- 2 days ago
As Christians, we are in the world but we are not a part of it – therefore we should not become too attached to it. Allow your heart to be challenged through this message as Christina compares the approach of Abraham who lived his earthly life looking forward to his heavenly home, with Lot who built a house in Sodom where he should have pitched a tent. Are you compromising an earthly tent for your heavenly home? Discover the key to being Word ruled, not world ruled and having a heart set on pilgrimage on this journey of faith.
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TVTranscript
00:00Compromise does not usually happen in one dramatic step.
00:06It starts with a look, then a small move,
00:13before settling down in a place that God never called you to.
00:26Grace and peace to you all in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
00:32My name is Christina, and I have the wonderful privilege of sharing with you from the written word of God.
00:43Let us pray.
00:46Father, we thank you for your word, which is spirit and life.
00:52Oh, Holy Spirit, enter our souls and make our hearts ready,
00:58not only to hear your word, but make our hearts ready to be the doer of the word today.
01:07In Jesus' name we pray.
01:10Amen. Amen.
01:12Amen. People of God, let me see your Holy Bible.
01:16Do you have your Holy Bible with you there?
01:20I can see people on the screen with their Bibles.
01:23Thank you so much.
01:24Then turn with me to that book of Psalm 84.
01:29And we are going to remind ourselves of the importance of the presence of God.
01:36And it says in that verse 1,
01:38How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty.
01:44My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord.
01:49My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
01:54Even a sparrow has found a home and a swallow, a nest for herself, where she may have her young.
02:05A place near your altar.
02:07Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
02:10Blessed are those who dwell in your house.
02:15They are ever praising you.
02:18Blessed are those whose strength is in you.
02:24Is your strength in our Lord Jesus Christ today, people of God?
02:30Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
02:37As they pass through the valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs.
02:43The autumn rains also cover it with pools.
02:48They go from strength to strength.
02:53Till each appears before God in Zion.
02:58People of God, never forget who God has designed and created you.
03:07People of God, never forget who God has designed and created you to be.
03:08We should remember that we are strangers and pilgrims in this world.
03:17And as people of God, He wants us to have a heart set on pilgrimage.
03:27That is a spiritual journey where we understand that this world is not our home.
03:34We are just passing through.
03:38Heaven is our home, our final destination.
03:44Yes, we may be in the world physically, but we are not a part of it.
03:51Our physical body might be here in this earth, but our hearts belong to Jesus.
03:57Tell your neighbor, my heart belongs to Jesus.
04:04So while we are in the world, we should not get too attached to it because we are here for
04:12a short season.
04:15Tell your neighbor or tell me in the studio here.
04:19We are here.
04:25Now, as you may be aware, we are broadcasting from beautiful North Wales in the United Kingdom.
04:33And here in the UK, we have many campsites and camping remains a popular holiday activity.
04:41Even though we often have very cold and wet weather.
04:47Now, if you have grown up in the UK or you're a resident here, then you will probably have been
04:53camping at some point in your life,
04:56maybe through school or through an enrichment program in your youth.
05:01And the thing with camping is that you leave your permanent residence and you go to a temporary site where
05:12you're likely to pitch up a tent.
05:15A tent may be flimsy, but nobody really minds because you know that you're there for a short season.
05:21You are there for one or two nights.
05:24Therefore, you don't get too comfortable.
05:26And that tent is purposely designed for quick set up and pack down.
05:34Now, when you go camping, nobody begins to tell their family, maybe their bank, their local authority or the electoral
05:45commission in your country that you have changed addresses.
05:49No, you don't.
05:51Because whether you like camping or not, you know that you're there for a short season.
05:58It's a temporary place that you are just passing through.
06:04Now, this is a picture of how we should approach this world that we are living in.
06:13How foolish would it be to leave a beautiful, warm, well-built home and make yourself comfortable in a campsite,
06:27acting as if that is all there is, behaving as if that is your permanent residence,
06:36forgetting that you have a home that is permanent and secure.
