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It's Time To Get Out & Stay Out

  • lm2014
  • Oct 18, 2015
  • 12 min read

Genesis 19:15-19:19 Matthew 5:28 Galatians 5:1

Today:

  1. I’m going to tell you how smart and cunning Satan is. He has been perfecting his craft for thousands of years. “He is so good at being so bad.”

  2. I am going to ask you to try and view scripture outside of your normal perspective: outside of your culture, attitudes, and current knowledge.

  3. I am going to ask you to discover truth in scripture that you may have previously overlooked.

Genesis 13:1-13

And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.

Genesis 19:15-19

And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my LORD: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; The text tonight shows us how easy it is to get caught up in the iniquity of sin - and lose your salvation. A close investigation of the city of Sodom reveals that it was a bustling place: a city filled with energy and excitement. It was a place which came alive when the sun went down. In Sodom, ‘diversity’ was the watchword of the day for they loved their ‘diverse lifestyles’ which encouraged all kinds of lewd and lasciviousness behavior, especially homosexuality. Men were sleeping men, women were sleeping with women. They had even gotten the animals of the city in on their nasty behavior. Jerry Springer could have taped a lifetime worth of shows in Sodom. But little did the Sodomites know that God was about to punish them for their ways. God has a system that will let you go so far, and then God punishes you for actions. The Bible says that “The wages of sin is death!” That means that the only thing that sin pays is dying.

I’m not talking about those deceived zealots who call themselves the Waterboro Baptist Church. God does not punish me for your sin. God, here, is getting ready to punish them for their pride, their indifference and their disobedience to HIS will.

ADD Moment: We are not told in scripture, but according to my knowledge of God’s nature, I am sure that God had already tried to turn the people of Sodom from their sin. It is possible that Lot was the voice of God in Sodom.

The part of this story that really bothers me is the fact that this was a place that captivated “Lot’s” attention. The Bible says that Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom. The first step toward sin is to fix your vision on sin. Before it ever becomes sin, in your life, it is already sin, waiting for you to take hold of it and it to take hold of you.

I don’t think that Lot was an evil person... (2 Peter 2:7-8)

“Sometimes we live at the edge of sin and righteousness and try to balance on that curb of separation which tends to cause us to step into sin, due to our proximity to it and the gravitational pull it produces.”

Lot just got caught up in the lure of Sodom. The word says that: “Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, towards Zoar. So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out towards the east.” Understand that Lot and his uncle Abraham had been together, but their guys kind of got into an argument about cattle watering rights and such, and they decided to separate rather than fight and when Lot looked towards the east and saw Sodom... his eyes lit up because Sodom looked good!

I know I’m saved tonight, but can I tell ya? “Sometimes the devil makes sin look good!” (Look like I’m have to preach to myself today!) Well since I can’t speak for you, I’ll speak for myself .. “I know that unless I stay in God’s will and consult Him for all things... I’m subject to fall into Satan’s trap!!” God didn’t make Lot choose Sodom. Lot chose the land of Sodom himself! That was his main fault. He made choices without consulting God! (If you pray with me, I’ll take you someplace tonight)

I always say that life is a series of choices. People who don’t understand and accept this are going to live their life blaming everyone else for their problems. For example, there are those who say that homosexuality is not a choice, but rather it is the way that a person is born. There are also those who say that an alcoholic is destined to be an alcoholic because of his genetic make-up. These arguments have a small amount of truth which makes them seem, to some, a viable justification for a particular lifestyle. “After all”, one might reason, “God made us the way that we are, so he must be ok with it, because he doesn’t make mistakes.”

There is a seed of sin born into each of us: this “Adamic nature”, which gives us a propensity towards sin. But, we are also given a free will that allows us to choose to follow our sin nature or not. As a man, I have been given, by God, a sex drive. This makes me desire a mate and a sexual relationship. God has set forth a prescription, so to speak, for a way to fulfill these desires that are beneficial, fulfilling and God-honoring. I can follow my “animal instinct” and give in to temptations, or I can “press on toward the prize” and chase after holiness within the parameters of God’s plan for my life. When we adopt the philosophy of “God made me this way and there’s nothing I can do about it, thus it must be OK”, then we also accept the belief in a victim & entitlement mentality. “It’s not my fault. I can’t help who I am. You should accept me the way that I am.”

This applies to any lifestyle, which waters down the scripture. I say lifestyle here instead of sin, because we all sin, but we don’t have to allow that sin to go unrepented and become a lifestyle.

