Mountain Life Church

Transcription

1 God & Judgment Mountain Life Church Life Pack Message #7 in The Friend of God series 5 June, 2011

2 God and Judgment Sermon Notes 5 June, 2011 Write any notes from the week here I. The Proof of Evil A. Protecting Angels? (Verses 1-3) 1. Lot won t let the angels sleep in the city square 2. He insists they come to his house for their protection B. Evil and Perverse (Verses 4-11) 1. The men, both young and old came to rape the angels 2. Lot offered his daughters to them in order to protect the angels 3. The city s men became violent 4. The angels save Lot and blind the people II. The Judgment A. God Has Seen Enough 1. The angels forced Lot and his family out of the city 2. Lot begged to go to Zoar 3. The Lord sent fire and brimstone and destroyed the area 4. Lot s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt 2 19

3 Table Talk Teens Meal One: As a family read Genesis 18-19, then ask these questions 1. In Genesis 19:4-11, the wicked men of Sodom tried to attack Lot, his family and guests. They were struck with physical blindness, but it was their moral blindness that destroyed them. -Describe the difference between physical blindness and moral blindness. -Would you rather be physically blind or morally blind and why? -Name some moral blindness in today s society -What is your moral blindness? Meal Two: 1. In Genesis 19:26, the command was clear not to look back or linger. Lot s wife disobeyed and looked back. By implication, she was reluctant to leave. -Describe what are areas in your life that you are reluctant to leave. -What are the consequences if you choose to disobey like Lot s wife did? Memory Verse: For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him. ~Genesis 18:19 B. Abraham s Righteousness 1. Abraham looked down, knowing what happened 2. God heard Abraham s request and saved Lot III.A Messed Up Household A. The Incest 1. In order to save the family line, Lot s daughters stoop to incest 2. Both daughters give birth to Lot s children (and grandchildren) B. The Nations of Lot IV. Judgment of Nations in the New Testament (Romans 1) A. Two Witnesses (Romans 1: 19-20) 1. The Spirit of God 2. Nature B. When Cultures Descend into Sin (Romans 1: 21-32) 1. A culture does not acknowledge God 2. Claiming to be wise, they become more and more foolish 3. They turn from the Creator and worship the creation 4. God turns them over to a depraved mind 5. Acceptance of homosexuality reveals a society in the midst of debauchery 6. Sin runs rampant C. Our Attitude 1. Not judgment 2. Humility and brokenness 3. Prayer and embracing the sinner 18 3

4 Life Group Questions for 5 June, 2011 The Friend of God Series Message =God and Judgment Ice Breaker: Tell about a time in your life when you ve had a humorous brush with a policeman or someone in authority. Read Genesis Tell what you observe about the passage. 2. In what ways do the angels seem a little bit naive in the beginning of the story? Why do you think they act this way? 3. On the other hand, Lot seems VERY aware of the evil of his city. Why do you think Lot and his family stayed in a city that was so evil? 4. Have you ever stayed in unhealthy relationships with people who were less than upstanding? Tell the group about it. 5. Why do you think Lot s wife looked back? (Answer before you look at commentaries in your study Bibles, then after a few answers, you can tell what you read in your Study Bible). 6. What was the primary emotional motivator for Lot and his daughters once they left the city of Sodom? Read Romans 1: Based on this passage, do any of us have any excuse before God? 8. Paul tells how a culture descends into Sin. They do not acknowledge God, then they turn to idols, they begin to think they re wise, but they re foolish, homosexuality becomes well accepted, and great sin abounds. What do you think of this? 9. Pray for one another. Take some time to pray for friends and loved ones who do not know the Lord. Table Talk Elementary 1. Read Genesis chapter 18:1-15 as a family. God came to visit Abraham in person, what would you do if God showed up at your door right now? Again, Sarah did not believe that God was going to give her a child even though He had told them this many times. Why do you think she still didn t believe? 2. Read Genesis chapter 18:16-33 as a family. Talk about what Sodom and Gomorrah must have been like. Why do you think God said that if there were 10 righteous people there He would not destroy it? Why would he grant Abraham s request? 3. Read Genesis chapter 19 as a family. How do you think Lot felt as he was leaving? Grateful? Sad? Frightened? Why did the angels decide to save Lot? *If you are finding that the reading is too difficult, try looking at the library for a children s Bible or parents can summarize the chapters for the sake of discussion. 4

5 Table Talk This section of our curriculum is aimed at helping parents disciple their own children. We hope you will take three evenings a week to open the scriptures and talk with your children about kingdom things. You can mix and match these ideas to meet the needs of your family s children Babies Through Preschool Read to your child Genesis from a children s Bible or tell them the story from these two chapters in the Bible. Ask them about the following: What is prayer? What did God tell Abraham that He was going to do for him? Why did Sarah laugh? Why did Abraham pray about the cities? Did God keep his word? How were Lot and his daughters saved? Personal Devotion Pages The following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom. LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God. BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol: INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol: Bible Verse: The things which are impossible with men are possible with God Luke 18:27 Prayer: Dear God, thank You for all the promises You ve given to us in your Word, the Bible. Help us to remember that even though something may seem impossible, nothing is too hard for You and You will always keep Your promises. Amen Activity: Practice praying with your child. Use a book of children s prayers or select a topic that you can pray with your child about, such as family or your city/ community. ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him. These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming. Enjoy! 16 5

