Genesis 13 – 19 - Five Ways To Be A Great Dad

Genesis 13 – 19 - Five Ways To Be A Great Dad

            What do you think is the most difficult job that a dad faces?  It is spending time with his family. 

            You see, there are so many things to take dad's away from their family.  Today, there is the health club, the gulf club, the rotary club. 

            Dads, how do you measure success? 

            You can use most any measure when you are speaking of success.  You can measure it in a fancy home, or expensive car, or even a dress.  But the measure of your real success is one you can not spend, it is the way our son describes you when he's talking to a friend.

            And of course, that depends on how old the child is.  Because when the child is 4 years old, he says, "My dad can do anything.  At 7 hears old he says, "My daddy knows a whole lot."  At 8 years old he says, "My father doesn't know everything."  At 14 years old he says, "Dad is hopelessly old fashion."  At 21 years of age, he says, "Dad is out of date.  At 25 years of age, he says, "Dad knows a little bit about life.  At 30 years of age, he  says, "Let's find out what dad thinks."  At 35  he says, ""Let's get dad's advice."  At 50 years of age, "What would dad have thought about it.  At 60 years, "My dad know literally every thing.  At 65 years of age, "I wish I could talk it over with dad."

            We are going to look at lot and his leadership in his home.  As we look his life, we will see that he made 5 fatal errors.  And it cost him his family.  I can understand a man losing his job, but losing his family?

FIRST -- HE PLACED FINANCIAL PROSPERITY ABOVE HIS FAMILY.  

            Lot Got his priorities all messed up.

Genesis 13:8-11

8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers.  9 “Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me: if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.” 10  And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.  11 So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan; and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other.  NASV

Now if a business man would have come up next to Lot, he would have said, "Lot, you have great business sense.  You made a brilliant choice for your business.  Why, Lot you can make a quick decision." 

            If you could go into Lot's library you would see books like, How To be #1, How to Reach For The Top, How To always Win.

            But wait a minute.  Look at verse 11 and see what it says,  It gives us a strong clue about Lot.  Notice what verse 11 says.

Genesis 13:11

11 So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan; and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other.  NASV

            Lot was thinking, "I could form a great business in the community of Sodom.  But Lot forgot about something.  Do you know what he for got about.  He forgot about the influence of Sodom on his family. 

            I wish I could interview Lot.  I would ask him, "Lot have you first found a church home?  He would have to say, "No."  Well is there a place for your kids to attend Sunday School?  No.

Well, have your found some other Christians you could fellowship with.   No.

            I am amazed that families that will move because of their job, without even checking first into a church home. 

            You say, "Pastor, why are your bring this up?  Because that is the same mistake Lot made.  He considered his business first.  Lot actually mad a decision based on a business deal.

            Dad's, I believe that god will reward you on how you led your family.  But God is not going to regard you how well you made a business deal.  God is far more concerned about how you led your family.

            Do you know what is sad about most Christians?  They will move, and they will find themselves a home, and they will find themselves

a job, and then and only then will they find themselves a church.  That's what lot did.  He put his financial prosperity above his family.

FIRST -- HE PLACED HIS FINANCIAL PROSPERITY ABOVE HIS FAMILY.

SECOND -- HE EXPECTED HIS FAMILY TO BE IMMUNE TO SIN.

            Lot thought that he could take his family and put them down into a very wicked city and that the sin of Sodom would not effect his family.

Genesis 13:12-13

12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom.  13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord. NASV

            Lot thought of Sodom as a business venture.  But when his family moved to Sodom, they saw it as a source of temptations. 

            Do you know why Sodom became a source of temptation?  It became a source of temptation because when Lot was out making money, his family was out making friends.  It is a true saying, Birds of a feather flock together.

            Did you know that the environment of a family is very important?  Dad's it is your responsibility to make sure the environment is right for your kids.

            Let me live you a very basic principle.  Here it is.

            Where you go determines who you will meet. 

