort and strife even as they see all the flaws in God's people, are upset because no one calls or invites them over or whatever their bone of contention may be. And then they don't come any more. So it was with Lot. Lot was prospering and getting rich and things were good, but he wasn't quite satisfied. Abraham had more than Lot.

Abraham, remember , was God's chosen one and as God built a nation, he saw to it they were well funded. Even got them some foreign aid from Egypt last chapter remember?

Now Lot sees this and his herdsmen see that there may not be enough room for their herd to grow and someone is not getting their share, it seems, and there is strife.

The root of strife is selfishness quite often. Some one wants more of the pie, more control, more of the business, things to go more their way, and so a fight begins.

Listen: Here is a very important message for you and it will help you to remember this: God will take care of the details someday , you don't have to fight it out here . I mean this: Abraham does something here that ends the strife. He lets Lot pick where he wants to live and lets Lot have the first pick of grazing lands. Why? I think its because this time he remembers the promise. God has promised all this to Abraham and not to Lot. It is all his and knowing that GOD has promised it, he can turn it loose and let God decide the outcome.

Remember David the shepherd boy who was anointed king? Remember that there was one slight problem in the transition process of government? Yeah, Saul was still king and he wasn't ready to step down. Remember that David had 2 chances to kill Saul and get this waiting and hiding over with?

And do you remember David's response to that? He said. "I will not lay my hands on God's anointed ." He understood that God is the God of process and if God promises something then God will deliver the goods.

Abraham has that confidence here and so says, "lot my man, I know how to stop this strife, you choose what land you want and move your herds onto it and I will take what is left."

Remember Birdseye ? remember we said that sometimes acting quickly is a good business deal? That's what Lot sees here and not thinking of Abraham's needs, he chooses. And Lot chooses the best land around and moves in.

There is a time for separation. This was one of those times. Abraham was wise in letting God be God. Letting God see to the ultimate outcome. Lot was acting selfishly and, mark this down, "whatever a man soweth that will he also reap." This move cost Lot and he began to indulge in selfishness and something else too. Listen, if there is strife in your relationships take a lesson from Abraham and selflessly give up to God's control whatever it is that's causing the problem. Is it power? Give it to the one who has all power anyway. Is it things? Give it to the one who owns all things any way. Is it a personality conflict? Give it to the one who formed the personality and let HIM work the matter out. And avoid the selfishness that started Lot on a downward road Toward Sodom. Having seen a division among friends we now see secondly:

II. Decision toward Sodom vv 10-13
Often enough a division among God's people is a result of self seeking on one part or the other and sadly it leads on a downward trend.

There is a thing about strife and fighting, it leads generally, to one party giving in, and the other party getting their just deserts. It often happens.

Do you remember the Tanya Harding Nancy Kerrigan thing during a winter Olympics a number of years back? Do you recall how the one who wanted to knock the legs out from under Nancy K. Ultimately couldn't stand up to skate?

Then do you remember Oxayna Bayoul? And the on camera snide remark by Kerrigan about her off somewhere crying again? And do you remember who won the competition? Oxayna.

That is a good illustration of someone getting their just desserts. I have to confess I was gloating somewhat. That was wrong. But Just deserts are meted out. Sometimes we get to see it. Whatever you sow you reap. With what measure you mete out it shall be measured to you .

Lot chose the best portion for himself, and settled down, but even yet he wasn't satisfied, notice what it says in verses 12-13 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched [his] tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom [were] wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

Lot started by leaving Abraham in Strife and selfishness., He then looked toward riches hoping to find contentment. But Lot wasn't content with his own Lot in life. He began to sit and look out the tent door at night and see the bright lights of Sodom and into his mind crept delightful fantasies, mind games of what fun it would be to live there. And soon enough his viewpoint of just how evil these men were changed. He noticed that "Yeah, they were sinning all right, but they were basically fun nice people after all." Then perhaps he said, "I know, I'll just try a visitation program, become a friendship evangelist, go to where they are that's the way to reach them." Do you remember the Chaplain of Bourbon street? In Louisiana he would go into the bars along Bourbon street and hang out and preach to people? That may have been OK, I wouldn't want to bet on it though, because the lights are bright and even a man with vision can be blinded. And this man was blinded, and was won to that life style which he was trying to win and he fell.

