Desperate Daughters Series

"Valentinus was the name of a young man who lived in Rome during reign of Claudius II when Christians were being persecuted. Although he was not a Christian, he helped them, but he was caught and put into prison. In prison he became a believer in Jesus. Because of this, Valentinus was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs, stoned and finally beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate on February 14, 269. After his death, this gate was known as Porta Valentini. While he was in prison he sent messages to his friends saying, "Remember your Valentine!" and "I love you."

Even Valentines Day like Halloween has Christian beginnings, but the world has taken them over and removed any trace, like it is trying to do with Easter and Christmas as well.

We take a day every year to celebrate our love for our friends and spouses and such. If you were to be honest, how many other days in the year do you do this? How many of you go out and buy a card, flowers, chocolates whatever, because that’s what you do on Valentine’s Day, and you better not forget. Anniversaries and Valentine’s days, don’t you dare forget them.

Is your heart in it? Or do you take a deep breath at the end of the day and say, “Whew I made it through another one without getting in trouble, now I got another year to relax and not worry about it.”

Do you know that you are God’s valentine every day? Let me share a little story with you:

Little Chad was a shy, quiet young fella. One day he came home and told his mother he’d like to make a valentine for everyone in his class. Her heart sank. She thought, "I wish he wouldn’t do that!" because she had watched the children when they walked home from school. Her Chad was always behind them. The other children laughed and hung on to each other and talked to each other. But Chad was never included.

Nevertheless, she decided she would go along with her son. So she purchased the paper and glue and crayons. For three whole weeks, night after night, Chad painstakingly made thirty-five valentines.

Valentine’s Day dawned and Chad was beside himself with excitement! He carefully stacked them up, put them in a bag, and bolted out the door. His mom decided to bake him his favorite cookies and serve them up warm and nice with a cool glass of milk when he came home from school. She just knew he’d be disappointed; maybe that would ease the pain a little. It hurt her to think that he wouldn’t get many valentines—maybe none at all.

That afternoon she had the cookies and milk out on the window. Sure enough here they came, laughing and having the best time. And, as always, there was Chad in the rear. He walked a little faster than usual.

She fully expected him to burst into tears as soon as he got inside. His arms were empty she noticed, and when the door opened she choked back the tears. "Mommy has some warm cookies and milk for you."

But he hardly heard her words. He just marched right on by, his face aglow, and all he could say was: "Not a one...not a one." Her heart sank. And then he added, "I didn’t forget a one, not a single one!"

I wonder if that’s how it is for Jesus, unselfish love for everyone, not even considering whether he gets it back. But how does it feel to know how he sees us, and become aware of the little love we give Him back? Jesus says we love him by doing what he says in His word.

Today I want to finish chapter 19 of Genesis, I want it over with, so I’m using it today in my valentine’s message mainly to show the wrong way, the desperate way, to get a valentine through disobedience to the Lord. Many single people I know, desperately want a valentine, a person to share love with on that day, there’s even movies about it. Single people hate valentine’s day and people in relationships love it.

And in Genesis we see the most hideously desperate attempts we will ever witness. So let’s begin with Lot’s daughters and see:

I. The Situation That was the Cause of Their Desperation (vv 30-31)

A. Their Isolation

Lot was afraid now to stay in Zoar. Remember the angels suggested he go to the hills, but Lot insisted that he be allowed to go to the small city Zoar. Well he gets there and is probably not received well being the only one who escaped Sodom and Gomorrah, not to mention the beautiful fertile land that led to these cities prosperity had been destroyed.