Latest / Meadows Baptist Church Podcast / God Remembered Abraham - 1/11/26 - Pastor Charlie Branch
Transcript
- 0:02Welcome to [music] the podcast of
- 0:04Meadows Baptist Church of Walnut Cove,
- 0:07North Carolina. We're so glad [music]
- 0:09you joined us today. If you enjoy
- 0:11today's message, be sure to subscribe,
- 0:13[music] follow, and share with your
- 0:15friends. Now, let's join Pastor [music]
- 0:18Charlie Branch with a word from God
- 0:26>> prayer this morning. Amen. And uh Paul
- 0:30said, "I'm crucified with Christ.
- 0:33Nevertheless, I live yet not I." He
- 0:35said, "But the life I now live in the
- 0:37flesh. I live by the faith of the son of
- 0:39God who loved me and gave himself for
- 0:41me." Amen. I appreciate the good singing
- 0:43this morning. If you have a Bible, I
- 0:45invite you to turn with me to the book
- 0:46of Genesis. The book of Genesis.
- 0:49Genesis, chapter number 19. When you
- 0:51find your place, if you would stand.
- 0:54Genesis, chapter number 19.
- 1:01Appreciate those ladies singing. Miss
- 1:02Melody been playing the piano for last
- 1:05several months and uh taking up some
- 1:08slack there. Miss Donna being able to
- 1:09recover and I sure appreciate them
- 1:12serving so faithfully and uh God has
- 1:14sure blessed us with faithful people uh
- 1:17that love the Lord and want to serve.
- 1:19And I appreciate her and Sister Amber
- 1:21and Sister Donna and all these others.
- 1:23Amen. That labor the music. I tell you
- 1:25what, if anything, if uh if the music
- 1:27ought to be good, it ought to be good at
- 1:28God's house. Amen. If it's good
- 1:30anywhere, amen. And ought to be right.
- 1:32And I appreciate them committing to
- 1:34excellence. Amen. To do that here at the
- 1:35church. And I appreciate you being here
- 1:38this morning.
- 1:39>> It's good to have a new addition with us
- 1:40this morning, Miss Mie. Amen. Miss Miy
- 1:44made over there in the back. Amen. And
- 1:46uh Amen. From from a daddy. Amen. Let me
- 1:49say this to you. Don't touch her. Amen.
- 1:51Amen. Don't get near. Amen. Just be
- 1:53respectful and be polite. Amen. They
- 1:55didn't ask me to do that, okay? I'm just
- 1:57telling you. And be respectful of the
- 1:59little ones. Amen. And we there's plenty
- 2:02of sickness going around. Somebody say,
- 2:03"Amen." And so I know we I'd want that
- 2:06done if I was in that shape, too. So,
- 2:08uh, do remember that. But I appreciate
- 2:10him. Amen. We going to grow the church
- 2:11one way or another. Somebody say,
- 2:12"Amen." And hallelujah. And, uh, man,
- 2:16some of y'all got nervous right there.
- 2:18Amen. And we do live in America. Amen.
- 2:20We are in a Baptist church. Somebody say
- 2:22amen. Amen. Good gracious. All right.
- 2:25Genesis chapter number 19. And I love
- 2:28the Lord. Don't you?
- 2:29>> Amen. Boy, he's good.
- 2:31>> Yes.
- 2:32>> He saved my soul.
- 2:33>> Amen.
- 2:34>> Amen. Let me just say it again. He saved
- 2:36my soul. Amen. I'm born again.
- 2:40Hallelujah. By the blood of Jesus. And
- 2:42I'm on my way to heaven. Amen.
- 2:44>> Amen. I think we ought to just take some
- 2:46time every now and again, clear off a
- 2:48spot and just shout. Amen. That'd be all
- 2:50right. And uh boy, God has been good.
- 2:52Genesis chapter 19. I want to read,
- 2:55let's begin reading in verse number 23.
- 2:58Genesis chapter number 19, just for sake
- 3:00of time. And I'd love to read the whole
- 3:02chapter. Um but we'll just read just a
- 3:05few verses here for sake of time this
- 3:06morning. And you pray for us that the
- 3:08Lord will help us. Brother, is my mic
- 3:10on? Did I turn it on? Okay. We'll make
- 3:12sure I had it on. All right. Genesis
- 3:14chapter number 19. Let's begin reading
- 3:16verse 23.
- 3:18The Bible says, "The sun was risen upon
- 3:20the earth when Lot entered into Zor.
- 3:23Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon
- 3:26Gomorrah, brimstone and fire from the
- 3:28Lord out of heaven, and he overthrew all
- 3:31those cities and all the plain, and all
- 3:33the inhabitants of the cities, and that
- 3:35which grew upon the ground." But his
- 3:37wife looked back from behind him, and
- 3:39she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham
- 3:44got up early in the morning to the place
- 3:45where he stood before the Lord. And he
- 3:48looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and
- 3:50toward all the land of the plain. And
- 3:52beheld, and lo, the smoke of the country
- 3:54went up as the smoke of a furnace. And
- 3:56it came to pass when God destroyed the
- 3:58cities of the plain that God remembered
- 4:01Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of
- 4:04the overthrow,
- 4:06when he overthrew the cities in the
- 4:09which Lot dwelt. I want you to notice
- 4:12that little phrase in the middle of
- 4:14verse number 29. The Bible says that it
- 4:16came to pass when God destroyed the
- 4:18cities of of the of the plain that God
- 4:22remembered Abraham.
- 4:24>> And I want to preach on that thought for
- 4:26just a little while this morning on God
- 4:28remembered Abraham. And let's pray and
- 4:32ask God to help us as we look at the
- 4:33text this morning. Father, thank you for
- 4:36the privilege to be in the house of God.
- 4:38Thank you for the choir singing the
- 4:39special songs. Thank you, God, for the
- 4:41opportunity to give and the offering.
- 4:43And Lord, I know without a shadow of a
- 4:45doubt your hand's been on all of it. And
- 4:46God, we've come to the preaching hour.
- 4:48God, I ask that you would help us this
- 4:50morning. Clothe us in our calling. Hide
- 4:52us behind the cross. And Lord, I pray
- 4:54that we'd see no man save Jesus only.
- 4:57God, I pray that you would help us to
- 4:59open our eyes and open our hearts, Lord,
- 5:01to the word of God. Help us to receive
- 5:03with meekness the engrafted word. And
- 5:05Lord, I pray you'll move in a mighty way
- 5:07today. And you told us in your word,
- 5:08thou wil keep him in perfect peace. He
- 5:10whose mind is stayed on thee because he
- 5:12trustth in thee. And God, I pray,
- 5:15Father, today we'd keep our mind focused
- 5:16on you. And Lord, keep our eyes and our
- 5:19ears, Lord, focused in on the word of
- 5:21God. And I pray, Lord, if there's
- 5:22somebody here this morning that's trying
- 5:24to get out of the will of God or is out
- 5:26of the will of God. I pray, God, that
- 5:28you deal with their heart today and Holy
- 5:30Ghost conviction, God would settle in
- 5:32upon them. I pray for somebody, Lord,
- 5:33that's here lost today. God, I know,
- 5:36Father, in a crowd this size, I'm sure
- 5:37there's somebody. And God, I pray today
- 5:39be the day of salvation for them. And
- 5:41Lord, I pray you'd help us now. We love
- 5:43you. Thank you for loving us. And we'll
- 5:45give you thanks for what you do because
- 5:47we ask it in Jesus name. And God's
- 5:49children said, "Amen." You can be
- 5:51seated. Thank you for standing this
- 5:53morning.