            I'll tell you how it works.  After this service, just get into the car with me and I can tell you where you and I will have wholesome thoughts.  Or I could take you to a place that would move us to think ungodly thoughts.  Isn't that true?

            Isn't that true.  Lot somehow thought that he could just move his family into Sodom and they would come out smelling like a rose.

            There is the story that back in the 1800's, in the city of Portland, the town drunk got saved.  Every time he would come into town, he would pull up to the hitching post, in front of the saloon, ties his horse up, and get a drink.  That was before he got saved.  He did great for 4 months.  They asked the preacher what happened?  How could he go back to drinking?  The preacher said, As near as I could see, he never changed his hitching post.

            No mater how spiritual you think you are.  If your continual to hang around the same sinful crowd, you will soon begin to act just like them.

            Let not put our families in a place that will pull them down.

FIRST -- HE PLACED HIS FINANCIAL PROSPERITY ABOVE HIS FAMILY.

SECOND -- HE EXPECTED HIS FAMILY TO BE IMMUNE TO SIN.

THIRD -- LOT THOUGHT HE COULD CHANGE SOCIETY WITHOUT TAKING A STAND AGAINST IT.

            That happens all the time with Christians.  They will start a new place of employment, and they will not let it be know that they are Christians.  Eventually they will want to speak up, but just can't bring themselves to do it.

            You know how it is.  The longer you don't tell a person where you stand with God, the harder it is to tell them.  Isn't that true?

            While Lot has been living in Sodom he has not taken a stand for God.  He thinks if he'll just be a good o'l boy, he will eventually be able to penetrate Sodom's society.  But look at Genesis 19:1-8

Genesis 19:1-8

1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.  2 And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant's house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.”  3 Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.  4 Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter;  5 and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.” 6 But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him,  7 and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly.  8 “Now

behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof. NASV

            Here Lot tries to influence his neighbors, but he has no influence on them.  Why?  Because he has never taken a stand against sin.

            Look at verse 9.

Genesis 19:9

9 But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door.  nasv

FOUR -- HE THOUGHT HIS FAMILY WOULD DO AS HE SAID, NOT AS HE DID.

Genesis 19:12-14

12 Then the men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place;  13 for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” 14 And Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting.  NASV

            Lot's son-in-laws just laugh at him.  This is the most serious time in all of Lot's life.  But the problem is they have never heard him talk like that.

            Do you know What makes a kid laugh?  It is for a parent who has never really lived the Christian life begin to tell them how to live the Christian life?  They have never seed dad live the Christian life. 

            So when the angels told Lot he could take anybody out of Sodom, Lot could not even persuade his two sin-in-laws.

            And the end result was that the very ones that were the closest to Lot, he lost.

FIVE -- LOT DID NOT REALIZE HOW MUCH THE WORLD HAS INFLUENCED HIM.

            Lot did not have a clue that his wife, his two girls had fallen for the life style of Sodom.  Now if you could have interviewed Lot asked him, "Lot, has Sodom influenced your family?"  Lot would have said, "No, not at all.  Why we could pack up and leave here at any time we want to.  Sodom does not have a hold on us.

            It doesn't Lot?  Look at verse 15-16

Genesis 19:15-16

15 And when morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters, who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.”  16 But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city.  NASV

            Lot did not take his family out of Sodom.  The 2 angles did.  And the angels had to pull lot out of town. 

            And Lot lost everything.  His lost his home, his fortune, his family, and he lost his ability to do right.

            Someone says, "I do not want to end up like Lot.  How can I become a spiritual person. 

1st -- Get out of the sin, before you become emotionally involved. 

2nd -- Have someone pray for you.  Do you know why Lot escaped Sodom?  Abraham was praying for Lot.

3rd -- Ask God to send someone to help you get out of the mess.

            Lot could not get himself out the mess. 

            Someone says, How will I know when I am a spiritual person? 

            A spiritual person will view their life from God's perspective.