Today Pastor Choi talks about another lesson from Abram: generosity (the quality of being kind and generous to others).  When Abram’s herdsmen and those of Lot (Abram’s nephew) had the strife among them, Abram resolved the conflict by pursuing peace in the family.  He was also generous to his nephew by giving the first choice to choose whatever he wanted.  The lesson is that when we treat others with generosity, God rewards us for our generosity.

      Generosity

Following is a summary of the sermon:

Generosity

Genesis 13:1-18 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

13 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.

² Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold. ³ He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, ⁴ to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. ⁵ Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. ⁶ And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. ⁷ And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land.

⁸ So 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 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. 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.

¹⁴ The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; ¹⁵ for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. ¹⁶ I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. ¹⁷ Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.” ¹⁸ Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

Introduction

Two weeks ago, I spoke about Abram’s distrust and lies.  He lied twice calling his wife sister.  He did so, because he was afraid of losing his life.  It’s a lesson for us too.  When it comes down to protection, God is our shield (Genesis 15:1).  Our best protection in times of need is God, not our own schemes.  It is a far better choice to call on God trusting in Him and in His mighty power than to rely on our own wisdom and might when the chips are down.

Today’s text is the continuation of Abram’s journey.  This time it brings us another lesson: generosity (the quality of being kind and generous).

Contents:

Let me recap today’s story in my own words:  after God intervened for Abram in Egypt, Pharaoh returned Sarai to her husband and ordered them to leave the area.  So, he headed out for the land of Canaan—the wilderness.   Abram traveled together with his nephew Lot.  In those days, it was an advantage to travel together, especially if you were a foreigner.  The greater in number, the better protection it brought.  Abram and Lot both were shepherds, both were wealthy, and both had many hired herdsmen to take care of thousands of sheep and cattle.

As you can imagine, to feed and water the flock would be a huge challenge.  Mind you that in the wilderness you don’t have a nice river or even a small lake that provides a steady supply of water.  Therefore, you solely rely on a well.  By the way, no one shares his well with you either, so you have to dig one for yourself.  Furthermore, digging a well was not a small task.  “Many of the hand dug wells in the ancient Holy Land exceeded 100′ in depth.” (http://ptl2010.com/2010/12/27/the-tale-of-the-tel-wells-in-ancient-palestine-2/)  It involved trials and errors.  It took many workers and days to dig one well that was good.

Once a well is dug, you would like to stay there as long as you could until either water or grass, whichever first runs out.  That’s what they did.   They shared the land and the well which seemed at first sufficient for the both.   Then, one day the strife broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and those of Lot.   Someone must have started claiming they had the first right to the well and the land.  The other party said no way.  Their verbal quarrel got noisy.  They yelled at each other.   Some rough ones might have had a fist fight.  Luckily, no one was killed.  I believe the same strife very likely happened more than once (although the Bible doesn’t say how many times).

Of course, the herdsmen reported to their bosses respectively.  Each side complained and blamed the other side for the strife: “We were absolutely right and the other guys were absolutely wrong.”  Sound familiar?

Finally, all these matters came to the boss: Abram.  That’s where the buck stopped.

How did he handle the whole situation?  How would you handle the situation if you were him?   Let me tell you what I believe he could have done:  He could’ve chastised his nephew and his herdsmen for the strife.  He could’ve reminded Lot who was in charge in his household.  After all, he was his uncle.  He also could’ve called for a committee meeting to come up with the feeding and watering schedule for both sides.  He did none of the above.

Rather, he called for a one-on-one meeting with his nephew.  He said to Lot, “Look!  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.”

I love Abram’s approach here to resolve any conflict between him and his nephew.  Call for a one-on-one meeting.  No mediators.  Just you and me.  We are brothers.  The same approach is also recommended by Jesus our Lord.  In Matthew 18:15, He said, ¹⁵ “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.”

Abram said to Lot: Hey, look.  We are family.  Let’s have peace between us.  Here, he acknowledged that peace is the most important thing among his family members.  Not just between uncle and nephew, but even among their employees.  He was conscientious in setting a good example before the world (see verse 7: the Canaanite and Perizzite).  He was determined not to allow anything to come between him and Lot.   I believe many families today can use this approach.   E.g.  Have you ever seen some families fight over an inheritance taking each other to the court?  Perhaps that’s the way some people in the world settle their disputes, but not for God’s people.  We are peace makers.  We seek peace and pursue it among us (Psalm 34:14).

