A Man Named Lot (Part A)

There is the temptation to think that by doing good things, God will bless this truth and that that is not the whole. If it were so. That means people would then follow God just so they could be blessed with a really would love you and we follow God because we love him we know he is good. We know this going to end the right way because he is revealed his character to us, but the strength of our behavior is set in his grace and his purposes, and our love for him because he loved us first in his love is better and greater. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Genesis. Please stay with us after today's message more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of Genesis chapter 13 as he begins his message.

A man named Lot man named Lot.txt is Genesis chapter 13 and the 12th verse, many verses that would've suited but I think this gets us the closest right away for the purpose of our consideration this morning there in verse 12 we read a Brahm dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plane and pitched his tent, even as far as Sodom. Now you have to have a little bit of knowledge of the story to appreciate what's going on. Brahm here is Abraham. God is not yet change the name of Abraham to Abraham from Brahm but it is that same man and he is a great character in the Scripture. Every Christian should know about Abraham but before I begin to dig into the text I want to just make a few opening comments because it is my hope that you leave here with something that will remain long after you have gone from here this morning.

It helps to realize that a major role of the sanctuary is just this is the place with the church, the believers and unbelievers to our invited but essentially believers the ecclesia the called out ones gather together to receive from the Lord on a regular basis from his word. This is the purpose.

One of the key purposes of the sanctuary see the church itself is a sermon to the world. It is not just a sermon from a man in the pulpit and God hopefully has placed there but it is a sermon to the world from the people who come and sit week after week, and it is this sermon.

Our citizenship is in heaven and we recognize this and we respond to all that Jesus has said in all that he has done and is doing and will do and we do this by faith, in spite of all of the troubles all of the influences and distractions. Jesus said in John John's gospel chapter 18 verse 836 Jesus answered, my kingdom is not of this world.

If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here because first of all, he really does need a service to fight for him, but he invites us to be part of his kingdom and belonging to the such a king, and his kingdom. These things are privileges of citizens. But back to the text herein. Genesis 13. The question I have to start out with is what is the biggest thing about you.

Only you can answer this all God can link into you know that in his opinion is right.

It is not an estimation it is is perfect, decision observation, but, but he also invites us to answer questions that are relative that are pertinent in a meaningful and this is the question what is the biggest thing about you this morning a lesson comes from considering the life of this man named Lot 2 lived in Sodom where he had hoped to fit in, and which he thought was the best fit as though he belonged there. Now we know Sodom the words Sodom has become synonymous with perversity and that is not inaccurate.

That is not improper. That is the truth is meant to be that way.

God is established it that way. I should briefly comment. There are those not many. There are one or two silly pseudo-scholars, fake scholars that insist that these this is not the case in the play with the Hebrew and the try to make it mean something other than what it means in these things they do because of wickedness, not because it is what is found in Scripture what the lesson may be in that for all of us that when we come to the word of God. We are not to look for it to say something we are to listen to what it says if you if you get into the habit of looking for what you want to find what you want to find what you want to Pharma that doesn't mean that's what is there to be able to come to God's word and to receive from God. It is a skill and it is a perishable skill you can learn and develop it and lose it. If you do not continue to affected so we come and become reverently to hear what God says to us wherever we are with the Scripture is open whether it is in our own private devotion time or it is in a forum such as this, but that back to this man.

Lot what does God want to be the biggest thing about you, what is the biggest thing about your first question, second question, what does God want to be the biggest thing about you while I hope that in that introduction to now move forward and discuss the man Lot, and will contrast him with Abraham, the friend of God and then will wrap things up. Hopefully, leaving you with something throughout the day throughout the week and maybe even throughout your lives to return to from time to time to draw from that is been the case with me. There been many sermons that I have heard or read that it impacted me that it stayed with me all over many years.

I still have them and I am very grateful for their first thing we should say about this man. Lot by way of introduction is that he was a nephew of Abraham he was related to Abraham. In fact, he lived with Abraham followed Abraham was under the authority of his home came up became rich because of his uncle Abraham, and again this is a man that this man Lot, and this man Abraham all Christian should be very familiar with them, but twice twice the Scripture declares that this man Lot, who ends up living in Sodom and Gomorrah twice. The Scripture declares that he was a righteous man the first time. It does, it is by fact. The fact is that his uncle Abraham was interceding over the destruction of of Sodom same to God. You really have to destroy the place what you found 50 righteous men. God well if I found 50 I wouldn't wouldn't doing and he gets down to 10. If I find 10 men. I won't destroy the city could find 10 does it say about the ministry of lot such a filthy place. Well, Lot was one of the righteous who got out of the city and he got out of the city because the Lord's and angels to get him out because the Lord knew that Lot was a righteous man, and that is how we know that he stands among the righteous, and essentially the righteous are those who, when they die they go to be with the Lord to go to heaven is a very complex situation. From our point of view because there are many people that we would say I don't think they deserve to go to heaven estimate cuts as Lot would've been one of those for me is what Lot gets in what he does and thank God there is grace and this is mercy. Does God say what is this thing about you. You are so you're not as bad as lot for this place for you. When the devil comes hounding you telling you all the bad things about you.

