Lot's Loss Perpetuated, Part 2

Tonight we have another opportunity to look at the life of Lot. Now, the Bible doesn't say a lot about Lot, but we can learn a lot about Lot. That make sense? There's not a lot of information in the Bible concerning this man, but the things that are there teach us so much about what we must not do. The cost of compromise in Lot's life was extremely costly and while we have not gotten to the part where his loss is accentuated, we realize that there's been this progression in his life, or should I say digression in his life from day one, since we began to study this man's life.

And so as we look at this man and the warnings that are there, we told you a number of weeks ago that it's a bad thing to be companioned with the world, okay?

James 4.4 says that a friend of the world is an enemy of God, because to be companioned with the world leads to becoming contaminated by the world. And James 1.27 tells us that true religion and undefiled before the father is this, that you keep oneself unspotted from the world, unblemished by the things of the world. But if we're companioned with the world, we then become contaminated by the world. If you are contaminated by the world, you then will become conformed to the world. And the Bible tells us in Romans 12 that we are not to be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

And so if we renew our minds, then we won't be conformed to the things of this world. So if we then become conformed to the world, we then will become controlled by the world. And very easily we can become so controlled by the things of the world. And we need to be careful so that we then are not condemned along with the world. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 11, when it talks about communion, it says, if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

That's why it's imperative that we examine our lives to see where we are in our walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. Lot was a man who became a companion of the world. Thus he was stained by that world. And that world conformed him, controlled him. And if it wasn't for the Spirit of God, he'd have been condemned along with the world, those of Sodom. And so his life in Scripture is a warning to all of us, a warning to make sure that we discipline ourselves unto godliness, that we keep short accounts with the Lord, that we make sure that we walk with the Lord.

You know, holiness and godliness is not something we just slip into. We just don't wake up one day and all of a sudden we're holy. It's a discipline. It's something that we pray about, we work at, we study about. But it's very easy to slide into godlessness. D. A. Carson, in his book, For the Love of God, says this, people do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and then we call it tolerance.

We drift toward disobedience and then we call it freedom. We drift toward superstition and that we call faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation. We slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism. We slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated. So easily and so subtly, we can slide away from the things of God. Lot was a guy who would slide away very, very subtly. And as we have studied this man, there's a big gap between Genesis 14 and Genesis chapter 19, 14 years to be exact.

And when we pick up the narrative, we realize that the man is leading in the city of sin. It all began with a longing in his heart, a lust in his heart for the things of the world. And as he would long for the things of the world, that would cause him to look toward Sodom when he and Abraham had a falling out. And as he looked toward Sodom, it reminded him of Egypt. And he loved Egypt. And so he moved in that direction. So as he looked toward Sodom, having longed for Sodom in his heart, he would then lean toward Sodom.

In Genesis chapter 14, we find him living in Sodom. In Genesis chapter 19, he is now leading in Sodom, simply because he loves Sodom. We talked about that last week, how you know the man loved Sodom. And now he's going to lose everything that means anything in life, simply because of the great cost of compromise. He was unwilling to build his altars. He was unwilling to call upon the Lord. We told you that there's nothing recorded in the Scripture about him praying to God. Nowhere in Scripture do we see him building an altar like Uncle Abraham did to call upon the name of the Lord.

He just didn't do that kind of thing. His name, believe it or not, means covering or veil. And Lot was really good about covering his true identity. Lot was really good at veiling Christianity, veiling the Lord God of Israel, so no one would know that he was a believer in the one true God. How ironic is that? That's what his name means. And he lived up to his name, unfortunately. But fortunately for you and me, we can learn how not to veil the truth, how not to cover our true identity in Christ, because we refuse not to compromise.

You know, there's a verse tucked away in a very familiar psalm, Psalm 63. If you've got your Bible, turn with me to Psalm 63.

This is our introduction tonight. It will be a little while before we get back into Genesis chapter 19, but you need to see this. Psalm 63. You know the psalm. It begins, Oh God, you are my God. I shall seek you earnestly. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh yearns for you. In a dry and weary land where there is no water, thus I have seen you in the sanctuary to see your power and your glory. Because your loving kindness is better than life, my lips will praise you. It says in verse 6, when I remembered you on my bed, I meditate on you in the night watches.