I also like Abram’s perspective on the way we gain material things.  “After you!” approach.  He was kind and cool giving the first choice to his nephew: Look, you go first.  Choose whatever suits your needs.  If you go to the left, I will go to the right.  If to the right, then I will go to the left.  Don’t you love his solution?   I do.  E.g.  If we yield to each other in driving, how much less stressed out would all of us be?

I would call Abram’s attitude generosity: let others have the first choice.  Such an attitude only comes from a mature person who has a room in his/her heart for others.  Some of us may be afraid that by being generous to others would make us a loser.  Not really.  On the contrary, God rewards us for our generosity.  Indeed, that’s what God did for Abram.  Right after Lot left for his choice land, the fertile, green, plenty of water land, Abram ended up staying in the same place–very harsh, arid, and tough to live with his livestock.  However, in the end it was Abram who was blessed.  He didn’t become a loser.  This is how it happened.  God appeared to him and assured that He would give him forever wherever his feet touched as a permanent inheritance for his descendants.  To make a long story short, do you know what happened to Lot?  He lost everything despite the favorable environments he went after.  Abram and his possessions, however, multiplied despite the harsh conditions.  That reminds me that true blessings always stem from God and stay with God.  God is the source of our blessings.  He Himself is our blessing.  Here’s another spiritual secret.  You don’t choose blessings over God.  You choose God instead and blessings will follow you.   Here’s one good prayer for you: Stop praying “Lord, bless me in what I do.”  Instead, start praying “Lord, help me to do what You bless.”  You will see a huge difference in your life.

E.g. Sundar Singh, a Christian man in India in the 20^th century, once was on his way to India from Tibet, traveling through a high mountain in freezing weather in the Himalayas.  He was traveling together with a friend.  As they approached the next lodge, which was about a couple of miles away, they found a stranger on the ground buried in snow half frozen and dying.  Singh suggested to his friend to take the man with them.  The friend refused saying, “Are you out of mind?  We cannot afford to carry another man in this cold weather!”   Singh insisted.  His friend said no and went ahead alone.  Singh took the man on his back.  The weight of the man on his back made his steps extra heavy and slow.   About a mile later, Singh found another man on the ground—it was his friend who went ahead and collapsed to death.  Singh and the other man, however, made to the next house, both alive.  Later Singh realized that the heavy weight of the man on his back provided the extra heat that kept them both warm.  The lesson: Singh chose what God blessed—help others–and survived.  His friend didn’t.

Closing:

Let’s be generous to others and God will reward us for our generosity.   Amen.

Today Pastor Choi talks about one experience we all have: lies.  Through the story of Abraham, he points out that the root cause of Abraham’s lies was lack of trust in God.  He exhorts the congregation to learn a lesson from Abraham: put trust in God daily in everything so that we may walk uprightly before God (Psalm 84:11).

   Distrust and Lies

Following is a summary of his sermon:

Distrust and Lies

Genesis 12:10-20     New American Standard Bible (NASB)

¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. ¹¹ It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; ¹² and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. ¹³ Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.” ¹⁴ It came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. ¹⁵ Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.¹⁶ Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels.

¹⁷ But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. ¹⁸ Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go.” ²⁰ Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him.

Introduction

Let me begin with a pop quiz: who was the first human being in the Bible ever told a lie?  The answer is Cain.  He was the eldest son of Adam and Eve.  He was a farmer.  His brother Abel was a shepherd.  In due time, when both of them brought their offerings to the LORD, He accepted Abel’s but not Cain’s.  Out of jealousy and anger, Cain killed his brother.  Later, when asked by God where his brother was, he said he didn’t know (Genesis 4:9).

Everyone lies: The Bible declares that everyone is a liar (Romans 3:4).  Although many of us don’t want to believe that, somehow we know deep in our heart that’s a truth.  Throughout human history, people lied.  They did.  They do.  They will.  East and west, old and young, male and female, we all lie.  It is not surprising (and strangely comforting) to discover in the Bible that even the people of faith lied, too.  In fact, that’s why I love and trust the Bible.  God’s Word doesn’t hide or embellish.  It calls a spade a spade.   When the people of God lied, it says they lied.  It never justifies lying.  Rather, it painfully reveals both the good and ugly side of God’s people.

