Lot's Sad Ending - Genesis Part 42

You know when it comes to bad things in life. I think we can all think of lots of examples we think of Michael Jackson we think of Elvis. We think of Marilyn Monroe we think of Kurt Cobain. We think of Heath ledger. We think of the Chris Farley we think of Whitney Houston we think of Jimi Hendrix and many many more. Well today we're going to talk from the Bible about just such a sad ending and the person in question is Abraham's nephew Lot and we find his very unfortunate story in the book of Genesis chapter 19 and so are returning to our study in the book of Genesis ever going to pick up in chapter 19. But before we do, not just a tiny bit of review. If you remember in Genesis 18 we saw that Abraham had three men come to visit them while he was living and he brought two of those men were angels in human form and one of those men was the Lord Jesus hymns L in human appearance after eating together the two angels left for Sodom, which wasn't far away from hereon and the purpose of their going down there was to destroy the city. However, to destroy the city meant to destroy lot, Abraham's nephew, who was living in the city along with his family and so there follows in Genesis 18. One of the most amazing conversations in all, the word of God is Abraham slowly but surely bargain the God down from finding 50 righteous people in the city of Sodom and there thereby saving it to funding 10 righteous people in the city of Sodom, thereby saving it and so finally, the conversation ends with God saying if I find 10 godly people in the city. I will destroy as we all know he couldn't even find 10 so that's where we been if you've missed any of our previous messages, I urge you to pick up the CD or to go to our website, download them, podcasts them and catch up with us but were ready to move forward. Now in Genesis 19. So here we go go verse one so the two angels. That is, these two men arrived in Sodom in the evening and lot was sitting in the city, date, and when Lot saw the two men he rose and went to meet them and he bowed down with his face to the ground and lot said service please turn aside to your servant's house.

You can wash your feet and spend the night there and then you can go on your way early in the morning and the angel answered and said no will spend the night in the city square lot insisted so strongly that they went with him and entered his house. Now why did he insist so strongly well because he knew the danger that these men face if they spent the night outside. Watch and before they went to bed. All the men from every part of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded lots house and they called to lot and said where are the men who came to you tonight.

Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.

Now the fact that the old men of the city were involved in this as well as the young men tells us something. It tells us how deeply in acted with sin.

This town of Sodom had really become verse six a lot went outside to meet with them and he shut the door behind it and he said no my friends do not do this with you. I have two daughters who have never slept with a man let me bring them out to you and you can do what you wish with them but do not do this to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roots. But the men said get out of our way. This man lot comes here as a foreigner. Now he presumes to play the judge over us will treat you lot worse than we treat them and they Bringing pressure on lot and moving forward to break down the door but the two men that is the angels reached out and pull lot back into the house, shut the door.

Then they struck the men at the door, young and older with blindness. Now I don't know if before this lot had any since missions that maybe these were a little bit more than just to men but certainly he figured that out right now.

Certainly, he figured out okay. I'm not sure who these guys are but they are some kind of angelic being some kind of heavenly beings.

Nobody else could do what they just did. Otherwise, verse 12, then the two men said the lot. If you have anyone else in this city who belongs to you that you care about get them out of here because we are going to destroy this place. Well, when you read the rest of the chapter, you discover that lot couldn't convince anyone to leave.

As a matter of fact, even his wife and his daughters resisted leaving is to have you know that well. Verse 16 says when Lot hesitated in the morning hesitated leaving town. Why was he hesitating because his wife was resisting and his daughters were resisting watch the men.

The Angels grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters and pulled up them out, of the city. They were not anxious to go as soon as the men had brought them out the Angels, they said plea for your lives don't look back and don't stop anywhere in the plain or you will be kept away. Also, then the Lord rained down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah, and thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plane and all the vegetation in the plane but in direct disobedience to God.

Genesis 1926 lots wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. Now when I get to go any farther in the passage today we will next week but were going to stop now and ask two very important questions about what we just read question number one is did the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah happen with as a real historical event just the way the Bible has described well. I believe the answer is a resounding yes. And I've two reasons for that number one is that the rest of the Bible says that it did Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos all refer to the destruction inside of Sodom and Gomorrah as an established historical fact. As a matter-of-fact obstruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the most commonly referred to events in all of the Bible.

