Latest / Meadows Baptist Church Podcast / Genesis 18 - 1/11/26 - Pastor Charlie Branch

Transcript

Genesis 18 - 1/11/26 - Pastor Charlie Branch · Meadows Baptist Church Podcast

0:02
Welcome to the podcast of Meadows
0:05
Baptist Church of Walnut Cove, North
0:07
Carolina. We're so glad you joined us
0:10
today. If you enjoy today's message, be
0:12
sure to subscribe, follow, and share
0:15
with your friends. Now, let's join
0:17
Pastor Charlie Branch with a word from
0:20
God.
0:27
Amen. And if you would turn with me to
0:29
the book of Genesis this morning.
0:30
Genesis chapter number 18 is where we'll
0:33
start. Genesis chapter number 18.
0:47
Been doing this a lot more uh teaching
0:50
Sunday school which really helped me uh
0:52
in my preparation time. kind of doing
0:55
two-part u I guess you would say a
0:59
lesson and then a Bible message uh
1:01
during the worship hour kind of along
1:02
the same lines following the same text
1:05
and it's kind of helped me and that's
1:06
what I'm I intend to do today and I have
1:09
learned that I'm going to have to quit
1:10
telling y'all on Sunday morning when I
1:12
intend to come back and preach something
1:14
again on Sunday night because every time
1:16
that I do that the Lord changes it and
1:20
uh so uh probably not going to say that
1:22
anymore. Okay. But uh we're going to
1:25
look here in chapter 18 into chapter
1:27
number 19 this morning and deal with
1:30
some truth here. Kind of introduction to
1:33
what the message will be uh during the
1:35
worship hour. And uh I'll tell you this
1:39
when you study the Bible uh the number
1:42
one principle
1:44
of uh hermeneutics uh studying the Bible
1:48
homalytics all of that it comes comes
1:51
down to this context is king
1:54
>> always and if you do not know what who
1:57
the Bible is speaking to or what the
1:59
Bible is saying you cannot interpret
2:01
what the Bible means and uh we can all
2:04
cherrypick verses amen you've heard the
2:06
illustration of the preacher that uh
2:08
opened his Bible was looking for
2:10
something to preach. He said he's going
2:11
to do the first thing uh that he saw and
2:13
he opened his Bible and it turned to uh
2:16
over there where the Bible says that
2:17
Judas went out and hanged himself. And
2:21
uh he closed his Bible up, opened it
2:23
again, it said, "Do thou likewise." And
2:26
he closed his Bible up and he opened it
2:28
again. It said, "That thou doest do
2:30
quickly." And we've all heard that,
2:33
okay? And you can cherrypick scripture
2:35
and make it say whatever you want to
2:36
make it say. Amen. Uh but context is
2:39
king. And I want to I want us to look
2:41
here in the text and uh consider a
2:44
thought here and then we'll move on now
2:47
to get you up to speed on where we're at
2:48
here. Genesis 18. Uh this is the text
2:51
here uh that introduces to us Abraham
2:54
and Lot. Uh not the first time that they
2:57
appear, but it introduces us to them in
2:59
their divided state. Abraham has uh
3:02
departed from Lot. They have divided.
3:04
Abraham has chosen uh the plains of
3:07
Mamry and Lot had chose him the plane of
3:10
Jordan according to chapter number 13 of
3:13
the book of Genesis. And uh here it
3:15
tells us in this text that uh the Bible
3:19
says in verse one of chapter 18 that the
3:21
Lord appeared unto him. That's Abraham
3:23
and is going to speak to him in this
3:25
chapter. Now, if you could sum up this
3:27
chapter, I believe you would sum it up
3:29
in just three words. You could sum it up
3:31
this way. Uh that in this chapter, there
3:34
is the there is the invitation of
3:36
Abraham that you notice in the first
3:40
portion, God shows up, two angels with
3:42
him in the text. This is a theophony, a
3:45
pre-incarnate appearing of the Lord
3:47
Jesus Christ. And he appears to Abraham
3:49
according to verse number two. And
3:51
Abraham invites him to have a meal with
3:53
him and have fellowship. We know that
3:55
this invitation here is received and
3:58
they stay and have a meal uh with
4:00
Abraham here in the text and Abraham is
4:03
given the news uh from Christ here in
4:05
the text that uh Sarah is going to
4:08
conceive. There's going to be a child
4:10
that's born unto them and you know the
4:12
story. Sarah laughs within herself
4:14
because she's old. Amen. And she says
4:17
it's past I'm past childbearing and she
4:20
laughed. Amen. The Lord rebuked her uh
4:22
for her laughter. And so after that
4:24
there the the text then shifts from
4:26
here. You notice that his invitation is
4:29
received. They have fellowship. They
4:31
have communion in this chapter. And then
4:33
the chapter really begins to take a turn
4:36
in verse number 16. Uh the Bible says
4:39
that the men rose up from then and
4:41
looked toward Sodom and Abraham went