- 5:56Genesis chapter number 19 is one of I
- 5:59guess if we were to consider it uh in
- 6:01its context we would say it's one of the
- 6:03more darker portions of scripture in the
- 6:06word of God. We find here that there's a
- 6:08man that's gotten out of the will of God
- 6:10and his family has suffered because of
- 6:12his decisions here in our text. And
- 6:15where we picked up reading in verse
- 6:17number 23, the invitation here, rather
- 6:19the demand has been given to this man
- 6:22Lot to pick up all that he has, all his
- 6:24family, all his children, and to get out
- 6:27of the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. And
- 6:29if you know the story, you know this
- 6:31morning that Lot when he was commanded
- 6:33to go, the Bible says that he lingered
- 6:35in verse number 16. And the Bible says
- 6:38that literally the angels that had came
- 6:40to him had to pick him up and drag him
- 6:42and his family out of the city. And I
- 6:45want to say this to you this morning,
- 6:47lost or saved, today sin will get a grip
- 6:50on your life. And sometimes it's going
- 6:52to take an angel. Sometimes it's going
- 6:54to take I I'll be honest with you. Every
- 6:56time sin gets a grip on your life, it's
- 6:58going to take the power of almighty God
- 7:00to get you out of that situation. And
- 7:03Lot is lingering. In verse number 16,
- 7:05and the angels laid hold upon his hand
- 7:08and his wife and his two daughters and
- 7:10the Bible says, the Lord being merciful
- 7:12unto him, God was going to spare his
- 7:15life. And God is brought out of this
- 7:17city, of course, he tries to make a
- 7:19compromise with him. Here in the text,
- 7:21they tell him to go to the mountain. and
- 7:23he says, "I I don't want to go to the
- 7:25mountain, but just let me escape to this
- 7:26little city here off to the side." And
- 7:29what you'll find is is that that city
- 7:31was called Zor. And that city would also
- 7:34have been destroyed if Lot hadn't went
- 7:36and dwelt there. And so, he never did
- 7:37completely get out of the wickedness of
- 7:39Sin. He never did completely get back in
- 7:42the will of God. And you know what? I've
- 7:43seen a lot of people make an attempt to
- 7:45get right with God. And they'll go
- 7:47halfway. And they never really do go all
- 7:49the way with God. But somehow or
- 7:51another, the strings of this world are
- 7:53attached too strong and they do not
- 7:55decide to follow God, they just go a
- 7:57little ways and then they're satisfied
- 7:59with that. Well, let me say this to you
- 8:00this morning, friend. If you don't go
- 8:03all the way with God, you will suffer
- 8:05doom and you will suffer destruction in
- 8:07your life. Amen. And I notice in this
- 8:10text, I want to consider a few things by
- 8:12way of introduction, then I'll give you
- 8:14the message this morning. I note the
- 8:16time in our text. The Bible says in
- 8:18verse 23 that the sun was risen upon the
- 8:21earth when Lot entered into Zor. And so
- 8:25Lot here is being led out by these
- 8:27angels. And the next day the dawn has
- 8:30come. The sun is rising on the earth.
- 8:32And Lot is just now entering into this
- 8:35city. And the angels have drugged him
- 8:37out of there. According to verse number
- 8:3922, they said that we can't do anything
- 8:42with this city until that you're out of
- 8:44here. And so he makes it into Zor in
- 8:47verse 23. And the Bible says in verse
- 8:5024, then the Lord rained upon Sodom and
- 8:53upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from
- 8:56the Lord out of heaven. And you notice
- 8:58the time he was delivered. But you note
- 9:00the tools of destruction. And in verse
- 9:0224, God uses fire and brimstone to
- 9:06destroy a race of people that had become
- 9:09so wicked in their mind that God said
- 9:11there is no hope of repentance for that
- 9:13people.
- 9:14>> Amen.
- 9:15>> And I'll say this, he went farther than
- 9:17just the people. You're
- 9:18>> right.
- 9:19>> You notice in our text, the tools of
- 9:21destruction were fire and brimstone.
- 9:23Now, writers disagree about what that
- 9:25is, but we know the text does tell us
- 9:27that there was fire that fell from
- 9:29heaven. And that brimstone is obviously
- 9:31some type of flaming uh ember or ash of
- 9:34size that would fall down there and
- 9:36light on fire what's in the ground. You
- 9:38know when you light a fire a big brush
- 9:39pile and the wind gets to blowing and
- 9:41then those embers begin to fly. What'll
- 9:43happen is is the fires will start
- 9:45elsewhere. Well, let me tell you this.
- 9:47The fire of God started in heaven and he
- 9:49let it fall out upon the earth. And let
- 9:51me say this, all judgment that's going
- 9:54to take place on this earth is going to
- 9:56descend from heaven. Amen. Because
- 9:57that's the abode of God. and the
- 9:59judgment of God, it will fall upon this
- 10:01earth. Amen. And so I note not only the
- 10:04time of his deliverance, but the tools
- 10:06of destruction. But notice the totality
- 10:08of the destruction. In verse 25, the
- 10:11Bible says, "And he overthrew those
- 10:13cities and all the plain and all the
- 10:16inhabitants of the cities and that which
- 10:18grew upon the ground." What you notice
- 10:22here in verse number 25 is that God
- 10:24completely decimated this land. He
- 10:27destroyed the plain. That means he
- 10:29destroyed the ground, all the cities,
- 10:31all the buildings, all the dwelling
- 10:33places. He destroyed not only the plain,
- 10:36but he destroyed the people. The Bible
- 10:37says, "And all the inhabitants of the
- 10:40cities." So he destroyed the cities and
- 10:42he destroyed the consumers in those
- 10:44cities. But then he also not only
- 10:46destroyed the plain and the people, but
- 10:48he also destroyed the plants. Notice
- 10:50verse 25. And that which grew upon the
- 10:54ground. Let me say this to you. Do you
- 10:56think them plants did anything wrong?
- 10:58No. But they was tainted by sin. You're
- 11:01>> right.
- 11:02>> And you say, "Preacher, what does that
- 11:03show us?" Well, that shows how harshly
- 11:05God deals with sin. His judgment when it
- 11:08comes, it is merciless. And God will not
- 11:11stay his wrath. For any man, woman, boy,
- 11:13or girl, even a plant or animal. Amen.
- 11:16God's wrath will consume everything that
- 11:18gets in its path. And you say,
- 11:20"Preacher, I THOUGHT GOD WAS A God of
- 11:22love." And he is. But let me say this to
- 11:24you this morning. When he gets done,
- 11:26he's done. And when JUDGMENT COMES, HE
- 11:29WILL NOT STAY HIS WRATH. AMEN.
- 11:32>> I'll tell you this this morning that
- 11:34those that do not believe, those that
- 11:36will not receive Jesus Christ as their
- 11:39Lord and Savior will experience the
- 11:41judgment and the wrath of Almighty God
- 11:43throughout the eons of eternity. They
- 11:46will experience the fire. They will know
- 11:47the flame and the brimstone, the forever
- 11:50burning place. And you SAY, "PREACHER, I
- 11:52DON'T LIKE THAT." WELL, LET ME TELL YOU
- 11:54THIS MORNING, if you're not saved this
- 11:56morning, it's where you're headed. AMEN.
- 11:58YOU'RE HEADED TO A PLACE CALLED HELL.
- 12:00I'm going to tell you one MORE TIME, GOD
- 12:02DIDN'T MAKE IT FOR you this morning. He
- 12:04made it FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS.
