In order to help you understand where the Holy Spirit was leading me with this particular passage, let’s examine five reasons why we need to remember Lot’s Wife and why we need to Quit Looking Back.
But before I do that, Is it alright that I give you a little historical backdrop on this, this morning?
Amen
I. THE HISTORICAL BACKDROP
A. I want to encourage you to read Genesis 18 & Genesis 19 in its entirety in your own personal time.
B. In Genesis 18: The Lord spoke to Abraham and told him that Sodom, Gomorrah, and the cities of the plains would be destroyed because of their extreme wickedness (iniquity, sin, malice).
C. Abraham began to intercede on behalf of the cities by, asking the Lord, “Would you also destroy the righteous with the wicked?” He then said suppose there were 50 righteous…. And the Lord being merciful agreed that if there were 50 he would spare the cities. But Abraham began to think about that thing, knowing just how wicked the cities were, as he had first hand knowledge about it because he had family that lived there and he began to intercede even more by saying, “but what if there were 45…”. He kept questioning the Lord and interceding until it came to the point he had to be realistic about what he was doing and saying and he said to the Lord, Please do not be angry with me and I will speak one more time…suppose there were ten”. And again the Lord being merciful said for the sake of ten, I will not destroy it. Considering the passage of scripture we opened up with today it is no mystery that obviously there were not even ten righteous.
D. As I began to study this particular passage, it caused me to reflect on the times when I was in some hopeless situations. Every time I looked around, I was being pressed on every side. On dead end jobs, in dead end relationships and in some dead end situations. Some of you are sitting in here today, in some situations just like I was and someone was interceding on your behalf. They were interceding because they knew you were not ready to come off of that job or end that relationship or get out of those dead end situations. If it had not been for the righteousness of their life and the favor with God that they had, God would have shut it down much sooner. Somebody needs to say what a Merciful God. Because when you really look it at the complete picture you will find that God would have shut down that mess and you would have went down with it. But some of you have the audacity to reminisce and look back and day dream about the good old days forgetting all the jacked up stuff you were delivered from.
E. Lot and his family were told to leave and not look back.
F. Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt.
II. LESSONS LEARNED FROM LOT’S WIFE
A. She Perished Although The Wife Of A Righteous Man.
1. (II Peter 2:7-8) Lot was a righteous man. [7and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8(for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard]
2. (Romans 4:3) Her uncle Abraham was a righteous man. [3What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness."[a]]
3. What this should tell us is that it does not matter how saved and sanctified your daddy, momma, grandparents, aunties or uncles are…The righteousness of our relatives won’t save us. When we stand before God on judgment day, we won’t be asked, "Were your relatives faithful?" It don’t matter what their walk looks like when it comes to your judgment, God has no grandchildren, he only has children. So you are either going to make the choice to serve him for eternity or choose to spend your life burning for an eternity in hell. I don’t know about some of you but if this air went out in here this morning I won’t be able to stand it up in here up in here so I know I am not trying to pay the devil a visit, somebody needs to say that’s not for me.
B. She Perished Although She, Herself Was Righteous.
1. She was spared from the initial destruction because of her righteousness and God’s mercy.
2. But her righteousness did not permit sin. Let me interject right here and define righteousness, righteousness is holy and upright living …some body say obedience. So basically it does not matter how much you pray, go to church and serve in your ministry, when God is speaking into your life and commanding you to do something it has to be done. God eventually gets tired of hearing excuses. We come up with all kinds of stuff, the Lord knows my heart, I am really trying to change or that’s just who I am. God is saying yes I know your heart but do you know mines and yes I know you are trying to changing but it’s not sufficient and yes that’s who you are but I have been trying to call you higher and all these excuses are causing you to not hear me voice clearly. Once escaping the defilements (that’s that unclean or impure stuff) of the world, we must continue to live a sanctified life.