Here’s the list of the people in the Bible who lied: Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Jacob’s sons, Saul, David, even Peter the apostle (he denied the Lord three times in one night).  It tells me that we are all human and no one is perfect except Jesus who was sinless and never told a lie.  Everyone else lies from time to time.

My own records: Looking back at my own life, I remember several instances when I lied.  Five times I lied when I was a child under the age of ten.  Twice I did after I became a believer (I was over 30 years old, too!).  The last one I did was twenty three years ago.  One day a member of the church whose car was very old asked me if I got a new car.  I said instantly “no” in order not to hurt her feelings.  I told her a half-truth, but still a lie (it was a replacement car under the Lemon Law in NJ yet still a new and upgraded one).

Contents

Definition: I looked up the definition of lie: “Statement that one knows to be untrue” (Oxford).  Here’s my own extended definition: to lie is to say two different things with one tongue: to tell only what benefits and omit the rest.  To alter the facts due to fears, desires, or feelings such as hate, anger, and etc.

The name Abram: Some of you may wonder why the name of Abraham in today’s text is spelled Abram.  It is not a typo.  Today’s story took place long before God gave Abram a new name Abraham.  Abram means an exalted father.  Abraham means a father of multitude.  God first called him, when Abram was 75 years old.  God didn’t give him the new name until he was 99 years old.  So, whenever you read his name Abram in the Bible, that means, he wasn’t given a new name yet (same with Sarai).

The life style of Abram: one more information to help you understand the text better.  The life style of Abram wasn’t a settled one.  He was not a farmer.  He was a shepherd.  He had to be on the move always.  He had hundreds and thousands of sheep and cattle.  He had to move around wherever he could find grass and water for his flock.  Keep in mind too that he was a foreigner—someone from outside who had to be on his toes always.  The Bible recorded three places Abram traveled over 25 years.

1. Egypt (Genesis 12:10-20).  Abram was 75 years old when God called him out of his homeland Ur (modern day Iraq–close to Kuwait border) and commanded him to go to the land of Palestine.   He traveled over 1,000 miles to Palestine.  There was a famine in the land.  He had to move.  He kept going south until he reached Egypt.  Note here that he was a foreigner (non-documented and even illegal in today’s terms) in the land of Egypt.  He had enough challenges, but the biggest trouble was that his wife Sarai was so beautiful that he was afraid the king in the land would kill him and snatch his wife.  So, Abram came up with a self-protection mechanism (v. 11- v.15); pre-meditated, well-planned-out, and mutually agreed between him and his wife: let’s call you my sister then they would not kill me.  Sarai his wife consented.   At first, it seemed working.  His life was spared, he was rewarded with lots of gifts, and Sarai was taken into Pharaoh’s palace to be his wife.  Later, before it got too late, God intervened and revealed the truth to Pharaoh.  This was Abram’s first lie.  Did he learn a lesson here?  Not really, because he repeats the same mistake twenty four years later.
2. Mamre (Genesis 18:1-15).  Move your time table 24 years.  Abram was 99 years old.  He was back in Palestine.  God appeared to him and gave new names to him and his wife—Abraham (Genesis 17:5) and Sarah (Genesis 17:15).  God also gave him a promise of a son by Sarah.  Later, God appeared to him again and reassured of the son by Sarah (Genesis 18:10).
3. Gerar (Genesis 20:1-18).  Two chapters later, Abraham was still 99 years and residing in Gerar (capital city of Philistines).  He was still a foreigner.  He faced the same challenge and the same fear—the fear of losing his life due to his beautiful wife.  So, he dug out the same old plan, self-protective action (v. 11-v. 13), pre-meditated and mutually agreed plan.  The old plan almost worked twenty four years ago in Egypt until God intervened.   Sarah condoned again.  The truth of the matter was she was indeed Abraham’s half-sister— the same father but different mother (Genesis 20:12).  Abraham was telling the half-truth.  He just hid that she was his wife.  The king of the land took Sarah to be his wife.  Once again God intervened.  This time Abraham learned a lesson: trust in the Lord, not in your own wisdom.

We would be gravely mistaken if we called Abraham a coward.  Rather, we can learn a lesson or two from his mistake and apply it to our lives.