- 12:06BUT THE TRUTH IS, IF YOU CHOOSE TO
- 12:08FOLLOW THE DEVIL'S WAY and you CHOOSE TO
- 12:10FOLLOW IN THIS DEVIL'S WORLD AND TO
- 12:12FOLLOW HIS WORD AND BE OBEDIENT to him
- 12:14AND CALL HIM MASTER, YOU WILL END up in
- 12:17a place called hell. Amen. Right?
- 12:20>> And the Bible tells us that God
- 12:22destroyed it all. The totality of this
- 12:26destruction even went to the plants and
- 12:28animal life. He destroyed everything
- 12:30that the land was. You see what he
- 12:32wanted to do? He took the people out,
- 12:34but he also wanted them to not have a
- 12:36chance to be able to build back.
- 12:38>> And you know, I've heard it said, I
- 12:40can't verify this this morning, but I've
- 12:42heard it said that nobody knows where
- 12:43Sodom and Gomorrah was. that the
- 12:46totality of the burning was so much that
- 12:48nobody there was no ruins left behind.
- 12:50God literally burned it into into
- 12:53non-existence.
- 12:55And I noticed this in our text and we'll
- 12:57get into the message. You see the tying,
- 13:00the tools, the totality. But notice the
- 13:02truth in verse 26.
- 13:04The Bible says in verse number 26, "But
- 13:06his wife," that's Lot's wife, "looked
- 13:09back from behind him, and she became a
- 13:12pillar of salt." Now, I could preach on
- 13:16this dear lady this morning, but I just
- 13:18want to give you a few things about her,
- 13:19and then we'll get into the message this
- 13:21morning. You see, Lot's wife was a
- 13:24victim of somebody else's choices. And
- 13:26because of her husband's choices and
- 13:29refusing to lead her home, she here had
- 13:31made her abode in this land in a place
- 13:34where she should have never been. And
- 13:36because she was in that place by
- 13:37somebody else's decision, what happened
- 13:40to her is is that she became acquainted
- 13:41with that land. And what happened out of
- 13:43that is that their children were raised
- 13:45in that land. If you were here for
- 13:47Sunday school this morning, you would
- 13:49know that there was six, at least six
- 13:51children that Lot had and two
- 13:53sons-in-law at least there in the land.
- 13:55And so I there's many different reasons
- 13:57we could say we could wonder about why
- 14:00that she looked back. But I'll tell you
- 14:01this regardless of why she looked back
- 14:03because she had a desire to. You're
- 14:05>> right.
- 14:06>> She looked back because her babies were
- 14:08in there.
- 14:09>> She looked back because maybe her
- 14:11grandchildren were in there. [snorts]
- 14:13>> She looked back because maybe her
- 14:15friends were in there. What I'm saying
- 14:16was is they had got attack. They had GOT
- 14:18ATTACHED TO THE WORLD. AND WHEN GOD
- 14:20BROUGHT JUDGMENT, GOD TOOK AWAY
- 14:22EVERYTHING that was precious to her.
- 14:24That's right.
- 14:24>> Let me tell you something this morning.
- 14:26When you get attached to this world, you
- 14:28better mark her down, friend. You're
- 14:29going to come up empty. Amen. You'll
- 14:31lose every bit of it and you'll never
- 14:33have nothing to hang on to. She looked
- 14:35back because she felt like that was all
- 14:37she had left. Amen.
- 14:39>> Right.
- 14:39>> But you know what? Her desire brought
- 14:41her disobedience.
- 14:43In verse number 17, the Bible says, "The
- 14:46angels told them. They said, "Look not
- 14:48behind thee." Direct command of God.
- 14:50They said, "Don't look back." Let me say
- 14:53this to you this morning. We can't
- 14:54afford to look back.
- 14:55>> You're right.
- 14:57>> Paul said it this way. The writer of
- 14:58Hebrews said, "We're not of them that
- 15:00draw back under predition."
- 15:01>> Yes.
- 15:02>> And that's what happens if you draw
- 15:03back. You draw them back unto predition.
- 15:05That's destruction.
- 15:06>> Right?
- 15:07>> And it led to her death in the text. She
- 15:09became a pillar of salt. And you know
- 15:12what the truth about this lady that I
- 15:14want to tell you this morning and I'll
- 15:15give you the message. You see, her
- 15:17direction was never able to be changed.
- 15:20You know what? When she became a pillar
- 15:21of salt, you know what the way what way
- 15:23she was pointing?
- 15:25She was looking towards Sodom. Let me
- 15:28say this to you this morning. Because
- 15:30Lot chose while he was alive to pitch
- 15:32his family towards Sodom. His wife when
- 15:35she died had no choice but to look
- 15:37toward Sodom.
- 15:38>> You're right.
- 15:39>> She looked that way because her husband
- 15:42way back a few chapters before in
- 15:44chapter 13 and verse number 10 had
- 15:46decided to look that way himself. AND
- 15:49BECAUSE HE DECIDED TO LOOK THAT WAY, SHE
- 15:51DIED LOOKING THAT WAY.
- 15:53>> YES.
- 15:53>> And she'll forever be remembered as the
- 15:55woman that looked back.
- 15:58I'll say this to you this morning,
- 15:59Daddy, your decisions affect more than
- 16:01just you.
- 16:02>> You're right,
- 16:02>> mama. Your decisions affect more than
- 16:04just you.
- 16:06>> But I notice in our text in verse 27,
- 16:08the Bible says, "And Abraham got up
- 16:10early in the morning to the place where
- 16:13he stood before the Lord." And I notice
- 16:15first of all here in our man Abraham
- 16:18thinking about this thought that God
- 16:20remembered Abraham. I noticed the
- 16:21concern of Abraham. The Bible says you
- 16:24notice there first of all it says he got
- 16:26up early. Abraham obviously in our text
- 16:29of course we know that he has not had
- 16:31any conversation with Lot up until this
- 16:35time. He didn't never go down to Sodom
- 16:36and Gomorra because he knew that he was
- 16:39not welcome there. Amen. And the Bible
- 16:41does not record on the pages of
- 16:42scripture where Lot and Abraham ever
- 16:44meet again after this again. But I do
- 16:46know that in their departure when they
- 16:48decided to split off and go separate
- 16:50ways that Lot went his direction and
- 16:53Abraham went his. And though Lot
- 16:55probably forgot about Abraham, let me
- 16:57tell you something. Abraham never did
- 16:58forget about Lot. Amen. And Lot was on
- 17:01his mind. And because of that, in
- 17:03chapter number 18, God come to Abraham
- 17:05and he said, "Look, I've got to tell you
- 17:07what I'm going to do." He Sodom and
- 17:09Gomorrah the sin of it is very great. In
- 17:11chapter 18 and verse 20 he said their
- 17:13sin is very grievious and he said I'm
- 17:15going to go down and see whether they've
- 17:17done all together according to the cry
- 17:19of it. And he was telling Abraham look
- 17:21I'm going to destroy that place because
- 17:23of their sin. And the Bible tells us
- 17:25that because of the intervention of the
- 17:27Lord desiring to destroy that land of
- 17:30Sodom and Gomorrah Abraham begins his
- 17:32intercession in chapter number 18
- 17:34praying that God would deliver Lot. Yes.
- 17:38>> Why? Because he loved it.
- 17:40>> Yes.