4:43
with them to bring them on the way. And
4:46
so it goes from the invitation here
4:49
being received to an intervention. uh
4:52
and it's an intervention of the
4:53
righteous God. Here in the text, we know
4:55
this intervention is uh that these two
4:57
men are going to go down and look look
4:59
at Sodom and see what's going on down
5:02
there. Now, we know here in the text,
5:04
the Bible simply tells us in verse
5:06
number 20 that they have u God speaks
5:09
here in the text almost as a as a uh
5:13
speaking with himself or speaking to his
5:15
men here in verse 17. The Lord said,
5:17
"Shall I hide from Abraham that thing
5:20
which I do, seeing that Abraham shall
5:22
surely become a great and mighty nation,
5:24
and all the nations of the earth shall
5:26
be blessed in him?" And then he verse
5:28
then in verse number 20, God speaks to
5:30
Abraham and it says, "Because the cry of
5:32
Sodom and Gomorra is great, because
5:34
their sin is very grievious, I will go
5:37
down now and see whether they have done
5:39
alltogether according to the cry of it
5:41
which is come unto me, and if not, I
5:43
will know." So first part of this
5:45
chapter deals with the invitation here
5:48
of Abraham unto the Lord. But then the
5:50
next part of this chapter deals with the
5:52
intervention of the Lord dealing with
5:55
the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. And he
5:57
goes down first to behold the sin of the
6:00
land. And I just want to put this out
6:01
there, okay? When you read your Bible,
6:04
you cannot you you cannot look at these
6:06
truths based off of verse number 21
6:08
there where the text says that he's
6:10
going to go down to see whether they've
6:12
done altogether according to the cry of
6:14
it which is coming unto me and if not I
6:16
will know. You can't look at that and
6:17
say that God had to go down there and
6:19
find out.
6:20
>> He already knew.
6:22
>> Okay. He was very well aware of the
6:24
situation that was present there. But
6:27
God comes down and I really believe I
6:30
think he didn't come down just to know.
6:31
I think he come down to give them an
6:33
opportunity to get right is what I
6:34
think.
6:35
>> And so he is going to intervene.
6:38
And then the part of this chapter that's
6:40
most wellknown, not the invitation, not
6:43
the intervention, but the intercession
6:45
that's in this chapter is the most
6:47
well-known portion that begins in verse
6:50
number 22 down through the end of the
6:52
chapter. and Abraham here. The two men
6:54
that are with God there with Jesus
6:57
Christ, that pre-incarnate Lord Jesus in
7:00
our text, the two men they depart, there
7:02
are two angels, the same men that are
7:04
found in chapter 19 and verse number
7:06
one. They depart in verse number 22, the
7:10
Bible says they turned their faces from
7:11
then and went toward Sodom, but Abraham
7:14
stood yet before the Lord. And so the
7:16
Lord is standing here and Abraham is
7:18
standing beside him. And I don't want
7:20
you to miss the the the um what's the
7:24
word I want to look for? I don't want
7:25
you to miss the glory of that. Abraham
7:28
is standing with God,
7:30
>> right?
7:31
>> Beside of God. Now, there's only just
7:33
been a handful of men that's been able
7:35
to do that,
7:36
>> right?
7:36
>> Amen. We know that Adam did that. Amen.
7:39
We know that Abraham did that according
7:42
to the this text. And we know that Moses
7:44
did that. Now, I really don't believe
7:45
that you can verify any other person.
7:47
Amen. uh definitively say that they
7:51
stood beside the Lord. Other than this
7:54
man, Moses and Adam, you could probably
7:57
say Joshua, the captain of the Lord's
7:59
host. And we know that there's many
8:01
pre-incarnate appearance. But I I'll say
8:03
this right here. I don't want you to
8:04
miss the mi the the the the wonder of
8:07
this miracle. He is standing beside of
8:10
God. And notice what his plea is in
8:12
verse 23. Abraham drew near. Now, that's
8:16
a good principle.
8:17
>> Amen. When you got something you need to
8:19
ask God, it's good to get close. Amen.
8:22
>> And said, "Wilt thou also destroy the
8:24
righteous with the wicked?" Now, he
8:27
makes no bones about his request. His
8:30
request is a plea for the men that were
8:33
in that city. You notice what he says in
8:34
verse 24, "Per adventure there be 50
8:37
righteous within the city." Well, what
8:39
was he talking about? He was talking
8:40
about men. He was talking about the
8:41
people that were there. That there be 50
8:44
righteous there. Notice what he says in
8:47
verse 24. Wilt thou also destroy and not
8:50
spare the place for the 50 righteous
8:52
that are therein? It was a plea for the
8:54
people, but it was also a plea for
8:56
mercy.
