Genesis Chapter 13 Verses 1 – 4

• Going down to Egypt was not at the leading of the Lord. We have no indication that God told him to go down there even though there was a famine in the land of Canaan. Truth is, sometimes there is famine for your flesh right in the midst of God’s will. Doesn’t mean you’re outside of His will at all!
• James 1:4 speaks to this as James writes, “Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Perseverance and patience aren’t necessary when things are all going your way…when the famine is far off…it’s when you are walking with the Lord, waiting on the Lord that these virtues are necessary, and James writes, they are effective. Effective to get you through? Yes. But also effective to train your heart towards depth of strength. James calls that the work of perfecting…the theological word for that is “sanctification.”

• Abram had uprooted and moved out at the onset of a famine…that was his catalyst…not God’s leading, God’s direction, not God’s Word and what that amounted to was a mess in Egypt if you remember last week. I love this scene as it speaks to me of humility and brokenness. Because he doesn’t leave Egypt and find a new spot, he goes back to where he started.

• God is so good like that…that today if you or I are a little bit lost, and we don’t know what we should do or where we should go or how do we make right what we’ve messed up so royally…we can and should…just go back. Return to the first things. The simple things…where you were so clearly in the will and Word of God.
• And I love this, when he gets back he doesn’t throw ashes on his head…he doesn’t find the first confessionary and pull back the screen and ask for penance…he doesn’t mope around because he had failed himself, his wife, his God…he gets right back to it man…he returns to the original altar, simpler times, simpler days, simpler things…and he calls on the name of the Lord. I just love that…
• I think Trifon is the king of this saying, “Get over it!” You know the reason why folks, including me, why people can’t move on from the past sins in their lives even though they’re washed in the blood of Jesus…made clean and right not by their works but purely by what Jesus has done? And yet they walk around weighted by their past? Because they haven’t yet buried that sin…it’s still alive. Paul said in Romans 6:11, “Reckon yourselves to be dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If that sin of your past lives, it will drag you down…but if it’s dead…dead stuff has no power…repent, resolve that’s not you anymore, pluck it out of your mental, spiritual, physical DNA, and bury it so you CAN get over it…
• Abram does well here. He’s learned a bit and we will see somewhat of a different Abram for the next couple of scenes. Wisdom, service, humility…but he’s not perfect though…the whole Hagar scene is yet ahead…

Genesis Chapter 13 Verses 5 – 7

• Remember last week we talked about how God had given Abram clear direction to “Get out from your country, from your family…” but he had not done that? And after his father Terah died, Abram set out for Canaan but he took with him Lot…the son of his brother? And man my heart goes out to them because I understand! Lot was an orphan, Abram was a good man…and I totally get it but because Lot goes with him, well, it will do nothing but cause problems for Abram!
• Here they are, back into some of these problems but notice this. God mentions here that the Canaanites and the Perizzites were there as well…why? I believe that God is dropping the message here that the enemy is so very slimy and slick. Here’s Abram, building an altar, calling on the name of the Lord…no doubt they’ve asked him what and why…and Abram has shared with them all of God’s promises…and right when they may be considering calling on this God themselves…they see conflict in the family of Abram…
• That confuses the message. Makes God out to be a liar…and we have GOT to be careful of this in our lives. Raise our hands during worship with eyes closed and heart-felt cries and we sing, “I believe in God the Father, I believe in Jesus Christ, I believe in the Holy Spirit…that He’s giving us new life!” And then the music stops and the lights go on and we do not FLOOD LOVE onto the people even in this room!? We confuse the hearts and minds of not only them but also ourselves!
• Let alone the sticker on your car and the tattoo on your arm speaking of Jesus and at work you’re last one in and first one out…folks always hoping that you’ll grow up or be nice or do your job better…I am so psychotic about this because we are called to be witnesses of Jesus and His power, glory, truth, grace and love and while we all salute and love that calling, so often we are not intentional about our actual witness…
• Barnhouse says it this way, “Many people will never listen to what any believer says because of what some believers are.” Oh but if you’ll care…if you’ll be not only a hearer of God’s Word but a doer…if you’ll be intentional about your witness…man folks will break free around you in your life and the apex of joy will flood your own heart and your faith will sky rocket in your own heart as you are obviously being used of God and God is just so obvious in and around your life!!!

Genesis Chapter 13 Verses 8 – 9

• Perhaps Abram sees an opportunity here and remembers the original calling on his life…or maybe Lot’s 18 years old and it’s time to get off of dad’s insurance…HA! But I love the humility in Abram’s request…whatever you don’t want, I’ll take…And so Lot sought the Lord…not so much, watch…

Genesis Chapter 13 Verses 10a

• Dang. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “We walk by wisdom, by God’s Word, by God’s faithfulness…we walk by faith and not by sight,” but Lot lifts his eyes and that’s how he decides…and where it takes him is horrible…don’t do that in your own life. Seek the Lord’s faithfulness, His Word, in your daily decisions…

Genesis Chapter 13 Verses 10 – 18

• The fullness of the calling of God has been completed and so the fullness of the revelation of God has come in and the time, the scene, the relationship with God is just sweet. God says, “You’re here now, walk around…explore…it’s all yours.” Just like the promise given to us in Jesus found in 2 Peter 1:3, that in walking by faith, heeding the Word of God and trusting Him completely…in that fullness of heart…He delivers all things that pertain to life and godliness! That we may possess life and life abundant!