Sermon notes from Sunday 6 October
2019
Genesis 19 verses 1 – 3, 12 – 29, Luke
17 verses 26 – 32
The Lord Jesus picks up some of the details about
Lot’s story in his warnings on the Second Coming in Luke 17 with 3 little words
“Remember Lot”. It is significant that
he picked up on this one individual woman.
Maybe it is significant that we don’t know her name. The example of a woman who was so near to
safety, security and salvation yet tragically she perished. The overthrow of these cities is held up as a
warning of a coming judgment. Genesis 18
verse 20 “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin
is very grievous.” The men of
Sodom were wicked and sinners before God.
Sodom is held up as this dreadful place.
Sodom and Gomorrah are a symbol of gross immorality and sexual
perversion.
The man Lot is very significant. “Lot pitched his tent towards Sodom.”
(Genesis 13 verse 12) Abraham and Lot
had worked together but their servants started to fall out. Abraham decided they should separate and he
gave Lot the opportunity to choose the land.
Lot chose the very well watered plains of Sodom. He knew his cattle and sheep would thrive and
his overheads would be lower. He was an
industrious farmer, a keen business man.
He pitched his tent towards Sodom.
The difference between Abraham and Lot – Abraham was a man of powerful
faith but Lot was weaker in his devotions.
He had flocks and herds but the one thing he didn’t have was an
altar. He didn’t seek God. He didn’t ask God. There was an element of worldliness in this
man Lot. He was a “righteous man” Peter
tells us. (2 Peter 2 verse 7) It is hard
to believe that this righteous man made bad decisions. Why was that? Because firstly he was weak in his devotions
and secondly he was worldly in his desires.
There were 2 reasons for choosing Sodom – it was like the Garden of the
Lord. It had lovely pasture, had a
natural attraction to it. There was also
the religious reason also – he felt the Lord was in it. It was his own selfishness. He liked the land. The real reason for choosing it was because
it was like the land of Egypt. Within
him there was a worldly attraction to Sodom.
Egypt in the Bible is always associated with worldliness. Do you make good or bad decisions? Bad decisions will lead you astray. Put God first in all your decisions – “In all
your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3 verse 6) The first question God asks us is which road
are you on, the road to heaven or hell?
The second question he asks is if we will live for him or live for
earth? We need to put God first and
build for eternity. George Mueller said “the
stops and steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” For Lot there were no stops. Here was a man of pretty worthless witness
because when judgment is hovering and is about to fall he goes to his sons-in-laws
and tells them to get out of the place because God was about to bring
judgement. Their response – they mocked
him as a result. Lot said the right
words but they carried no weight. It is
possible to witness and speak about Christ but we need the weight behind
it. A man of weakness will ended up with
a wayward wife.
Lot’s wife was a privileged woman and a woman who
perished. She was privileged in that she
was preached to, prayed for and pleaded with.
The wife of righteous Lot with all his weakness nevertheless. This woman was married to a righteous man,
influenced for God in that home. Lot was
the nephew of Abraham and she was Lot’s wife.
Abraham was a mighty man of faith.
The influence he had on this woman.
Any question she had was answered by Abraham. If she had a theological issue she couldn’t
resolve she could speak to Abraham. His
guidance, his prayer life, trusting God for all his needs were a mighty influence
on her. God sent angelic beings into her
home. Look how many times we are told “bring
them out of this place for we will destroy this place” (verses 12. 13. 14, 15
and 17) What message did Lot’s wife not
get? She was preached to. It is a wonderful thing to be able to listen
to evangelistic gospel ministers. In
Genesis 6 we read that God said “I will destroy man.” In Exodus 12 we read that God told Pharaoh he
would send the death angel to the firstborn.
In Deuteronomy 33 we read “I set before you the way of life and death,
choose life.” Amos preached “prepare to
meet thy God.” God knew that we can
drift through life. Some people have the
attitude “I will take my chance.” Some
people would never get into a car until they had the proper insurance and tax
yet many gamble with their lives. We
need to prepare to meet with God one day.
Lot’s wife was aware of judgment and ruin but she was also aware of
mercy. Verse 16 “the Lord being merciful
unto him” and verse 19 “and thou hast magnified thy mercy.” Lot’s wife was aware of God’s mercy. Do you know what mercy means? Mercy is God not giving us that which we
deserve and grace is getting that which we don’t deserve. If she repented and called on the Lord, God
would be merciful to her. Remember the
Pharisee and Publican who went into the temple to pray. The Pharisee prayed “I thank God I am not as
other men” but the Publican prayed “God be merciful to me.” There are different aspects to the word
mercy. The blind man in the New
Testament cried out “Lord be merciful to me.”
