Lot's Loss Escalated, Part 1

If you've got your Bible, turn with me to Genesis chapter 19, please. Genesis chapter 19. Every time we go to Israel, people ask me, which is my favorite spot? And I tell them that my favorite spot is the place I happen to be speaking at, at that time. Because all of them are my favorite places to be. And yet, some have different meanings than others do. And one of those is the area around the Dead Sea. Whether we're leaving Jerusalem and coming down to the Judean wilderness past Jericho, and then traveling down on the west side of the Dead Sea, passing Qumran and Gedi, and then going to Masada.

Or whether we're coming from the Sea of Galilee on our way up to Jerusalem and we pass by the Dead Sea. I'm always reminded of the wages of sin is death. Because as you travel that road, you're able to see the wasteland that's there. And when you stand on top of Masada and you oversee the Dead Sea, and on a clear day you can see for miles. And it's not that it's not beautiful, because it really is, in spite of the devastation. But it is a wasteland. And you can't help but be somber when you remember that the wages of sin is death.

The tragedy that took place in Sodom and Gomorrah thousands of years ago, stands today as a testimony, even as you drive by, as to the waste that's there. In fact, the Bible says in Psalm 107, these words, verse number 33, God changes rivers into a wilderness, and springs of water into a thirsty ground, a fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

That's a summation of the Dead Sea surrounding area. At one time, it was like the Garden of Eden. That's what Genesis tells us in Genesis chapter 13. The reason Lot would choose to go the way of Sodom was because of the Fertile Crescent, because how beautiful it was. It was a lush, fertile area, green as could be. It reminded him of Egypt. The Bible tells us it was like the Lord's Garden. But today, it's just a wasteland. And you think about the tragedy that took place in Genesis chapter 19, when God rained fire and brimstone down upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the two other cities that were burned up in the whole process.

But to me, that's not the greatest tragedy. There's a greater tragedy in my mind. Is it tragic when God bestows His anger upon people and destroys them? Yeah, that's tragic. And they perish in their sin. That's tragic. But to me, the tragedy of Genesis 19 is that there is a man, a righteous man. His name is Lot. And this righteous man was given a grand opportunity to be able to lead a city and to lead a family into the knowledge of the Lord God of Israel. And he didn't. To me, that's the greater tragedy.

Lot was a man who refused to listen and to follow the directions of the Lord. That's a tragedy. Just think what would have happened if Lot would have been a testimony in Sodom. He truly lived out His name. If you were with us last week, we told you His name means to cover or to veil. He covered His true identity. He covered who He really was. He veiled His righteous standing before God to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. And thus He made absolutely no impact. He lived in Sodom for at least 14 years because it's 14 years between Genesis 14 and Genesis chapter 19.

And how long it was between Genesis 13, He made His move to live in Sodom. We don't necessarily know how long He was there before the war broke out between the kings of the East and the kings of the West. We don't know. But He lived there at least 14 years, and He made no impact. So let me ask you this question.

Where have you been the last 14 years, and what impact have you made? In your workplace, in your family, in your sphere of influence. Let's ask that question. Because we've got to bring lots of life into our lives to help us understand what kind of impact we are making. Are we a testimony for Jesus Christ? Do we live for the Lord Jesus? Have we lived in such a way that we've made a significant dent in the lives of the people that we work with, that all of them know of my righteous standing before God.

All of them know that I'm committed to my God, that I will not compromise His word, that I am true to Him. I don't think anybody in Sodom knew that Lot believed in the God of Abraham. At least there's no evidence of that. So we have to ask ourselves a similar question. Because the great tragedy of Sodom and Gomorrah is not that God rained down fire and brimstone and killed all those people. As tragic as that is, the greater tragedy is that there's one man given the opportunity who had a righteous standing before God and he did nothing.

And not only did he lose his city, he lost his family. Which even makes it more horrific. When we went through the book of Genesis, I preached nine sermons in Genesis chapter 19 alone. More sermons in that chapter than any of the other 49 chapters in the book of Genesis. Because there's so much there. And we focused in on just the life of Lot. And tonight we're going to see where Lot's loss is escalated. We've seen his loss initiated, his loss perpetuated. Now it escalates to a fever level. Let me read it to you.

