The Best Part

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 102:1-17

Psalm 102:1–17 ESV

Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you! Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call! For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread. Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh. I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places; I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop. All the day my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse. For I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears with my drink, because of your indignation and anger; for you have taken me up and thrown me down. My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass. But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations. You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come. For your servants hold her stones dear and have pity on her dust. Nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory. For the Lord builds up Zion; he appears in his glory; he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.

Scripture Memorization: Genesis 50:19-20

Genesis 50:19–20 “But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:25-34

Matthew 6:25–34 ESV

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Sermon:

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Speaker 1

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Well once again, and as always, good morning. I was certainly on this Father's Day. Glad when they said to me let us go and worship in the house of the Lord. Well, this morning, we are continuing our journey through the book of Genesis. Here, we have made it all the way to Genesis chapter 13. And. I just want to start this by recapping what we talked about last week. Last week, Abram was in Egypt, and there he faced. A testing of his faith. And to put it gently, to put it bluntly. He failed that test Abram was willing to sacrifice in many ways. His hope of a promise he was willing to trade his trust in God and what God had done and what God had promised he was willing to trade these things for his own safety, his own peace of mind, neglecting to care for.

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And love and protect those that God had placed underneath his care. But yet, Abram and this, we talked about last week, and we will continue to talk about through the whole time that we are in the life of Abram. Abram was a hero and wasn't is a hero of the faith. He's one whose Faith we are to in many ways. Imitate. He is part of the book of Hebrews, tells us great cloud of witnesses. This should Inspire and motivate and teach us in many ways to lay aside the sin that so easily entangles. And so scripture blessedly.

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Does not leave Abram. Failing. We don't finish his story. With a failure of his faith, and this is actually different in Genesis than if we remember back to Noah. In his story, the shocking and difficult part of Noah's story is. He did all this wonderful stuff. He built the art God worked with him. He, he made his offerings God made in Covenant with Noah, and then Noah failed. He began to cultivate the field of for Vines for grapes. He began to. Make wine. He got drunk, and this caused himself, his son, and his grandson to face the dire consequences. And that's how Noah's story ended. Abram's story will not end his is much more a roller coaster, and we're here just at the very beginning.

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So, what is this roller coaster look like? Well, Genesis 13 is our text for this morning. Let's begin by reading God's word.

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Genesis 13, starting in verse 1. So, Abram went up from Egypt. He and his wife and all that he had and lot with him into the Negeb. Now, Abram was very rich in livestock in silver and in Gold, and he journeyed on from the Negab as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning between Bethel and I. To the place where he had made an altar at the first and there. Abram called upon the name of the Lord. And Lord, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and Tents so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.

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And there was Strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herbsmen of lot's livestock. At the time, the Canaanites and the perizzites were dwelling in the land. Then Abrams said to lot. Let there be no Strife between you and me and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen. For we are Kinsmen. Is not the whole land before you separate yourself from me? If you take the left hand that I will go to the right, or if you take the right hymn, then I will go to the left. And lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt in the direction of Zor.

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This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So, lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley and lot journeyed East. Thus, they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now, the men of Sodom were wicked, great Sinners against the Lord. The Lord said to Abram. After lot had separated from him, lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are northward and Southward and Eastward and Westward. For all the land that you see, I will give to you and to your Offspring forever.

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I will make your Offspring as the dust of the earth so that if one could count the dust of the earth, your Offspring also could be counted. Arise. Walk the length and breadth of the land, for I will give it to you. So, Abram moved his tent and came and settled by The Oaks of mamra, which are at Hebron. And there he built an altar. To the Lord. These are the words of the Lord for us this morning. Let's open our time together this morning with a word of prayer. Dealer. We do thank you for your goodness and Grace. We thank you for the kindness that you have shown to us.

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We thank you for your work within us as we talked about and has have talked about that you who began a good work in us will bring it about to completion of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you that you cover our sins. You wash us and cleanse us and then Empower us to live for you. May we walk in these precious truths? We just ask that you would touch our hearts and souls and Minds this morning. It's in Jesus name that we pray. Amen. And amen. Well, here in this story, it is.