For you have been my help. And in the shadow of your wings, I sing for joy. Now listen to this. My soul follows hard after thee. Now maybe your text says my soul clings to you. The old King James version said it best. My soul follows hard after thee. That's just a great statement because that really is the way it is when you're committed to Christ. You follow hard after the Christ. You know Christianity is not for the light hearted. Lot was a light hearted, weak souled kind of man. But the human side, the divine side is the next part of the verse, your right hand upholds me.

That's the divine side. The human side is that my soul is following hard after God, but unless the Lord upholds me with his right hand, I can't do that. So there's a divine working in light of my human effort. The translator said my heart clings. My soul clings to you. It's the word used in Genesis 2.24. When a man is married, he leaves his mother and father and he cleaves or clings to his wife. There's a dependency there. There's a affirmancy there. There's a firm affection, an attachment that's there.

And so when the psalmist says that my soul followeth hard after thee, there is a desperation about that. A desperate clinging to the Lord God of Israel. And is it not true that very few people are in that category? We follow hard after certain things, but very few of us follow hard after the Lord in such a way that we out of desperation, out of perseverance, out of exertion and energy and exhaustion follow hard after the Lord God of Israel. There's a commitment there. There's a devotion that's there.

There's a diligence that's there. There's this desperation that's there. My soul followeth hard after thee. Abraham was that way. Lot was not. Lot was not. You can't see anything in the scriptures that talk about Lot following hard after his God. But there's that certain determination about following God. Over in Psalm 119, the psalmist said this, the Lord is my portion. Verse 57, I have promised to keep your words. I sought your favor with all my heart. Be gracious to me according to your word. I considered my ways and turn my feet to your testimonies.

I hastened and did not delay to keep your commandments. In those four verses, there is a conviction. And with that conviction, a determination. I promise obedience to thee, O Lord. That promised obedience led to a passionate obedience. For he says, I consider my ways and turn my feet to your testimonies. Because I promise to obey you, when I consider my ways, I passionately turn from my evil ways toward you. So my promised obedience leads to a passionate obedience, which then in turn leads to a prompt obedience.

He says, I hastened and did not delay to keep your commandments. Isn't that good? I hastened and did not delay. Isn't it interesting that every one of us wants to follow the Lord tomorrow? We want to serve the Lord tomorrow. We want to give to the Lord tomorrow. I want to dedicate my life tomorrow. We are masters at delaying our obedience to God. That's because we're not passionate about obeying God. That's because we haven't promised to obey our God. Lot was the master of delayed obedience. We'll see it a little bit more as we go through Genesis chapter 19.

The lingering of Lot, his unwillingness to quickly obey the Lord when called. A lot of us find ourselves in a similar category. We tend to delay our obedience to the Lord. It's interesting that the psalmist would go on to say, I am a companion of all those who fear you and of those who keep your precepts. That was not Lot. He was not a companion of those who fear God. He was a companion of the things of the world. His weak devotion led to his worldly desires, which led to his wrong decisions. And that's the pattern that's always spelled out in scripture.

And yet the psalmist said, my heart followeth hard after thee. And that implies a diligence, a determination, a commitment, a devotion, a discipline. But so many times we put off that which we should do today. Robert Laidlaw in his booklet, The Reason Why, says this about Satan's tactics in getting us to delay our obedience. He says, tomorrow, he promises conscience. Tomorrow, I mean to believe. Tomorrow, I'll think as I ought to. Tomorrow, the Savior receive. Tomorrow, I'll conquer those habits which hold me from heaven away.

But ever God's spirit insisted one word and one only today. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, thus day after day it went on. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, till youth like a vision had gone. An age with its passions had written the message of fate on his brow. And out of the shadows came death with his pitiless syllable now.

Death does not delay. When it's time to die, you die. And yet so many times we put off what needs to be done today. Lot had so many opportunities to call and cry out to his God, to serve his God. But he continued to live up to his name, to veil, to cover his true identity. Psalm says, my heart followeth hard. My soul followeth hard after thee. Do you know Christianity is all about following Christ, right? He who says that he abides in him ought himself to walk even as he himself walked, 1 John 2, 6.

Thirteen times in the Gospels, the phrase is, follow me. Follow me. That's the Gospel call. In Mark chapter 1, verse number 17, Christ said to Peter, James, and John, follow me. And I will make you fishers of men. In Luke's Gospel, the ninth chapter, 23rd verse, Christ said, if any man come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. Let him abandon himself. Let him abandon his dreams and aspirations. Let him take up his cross and follow me. That's the Gospel call. Later in Luke's Gospel, the ninth chapter, it says this, in verse 57, as they were going along the road, someone said to him, I will follow you wherever you go.

