Gen 14
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Northside Church
Gen #11
Jamey Mills
12/17/23
Good MORNING Northside… My name is Jamey Mills. I’m the lead pastor here at Northside. It’s always good to be with you guys.
11 week of gen.
Do you know who this guy is (Penn Gillett)? If you want to hear it straight from his mouth, google Penn Gillete gift of a bible…
I shared this story with you all 4 years ago before Covid… He’s a staunch atheist.
And he talks about how one day, after their show, there was a guy waiting to talk to him…
He approached and said, hey, I brought this for you… and handed him a pocket bible… and it became painfully clear that Penn doesn’t know a lot about the Bible… He said I wrote in it… and I just want you to have it.
Penn went off on how this guy was so kind and genuinely complementary… he said multiple times… he looked me right in the eye… and he was sane… (which probably tells us what he either thinks of or experience has been with christians)
Penn said I believe he knew I was an atheist, but he wasn’t defensive or mean.
And then he went off saying that he’s never respected anyone that doesn’t proselytize… who doesn't share their faith…
If you really believe there is a heaven and hell… and that there’s a chance I’m going to hell… and you think… gosh, I’m not going to say anything because I am afraid it might be socially awkward… how much do you have to hate someone to say nothing… to believe everlasting life is possible and sit in silence.
If I believed there was a truck coming at you… baring down on you there is a certain point that I engage and tackle you… and this… if it's true… is even more important than that. This was a good man… polite, kind, honest… sane. Cared enough about me to say something.
I think Penn’s point is… there has to be this connection between what we really believe and value… and the way we live our lives and do relationships…
Penn makes it clear this man didn’t change his mind, but there isn’t a way you can watch it and think this guy didn’t plant a seed and who knows what God will do with it.
And that’s how Genesis has been for me… We come face to face with God, the trinity, creation, the divinity of Jesus, God’s design and desire for humanity…
It has been hard… right out of the gate God, through His word confronts culture and sin… and its important to know this… what is the goal of that confrontation?
Hate? Belittling? Judgment?
What are we going to do with the hard truth of the Bible?
When it confronts us… our culture.. Our kids… others that we love… if we read it and take it seriously… it has or will.
Another way to ask that question is… what really holds authority in your life. Is it you? Is it what the culture values? Is it money? Is it some “cause”?
It reminds me of
Genesis 4:7 (ESV)
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
The goal is to set you free!
That we might live in God’s presence, blessing and favor;
And you’ll never find that by looking inside of yourself… that answer is not in us…
Is there any wisdom at all in considering the one who created it… that maybe… There is a design that leads to real life and real freedom. In realizing it's not against you… it’s for you.
Both as a church and as an individual…there is a choice… what it is that we will embrace… and value. I don’t mean what we say we value… I mean… what is it that we are embracing, valuing, and hold… that is guiding truth and principles for your life.
Simply showing up at church… listening to a dorky pastor… admiring worship… great things… but that's NOT it…
We’ve talked about how Genesis… which literally means beginnings… reminds us that everything starts with God. That it’s impossible to understand anything or anyone else apart from it.
We’ve talked about God’s design as revealed in Genesis…
God created… male and female… there are two genders
God created marriage..,. Which is between 1 husband and 1 wife
And sexuality… within the confines of marriage between one husband and one wife…
How would the world be different today if we collectively decided to embrace God’s design?
How much hurt… life shaking hurt… would be avoided?
Sex trafficking wouldn’t be a thing… Porn wouldnt be a thing… Identity issues would be so much clearer for our kids… abortion would be so much less of a thing…
Would the world be a better place?
Getting the world to embrace that is a long shot… but what if… Christians around the world did?
It’s probably a mistake to think that the world would ever take God’s design seriously if those who make up the church don’t.
What it is we chose to embrace… matters not just to us; part of Genesis point is… for our marriage, our family and even our culture are impacted by it.
One author said it like this…
The further we get from God’s divine design, the greater the human destruction will be at every level of society
… the further the fall.
And let's get real… Not only is that what we see happening in Genesis… the further people moved from God’s ideal… His design… the worse it got.
It's happening today… Things aren’t getting better.
Gen 18-19 is a real life case study on why this all matters so much.
The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground.
The LORD appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. 2 He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground.
Abraham encouraged them to stop and rest while they prepared a meal… and as they sat and ate, one of them asked… where Sarah was… saying…
Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!”
Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent.
10 “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!” Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent.
After all that happened with Hagar… God would still be faithful… but it was so hard to believe…
She and Abraham both were way past child bearing age…
It says she laughed silently to herself… How… could a worn out woman like me enjoy such a thing…
And one of them said why did Sarah laugh…
Vs 14 says… Is anything too hard for the Lord?
How would you answer that… is anything… ANYTHING… too hard for the Lord? It says a lot about how you see God.