3. Revelation 2:10 - 10Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
4. Romans 8:1 - 1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, [a]
C. She Perished Although Warned To Flee.
1. It is not enough to know the facts of the gospel, we must obey them.
2. James 4:17- Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
3. James 1:22 - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
4. It’s amazing how many of us know this word coming and going. We read and speak it to others. We can tell others what kind of bible to get at whatever level in Christiandom they are. But when it comes down to putting it into action there come those excuses again. We choose to forget all about how merciful God has been to us. We choose to forget his commandments. We choose to start making those excuses again to try to give a valid reason why we are not being obedient but the fact of the matter is they’re not valid at all. It must be a horrifying fate to stand condemned while knowing all along the route to pardon. Knowing that all is required of you is to not look back.
D. She Perished Although Her Sin Seemed Small.
1. Some body is probably thinking, she just looked back.
2. It seemed only natural; remember, her family was there, she lived there for quite some time, I am sure she even had a best friend or two.
3. But this should stand to warn us of how serious sin is viewed by God. God has had to snatch some of yall out of some situations that would have killed you, that would have drained your bank account out, that would have made you lose your peace of mind. And it’s not like you may be looking back saying look at what God brought me out of but instead you tend to look back and linger over some of that mess. You start reminiscing and thinking about the good old days especially when things are not going the way you think they should in your life. God has already told you I will spare your life if you will serve me and obey my command. He said I will bring you out of that situation if you will just keep your eyes focused on me, but we yet disobey and look back.
4. Romans 6:23- 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.
E. She Perished Although She Was Separated From Sodom.
1. Sodom can be viewed as a type of the world. What I mean by this is that we are separated from things in our life that causes us to be in bondage. Things that causes us to take our eyes off of God. Stuff that will pull us back in to the world if we are continuously tempted by it or oppressed by it day after day. For example, you have given your life over to Christ and you have a friend that is of the world. Instead of the friend understanding that you don’t need to do the things of the world they encourage you to come with them out to club. They might say well just sit there. It’s not like you have to drink or dancing or anything…I just want you to go with me. The first few weekends you are holding strong and you doing well and you are so proud of yourself. Now you and I both know that if the club is your old stomping ground you don’t need to be up in there Because as soon as they music start sounding good you will get caught up and the next thing you know you are on the dance floor. Oh but don’t let the night get away because those same jokers that have been trying to holler at you will be trying to buy you a drink and there you go…slipped back into that pattern again…forgetting that God delivered you from that mess but you looked back and got caught up.
2. Even though a person may leave the world and be converted into the kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13- 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,), they still can sin (I John 2:1- My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.).
3. Probably more than we would like to realize, there are a number of Christians who are separated from the world but looking back. God is saying where is your power? Why is it so hard for you to seek me and follow me? You walk everyday, what makes this walk so hard. Why are you getting discouraged and giving up on me? You go to that job and things get tough but you yet go back or you pick up the phone even though you told her or him you wouldn’t and took them back. But in me I can deliver you from and remove all those things that have you oppressed and in bondage but you turned your back on me and looked back.
4. (Philippians 4:13-14- I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.).
III. Conclusion:
1. The disobedience of Lot’s wife should serve as a warning to us all.
2. Initial separation from the world is good, but not sufficient.
3. We must guard our lives by continued obedience day by day.
4. "But Jesus said to him, no one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62). What this mean is that you can’t come to Christ and say you are ready to walk in to your calling but look back when some stumbling blocks come up in your path and then you begin to think about how much easier you think it was before you said I do to Him.
Lot’s wife perished even though God warned her. The message was plain and she heard and she understood. God’s grace had called her out of Sodom for the purpose of salvation.
The gospel’s message is just as clear. How can we not understand?
Conc: We need to remember Lot’s Wife this morning! Not so that we can revive an ages old, painful story, but so that we can be reminded that this life we are living is fleeting. It doesn’t last very long. As you pass through this world, you can do not better than to come to faith in Jesus and be saved. The lesson from Lot’s Wife is this: Take God at His Word! If He says it, then it will come to pass, and men need to be ready to meet Him some day.
With that in mind let me say this: Hell is real! Judgment is real! Death is real! The only way to safely navigate your way past these stark realities is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here is the invitation: if you are lost, like Lot’s wife and you want to be saved, then you come to Jesus, He will save you. If you are saved, but you are guilty of looking back at the world, and of living like the world, He has forgiveness and restoration for your soul. Whatever the need of your heart, there is help in Jesus. But, you will only get the help you need if you come!