8:57
He was asking saying, "Hey, if there's
8:59
50 man, if there's 50 people there
9:01
that's righteous, would you not spare
9:03
the city?" We know the story how it goes
9:06
on. I'll say this, his plea was for the
9:09
men in that city. His plea was plea was
9:11
a plea for mercy. But I'll say this, his
9:13
plea was measured. And notice what the
9:16
Bible says. He gets all the way down to
9:17
verse number 32. He's come from 50 all
9:21
the way to 10. Notice verse 32. And he
9:24
said, 'Oh, let not the Lord be angry,
9:27
and I will speak yet but this once. Per
9:29
adventure 10 shall be found there. And
9:32
he said, I will not destroy it for 10's
9:34
sake. And this is where the conversation
9:37
ends. 10 people. You don't find Abraham
9:41
making another request. He does not go
9:44
further than 10. Notice verse 33. And
9:47
the Lord went his way as soon as he had
9:49
left communing with Abraham. And Abraham
9:51
returned unto his place. And here is
9:55
something you're going to know and
9:56
something you will learn about godly men
9:58
or if you are trying to be a godly man
10:01
and following the Lord, you will never
10:03
allow your request to go beyond God's
10:05
will.
10:07
Abraham knew the stopping point just as
10:09
well as God did. Now, you would ask, you
10:12
say, "Preacher, well, what what is the
10:14
what is the magic number?" I don't know.
10:18
I don't know. I tell you this, what I
10:20
believe, and I'm going to get ahead of
10:21
myself right here, but I believe Lot was
10:23
the only righteous one in Solomon.
10:25
You're
10:25
>> right.
10:26
>> The only one. And so, in this text,
10:29
you've got one man that's in one that's
10:31
in this city. Verse 19 or chapter 19 and
10:35
verse number one, the Bible says, "And
10:36
there came two angels to Sodom and Eve."
10:39
Now you notice this text the way it
10:41
begins. A day passes by in our text.
10:44
Verse 33. The Lord went his way. As soon
10:47
as he had left communing with Abraham,
10:49
Abram returned. Abraham returned unto
10:52
his place. And the two angels, they make
10:54
it to the city at the evening time. Now
10:57
you get that setting, okay, in your
10:59
mind. They're there in the evening time.
11:01
Darkness is setting. And the Bible says
11:03
in verse number one, "And Lot sat in the
11:06
gate of Sodom." Now, that is a vast
11:09
difference from where Lot was just a few
11:12
chapters ago. Just a few chapters ago,
11:15
Lot had pitched his tent and they were
11:17
only it was only pointed towards Sodom.
11:19
He wasn't even close to it, but he was
11:21
just pointed towards it. You've heard
11:23
this before. Amen. The direction that
11:24
you're pointed will be the destination
11:26
that you end up at. Amen. And so, here
11:29
he's in the gate. The Bible says in
11:30
verse one, Lot seeing them rose up to
11:33
meet them. Now, let me just just point
11:35
this out, okay? These these angels
11:38
obviously set something off in Lot
11:41
because when they come in, what does the
11:43
Bible say? He rose up to meet them.
11:45
These wasn't just the average citygoer.
11:47
Amen. He noticed that something was
11:50
going on different about these men.
11:52
Verse number one, he bowed himself with
11:54
his face toward the ground. There was
11:57
obviously a holiness that these men had
11:59
about them that he could see. And I'll
12:02
say it's the same way in this day and
12:03
time.
12:04
>> Holy men, holy women, they have a a
12:07
image, amen, that others can see about
12:09
them that they do portray holiness. Now,
12:12
I know these are angels, but the truth
12:13
is still the same. Notice verse two. And
12:15
he said, "Behold now, my lords, turn in,
12:19
I pray, you into your servants house,
12:21
and tar all night, and wash your feet."
12:23
Notice this. And you shall rise up early
12:25
and go on your ways. And so, he makes a
12:28
request. Now, you could look at chapter
12:31
18 and chapter 19 and you can make a
12:33
contrast. You can look at everything
12:35
that goes on, the events, the same
12:37
invitation really is given. He invites
12:40
them into his home. He prepares them a
12:42
feast. But you see, Abraham was never
12:44
wanting God to leave. And I'll tell you,
12:47
here's here's the number one difference
12:49
that you'll see in this text. When they
12:50
showed up at Abraham's house, there was
12:52
three. When they showed up at Lot's
12:55
house, there was two. Who was missing?
12:59
Jesus
13:00
the Lord.
13:02
>> You know why the Lord didn't show up
13:04
there?