Second Peter in the New Testament Peter says, chapter 2, verse six, God condemned up the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, but rescued lot civil law. Maybe all these people were wrong about maybe they didn't really know the truth well we certainly can't say that about the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, God himself in human flesh.

I mean he can't be wrong about it and friends. He refers to Sodom and Gomorrah's six different times in the Gospels, and each time Jesus reaffirms that these cities were destroyed precisely as the Bible says listen Luke 17 verse 28 Jesus said it was the same in the days of lot people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building the day Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained down from heaven and destroyed them all know what all of this means folks is that for us as followers of Christ, who accept the inerrancy of the Bible and who believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is God in the flesh cannot lie in means that Sodom's destruction as the Bible describes it is not a myth, it is not a legend. It is not a fanciful story, but it is an utterly historical fact civil law. What about people who don't believe the Bible. I mean, do we have any evidence factual evidence concrete evidence empirical evidence that might convince them well. We do that brings me to reason number two that I believe this is historical fact and that is the archaeological and the historical evidence in 1924. Archaeologists began excavating the area south of the Dead Sea were the Bible says Sodom and Gomorrah was located today. It is an absolutely barren desert. But what the archaeologists found is that in the time of Abraham, and lot.

This area was densely populated. It was highly affluent just the way the Bible says it was as a matter of fact, the famous Jewish archaeologists, and even he was a rabbi to Nelson clique found the remains of 72 different cities here in the southern end of the Dead Sea. All dating back to the time of Abraham and lot was a huge population here and it was a very rich population. It was a very affluent area just the way the Bible says now Sodom and Gomorrah as far as we can tell is actually under the Dead Sea today, but it wasn't always like that. If we go back 2000 years we find historians writing about the southern shore of the Dead Sea before it swallowed up the remains of Sodom and Gomorrah. For example, Strabo, the Greek philosopher and 100 BC wrote about this. Josephus in 70 A.D., wrote about it in the Roman historian Tacitus wrote about it in 100 A.D. here's what Tacitus said and I quote he said not far from the Dead Sea. As the plane which, according to reports was once quite fertile and was the site of many great cities, but which was later devastated by violent lightnings listen, he says. In fact, traces forever. He's writing 100 A.D. traces of that disaster still exist there today hundred A.D. and even the very ground their looks. What's the next word say it out loud burnt and has lost all of its fertility."

In that exactly what the Bible says the point is, when it comes to the area around Sodom and Gomorrah, my friends, the Bible and archaeology and the historical accounts from 2000 years ago.

All agreed that something positively catastrophic happened there.

And that leads to our second question which is how did this event happen.

The Bible's account is the Lord rained down fire and brimstone from heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah in the Hebrew implies that whatever this stuff was that there was a very strong sulfur content to it that it was some kind of burning sulfuric compound that scorched the ground so how did this happen will. There are some Bible scholars commentators who believe that this was the case of an earthquake which released into the air.

Huge amounts of sulfur and hydrocarbons that were in the tar pits all around their and then this was followed by lightning, which ignited this combustible mixture that was in the air, turning it into a huge fireball that then rained down on the entire area and wiped out all life there and then there are other people like me who freely admit that I don't have the slightest clue how God did this. What's more, it doesn't matter to me whether I understand how God did this. I don't need to have it explained to me in order to believe it friends.

My approach is God said it, I believe it, that settles it for me. I don't need to understand how we did it. I just believe he did it. A man all right now you say well lawn at least lot got away and had a happy ending nonaction. His wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. Civil depending on how his marriage was going. That might've been, don't go there are it gets worse.

His two virgin daughters.

If you read the rest of the chapter wanting to get pregnant each committed incest with their father. After getting him so drunk that he didn't know what he was doing, and finally lot himself ended up spending the rest of his life living in a cave around the dead. The all of his well completely gone evaporate.