And Jesus said to him, the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. I will follow you wherever you go. Jesus says, really?

Will your soul follow hard after me? Because if you do, there will be no place to lay your head. One of the deterrents to following Christ is materialism. The birds of the air have nests. Foxes have holes, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. And maybe this man would see Jesus and the crowds following Jesus and think, wow, man, this is the go and grow and thing. I need to be a part of this. I'll follow you. Jesus, I'll follow you. Really? Will you follow hard after me? And then he says, in verse 59, to another, will you follow me?

But he said, Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father. But he said to him, allow the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God. Not only is materialism a deterrent to following Christ, but passivism is a deterrent to following Christ. Passivism. He says, let me first go and bury my father.

His father wasn't even dead yet. So he says, let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead. You follow hard after me. People just don't want to do that. Another deterrent is sentimentalism. Another also said, I will follow you, Lord. But first, permit me to go say goodbye to those at home.

But Jesus said to him, no one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Will you follow hard after me? Or is there something about your family that holds you back from giving it your all? Is there something about the things of the world that hold you back from giving it your all? Is there something about tomorrow that's more appealing to you than following me today? So Christ's call was always to follow him. And the psalmist early on would say, my heart, my soul followeth hard after thee.

He was determined. He was committed, devoted to serving his God. And so when you go a little further in Luke chapter 14, the Bible says these words.

Large crowds are going along with him, verse 25 of chapter 14. He turned and said to them, if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?

Listen, if you're going to follow me, you got to follow hard after me. So consider the cost. Count the cost in what it takes to follow me. Because lighthearted commitment doesn't work. You need to be all in. You got to be sold out. You got to count the cost. Verse 29, otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, and all who observe it ridicule him, saying, this man began to build and was not able to finish. Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with 10,000 men to encounter the one coming against him with 20,000?

Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. You got to be willing to follow hard after me. So hard that you can't have your family in the way. So hard that you can't have your possessions in the way. So hard that you must consider the cost in what it's going to cost you to follow me. And then he says, therefore, salt is good, but if it even salt has become tasteless, with what would it be seasoned?

It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. And that's why in Luke chapter 13, Christ was asked the question, are there just a few being saved? Are there just a few? Where is everybody? The reason the question is asked is because to follow Christ means you follow hard after him. That's why I love in the book of Revelation, 14th chapter, the 144,000 Jewish evangelists that God marks and calls to himself. It says that these are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chased.

They are the ones who follow the lamb wherever he goes. Now, listen to follow the lamb wherever he goes in the midst of the tribulation is to follow hard after him. Because there's so much turmoil and death in the tribulation. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the lamb, and no lie was found in their mouth.

They are blameless. Those who follow hard after the lamb are those who are undefiled. They have not been defiled by women. They are undeterred. They follow him wherever he goes. They are unequaled because they are purchased as first fruits, the chosen fruits from among men.

They are uncompromising because there was no lie found in their mouth and they are unblemished because they are blameless. Those are the ones who follow hard after the Lord. Why do I tell you that? Lot's problem was that he was unwilling to follow hard after his God. And it cost him. If you don't, it will cost you as well. That's the lesson. That's what you must know and understand. Because as we embark on Genesis chapter 19 and see the wickedness of the city, we have already seen Lot's loss initiated.

And now we see Lot's loss perpetuated in his life. Leonard Ravenhill, I don't know if you know of him or not, but he was an English evangelist. He died in 1994. But he wrote a book, a book you might want to get. And the book is entitled Sodom Had No Bible. That's the book. In the book, this is what he says. Listen carefully. He says these words. What obligation has God to a people like us whose aggregate sin as a nation in one day is more than the sin of Sodom and her sister city Gomorrah in one year?

Again, we must ponder the fact that America has advantages gospel-wise that Sodom never had. Sodom had no churches. We have thousands. Sodom had no Bible. We have millions. Sodom had no preachers. We have 10,000 plus thousands. Sodom had no Bible schools. We have hundreds. Sodom had no prayer meetings. We have thousands. Sodom had no gospel broadcasts. As a nation, we are richly blessed with Christian broadcasts. Sodom had no histories of God's judgment to warn it of danger. We have volumes of them.

