Saved?
Our text is from Genesis chapter
nineteen which is the account of Lot being saved out of Sodom. We too are called out of
our Sodom--from sin and the sodom denominations. There are four different reactions to
salvation given here. Observe them carefully.
And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here
any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the
city, bring [them] out of this place (Genesis 19:12).
This is the call of salvation to Lot and to whatsoever thou
hast. God is not only concerned with you, but with all that you have--our children,
friends, and family. The Lord wants to bring them out of this place and so it is
with us. Sodom is a type of sin. When Jesus died for you He brought you out of sin. It's
applied to you when you accept His offer of salvation through Him.
And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons
in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD
will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law (v.14).
As saved people we are to be declaring the Gospel to
individuals. This is what is meant when you call yourself a Christian it basically says
that you want to see people come to know the Lord Jesus. This word spake is
in the Hebrew "imperfect mood"--a continual or repeated action. In other words,
he did not just go and say up out of this place once and then went back. But
implies that he pleaded with them—he kept on asking them.
The sons-in-law of Lot are the first reaction we see in
the text. They are indicative of most of the people out there today. We classify them as unbelievers.
Those are individuals who choose not to believe or accept the work of the Lord Jesus.
And such were some of you: but ye are
washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by
the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11).
God, in His mercy gives many a chance to repent of their ways.
We don't deserve it, but our Lord is very gracious and loving. We are to speak to others
about the Lord. We're asked to spread the good news to others about the work of Christ.
Some will hear and some will not.
God was coming to the sons-in-law right were they were. Many
people say, but I am not worthy God would not have me. Yes, you are unworthy and
hopelessly lost heading straight to hell. God is unpleased with that course you're on, and
wants to change that. Your life hangs on only one moment one second. You will make
hundreds of decisions in your life, and you make them almost every moment of every day.
Have you in these last remaining days, as it was for Sodom with someone coming to them,
been broken before the Lord and repented of your life?
When Lot came to the sons-in-law to them he was one that
mocked. The word mocked means laughed or played. Two things are clear.
First, the sons were so deep in Sodom that they did not care about the message Lot was
bringing to them. Why? Because.
In whom the god of this world (satan) hath
blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Two, Lot's testimony was very poor; not because of his standing
with God for the scriptures say.
"And delivered just Lot, vexed with
the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in
seeing and hearing, vexed [his] righteous soul from day to day with [their] unlawful
deeds" (2 Peter 2: 7)
It was because of his lifestyle--his compromise he lived in it!
The question is why a righteous man lives in and continues to live in such evil? If we
stay in compromise, sin, and things unbiblical we will suffer a shaky testimony. Also,
understand this word mocked carries the fact that it was a continual thing. The
sons-in-law thought he was one that mocked all the time; not just at that very
moment.
"And when the morning arose, then the
angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here;
lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city." (v. 15)
We read and when the morning arose. God gave Sodom
all night to repent but they did not. One can not help but weep over cities like San
Francisco, Los Angles, New York, Dallas, and so on. Oh God help them! God Almighty bring
their hearts to brokeness. Let their sins consume them that they may fall under your
mighty hand and be saved!
"And while he lingered, the men laid
hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters;
the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the
city." (v. 16)
Lot is our second example. His name means covering. He is
one who is saved. Note what he does before their deliverance and while he lingered. We
to, as we are approaching salvation seem to linger. Being unsure of the step we are about
to take. Like Lot we desire for the things of our sinful life things for our pleasure.
Those pleasures were death to us "for the wages of sin [is] death."
(Romans 6:28) Beloved, understand when you are ordained to come to salvation the
Lord is merciful the LORD being merciful unto him. In the Spirit He lays
hold upon your hand and brings you forth. It's by faith in Christ our Lord that we're
saved.
"For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man
should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9)
Lot was given instructions by the angels.
"Escape for thy life; look not behind
thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be
consumed." (v. 17)
Lot was to go and not look back. We're to do the same.
"For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." (Matthew
16:25)
"And Jesus said unto him, No man,
having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
(Luke 9:62)
"Then let them which be in Judaea
flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing
out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his
clothes." (Matthew 24:16-18)
Lot's wife is our third example of salvation by people.