06:43People of God, do not compromise your heavenly home for an earthly tent.
06:53We should not get too fixated on the things of this earth, forgetting about what is important, our spiritual lives.
07:09Today, we are going to take a moment to compare and contrast Abraham in the Bible with his nephew, Lot,
07:20to understand how they saw this pilgrimage, this journey of life that we are on.
07:28So, please turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews, chapter 11.
07:34And we are going to read what this passage of scripture says about Abraham.
07:40And it says in verse 8,
07:43By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance,
07:51obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
07:58By faith, he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country.
08:10He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
08:19For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
08:29Wow. Praise the Lord.
08:32Abraham, the father of faith, understood that he was a pilgrim and a stranger on this world.
08:41Therefore, he refused to get too attached to it.
08:45And in fact, he lived in tents as a physical reminder that this world was not his home,
08:54that he was just passing through.
08:56The physical discipline represented a spiritual principle.
09:03He set his life up in a way that he was mobile.
09:07He was available and could be responsive to God's calling.
09:12So let's see what happened when God called him in Genesis chapter 12.
09:18Now, remember, this was when he was known as Abraham before he had the name divinely changed to Abraham.
09:28So let's read Genesis chapter 12 and verse 1.
09:33And it says the Lord said to Abraham, go from your country, your people and your father's household to the
09:42land.
09:42I will show you.
09:44And in verse 4.
09:46So Abraham went as the Lord had told him.
09:50And Lot went with him.
09:53Can you see?
10:11And then we see in that verse 4, when it talks about Lot.
10:24Interestingly, there is a semicolon between the part where it talks about Abraham and Lot
10:31to show that there is a distinct difference between the approach of Abraham versus the approach of his nephew Lot.
10:39It says,
10:52I believe this verse highlights the fact that Lot perhaps did not have his own conviction as his uncle Abraham
11:03did.
11:04He had a kind of secondhand faith.
11:07He had the opportunity to learn from his uncle, but it appears that he did not take on.
11:16He did not embrace and adopt some of the important principles of faith that Abraham lived his life by.
11:26So we see in chapter 13 of Genesis that both Lot and Abraham were becoming successful.
11:36And in verse 5, it says,
11:38Now Lot, who was moving about with Abraham, also had flocks and herds and tents,
11:43but the land could not support them while they stayed together,
11:46for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together.
11:52So Abraham, as a mature person, as somebody who was a peacemaker,
12:01very counter-culturally said to his nephew Lot,
12:06you go where you want to go.
12:10If you go to the left, I will go to the right.
12:13If you go to the right, I will go to the left.
12:19And what did Lot do?
12:21The Bible says that Lot looked around and saw a place near Sodom.
12:32He was led by his natural senses and enticed by the beauty of that land.
12:42Let us see what happened next in verse 10.
12:46Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan towards Zor
12:52was well watered like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt.
12:57This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
13:02So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out towards the east.
13:09The two men parted company.
13:11Abraham lived in the land of Canaan,
13:14while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom.
13:19Now the people of Sodom were wicked and sinning greatly against the Lord.
13:25So Lot, first of all, looked towards Sodom.
13:32He then pitched his tent towards Sodom.
13:37But eventually he ended up building a house inside of Sodom.
13:45Not considering the impact that that wicked city would have on him and his family.
13:54People of God, this is a picture of compromise.
14:02Compromise does not usually happen in one dramatic step.
14:08It starts with a look, then a small move,
14:15before settling down in a place that God never called you to.
14:24And we can see Lot in that chapter 19
14:29had become someone who sat at the gate of Sodom,
14:36likely as a civic leader,
14:39maybe in a position of authority.
14:43Now, maybe Lot had wanted to be in a position of authority
14:50and put himself forward in order to influence Sodom.
14:55Perhaps that was his objective and perhaps that was his motive.
15:00However, from the events that followed,
15:03it is clear that Lot could not live in Sodom
15:06without Sodom living in him.