His wife gone his daughters to file his wealth disappeared. No no no this was not a happy ending for lot. This was ascendant. Now that the stars were going to go in our passage because were going to ask the most important question so you have a couple weeks off now right okay so you're all excited to do this. Yes okay body loudly ready. Here we go nice allowed Juan to cure okay now I want you to give me a welcome back so ready want to throw away that was better one. You say Launcelot say all right, even if I believe that this really happened. And even if I believe that God really did everything that this chapter says and I feel sorry for lot. I mean it was a terrible way to end your life, what differences that make to me. Well, let's talk about you know it's interesting, I got a letter this week from someone who said you mentioned a couple weeks ago. The lot was a true believer. Where does it say that in the Bible, will it says that Anna and I wrote them back and told him second Peter chapter 2 verse seven says lot was a righteous man, that is, he had the imputed righteousness of Christ. Just like his uncle Abraham had the imputed righteousness of Christ.

But you know what just like us lot was still a sinner and he made a really bad choice that utterly botched his life.

Often what was that bad choice friends. He chose to be greedy. Let me explain that to you. One of the key principles in the Bible, and it's aimed at keeping us out of trouble is the principle of contentment. Listen Hebrews 13 five keep your lives free of the love of money and be content with what you have Jesus in Matthew 1626 were for what good is it if a man gains the whole world loses his own soul in first Timothy six finally verse nine says, but people who want to get rich fall into temptation. Enter input into many foolish and harmful loss that plunge people into ruin and destruction friends, these words apply perfectly to lot. The Bible is clear that the whole reason lot chose to move down to the area of Sodom and Gomorrah was because of the welfare in the affluent, fair Genesis 13 verse 10 lot saw that the Jordan Valley down around saw Sodom and Gomorrah was well watered like the land of Egypt and the Bible lands. This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and then in this exactly what the archaeologist said they found yeah next verse, so lot set out towards the east, and pitched his tent near Sodom but and don't miss this. This is the key point in the whole message tonight lot was already wealthy friends. He was already rich. Genesis 13 five says lot was moving about with Abraham. Also had flocks and herds intense and the land. The two of them have so much the land couldn't support them while they stay together because their possessions were so great. The point is lot had no need for more.

He already had more than he needed was greeting, which is why move to Sodom, a place he had no business going to is that you know that Genesis 13 verse 13 but the men of Sodom were wicked, sinning greatly against the Lord. Let me ask you folks you really think what was going on in Sodom was a secret you really think the people living in Canaan didn't know what was going on down in Sodom and what the people down there were engaged in. Of course they knew you think lot before he moved down there didn't know what was going on down there. Of course he did, and as a godly man he lot should of been moving farther away from sin, not closer to wit but is greediness for more and more and more droving to make a really bad choice.

That is the apostle Paul said first Timothy chapter 6 plunged him into ruin and destruction and pierced him through with many agrees now let's stop talking about lot and let's talk about you and me showing.

Let's ask the question of ourselves.

When is enough enough.

I mean, if God blesses us with all the food we need in God blesses us with all the shelter we need in God blesses us with all the clothing that we need and then God even in his mercy gives us a lot more than just the basics. I mean friends when is the time just to thank God for all of this and enjoy it and use it for God's work and stop looking for ways to just make more and more and more I mean Windows that time, Jesus said watch out and be on your guard against all kinds of greed for persons life does not consist of the abundance of their possessions having a bunch of stuff is not going to make you and me happy and having more stuff, make us happier. Jesus said watch out a degree. It'll get you. It was greed that brought down Bernie made off.

It was greed to put Congressman Randy Cunningham behind bars.

It was agreed that we would Kenneth lay in brought Enron down and and devastated the lives of thousands of innocent people. I mean we've all seen the movie Wall Street where Gordon gecko Michael Douglas says greed is good.

Greed is right.

Read works and we know how it ended for him.

Greed. Jesus says is not good and is not right and it doesn't work. Greed took all these people down in Jesus warns us that if we are not careful, it can take you and me down to you say wait a minute long.

Note, I fear that's enough what you're saying will on its almost un-American. I mean the whole capitalistic system is built around get more more more more more. I mean, shouldn't people try to better themselves lot should people try to improve their economic condition as followers of Christ is anything wrong with us working hard and trying to get ahead in life and be successful.