If you've got your Bible, it's Genesis 19. We're going to pick up the narrative in verse number 12. And your sons and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place. For we are about to destroy this place. Because their outcry has become so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent us to destroy it. Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters and said, Up, get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city. But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, Up, take your wife and your two daughters, who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city. But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand, and the hand of his wife, and the hands of his two daughters. For the compassion of the Lord was upon him. They brought him out and put him outside the city. When they had brought them outside, one said, Escape for your life. Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley. Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.

But Lot said to them, Oh no, my lords. Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life. But I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me, and I will die. Now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please let me escape there.

Is it not small, that my life may be saved? He said to him, Behold, I grant you this request, also not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there. Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar. The sun had risen over the earth, when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

When you look at this, there are several things you need to understand when you read the narrative about Lot.

And the unique thing about it is that Lot decides to linger in Sodom instead of do exactly what was told. These two men who are angels, we know that because you were with us the last couple of weeks. These are two of the three visitors that came to Abraham. And these two men are angels. The pre-incarnate Christ stayed with Abraham, and Abraham would beseech the Lord. And finally he said, If there be ten righteous, will you spare the city?

The angels have no record or no understanding of that conversation between the Lord and Abraham. Because they ask him, Is there anybody else in the city? Whomever you need to get to gather together, go get them. They have no idea what Abraham beseeched the Lord about back in Genesis chapter 18. And so they come to Abraham, to his house. And as they arrive, he takes them in, he feeds them. And the men of the city, both young and old, both prominent and poor, come because they want to have sexual relations with these two men.

Lot beseeches them and pleads with them not to, and they get angry with him, and they want to then go after him. And these two angels grab Lot, bring him to the house, and strike the men of the city blind. And they worry themselves trying to get to the door. And these two angels say to Lot, Whom else have you here? A son-in-law? And your sons and your daughters and whomever you have in the city, bring them out to the place. For we are about to destroy this place. We're going to destroy it. And you must wonder what's going on in Lot's mind.

Because, you know, sin seems so pleasurable when you begin to engage in sinful behavior. And for at least 14 years, everything is going well for Lot. There are no problems. Oh, his righteous soul was tormented day and night, Peter tells us. But for the most part, there were no problems, no difficulties. But sin is the way that Satan gets us to move away from the Lord. And he makes it so pleasurable, so joyous, so desirable. And yet it's so devastating. It's so destructive. Because the end is always death, never life.

And there's one phrase here that says, in verse 13, For we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the Lord. In other words, the Lord has seen. The Lord knows. The Lord understands. Because all their sinful acts were done in the presence of the Lord. That's why the Bible says these words in the book of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 16, verse 17, For mine eyes are upon all their ways. They are not hidden from my face. Neither is their iniquity hidden from my face. God sees everything. To the wicked, that's a warning. You're not getting away with anything. To the righteous, it's comforting. Knowing that God sees, and God knows, and vengeance is His. And He will deal with those who have sinned against the Lord. But these two angels, they say to Lot, it's time to go. You have got to gather the people together. Because we're going to destroy this place.

The Lord is going to bring devastation. And so, they say to Lot, very clearly, very accurately, these words, whoever you have, sons, daughters, friends, go get them. Judgment's coming. It's going to come with great severity. So what does Lot do? Lot goes to the two young men that are going to marry his daughters. He goes to them, and he says to them, up, get out. Get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city. A sense of urgency that's there. A sense of clarity that's there. Hey, listen, you need to get up and get out, because the city's going to be destroyed.

The Lord's going to destroy the city. He has a word from the angels, who have given Him a word from the Lord. So He's going to speak to them the word of the Lord, to tell them they need to leave, because of the impending judgment of God upon the city. But look what it says. But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting. They didn't take him seriously. Really? How can that be? How can they not take Lot seriously? Because he didn't live the life of a righteous man. That's why. One author says it this way.

He says, F.B. Meyer, People say that we must conform a little to the manners of our time. If we would exert a saving influence over men, it is a fatal mistake. If we live in Sodom, we shall have no power to save the people of Sodom. You must stand outside of them. If you would save them from the gurgling rapids, you cannot level Sodom up, but it will certainly level you down and laugh at you when you try to speak. C.H. Macintosh said this, To attempt to reprove the world's ways while we profit by association with the world is vanity.