13:06
Because it was wicked.
13:08
And he's not going to interject himself
13:10
into a place full of wickedness.
13:12
>> Right?
13:13
>> You think about where Jesus was when he
13:16
was on this earth. Jesus never
13:18
interjected himself into the midst of
13:20
sinful wickedness. Where what what
13:21
happened to him? It was always brought
13:23
to him. Isn't that interesting? Jesus
13:26
never placed himself in these
13:27
situations. You think about this. Jesus
13:30
didn't show up there because he wasn't
13:31
welcome there.
13:32
>> Right?
13:33
>> Jesus showed up at Abraham's house
13:34
because he was welcome.
13:36
>> Notice this in the text verse number
13:38
two. He says, "Turn in, I pray you, into
13:41
your Lord's house. Try all night. Wash
13:43
your feet. Ye shall rise up early and go
13:45
on your ways." Like, look, y'all come
13:48
in. You You can stay here the night and
13:50
you need to turn around and go on from
13:51
where you come from.
13:54
Look what the Bible says. And they said,
13:56
"Nay, but we will abide in the street
13:58
all night." So already Lot is picking up
14:02
on the fact that these boys have got
14:04
motives to deal with something.
14:06
And he already knows that what's going
14:09
to happen is not going to be pretty.
14:11
I'll say this, when you look at this
14:13
text, I think just as much as Lot knew
14:15
the wickedness of the men of the city,
14:18
he also knew the will of these two
14:19
servants that they had come to bring
14:22
destruction.
14:24
>> Notice verse number three. And he
14:26
pressed upon them greatly. What did he
14:30
press on them about?
14:33
He pressed on that they would come into
14:35
his house. What's he trying to do? He's
14:38
trying to protect them. They turned in
14:40
unto him and entered into his house. He
14:42
made them a feast and did bake unleaven
14:44
bread and they did eat. And so notice
14:46
here further I I mentioned to you that
14:48
it was the evening time right before
14:50
darkness. Notice verse four. But before
14:52
they lay down, all right, that implies
14:54
that this is nighttime. The men of the
14:56
city, even the men of Sodom, compass the
14:59
house round, both old and young, all the
15:02
people from every quarter. So the city
15:05
has come out to see these two men that
15:08
have come to the gate of the city.
15:10
Obviously here at Lot's house, they
15:12
brought him they brought him brought
15:14
these two men in and they've come
15:16
they've heard somehow or another that
15:18
these two men are there and they come
15:19
and compass this house roundabout. And
15:22
so the darkness is seen here. The
15:24
imagery of the text is that at the
15:26
evening time as it's getting dark, they
15:28
come and gather around the house. Verse
15:30
5, you notice their defilement. They
15:32
called unto Lot and said unto him,
15:34
"Where are the men which came into thee
15:36
this night? Bring them out unto us that
15:38
we may know them." Now, I'm going to
15:41
tell you this. All right? That's not
15:42
They didn't just want to be friends,
15:44
>> right?
15:45
>> Okay.
15:46
>> They wanted to have illicit relationship
15:48
with these men. And this is where you
15:51
have some of the teaching in the word of
15:53
God that deals with the fact that there
15:55
were angelic beings that were there
15:57
present in Sodom and Gomorrah. They're
16:00
the angels that are now in hold. They're
16:02
in chains of darkness, the Bible says,
16:04
because they kept not their first
16:06
estate. Now, I can't I can't back up all
16:09
of that, but there are a lot of people,
16:10
men a lot smarter than myself, that
16:12
believe that. And so, these men here,
16:14
they were desiring. They obviously had
16:16
some kind of influence. I I read one
16:18
writer that said this. He said something
16:20
along these lines about this text. He
16:23
said that it's quite possible that the
16:25
devil and the the demonic force that was
16:28
present in this city led these men to
16:30
his house.
16:32
They were that much aware
16:34
of righteousness around them. You think
16:37
about that demoniac over there in Gera.
16:41
What does the Bible say about him? When
16:42
he saw Jesus, he cried out to recognized
16:46
him for who he was. Said, "Don't cast us
16:47
out. Don't don't kill us. Say, man, you
16:50
just cast us into that field of swine.
16:52
You see, more so than even you and I can
16:55
recognize the presence of Christ, the
16:57
demons can. You're
16:58
>> right.
16:58
>> Amen. And so obviously here they have
17:01
been led on to these men being here. So
17:04
there is the defilement in verse 5.
17:06
Verse 6, Lot went out at the door unto
17:08
them and shut the door after him and
17:10
said, I pray you, notice that next word,
17:14
brethren.
17:16
Brethren,
17:18
he's yolked up with the world.
17:22
These are the people that he chose to
17:25
make friends and call brethren.