No, no, I'm not saying that there is in the Bible doesn't say that. The Bible calls us to work hard and be diligent.

There's nothing wrong with working hard to try to get ahead and be successful. So long as we don't do would lot did so we mean by that, so long as we don't allow greed to cause us to compromise our integrity, and compromise our moral purity and compromise our obedience to God, so long as we don't let greed cause us to mistreat people and step on people and hurt people and damage. People just so we can get more. So long as greed doesn't cause us to neglect our spouse and neglecting our children and being the kind of parent we ought to be, so long as greed doesn't cause us to rob God in our giving, and consume everything on ourselves. No, nothing wrong with working hard to get ahead as long as it sanctified ambition and what's the definition of sanctified ambition friends. It's ambition that doesn't drive us toward sin and towards disobedience to God. Greed does that just like it did for lot. Abraham had sanctified ambition. He went the other direction. He went the other direction and may I say just for we close. Don't forget greed is a slippery little devil. Jesus said watch out for all forms of greed.

In other words, greed is not just about money, I mean we we do it we can be greedy for fame and greedy for notoriety and greedy for achievement and greedy for awards and greedy for recognition and greedy for recognizability. We can be greedy for things, whether it's cars or watches or or furniture or closer shoes are golf clubs or memberships and we can have Washington's favorite form of greed for power. How does lots of forms agreed. Believe me, it's a slippery little devil. That's why St. Francis of Assisi. The very famous Catholic leader once said people have confessed to me every known sin except the sin of greed and you know why we don't confess disintegrating. Pretty simple because it's so easy to justify because it's so easy to excuse you know it's it's hard to justify the sin of adultery.

It's pretty clear in their other sins are pretty clear. This was an easy one for us to work it around so we got it all justified in our mind while we need more this and more.

This more that but you know what my friends, Jesus said watch out.

We need the Holy Spirit to really help us examine our heart.

I would be shocked if everyone of us here wasn't currently guilty of some form of greed in our life. You, me, all of us be shocked.I'm sure it's not true but you probably are sitting there going to know me know I'm not greedy.

Wait a minute. Maybe we ought to ask the Holy Spirit to help us take a look at our lives and find out whether we really are in the sight of God, because it's so easy for us to justify. I'm just providing for my family. I'm just you know trying to have nice things for my family and just try like watches and did nothing wrong but having three watches will know what you know doing what what what what what about when you get up to 2020 watches will maybe not, but maybe so. Look, I'm not the Holy Spirit. I got my own problems.

I'm not trying to tell you where your greedy, but I am saying this I be shocked if you and I don't qualify somewhere and that's why we need to pray the prayer David prayed Psalm 139 verse 23 search me oh God and reveal my heart. That's a prayer try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and leave me in the everlasting way. I wonder if we've got the courage to say Lord, get on my knees. You show me where I'm being greedy and then let the Holy Spirit as David said reveal our hearts to us. Only he can do it and friends only. He then can help us forsake us close by saying why is greed dangerous because it does to us.

What it did to law. It leads us, tempts us lose us into walking closer and closer to sin and disobedience to God, and we do that long enough, sooner or later we step too far and then really nasty things can happen. So friends I been praying this week. Lord, where my greed show me I want to challenge to say Lord where my greedy show me because it's in danger to my soul. Let's not end up like lot, spring, Lord Jesus, as we said, there are some sins that are patently and then there are those subtle soon that most of us never hear anybody preach about me never hear anybody talk about. We never confess because we find them so easy covering justify coveting what other people have greed the subtle sense and so Lord Jesus I pray tonight that you would grab our hearts and make us understand it, you didn't warn us about things in the Bible for no point when you say watch out. Be on your guard for every form of greed you were being serious and we should be to help us to have the courage to get on our faces and say to you, Lord Jesus, search my heart.

Show me from being greedy and help me to reject it and help me Lord Jesus to forsake help us learn from the sad example of lot and not repeat his mistake, and we pray all of this Jesus name what God's people say and then