The world will attach very little weight to such reproof and such testimony. It is vain to speak of approaching judgment while finding our place, our portion, and our enjoyment in the very scene which is to be judged. And William Griffith Thomas says his testimony that his lots had no power. He had lived too long as one of them without any very real difference to allow. Of his message being of any avail, when the testimony of the life does not agree with the testimony of the lips, the latter always goes unheeded.

Here was a man who lived and loved the city he lived in. So much so that he was willing to sacrifice his daughters on the altar of his reputation so that he could maintain his reputation with the men of Sodom. So now when he goes to speak to his sons-in-law, probably were not righteous individuals, probably did not know the Lord. Granted, his daughters probably didn't know the Lord either. Probably his wife didn't know the Lord because nowhere is it said that they were righteous. Only Lot was righteous.

And so he had made absolutely no impact on anybody's life. And so now he goes to his sons-in-law and tells them, look guys, you've got to leave because judgment is going to take place in this city. And you've got to go now.

And they're like, really? Are you serious? You've got to be kidding us. That's not going to happen. Because there was no credibility in his testimony. There was no believability about his life. So gentlemen, when you tell your children to do something, do they think you're jesting? Or do they believe you? When you try to lead your wife spiritually, does she follow? Or does she think you're jesting because there's no credibility to your testimony? That was Lot. There was nothing about his life that was believable.

Except that he loved the city of Sodom. He led in the city of Sodom. And he wanted to be a part of that city. And so when it came time to warn of the impending judgment that was to ensue on the city, they didn't believe him. They couldn't believe him. Because he had no believability. His integrity was nowhere to be seen. And so he goes to them. He tells them. Notice what it says next.

It says, When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city. Lot, you've got to lead your daughters. You've got to lead your wife. You've got to lead them out of the cesspool of sin. You led them into the city of sin. You've got to lead them out of the city of sin. This is a redemptive part of God working in Lot's life. Giving him the opportunity to reverse his testimony, to reverse his life.

Hey, listen, you led them here. Now lead them out of here. Get them out of here, Lot. It's your job. It's your responsibility as the husband, as the father, to lead your family out of a sinful environment. You've got to do that. Does the Lord know how to rescue the godly from temptation? 2 Peter 2 tells us, yes, he does. And he wants to rescue the godly out of temptation. He wants to use Lot, a righteous man, to rescue his family. He wants Lot to be used to lead his family out of a sinful environment.

This is the graciousness of God in Lot's life. And so he urges them, you've got to go. And I think it's interesting that in verse 12 it says these words, A son-in-law and your sons and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, the angels just assumed that there was somebody else in the city that he had impacted. Angels are not omniscient. They don't know. They don't even know what they're told or what they see. They just assume that Lot has had an impact. He's had no impact. He's made no difference in the city of Sodom.

And so it says in verse 15, Why does it say that? What did Lot do after he told his sons-in-law, the ones that were about to marry his daughters, what did he do? He went back and went to bed. Really? He went back and went to bed. Could you imagine what would have happened if he would have listened to the word of the Lord and left right then? If he left right then, his sons-in-law probably would have thought, you know what, Lot's pretty serious about this. He's leaving in the middle of the night. It must be urgent.

He must be speaking the truth. But he went back to sleep. He went back to his house. He went back to bed. Maybe if he would have left that night, his wife would still be with him. Because they would have left in the night, and fire and brimstone would have not come down on the city, then she would have had no opportunity to look back. She would still be alive. But he didn't. He went back to bed. What kind of impact would Lot have had had he not went back to bed? They told him, we're going to destroy the city.

How do you sleep when the angels tell you the city's going to be destroyed? How do you sleep? He did. But it gets worse. As you read on, it says, verse 16, but he hesitated. Why would he do that? Not only did he go back to bed, the angels came back and said, hey, you got to go now.

It's time. But he hesitates. What would cause an individual to hesitate knowing that judgment is coming? Why would he do that? For those of us who walk with the Lord and love the Lord and want to serve the Lord and live for Him, we can't grasp that. The worldly Christian can grasp it. Why? He hesitated, number one, because of his rejecters, his sons-in-law.