15:12So, let's read and see what happened
15:16because we know that the Lord was so displeased
15:20with the land of Sodom
15:21that God had planned to destroy it.
15:26But God, in his mercy,
15:28sent some angels down to rescue Lot.
15:32And let's see how this operation took place.
15:37So, in Genesis chapter 19 and verse 12,
15:41the two men who were angels said to Lot,
15:45do you have anyone else here?
15:48Sons-in-law, sons or daughters,
15:51or anyone else in the city who belongs to you?
15:54Get them out of here
15:56because we are going to destroy this place.
15:58The outcry to the Lord against his people is so great.
16:02that he has sent us to destroy it.
16:05So, Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law
16:08who were pledged to marry his daughters.
16:10He said, hurry, get out of this place
16:14because the Lord is about to destroy the city.
16:18But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
16:24With the coming of the dawn,
16:26the angels urged Lot saying,
16:29hurry, take your wife and your two daughters who are here
16:33or you will be swept away when the city is punished.
16:38When he hesitated,
16:41take note of that word, hesitated,
16:44the men grasped his hand
16:47and the hands of his wife and his two daughters
16:50and led them safely out of the city.
16:55For the Lord was merciful to them.
16:57As soon as they had brought them out,
17:00one of them said,
17:01flee for your lives,
17:02don't look back and don't stop anywhere in the plain.
17:04Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away.
17:07But Lot said to them,
17:08no, my lords, please.
17:09Your servant has found favor in your eyes
17:12and you have shown great kindness to me
17:14in sparing my life.
17:15But I can't flee to the mountains.
17:17This disaster will overtake me and I'll die.
17:21Look, here is a small town near enough to run to.
17:24It is very small.
17:26Let me flee to it.
17:27It is very small, isn't it?
17:29Then my life will be spared.
17:33Wow.
17:35People of God.
17:36We can see here
17:38that Lot could not live in Sodom
17:42without Sodom living in him.
17:45Even when the angels came to rescue him,
17:51he hesitated,
17:52he negotiated,
17:55and he resisted God's direction.
17:58Even his son-in-laws
18:01did not take his faith seriously.
18:05And later on,
18:07we read how his wife disobeyed God's instruction.
18:11As they were leaving Sodom,
18:14she looked back at her earthly treasure
18:17and became a pillar of salt.
18:21So yes,
18:23Lot left Sodom,
18:26but with loss,
18:28with sorrow,
18:30and a tragic legacy.
18:35people of God,
18:38Abraham,
18:40arranged and set up his life
18:42in a way where he could obey God.
18:46His living in tents
18:48was a spiritual principle.
18:53But Lot built a house
18:56where he should have pitched a tent.
19:00Ask yourself right now,
19:03what tents
19:04has God called me
19:07to live in?
19:09Where have I
19:11built houses
19:13where I should be passing through?
19:16Am I living
19:18a life of compromise?
19:21Am I influencing the world?
19:24Or is the world
19:26influencing me?
19:29You see,
19:30with Lot,
19:31yes,
19:32he was supposed to be the light.
19:34He was supposed to be
19:36the example.
19:38But he ended up
19:40accepting
19:41and adopting
19:42the culture,
19:43the customs,
19:45and the corrupt mindset
19:46of the people.
19:47And this snuffed out
19:49any positive influence
19:51that he felt
19:52he could bring.
19:55People of God,
19:56we are in the world,
19:58but we
19:59should not be part of it.
20:01Let us remind ourselves
20:02of what happened
20:03towards the end.
20:04And let's read again
20:06from verse 17.
20:10As soon as they had
20:11brought them out,
20:12one of the angels
20:14said to Lot,
20:15flee for your lives,
20:16don't look back,
20:17and don't stop
20:18anywhere in the plain.
20:20Flee to the mountains
20:21or you will be swept away.
20:23But Lot said to them,
20:25no, my lords,
20:26please,
20:27your servant
20:28has found favour
20:29in your eyes
20:30and you have shown
20:31great kindness to me
20:32in sparing my life,
20:33but I can't flee
20:34to the mountains.