17:29
Now, I'm going to give away some of the
17:32
message this morning. But the Bible says
17:35
that Lot was a righteous man.
17:38
Tells us that for a fact. The Bible says
17:41
that. But Lot willfully joined himself
17:44
to the world. And he even denotes their
17:48
relationship by calling them brethren.
17:52
Now what I find interesting about this
17:54
is is he calls out their wickedness in
17:56
verse 7. Do not so wickedly. So he
17:59
points out he obviously knows this is
18:00
wrong. He's tried to protect them. He's
18:04
brought them into his home. He thinks
18:06
he's doing these men a favor by keeping
18:08
them from the men that were on the
18:10
outside. But in verse number eight, look
18:12
what he says. Look at his solution to
18:14
the problem. This is what happens when
18:16
you push God out of the way and try to
18:17
handle wickedness on your own. Look what
18:19
he says. Behold now I have two daughters
18:22
which have not known man. Let me I pray
18:24
you bring them out unto you and do ye to
18:27
them as is good in your eyes. Now I
18:30
don't know if it's ever occurred to you
18:32
or not in verse number eight. But Lot's
18:34
been living here from some time. He's
18:37
been living in Sodom for years at this
18:39
point. And according to the text,
18:42
Genesis 19, you read on in the chapter,
18:45
these two daughters here are older.
18:47
They're not they're not kids, okay?
18:50
They're not young ones according to what
18:52
the Bible says in uh verse number 30 and
18:54
31 of this same chapter. So, they're not
18:58
children. All right? Isn't it
19:00
interesting that Lot has two daughters
19:02
here that are pure?
19:05
He's been dwelling in Sodom all this
19:07
time, and he still has two daughters
19:08
here that are pure. unspotted from the
19:10
world. How does how has he done that?
19:13
Well, he's obviously kept some standard
19:15
of righteousness in his own,
19:16
>> right?
19:17
>> Hasn't he?
19:18
>> Notice the text. His compromise is he
19:22
says, "I have two daughters which have
19:24
not known man. They're pure. Let me I
19:26
pray you bring them out unto you and do
19:28
ye to them as is good in your eyes."
19:30
When you try to deal with wickedness in
19:33
the flesh, all that you do is create
19:35
more wickedness.
19:35
>> You're right.
19:37
That's what they That's what he's doing
19:38
right here in this text. He is going to
19:40
take the only things in his house that's
19:43
pure and defiled
19:46
willfully.
19:47
>> Right?
19:49
>> Think of the perversion of this. He's
19:50
going to turn them over willfully to
19:53
these men.
19:55
Notice not only the perversion, but
19:57
notice what he thinks he's doing in
19:59
verse number eight. Never seen that.
20:01
Never saw this before until I studied
20:04
this on yesterday. Look what he says. Do
20:08
ye to them as is good in your eyes. For
20:10
only unto these men do nothing. Notice
20:12
that last phrase. For therefore came
20:15
they under the shadow of my roof. What
20:18
is Lot doing? He's trying to preserve
20:20
these men. Notice it again. He says,
20:23
"For therefore came they under the
20:24
shadow of my roof." He's saying, "Look,
20:26
I brought them in my house so you would
20:28
leave them alone.
20:31
But he's going to turn his children out.
20:37
I know this is Sunday school, but this
20:38
is hitting real deep this morning. Truth
20:41
about this is we we function this way
20:43
way too often. I'm not talking about
20:44
this little instance, but I'm talking
20:46
about the small factors of life. We sell
20:48
out things that are more important to
20:50
preserve things that we think need
20:51
preserving.
20:52
>> Amen. Notice this Bible says in verse
20:56
nine, "And they said, stand back." And
20:58
they said again, "This one fellow came
20:59
into sojourn and he will need to be a
21:02
judge." What are they doing? They're
21:03
calling out Lot saying, "Look, you come
21:05
in here to live with us. Now you going
21:07
to judge us. You going to tell us what
21:08
we ought to do.
21:11
You come here to dwell. You didn't have
21:12
to come here." Amen. Notice that. Now
21:15
will we deal worse with thee than with
21:17
them. And they pressed sore upon the
21:19
man, even Lot, and came near to break
21:22
the door. So they begin to to assault
21:26
Lot in front of his own house.
21:29
And notice in this text, isn't this
21:31
interesting? Their digression in verse 9
21:34
leads to Lot's deliverance in verse 10.
21:36
Lot gets delivered like three or four
21:38
different times in this text because he
21:41
just keeps choosing to follow this.
21:42
Notice it in verse 10. But the men put
21:45
forth their hand and pulled Lot into the
21:47
house to them and shut to the door. He
21:49
was trying to protect them and they
21:52
ended up having to protect him,
21:54
>> right?
