Desiring All But Losing All

Intro: The story of Lot is a classic warning for all believers who desire material prosperity at the expense of Christian testimony. Some Christians imagine that they can have the best of both worlds without paying its price. In reality, the desire to be rich and famous had driven many to the trap of trading the spiritual for the physical and the eternal for the temporal. Let us carefully observe lessons in the life of Lot.

I. LOT’S HEART WAS STRONGLY DIVIDED.

We must see his fleshly desires and worldly lusts –

A. His Temptation (13:10). Lot looked toward the plains of Jordan where Sodom is. Temptation always begins with the eyes. Anything you fix your eyes into will have a connection on you whether for good or bad (I John 2:16).

B. His Separation (13:11). Lot chose the “easy path” and separated from God’s man – Abram (cf. Heb. 6:12).

C. His Selection (13:12). Lot was a believer and a just man who was offended by the wickedness of the Sodomites (II Pet. 2:7), but eventually blinded by the anticipation of riches and honor when he lived in Sodom (I Tim. 6:10-11).

D. His Companions (13:13). Lot was aware of the wicked Sodomite lifestyle yet ignored its dangers because he probably thought he could not be tainted with their evil ways (I Cor. 15:33). Lot saw the pit yet walked right through it!

II. LOT’S HOME WAS SADLY DESTROYED.

We must see his useless gains & terrible losses –

A. Lot was caught in a war with the enemies of Sodom and almost lost everything (Gen. 14:1-24). He was fortunately saved by Abram and his 318 valiant men.

B. Lot gained a great position, but lost his godly perception (cf. Gen. 19:1-3, 4-8). It is never an excuse to do wrong in order to be able to do right!

C. Lot gained a large fortune, but lost his precious family. They lived in the same house yet were like strangers. It was a family with broken parent-child relation.

III. LOT’S HORROR WAS SHAMEFULLY DISPLAYED.

We must see his final destiny & valuable lessons when God decided to destroy 5 cities of the plain (Gen. 14:2) –

A. Lot’s married daughters and sons in law chose to stay in Sodom (Gen. 19:14) because Lot appeared like mocking when he tried to testify of God’s coming judgment.

B. Lot had to be dragged out of Sodom (Gen. 19:15-16). Down to the last minute he lingered and was double-minded (Jas. 1:8). Like most people, Lot hardly realized the seriousness of the situation (I Thess. 5:3).

C. Lot’s wife was willing to look back though she knew she would die (Gen. 19:17, 24-26).

D. Lot’s virgin daughters had totally rejected any of Lot’s spiritual heritage. The man of God, Abram, was their kinsman and had a godly influenced on them. Yet Lot’s daughters acted worse than pagan women when they conspired to intoxicate their father and consented to lie with him (Gen. 19:31-35). Thus, Lot’s last portrayal was of a drunken man committing vile incest with his daughters!

E. Lot’s consequential sons-grandsons from lying with his two daughters were Moab and Ammon (Gen. 19:36-38) which became recurrent thorns in the sides of Abraham’s seed – the Israelites!

Conclusion: Friends, remember Lot. Let his story serve as a warning to all. When God looks upon you, in what spiritual condition will He find you? Do you have a divided heart? Are your home and family slowly being destroyed by your pursuits of your so-called comfortable and higher standards of living? Could it be that you are also traveling Lot’s perilous path of desiring all but losing all in the end? If so, may God have mercy on you and may you repent before it is too late! Jesus said...No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Matt. 6:24).