An “Altared” Life
Our lives will be altered when we bow at God's altar.
Genesis(23) (Part of the Origins(23) series)
by Stuart Johns(25) on December 1, 2024 (Sunday Morning(32))
Humility(2), Repentance(1), Submission(1)
Origins
An “Altared” Life
(Genesis 13:1-18)
INTRODUCTION
“An evolutionary biologist at Purdue University named William Muir studied chickens. He was interested in productivity—I think it’s something that concerns all of us—but it’s easy to measure in chickens because you just count the eggs. He wanted to know what could make his chickens more productive, so he devised a beautiful experiment. Chickens live in groups, so first of all, he selected just an average flock, and he let it alone for six generations. But then he created a second group of the individually most productive chickens—you could call them superchickens—and he put them together in a superflock, and each generation, he selected only the most productive for breeding.
After six generations had passed, what did he find? Well, the first group, the average group, was doing just fine. They were all plump and fully feathered and egg production had increased dramatically. What about the second group? Well, all but three were dead. They’d pecked the rest to death.”
Source: Margaret Heffernan, "Forget the Pecking Order at Work," TED Talk (May 2015).
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2017/august/7080717.html]
BODY
ME
An altered life – high school to college
During my last two years of high school, my best friend and I started swearing
We laughed about it at first, but it became a real problem for me
I was swearing all the time, except around my parents
I would use swear words as filler for no reason at all
As I was preparing for college, I determined that I was not going to continue to be “that guy”
I wanted to please the Lord with my speech, but I also wanted to find a godly wife and I knew my foul language would not attract the kind of girl that I truly desired
I had to bow at God’s altar, so He could alter my language
An altered life – ministry to pastoral ministry
Some of you have heard my story about being called into pastoral ministry
I was serving with Every Generation Ministries in southern California
I was praying one morning, as I drove to work, asking the Lord where He wanted me to be and what He wanted me to be doing
In my spirit, I heard Him say, “Stuart, I already told you what I want you to do.”
I knew that He was calling me into pastoral ministry, so I told the Lord, that day, that I would be obedient to His call
That decision to bow at God’s altar and be obedient to His call altered my life forever and I have experienced the blessing of God as a result
WE
Many of us probably have similar experiences of an altered life, because of bowing at God’s altar
Take time to think about your personal experience this morning
Over the past few weeks, we have been learning about Abram and God’s calling on his life. Last week we learned about a faith failure he experienced. God did not give up on him, though! In the passage we are going to look at this morning, we see that Abram grew in his faith and returned to the Lord after his failure. He spent time at two altars, as we will see. What we can learn from Abram’s example is that . . .
BIG IDEA – Our lives will be altered when we bow at God’s altar.
Let’s pray
GOD (Genesis 13:1-18)
Return (vv. 1-4)
If you remember from last week, Pharaoh gave orders to his men to make sure Abram left Egypt with his family and all his possessions
Abram traveled from Egypt to the Negev
The Negev was located in the southern part of Canaan
Abram brought his wife and wealth with him
Pharaoh made sure that Abram left with his wife, Sarai
Pharaoh did not demand that Abram return the sheep, cattle, male and female donkeys, camels, and male and female servants
This is where part of Abram’s wealth came from
He had also gained silver and gold while in Egypt
Lot also returned to Canaan with Abram
Abram knew where to go to call on the name of the Lord
We don’t know exactly where all he traveled when he left the Negev and went from place to place, but we do know where he ended up
He returned to the hills east of Bethel and west of Ai where he had first built an altar to the Lord (Gen. 12:8)
Abram called on the name of the Lord
Application
Failures
All of us can agree today that we have failed the Lord
Alexander Whyte has said, “The Christian life is basically a series of new beginnings.” [Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, Old Testament, Volume 1: Genesis-Job, 61]
Hopefully that is what you have experienced and not a continual downward spiral
Cory Asbury’s song The Father’s House has these lyrics:
Sometimes on this journey, I get lost in my mistakes
What looks to me like weakness is a canvas for Your strength
And my story isn’t over, my story’s just begun
And failure won’t define me ‘cause that’s what my Father does
Yeah, failure won’t define me ‘cause that’s what my Father doesOur failures do not have to define us when we return to the Lord and repent of our sins
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are children of God (John 1:12)
1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
2 Corinthians 5:21, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
God sees us as righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ
Return
“If you have disobeyed and God is disciplining you, go back to the place where you left Him and make things right.” [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Pentateuch, 73]
“The physical symbol [of the altar] is a reminder to Abraham of God’s promises and Abraham’s earlier faith. The narrator’s comment on this image suggests to the reader that Abraham has returned to a position of faith, the place where the reader should also dwell.” [Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary, 220]
PRINCIPLE #1 – God is pleased when we return to Him.