21:55
>> Isn't that interesting? Notice verse
21:58
number 11 and 12. Verse 11, the Bible
22:01
says that those two angels, they smoked
22:03
the men that were at the door of the
22:05
house with blindness, both small and
22:07
great, so that they wearied themselves
22:09
to find the door. And so to deal with
22:11
these men, because they would not stop,
22:13
they had to literally impair their
22:15
physical ability to see. And verse
22:18
number 12, notice the demand that these
22:20
angels give to Lot. And the men said
22:22
unto Lot, "Hast thou hear any besides
22:25
son-in-law and thy sons and thy
22:27
daughters? And whatever thou hast in the
22:30
city, bring them out of this place?"
22:33
Now, this is what I wanted to get to.
22:35
All right. Verse 12 right here unlocks
22:38
the key to the statement that was made
22:40
in chapter number 18 and verse number 32
22:43
where the Bible says Abraham said per
22:46
adventure 10 shall be found there. When
22:48
you notice verse number 12, what you
22:50
find is Lot's whole family is described.
22:53
First of all, there are his son-in-law.
22:56
Notice that it's mentioned in the the
22:59
singular sense in verse 12. son-in-law
23:02
is mentioned in the plural sense. And uh
23:05
verse number
23:07
see here
23:11
verse number 14. And Lot went out and
23:13
spake unto his sons-in-law
23:16
which married his daughter. So he could
23:17
have had more than one. So obviously
23:20
he's got at least two daughters that are
23:22
married. Verse 12 says he has sons and
23:25
thy sons. So that means he has at least
23:27
two sons. And then in verse 12, and thy
23:30
daughters. And so he had two daughters
23:31
that had not known man. So that means
23:33
Lot had at least six children.
23:38
He's only got two of them at home. In
23:40
this text, he speaks to his sons-in-laws
23:43
to bring them out and they would not
23:45
follow him. He does not even approach
23:47
his sons.
23:49
Notice that in verse 12 again. And
23:52
whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring
23:54
them out of this place. There was no
23:57
there was no clause given to Lot at this
23:59
time. said, "Look, you either get out or
24:01
you going to burn up with it."
24:03
Basically, that's what's going to
24:04
happen. Now, this is this is where I
24:07
come back to the point I made a little
24:08
bit earlier. You see, Lot in this text
24:11
has lost his family entirely.
24:15
He loses his family. He loses his
24:19
children. He loses his daughters, the
24:21
ones that were married. He loses the
24:23
daughters that he kept when he left.
24:25
Amen. He loses his wife. will make we'll
24:27
mention that in the message this morning
24:30
and he loses his sons as well. Lot
24:32
barely makes it out of this place with
24:34
his life,
24:35
>> right?
24:37
>> And this is all comes from one little
24:40
event.
24:41
One little event. And you say,
24:44
"Preacher, well, it was Lot's fault he
24:45
made this decision." You're right about
24:47
that. But you know what? This come from
24:49
event that happened before that.
24:53
You see Genesis chapter number 13.
24:58
Genesis chapter number 13 verse number
25:01
10.
25:05
This is where this this began for Lot.
25:08
This is not where the sin started, but
25:09
I'm I'm going to go back and hit that in
25:11
just a minute. Notice what the Bible
25:13
said in chapter 13 and verse 10. And Lot
25:16
lifted up his eyes and beheld all the
25:18
plain of Jordan, that it was well
25:20
watered everywhere before the Lord
25:22
destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as
25:24
the garden of the Lord. Notice that
25:26
little phrase in verse 10, like the land
25:29
of Egypt,
25:31
as thou comest unto Zor.
25:35
Now what you find here in our text, the
25:38
Bible says in chapter number 12 that
25:41
Abraham in a lapse of faith takes Lot
25:44
and his wife and his and his servants
25:47
down to Egypt because he was fearing a
25:49
famine.
25:52
Notice what the Bible says in verse
25:54
number nine.
25:55
The Bible says in verse number nine of
25:57
Genesis 12, "And Abram journeyied, going
25:59
on still toward the south, and there was
26:01
a famine in the land. And Abram went
26:03
down into Egypt to sojourn there, for
26:05
the famine was grievious in the land.
26:07
And it would came to pass when he was
26:08
come near to enter into Egypt, that he
26:10
said unto Sarah's wife, Behold now, I
26:12
know that thou art to Pharaoh wanted to
26:13
look upon, therefore shall come to pass,
26:16
when the Egyptians shall see thee, that
26:18
they shall say, this is his wife, and
26:20
they will kill me, but they will save
26:21
thee alive." Abraham has to lie to go
26:24
down into Egypt. He lies about his wife.