He'd been rejected. He went to tell them. They didn't believe him. And so he would hesitate simply because those he came to lead would not follow. His carnal mind, his carnal lifestyle was not believable. It would cause him to hesitate. But on top of that, his family, his relatives would cause him to hesitate. Why? Simply because he didn't want to leave them. He didn't want to leave them. Knowing that his sons-in-laws, the ones who were going to marry his daughters, would be left behind, he would hesitate.

Have you ever noticed that there are many Christians who hesitate following the will of the Lord because of family and friends? Have you ever noticed that? Maybe you're one of those people. I don't know. They're so close to their families, so close to their friends, that they just hesitate when God says, it's time to go.

Get up. Get out. The city's going to be destroyed. But there's that hesitation because of my association with friends and family. Why do you think Jesus said, if any man come after me, hate not his father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, yea, even his own life. He's not worthy to be my disciple. You can't have another affection that rivals my affection. You can't have a rival adoration that rivals your adoration for me. You can't do that because it will cost you every single time. It just does.

Charles Spurgeon said these words. When Lot lingered, he was defeating his own purpose and doing the worst imaginable thing if he wanted to convince his sons-in-law that he spoke the truth. For while he lingered, they would say, the old fool does not believe it. The warning he gave, he didn't even believe it. For if he did believe it, he would pack up and haste away. Nay, he would take his daughters by the hand and lead them out of the city at once. But when you disobey the will of God in favor of your family, you always hurt your family, and they never help your family.

They just never do. But see, Lot couldn't get around that because his whole life was filled with compromise. It was hard for him to stand strong. A number of years ago, I was at another church way before this one, and I had called a young man that I had coached for several years, and he had gone off and was a youth pastor in a church in the Midwest, and I had moved to the West Coast, and I had asked him to come and be the youth pastor at our church. And he was so excited about coming. He said, can I call you tomorrow?

I said, sure. So the next day, he called me back. He said, oh, I want to come so bad, so bad. I want to be there. I want to embark on a new ministry, a new opportunity. This is so great, but my wife just doesn't want to leave. I said, well, why? Because her mother lives next door, and she just can't leave her mother. I said, why? Because she's attached to her mother. She's only in her late 20s, okay? Not like her mother's, you know, 90 or 100 years of age. The young girl was only in her late 20s.

Her mom was somewhere in her late 40s. And she just couldn't leave her mom. I said, well, why can't she leave her mom? Well, she babysits the kids, and she cooks meals for us. I said, I'll babysit your kids. I'll have my wife cook meals for you. And he was so distraught because he could not convince his wife to leave her mother. That's sad. That's just really sad. Because he had a grand opportunity. Now, in the scope of the sovereignty of God and all that, it all worked out well for us at our church where we were.

We hired the right guy. But I felt bad for this guy because he wasn't able to move his wife. Whatever happened to leaving and cleaving? Does she not understand that? Does she not get that? Does she not leave her mother and father and cleave to her man? And how can you miss a golden opportunity to serve the Lord in a great environment and stay partial to where you're at? But he did. Those kind of things happen all the time. We make decisions based on family and friends, not based on what God's Word actually says.

We are very quick to compromise the truth of God's Word for the sake of our family and for the sake of our friends. And the story of Lot should be a very, very clear testimony to how dangerous that is. It's dangerous. Lot would hesitate. You got to go? The city's going to be destroyed. Yeah, I know, but... I got my sons-in-law back there, and they kind of hurt my feelings when they rejected me and they laughed at me because they thought I was jesting. And I don't want to leave them. I got my daughters here, and they're going to marry my daughters.

I don't want to leave them. You got to go. But on top of all that, there was the wealth and the possessions that he had obtained over all these years. If he's going to leave, he's got to leave all that behind. He can't be pulling a horse and buggy behind him as he's going to escape through the valley so that he's not destroyed by the fire and brimstone. He's got to go. He's got to run. He can't have anything that's going to hold him back. So he's got to leave all of his possessions and all of his treasures and all of his goodies.

He's got to leave them behind. And he just loved the material aspect of Sodom. It gave him so much. And to leave all that, oh, man, that's just... He couldn't bear enough energy to get up and say, yeah, I can leave all that. He wanted to take it with him. He couldn't bring himself to leave that which he had attached himself to. That's why the Bible warns over in 1 Timothy 6, But those who want to get rich and fall into temptation and the snare and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge men into ruin and destruction for the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil.