He was saying “look on me in pity.”
The Greek word has the underlying truth that it is God who propitiated
me. (1 John 2 verse 2) Christ bore the
full wrath of my sin on the cross, I need to apply that to my life, God’s anger
has been turned away and his mercy has been shown to me. Have you ever let God’s mercy be applied to
your life? Lot’s wife was aware of faith
as well as mercy. Do you know about
faith? “He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3 verse 36) “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word
of God .” (Romans 10 verse 17) In
Genesis 18 we read that “Abraham drew near” (verse 23). That means he was talking to God in
prayer. He was coming near to God on the
basis of a future Calvary. Abraham
starts to bargain with God – if there are 50 righteous in the city will you
destroy it? He continued to bargain
right down to 10. Why did he stop at
10? He was naming them at this stage –
Lot, his wife, 2 unmarried daughters and we read of sons-in-law so there were 3
of them which totalled 10. You may be
unconverted tonight but there are people praying for you. There is an immense privilege for any of us
to know that someone is praying for us.
You may know that some prayers are still unanswered but you have drawn
strength and comfort in times of bereavement, guidance in times of confusion,
strength in times of sickness or changes in circumstances. Perhaps the things of the world that once
were so attractive to you over time have lost their pull. Somehow you cannot explain it but you are
beginning to think of eternal things.
Lot’s wife was privileged in that she was preached to and prayed to. She was also pleaded with. Many times we would love to get hold of
people and push them into the kingdom of God but hands off – that is God’s work
between them and God alone. The message
came to Lot, they had to get out before God would act. Until Lot and his wife and family were
brought out of the city the judgment of God was stayed. The message was simple – do not look behind
you but Lot’s wife looked back. The hand
of the Lord was upon them and so too the Holy Spirit comes after us and gets a
hold of us, reveals to us our need or our lostness and what we need to do. If God’s Holy Spirit was not opening our eyes
we could never be saved. The Holy Spirit
will convince and convict us of our sin and righteousness and judgment that is
to come. The bible makes it clear – “my
Spirit shall not always strive with man.” (Genesis 6 verse 3) There will come a point when the Holy Spirit will
no longer strive with man. When the Spirit
withdraws forever it will be too late.
Why did this woman perish and become a pillar of salt? God sent the judgment but why did she look back? What was she thinking? What was dragging her back into the
city? The fact is that she had become so
deeply entrenched in the lifestyle of Sodom.
“Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you
want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.” R Zaccharias “For all that is in the
world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not
of the Father but is of the world.” (1 John 2 verse 16) Lot’s wife looked back with a wistful look. She stands tonight as a monument of a divided
heart. Why did Jesus recall her life? What a warning this is. She perished because she stopped short. They were told to escape to the mountain. You and I need to come to a mountain tonight –
it is called Calvary, come to the cross, bow at the cross. This woman stopped short of the cross. I know people in evangelical churches who
have a profession of faith. They have
left the city but stopped short of the cross.
They never had an encounter at the cross. Sin has not been dealt with. They have no assurance that they are on their
way to heaven. Lot’s wife had partial
obedience but partial obedience is disobedience. They have an outward separation, a language that
sounds correct but the heart has never been changed. She had worldly desires but she also had a
warped defence. Here’s a woman – what was
it that stopped her from making it to the mountain? Lot was not what he should have been. Maybe we are saying that of ourselves
too. She did what so many do – she is hiding
behind the inconsistencies of her husband.
Are you doing that? Hiding behind
someone claiming to be a Christian. Many
believers tonight are struggling to walk the Christian pathway, not always what
ought to be, all of us make mistakes, pointing the finger at someone. Inconsistencies will be no defence on the day
of judgment. It will be no defence. Remember Lot’s wife. She was preached to, prayed for, pleaded
with. She perished because she
disobeyed. The bible asks us “what shall
the end of those who obey not the gospel? (1 Peter 4 verse 17) Wilful disobedience, worldly desires,
incredible unbelief – these are the things that people will put before God. A warped defence. The Saviour is waiting tonight. Come on he says. He takes you by your hand and tells you to
come.
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