As we have been in these days and nights of concentration and prayer, we see how the Lord has been changing thing for our good. We see that petitions have been heard, prayers have been answered, and the needs that has been met.
We see that God has manifested himself in the presence of the people and has made him-self known. So, I feel the urge to ask you this morning do you feel the change, do you feel the shift in the atmosphere. Well if you see the change, and if you feel the shift then I think I need to tell you don’t look back.
In our lesson, we see that Jesus makes a very simple statement, that relates to a very big problem: and that is, the key, and the ability to be able to walk away from our old life into our new life.
But the problem is that it seems as though our past always want to call us back to where we used to be. It seems to be as though our past love to come back to hunt us. But I can hear the Word of God saying, don’t look back. Don’t look back, don’t look back to and on the negatives of our lives. Stop looking back to what used to be, or what could’ve been. Look at what the Lord has done for you.
This statement that we see in our lesson to remember Lot’s wife is sandwiched between Jesus discussion on how God’s judgment came upon man while he went through his everyday life, thinking of the great things he would do for us on tomorrow. And between His discussions on how a changed life would keep us from a destructive end. Although the Lord gave these lesson to some their tomorrow brought only their destruction.
When we visit the text we see that Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt after she looked back at the city of Sodom, where she lived, which was being destroyed by the Lord.
Now my question is, was her punishment because she disobeyed the command given by the angles not to look back as they fled? Or was it because of the reasons that she looked back?
And I would answer my own questions by saying that she was punished for both. Because in our story we know that God did not want them to look back, because He wants us to trust in his direction and his future for our lives. Because God knows that when we look back, we are saying in our hearts, that we miss where we came from, and that we are unsure of where we are going, and most of all we are not clear where God is leading us.
In Genesis, 18 the bible tells us how Abraham, and how Abraham petitioned the Lord about his family that was in this wicked place called Sodom. And I can hear the man of God asking God to spare the city if he could find some righteous people in the city.
His opening bid to save the city was if he could find 50 righteous people in the city would he spare the city. Then he thought about and said well maybe 50 is a bit much, what if we dropped it to 40? Wait a minute because I have heard about some of those people down there, Lord maybe 30 would be a better number, or even 20, Lord just allow me to find 10. If I can find 10 righteous people in the city would you spare the city? He dropped from 50 to 10. And my question would there be enough righteous people in Jackson to save the city? Wherever you live would there be at least 10 that could save the city. Allow me to minimize, are there at least 10 righteous in your church to save the city?
In chapter 19 the bible tells us that the Lord sent 2 angels to save Abraham family members.
The bible said in verse 1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him and entered into his house; the record is that Lot cooked them a feast, and he baked them some unleavened bread, and they did eat.
But then the bible said, but before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called out to Lot, and said unto him, where are the men which came to see you this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them. That word know them meant to have their way with them sexually.
And Lot went outside and shut the door behind him, and said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Look, I have two daughters which have never known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. Lot was offering up his daughters in order to save these two men or angles of God.
But they said, Stand back. And they said again, this one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and they were about to break the door down so that they could have their way with these men. But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
And the men said unto Lot, Hurry now, and if you son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: because we are about to destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great, and grown cold before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
And Lot spoke unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD is about to destroy this city. But one his son in laws mocked him, as though he didn’t believe him. And there are to many in church right now that can hear the Man of God telling them that they are out of order, and that this direction that they are operating in is out of order and they will laugh in their face and make light of the situation.
So, the bible said that when the morning arose, the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; he gave them their directives he said look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, because of that which thou hast spoken. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou become thither, I can’t do anything until you all are safe. Therefore, the name of the city was called Zoar.
Well, the bible tells us that the sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But, then came the disobedience, the bible said that his wife, (Lot’s wife) looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt and their only instruction
was not to look back.
But in verse 19:26 the bible tells us that Lot’s wife looked back and in so doing she was turned into a pillar of salt. In this verse, we need to understand that the original Hebrew language has the words “looked back” indicates that she took a longing look upon the city, a look back that indicated she wanted what she left in the city, and not what God had saved her from. All because she wanted to look back. I don’t know if it was the screaming, or the lights, the music, the parties or her friends, her job or her kind folks, all I know is that she looked backed.