Sodom perished in spite of all these disadvantages. America today is living only by the mercy of God. The only reason we are not smoking in the fire wrath of a holy God is mercy. Mercy, mercy, prolonged mercy. America as a nation already has had posted all warning signs, signs that Sodom lacked. The dice is loaded against America. What obligation has a holy God to a people who spend one hour in church on Sunday, then walk to the ballpark to spend several hours walking in the council of the ungodly and sitting with the blaspheming sinners who profane his holy name?

What obligation has God to a people who allow a newspaper stand to have 57 different magazines sporting nude pictures? What obligation has God to a people who allow foreign girls to be imported to stand nude as wallpaper for some hot city night spot? What obligation has God to a people whose government gives millions to support a communist country which by the very nature of its philosophy is pledged to kill the hand that supplies it? What obligation has God to a people who place on their coins and God we trust then bar children from singing Christmas carols in day schools and let a half a dozen people get a local law made to stop prayers by millions of children in such schools?

What obligation has God to a nation that is well spotted with poverty but can spend four million dollars in one afternoon at a Florida racetrack? What obligation has God to a nation who is spending more per annum on dog food than on propagation of the gospel? He says in my judgment a nation or nations that will go as far as we have gone deserves only one thing that is that the holy God whom they have scorned accept the challenge of their prolonged defiance of his laws that he would draw the bountiful crops that they have known or that since whom he loveth he chasteneth a holy God speedily lay the rod of correction upon us to save us from complete and total disaster.

We have unblushingly forced our way through the Ten Commandments into the brink of moral bankruptcy. We have fervently entered into a drunken orgy of spending. Ours seems to be the cry how soon can we spend ourselves into financial despair? Adam bombs cannot fight off the judgment of a holy God. If God unleashes his fury upon this proud sin drunk people there is not a bomb shelter big enough or strong enough or deep enough or safe enough to keep us from the lash of God's holy anger. One thing and one thing alone keeps us from complete decay in the hour.

And that is the church. The true church. The blood-washed remnant that has not bowed its knees to the bale of materialism and that cannot be intimidated by the threats and scorn of scientific humanism. After Abraham left off interceding Sodom perished. While Abraham stood yet before the Lord men had a representative before God. While Lot abode in Sodom backslidden though he was God still had a feeble representative with men. While those positions were maintained God did nothing. When Lot went out of Sodom and when Abraham made the final appeal for the ten righteous men and found them not then the fire of the Lord fell.

Sodom perished because it had not a remnant. America still has a tiny remnant. If God puts the millstone of our sin around the neck of this generation and cast us into the nethermost depths of hell that would be but our just dessert. Sinners are not aware of this fact nor would they believe this terror if they were told. The salt of the earth that is saving America at this hour is the church. Believers this is your hour. Believers arise. Believers begin now to watch, to weep, to work and to war. Now whether you agree with everything that he said one thing is true.

If the church of Jesus Christ having been called and chosen by him does not represent him properly, accurately and clearly then this world, this nation is in dire straits and it already is. But we are the light. We are the salt in this world. Will we shine that light so bright that others can see? Will we work? Will we weep? Will we watch? Will we war? Will we follow hard after our God? So that all will know that Jesus Christ reigns supreme in our hearts and lives. Jesus Christ is the only answer to a world steeped in sin.

And what we read in Genesis 19 is just a mirror of America. That's all it is. And they had no Bible. But they did have a man. His name was Lot. And Lot failed to be light in the city of Sodom. Lot's loss perpetuated. Genesis 19, if you got your Bible turned there, that's all introduction. Genesis chapter 19. You pick up the narrative from where we left off last week. Verse 4. Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter.

They called to Lot and said to him, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them. But Lot went out to them at the doorway, shut the door behind him, and said, Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with men. Please, let me bring them out to you.

And do to them whatever you like. Only do nothing to these men inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof. But they said, Stand aside. Furthermore, they said, This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge. Now we will treat you worse than them. So he pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great.

So they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway. Notice the pursuit of the men of Sodom. They came, very clearly, both young and old, all the people from every quarter. They came. They came for these two men. They are angels, we know that. The men of the city did not know they were angels. I'm not even sure Lot knew they were angels. They were two men that had come to the city. Lot had taken them into his house. And the men from every quarter, both young and old, came to Lot's house. Evidently, they felt at home going to Lot's house.