6 Day One 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is, and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read Genesis 19 slowly and think about what you have just read. 3. Ask God to help you abide with Him and keep Him on your mind the whole day. Dedicate your thought life to Him. 4. What needs do you have today? Write them down here and pray for God to provide them for you. Take 5 minutes and pray for your family for whatever comes to your mind. Memorize Romans 1: 16 Take 10 minutes to pray for your family, and 10 minutes to pray for people in your life who need the Lord. Memorize Romans 1: 16 and verses Take 10 minutes to pray for your family, and 10 minutes to pray for people in your life who need the Lord. Take whatever time you have left to pray for your church leadership. Memorize Romans 1: 16, and verses Day Five When I was a young man, I loved to watch reruns of old TV shows. Though the original Star Trek had aired when I was a small child, it was overshadowed by the likes of Walt Disney and Bugs Bunny. But as a teenager, I found Star Trek fairly amusing and fun to watch. The real lesson I learned from Star Trek was, If you re not one of the main stars of the show, don t beam down to any unknown planets with the landing crew made up of the stars. Virtually any extra who beamed down to a strange planet was dead before long. I remember overhearing my inner monologue at that point... I hope my life is more significant than just being a nobody who gets killed in the first 15 minutes of the show! Like all of us, I have always hungered to live a life that mattered. I need to be a benefit to this planet before I leave it. I think we all feel this way to some degree or another. Lot and his family remind me of the guys on Star Trek who only made it a short time on the planet. After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, they moved to the village of Zoar, which translated means, Insignificance. Unlike the guys on Star Trek, whose destinies were controlled by hostile aliens, Lot and his family forged their destiny by the choices they made. We all have uncontrollable events in our lives that change our destiny. How we respond to those events, and how we respond to God will probably shape our destiny even more. Lot and his family had grown comfortable with evil and found themselves struggling to leave it. Anytime I don t RUN from evil, I take a fork in the road leading to Insignificance. God, I turn away from my sin, and run to You. I see my sin and my selfish way of living, and I abandon it wholly. God, save me from my wayward way of life, and bring me daily into Your presence! 6 15

7 Day Five 1. Take some time to praise the Lord from your heart. Enjoy Him thoroughly before moving into a time of thanks. Thank God for all the good things He s done for you lately. 2. Pray again today for God to meet your needs, praying specifically for them. 3. Think of the person you know who is furthest from God. Ask Him to have mercy on them, and pray for their heart to be turned to Him. Finish your Bible memorization today. Day One My lords, he said, come to my home to wash your feet, and be my guests for the night. You may then get up in the morning as early as you like and be on your way again. Oh no, they said, we ll just spend the night out here in the city square. ~Genesis 19:2, NLT. The two angels sent by an all knowing God seem a little naive. Don t they know this is an incredibly evil town? They could be accosted by the entire population at any time, yet they would like to stay in the city square. Lot has bowed low to these men. He has a sense that they are at least significant and perhaps sent by Abraham s God. He fears for their lives when they tell him they will stay in the city square. He insists they come with him to his home and they willingly oblige. Think about these two men. They are messengers, angels sent from the living God. They are immortal and no force on earth could possibly hurt them. Their supernatural capacity remains untested in Sodom, but I fear more for the Sodomites than for these two men. No, they are not naive. They are supermen with no fear of kryptonite. These powerful angels are small samples of God Himself. Yet, Lot shows us his tiny and mistaken view of God by fearing for their safety. In Lot s eyes, the city s evil is much greater than the power of God. My response to Lot is, I think a humble one... Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. I relate to Lot. To me, some things look way too difficult for God and, at times, the evil around me looks way too powerful for God to overcome. Thank you, Father, that you are my God, my Father, and my Friend. Thank you that You can handle anything on this planet. You can overcome ALL evil! I love you, Lord! 14 7