26:28
He says that she's my sister. The
26:30
Pharaoh here in the text, the Bible says
26:32
that the Lord plagued him in verse
26:34
number 17. In verse 18, Pharaoh called
26:37
him said, "What is this that thou hast
26:38
done unto me? Why dust thou not tell me
26:41
that she was thy wife?" Verse 19, verse
26:44
20, he deals with the situation. All
26:46
right? And everything looks okay. Abrams
26:49
went down into Egypt. Their land was in
26:51
a land was in a period of famine. But
26:53
you got to remember who's tagging along
26:55
with them? Lot's tagging along with
26:57
them. What is Egypt a type of in the
27:00
Bible? The world. So what's he done?
27:04
He's took Lot down in there to Egypt.
27:06
And Lot has seen everything that Egypt
27:08
has to offer. And when he comes out of
27:11
Egypt, Egypt, Egypt never leaves his
27:13
mind.
27:13
>> Right?
27:14
>> And so back to chapter 13 and verse
27:16
number 10. Verse one, Abram went up out
27:18
of Egypt. he and his wife and all that
27:20
he had and Lot with him into the south.
27:23
And so their their herds get so large,
27:25
you know the story. The herds get so
27:27
large, their herdman are striving. So
27:29
they've got to split up. And in verse
27:31
number eight, he says, Abram said Lot,
27:33
let there be no strife, I pray thee,
27:35
between me and thee, and between my
27:37
herdman and thy herdman, for we be
27:38
brethren. Is not the whole land before
27:41
thee. Separate thyself, I pray thee,
27:43
from thee. If thou wilt take the left
27:45
hand, then I will go to the right. Or if
27:47
thou depart to the right hand, then I
27:49
will go to the left. And notice verse 10
27:51
again. And Lot lifted up his eyes and
27:54
beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it
27:56
was well watered everywhere before the
27:58
Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorra, even
28:00
as the garden of the Lord. Notice the
28:02
phrase again, like the land of Egypt,
28:07
as thou comest unto Zor.
28:11
So, Lot has ended up where he's at in
28:14
chapter 19 because of Abraham's lapse of
28:17
faith in chapter 12.
28:21
>> You see, this is the this this is the
28:22
importance of decisions in your life.
28:24
>> Right?
28:25
>> You see, you might let me just put it in
28:29
practical terms, okay? You might make a
28:32
decision and you might recover from
28:33
that, but your family might not. You're
28:36
>> right.
28:38
You might make a decision to get out of
28:39
the will of God and to go the way of the
28:41
world for a period of time. Then you get
28:42
back right again, but your family may
28:45
not ever recover from that.
28:46
>> Right?
28:47
>> You see in this text, the demand was
28:49
given to Lot in verse number 12 of
28:51
chapter 19. He said, "All right, we know
28:54
what we've got to do,
28:56
but nobody's going to follow."
28:59
And so what has happened is Lot's desire
29:01
for prosperity. Hear me. All right? I'm
29:04
not preaching, but I am. Okay? Chapter
29:06
13 and verse 10. His desire for
29:08
prosperity. What did it say about the
29:10
plains of Jordan? That it was well
29:11
watered everywhere, good land for
29:14
cattle, good land for crops. He saw that
29:17
it was well watered everywhere like the
29:19
Garden of Eden,
29:21
like unto Egypt.
29:24
You know what he did?
29:26
He went and pitched his tent in that
29:29
land that was full of prosperity.
29:32
And what happens? Years pass on,
29:35
children grow up, and their location
29:38
changes.
29:40
Instead of just looking at Sodom, and
29:42
now they're living in Sodom,
29:43
>> right?
29:46
>> You want to know a description of
29:47
America as we know it today? Right there
29:49
it is.
29:49
>> Right.
29:50
>> We just looked at it for a long time and
29:52
now we're living it.
29:53
>> You're right.
29:55
>> And God is saying, "All right, it's time
29:57
to get out." Verse 12. Hast thou hear
30:01
any besides son-in-law and thy sons and
30:03
thy daughters at least six children? Lot
30:05
has here in this text, if you count his
30:07
sons-in-law, there's at least eight.
30:10
And so you think about this with me. If
30:13
he's got at least two sons-in-law,
30:16
two daughters that are married to those
30:18
sons-in-law, two sons and two daughters
30:21
that are virgins, and Lot and his wife,
30:22
how many is that? It's 10.
30:27
Abraham prayed and he said, "Per
30:29
adventure, 10 shall be found there." But
30:32
you know what? Abraham knew that Lot was
30:34
the only one that believed.
30:36
>> Right?
30:41
>> Notice verse 13.
30:46
For we will destroy this place because
30:48
the cry of them is waxing great before
30:51
the face of the Lord and the Lord hath
30:53
sent us to destroy it. And it's like I
30:57
told you before, I think Lot already
30:59
knew it.