"But his wife looked back from behind
him, and she became a pillar of salt." (v. 26)
She was saved from Sodom but it was superficial. We would put it
today as "having fire insurance" she came for the sake of what was happening at
the time, but her heart was still in Sodom. We read that she looked back. Read
carefully this next statement. The word looked back in Hebrew means to
considered or regarded. It's also in the Hebrew "imperfect-mood" this
"expresses a process, action or condition, that is incomplete" In other words,
looking back not as to things finished (having no desire anymore) but
as unfinished looking to what she would have done there. Do you see this? Do
you see how coming out one can desire the old life again? This cannot be--it's
totally inconsistent with the life with Christ.
"And Jesus said unto him, No man,
having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
(Luke 9:62)
"For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in
them." (Ephesians 2:10)
"In that day, he which shall be upon
the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he
that is in the field, let him likewise not return back Remember Lot's wife." (Luke
17:31,32)
"If ye then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your
affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life
is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye
also appear with him in glory Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;
fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness,
which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the
children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication
out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with
his deeds; And have put on the new [man], which is renewed in knowledge after the
image of him that created him." (Colossians 3:1-10)
Many Christians today struggle with this. Some do not think it's
that important. Some are taught that it does not matter what you do. The statement that is
given to them is "don't worry about it it's ok, be in the world God loves you
anyway." How sad this is as it flies in the face of scripture.
"Because it is written, Be ye holy;
for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:16)
The Holy Word of God is filled with scriptures about being Holy
for God, and the danger of turning back.
"For if after they have escaped the
pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they
are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the
beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness,
than, after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto
them." (2 Peter 2:20,21)
Lot's daughters are our forth example we read.
"And Lot went up out of Zoar, and
dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and
he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters." (v.30)
Lot's daughters were saved out of Sodom. They are a good
distance away from it. These two daughters got farther than their Mother did in the
deliverance from Sodom. This is where, sad to say, the church is today—saved out and
been saved long enough to know better but lives in unholiess. They have times on the mountain
but need to be in the valley for training and instruction. This is the problem
today--we need to be instructed in the Word of God. We need to be sheep that is feed and
not sheep that are starving!
Most Christians are not even aware of passages of scriptures
that are basic to the life of the believer. And no wonder the cults are quick on our tails
to grab up the malnourished Christian. We had better be about following Christ and not
man!
"And the firstborn said unto the
younger, Our father [is] old, and [there is] not a man in the earth to come in unto us
after the manner of all the earth: Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will
lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink
wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not
when she lay down, nor when she arose." (vs. 31-33)
Lot's daughters commit incest with him. Of course this is
condemned in the Scriptures.
"None of you shall approach to any
that is near of kin to him, to uncover [their] nakedness: I [am] the LORD. The nakedness
of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she [is] thy
mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness." (Leviticus 18:16,17)
Note, the incredibly stupid excuse the elder uses to convince
the younger and [there is] not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the
manner of all the earth. Of course there was. This was a sorry excuse
for practicing perversion! And yet this is equivalent to some the excuses there are for
our backsliding. This is a warning to us as to not come out and be involved in things we
were once saved from. We as Christians cannot continue to practice things that are
condemned by Christ and suppose to be just fine. Were do you suppose the daughters
learned this from? Yes, Sodom. Do you see how they brought it out with them. God help us!
Leave it behind go on in your walk with Christ. Be determined to obey Him live righteous
and Holy before Him.
"I know thy works, and thy labour,
and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried
them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne,
and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted."
(Revelation 2:2,3)
So, to review what we learned.
1. The sons in law did not take Lot seriously when he came to
them with the word of God. They went to hell. Do you take God's word seriously?
2. Lot was righteous because he trusted in Christ how about you?
He came out and left his old life behind have you?
3. Lot's wife came out for a moment but did not really leave.
Her heart was still in Sodom (Sin) is yours?
4. Lot's daughters came out for good, but kept the ways of Sodom
have you? We pray that this is not the case.
Amen?
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