Malachi 3:6-7a, “I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.
How have you turned away from the Lord?
How have we turned away from the Lord as a nation?
What failure do you need to repent of and return to the Lord?
#1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Repent of __________ and return to the Lord.
Our lives will be altered when we bow at God’s altar.
Abram returned to the altar he had built outside of Bethel and called on the name of the Lord
God’s hand of blessing was upon Abram and those connected to him, which was a fulfillment of God’s promise to him
Riches (vv. 5-7)
Blessed
All people on earth will be blessed through you (Gen. 12:3b)
Lot was definitely experiencing God’s blessing through Abram
He had flocks (sheep and goats) and herds (oxen, bulls, and cows) and tents (this probably indicated family members and servants)
Abram and Lot’s flocks and herds required ample grass and water, but “pasture was at a premium on the bare limestone hills…” [Baldwin, The Bible Speaks Today, The Message of Genesis 12-50, 40]
Burden
“Ironically, the problem is the ‘severity’ of blessing that causes strife among family.” [Waltke, 220]
God’s blessing was so incredible that the land could not support the abundant flocks and herds of Abram and Lot
Abram and Lot were not the only ones who required pasture lands
The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time
Most scholars believe that Canaanites was a general term and Perizzites was a specific term for the inhabitants of the land
Speaking of the Perizzites, Waltke says, “Rather than an ethnic term, it probably denotes a class of Canaan’s descendants, ‘a section of the population driven out of a town and living in the open country’ (see Deut. 3:5; 1 Sam. 6:18; Est. 9:19).” [Waltke, 221]
Basically city dwellers and country folk
Perhaps this was by God’s design, so that there would be the necessary separation between Abram and Lot – the Promised Land was for Abram and his descendants
Quarreling
Whenever supply is less than demand there will be quarreling, fusing, and fighting
Just take a moment to remember what it was like trying to get toilet paper during the pandemic
Perhaps some of us were quarreling, fusing, and fighting over the limited supply of certain Christmas gifts this past Friday (Black Friday!)
I went Black Friday shopping once when my boys were younger
I went to Walmart before midnight and waiting by a display until a worker came to remove the plastic wrap
I didn’t have to quarrel, fuse, or fight for the couple of items I went to buy, but I saw other people quarreling, fusing, and fighting
That is what Abram and Lot’s herdsmen experienced
Abram had a plan
Remove (vv. 8-13)
Selflessness (vv. 8-9)
We see Abram’s maturing faith through his proposal
When he went to Egypt, as we learned last week, he was concerned about his own self-preservation
His plan to tell a half-truth showed his selfishness
What we see now is Abram’s selflessness
“One wonders if Abram’s return to the altar and meeting with God (v. 4) had anything to do with this change of disposition.” [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-17, 391]
Our lives will be altered when we bow at God’s altar.
As the elder statesman, he had the right to simply assign a specific location for Lot to live
“George Washington said, ‘When there is an elder man and a younger man in the same room, the elder man should never mention it, but the younger man should never forget it.’” [Courson, 62]
Instead, Abram allowed Lot to choose where he wanted to live
He trusted God by faith to accomplish His plan and purpose
Application
There are a couple of principles we can learn about from these verses
PRINCIPLE #2 – God’s desire is for us to be peacemakers, not troublemakers.
That is exactly what Abram did
“He puts the peace between family before individual prosperity.” [Waltke, 221]
“Abraham’s faith gives him the freedom to be generous.” [Waltke, 221]
How about us?
Are we putting peace with family before our own prosperity?
“In order to get more money, people will lie (Prov. 21:6), mistreat people (22:16), cheat (28:8), and even trouble their own families (15:27).” [Wiersbe, 74]
Are we putting peace with family before our own desires?
I always like to challenge individuals who are dealing with family strife to determine which is more important – the relationship with their family member or the issue that is currently dividing them
Sometimes we need an outside perspective to help us refocus
“According to 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3, there are only three kinds of people in the world: the natural (unsaved), the carnal (saved but living for the world and the flesh), and the spiritual (devoted to God).” [Wiersbe, 74]
Family splits happen because of carnal Christians who focus on themselves instead of their family members
Church splits happen because of carnal Christians who want their own way and neglect to focus on the needs of others
Peacemaker or troublemaker
Perhaps you just experienced a situation with family during the Thanksgiving holiday
Maybe you are dreading Christmas, because of difficulties in your family
Read James 3:13-4:10
This passage not only pertains to biological family, but also to spiritual family (church family)
Will you be a peacemaker or a troublemaker?
It will depend on whether you submit yourself to God and pursue humility or seek to satisfy your own desires that battle within you
Our lives will be altered when we bow at God’s altar.