20:35This disaster
20:36will overtake me
20:37and I'll die.
20:39Look,
20:39here is a town
20:41small enough
20:41to run to
20:42and it's very small.
20:43Let me flee to it.
20:45It is very small,
20:46isn't it?
20:47Then my life
20:48will be spared.
20:50People of God,
20:53God does not take you
20:54out of Sodom
20:57to take you
20:58to Zor,
20:59somewhere small.
21:02Lot's life
21:03of compromise
21:05continued.
21:06Even he could see
21:07the mercy of God.
21:08Even he could see
21:09the hand of God.
21:10yet he still
21:11resisted
21:12God's direction.
21:14He said,
21:15let me go
21:15where it is
21:16more convenient
21:17because he
21:18failed to trust
21:19in God's
21:20authority.
21:22Because of pride,
21:24he lacked
21:25total dependence
21:27on God.
21:28Where Abraham
21:30said,
21:30Lord,
21:30I'm ready to go
21:31where you want me
21:32to go.
21:32I'm ready to do
21:33what you want me
21:34to do.
21:35I'm ready to pack
21:36up my tent
21:36and pitch it
21:37where you've
21:38called me
21:38to.
21:40Lot began
21:41to negotiate
21:43settling
21:43for something
21:45that God
21:45had not called
21:46him to.
21:46And the Bible
21:47says that when
21:48he went to
21:48that land
21:49of Zor,
21:49he was so
21:50afraid he
21:51had to leave
21:51and go
21:52and live
21:52in a cave.
21:55People of God,
21:56we should
21:58not just
21:59step out
22:00of the kingdom
22:01of darkness,
22:01but we should
22:03step into
22:04the kingdom
22:04of light.
22:05Because this
22:06is a picture
22:07of what can
22:08happen if we
22:09do not fully
22:10embrace the
22:11kingdom of God.
22:12What does it
22:14say in that
22:15book of 2nd
22:16Timothy
22:16chapter 2
22:17and verse 22?
22:19Flee
22:20the evil
22:21desires of
22:22youth
22:23and pursue
22:25righteousness,
22:27faith,
22:28love,
22:29and peace
22:30along with
22:31those who
22:32call on
22:33the Lord
22:34out of
22:35a pure
22:35heart.
22:36We should
22:37not just
22:38flee
22:39evil
22:40desires,
22:41but we
22:42are called
22:43to pursue
22:44righteousness.
22:47We should
22:49not just
22:49forget what
22:50is behind,
22:52but we
22:52should strain
22:53to what
22:54is ahead,
22:55as it
22:56says in
22:56Philippians
22:57chapter 3
22:58verse 13
22:59to 14.
23:00we should
23:01not just
23:02throw off
23:03the things
23:03that hinder
23:04and the
23:05sin that
23:06easily
23:06entangles,
23:07but we
23:08should run
23:09with perseverance
23:10fixing our
23:11eyes on
23:12Jesus,
23:12as it
23:13says in
23:13Hebrews
23:14chapter 12
23:15verse 1
23:16to 2.
23:18We should
23:18not just
23:19kick the
23:19devil out
23:20of our
23:20lives,
23:21but we
23:22should ensure
23:22the Holy
23:23Spirit
23:24takes up
23:25residence
23:25in our
23:25lives,
23:26as it
23:27says in
23:27Galatians
23:28chapter 5.
23:30We should
23:31not just
23:31come before
23:32God and
23:32ask God
23:33for forgiveness,
23:34believing that
23:35he's forgiven
23:35our sins,
23:36but we
23:37should go
23:38and sin
23:39no more,
23:40as it
23:40says in
23:41John
23:41chapter 8
23:42and verse
23:4311.
23:44And we
23:45should not
23:45just leave
23:46Sodom
23:47to go
23:48to Zor,
23:49but we
23:50should pursue
23:50God
23:51on that
23:52mountain.
23:53We should
23:54embrace
23:55his presence.
