Casual Christians Will Become Casualties

CASUAL CHRISTIANS WILL BECOME CASUALTIES

Gen. 13:1-18

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: BAD-MOUTHING TO THE WRONG PERSON. An elderly woman came into church. An usher asked her where she’d like to sit. She said, “I’d like to sit down front.” The usher said, “No, you don’t want to sit down there; our pastor is quite boring.” She said, “Do you know who I am? I am the pastor’s mother!” The usher asked, “Do you know who I am?” She replied, “No.” And he said, “Thank God” and ran out of the church.

B. BARNA: CASUAL VS CAPTIVE CHRISTIANS

1. SUMMARY OF DIFFERENCES

CAPTIVE CHRISTIANS......CASUAL CHRISTIANS

16%.....................................66%

Jesus= Center...................Jesus is on the Periphery

Priority: Please God..........Priority: Please Self

Extreme Devotion.............Moderation, Balance

Aim: Get out Gospel..........Maximize Opportunities

Goal: Accepted by God......Accepted by Friends, Be Happy

2. BARNA’S COMPARISON*

a. “Casual Christianity is faith in moderation. It allows them to feel religious without having to prioritize their faith. A Casual Christian can be all the things that they esteem: a nice human being, a family person, religious, an exemplary citizen, a reliable employee – and never have to publicly defend or represent difficult moral or social positions. From their perspective, their brand of faith practice is genuine, realistic and practical.” Casual Christians think theirs is an acceptable middle position between Bible Christians and a lost world.

b. Captive Christians, on the other hand, focus on upholding the absolute moral and spiritual truths they read in the Bible. It's not reading the Bible, but DOING it. For Captives, success is obedience to God, regardless of the worldly consequences.” They have staked a position in God’s camp, not in the middle.

3. I think we all know that Casual Christians won’t be acceptable to the God who said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple....In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be My disciples” Luke 14:26-27,33 "...not worthy of Me" Mt. 10:38.

4. We’re going to look at an example of a “casual Christian” in scripture:

C. TEXT

1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. 4 There Abram called on the name of the LORD. 5 Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6 But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great...7 And quarreling arose between Abram's herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot...8 So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling...9 Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right...10 Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD...11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east....13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD. 14 The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 18...he built an altar to the LORD.

D. THESIS & TITLE

1. We’re going to look at two individuals who were captive & casual believers, at how their faith or lack of it guided their choices, and see the outcome of what followed.

2. The title of this message is “Casual Christians Will Become Casualties.”

I. ABRAM & LOT’S JOURNEY OF FAITH

Abram is a type of the Captive Christian pursuing the Lord. Lot is the picture of a Christian who has not truly abandoned the world.

A. ABRAM’S PROGRESSIVELY DEEPENING FAITH

1. In Gen. 12, Abram followed God’s leading and made pleasing God his top priority. God spoke to Abram to leave his family and his country and follow God to the land of Canaan. This he did, abandoning his pursuit of prosperity, and went to a land he knew nothing of.

2. In Gen. 13, Abram saw that he and his nephew Lot must separate. He gave his nephew the choice of land. Lot, loving money more than relationship to God, choose the fertile grasslands near Sodom & Gomorrah for his flocks.

3. Abram accepted the rocky heights that gave him more solitude and places to pray.

4. Later, in Gen. 22, Abram surrendered his only son to God, willing to give him up to God’s will.