When You Live in the Culture of the World

Families Are Messy
When You Live in the Culture of the World

I. Introduction

A. Families are impacted by the larger !

B. Genesis 19:1-15, 23-29 (NLT)

1. Abraham and Lot have the exact same starting point—and yet—they ended up pursuing very paths!

2. The problem of

C. Genesis 13:5-7 (NLT) ⁵Lot, who was traveling with Abram, had also become very wealthy with flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and many tents. ⁶But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together. ⁷So disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot.

1. can create all kinds of conflict in a family!

D. Genesis 13:8-9 (NLT) ⁸Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! ⁹The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.”

E. Genesis 13:10-11 (NLT) ¹⁰Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the LORD or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) ¹¹Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram.

1. How do we end up in Sodom? We choose for !

2. Most people “choose for themselves”—which is very !

F. Genesis 13:12-14, 17 (NLT) ¹²So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain. ¹³But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the LORD. ¹⁴After Lot had gone, the LORD said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. ¹⁷Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”

G. The way many of us end up in Sodom is because we !

II. What Are the Characteristics of Sodom?

A. Sodom was characterized by .

1. Genesis 19:4-5 (NLT) ⁴But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. ⁵They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!”

2. The Bible’s sexual ethic every one of us!

3. When Jesus walked this earth—Jesus was as God intended humanity to be.

4. To be able to live that way—whether as an unmarried person—or a married person—we have to continually say “” to ourselves.

5. Jesus calls us to –!

6. And saying “Yes” to God, means saying to God, “God, I give You to do whatever You want to do with my life.”

B. Sodom was characterized by a rejection of moral .

1. Genesis 19:9 (NLT) “This fellow came to town as an outsider, and now he’s acting like our judge! We’ll treat you far worse than those other men!” And they lunged toward Lot to break down the door.

2. In “Sodom,” any statement is seen as judgmental and intolerant.

III. How Do We Survive in Sodom?

A. Don’t everything you !

B. Do something for people!

1. “I may not agree with everything you —but I really like the things you are doing.”

C. Go in your relationship with !

IV. Conclusion