This is one of the places in scripture that many scholars would call a christophany…
Where… Jesus shows up.
Two angels and Jesus… show up… confirm that this covenant is in place…
Hebrews 13:2 (NLT)
Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!
2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!
That seems to be happening…
One of them looked toward Sodom…
So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant.
20 So the LORD told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant.
The idea is God is going to bring judgment…
This is another case of God’s severe mercy… where God allows or brings thing that are hard and even hard to understand for the good of humanity and His Kingdom…
It can cause us to question God… it seems out of line with the ways we think about God… if we allow the wrong perspective to win, it can get dark in a hurry…
How could a loving God do this… when really… how could a loving God allow it to go on?
Abraham sees destruction is coming… starts bargaining with God..
What if there are 50 righteous people there… because you’re good, you’d spare the city right? Eventually the Lord agrees… so Abraham presses… what about 45, 40… he gets all the way down to 10… if 10 righteous are found, God will spare it.
Genesis 19:1 (ESV)
19 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth
Lot ran out to meet them… invited them in to spend the night…
They wanted to sleep in the town square but Lot said… fellas, you don’t want to do that… trust me…
He brought them home, made them a meal… it says
Genesis 19:4 (NLT) 4 But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house.
This is directly connected the 10 Abraham had talked about… there are not 10
All the men… young and come… and called out “bring the men who came to visit you outside so that we might “know” them”…
It says Lot squeezed through the door and shut it behind him… he didn't want the Angels inside to hear what was happening. God’s truth/design was coming into conflict with his world… he was in a bad spot and he knew it.
Lot said… Guys… fellas… don't do this. And then something crazy… Lot said… I have two virgin daughters… do whatever you want to them, but I beg you to leave these guys alone…
What? That's NUTS…
The men of Sodom yelled “get out of the way”, were about to break through the door when the Angles inside reached out, grabbed Lot, pulled him inside, shut the door and struck the men of Sodom with blindness.
The Angels told Lot we are going to destroy this place…
if you have family… get them out of here.
Lot had two daughters… he told his son in laws, they thought he was joking… telling?
Right there… Lot should have left… but it says morning came and the Angels returned… you have to go now… It says but Lot lingered…
So the Angles seized Him and forcefully removed Lot, Lot’s wife and daughters… took them outside the city… told them to run for their life to the Hills…
But Lot was a city boy… didn't want to go to the Hills… asked if they could go to this small town… Zoar… the idea is… it's a little less sinful…
Fine… go… but go now… destruction is coming.
God rained burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah… overthrowing the city, the inhabitants… even what grew on the ground…
They were told to run and not look back but Lot’s wife did… and it wasn't a glance. It was a longing… she wanted it… and the idea is… Sodom was in Lot’s wife. She was a product of that culture.
She looked back and it says she was turned into a pillar of salt… odd
Abraham got up early that morning and hurried out to the place where he had stood in the Lord’s presence.
27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD.
Abraham was different… this heart to meet with God… standing in God’s presence was common.
He could see the smoke rising… he knew what it meant.
God saved Lot because He remembered Abraham.
Interesting… we have no Biblical evidence that Abraham knows Lot survived.
Because they left without packing, Lot and his daughters ended up living in a cave… his son in laws didn't make it… but Lot’s daughters became restless with the idea of no descendants and so they made this plan to get their father drunk… sleep with Him and preserve their family line… and that’s what happened. Sodom was in his daughters too.
The oldest gave birth to Moab… became father of Moabites
The youngest to Ben-ammi… became father of Ammonites
Both nations become enemies of God’s people.
Ever notice how this story is never in a children’s story Bible… Against Hannah’s advice, Matt and I are working on it. Looking for an illustrator.
What does God want us to know in this… Don’t do that.
Abram is the type (good example)
Lot is the anti type (bad example)
You are a student living in Sodom
God wants us to learn from both examples… the positive and negative… It’s hard to understand one clearly without the other… in a way, Genesis is asking… who do you want to be? What do you want to be true of you? Which one describes you?
Abraham who wasn’t perfect but had this heart for God and to stand in God’s presence…
Or Lot…
Lot’s progression in Sodom is intentional;
Lot moved his tents NEAR Sodom (13:12)
Was living in Sodom (14:12)
Was posted at that front gate in Sodom (19:1)
Posted at the gate is a Hebrewism for being a leader with authority or social influence.
We see Lot’s descent… downward spiral… more and more embracing the culture and what it values. Living by sight… setting up life in… leading in this increasingly morally depraved culture…
And Lot knew… but ignored God’s truth, design, and warnings… and his family paid for it. That still happens today.
God destroyed Sodom…
Why did God destroy Sodom?