- 17:41>> And you see, he was concerned. And from
- 17:43verse 23 of chapter 18 to verse number
- 17:4633, Abraham pleads with God on behalf of
- 17:49this young man, Lot that God would
- 17:51deliver him. And it's interesting that
- 17:53he does not plead personally for Lot. He
- 17:56does not PLEAD PERSONALLY FOR LOT'S
- 17:58FAMILY, but he speaks of the city in a
- 18:00generic sense. And and and what's
- 18:02interesting about that is is that
- 18:04Abraham as he's pleading for that city,
- 18:07God knew who he had in mind. And I want
- 18:10you to think about this with me this
- 18:11morning. Think about first of all in
- 18:14verse number 27. You see his concern. I
- 18:16think about the Lord and his concern.
- 18:18Notice verse 27. And Abraham got up
- 18:21early in the morning to the place,
- 18:22notice this, where he stood before the
- 18:25Lord. Now, that's a reference to chapter
- 18:27number 18 and verse number in verse
- 18:30number 22 and 23. You see, Abraham and
- 18:33those three men had journeyed up on the
- 18:35mountain and they were looking off of
- 18:36that mountain down on Sodom and
- 18:38Gomorrah. And as those two men left and
- 18:41Jesus there, the pre-incarnate Christ
- 18:43stays with Abraham in chapter number 18,
- 18:46they begin to converse, Abram draws
- 18:48near. And so the next day after the Lord
- 18:50departs and Abraham gets up early in the
- 18:53morning and he goes back to that same
- 18:55mountaintop where they were looking off
- 18:56where just the day before he was looking
- 18:59off with God and pleading for Lot and
- 19:01his family on their behalf. He goes back
- 19:03to that same place and begins to look
- 19:05off. And I want you to think about this
- 19:08with me. He went back to the last place
- 19:10he had fellowship with the Lord. Let me
- 19:13say this to you. An intercession in your
- 19:15life, that's a place where you've got to
- 19:16live. You're
- 19:17>> right. were the last place you spoke to
- 19:19him.
- 19:19>> Yeah.
- 19:20>> But I noticed not only that, but I want
- 19:22you to think about this. You think about
- 19:24the Lord in his concern, but I think
- 19:26about the look in his concern. Notice
- 19:28verse 28. And he looked toward Sodom and
- 19:32Gomorrah. Now, I want you to think about
- 19:34this with me this morning. They didn't
- 19:36have cell phones. They didn't have any
- 19:38extra type of communication other than
- 19:40just talking or by a letter. That's all
- 19:42that they had. And so when Abraham looks
- 19:45out over that plane and you know what he
- 19:46sees? He sees it burning.
- 19:49He sees the smoke and he's looking out
- 19:51there and you know what Abram had just
- 19:53prayed in the chapter before? He said,
- 19:55"Lord, if there be 10 righteous there,
- 19:56would you spare the city?" You remember
- 19:58what God told him? He said,"Abram, I'll
- 20:00spare it." But you know what happened
- 20:02when he woke up the next morning? The
- 20:03city was burning.
- 20:05>> Let me ask you this. Do you think
- 20:06Abraham thought his prayer was answered?
- 20:12But you know what? He went back because
- 20:13he knew that judgment was coming.
- 20:15>> Amen.
- 20:16>> Abram Abraham stopped short in his
- 20:18intercession because he knew where God's
- 20:20line was.
- 20:21>> Right.
- 20:21>> There's been people I've prayed for in
- 20:23this life and I've watched them slip out
- 20:25into eternity because I knew that the
- 20:27last time I talked to them about the
- 20:28Lord and they rejected it that God was
- 20:30done with them.
- 20:32>> Abraham looked at that city and he saw
- 20:35the fire, he saw the burning and his
- 20:37look, what what was the first thing that
- 20:39crossed his mind? lot was. You see, he
- 20:43went back to that place. You know what
- 20:44he could have done? He could have stayed
- 20:45at home. You're
- 20:46>> right.
- 20:47>> But you know what he did? He went back
- 20:48to that place so he could see. Let me
- 20:50tell you something. One of these days
- 20:52when we get to heaven, Amen. The Bible
- 20:53teaches the book of Revelation that the
- 20:55righteous are going to look over and see
- 20:57the judgment of the wicked. And when we
- 20:59see the judgment of the wicked, we're
- 21:01going to shout, "Praise the Lord.
- 21:02Allelujah. Hallelujah to the Lamb
- 21:05forever more." You say, "Preacher, how
- 21:07is that?" Because those who are
- 21:09righteous, we've been made righteous.
- 21:11And we know those that reject God. And
- 21:13those who refuse salvation, they will be
- 21:16judged and they will be rightfully
- 21:17judged. And that will bring glory to the
- 21:20father.
- 21:20>> Amen.
- 21:21>> But you see, Abraham's concern caused
- 21:23him to go back. Let me ask you, when's
- 21:24the last time you went back
- 21:26>> good
- 21:27>> to the place where you talked with the
- 21:29Lord about that soul? I notice not only
- 21:31the concern of the servant, but I
- 21:33consider the condition of the city in
- 21:35verse 28. And he looked toward Sodom and
- 21:38Gomorra and toward all the land of the
- 21:39plain. And behold, and lo, the smoke of
- 21:42the country went up as the smoke of a
- 21:43furnace. It implies here, of course, we
- 21:46know that there was fire according to
- 21:48verse 24 that he rained fire and
- 21:50brimstone down from down from God out of
- 21:53heaven. And then there is the fumes in
- 21:55verse 28. That word smoke in verse
- 21:57number 28 literally translates to the
- 21:59word fumed. The smoke of it was so great
- 22:02that Abraham was able to see it so far
- 22:04away it beheld. And the Bible says that
- 22:06it was like a furnace. Notice that in
- 22:09verse 28, it went up as the smoke of a
- 22:12furnace. Now, that furnace is what they
- 22:14call a brick kiln. And if you've ever
- 22:16seen a brick kiln in Bible days, what it
- 22:18looks like? It looks like a little pot
- 22:20and the top of it funnels. And the image
- 22:23of this smoke that he saw, you know what
- 22:25he saw? It looked like a plume, a smoke
- 22:28stack coming straight up out of Sodom
- 22:29and Gomorrah. I'm talking about the fire
- 22:32was so hot he said it looked like the
- 22:34fire coming out of a brick kilm. You
- 22:35know what they would do in a brick kilm?
- 22:37That's what they would use to melt metal
- 22:38down to bend it.
- 22:41Abraham saw the heat.
- 22:44He saw how hot it was.
- 22:47>> I'm telling you this is how God how
- 22:48serious God is about sin.
- 22:50>> Right?
- 22:51>> I'm telling you, hell is a place where
- 22:52the worm dieth not and the fire is not
- 22:54quenched. Where the wicked will be
- 22:56judged perpetually, eternally forever.
- 22:59There will be no resting place. There
- 23:01will be no breaks. Amen. When you go
- 23:03stand before the great white throne of
- 23:05judgment, you'll think that you're going
- 23:06to have a break from hell. But I'll tell
- 23:08you, you could wish a million times over
- 23:10that you could be back in hell to stand
- 23:12before a holy God with justice and
- 23:14righteousness on his side. And he'll
- 23:16stand and look at you and SAY, "WHAT DID
- 23:18YOU DO with my son, Jesus?"
- 23:21You know what? You'll have nothing to
- 23:22say.
- 23:25>> And hell will literally be a place of
- 23:26burning exactly like this. You think
- 23:29about the condition of the city. You
- 23:31say, "Preacher, what's the importance of
- 23:33that?" Well, you understand that all
- 23:35this world and all that in it is is
- 23:37going to do this very same thing one of
- 23:38these days,
- 23:39>> right?
- 23:40>> You see, the wickedness of our world is
- 23:42just piling up.