And this is not the first time in scripture that we have been instructed not to look back. If you remember in Luke we see that Jesus is telling the disciples, that we should not be looking back at the things of the world and our old life when He has a better life awaiting us. He teaching us not to look back with a longing for the life you lived before receiving Christ. And we know this because Luke 17:33 says Whosoever, shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
Saints can I tell you that there is a danger in looking back, we can never go forward looking back. I hear you Pastor you just don’t understand; I had it good back then, I had it going on, I had money now I’m broke, but you are alive. I was on the come up, but now I’m down, but you are alive. I had more then enough and I didn’t have to depend on anyone, but now you have to depend on God and guest what? You are alive. they hurt me, but don’t forget about those that you hurt. I don’t have time to dwell on the yesteryears when God is instructing me not to look back.
Again Jesus is letting us know that we need to give up our old ways and the things of old and look to His ways for our lives. Cast out the old man and let the born-again man live to please our Father in who art in heaven. Somebody might ask the question pastor what are you saying. Well let me put it to you the way that Paul says it in 2nd Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
In other words, since we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, and we have made a vow to follow him and to follow His lead and not too long for the things of this world. We should look forward to the eternal things and not worry so much about the earthly things.
As disciples of Christ we are to press forward toward the mark that God has set before us. Because when we are looking backward, while walking forward. At some point or another, we will run into something while looking backwards. And look how spiritual that is his. How can we ever move forward in what God has for us now if we are still looking at yesteryears? Or how things used to be. You ought to turn to you neighbor and say baby it’s a new season, it’s a new day, tell them I’ve got a fresh anointing, tell them I’m in a new year. With new thoughts, new ambitions, new ideas, and a new attitude.
The Lord wants us to move forward, I remember in the 9th chapter of Luke when one of the men said. Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go say farewell to my love ones at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
In other words, Jesus wants us to look to the greater priorities that God has for us, and to not let the lesser priorities of life cause use to look back at the way we were, and stop being so negative. Negative about this, negative about that, always complaining, always see the worst of things, I knew that it was going to happen this way, well if you knew that God wasn’t going to answer your prayers, WHY PRAY, there is life and death in the power of the tongue.
What Jesus is saying, is that if you know anything about ploughing, you know that you cannot plough a straight line if you are looking back at the row you already ploughed.
Let us not look back with a distorted view of where God has brought us from and compare that with where He has brought us to. Here God asks us to not look back, because we can sometimes view our old life as the greatest life that we’ve ever had, but we are just fooling ourselves.
The perfect example that we have is, when we read about the children of Israel, how after being delivered out of the hands of bondage by the Egyptians and saved by the parting of the waters of the Red Sea, their problem was. They kept looking back at their old condition and they believe that they would have been better off remaining as slaves. They were too busy looking back, that they failed to see all of the things God had done along the way:
They forgot that;
• They cried for freedom and God set them free
• They thirsted for water and God sweetened biter waters with a tree branch and allowed it to flow from a rock
• They cried for food to eat, and God gave them bread from heaven.
I need to tell someone in the room this morning don’t look back upon your old life, your old ways, and your old habits, but look forward to the wonders that God has in store for us.
I hear the question that is being asked and I think that it is a legitimate and a fair question. You are asking me pastor have you ever looked back? And the answer is yes I’ve looked back. But when I looked back I didn’t look back at the things that I had, I didn’t look back at the life style that I once possessed, but when I looked back, my soul looked wonder how I made it over.
So, if you look back don’t look through the negative telescope lens, but when you look back, look back upon what the Lord has done for you to get you where you are today.
And then thank him, even though you may not be where you think you should be, but you are thanking him that you are not where you used to be.
And let me just drop something in your spirit this morning and that is don’t let the guilt of our past life keep you from reaping the rewards of our new life in Jesus.
Please don’t be shackled by the things that we used to do. Because if you have asked the Lord God to forgive, then he already has.
We need to remember that Christ has washed us with His blood and the things that we have done wrong in the past have been forgiven, and that we no longer need worry about them surfacing because the grace of God is with you.
Remember that those things in our past are washed away and can never be used to shame us again. Because they were done by the old man. And in Christ we are a new man.
Lot’s wife looked back in longing for her old life, and it kept her down. Will you let your old life be a hindrance or a help?
I like what the writer of Hebrews says when he puts it this way: Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2
So tell you neighbor, with that scripture in mind we are looking forward and no more looking back.
Tell them I’ve come too far to turn around now.
Tell them that the Lord has been too good to you to look back now.
I just can’t give up now I’ve come to far from where I started from.