And some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many, many griefs. That's a lot. Many griefs. He just could not pull himself away from the riches. Remember, remember now, back in Genesis 13, when the ascension arose between he and Abraham, when Abraham gave him the choice, he chose to go the way of Sodom because in the depths of his heart, in the depths of his soul, there was a longing for the riches of Egypt. And Sodom was a lot like Egypt. And he had been down to Egypt with Abraham.

And there was that longing in his soul which caused him to look toward that city, which caused him to lean toward that city, which caused him now to live in the city, to lead in the city because he now loves the city. And because he loves the city, it causes him to linger in the city. See that? He can't leave. He loves it so much. And to think it's going to be destroyed. To think that all he has is going to be gone. And he's already been warned. But way back 14 years ago, when the kings of the east took him captive, and Uncle Abraham came and retrieved him in the people of Sodom, that was God's wake-up call to Lot.

But now he went right back into it again. It's been a while. And now it's time for the city to be destroyed. He just can't bring himself to leave the city. Get your wife. Get your daughters. Get up. Get out. Escape. The city is going to be destroyed. But Lot hesitated. He just couldn't bring himself to leave that which he loved so much. So as you read on, the text says this. So the men seized his hand. He wasn't going to leave. The men seized his hand, and the hand of his wife, and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the Lord was upon him.

Isn't God so gracious? God is so gracious to this man. They seized him. They grabbed his hands, the hands of his wife, his daughters, and they brought him out and put him outside the city and said, now you must escape for your life. Run. Do not look back or you'll be swept away in the devastation and in the destruction. You've got to go, and you've got to go now.

You need to be delivered from this judgment. See, he wasn't going to leave. But God was gracious to him and dragged him out of the city so he could be set free. They intervened and forcefully let him out. See, the carnal Christian, the worldly people, just can't get the world out of their system. It's so ingrained in them, and that's the way it was for a lot. It was just part and parcel to his life. Escape for your life. Do not look behind you. Do not stay anywhere in the valley. Escape to the mountains, lest you be swept away.

You've got to go. You'd think that he would listen. You'd think, after all he's been through so far. So it says in verse 18, but Lot said to them, now they're outside of the city, he said, you've got to go. Go now, run, escape. Lot says, can we wait just a minute? I have a question. Will you let me speak my mind?

You've been so kind to me. You've been so gracious to me. Your loving kindness is overwhelming. Oh, gag, gag, gag, gag, gag. He says, behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your loving kindness, which you have shown me by saving my life. But I cannot escape to the mountains. I can't do that. For the disaster will overtake me, and I will die. That's not what they said. But he's trying to convince them that he can't go to the mountains. He says, look, I hear what you say, and I appreciate what you've done, but can I just say one thing?

If I do what you tell me to do, in other words, if I do what God told you to tell me to do, I'll die. Really, that's not what God said. God says, if you go, you'll live.

Lot's translation is, if I go, I'll die. I can't escape to the mountains, I'll die. See, he doesn't want to go to the mountains. That's not where he wants to go. He doesn't want to go where God tells him to go. He has another place to go, see? He wants to go to a little city. He wants to go to Zoar. That's where he wants to go. He loves the city life. He's not a mountain man. He doesn't like the wilderness. That's Abraham. He's soft, he's really soft. I can't go there. If I do, I'll be swept away in the judgment and I will die.

Behold, this town is near enough to flee to. It's a small, wee little town. Let me escape there, that my life may be saved.

See, he doubts what God says. He distrusts what God says. He wants to convince these angels that he can go someplace else and still be safe because if he does what they say, he will end up dead. But that's just not true. He just doesn't want to go to the mountains. He wants to go to Zoar. He wants to go to the city. So, one of them said to him, Behold, I grant you this request also. Oh, wow. Too bad for Lot. I grant you this request also. Not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. Remember, there were five cities close by.

Okay? And this is the fifth one, Zoar. And so he told him, Do not overthrow the town of which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there. Therefore, the name of the town was called Zoar. And that's where he went. The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar, and then the Lord rained fire and brimstone down on the twin cities and the surrounding cities. But I read that story, and I ask myself this question, How many of us, myself included, know what God says to do, yet we have another plan?

