How We Vex Our Soul?
Text: 2 Peter 2:6-8
Intro:
Our passage shows that despite Lot’s sins and poor testimony that he was still saved.
Notice verse 8 – “that righteous man”
Lot is a picture or type of a New Testament Christian-
When he hits the judgment seat of Christ finds out that he lost all his rewards.
This morning we want to turn our attention on how Lot vexed his soul.
Lesson for us to learn is to avoid vexing our souls, so do not end up like Lot –
Saved but empty handed at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Define - Vex: To irritate, to plague, to torment, to harass, to afflict, to disturb, to disquiet, to agitate, to trouble, distress.
If we rightly divide the Word of God –
We know that there is a difference between the body & soul of the believer in the O.T and N.T.
Under the O.T. even if a person was saved or right with God their soul was still stuck to the body.
However, the N.T. Christian in current age of grace or church age their soul has been circumcised from the wicked flesh or body by the Holy Spirit
See Colossians 2:11.
So, as a result the soul is no longer under the direct influence of the body or wicked flesh to sin.
This is why the Apostle Paul said in Romans 6:6 – “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
Now, the soul has choice to come under the influence of the Holy Spirit or the body.
Under the O.T., the believer did not have this choice.
So, today, when a believer today vexes his soul –
What he is doing is putting his soul in a position where the wicked flesh can have more of an influence on it than the Holy Spirit.
We want to notice how Lot vexed his soul.
We see in v. 8 of our passage that he vexed it in three ways –
“dwelling among them”
“in seeing”
“and hearing”
I. Dwelling Among Them
Lot was a double minded Christian.
He was unstable in all his ways.
He was trying to be a two master Christian
Jesus warned against this in Mt. 6:24 – “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.”
Lot socialized with the unsaved.
The Bible tells us in Gen. 19:1 – “…Lot sat in the gate of Sodom:”
He was a community leader, a city alderman, or maybe even a judge.
His kids probably went to the public schools of Sodom.
He belonged to the Elks, Lions, Bears, Masons.
He probably help raise money for the cancer and heart funds.
He probably dressed like the residents of Lot – tattoos, nose, ear, tongue pierced.
The word dwelling means to abide.
The Bible tells us clearly about dwelling and mixing with the unsaved, with the world.
1 Cor 15:33 – “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”
2 Cor. 6:14,17 – “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?””Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,”
1 John 2:15-17 – “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
2 Tim. 2:4 – “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”
In Seeing
Lot and his family saw all the wickedness that went on in Sodom
Sodom was a city of homosexuals, sex perverts, social deviates and every imaginable wickedness.
Lot saw all of this before his eyes each and every day.
What happen was that Lot got use to it and it became second nature to him.
Lot became oblivious to it.
It became a way of life to Lot.
Christians do the same thing today
They vex their souls by watching television, movies, and videos.
Where all kinds of sex perversion including homosexuals and lesbians are depicted as the normal way of life.
Where violence and rebellion against authority are depicted as the normal way of life.
Where adultery and fornication ( sex outside of marriage) are depicted as the normal way of life – i.e Soap Operas
They constantly place wickedness before their eyes.
Newspapers and magazines promote public nudity and sexual acts.
What happens is that the Christian becomes numb to it.
He can’t hear the Holy Spirit any more.
He can’t feel the quenching and grieving of the Holy Spirit.
And Hearing
Lot vexed his soul day by day by listening to the filth around him.
His hearing became dull.
He could no longer hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
He only could hear the voice of his wicked flesh which loved to have his ears tickled and flesh satisfied.
Christians do the same thing today.
Listening to the dirty jokes and cursing at work without saying anything about it.
Listening to liberal talk shows that promote the wickedness of the world.
Listening not only to worldly music but to CCM – Contemporary Christian Music.
Which has the same beat as the worldly music.
Whose artist look and act like the world.
The sights and sounds of this old world feeds into our wicked flesh.
Vexes our soul
The flesh overwhelms the soul.
Illustration – Just go to a restaurant where worldly music is being played and watch your flesh start moving with the beat.
Conclusion
As Christians, as children of God we are not to vexed our soul day by day.
The Bible instructs us in 2 Cor 4:16 – “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”
We cannot renew the inward man day by day by dwelling among the wicked, seeing and hearing their wickedness and filth.
But by abiding or dwelling in Jesus –
John 15:5 - “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
We cannot renew the inward man day by day by dwelling among the wicked, seeing and hearing their wickedness and filth.
But by thinking, seeing, and hearing as the Apostle Paul said –
Phil. 4:8-9 – “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
