A Journey of Faith, Week 4 - August 30, 2026

Genesis 13 puts two righteous men at a crossroads. Lot and Abram have both been blessed by God, yet their choices lead them in two very different directions. The land cannot support both households, strife rises among the herdsmen, and Abram gives Lot the first choice. Abram’s open hands reveal faith that God will take care of what belongs to him.

Lot’s choice is marked by facts and finances. Lot sees the well-watered Jordan plain, a place that looks like paradise, and chooses prosperity even though Sodom is right beside it. Lot builds no altar, seeks no direction from God, and makes no room for the question, “God, what do You want?” Lot’s closed fist reaches for what looks best financially, even when that decision puts his family closer to sin.

Sodom shows how compromise works. Lot first pitches his tents near Sodom, then lives in Sodom, and eventually becomes a leading citizen of Sodom. The progression begins with a decision that seems reasonable and profitable. Lot’s life warns against climbing the wrong ladder, arriving at the top, and finding that everything gained has cost too much.

Abram’s life is marked by faith. Abram goes back to Bethel, calls on the name of the Lord, and seeks God first in a new season. Abram’s open hands use God’s blessings to bless others, not merely to protect personal comfort. Abram gives Lot the better land, then later gives God the first and the best through the tithe.

God Most High, El Elyon, stands at the center of Abram’s life. God receives the first of Abram’s time, talent, and treasure because God is above all, surpasses all, and deserves the highest place. God responds to Abram’s faith by promising multiplied blessing, a land, and offspring beyond counting.

The same crossroads stands before the church. The contrast between Lot and Abram presses the question of whether comfort, convenience, and closed fists will define the future, or whether faith and open hands will make room for people who need Jesus. The Impact Center is not ultimately about a place, but about a people. God calls His people to finish His work so that the glory belongs to Him alone.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Closed fists can lead toward Sodom. Lot’s decision was not openly rebellious at first. Lot simply chose what looked best, yet financial gain placed him and his family beside a wicked city. Sin often works through a slow progression, moving a heart from near Sodom to settled in Sodom. [49:57]
• 2. Faith goes back to Bethel first. Abram had failed before, but a new season began at the altar. Faith does not begin by calculating the best visible option; faith begins by calling on the Lord. God’s direction must carry more weight than personal preference, opportunity, or fear. [51:49]
• 3. God blesses open-handed lives. Abram did not treat God’s gifts as possessions to clutch tightly. God’s blessings were meant to become channels of blessing for others. Open hands reveal trust that God can take care of the person who puts Him first. [52:45]
• 4. God deserves the first and best. El Elyon means God Most High. The first and best of time, talent, and treasure reveal what truly holds the highest place in a life. Every person gives the first portion somewhere, and faith calls for God to receive it. [56:38]
• 5. Capacity must increase for people. A three-car garage cannot hold more than three cars, regardless of how much planning surrounds it. The church cannot keep reaching more people without making more room for them. The work is not about protecting a building or a preferred seat, but about making space for people to find Jesus.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [31:11] - Opening Genesis 13
• [33:57] - A Crucial Crossroads for the Church
• [36:17] - Strongholds and the Call to Cross Over
• [40:18] - Two Choices, Two Different Outcomes
• [42:10] - Facts, Finances, and Giving
• [45:46] - Lot Chooses the Well-Watered Plain
• [47:36] - Living Near Sodom
• [50:42] - The Danger of the Wrong Ladder
• [51:23] - Abram’s Life of Faith
• [53:19] - Giving God the First and Best
• [56:16] - El Elyon, God Most High
• [60:33] - The Church at a Crossroads
• [62:12] - Building Capacity for More People
• [65:38] - Finishing the Work God Has Given

Bible Reading

Genesis 13:1–18
So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord. The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord. [31:11] [33:57]

Genesis 14:18–20
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. [53:19] [56:16]

2 Peter 2:7–8
And if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);

Observation questions

1. What details show that both Abram and Lot had been blessed with great possessions, and what problem did those possessions create between their households? [40:42]
2. What does Abram do when strife rises, and what does his offer to Lot reveal about the way he handles the land?
3. What does Lot see when he looks toward the Jordan Valley, and what warning does the passage give about the place near which he chooses to live? [47:36]
4. What actions mark Abram’s life in Genesis 13 after he returns to Bethel and after Lot separates from him? [51:31]

Interpretation questions

1. Lot’s choice looked wise by ordinary standards because the land was well watered and fruitful. Why is choosing only by visible opportunity and financial gain dangerous when a decision also moves a person or family nearer to sin? [47:41]
2. Abram gives Lot the first choice even though Abram is older and has cared for Lot. How does this choice show confidence that God, rather than a person’s ability to protect his own interests, provides what is needed? [52:34]
3. Second Peter calls Lot righteous, yet describes him as deeply distressed while living among wicked people. What does Lot’s life show about the spiritual cost of slowly becoming comfortable near sinful influences? [49:46]
4. Melchizedek calls God “God Most High,” and Abram gives a tenth of everything. What does giving God the first and best communicate about who holds the highest place in a believer’s life? [56:16]

Application questions

1. What decision, opportunity, job, habit, or schedule pressure is currently asking you to choose between what looks profitable and what is best for your faith and family? What would it look like to bring that decision to God first? [51:49]
2. Lot’s path moved from being near Sodom to living in Sodom. Is there any area where you have taken small steps toward an influence, relationship, entertainment choice, or pattern that is pulling you closer to sin? What is one wise boundary you could put in place? [49:57]
3. Abram went back to Bethel and called on the Lord at the beginning of a new season. What new season or important change are you facing, and how can you make seeking God a real first step rather than an afterthought? [51:39]
4. Closed fists say, “I need to hold on to what is mine.” Where do you most feel tempted to hold tightly to your time, abilities, money, comfort, or preferences? What might open-handed trust in God look like in that area? [52:45]
5. Every person gives the first and best portion of life to something. Looking at your calendar, spending, energy, and attention, what seems to receive your first and best right now? Does that reflect that God is El Elyon, God Most High, in your life? [55:38]
6. Making room for people to meet Jesus may require giving up a preferred seat, parking space, schedule, or comfort. What practical sacrifice could you make so that someone else has a clearer opportunity to connect with the church and hear the gospel? [01:02:46]
7. God’s work is ultimately about people, not protecting a building or preserving convenience. How can your group help keep the focus on welcoming, serving, and reaching people who need Jesus? [01:05:22]