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Apparent that when Moses wrote this, he wanted us to see this. As. A second chance, maybe for Abram as a excuse me as a reversal. Of. What you? Expect or or have seen it's. It's a reversal of the story before we part the way we know this is. Look at how it starts. Abram goes up from Egypt, the Egypt story. If we just flip back to verse 10 of chapter 12.

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Now there was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt, and so Abram goes down to Egypt and their finds failure difficulty. But also, we can note God's blessings. Well, here Abram will come up from Egypt, and what we see is. In this second chance, Abram is given. He does the right thing, he he does, what he's supposed to do. And he becomes for us, an image of what faith should look like, and this starts for Abram when his. Is renewed. That's our first blank Faith renewed. And the key point. What we have to hone in on and what we have to understand.

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What is the source? Of Abrams renewed. Do we think he's just? Well, he's just gonna do better. Abram decides he'll do better. He pulls himself up by his bootstraps and immediately he can do better. His faith is better. He's able to have more faith. Everything works better. Is that how his faith is renewed? His faith is renewed by God's grace. By God, taking him back. This story starts. With what made for us feel difficult. What for Abram, maybe was even difficult. He goes through all this journey. He has all of these promises from God. All of these things happen and where does he end up Genesis? Chapter 13, verse 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first.

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Abram through all his journey through all his wandering is right back where he started this. The grace of God? Because here. Where he is at the beginning. Where he has already once made an altar to the Lord. What does he do? I I think the maybe the most important verse in this passage for us to see and understand and know and to grasp Genesis chapter 13, verse 4 to the place where he had made an altar at first, and there. Abram called. Upon the name. Of the Lord. Abram's faith is renewed. When he worships. Once again.

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I said last week. The problem in Egypt was he became very self-minded. He became very selfish. I want to protect me. Let's do this for me. I need to protect myself here. In chapter 13, everything will be different and the reason everything will be different is right here. Because here, Abram will call upon the name. Of the Lord. His worship. Is what renews his faith? So too, with us in our lives. We must understand this is how our faith is renewed, and our faith is restored as we go through scripture. We see this time and time and time again, David, in Psalm 13, how long the Lord will you forget me forever, but he ends this. I will trust in your unfailing love. My heart rejoices in your salvation. Faith is renewed when we begin to worship and praise and that worship and praise, then stirs more Faith.

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An affection, and that Faith leads to worship that worship renews and strengthens our faith. Abram had problems. He had troubles he had difficulties. And yet. When he finds himself here at the first. Confronted in many ways. With this altar, he has already once made. He worships. He calls upon the Lord. Our faith must often be renewed. It would do us well. To seek to find that renewal in worship. But that's not the end of our story. This is in fact the beginning of our story because this faith that was tested and failed is now renewed.

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And going to be tested. Again. This is our next blank. Abram's faith is renewed, but then Abram's faith is tested, and it's tested. In a way that is enlightening. But also. Interesting to me. Verse 5 and lot went with. Abram also had flocks and herds and Tents, so the land could not support both of them dwelling together for their possessions were so great they could not dwell together. Abram's faith is tested because of the overwhelming abundance of blessings that God has given. To Abram. God has blessed Abram so much that the land overflows. To the point where it cannot contain the blessings God has given him. God has blessed Abram with so many sheep and flock that his nephew, who he took with him, has also received the overflowing of these blessings, and because of the overflow of these blessings, the land physically cannot contain the blessings of God. Their possessions were so great they could not dwell together.

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The the testing of Abram's faith comes because everything is going far too well.

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Now, most of us don't ever say, well, that's why, you know, my faith is tested because everything's going right. But here in Abraham's life, we see it very clearly. Everything's going so well, it doesn't go perfectly, though. He has these overwhelming, overwhelming abundance of gifts, and yet this leads to. Strife, verse 7 there was Strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdmens of light of lot's livestock. Well, God gave us this blessing. We want to hold on to this blessing, so I need to be able to feed my herd. God provided the sheep, but yet the faith of the herdsmen, it seems, at this point.