31:00
He knew it. He knew the sin that he was
31:02
living in. He knew the wickedness, the
31:05
immensity of sin that was present in
31:07
this city. But he chose to live there
31:11
because at this point in his life, if he
31:14
had decided to leave, he would have lost
31:15
it all anyway. You're
31:16
>> right.
31:18
>> I want you to think about this. If Lot
31:20
had chose to get right with God and
31:22
leave that city, he would have had to
31:23
leave his wife and all his children
31:24
there. You're right.
31:26
>> And so, you know what he did? He stayed.
31:32
I'm seeing it all the time.
31:34
My dad's talking to me about a gentleman
31:36
the other day. We was just we prayed for
31:39
him, prayed God would touch his family.
31:42
They've left his church. They've went to
31:43
a liberal church up the road because his
31:45
children won't want won't they won't
31:47
mind him. They won't listen to him. His
31:49
wife just lets them do whatever they
31:51
want to. And he told my dad, he said, "I
31:54
give up.
31:55
I'm not losing my children and my wife."
31:59
And so, you know what he had to do?
32:01
He had to throw in the towel.
32:05
You say, "Preacher, was that the right
32:07
thing to do?" I don't know. What do you
32:09
think?
32:11
Here's what it comes down to in our
32:13
life. Okay. God God before everything
32:16
else.
32:17
>> Right. Right.
32:19
>> Before everything else. And the problem
32:21
is when people start out wrong, this is
32:23
what you have to deal with. You're
32:25
>> right.
32:25
>> If Lot would have never pitched his
32:28
tent, you're
32:29
>> right
32:29
>> toward Sodom, his children wouldn't have
32:31
had to live there.
32:32
>> You're right.
32:32
>> If he would have made the right
32:34
decision, but I'll tell you this. All
32:35
right. It comes back on those of us too
32:37
that are here this morning because our
32:39
little lapses of faith could be the
32:41
thing that causes somebody else to stay
32:43
out for their lives.
32:44
>> Amen.
32:45
>> Abraham was the friend of God. He's the
32:48
father of the faith. And it was
32:49
Abraham's decision that caused Lot to do
32:52
this.
32:54
Our little lapses of faith could be what
32:56
causes somebody else to live a life of
32:58
perversion and wickedness. I can tell
33:00
you this this morning. We have no room
33:02
to quit.
33:03
>> Amen.
33:04
>> We have no room to back up. We have no
33:06
room to let up.
33:08
>> We've got to stick to it. You're
33:10
>> right.
33:10
>> And more so than that, we got to believe
33:12
it.
33:12
>> Yes.
33:13
>> What good is hanging with something if
33:15
you don't even believe it?
33:16
>> Amen.
33:18
So, we'll preach here out of chapter 19
33:20
this morning, the Lord helping us and uh
33:24
look at this thought, but give you a
33:25
good little introduction to that. I I've
33:28
enjoyed doing that. I think it helps
33:29
with the message. Those of you that are
33:32
here for Sunday school and for
33:33
preaching, you get all of it together.
33:35
So, I enjoy that. We may do that for a
33:37
while. And uh but uh I don't say I don't
33:41
preach this this morning to be
33:42
discouraging. It just it's just a wakeup
33:44
call. Let's get serious. Amen. Amen. and
33:47
I love each one of you. Let's pray and
33:48
then we'll get ready for worship
33:50
service. Father, thank you for this day.
33:52
Thank you for your grace and your mercy,
33:55
Lord. Thank you for the truths of the
33:56
word of God, Lord. The illustration,
33:59
God, you paint it so perfectly.
34:02
Lord, you tell us, Father, that we
34:04
cannot afford to have one toe in this
34:07
world.
34:09
>> God, we've got to be completely
34:10
separate. Lord, I pray you'd give us
34:12
boldness and courage to do that in these
34:14
days. in order to be real and right for
34:17
you. Lord, we love you. Thank you for
34:18
loving us. Help us in the worship
34:20
service today. Bless the singing and the
34:22
preaching. And we give you praise for
34:23
what you do because we ask it in Jesus
34:25
name. Amen.
34:30
Thank you for joining our service today.
34:32
We'd love it if you'd join us in person
34:35
the next time you are able at Meadows
34:37
Baptist Church. Our physical address is
34:40
2988
34:41
Stewart Road in Walnut Cove, North
34:44
Carolina. Our service times are Sunday
34:47
school at 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning
34:49
worship at 11:00 a.m., Sunday evening
34:52
worship at 6:00 p.m., and Wednesday
34:54
evening Bible study at 700 p.m. For more
34:57
information, visit us at
34:59
meadowsbaptisturch.com.
35:01
Thanks again for tuning in.