But they came in pursuit of these men. And they came because they wanted to have sexual relations with these men. They came to have group sex. They came to engage in gang rape. That's what they came to do. And they made no bones about that. Now this is not a study about homosexuality and the effects of homosexuality on America. That's not what the study is about. The study is about Lot. And how his loss is perpetuated by his response to these men of the city. You will note they're called the men of Sodom.

That's a very important phrase. The men of Sodom. It says, these words, before they lay down the men of the city. And then they're defined as the men of Sodom. Very important phrase. H.C. Leupold in his commentary on Genesis says this. He says, the expression, the men of Sodom, is no gloss. But it rather seems to have been a proverbial designation for outstanding exponents of the vice of sodomy. Even while the city stood. In other words, even in Lot's day, the name of Sodom was proverbially associated with the practice of homosexuality.

Because homosexuality was so characteristic of Sodom. The city practiced the sin so much it became the trademark of the city. Sodomy was a reputation of Sodom. The word Sodomite is a compound word which means male and sexual intercourse. Men having sex with men. And so the men of Sodom is a proverbial designation of the characteristic of the city defined by the sin it committed. Instead of homosexuality. And these men came to Lot's house because they were in pursuit of these two other men who had visited Lot.

Their sin was public. Their sin was anything but shameful to them. Their sin was completely open in the city. Everybody knew it. It's like it is today in America. There was a time in America where homosexuals were said to be in the closet. And then they came out of the closet. And now everybody's out of the closet. Whether you're an athlete or a musician or an actor or whatever you may be. Everybody's out there because homosexuality is the in thing. Well, that's nothing new to Sodom because that's the way it was in Sodom.

See, things don't ever change. People say, well, you know, this day and age is so much worse than way back then. No, it's not. Just read your Bible. If you read your Bible, you understand that it's just as bad then as it is now.

And the men of the city, the men of Sodom, publicly, unashamedly exposed their sin. This is what they were known for. So they came to Lot's house. Where are the men that have come to your home? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them. Not I, not me, but all of us. We all want to be a part of this. Do you know that the average homosexual individual has up to 300 partners a year? Did you know that? 300 a year. Because the pursuit of the homosexual lifestyle far exceeds the natural bounds that God has established.

Romans 1 tells us that. We won't take the time to go back to Romans 1 and understand the implications of how God abandons the nation. And when he abandons them, he abandons them to their own vices. And so all of their iniquity and all of their impurity and all of their idolatry only sums itself up in homosexuality and bestiality. Because that's the nature of the sin and where it goes. So they came to Lot's house. But Lot went out to them at the doorway, shut the door behind him. Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly.

You see, there needed to be a rebuke. There needed to be a stand. There needed to be strength. But when you don't follow hard after the Lord, you have no strength. You're as weak as can be. The hand of God does not uphold you because you're not following hard after him. And Lot has no strength. But he comes out to the men. He says, I have two daughters who have not had relations with men. Please let me bring them out to you and do to them whatever you like.

Can you imagine? Thanks, Dad. Thank you for loving us and caring for us and watching over us, being the kind of father that we need to have to protect us. I'll bring them out to you and you can do whatever you would like to them. In his effort to protect the two visitors, he was willing to offer up his daughters. He was not willing to offer up himself, but he was willing to offer up his daughters. He was willing to offer up his daughters on the altar of position, on the altar of reputation because he did not want to lose that status in the city.

His position in the city, his status in the city was more important to him than his own family. That's a shame. But you see, when you don't follow hard after the Lord, your family becomes kind of irrelevant to you. Did you ever notice that?

Look at those guys who don't follow hard after the Lord and look at their marriages. Look at their families.

The natural byproduct is a weak devotion to God and a weak devotion to God only leads you to worldly desires that keep you from focusing on the things that are most important. The family that God's given to you. He says, only do nothing to these men as much as they have come under the shelter of my roof. One author said it this way about Lot's comments. He says, Lot's moral righteousness lacked the quality of passion. The revelers of Sodom beset his house like a swarm of demons let loose from hell.

Burning words of holy indignation were urgently needed. But Lot parlayed with the criminals. He called them his brothers. He begged for peace at any price. He was willing to sacrifice the honor of his daughters. But while Lot's sensibility was so blunted that he sordidly bargained with the licentious crew, the sacred writer's heart has a glow of consuming indignation against sin. A glow which he communicates to the reader. Anger is not always wrong and peace is sometimes far from right. The lack of moral indignation is the lack of manhood.