Somehow God's plan just really isn't the best plan. I have a better plan. And we kind of raise our hands and say, Lord, can I just say something? Would it be better for me to do this than do what you said? Isn't it better for me to go here than go there? Isn't it better for me to speak nasty about someone than to return good for evil? When God says you shouldn't return good for evil.

The Lord says we're to forgive our brother, but we say, Lord, do I really have to forgive that person? Because they treated me so unjustly and so unfairly. God says that we're to love our wives, and we say, Lord, but you're not married to my wife, Lord.

Do I really have to love her that way? Can I just say something, Lord? Is there another way around this? We find ourselves doing this all the time, and we don't even know it. You know what God does? God says, okay, have it your way.

Have it your way. And this is what the Bible says about that in Psalm 106. Psalm 106 says of Israel, because Israel always said the same thing, Lord, the wilderness wanderings, it's probably not the best thing for us. Is there another way? The food you're feeding us, the manna stuff, it's really not really good. Can we have some meat? Can we have something different for dinner instead of what you've always fed us? Or we're really thirsty. Can we have some water? They quickly forgot his works. They did not wait for his counsel, but craved intensely in the wilderness and tempted God in the desert.

So God gave them their requests, but sent a wasting disease among them. That's what happened to Lot. Lot would not adhere to the counsel of God. So through the angels, they gave him his request, but they would send to him a wasting disease for his soul, a leanness, a barrenness of soul, a dryness of soul. What's a worse disease than cancer? What's a worse disease than leukemia? What's a worse disease than AIDS? A barren soul is the worst disease. A barren soul, a wasting disease, because it makes your soul a barren wasteland.

It makes your soul like the wasteland around the salt sea today, the Dead Sea today. It's a barren, dry wasteland. That's worse than any physical disease you could ever encounter. That was the most famous verse my mother quoted to me growing up. She quoted it to me at least once a month. Oh, God will give you the desires of your heart, but send leanness to your soul. And boy, I said, yeah, you're right. And she would quote that time and time again. And when she would hear and see of people who got what they wanted, but then experienced a barrenness in their soul, she'd quote Psalm 106, verse number 15, over and over again.

You see, we just don't want to listen. That's why the tragedy of Genesis 19 is centered around a man and the fact that he made no impact in his city and in his family. Because you see, he is going to experience a leanness of soul as never before because he wanted to go to Zoar and not escape to the mountains. He didn't want to do what God said. He didn't want to follow God explicitly. He wanted to change the direction. He wanted to change the plans. He really thought that his plan was better than God's plan was.

And so whenever you question God, that's exactly what you say to God. My way is better than your way. And over in Psalm 81, the Lord says to Israel, in verse 8, Hear, O my people, and I will admonish you. O Israel, if you would just listen to me. Let there be no strange God among you, nor shall you worship any foreign God. I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide. I will fill it. Listen, if you just listen to me, I will fill your mouth. You open it wide.

But you've got to listen to me. You can't go after foreign gods. You can't worship foreign idols. Verse 11, But my people did not listen to my voice. And Israel did not obey me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart to walk in their own devices. See, that's what God does. God says, okay, you don't want to listen?

Do what you want. I'll just give you over to your own devices. You don't want to listen to me when it comes to marriage? Marry who you want. And call me in six years. Tell me how you're doing. Go ahead. Marry who you want. You don't want to work where I want you to work? Go ahead. Take the job that you want. Go ahead. You want to buy the house I want you to buy? Buy your own house. Make your own decisions. Go ahead. Go on without me. Follow. Don't listen to my voice. Don't listen to my direction.

Just do what you want to do. And you will have a bareness in your soul that you can't feel. But if you listen to me, you can open your mouth wide, and I will feel it. All you have to do is listen.

Follow. That's all I had to do. Listen. Listen. Follow directions. Do what he's told. Didn't do that. Oh, that my people would listen to me. That Israel would walk in my ways. I would quickly subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their adversaries. Listen.

I will help you. If you just listen to me, I will take care of every adversary that you have. Every hardship that you have. Every difficulty you have. I will deal with it. But you've got to listen to me. Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him, and their time of punishment would be forever. But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat. And with honey from the rock, I would satisfy you. Gosh, is this what I want to do? I want to satisfy you. I want to fill you. I want to take care of every desire that you can possibly dream of.