8 Day Two 1. Take some time to quiet yourself before God and thank Him for all He s done in your life lately. Then praise Him for who He is. 2. Ask God to meet your needs today. Ask Him to help you understand what things you ask for are needs or if they are wants. 3. Ask God to show you if you have judged anyone unrighteously (with a critical attitude). Ask for His forgiveness now. 4. Take time to pray for friends, loved-ones, and co-workers who don t know the Lord. Ask Him to bring people into their lives who will boldly live and speak the grace and truth of God into their lives. Ask God if you are one of those people who should be investing into their lives. 5. Continue memorizing and meditating on the scriptures for this week. Day Four But Lot s wife looked back as she was following along behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. ~Genesis 19:26, NLT. The story of Lot s rescue from the destruction of Sodom is strewn with strangeness. Lot is hesitant to leave the city and begs to go to another place not too far away called Zoar. Translated into the English, Zoar is Insignificance. It s as if Lot doesn t want to get far away from evil, far from his past life, and far from destruction. He wants to stay close to the fire. Thus, his life is doomed to living just outside of Insignificance from that day forward. Lot s daughters have lost their future husbands in the destruction, and his wife turns into a pillar of salt because she turns around longingly for the place she calls home. Later, Jesus Himself will teach us using Lot s wife as an object lesson: Remember Lot s wife. Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. (~Luke 17:32, 33,). Let s face it, the whole lot of Lot s family was steeped in evil and compromise. They had chosen to live amongst evil people and instead of being an influence on them, the people of the valley had influenced Lot s family with their evil... How much were they influenced by evil? Obviously a LOT! Oh Father! Give me a heart for those who have no idea of who You are, but keep me from compromise and evil! Use me to influence my friends and loved ones who do not know You! Help me remember that You + me = A MAJORITY! I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME! 8 13

9 Day Four 1. Take time to praise God for who He is and then thank Him with a grateful heart for all He has done for you lately. 2. Jesus taught us to pray diligently, and to pursue Him constantly. Therefore, ask Him again to meet your needs today, thanking Him in advance for meeting those needs. 3. Ask God to speak to you today, in a simple or maybe even a profound way. Give Him permission to say whatever He wishes to say to You. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. Day Two As we read along in Genesis 19, we find Lot s relationship with God to be rather complex, as well as his relationship with the inhabitants of the evil city where he lives. As Lot welcomes his two visitors into his home, the inhabitants of the city surround the dwelling in hopes of raping the guests. This gives us a clear idea of how perverse the city has become. Lot steps outside, closing the door to his home, and calls these men, my brothers. Is this a diplomatic way to calm down a mob, or does he really consider these wicked men close enough to call them brothers? Cultural hospitality now comes into play. In this part of the world, when you invite someone under your roof, they are your guests and therefore, under your protection. You must do everything you can to protect them from harm. So, Lot invites the men of the city to have at it with his two virgin daughters instead of his guests... (at this point, I wonder how the girls are feeling about dear ol Dad). This statement begs a question as well. If the men of the city are so incredibly perverse, how has Lot kept his daughters as virgins until now? Yet, he seems to be willing to sacrifice their virginity, their safety, even their sanity in order to protect his guests. The questions multiply as we read the story. This is what happens when we make our abode with evil people. Life gets crazy, complex, and tangled. We don t even realize it, but we are slipping into the abyss. Before long, we no longer recognize the life we lived when walking with God and friends who sharpened us. Oh God, give me a genuine love for sinners, and the capacity to pursue You along with those who love You with a pure heart. Keep me from compromise. Protect me from denial. Keep me ever watchful, ever diligent, and ever passionate for You and Your presence! 12 9

10 Day Three 1. Take some time to praise God for who He is, and then thank Him for what He s done for you lately. 2. Continue to ask God to meet needs you have in your life. Pray for them very specifically so that when you see those needs met, you can praise Him for giving you what you ask for. 3. Ask God if there is any unforgiveness in your life. Confess this as sin, and forgive the people who have hurt you. 4. Take time now to pray for your authorities: Boss, parents, representatives, the President, your pastor, and your life group leader. 5. Continue meditating on and memorizing the verses for this week. Day Three When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the LORD was merciful. ~Genesis 19:16, NLT. As we read Genesis 19, the question begs to be asked, What redeeming qualities are there about Lot and his family that warrant sending angels to hold his hand and get him out of the city before its destruction? The answer is painfully simple, Not much. The next question then arises, What redeeming qualities about me were there when God sent Jesus on my behalf and saved me from my horrible sin, selfishness, and corrupt life? The answer? See above. Back in Genesis 15, God made a covenant with Abraham. When someone makes a covenant, they become tied together as one for the rest of their lives. My friends become your friends, my enemies become yours, and my family becomes your family. God saved Lot because He had made a covenant with Abraham. Though Abraham made a mistake in having Ishmael, it did not change the covenant with Abraham, so God blessed Ishmael too. Frankly, anyone who got around Abraham got blessed because of the covenant God made with that one man! Leap forward now a couple millennia. God makes a covenant with us through His son, Jesus of Nazareth. Now, when I ask Jesus to be Savior, Lord, and leader of my life, the Bible says I am in Christ. That means, because of the covenant through Jesus, I get blessed with everything Jesus got blessed with when He rose from the dead (see the books of Ephesians and Galatians for more info). Thanks so much God, that though I do NOT deserve it, I am IN CHRIST! All the blessings and riches Jesus gets, I get, because of the New Covenant made through His blood! I receive your undeserved love today and choose to walk in newness of life as your child! 10 11