Two families

 

1.       Several years ago (and this in no way relates to Elkhart county), I spoke with a husband & father.

2.       This man was a member of the church and he felt like his life was falling apart.

3.       There were problems with his children; his wife had left and didn’t tell him where she went.

 

SOMETIMES I THINK ABOUT THIS MAN AND I WONDER WHERE HE IS AND HOW HIS FAMILY IS DOING.

 

      When we think about the life beyond this one, family (ours or someone else’s) often comes to mind.

      There are families where just about every relative is a New Testament hristian.

      In other families only some relatives are members of Christ’s church.

      Then there are cases where a person can say, “I am the only New Testament Christian in my family.”

 

Tonight I am using the word “family” in its most basic sense; mom, dad, and children. 

I want to look at a Bible family and view them from the standpoint of making eternal preparations.

 

I have selected two families:  Lot and Abraham.

We start with Lot and will later look at Abraham.

      The name “Lot” appears 30 times in the book of Genesis.

      We are first introduced to Lot in Gen. 11:27.

      Abraham was told to leave the area where he was, Gen. 12:1.

      We are probably familiar with this command, but we may not be as familiar with another verse.

      Gen. 12:4 – READ.

 

Abraham did go to the place God said, but he did not go alone.  Lot also went with him.

      We never learn where and who Lot married.

      Lot may have been married before he and Abraham left for the new land.

      Perhaps he married after he arrived in the new place.

      At some point this man did marry and have a family.

 

Eventually a time came when Lot and Abraham had to go their separate ways.

Lot needed to choose where he was going to live.

      His basis for choosing a new location is found in Gen. 13:10 – READ.

      Let’s consider Lot’s choice from two vantage points.

      At this point he may not have been married.

      If he were single, he should have given some thought to a future family.

      We know Lot was a righteous man, 2 Pet. 2:

      He had an interest in serving the true God.

      His interest and having (or realizing one day he might) implied some responsibilities.

 

Where should he live so his family would have the best kind of influence?

Should it be in an area full of corruption or an area where things were better?

We cannot always choose, but Lot was able to make a choice.

      Gen. 13:9 says an entire area was available.

      Lot could choose whatever he wanted.

 

Lot chose to pitch his tent towards Sodom (Gen. 13:12).

By the time of Gen. 19, Lot was at the “city gate” of Sodom.

He also had a house there, Gen. 19:2.

Lot was a good man, but he made some very poor spiritual choices.

      Today we are often put into the very position he was in.

      I am not real enthused about using personal family stories for sermon illustrations.

      I will share this.  For several years we lived in Millersburg.

      Beth was not very excited about that town; she felt like it was out in the sticks.

      With less than 1,000 people, the main excitement was at the gas station and the Doctor’s office.

      Millersburg was not the most exciting place, but can be a good area to raise a family.

 

We make choices that have an impact on our families.

Children have free will, but that free will is sometimes shaped by our decisions.

 

LOT HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE IN HIS CIRCLE OF FAMILY INFLUENCE, AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO MENTALLY COUNT THEM.

 

      First, we have lot and his wife.  He has a son-in-law, Gen. 19:12.

      Gen. 19:14 uses the plural, “sons in laws” and “daughters.”

      Since Lot has a son-in-laws, there must have been 2 living daughters.

      There is a reference to Lot’s “sons” in Gen. 19:12 so let’s say he had 2 boys.

      We also find a reference to “daughters” (apparently unmarried ladies), so we will say 2 of them.

      This number of unmarried daughters is supported by Gen. 19:30.

      If my count is right, we have ten people.

      This is an interesting figure because of Abraham’s plea in Gen. 18:28-32.

      Abraham asked God to spare the city of 10 righteous people could be found.

 

Maybe this is a coincidence or maybe our numbers are off and we can’t tell it from the account.

Lot had a chance to influence about a dozen family members for eternity.

In our lives we have that same opportunity.

      As a husband, we influence our wife.  A wife influences her husband.

      In two parent homes, both parents influence their children for eternity.

      Good or bad, there is an influence.

      Children can and do influence each other.  Grandparents influence their children and grandchildren.

 

Lot’s household helps us see the important of what we think, say, and do.

 

Our actions influence people for either heaven or hell.

 

      What we believe influences our family members.

      Do we believe and treat the Bible as the Word of God?

      Do we not only believe and treat the Scriptures as such, but sometimes explain our belief?

      Is Christianity the most important thing in our lives?

      What is our attitude towards worship?

 

How often do we attend?  When we are here, how do we act?

Over the years I have seen parents offended by what happens in some congregations.

      Imagine a parent who is trying to be and set the best example he or she can possibly set.

      As a family brings their children to worship, they are always exposed to another family.

      In the second family no one pays attention; worship play time.

      Talk on the phone, work on the lap top, and chit chat.

      Those actions influence others, and the influence is not good.

      That is not the kind of influence many parents want their children exposed to.

 

Abraham was certainly someone who was concerned about his family.

One of the passages I want to read concerning this man is Gen. 12:7.

      Abraham had been told by God that his posterity would receive some land.

      This was not swamp land; it was very, very good land.

      The writer then recorded this fact – Gen. 12:7 – READ.

      Abraham was a religious man.  He “built an altar” to the Lord.

      He was someone who had worship as a priority in his life.

      If we are going to influence our family for right and good, worship must be a priority.

 

Abraham was in the habit of worshipping.

Gen. 13:4 tells us how he “called on the name of the Lord” (he worshipped).

Gen. 13:18 tells us about another time Abraham built an altar.

Lot was getting closer and closer to Sodom; Abraham was involved in worshipping God.

Abraham certainly had some difficulties, even in his family.

      Overall he lived a very good and Godly life.

      Abraham got a new name from God; we do not read about that happening to Lot.

      Lot is called Lot in the Old Testament, and his name is still Lot in the New Testament.

      Abraham’s wife also had a name change (her new name meant “princess”).

      A very special child was born to Abraham, Isaac.

      Jesus indicated Isaac was in heaven.

      According to Lk. 13:28, Isaac is in heaven.

      Jacob (same verse) is also there.

      We do not read about this kind of thing with Lot’s family.

      With Abraham’s family, the record is much different.

 

Abraham’s family was outside of the area of Sodom; they did not have anything to fear.

Abraham surely knew Lot was in this area so he did some fast pleading to save people in those cities.

Lot’s daughters did not fare very well when it came time to find a male counterpart.

Abraham’s family did better.

Isaac got a wife who was wiling to follow the true God.

Again and again we see the influence from Abraham paid off in a big way.

      There is a very subtle point about Ishmael.

      Ishmael was the son who came from Hagar.

      It seems this man will also be in heaven.

      Gen. 25:17 says Ishmael was “gathered unto his people.”

      If we study this expression in the Old Testament, we learn something.

 

We find places where this expression is used and it cannot refer to physical location.

People sometimes talk about being “buried in the family cemetery” or something similar.

      Let’s say a person has a lot of family members buried in New York.

      They die and their grave is in California.

      Because of the distance between the two places, this is not being “gathered unto one’s people.”

      This kind of dramatic distance is seen in the Old Testament when this expression is used.

      Since it points away from distance, the implication is that it relates to salvation.

      Abraham was “gathered unto His people” (the saved).

      Ishmael was “gathered unto his people) (he was also saved).

 

We have two families who knew each other and were surely quite close to each other.

In many ways they took two very different paths.

Lot was not a terrible man, but he made choices that were not as good as those made by Abraham.

Our choices help influence people for eternity.

For that reason, we want to make the best choices we can possibly make.

We do not want to choose what is “okay” or even “pretty good.”  We should insist on the best.