- 23:43>> It's just heaping up and heaping up and
- 23:46heaping up down through the years. Amen.
- 23:49All these years, the sin of the human
- 23:51race has just gotten more gross and more
- 23:53gross before God. And as it heaps up,
- 23:55one of these days, God is going to deal
- 23:57with the place. Amen. He's going to burn
- 23:59this world up. Amen. The Bible says in
- 24:01the book of Revelation, chapter number
- 24:0319, he said, "I saw him that sat on a
- 24:05throne." He said, "From whose face the
- 24:07earth and heaven fled away, and the
- 24:09earth and heaven are going to flee and
- 24:10be destroyed. The ground's going to be
- 24:12destroyed. The people's going to BE
- 24:14DESTROYED." I'M SAYING ALL OF IT'S GOING
- 24:16TO BE DESTROYED. WHY? BECAUSE GOD is a
- 24:19mighty judge AND HE WILL JUDGE ALL sin
- 24:23and every sinner
- 24:25>> that's tainted by sin. And this world's
- 24:28going to have to be renovated
- 24:31just like Sodom and Gomorra to be a
- 24:33place of burning. And I noticed this.
- 24:36Isn't it interesting that in the all of
- 24:38this darkness, there's still a ray of
- 24:39light. In verse 29, the Bible says that
- 24:42it came to pass when God destroyed the
- 24:44cities of the plain that God remembered
- 24:47Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of
- 24:50the overthrow when he overthrew the
- 24:52cities in the which Lot dwelt. You see
- 24:54the concern of the servant, the
- 24:55condition of the city, but note the
- 24:57compassion of the sovereign. And I'll be
- 24:59done this morning. You see in this text,
- 25:01all this darkness, all this destruction.
- 25:04You think about everything that's been
- 25:06destroyed. The city was destroyed. The
- 25:08people were destroyed. the plant and
- 25:10animal life was destroyed. There was
- 25:12nothing left. There was nothing left
- 25:14behind. GOD BURNED IT ALL UP. BUT IN THE
- 25:17TEXT, the Bible says that it came to
- 25:19pass that when while he was destroying
- 25:21THE CITIES OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH. THERE
- 25:23WAS ONE person that walked out of there.
- 25:26There was one man that walked out of
- 25:27there. And the Bible says HE WALKED OUT
- 25:29OF THERE BECAUSE GOD remembered Abraham.
- 25:34>> Amen.
- 25:38I want to give you three things and I'll
- 25:40be done.
- 25:42I want you to notice first of all here
- 25:43concerning the compassion
- 25:46of the sovereign, you know, first of all
- 25:48the father's remembrance, verse 29,
- 25:52at the very same moment that God
- 25:55destroyed the cities of the plain, the
- 25:58Bible says that God remembered. And I
- 26:02want you to think about this with me
- 26:03this morning. What do we believe about
- 26:05God? God is infinite, isn't he?
- 26:08>> Amen. He's all powerful. God is
- 26:11omnisient. That means he's all knowing.
- 26:13>> God is omnipresent. That means God is
- 26:15everywhere all the time. Amen. And what
- 26:18I find in this text is is that when Lot
- 26:20is walking out of this city, you see
- 26:22Abraham had prayed a prayer in chapter
- 26:24number 18. And when he woke up the next
- 26:26day and he saw the smoke, you know what?
- 26:28I can almost I I don't know what was
- 26:30going through his mind, but I do know
- 26:32this. I I'm sure in his heart he was
- 26:34praying, "Boy, I hope LOT GOT OUT.
- 26:37BOY, I HOPE THEY got out." Oh, but
- 26:39friend, there was somebody that knew a
- 26:42whole lot more than Abraham did.
- 26:43>> Amen.
- 26:44>> Amen. There was somebody that could go
- 26:46somewhere Abraham never went. Amen.
- 26:48There was somebody that could do
- 26:50something Abraham could never do. You
- 26:52You say, "Preacher, what are you
- 26:53saying?" I'M SAYING IF ABRAHAM COULD
- 26:55HAVE WENT to Sodom and Gomorrah, he
- 26:57couldn't have talked loud enough up out
- 26:58of getting out of Sodom and Gomorrah.
- 27:00Hey friend, there's people in your life.
- 27:02IT DON'T MATTER WHAT YOU TELL THEM. IT
- 27:04DON'T MATTER WHAT YOU DO FOR THEM. THERE
- 27:06IS NOTHING. THERE IS NO HELP THAT YOU
- 27:08CAN GIVE. OH, BUT FRIEND, ABRAHAM
- 27:10DECIDED WHEN HE KNEW IT WAS OUT OF HIS
- 27:12HANDS. HE COULD TALK TO ONE WHOSE HANDS
- 27:15HOLD THE WORLD AND GOD WOULD TAKE CARE
- 27:17OF IT. WHY? BECAUSE GOD NEVER FORGETS.
- 27:20HALLELUJAH. GOD ALWAYS REMEMBERS. HEY,
- 27:22LOT. AMEN. HE WAS NOT DOWN THERE
- 27:24FORGOTTEN. AMEN. THOUGH IT WAS BY HIS
- 27:26OWN CHOICE, THOUGH HE'D MADE HIS OWN
- 27:28DECISION TO GO HIS OWN WAY. OH,
- 27:31HALLELUJAH. I'M THANKFUL THAT JESUS THAT
- 27:34GOD NEVER FORGETS ONE OF HIS CHILDREN.
- 27:36AMEN. GOD REMEMBERED. AMEN. I'll say
- 27:40this. God remembered the prayer
- 27:42>> of Abraham.
- 27:45>> You think about that. He remembered all
- 27:48that intercession. Lord, if there be 50,
- 27:51Lord, if there be 45, Lord, if there be
- 27:5340, Lord, if there be 30, Lord, IF THERE
- 27:55BE 20, LORD, IF THERE BE 10, WILL YOU
- 27:58spare the city?
- 28:00>> Yes.
- 28:01>> He remembered that. What was Abraham
- 28:04doing? He was showing his love.
- 28:06>> Amen.
- 28:07>> For Lot.
- 28:08>> Amen.
- 28:08>> But I'll say say this, he didn't only
- 28:10remember Abraham's prayer.
- 28:13>> Come on.
- 28:17Amen.
- 28:23>> He also remembered that person.
- 28:29>> You know, I I said this in Sunday school
- 28:31this morning. I said Abraham's decision
- 28:35caused Lot to go that way.
- 28:37>> Right?
- 28:40And Abraham, I don't know if it was ever
- 28:42in the back of his mind,
- 28:45he's down there because of my mistake.
- 28:49>> He's down there because I had a lapse of
- 28:51faith.
- 28:53But you know what? Abraham didn't never
- 28:54quit praying for him. That's
- 28:56>> right.
- 28:57>> Because he God remembered his prayer,
- 28:59but he also remembered that person. You
- 29:01see, Abraham took Lot under his wing
- 29:03because he wanted to deliver him, too.
- 29:06>> Yeah.
- 29:07And in this text, you notice the Bible
- 29:09says that God remembered, but I also not
- 29:11only see the father's remembrance, but I
- 29:13see the faithful's request. God
- 29:16remembered Abraham.
- 29:19You see, God remembered his prayer. God
- 29:21remembered the person. He remembered
- 29:22Lot. But he also remembered Abraham
- 29:24himself.
- 29:26>> You say, "Preacher, what is that?" Well,
- 29:27who's Abraham? He's the father of the
- 29:30faith. Genesis 15 verse number six. And
- 29:32Abraham believed in the Lord, and it was
- 29:35counted unto him for righteousness.