Lessons

1. God always reveals the truth: nothing will stay hidden forever.  We’d better not believe that our lies will stay hidden forever.  Lies are never good for God’s children in the first place, and they never work, either.  Choose to tell the truth.
2. Lack of trust in God causes us to lie.  Consider Abraham’s case again.  When he first lied under the hostile circumstance in a foreign land, it is very understandable:  he was afraid to lose his life.  Perhaps, under the same condition, I would have lied, too.  But, when he did it again twenty four years later, that made me realize that Abraham lacked trust in God (for the same matter God tested him later: near sacrifice of his own son Isaac—Genesis 22).   He forgot that the LORD was his shield (Genesis 15:1).  Twice he lied because he was afraid of losing life.  Twice God convinced him that it was God who protected him from threats, not his own plan.   Had he chosen to tell the truth from the very beginning, I am convinced, God would have protected him.  Remember God’s way is always better than our ways.  His wisdom is far greater than ours.   What’s the lesson here?  Put trust in God every day in everything.  Learn to trust in God to avoid lies.  E.g.  In 1985, God helped me to secure my visa to America through honesty.
3. Family: parents, how do you help your kids to stay away from lying?  Do not choose the “fear of punishment” approach (e.g. my personal experience: the fears made me lie).  Rather, take the “assurance and love” approach.  Reason with them.  Explain the consequences of lies (that is, the disappointment to the parents).
4. Self: none of us may ever be completely free from lying.   However, when it happens, we repent and ask for forgiveness.   At the same time, to avoid more lying in the future, we can train ourselves to tell the truth and to describe things accurately without omitting.  We can also surround ourselves with trustworthy friends for accountability.  E.g.  When I was accepted to the Korean Air Force officers program by an administrator through an unsolicited practice of favoritism, a Christian friend gave me a verse in the Bible Psalm 84:11, which reads “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”   So, I ended up going to Army as a private and that helped the person who was wait-listed because of me to enroll.

Conclusion

Are you in a situation you feel you have to lie?  Don’t be afraid.  Trust in God and tell the truth.   God is your shield.  He will keep you and protect you.  No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.   Amen.

Today Pastor Choi talks about Jesus’ blessing of the children: permit them to come to Me and do not stop them (Mark 10:14).  Sharing his own experience in parenting, he exhorts the parents to keep eternal perspective and to remember the law of harvest in parenting.  Finally, he recommends the parents to bless children daily, equip them with God’s Word, and have family devotions in order to raise healthy and happy children in the Lord.

    Blessing of the Children

The following is a summary of his sermon:

Blessing of the Children

Mark 10:13-16  New American Standard Bible

¹³ And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵ Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”  ¹⁶ And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.

