Grace In Spite Of Sin Series

Grace in spite of sin (Genesis part 35)

Text: Genesis 19:30-38

By: Ken McKinley

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A couple of weeks ago we looked at Genesis 18 and we saw that God had revealed to Abraham His plan to bring judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah. And we saw Abraham intercede for whoever was righteous in those places. And God said that He would spare those cities if there were just 10 righteous people there. Last week we saw that there weren’t 10, and God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. And I also told you last week, that this isn’t a story about the good guys and the bad guys… it’s a story about bad guys and a good God.

Now before we go on and look at our text; there’s something we’ve got to look at, that will help us understand God’s point of view in this, and I think it kind of adds to our understanding of how serious God takes the sin of unbelief. So turn with me to the New Testament, the book of Matthew 10:11 – 15 (Read). Now this was Jesus teaching His disciples about sharing the Good News. And about what happens to those who reject the Gospel. As terrible as the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah were, Jesus said that those who reject the Gospel are liable to an even worse punishment… an eternal punishment!

We need to keep that in mind as we look at our text this morning.

Now I told ya’ll last week that I was tempted to skip this chapter in Genesis… This chapter is one of the clearest depictions of the depravity of man. But that’s exactly why we go through these books like we do. I would imagine that there are very few preachers would pick Genesis chapter 19 to preach on; and unfortunately, because of that, very few congregations get to hear what God’s Word has to say about these things. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, you all have to decide.

So let’s set the stage for our text; Sodom was a community without Christ. The people had rejected God, and God gave them over to their own sins. It’s explained how this happens in Romans chapter one. In 2nd Peter however; we’re told that Lot was righteous. But we saw last week, and from our text this morning, that Lot doesn’t seem very righteous. And so what we learn from this passage is that Lot was a man, who was part of the covenant community, but he was filled with worldliness. Was Lot a believer? Well based on 2nd Peter, and based on God delivering him from His wrath; I would have to say, yes… yes he was. You might ask how that is possible? And I would say it’s only by the grace of God. So I would say that based on Scripture, Lot was a believer, but he was filled to the brim with worldliness.

When Lot had escaped the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, it was his choice to go to Zoar, but verse 30 tells us that he became afraid. And really who could blame him. He just saw Sodom destroyed because of their wickedness, and he goes to Zoar, and most-likely they were wicked too, and Lot’s thinking to himself, “I’ve got to get out of here!” And so… he goes and lives in a cave. Now think back a little bit, about what has happened to Lot. When he and Abraham went their separate ways, Lot chose the best land, the most fertile plains, but the allure of Sodom pulled him in, and as he made his way in Sodom, he ended up being placed in a position of prominence. He had some power and authority. And life looked really good for Lot for a time; but eventually, he began to reap what he had been sowing. There are some lessons to learn here.

First; we see where striving towards materialism will lead, Lot had gone after the material things, and ended up in a cave. Second; we see that the people we associate with can lead to sin, Lot associated with sexually immoral people, and ends up committing incest. We also see a connection between drunkenness and sexual immorality as well. Lot’s sin wasn’t that he had a drink, it’s that he engaged in drunkenness. And anything that clouds your ability to think clearly and removes your inhibitions can lead to bad decisions that you might regret later on in life.

But before Lot engaged in his drunkenness, something was already way wrong. Just think about the mindset that had to be in play here. Lot and his daughters barely make it out of Sodom alive. They go to Zoar and decide that it’s probably not a safe place either, and they run to the mountains and live in a cave, but they manage to bring the liquor? What’s up with that? That goes back to that twisted and corrupted thinking. “Hey our cities about to be destroyed, make sure you grab the whiskey and the 12 pack.” Kind of shows you what their priorities were doesn’t it? And I'll just tell you, that's a prevailing mindset in our world today. Awhile back there was this guy named Harold Camping... he's a false prophet, who was predicting the end of the world... and I came across a Facebook page that was mocking this guy... Camping... but the problem with this was that the people on this particular page were saying things like, "Hey; if the world ends, we should sleep with as many people as possible before it does." Or, "Hey if the worlds about to end we should all get stone cold drunk, and party til we puke..." Over and over again there were posts like this. And it shows you the mindset of people today. It's messed up.