Do You Care About Others? Genesis 18-19

Genesis 18:20-21 (New International Version)
20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."

Genesis 18:22-26 (New International Version)
22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 26 The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."

Genesis 19:12-16 (New International Version)
12 The two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it."
14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
15 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished."
16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them.

This week's lesson focused on Abraham's interaction with the three men who visited him in Genesis 18. When Abraham is told by the pre-incarnate Jesus of the impending destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah (18:20-21), the question comes to mind...Why? Why did God tell Abraham his plans? I believe the answer is that God was inviting Abraham to pray, to intercede for Lot and his family who lived in Sodom at the time.

In Ch.18:22-26, we have a great picture of sincere and worshipful prayer on behalf of the righteous in Sodom, which presumably included Lot. So, why did Abraham pray? Was it simply out of love and concern for Lot? I think it is even deeper than that. I believe that Abraham was so convinced of the certainty of God's judgment that he was compelled to pray. His prayer was the appropriate response to the judgment to come.

Has God told us of coming judgment? Certainly. He has told us that unbelievers will spend eternity in Hell separated from God. He has told believers that "In this world you will have trouble..."(John 16:33). As I think of the judgment that others will certainly face, am I compelled to pray for them earnestly? Why not?

A great point was made during our discussion of these passages. It was mentioned that the focus of this story was how God was preparing Abraham to be the father of his chosen people. God used this circumstance to change Abraham. Lot and his family were saved from destruction, but the ultimate beneficiary of the events was Abraham. Isn't that often the case? Prayer often changes the one praying more than the one prayed for.

Abraham had no doubt of the certainty of God's judgment, and it drove him to his knees. What a picture of God's mercy, both to Lot and to Abraham!

Matthew 22:36-40 (New International Version)
36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

This Sunday was "Sanctity of Human Life Sunday", and the SS lesson revolved around this issue. However, it focused more on the way we treat those people who are here, rather than on preborn children.

The passage in Matthew created a thought provoking question: "Is it a greater challenge to love a neighbor or to love yourself?" The initial response was that it is easier to love a neighbor. If we see someone through God's eyes, then we should be able to show them the love that God wants to show him through us.

However, people have no shortage of self-love. There are many that think pretty highly of themselves, even to the point that Paul had to remind us not to "think or yourself more highly than you ought"(Romans 12:3). Loving yourself for most is not very difficult, loving your neighbor often is.

What about those people who don't have a lot of self-esteem? Surely loving your neighbor is easier than loving yourself for that person! Well, people with lower opinions of themselves are just as susceptible to self-absorption as are those with high opinions of themselves. They often get so wrapped up in all their perceived faults and shortcomings, that love for their neighbor rarely surfaces.

The truth is, Jesus tied love for your neighbor to love for God. Inseparable.

Mark 10:46-52 (New International Version)
46Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." 50Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."
52"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

This passage sparked discussion about how the crowd treated Bartimaeus. Initially, they rebuked him and tried to quiet him. Why? They may have been embarassed that he was among them, he probably was an "undesirable", etc. Isn't it interesting that the crowd's attitude changed when Jesus called for Bartimaeus to come to him.

Ideally, they suddenly saw the man through Jesus' eyes and were overwhelmed with love for the man. More likely, they were overwhelmed with guilt and conviction at having treated him so poorly. Have I ever treated someone the way the crowd treated Bartimaeus? Undoubtedly. Hopefully, I can see him the way God sees him from the start.

The best testimony I've ever heard on this issue is a Focus on the Family broadcast called "A Man Called Norman." If you haven't heard it, it's worth looking up on their website and ordering a copy (www.family.org).

Genesis 11 Resistance to Rebellion

Genesis 11:2-4 (New International Version)
2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

God’s instructions to Noah and his family after the flood are found in Gen.9:7: “But you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out over the earth and multiply on it." Here in Chapter 11 we see men resisting God’s instructions. I wonder if they resisted out of direct disobedience, or if there was something more subtle, less direct.

These people were to spread over all the earth. That’s a scary proposition when you consider that there’s no one else out there…nothing but the wild. So why did they start to settle in Shinar instead of spreading out? Could fear have been a part of it? What about the human desire not to move outside our own comfort level? Maybe they were happy being settled in Shinar!

As they continued in their resistance, their desire is no longer to please God. Their stated desire is to “not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” Direct rebellion!! Don’t miss the progression! Resistance becomes rebellion! No one wants to be in outright rebellion against God, generally. The danger is in not recognizing the subtle resistance that often precedes the rebellion.

Where am I resisting God’s purposes in my own life in order to maintain a comfort level? Have I already progressed to rebellion?

Genesis 6:9-22 Walk With God

9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. (NIV)

What does it mean to "walk with God"?

We had a very good discussion this week about what walking with God looks like. While there are really many different answers to this question, our focus was this: Walking with God denotes a lifestyle.

That's a somewhat ambiguous term...how do you measure a lifestyle? I believe someone's lifestyle can be determined by examining choices made by that person. (Now, I'm talking about examining yourself, not someone else!) So, I can really understand my own lifestyle by examining my own choices. However, I believe that people often have in their mind what type of person they are, i.e. what type of father/mother, husband/wife, employee, friend, etc. This self-portrait is based on who we think we are. But, if I seriously examine myself, do my choices match up with that image I have of myself? I should be able to examine my own choices and determine what my lifestyle really is, regardless of the image I have of myself.

So, how is my walk with God? Based on the discussion above, the real question is, "How am I doing in my daily choices?"

This past week I made the choice on a couple of days to get some extra sleep, and I missed my quiet time alone with God early in the morning. What does that say about my walk with Him?
On the flip side, I had to make a hard discipline decision with my 9 year old daughter (one we will both remember for a long time). Since children's viewpoint of their Heavenly Father is often influenced by the relationship with their earthly father, it was an important decision. It was the right decision. What does that say about my walk with Him?

It would be simplistic to say that changing your choices will improve your walk with God....it certainly goes deeper than that. However, choices are a very good way to determine if I'm on the right track!

Could it be said of me, long after I'm gone, that "he walked with God?" I hope so.

Genesis 1-2

Our lesson today centered on the creation story pictured in Genesis 1. The most important verse: Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

Why would the first verse in the Bible be the most important one? To roughly paraphrase Charles Colson, whether or not you believe that verse will ultimately determine your worldview. Either God created everything, or there is some other explanation. If you believe that God was the Creator, then the rest of the Bible is valid. If He is not the Creator, the validity of the entire Bible comes into question.

An issue came up in our discussion that I thought was important. We encounter many "skeptics" who question the creation story as too outrageous to be believed. I know I've spent a lot of time discussing this important account of creation, with the result being that the skeptic has remained a skeptic. The problem - I'm focusing on the wrong issue. I don't know many people who have been convinced of the truth of the creation story, and in turn have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. However, I know several that have become believers, and in turn accept the creation story as truth. Why? Because I believe the miracle of salvation is the premiere miracle - greater even than the miracle of creation. If I can KNOW that Jesus died for me, I can KNOW that God created the heavens and the earth!

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." AMEN!!!