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Doesn't trust that God will be able to sustain the blessing. This, too, is often true of us. God will give blessing upon blessing, but then we feel it's our need. Our responsibility, our duty to hold on as tightly as we can to that blessing. We see people I have seen people. Pray for. Earnestly desire a job. God blesses them with a job. But now that job? Keeps them busy. The work, and they pick up extra ships, and they do more. And because they're doing more at work, they stop showing up to church. And other things fall through the crack and their families Left Behind, and this thing that ought to have been a blessing that God granted them this job. They seem to be unable to hold on to it.

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And it causes Strife. It causes Division. It's a testing of our faith. Abram's faith is tested.

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But. Unlike before, when Abram walked by sight and not by faith in our text today, Abram will walk by faith and not by sight, and we get to witness the beauty of his faith. In action. Abram puts his faith into action. Verse 8 Abram says a lot that there be no Strife between you and me. He looks a lot and says there's no need for us to fight. Look at the land. Look at where we are. Look at the whole end before you. You go, take your side, I'll take mine, and there is more than enough for all of us.

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So, in the first thing we must see is Abram is able to overcome The Strife, overcome the difficulty because? He sees. God has provided. God will continue to provide. Because God always provides. But there's more. Faith in action doesn't just. Okay, I'll be okay. I'll be fine. Abram's faith is what Kent Hughes calls a magnanimous face an over abundant, generous kind. Outwardly, blessing of others sort of Faith. Because ultimately, what Abram does is, we read the story once. I'll just say, well, he does. He looks too lot. His younger nephew who only has what he has because Abram has blessed him who only has what he has because Abram decided to take him with him, who only has what he has because God has been good to Abram and the overflowing of that has gone too long. He looks to this nephew who has no rights or claims. God did not promise the land to lot. God has not promised anything in this scripture too lot.

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And Abram looks at lot. Let's just take what you want. You get first pick. You go left. I'll go right, you go, right? I'll go left lot. Look before you look at everything before you. Take what you will.

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This is selfless. By Abram. Here, he's trusting God because he sees the beauty and the abundance of the land. But also, we should say he's trusting God that God has given Abram promises, and he's finally learned to trust him. Unlike in Egypt, when he was in Egypt, God gave promise. I will bless you. I will keep you. I will. Multiply you. You will be a nation. You will have descendants and he said if they see my beautiful wife, they'll kill me. And so we didn't trust that God would do what he said he would do.

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Well, now here is the land, his face being tested. There's not enough room for him and his nephew. And instead of selfishly saying, hey, you go over here, I want the good stuff lot. Go figure it out. Which he would have had every right to do. Instead, he says, lot you pick what you will. Faith in action is selfless F. It's trusting. That God will take what we give. Meet the needs of those we're giving to, but also that God will continue to take care of and bless and minister to and care for.

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Abram here is saying if God has already given me all of this, will God not also take care of me? This is what faith in action looks like. And so our passage ends. And this is important.

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With Abram's fa. Being rewarded.

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But how it's rewarded? Is in many ways. The most important thing that we need to see here. So, Abram said. Take whatever you want. And lot takes. What his eyes see to be the better part. Now, the rest of the story shows it was definitely not the better part. What we know is definitely not the better part, and even what scripture says in this passage. It was not the better part. Verse 13 is important now. The man of Sodom were wicked. Great Sinners against the Lord lot is going to go take up his Camp among these Wicked evil Sinners.

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Abram.

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Speaker 1

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Gets the leftovers, but the leftovers are better.

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Abram's faith will be rewarded when God comes and speaks to Abram. Once again, the Lord said to Abram after lot had separated from him. Lift up your eyes! Look, look from where you are. Look North, look South, look East, look West. All of it? All of it, I will give to you. God has once already promised Abram land. Earlier in chapter 12, we saw. God calls him. They get to this place, and he says in chapter 12 or 7, the Lord appeared to Abram said to your offspring. I will give you this land.