That's what he does. We have we have a witness to respond. Another of the characters in the Bible that I be surprised to see in heaven. I don't think we'll see Ballin there. We won't see Judas there. I would be surprised to see King Saul I not be disappointed to seeking Saul that I would be surprised. Knowing what I know now these things are to cause us to contemplate our own state of what is big to us.

What is important to us what is big about us with the fact of his righteous status.

Being clear that he was again evacuated from the city does not take away the fact of his shallowness, which is also very clear.

The fact that they had to evacuate him from such a place in Sodom where he was by choice is an indication that something was wrong with him.

A righteous man, very defective. In spite of this, Peter the apostle also writes about this, but I want take a little time here in this section because peters got much to say. Second Peter is where he's going to mention lot and if you remember second Peter is the letter Paul Peter wrote to warn the church about false teachers in the church really am worried about false ones outside the church too much so they are threat also but it's the ones that have infiltrated and here he talks about God is going to deal with those who are wicked and he says in second Peter chapter 2 verse four for if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who after wood would live ungodly man. This is powerful.

This is attempting to to interrupt the sermon with another sermon. Then he says delivered and delivered righteous lot who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked for that righteous man dwelling among them tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing the lawless deeds.

Then the Lord knows how to deliver the ungodly out of temptation and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.

Now I'm not going to attempt to comment on so much of this, but I do want to insert there are those who do not. What Christians we do not believe in the rapture of the church supernatural removing of the believers from the earth before the great tribulation comes upon the earth.

I think that many of those Christians who have the view that the Christians will suffer through the great tribulation do so not on the strength of Scripture. But on the strength of a legalistic bent, a misunderstanding of the grace and goodness of God.

Lot stands as a rebuke to that thinking lot says hey God is not about punishing.

He will punish the wicked, but that's not what he's into fact he wants to extract his righteous ones, even if they are defective. As lot was and that's why he says here in verse nine then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of trial what he's talking about is God went out of his way to get lot out of the way so he could judge Sodom and that is what the rapture is God will get his people out of the way to make way for the great tribulation. Because he's a God of love and grace and so are there many other Scripture verses.

But again, those who who want to see the church go through the tribulation.

I think the theology is off course in many areas and one again is this bent to see the judgment a side note, there is the temptation to think that by doing good things, God will bless me this truth and that that is not the truth that is not the whole truth. I should say if it were so.

That means people would then follow God just so they could be blessed with a really would love him. We follow God because we love him we know he is good.

We know this is going to end the right way because he is revealed his character to us, but the strength of our behavior is set in his grace and his purposes, and our love for him because he loved us first in his love is better and greater. This is the idea behind taking the crowns off their heads and casting them.

Second is not about the gold is not about the blessing it's about you and people who had that mindset will be blessed, and they will be a blessing and in the end it will be glorious beyond words.

But in the meantime. In the meantime we do good because we want God to bless us. Yes, but our first reason is because we love him. That's our motive for doing right. We need to know that otherwise we get tangled up in this merit system that works. Maybe among men, to some degree, but it's not who God is.

God is bigger than all otherwise you cannot account for righteous men suffering, persecutions and other things that we suffer back to a man called lot says there and Peter in the old King James that his spirit was vexed is under present distress over the circumstances in Sodom and Gomorrah, but is being vexed at the filter.

Sodom was a fixation that was a failure was not ideal, and that's why the Bible is preserved so much about this man lot us to say hey this is not how I want you to do it but if you fail you mind still love you still. This order empower any believer to overcome to keep fighting to keep swinging to persevere.

So to keep all of us contribute to it from becoming apostates and backsliders weak and emaciated believers lot was a man with clouded vision again evidenced by his insistence to nest where he did not belong insisted on it. No one put a gun to his head. We going to get to some very heavy differences about this man that I think are very beneficial. So this bear. With this background because I think it is essential to appreciate the conclusions and so again because of his insistence to nest where he did not belong. Consequently, others burdened with his rescues rescues pull 2×2 big times. Somebody had to bail this guy out twice unnecessary calamity struck him again because of where he chose to live.

You can choose to live in a place that you don't belong geographically and you can choose to live in a place where you don't belong emotionally gratitude your mind.

Where do you live, what's the big thing about you. Where does God want you to live. What does God want to be the big thing about you, not for a day before the entire life from beginning to end.

CM to understand. I don't have to understand God does God fully understand if you say, but I made a rack of my life goofy friends and I've got it turned on by so many things I can't seem to turn out gotchas. I know that still love you still. Mind if you've come to Jesus Christ your mind. I look at you I see the righteousness of Jesus Christ on you, not the filth of the flesh of the influence of Sodom socially considers that a civil what is going on again stamp on your Bibles over these pages of lot, grace, grace, grace, undeserved kindness because of who God is the power that belongs to our saying I know who God is said that this thing lot new God. That's why he was a righteous man.

She did not bow down to idols.