• Think about it!   What Jesus did and said towards children were revolutionary in the first century standards in Israel.  Back then, children and women were not equal to men.  They were considered and treated as inferior to men in many aspects.  They were not even counted as individuals.  For instance, in a room, let’s say, there are 10 men, 10 women, and 10 children.  Today, the head count would be 30.  However, if someone counted back then, he would say 1o people besides women and children.  In fact, that’s how they counted the crowd in the time of Moses when the Israelites came out of Egypt (approximately 3,500 years ago).  That’s also how they counted the crowd when Jesus fed the multitudes with the five loaves and two fish—5,000 people.  Had women and children been counted, the number would have been at least 15,000.
• One thing is for sure.  Jesus was different.  He kept the children dear in His heart.   He loved them so much that when His own disciples shooed away the parents who brought their children to Jesus for blessing, He got indignant.  You don’t see Him often angry, but this time He got really upset.  I understand why the disciples rebuked the parents.  They believed that their master had no time to see the little ones.  There are so many other people to look after, not the children!   To such disciples Jesus said, “What are you doing?  Let the children come to me and do not stop them.”  In my imagination, I almost see His red face.  I almost hear His raised voice.  The message was clear.  Let the children come to me.
• The same Jesus still loves the children and welcomes them into His kingdom.  As Jesus said in today’s text, I expect to see a lot of children in God’s kingdom.  I also expect to see in our congregation a lot of adults who are child-like, not childish.  The child-like adults receive God’s kingdom like a child does—with simple trust and obedience, not with doubts or calculations.  Let me repeat Jesus’ warning: Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all (v. 15).
• Jesus commands us to welcome children in God’s house.   That’s why we as Christ’s body always welcome children.  So, next time, when you hear a baby crying in the middle of service, don’t get annoyed like the disciples did.  Rather, remember and thank Jesus that we still have children in our midst.  Children are always welcome in our midst.  Listen to what Jesus said: “Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me” (Mark 9:37, NASB).  By welcoming children among us, we welcome God among us.
• God also commands us not to cause little ones to stumble in their journey to Heaven.  Listen to Jesus again: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea” (Mark 9:42, NASB).   If we made the children sin against God by our poor examples, Jesus said, we would be better off dying than facing the consequences.   In other words, God will hold us accountable with what we have done with our children.
• This morning, we will briefly think about children and parenting.  If this topic doesn’t concern you, you can still pass along this message to the parents of young children.
• First, children are a gift from God.  God gave them to us.  We don’t own them.  They are precious, adorable, and wonderful.  They bring us joy, laughter, and sometimes tears and headaches.  With them we walk our life’s journey together.  Together we create wonderful memories with children.  We are the family.
• In family, parents take the crucial role: it is called parenting.  We are the caretakers of our children.  We are the stewards in whose hands God entrusts children.  It is our privilege as well as responsibility to raise them as children of God and as responsible citizens in our society.   In fact, the future of our society depends on your family: you and your child.
• I wish that parenting were a piece of cake.  Most of the time, it is rewarding, but sometimes, it gets challenging.  It is wonderful and horrible at times.   We all wish that each child were born with a customized manual, but they are not.   Don’t despair, though.  God can help you and so can the Church.
• Two things helped me in parenting: First, eternal perspective.  When you look at your child’s life through the lens of eternity, everything looks different.  You will realize that the life on earth is only the stepping stone to eternal life.  The goal of parenting would be different.  The means of parenting would change as well.  When you begin with eternal life in mind, you would realize that what you do here and now prepares your child for eternity.   Many of parents would say, I want my child to have a good education and enjoy a happy life, and so on, but those goals are all about the life here on earth.   What about their eternal life?   Therefore, ask questions like “What can I do to prepare my child to be in the presence of God forever?” “What do I want them to be like in the end?” or “What should be their first priority in life?”
• My wife and I wanted our child to be with Jesus in Heaven.  We always prayed that she would know God and that she would love God and her neighbors.  Once our priorities were set, we organized everything around the priorities and executed them.   E.g. Sunday morning sports vs. worship, no sleepovers on Saturdays.
• Next, the law of harvest.  We harvest what we sow.  We cannot harvest corn where we planted tomatoes.  My personal observation tells me that there’s a 20-year cycle.  What I sow today, I will harvest the fruit twenty years later.  Today I enjoy the fruit of my twenty years of investing my life in my child’s life.  Love and trust.  Fun and laughter.  Blessings and prayers.  I still plant today for the next twenty years of relationship with my child.
• Three things I recommend to the parents:
  • Pray:  lay hands on your child’s head and bless him/her in the name of the Lord.  Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and even Jesus did it.  This will instill security in your child’s heart.  This biblical practice is too good to miss.  Remember: who will pray and bless your child if you don’t?  E.g.  I used to do daily blessings for my daughter one in the morning and one at night.
  • Bible:  Equip your child with a life-long help: the Bible.  After all, it is a divine and supernatural means to help your child.  “Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesian 6:4, NASB).   E.g. In my family, we chose an age appropriate Bible for our child to instill early in her heart a godly habit of getting into God’s Word.  Daily.  It would have been foolish of us if we had failed to do so.  Why?  Because, God’s Word will help our children to develop a life-long relationship with God.  It will equip them with a right understanding of people.  For instance, everyone is equal under God, no one is under or above others.  It will also help them to cultivate a healthy self-esteem in God.
  • Family Devotions: Have family devotions once a day after dinner.  Have everybody participate.   Read a short passage from the Bible.  Share joys and concerns, and pray together.  End the devotions with the Lord’s prayer.  It takes about 10 minutes.  You will be blessed beyond your imagination.  I will follow up on this topic next month.
• My blessings and prayers are with every family to raise a healthy and happy child in the Lord.    Amen.