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Speaker 2

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God says,

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Speaker 1

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yeah, this land is yours. Well now, Abram's Faith being tested been seen in action. God comes and rewards it by taking the promise and magnifying it and making it greater, not just. Yeah, this land is yours. It's look around. And geographically speaking, they were on one of the higher places they could see everything. They were on a Mountaintop that all around them in every direction stretched the land. And so, when God says, look, North, look, South, look, Eastward. Look at all of this. This is now, God, saying, it's not just this land. I will bless you abundantly.

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From where Abraham's to Abram stood? He would still be able to see the land lot was going to. The same lot. The same land lot looked at and said, man, this is like the Garden of the Lord this. This land is as fruitful and wonderful as Egypt. That's what I want. You get that to the east. But you also get to North. You also get the sow. You also get the West. It's all yours. Abram God a rewards this? With abundance. He continues. God continues. I will make your Offspring as the dust of the earth.

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Again, we should do this and look back. In chapter 12, what did God say to Abram? I will make you a great nation. Okay. What does he say in chapter 13?

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Your descendants will be so numerous, so Bountiful. That to be able to try to count them. Would be like trying to count grains of dust. On the earth. It's an abundance. He's taken the promise he's already made and showing that it's bigger and greater because God's promises are always bigger and greater. And we can get into a lot of reasons. Why? Why would God magnify what's going on here, but one of them for certain must be? Abram. His faith is tested, and as our faith is tested, it grows. This is what James teaches us. This is what all of scripture teaches our faith as it grows and is stretched, and it's strengthened.

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The discipline will work in our lives, and then we'll find ourselves more. Each of you should, if you're lacking ass for God, he'll give it to you. And as your faith grows, you can. You can see and understand more. And so, here, Abram, his faith is tested. He, he passes this test with flying colors. His faith grows. We see his faith in action, and so here, his faith is able to better appropriate, better look at and better see the most beautiful, wonderful promises of God so that God can reveal just how crazy, wonderful, how exceedingly Bountiful these promises truly are.

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If someone could count the grains of dust on the earth, they might be able to start counting your descendants Abram. It's not just this land. It's north, south, east, and west look. It's not just a nation, it will be a abundant Bountiful, unfathomably large. Nation. And now, Abram, God says. Go walk in it! Go walk in this land! The land that we've already noted. In this passage, the canines the parasites were dwelling in it. It's yours! Go walk in it! The land that? You'll never actually physically possess. Go walk in it! Stretch your faith. Test your face.

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See your faith in action. As you walk through this land here and know and trust the promises. Of God. And Abram. Does it? Our passage ends. The exact same way our passage began? We come full circle. His faith was restored. Why? Because he worshiped. His faith is tested. We see it in action. God's faith is rewarded. And or Abram's faith is rewarded, and so, what is the right response of Abram? It's more worship. So, Abram moved his tent and came and settled by The Oaks of mamra, which are at Hebron. And there he built an altar.

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To the Lord. This is why I joked a couple weeks ago. Abram is in the altar making business if he had a business card. He would say Abram Altar maker. When he's doing things right when things are going right in his life, he is building altars and worshiping the Lord. The high points in Abram's life come at altars offering worship and homage and praise and adoration to The God Who has promised Abram such great and wonderful things.

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And this, ultimately, then for us, must be our point of application.

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Speaker 2

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Worship.

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Speaker 1

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Worship.

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If you are feeling your faith falter? Worship. In times of abundance. Worship. The right way to put your faith in action is ultimately. Worship. When we see the goodness of God on display? Worship. This will be for us. The song of all eternity? In the Book of Revelation, John ushered into the throne room of God.

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And there's a lot going on here, and a lot we could say.

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But the Book of Revelation is punctuated by. And marked by. These times of worship. When all of the creatures and all of the elders and all the multitude of Heaven are singing, holy, holy, holy is he. When all of Heaven is singing Worthy is the Lamb who is slain to receive all glory and honor and praise and adoration Worthy. Is he when all of this happens as? As the Saints see the payoff of their faith, which is eternal life in heaven. They worship it's always worship. May our hearts be inclined to worship of the King of Kings.

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And the Lord of lords. Let's pray.