He knew who God was. But there are some other issues interfering before we get to those again back to the consequences of causing others to have to bail him out. There was the first episode when because he chose to live in Sodom he was taken captive. The king tell Omar and his other kings with him for other kings came down to Solomon. They conquered the city and the took lot and the people of the city away to enslave them assure slavery awaited the maps in Genesis 14 and then of course is Genesis 19 were God has to then dispatch angels to rescue rescue lot because of his poor decisions and that is found in Genesis 19 would briefly the dissent of lot lot. Let's track it really starts out with Abraham, but in verse 10 of Genesis 13 we read, and lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan that it was well watered everywhere before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt lot was attracted to wealth to prosperity to comfort. We all are, to some degree when it starts to make your decisions over what God would have for you, then it becomes a problem. He wanted to mingle two worlds together the garden of the Lord, the land of Egypt. Those two inscriptions don't go together.

And yet lot first 10 lifted his eyes bookmark that in your head going to return to that thought.

In verses 12 and 13. Our text verse 12 Abraham dwelt in the land of Canaan lot dwelt in the cities of the plaintiff pitched his tent, even as far Sodom verse 13 but the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord lot going into this and he wasn't looking at the at the plain of Sodom and Gomorrah and saying you know what their lost souls there. I'm going to win them. He looked over there and he said you know what I can make out a pretty good life. They deal with the sheep and cattle and all his other stuff.

And that destroyed bears that see lot was very wealthy. Abraham was very wealthy lot with a had so much between the two of them that there they became. It became a problem and Abraham was the one that said look, lot choose what you'd like to go anywhere you go, I'll go the other way and that's where it says in verse 10, lot lifted up his eyes. That's what precipitated that moment uncle Abraham saying we can keep on like this is not enough space for us and so lot looked at Sodom and then in verses 12 and 13, we read he pitched his tent, even as far as that filthy city, knowing that and then in chapter 14 and verse 12.

If you turn one page over probably.

They also verse 12 took lot Abrams brother who dwelt in Sodom and his goods and departed. Now he's living in Sodom so first we have him lift up his eyes and see but that's bookmark your comment on that point again in a moment. Then he pitches his tent as far as Sodom. Now in chapter 14. He's dwelling in Sodom and then we go to chapter 19 and there in the first verse we read now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening and lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom established. He is a somebody in the sinful city. He's a judge is the dignitary. He has advanced something about lot, cause others to allow him to sit in the seat of the city. Very likely he knew how to make himself money, and other men money to there's always a reason why those who are ranked sinners will tolerate other ranked sinners or the righteous.

Maybe you find yourself there. Maybe you are in a place in your life where you are always around ranked sinners and they really like you, she don't preach, you don't stand for Christ and this is something that I think the Bible tells us we should be concerned about doesn't mean that we should walk around the soapbox or megaphone where sandwich board jam message down people's throats. That's never becoming conduct of the Christian.

But what we are supposed to do is lift up our eyes to the law Lord and say Lord, what would you have me do so. Some of the lessons that we have so far from this man is that one can be saved and at the same time remain dumb. That's true.

But like you begin born again and they give you cap and gown you go pin that on your wall that doesn't happen. One can be saved and remain dormant if you remain dumb in Christ you become dangerous to others as you live so near sin to that's what happened the first time lot was taken away Abraham so happen to have 318 armed and trained men and they gathered and with a grand military offensive. They launched against kingly kettle. Omar and his Confederation of kings, and they want took the victory as a grand point. After the victory just to show you one of the differences between Abraham and lot after the victory. Abraham goes to worship Melchizedek, the king of peace comes out of a righteous man, a priest of the Lord and it tells us in chapter 14 in Genesis that Melchizedek blesses Abraham and said, blessed be a problem. God most high possessor of heaven and earth.

God is the positive possessor of heaven and earth. Okay, that's the word of Melchizedek to Abraham and then when they want to say member going to pay you for the military campaign that you wants to get us all back. Abrams is listen you to pay the expenses of the young men that are with me.

But as for me I don't want a sandal strap read from left you made me love this within Abraham to something that is quite powerful. In verse 22 Genesis 14 he quotes what Melchizedek said to him, he quotes effectively Scripture to them. He says I have raised my hand to the Lord God most high possessor of heaven and earth right away he's using holy language to people who are themselves not wholly right away.

They can't wait to share the Scripture verse he got in church with those who needed I get goosebumps reading this because only the God of the universe only L Elian possessor of heaven and earth can make such things so imprint after having them first be so. In fact, in life, so one can be saved and remain dumb and dangerous to others. Or one can be saved and begin to receive from those who are more advanced begin to use with the diapers I have given to you. A portion of that which I have received from sitting in the presence of the Lord is supposed to be the Christian life who you've been listening to cross reference radio daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Pastor Rick is teaching from God's Word each time you tune as we mentioned at the beginning of today's broadcast is teaching is available free of charge at our website. Just visit cross reference radio.com that's cross reference radio.com would also like to encourage you to subscribe to the cross reference radio podcast subscribing ensures that you stay current with all the latest teachings from Pastor Rick you can do so@crossreferenceradio.com or search for cross reference in your favorite podcast app store. That's all for today.

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