- 29:37>> You see, God delivered Lot that day
- 29:39because of who Abraham was. You're
- 29:42>> right.
- 29:43>> Some of y'all hook up with that in a
- 29:45minute.
- 29:47>> God delivered you.
- 29:49>> Yes.
- 29:50>> God delivered me.
- 29:52>> Because of Jesus.
- 29:53>> Amen.
- 29:54>> Who he is.
- 29:55>> Yes.
- 29:56>> That's why I got lifted out.
- 29:58>> Amen. Right.
- 30:00>> I didn't get delivered because I was
- 30:01righteous.
- 30:02>> You're right.
- 30:03>> I didn't get delivered because I had
- 30:04done anything, but I got delivered on
- 30:06the terms of somebody else.
- 30:07>> Amen.
- 30:08>> Hallelujah.
- 30:10>> There is the father's remembrance and
- 30:12the faithful's request. You see, Abraham
- 30:15prayed. God remembered Abraham. And
- 30:17notice that next phrase, and sent Lot
- 30:20out of the midst of the overthrow.
- 30:24You see the father's remembrance and the
- 30:26faithful's request. But notice the
- 30:27fallen
- 30:29the fallen's rescue.
- 30:32You see, this is what's interesting to
- 30:33me about Lot. And I I just want I just
- 30:35want to preach for just a minute. All
- 30:37right, that'd be all right.
- 30:38>> Amen.
- 30:40>> You see, all three of the characters in
- 30:42this text were all righteous.
- 30:45God is the embodiment of righteous
- 30:47righteousness, isn't he? Amen. And the
- 30:49Bible says that God remembered Abraham.
- 30:52What was Abraham? He was righteous,
- 30:54>> right? Amen.
- 30:55>> He believed the Lord has imputed unto
- 30:56him for righteousness. But you see what
- 30:59Lot see Lot was also righteous as well.
- 31:02Listen to what second Peter says. Second
- 31:05Peter chapter 2, turn there in your
- 31:08Bible with me. You need to read this.
- 31:10You see, if Lot's story in the book of
- 31:11Genesis was all we had to go by, we
- 31:13wouldn't have much on this man Lot for
- 31:16courage to say that he was saved.
- 31:19Second Peter chapter 2.
- 31:26Some of y'all cheaters need to get a
- 31:28Bible like mine that ain't got no tabs
- 31:29in it. Amen. Second Peter 2 verse number
- 31:327
- 31:34verse 6. The Bible says, "And turning
- 31:37the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into
- 31:40ashes, condemned them with an overthrow,
- 31:42making them an ensemble unto those that
- 31:44after should live ungodly, and delivered
- 31:46what? just lot vexed with the filthy
- 31:50conversation of the wicked. Verse number
- 31:52eight, notice this. For that righteous
- 31:54man dwelling among them in seeing and
- 31:58hearing vexed his righteous soul from
- 31:59day to day with their unlawful deeds.
- 32:03Now, isn't it interesting in this text
- 32:05that we can see God is righteous,
- 32:07Abraham is righteous, but Lot is as
- 32:08well. What is the difference? Now, we
- 32:12could say this morning, God is always
- 32:14righteous in his actions, isn't he?
- 32:16>> Yeah.
- 32:16>> He never fails. He's never unfaithful.
- 32:19What do we know about Abraham? Abraham,
- 32:21for the most part, was righteous, but he
- 32:22failed as well.
- 32:23>> Yeah.
- 32:24>> But what do we know about Lot? Lot spent
- 32:26his entire life
- 32:29against what God wanted him to do.
- 32:32>> But the Bible still says he's righteous.
- 32:36>> Let me just take time out right there
- 32:38for just a minute and say this, okay?
- 32:40You don't know who's going to heaven and
- 32:41who's not.
- 32:42>> That's right.
- 32:43>> Amen. And what I notice about this here
- 32:45is the is the Bible, it clearly defines
- 32:48Abraham and Lot as righteous men. And so
- 32:50they were they they started out right.
- 32:52Lot obviously had trusted the Lord at
- 32:54some point in his life. And so what does
- 32:56that tell us? Well, Lot is in heaven.
- 32:58>> You're right.
- 32:59>> Just like Abraham is.
- 33:01>> But you look at their direction in life.
- 33:03You see their their beginning. Amen. And
- 33:05their destination is the same. But all
- 33:08the direction in their life is
- 33:09completely different. You're
- 33:10>> right. What do we notice about that?
- 33:13Well, it started out with the place the
- 33:16way that they turned when they pitched
- 33:17their tent.
- 33:18>> One pitched his tent toward Sodom, that
- 33:20place of wickedness, and the other
- 33:22pitched his tent toward the promise
- 33:24where God had desired for THEM TO BE.
- 33:26WHAT I'M SAYING this morning is this.
- 33:28When they started out, Amen. They had
- 33:30the same goal in mind, BUT ONE DIRECTION
- 33:33JUST POINTING THE WRONG DIRECTION LED
- 33:35THEM ON COMPLETELY different paths.
- 33:38>> Right? Here's the end of the story.
- 33:42You see in this text, Lot lost it all.
- 33:46He loses his children,
- 33:50two daughters that were married, at
- 33:52least two sons that were in the city, at
- 33:54least. And in this text, he loses his
- 33:56wife. He's left with his two daughters
- 33:59and himself.
- 34:01He walks out of this city and out of
- 34:03this city as he comes out in
- 34:05deliverance. God has brought him out.
- 34:07He's he's fled to Zor. He didn't go
- 34:09where God wanted him to. And so he goes
- 34:11to Zoir. And then in Zoir, his
- 34:14daughters, Amen, they they THEY SLEEP
- 34:16WITH HIM OUT OF AN INCESTUOUS
- 34:18RELATIONSHIP. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, TWO
- 34:21NATIONS are born THAT WOULD FIGHT
- 34:22AGAINST THE CHILDREN OF Israel forever.
- 34:25>> Right?
- 34:26>> Moab and Ammon. And you say, "Preacher,
- 34:28what's the difference?" I believe Lot's
- 34:30in heaven today.
- 34:32>> But you know what? None of his family
- 34:33is. You're
- 34:34>> right. Come on. Not a single one of
- 34:38them. And you notice in the text, the
- 34:40Bible doesn't say God remembered Lot,
- 34:42does it.
- 34:45You know what? If Abraham would have
- 34:46never prayed, Lot would have never made
- 34:47it out.
- 34:48>> You're right.
- 34:51>> He'd have burned up with the rest of
- 34:52them.
- 34:53>> Never had another chance. And you know
- 34:55what? He got another chance and he blew
- 34:57it.
- 34:58>> The last thing we read about Lot in our
- 35:01text, the Bible says, is that he was
- 35:03drunk and he was defiled. That's the
- 35:05last thing you ever read about Lot in
- 35:07the Old Testament. And if it was not for
- 35:09what Peter put in his epistle, we
- 35:11wouldn't even know that Lot was saved.
- 35:13You're
- 35:13>> right. Amen.
- 35:15>> You say, "Preacher, what are you
- 35:16saying?" I'm saying this. You can be
- 35:19saved just as saved as I am or just as
- 35:21saved as the Apostle Paul is. And you
- 35:23can waste your life. And you know
- 35:25what'll happen? You might get off
- 35:27unscathed in your life. You might think
- 35:29you do all right. You might get
- 35:30delivered. Amen. But those that come
- 35:32behind you will die and go to hell
- 35:34because your failure
- 35:36>> right
- 35:37>> to obey. GOD DIDN'T SPARE THE CITY
- 35:39BECAUSE THERE WASN'T 10 RIGHTEOUS THERE.