#2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Submit to God and pursue humility when I interact with ___________ (name of family/church member, neighbor, coworker).
We are able to be peacemakers when we live for others and not just ourselves
PRINCIPLE #3 – We need to live for others and not just ourselves.
When Abram was in Egypt he thought of himself first, but when he returned to the altar in Canaan and to his faith in the Lord, he put God first, others second, and himself last [Wiersbe, 74]
Paul wrote about that to the Philippian believers
Philippians 2:1-4, If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Whether in your family, neighborhood, work, or the church, whose interests do you need to think about?
#3 – My Next Step Today Is To: Think about the interests of _________ (name).
Abram had an altered life when he bowed before God’s altar
Our lives will be altered when we bow at God’s altar.
Lot still had some maturing to do in his faith and life
Selfishness (vv. 10-13)
Lot chose the lush plain of the Jordan [show map]
It was easy to see that the plain of the Jordan would provide abundant water and grass for Lot’s flocks and herds
Where he and Abram were currently pasturing their flocks and herds provided bare limestone hills (not lush full grasslands)
Living outside the Lord’s favor
Lot was not aware of the spiritual condition of the people he chose to live near
The narrator shared information with his readers and us that was later realized by Lot and Abram
The men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord
The Lord would eventually destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, because of their sin
Throughout Genesis we have seen that those who are living outside the Lord’s favor have headed east
Lot is no different
He headed east away from the Promised Land and the Lord’s favor
We will see in coming weeks that Lot had to deal with the sin in Sodom
PRINCIPLE #4 – Do not be deceived by how things look.
Lot based his decision on how the plain of the Jordan looked, but God knew the spiritual condition of the inhabitants there
Had Lot consulted with the Lord, perhaps he would not have chosen to live there
How many of us would admit that we have made a decision based on how something looked without consulting the Lord?
I know I have done that in the past and had to deal with the consequences of my decision
I tell people that the grass is only greener on the other side if you don’t water and take care of your own grass
Things may look amazing on the outside, but be rotten to the core
God will direct you to just the right place, if you are willing to submit to Him and His guidance
That is what Abram did
He trusted the Lord and allowed the Lord to accomplish His plan and purpose through Lot’s choice
Abram lived in Canaan, the Promised Land!
The Lord reminded Abram of His promise concerning the land
Remind (vv. 14-18)
Listen
The Lord spoke to Abram after Lot left
He reminded Abram that the entire land (north, south, east, and west) would be given to Abram’s offspring forever
The Lord again promised Abram that a great nation would come from him – his offspring would be too numerous to count
PRINCIPLE #5 – “The promise of God is unchangeable.” [Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 128]
After talking with Abram, the Lord told him to go check out the land
Go
The Lord encouraged Abram to walk through the entire land, because He was giving it to him
This walk was a way for Abram to claim the land as his own
Abram moved his tents and settled in Hebron by the great trees of Mamre
The great trees at Mamre were named after the person Mamre, whom we will see in chapter 14
Hebron was the highest town in Palestine (3,050 ft.) [Waltke, 223]
Abram probably chose this location because of its strategic placement on the route that ran along the ridge between Jerusalem and Beersheba [Waltke, 223]
He built another altar to the Lord there
When Abram spent time at the altar, God altered his life
Our lives will be altered when we bow at God’s altar.
YOU
What do you need to repent of and return to the Lord?
Are you ready to submit to God and pursue humility when you interact with a family member or church member?
Whose interests do you need to think about?
WE
What do we need to repent of and return to the Lord?
Are we ready to submit to God and pursue humility when we interact with other churches?
Whose interests do we need to think about?
CONCLUSION
“Physician Horace Smith warns that in the church ‘we must guard against ‘spiritual autoimmune disease,’ in which spiritual white cells see normal cells within the body as enemies and try to destroy them’ Dr. Smith adds:
Is it possible for a human body to ‘bite and devour’ healthy cells, destroying life? Absolutely. Sometimes white blood cells mistakenly attack healthy cells in the blood, causing disastrous results. The immune system fails to recognize components of the body as normal. It then creates autoantibodies that attack its own cells, tissues, or organs. This causes inflammation and damage, and it leads to autoimmune disorders. For example, autoimmune hemolytic anemia is a group of disorders that attack red blood cells as if they were substances foreign to the body. Like other cases of anemia, the person may experience shortness of breath, tiredness, and jaundice. When the destruction of healthy red cells persists for a long period of time, the spleen may enlarge, resulting in a sense of abdominal fullness and pain
God intends for his body to be healthy, nourish each other, protect each other, and carry harmful waste away.”
Source: Adapted from Horace Smith, Blood Works (Amazon Digital Services, 2011).
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2016/march/4030716.html]