1. Sin
2. Warning for us
There have been movements that tried to suggest this is something other than what it was… Saying this wasn’t about sexual brokenness or homosexuality…
That word “knew”... these men wanted to “know” them is the same word that led Adam and Eve to have Cain and Abel… They weren’t playing cards… It’s the same word Lot used when offering his daughters…
We can accept or reject it… but don’t twist it. This is what it says.
Ezekiel 16:49–50 (NLT) (probably wont read but want up as I read share the below line)
Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen.
49 Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. 50 She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen.
Tells us it wasn’t just that… but pride, excess, ease, perversion, inhospitable, out of touch with God’s heart…
It is also a warning…
Later, God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people.
(NLT) (not reading this one either)
6 Later, God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people.
We… you and I… will have to decide whether or not this warning has any merit.
One pastor says
There are three ways we can handle this…
1. That this passage is irresponsibly interpreted…
2. This is old and archaic and we have evolved past our need for it.
3. It is true and unchanging and serves as a warning for us and our families.
Conc…
God’s truth doesn't always feel loving…
Salt and light - without holding it
What do you value… What values drive your decisions, your relationship, your marriage, your parenting, your singleness…
Does it mirror the culture… or God’s design. The outcome is substantially different.
If we continue… in our own authority to try and tell ourselves, others, and God what love is and should be… we will end up more and more broken.
It denies the reality that a creator… designer… of life and love…. Has wisdom for what has been created and what was designed for it. HUGE.
Part of what it means to step into a life of faith in Jesus is to not just acknowledge him, but live with him as the Lord and savior of your life. Which means letting go of your will and way and agenda, and embracing His. That's what it means to follow Jesus.
Though… I don’t know for sure if that’s what it means to us.
Two major issues throughout history here…
Christians have not always (or maybe even often) communicated God’s truth well… see this as a cause to fight for… not communicated with truth and grace with freedom in mind.
We know and love people who live in it… and begin to really wonder how to handle it. Instead of holding firmly to truth, we decided to loosen our grip and distort it.
There is a path before each person that seems right,
but it ends in death.
(NLT)
12 There is a path before each person that seems right,
but it ends in death.
Sometimes God’s truth doesn’t always feel kind and loving in the moment, but in the end is the most loving thing you can do.
Things that feel loving and kind… things that seem tolerant and affirming…
That lead to death. To be candid… as a pastor… as a christian… as a husband… as a father… as a friend… that is not my favorite truth.
But I have two choices… square with it and live intentionally or ignore it.
Penn is right… maybe… it's hard… but in the end… Penn seems to understand better than the vast majority of Christians I know… even me… if you believe… you care… and if you care… there is a God given responsibility…
What may feel unloving in the moment… is the most loving thing you can do.
I love you. I do.
I am so honored to be a part of leading this wonderful church.
I cannot tell you how deep this runs in me…
Would you hear the warning of God… about embracing and valuing the wrong things…
Would you… hold tight to the truth and design of God that leads to life.
Would you pray the courageous pray that more and more… that is what your life would reflect to the very lost and dark culture we live in…
SALT AND LIGHT…
Because if we don’t… they may never see it.
Hypocritical… to hold and value God’s truth and design…
We all falls hort.
and if you care… not only is there a God given responsibility… it's the most loving thing you can do. And frankly, that thought has been what motivates me to tackle such hard and controversial things lately… I love you.
Penn is also right… the way you do it… matters.
Not a cause. Seeing it as a “cause” to support makes it less about people… and more about “winning”. It often changes what “winning” means…
It makes it less about Jesus… and freedom… and abundant life.
That is my prayer for you… and for me… and for all of albany…
Pray for me… I want to live with more purpose… more fully in His design… and in His spirit which bears life changing fruit…
Do you want that? Is God pulling your heart now? If so, you need to respond…
If you do… would you stand.. I wanna pray for you now.
At the end of the day… Here is what i came away with…
How many of us need to be done embracing\valuing the things of the culture…
To stop sitting at the city gate… to get serious about God… and living out what it is he has for us… his design… his truth that leads to life.
If we don't take it seriously… those outside these four walls most likely won't either.
What do they see in me? What do they experience in me?
If Lot could speak, what do you suppose he’s say?
Stop playing games and authentically embrace and live for what matters.
Live it out… for your own good.
CONC
Penn isn’t wrong… at least on one front…
Religion has done some terrible things… Religion tends to be cause driven… we fight for a cause… in ways that cause to tread on the “humanity” of people…
How do we stand strong in Sodom… from phone notes
This confronts things in me… fear of hypocrisy… how can I say I value God’s design, when… I didn’t or don't live it.
I hear that… just do you know… I don’t believe there is a person in the room that has or does this perfectly… but the most foolish thing you could do… is give in. Because of that… I’m just not going to value it…
Deal with the past… deal with the present… and God to strengthen your grip…
is to continue to have a lose grip on it…
You’ve got to answer that…