Genesis 17 - 19 Influence: God's Ours, and The World's

1. Main Topics

   1. Who or what influence our thoughts and actions?

   2. Abraham was influenced by God

   3. Lot was influenced by The world

   4. Abraham was able to influence others, even God

   5. Lot lost his influence over even his own family

2. Abraham trusted God, and allowed his life to be changed by God

   1. Abraham felt it was impossible for him to have a son by Sarah (Gen 17:17)

   2. Abraham believed God's promise (Gen 17:23-27)

   3. Abraham commited himself to the terms of the covenant (Gen 17:23-27)

3. Sarah trusted her own knowledge over God's plan

   1. Sarah laughed when God promised a son (Gen 18:12)

   2. Sarah was ashamed of her doubt (Gen 18:15)

4. Abraham Intercedes for Sodom (and Lot)

   1. God knew Abraham's faithfulness, and his future influence (Gen 18:17)

   2. God told Abraham what He was about to do (Gen 18:20)

   3. Abraham intercedes, boldly asking God to be merciful (Gen 18:22-32)

      1. Really Abraham was asking for Lot to be saved

   4. God answers Abrahams prayer

      1. Even though Abraham doesn't specifically ask about Lot, God still knows his heart, and makes a way for Lot to be saved, even though he could not find even 10 righteous men in the city

5. Lot doesn't realize he has lost his influence

   1. God sends angels to Sodom to retrieve Lot and his family, then destroy the city (Gen 19:1)

   2. Lot asks the angels to stay in his home, thinking he could offer them protection (Gen 19:3)

   3. The men of Sodom sought to rape the angels (Gen 19:5)

      1. Hospitality was very important in the time of Lot and still is today in the Middle East

      2. To protect his guests Lot offered his virgin daughters to the mob, even then the men of the city tried to break the door down (Gen 19:8)

         1. Lot had lost his influence, no one had even the slightest bit of respect for Lot

         2. Lot never called out to God to come to his aid, he knew he had lost his influence with God

      3. Finally the angels blinded the mob, as their mission was to protect Lot (Gen 19:10)

   4. The angels told Lot to gather his family and leave the city as they were about to destroy it (Gen 19:13)

      1. Lot went to his family and told them to leave, they thought he was joking, he had even lost his influence with his own family (Gen 19:14)

      2. The angels tell Lot to run to the mountains (Gen 19:17)

         1. Lot uses Abrahams influence to make his escape easier (Gen 19:18)

         2. Lot's own wife is not influenced by him, and is turned to a pillar of salt (Gen 19:26)

   5. Lot's own daughters have no respect for him, they sleep with their drunken father and two of Israel's greates enemies are born (Gen 19:30-36)