Its All In The Reflexes
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16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.
17 And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.
17 And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”
Genesis 18:16-
Is God asking His angels for advice? NO, he is using this to teach them something about Himself. Just as He did throughout the New Testament, walking and teaching. Even the angels don’t know everything about God! WOW! God ministers even to His angels!
19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”
18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
Is God asking His angels for advice? NO, he is using this to teach them something about Himself. Just as He did throughout the New Testament, walking and teaching. Even the angels don’t know everything about God! WOW! God ministers even to His angels!
To be known by God means to be chosen, tested, and approved.
Genesis 18:18
Good and bad results, examples...
But God continued to prepare him for what was to come until his heart was right. So that he could be the man that commanded his children, household to keep the way of the Lord......etc
Its normal for us to read through his life and think that He is special in some way. He was chosen by God, prepared by God and equipped by God to do God’s work, that the earth be blessed in him. That there was something about him that makes him different than us, but the truth is that there isn’t!
Abraham messed up so many times!
Abraham has been in many situations which required correct responses.
There were more bad responses than there were good, examples...
But God continued to prepare him for what was to come. So that he could be the man that commanded his children, household to keep the way of the Lord......etc
The thing is, God does that exact same thing for each and every one of us!
He has chosen us to be a blessing to the world. To command our children and households that they keep the way of the Lord......etc
He continues to prepare us by giving us opportunities to respond correctly to different situations.
We have the same call, the same responsibility, the same opportunity to respond, and the same God equipping and preparing us for whats to come, so what are we waiting for church!
We have to respond from our hearts. It has to be like a reflex, natural without having to think about it. When we can get there, things start to change just a little bit.
20 And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,
21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
20 And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,
21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord.
God shares His plans with Abraham. This is a big deal. How many times has God come down in physical form and told you what His plans were? I’ll wait.
Genesis 18:
14 The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.
14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
John
We are not meant to fully know and comprehend everything there is to know about God, but we are told here that He shares His heart and His secrets with those who fear Him and obey Him.
We were created for that purpose. We were created to fear, obey, love, worship, follow, trust in Him.
Look back at verse 20. Who is it that cries out to God about the sin in Sodom?
10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.
5 The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed the laws, Changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
All of creation was designed to be connected to its Creator. From the earth to every one of us. Not only do our prayers cry out to God, but goes all the way down into our DNA. Even our blood cries out to Him.
It’s how we were made! To need Him and seek Him and be incomplete without Him! We see even more of that evidenced as we continue reading.
22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord.
22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord.
23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?
25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
26 So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”
27 Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord:
28 Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”
29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”
30 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
32 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”
33 So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
If we want to get closer to God, we have to spend time alone with Him. It’s now only God and Abraham, heres the conversation beginning in verse 23.
23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?
25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
26 So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”
27 Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord:
28 Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”
29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”
30 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
32 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”
33 So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
Genesis 18:23
There is so much we unpack in this last half of the chapter, but as we close this morning, I really want to focus on the reason for this conversation.
Genesis 18:22-33
There is so much we unpack in this last half of the chapter, but as we close this morning, I really want to focus on the reason for this conversation.
How often do we offer God a one sided prayer? Going down a list of our requests without taking any time to really ask and listen for what He wants from us? Do we approach humility, reverence, submission, unworthiness and fear, or do we ask things in selfishness and entitlement.
Abraham is not trying manipulate the situation. He doesn’t just ask for what would benefit him. Abraham is asking these questions in order to understand. He is seeking to know God’s heart, which is the reason for all of this.
How often do we offer God a one sided prayer? Going down a list of our requests without taking any time to really ask and listen for what He wants from us? Do we approach humility, reverence, submission, unworthiness and fear, or do we ask things in selfishness and entitlement. Abraham is
If God had not shared His plans with Abraham, there would have been no conversation, no plea, no questions, no supplication, and no intimate interaction between them.
Everything that happens in our lives is meant to draw us closer to God. Thats what He wants. For us to seek Him, know Him, trust Him, love Him, need Him, and to know that His plans for us are far better than anything we could ever do for ourselves!
But in order to get there, we have to be ready to respond with total and complete dependence on Him.
The title of todays sermon is “Its All In The Reflexes”. Thats because we have to get to a place where our natural reflex is to look to God. But it takes work. In sports, we call it muscle memory. Keep doing it until you can’t get it wrong. Although we are designed to pursue it, the sin we are born into and live in every day has a way of seeping into us and distorting our natural inclinations. We have to keep pushing, and walking in obedience every day. From one situation to the next, always trusting in who God is.
God’s Best Is Yet To Come to those who submit themselves and respond in faith to the one we were created to cling to.
Prayer