Now Lot didn’t live in Sodom, initially… he lived up on a hill overlooking the city. But eventually, (everybody say “eventually”) Eventually... the allure of the city… – The lights of the city… – The sounds of the city… – The crowds of the city... Captivated Lot’s attention… and drew Lot TO the city! Watch him... Lot moved from his tent outside of the city, to a house on one of the main streets of the city! – He raised his family there… – His daughters went to Sodom High... – His wife joined the Sodom Women’s circle... – He became a man of influence there… and was one of those who sat in the gates! His family fell in love with the city! . . . And the saddest part was that he was fully aware of the things going on around him! He was fully aware of the reputation of the city! But what he failed to see was that judgment was on its way! (Tell yourself: “There is way which seems right, but the end is the way of death!”) Well... you know the story, if you’ve studied your Bible: God sent angels to destroy that place! Abraham tried to save it, for the scriptures say that he pleaded with the angels: “If you find a hundred righteous, will you spare the city?” But they couldn’t find a hundred, so they looked for 90… They looked for fifty… They looked for ten… . . . But couldn’t find even ten righteous in Sodom AND Gomorrah! But thank God for mercy! For the Bible says… in verse 19: “Behold now, your servant has found grace in your sight, and you have magnified your mercy, which you have showed unto me in saving my life” And I want somebody to know today that God has been merciful to you, but don’t keep playin’ God for a fool because at some point God’s mercy may run out! Beware… that one last time may be the last time! One last passionate kiss might lead to an unplanned pregnancy… One last drink might lead to alcoholism…One last snort or one last hit might lead to addiction...or death – One last fight… – One last lie – One last fling – One last fit of anger or rage and you might get stuck. That’s why I’m telling you today “It’s Time To Get Out And Stay Out!” Let me see if I can cut a few corners here. All Lot’s wife wanted was one last look, but the real problem is, one last time is never enough! One more is never enough! One more always wants one more! And if you’ve read the story, you know that Lot’s wife’s one more time, turned out to be her last time! – One last look… turned out to be the last look… – One last thought… ended up being her last thought… . . . And the Bible says, “she was turned into a pillar of salt!” Why salt Pastor? Why wasn’t Lot’s wife just incinerated? Why a pillar of salt? I’m glad you asked that question. You see, Lot’s wife’s disobedience was more than just looking back. It was an outright rejection of God. God had no choice but to also make an example of her. He made her into a pillar of common salt. Now watch this: Jesus says: "We are supposed to be the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its savor, it’s not good for much of anything except to be trodden under the foot" And so it’s clear here that when we choose not to follow God we lose our place in God’s kingdom and become nothing more than dead and useless things! I’m almost finished, but let me tell you... don’t let the same thing happen to you that happened to Mrs. Lot. God is looking for obedient people who will help season the world. If God has delivered you from something, don’t look back – for the sun is setting and pretty soon it’ll be dark. And so, whatever sin you’re in: “It’s Time To Get Out And Stay Out!” . . . And the thing I like about God is that He CAN bring you out! I wonder, is there anybody listening that can testify that only God brought your out of some stuff? Are there any former “Used to be’s listening?” – You used to get high on dope, but now you’re high on God! – You used to fall down drunk, but now you fall out in the spirit! – You used to cuss folk out, but now you tell them “May the Lord God Bless You Real Good!” I don’t know about you, but I’ve learned that the only answer to my problems is God! – The only way out of my valley of distress is God… – The only cure for my brokenness is God… – The only solution for my worry is God… – The only hope for salvation is God… I’ve learned that: – Only God can give me peace which passes all understanding… – Only God can teach me to say, in whatever state I find myself, I’ve learned to be content… – Only God will stand with us through thick and thin… – Good and bad… – Right and wrong… – Only God is a friend that sticks closer than a brother… – Only God will be there when all others turn their back and walk away… – Only God will go with me through the fire and flood, The storm and the rain… God had a plan of salvation for Lot and his family. God has a plan of salvation, Hope and deliverance for your life! But I’ve learned that God has only one plan of salvation! God does not have two plans or three plans. God does not have one plan for rich people and another plan for poor people… God does not have one plan for black people and another plan for white people. But God has one plan – and it is not a customizable plan where you pick some from column A and some from column B… but God has only ONE PLAN! And that plan, is salvation by grace, through faith in His Son Jesus Christ! – He is the only way to get out and stay out… – He is the only way to get out, and not look back… – He is the only way to life….Love… Joy…. Peace and Rest…There is no other plan! Well... as I get ready to close. I want you to know that in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, God used angels to rescue Lot and his family from the iniquity of the city! God always has something, or somebody He can use to bring His children out of sin and bondage. – In the days of Flood… God used an ark as a shelter for Noah and his family… – In the days of drought in Canaan, God used Joseph… and corn in Egypt… – And when there arose another Pharaoh, who didn’t remember Joseph, and Israel was in such a bad way down in Egypt… God used the blood of the lamb on the door posts… . . . And when the death angel saw the blood... it passed over that house… . . . And if you look at verse 15 of the text, it says that “At dawn, the next morning the angels became insistent. “Hurry”, they said to Lot. “Take your wife and your daughters who are here. Get out of here right now, or you will be caught in the destruction of the city.” But look at the text… see it there in the 16th verse? It says, “he lingered... “ He didn’t move... “he lingered…” In other words, he didn’t get in a hurry… but “he hung around!” He lingered right there in Sodom! In that strange, but familiar place, “he lingered!“ In Sodom, in that corruptible, detestable place… “he lingered” And somebody today is “lingering” when they ought to runnin’! What are you saying Pastor? – What has God told you leave behind… – What has God told you to get away from… “You Need To Get Out And Stay Out!” Don’t get lost in lingering... but take advantaged of “Mercy”

It’s time for me to quit this sermon, but: – Mercy… looked beyond my faults and saw my needs… – Mercy … spared my life when I didn’t even deserve it… – Mercy hung Jesus on the cross…. – Mercy laid him down in the grave… – Mercy caused Him to get up one early Sunday morning with all power in His hands! I’m trying to stop but mercy… – Will put clapping in your hands… – Running in your feet… – And joy bells down in your soul… – Mercy will make you stand up and praise the Lord… – Mercy will make you say amen… – Mercy will give you a song the angels can’t sing… – Mercy, will make you newborn again, Do you have Mercy in your life; faith in His Son Jesus Christ? Have you tried him? Thank God tonight for mercy. Mercy which knows our needs more than we know our needs… – Mercy which makes a way, in spite of us…In spite of our shortcomings… In spite of our lack of faithfulness… thank God for “mercy…” No wonder the song writer says, “I once WAS lost in sin... but Jesus took me in!" “It’s Time To Get Out And Stay Out”

Let’s Pray


 
 
 

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