He who is not angry at sin is not in love with virtue. Wow. Lot wasn't angry at sin. He did not publicly rebuke these men. He did not come out against these men. There wasn't a holy zeal about his life because he had covered that with the veil that camouflaged his true identity. He did not follow hard after the Lord. The writer goes on to say a gentle reproof encourages sin and makes it seem as slight as the censure implies. Did you get that? That's very important. A gentle reproof only encourages more sin.

Why can't we come out and reprove people strongly? Without them saying, well, you've offended me. Well, you've sinned. What do you want me to do? Rub your owie? But see, he gives this gentle, mild confrontation. But there's no holy indignation on his part. The writer says to reprove sin mildly is to patronize sin. Every heart which God indwells has an intense love for purity. Moderation in morals is treason against God. Folks, we need to be harder on sin. And instead of doing that, even when he wasn't hard on sin, they still say, who is this alien who is now judging us?

Know what they said? They said, stand aside, for the more they said, this one came in as an alien and already is acting like a judge. Who are you to judge us? See, the same thing has always been the same. Whenever you confront people, no matter how mild it may be, well, you can't judge me on my sin. Don't you judge me. Well, the Bible gives you very clear evidence to judge all sin according to God's standard of living. Everybody is judged against the standard of a holy God. And so, the men reached out their hands.

They pressed hard against Lot, came near the door, and they reached out their hands and brought Lot to the house with them and shut the door. These men wanted a lot. They wanted a lot. We will treat you worse than we were going to treat them. If you think that what we were going to do to them was bad, Lot, we're going to do to you more than we would do to them. So, they pressed hard against the door, and those two angels reached around and grabbed Lot and just yanked him back in and shut the door.

Now, look at this. They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway. This is warning number two, the grace of God for Sodom.

Fourteen years earlier, Sodom was taken captive by the kings of the east, led by Cadi Ulamar. Remember that story? And they were taken captive. And Abraham, the uncle of Lot, got wind of it, went and rescued the citizens of Sodom. They were warned by God in a war, in a battle, to repent. They did not. Fourteen years later, Genesis 19, that's where we're at, the men of the city were struck with blindness. From the battle to blindness, warning number two.

You're in error, you're in sin, you're wrong, you better repent. And they don't. From the battle to blindness, they will be blasted by fire and brimstone from heaven. But God gave them warning. God gave them the warning of impending judgment. Repent. But they did not. They were struck blind. And they wearied themselves still trying to find their way. They could not hold back their passion, their drive to obtain these two men, or even Lot. And God, by His grace, gave them another opportunity to realize the error of their way and to repent.

And they do not. They don't. But they could. If they chose to follow the Lord. Wouldn't it be great if Lot, would anywhere in the narrative just speak a word about the Lord? But he doesn't. Shameful. His loss is perpetuated. Once initiated, only perpetuated by his unwillingness to realize God's in charge. How were these men struck blind? What happened here? What is God doing? God is stepping up. God is protecting Lot. Now it's his time to turn to the Lord. Now it's his time to say, boy, I've been wrong.

So many things I could have said. So many things I could have done. I've done nothing. I've done absolutely nothing. And I could have said something, but I didn't. And once his loss is perpetuated, it only now becomes escalated by his unwillingness to call upon the name of the Lord. You see, the whole narrative of Lot speaks volumes to all of us that we need to follow hard after the Lord. Do you do that? Is that your desire? Is that your passion? Are you driven that way? Because the hand of the Lord upholds those who follow hard after him.

Abraham prayed that there'd be 10 righteous, spare the city. Abraham didn't go far enough. If there'd be one righteous, will you spare the city, Lord? I'm sure the Lord would have said, sure. But Abraham didn't go far enough. And God would destroy the city. And in that destruction came a huge loss for Lot. And next week we'll see how that loss is escalated in spite of his leaving the city, he will experience supreme loss with his wife, his sons-in-law, the city, but most importantly, his testimony.

Let me pray with you. Father, we thank you for tonight, a chance to be in your word. As brief as it is, Lord, we are reminded of the great grace of God that saves us from our sin. Nobody is too far gone that can't be saved because, Lord, you are the savior of mankind. We look at this story and realize how we, we could be an instrument used by you to bring others to Christ.

Our school, our workplace, the opportunities we have each and every day, the grocery store, the gas station. We are the light of the world. We are the salt of the earth. May we be that. May we not live as Lot, whose name means covering or veil. He hid the light. He hid his testimony. And that's just not right. May we learn from this man's life that we might follow hard after thee. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.