- 35:42THERE WASN'T NINE RIGHTEOUS THERE. THERE
- 35:43WASN'T EIGHT RIGHTEOUS THERE. THERE
- 35:45WASN'T FIVE RIGHTEOUS THERE. THERE
- 35:47WASN'T EVEN TWO RIGHTEOUS THERE. LOT WAS
- 35:50THE ONLY ONE. AND GOD DELIVERED HIM. And
- 35:52you know what? The rest of that bunch
- 35:54died and went to hell.
- 35:55>> You're right.
- 35:57>> You say, "Preacher, how is that?"
- 35:58Because Lot failed.
- 36:02in the direction of his life.
- 36:05Here's the difference. You see Abraham
- 36:08in verse number 27, he stood on higher
- 36:12ground.
- 36:15Think about this. He was looking off
- 36:16down at that city. He didn't only stand
- 36:19on higher ground, but he stood on holy
- 36:21ground.
- 36:22>> It was the place where he stood before
- 36:24the Lord.
- 36:25He didn't only stand on higher ground
- 36:27and on holy ground, but he stood on
- 36:29ground where he poured out his heart to
- 36:31God.
- 36:32And because of Abraham, there was
- 36:35deliverance of this man Lot. But you
- 36:38know what? He was never able to salvage
- 36:41any of his family. What do we know about
- 36:43Abraham? He's the father of Israel.
- 36:47Matthew chapter 1 verse number one, the
- 36:49Bible says, "This is the generation of
- 36:51Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son
- 36:54of Abraham.
- 36:57Lot's never remembered.
- 37:00Lot has nothing. He has no family.
- 37:03He doesn't even have a faithful work
- 37:04that can be attributed to his name."
- 37:07Here's what I want to ask you this
- 37:08morning.
- 37:11God remembered Abraham because of his
- 37:13prayer, and God sent Lot out. But you
- 37:15know what? He was never able to do
- 37:16anymore with Lot
- 37:18because Lot was unwilling to repent.
- 37:22Here's what's going to happen to some of
- 37:24you here this morning. You're going to
- 37:26live your life. You're just as saved as
- 37:27I am. I know it's tight right now and
- 37:30you don't and you probably don't like
- 37:31what I'm selling you, but I'm going to
- 37:33tell you the truth, okay?
- 37:34>> You're going to live your life and
- 37:36you're going to live it out doing what
- 37:37you want to do, going where you want to
- 37:39go, being how you want to be, acting how
- 37:41you want to act, doing all the things
- 37:42that the world has to offer. and you're
- 37:44going to look exactly like the world.
- 37:46Somebody might pray and you might get
- 37:48right with God. But you know what's
- 37:50going to happen? Your children, your
- 37:53grandchildren, your great grandchildren
- 37:55will die lost and go to hell
- 37:58>> because you refuse to get right with
- 38:00God.
- 38:01>> Amen.
- 38:04>> YOU SAY, "PREACHER, WELL, I'VE GOTTEN
- 38:05RIGHT WITH GOD." OH, but what about your
- 38:07children?
- 38:09Look, I know this is not fun preaching
- 38:11this morning, but I'm telling you the
- 38:13truth, okay? It matters more in life
- 38:15whether just you are right with God or
- 38:17not. I'm saying your lapse OF FAITH
- 38:19COULD BE WHAT CAUSES SOMEBODY ELSE TO
- 38:22DIE AND GO TO HELL. YOU'RE
- 38:24>> RIGHT.
- 38:27>> Lot his children
- 38:30died and went to hell.
- 38:36his wife quite possibly died and went to
- 38:41All I know is Abraham said if there be
- 38:4310 righteous there and there wasn't
- 38:45because he burned it down
- 38:46>> right
- 38:48>> let me ask you this in your family
- 38:51what's the measure of intercession for
- 38:54you
- 38:56say Abraham knew where to stop praying
- 38:57because he knew God wasn't going to go
- 38:58any further
- 39:00>> good
- 39:01>> you know here's what I'm afraid of
- 39:05there's people in my my family dist I'm
- 39:07thankful most of my my family professes
- 39:09to be saved and I bless the Lord for
- 39:11that. It's because of the prayers of
- 39:12others that we are. Amen. Let me put
- 39:14that out there.
- 39:15>> But I'll say this, I got some distant
- 39:17family. If the grace of God don't reach
- 39:18them somehow or another, they're going
- 39:20to die lost without God.
- 39:22>> It's not because their parents didn't
- 39:24believe it. It's because their parents
- 39:26got out of the will of God.
- 39:27>> You're right.
- 39:27>> For a time.
- 39:32This serious friend.
- 39:34>> Amen.
- 39:34>> I'm talking about eternal soul. You have
- 39:36children. This ought to rattle you to
- 39:39the core,
- 39:40>> right?
- 39:42>> I'm talking about heaven or hell for
- 39:44eternity.
- 39:45>> Yeah.
- 39:47>> Lot got delivered because of the prayers
- 39:49of another. But you know what? Lot
- 39:51couldn't intercede for his family.
- 39:52>> You're right.
- 39:53>> Abraham interceded for him, but Lot
- 39:55never interceded for any of his family.
- 39:58>> You're right.
- 39:59>> They all died.
- 40:01Every head bowed and every eye closed
- 40:02this morning.
- 40:04Here's the question.
- 40:06Is anybody going to live because of you?
- 40:10God remembered Abraham. Will God
- 40:12remember you?
- 40:16I mentioned her this past week, but Miss
- 40:18Modina Price,
- 40:21there's some prayers she prayed that God
- 40:23remembered.
- 40:26Brother Bobby Robertson,
- 40:31Brother Paul Cisk,
- 40:34these oldtime saints of God prayed
- 40:37for their children, for their families.
- 40:44And we're looking at fruits of that this
- 40:46morning.
- 40:49But if you don't continue that on,
- 40:51here's what's going to happen. Your
- 40:52children's going to die.
- 40:54See, you've got in on somebody else's
- 40:56prayers, but if what what are you
- 40:58praying for?
- 41:01Are are YOU PRAYING FOR YOUR CHILDREN?
- 41:03HEY, if you're not, who is?
- 41:08I'm praying for you this morning. I'm
- 41:10praying for your children. I'm praying
- 41:12FOR THE GENERATIONS TO COME THAT AREN'T
- 41:13EVEN BORN YET in this CHURCH THAT GOD
- 41:16WOULD RAISE UP GODLY YOUNG LADIES AND
- 41:18GODLY YOUNG MEN TO SERVE GOD AT META'S
- 41:22BAPTIST CHURCH. BUT IF YOU AS the
- 41:24parent, IF YOU AS THE GRANDPARENT WILL
- 41:26NOT PRAY AND WILL NOT BEG GOD ON THEIR
- 41:29BEHALF, DO NOT EXPECT GOD TO BRING
- 41:31DELIVERANCE.
- 41:35God remembered Abraham. God will
- 41:37remember you, BUT YOU'VE GOT TO TALK to
- 41:39him.
- 41:47Let me say this to you, sinner.
- 41:53The mess that you're in in your life may
- 41:54be because of somebody else's decision,
- 41:59but ultimately here what here's what
- 42:00happens. [music]
- 42:02If you choose to walk away from God,
- 42:04it'll be your own choice.
- 42:07But I'll tell you this, there's a
- 42:08preacher this morning that's praying for
- 42:10you.