It is like that with all of us we follow the James Pattern: 1:13 -16 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.

You see? It starts when we look at sin with a tolerant viewpoint, then it doesn't seem so bad and its fun, then we fall and then life gets into a mess. That is just how it was with Lot and how it will be with us if we do not use care. You say, "Oh it can't happen to me?" Look out friend, the word is very plain 1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

You see? It is dangerous to "pitch our tents toward Sodom. It is not healthy to chase after the world's ways, it is not smart, or wise to follow the flesh, it is the road to heartbreak and death. Death of relationships, death of love.

And yet we plod on into Satan's turf, his bars his video views, his domain and say, "I'm only looking" Its no harm to look is it.

Do you know what I heard one night? a person told me, as she staggered around the corner with 2 drunken friends, "I only do this to win them."

That was probably Lot's fine motive for finally moving down into Sodom, he did you see, and did it work? NO! God had to drag him out at the last, for Abraham's sake, with no converts. And do you know what reaction Lot got when he tried to convince his own son's in law of truth near the end? Ge 19:14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.

You see, even then the world had zero respect for hypocrisy. Lot had lost his ability to tell truth because he had not lived truth.

He began in a selfish "I want" mode and ended being spared by the skin of his teeth. Listen, if you set a desire oriented course in your life YOU will reap consequences that the pretty photographs in the magazine ads don't tell of. They promise you that if you drink their high brow hooch you will be sophisticated. Yeah right, throw up on your shirt is sophisticated. They promise that if you smoke their brand you will be a rugged individual, they've never been to ward 7E in New York's cancer research hospital. A place where patients, throat tubes aflame , lungs shot and near death, reap the benefits of tobacco's poison. And they still smoke on!!

The pornography industry promises glamorous ecstasy and what it delivers is Ted Bundy, is broken homes, is an unquenchable lust that is one major downfall of our nation just as Rome fell.

Am I being judgmental? Interesting isn't it "If you speak out against popular sin you are being Judgmental?"

Look at John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul, etc. They cried out against all moral rot and I am called to do the same. Exhort you to Holiness. We are called to be truth tellers, you and I. In love we tell the truth.

Listen, we are called a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, a chosen generation. Yet to look at our life style you would wonder just who chose us. If Jesus died to take away sin, then it is apparent that some people have not met the real Jesus because they still worship as Lot did, their own desire. People, please, examine your heart before God. If you love anything more than God, you have a problem and need to be broken before God and ask his forgiveness and lay that thing on the altar. Don't end up as Lot did, broken, dragged out by the skin of his teeth, his wife killed, some of his children killed, and in an drunken incestuous relationship.

The wages of sin are and always have been death. Choose life, choose life.

How did Lot get so far from God? He began by increments and ended up willing to let the lusting crowd have his daughters, then incest. Is it that way with this generation of Christendom. Do we look to Sodom, look to see what we can get away with. Please, Examine your hearts and see if it is Jesus you serve or your own desires which you serve, you can't have it both ways.

(Personal Evangelism Dec 86 )CAUGHT Mike Richardson was working at a retail store and he relates :“we were having repeated problems with a mouse. The only food products in the store were all types of candy bars, potato chips, etc. The only item that the mouse would eat would be Nestle Crunch Bars. Each morning we would find one crunch bar partially consumed. We set a mouse trap and baited it with Nestle Crunch Bar. We then turned off the lights of the store and closed and locked the front door but we did not leave. Within 3-4 minutes we heard the snap of the mouse trap. The mouse was defeated by its number one love in life.

Whenever our number one love is anything but Christ, it will sooner or later be our defeat.
Choose you this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord

Now you think about that, Amen.