23:56We should
23:56seek God
23:57with all
23:58our hearts
23:59because on
24:00that mountain
24:01is where
24:02we will
24:02experience
24:03the presence
24:04of God,
24:04where there
24:05will be
24:05every
24:06spiritual
24:06blessing
24:07we can
24:08desire
24:08or require.
24:11So people
24:12of God,
24:12trust in
24:13the Lord
24:13with all
24:14your heart
24:14and lean
24:16not on
24:17your own
24:18understanding.
24:19In all
24:20your ways,
24:22submit to
24:23him and
24:24he will
24:25make your
24:26path
24:26straight
24:27as it
24:28says in
24:28Proverbs
24:29chapter 3
24:29verse 5
24:30to 6.
24:33Yes,
24:34people of
24:34God,
24:35it is
24:36a high
24:37standard
24:37that God
24:38calls us
24:38to.
24:39But the
24:40Holy Spirit
24:41is there
24:42to help
24:42us in
24:43our
24:43weakness.
24:44But one
24:45thing is
24:45clear,
24:46we cannot
24:47possess
24:47what we
24:48are unwilling
24:49to
24:50pursue.
24:53And the
24:54amazing
24:55thing is
24:55that God
24:56has not
24:57left us
24:58on this
24:58pilgrimage,
24:58on this
24:59journey of
25:00faith
25:00without
25:01direction.
25:02The word
25:03of God
25:03is a
25:04lamp for
25:04our feet
25:05and a
25:05light
25:06to our
25:06path,
25:07as it
25:07says in
25:08Psalm
25:08119
25:09verse
25:09105.
25:11And
25:11Jesus
25:12in the
25:13Garden
25:13of
25:13Gethsemane,
25:15before he
25:15was crucified,
25:16he prayed
25:17for his
25:18disciples
25:18in John
25:20chapter 17.
25:21He prayed
25:22and he
25:23said,
25:24keep them
25:25in the
25:25world,
25:27but keep
25:27the world
25:28out of
25:29them.
25:31In other
25:31words,
25:32keep them
25:32in the
25:32world,
25:33but keep
25:34the world
25:34and its
25:35values
25:36from living
25:37in their
25:38hearts.
25:40And then
25:40he prayed
25:41in John
25:42chapter 17
25:43and verse
25:4417.
25:44He said,
25:45sanctify
25:46them
25:46by
25:47the
25:48truth.
25:51Your
25:52word
25:53is
25:54the
25:55truth.
25:57Therein
25:58lies
25:58the
25:59key
26:00to
26:01being
26:01in the
26:02world,
26:02but not
26:03being
26:04a part
26:05of it.
26:06That's
26:06the key
26:07to setting
26:08your heart
26:09on pilgrimage
26:10where you
26:11will go
26:11from strength
26:12to strength
26:12even if
26:13you face
26:14the valley
26:14of Baca
26:15even if
26:16you face
26:16the valley
26:17of weeping
26:17even if
26:18you walk
26:19through the
26:19valley of
26:19the shadow
26:20of death
26:20you will
26:21fear no
26:22evil
26:22because you're
26:23fixing your
26:23eyes on
26:24Jesus.
26:24You go
26:25from strength
26:25to strength
26:26because God's
26:28word is
26:29dominating
26:30your heart.
26:31So the
26:32question I
26:32want to leave
26:33with you
26:33today people
26:34of God
26:34is this
26:35what is
26:36dominating
26:37your heart?
26:38are you
26:39word
26:40ruled
26:40or are
26:42you
26:42world
26:43ruled?
26:45Let us
26:45be
26:46like
26:47those
26:47who say
26:49along with
26:49the psalmist
26:50in Psalm
26:51119
26:52and verse
26:5311
26:53I have
26:55hidden
26:55your word
26:56in my
26:57heart
26:58that I
26:59may not
27:00sin
27:00against
27:01you.
27:02May God
27:04bless his
27:05word in the
27:06midst of our
27:06hearts today
27:07in Jesus'
27:09name.
27:09name.
27:39You
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