- 42:13And I know there's some precious saints
- 42:14of God that's praying for you this
- 42:16morning. I want to ask you this
- 42:17question.
- 42:18If you died right now, would you go to
- 42:20heaven or would you go to hell? [music]
- 42:23Do you know where you'd spend eternity
- 42:24if you died?
- 42:27You're burdened. See, see, you're broken
- 42:29because of your sin. And and the same
- 42:31thing that happened to those people in
- 42:33Sodom and Gomorra. You see, they didn't
- 42:34know it was coming. They didn't expect
- 42:37it. [music]
- 42:38They didn't see it. But one day, fire
- 42:41started falling from the sky.
- 42:47Let me say this to you. Your judgment
- 42:48will be swift. [music]
- 42:50It'll be unexpected
- 42:54and it'll be total.
- 42:58Say, "Preacher, I want to be saved."
- 43:00[music] Preacher, please. I I need to be
- 43:01saved. Would there be somebody like that
- 43:03this morning? Slip your hand up and
- 43:05right back down. Preacher, I need to be
- 43:06saved.
- 43:08Be honest between you and God. Preacher,
- 43:09I'm not saved. [music]
- 43:14Preacher, I'm not sure. Anybody like
- 43:15that? Preacher, I'm not sure I'm saved.
- 43:18Slip your hand up right back down. I
- 43:19want pray for you.
- 43:23Be honest. When you and God,
- 43:26let me ask you this, child of God. Where
- 43:29you at? See, Lot was saved,
- 43:33but what direction you pointing your
- 43:35tent [music] in? What gate are you
- 43:37dwelling in?
- 43:42Hey, if you're yoking up with this
- 43:44world, you you might escape, but your
- 43:46family might not.
- 43:50You cannot afford.
- 43:53You cannot afford to miss it.
- 43:57Let me ask you, say, "Preacher, would
- 43:58you pray for me and my family?" [music]
- 44:01God sees that. God sees that.
- 44:05Anyone else? Preacher, would you pray
- 44:07for me and my family? We dwell in the
- 44:08gate.
- 44:09>> [music]
- 44:09>> God sees that.
- 44:12Hands all over the building. Let me ask
- 44:13let me tell you something this morning.
- 44:15There's hope. Okay, I knew this message
- 44:18would hit home because this is where we
- 44:19all live. Okay,
- 44:22if you do not pray,
- 44:28God didn't remember Lot in that text.
- 44:34He didn't remember Lot's prayer. He
- 44:35remembered Lot's person because of
- 44:37Abraham's prayer.
- 44:39>> [music]
- 44:40>> God ain't going to remember a prayer you
- 44:41don't pray.
- 44:46Child of God, make sure
- 44:49you say, "Preacher, I've made so many
- 44:51mistakes to this point in my life. And
- 44:53preacher, I'm seeing what you're talking
- 44:54about. Preacher, I'm seeing my kids. I'm
- 44:56seeing my grandchildren. They're not
- 44:58following God.
- 45:01Preacher, but from this day forward, I
- 45:02want to pray like Abraham did.
- 45:05He messed up. And preacher, I've messed
- 45:07up, but I don't want to quit praying for
- 45:09them. Anybody have that resolved?
- 45:11Preacher, I want to pray. Preacher,
- 45:13would you pray for my family? God sees
- 45:16that. Yes, God sees that.
- 45:20Hallelujah.
- 45:23Make it a RESOLVE IN YOUR HEART THIS
- 45:25MORNING. HANDS WENT UP ALL OVER THE
- 45:27BUILDING. MAKE IT A RESOLVE IN YOUR
- 45:29HEART THAT IN 2026 THAT YOU'RE GOING TO
- 45:32DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER. YOU CAN'T
- 45:34FIX IT. YOU CAN'T ALWAYS FIND THEM. YOU
- 45:37DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE THEY'RE AT.
- 45:38ABRAHAM DIDN'T KNOW WHERE LOT WAS AT.
- 45:41ALL HE SAW WAS THE FLAMES. BUT OH, LET
- 45:43ME TELL YOU, FRIEND. HE KNEW GOD KNEW
- 45:45WHERE HE WAS AT. AND YOU CAN PRAY AND
- 45:48YOU CAN TRUST GOD. AND GOD WILL DO WHAT
- 45:51YOU CANNOT DO. AMEN.
- 45:53>> HALLELUJAH. There is deliverance. BLESS
- 45:56HIS NAME.
- 45:58>> LOT didn't know it WAS ABRAHAM THAT WAS
- 46:00PRAYING FOR HIM. AND ABRAHAM DIDN'T KNOW
- 46:02THAT LOT GOT BROUGHT OUT. OH, BUT THE
- 46:05GOD OF HEAVEN WAS WORKING ON BOTH ENDS.
- 46:07HALLELUJAH. BLESS HIS NAME. HEY, THE
- 46:10PRAYERS THAT YOU'VE PRAYED, YOU MAY
- 46:12NEVER SEE AN ANSWER TO HIM IN THIS LIFE.
- 46:14OH, BUT GOD, HE'LL ANSWER THEM. AND ONE
- 46:16OF THESE DAYS, LET ME TELL YOU, ABRAHAM
- 46:19AND LOT ARE STANDING TOGETHER ON THE
- 46:22SUNNY BANKS OF SWEET DELIVERANCE THIS
- 46:24MORNING BECAUSE ABRAHAM PRAYED FOR HIM.
- 46:28AMEN.
- 46:28>> AMEN. AMEN.
- 46:30>> You can have that same
- 46:32>> truth in your [music] life.
- 46:36You can't prevent every problem,
- 46:39>> but you can pray for every problem.
- 46:42>> You can't fix every situation, but your
- 46:45faith can rise above and go beyond
- 46:48all the circumstances.
- 46:50>> Amen. Father, I pray in Jesus name,
- 46:58Lord, would we resolve in our hearts
- 47:00this year,
- 47:02God, that more than anything,
- 47:05we would be a praying people.
- 47:13Lord, we just, you just showed me this
- 47:15morning how many families this morning
- 47:17are hurting
- 47:19because of this thing.
- 47:22And Lord, I pray,
- 47:25Father, that you would help every hand
- 47:26that went up to make it their resolve to
- 47:29pray,
- 47:31to pray more fervently, more faithfully
- 47:35[music] than they've ever prayed before
- 47:37because God, your hand can reach where
- 47:38we can't, where we can't go.
- 47:41God, help us to be faithful. I pray
- 47:45give us wisdom, Lord.
- 47:47Give us a burden, [music]
- 47:51Lord. We can't fix these problems,
- 47:54Lord. No more than Abraham could make
- 47:56Sodom righteous.
- 47:58Lord, we can't fix our country.
- 48:01But Lord, you can work.
- 48:03You can save those God that [music] will
- 48:06call upon you.
- 48:11God, would you help us to be faithful? I
- 48:13pray in Jesus name. Amen. [music]
- 48:18Amen.
- 48:18>> Thank you for joining our service today.
- 48:20We'd love it if [music] you'd join us in
- 48:22person the next time you are able at
- 48:24Meadows Baptist Church. Our physical
- 48:27address is 2988 [music] Stewart Road in
- 48:31Walnut Cove, North Carolina. Our service
- 48:34times are Sunday [music] school at 10:00
- 48:36a.m., Sunday morning worship at 11:00
- 48:38a.m., Sunday evening worship at 6:00
- 48:41p.m., and Wednesday evening [music]
- 48:42Bible study at 700 p.m. For more
- 48:45information, visit us at
- 48:47meadowsbaptisturch.com.
- 48:49Thanks again for tuning in. [music]