But you've got to listen to me. And isn't it interesting that we always find a way not to listen? We always find an excuse. We always find another way, another road, another plan, just so we can do our own thing. Because we do think our way is better. And it never is. And so God gives us our requests and sends a barrenness to our souls. There are some of you here today who are so barren in your soul, you can hardly stand it. Because you've done your own thing. You didn't listen.

Now, I don't know who you are, but you have decided to do what you want to do. You've decided it. And God has sent a wasting disease to your soul. You've got to turn all that around. You've got to get on your knees, repent of your ways, ask the Lord to forgive you, and determine from this day forward you'll never, ever turn a deaf ear to His Word. You'll follow explicitly what He has to say. You see, the unique thing about the life of Lot, and all of his loss, is that we see ourselves in Lot's life.

We see ourselves in his life. We see ourselves in Lot's life more so than we ever saw ourselves in King David's life, or in Samson's life, or Nehemiah's life, or Gideon's life, or Elijah's life, or Elisha's life, or Joseph's life. We see our life in Lot's life. It's a pretty scary life, isn't it? It scares me to death. God gives him a chance. Lead your family out of here. Lead them properly. Get them out of a city filled with sin. But he hesitates. Just can't leave that which he loves so much. He's hung on it for so long.

It affects his family. We'll see how it's affected his daughters in the coming weeks. Next week, we'll see how it affects his wife. It affected everybody. God would override all that because God is sovereign. God does a miraculous work through all of that. All the sin. But yet, we read this and we think, wow, there's such a better way of living than Lot's life. I don't think anybody here says, I want to lose in life. Nobody raises their hand and says, I want to be a loser. Yeah, I want to be like Lot.

I want to lose my integrity, and my testimony, and my city, and my family, and everything else I got going. I want to lose it all. Nobody is going to admit to that. And yet, and yet, we find ourselves not wanting to listen to the words of the Lord, and to do everything that He says. And God says, if you just listen, if you just listen to what I have to say.

Remember Proverbs chapter 1? In Proverbs chapter 1, Solomon says these words. Verse 20, Wisdom shouts in the street. She lifts her voice in the square. At the head of the noisy streets, she cries out. At the entrance of the gates of the city, she utters her sayings. How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing at fools' hate knowledge. Turn to my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you. I will make my words known to you. Because I called, and you refused, I stretched out my hand, and no one paid attention.

And you neglected all my counsel, and did not want my reproof. I will also laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your dread comes, when your dread comes like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, and I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me, because they hated knowledge, and they did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would not accept my counsel. They spurned all my reproof. So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be satiated with their own devices.

For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But, but, he who listens to me shall live securely, and will be at ease from the dread of evil." Wow! Lot, if Lot would have listened to the Lord, he could have lived securely, and been at ease from the dread of evil. But he wasn't. And that's why we tell you that the greatest tragedy is one man in one city who would not listen, who would not follow what God said, and it cost him everything. And I ask you once again, what impact have you made in your family and in your work environment, in your city that has shown people that you are committed to the truth of God's Holy Word, that you are a light in that environment for the glory of His name, because your testimony has shown forth for God's glory.

Let me pray with you. Father, we thank You, Lord, for today, and to be reminded once again of how we should not live, and how we should listen to what Your words say. Our prayer, Lord, is for every man and woman in the room today, some of which have experienced a barrenness in their soul. The Lord, You'd fill it, because they want to return and follow and honor You. Help them not to continue down the path they're on, because, Lord, You're a forgiving God. You're a compassionate God. You're a God who loves to forgive.

And our prayer, Father, is for those who've experienced a wasting disease in their soul, that, Lord, You'd turn that all around for them, because they want to serve and honor You as their King. For all of us, Lord, may Genesis 19 be a warning of what not to do, that truly, Lord, we would be obedient to Your Word and serve You with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We ask that You go before us. And our prayer is that, Lord, in the place, the city, the arena, You've called us to live out our spiritual existence, that, Lord, we make an impact, that all would know that we love Christ, that we will not compromise Your truth, that we stand strong on what the Bible says, and that all will hear and know that we love Christ more than anything or anyone else, and we live for Your glory and Your kingdom.

We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.