Gtcotr/ss091320
2 Peter 2 NLT
4 For God did not spare even
the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness,
where they are being held until the day of judgment.
5 And God did not spare the ancient
world — except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah
warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he
destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood.
6 Later, God condemned the
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them
an example of what will happen to ungodly people.
7 ¶ But God also rescued Lot
out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful
immorality of the wicked people around him.
8 Yes, Lot was a righteous
man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after
day.
9 So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment.
The ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were known for their sin and debauchery. The lust-filled lawless nature of man dominated the landscape and climate of these cities so that no one was safe, even in their own homes. Hateful mobs justified their immoral and illegal pursuits by blaming those who opposed them as being judgmental and out of touch.
Lot, although not perfect in all of his thoughts and deeds, was nonetheless right in standing up against the mob. Lot was evidently tormented and confused. The KJV of the Bible says he was vexed in his soul. Few would disagree that the solution Lot offered the aggressive crowd who were attacking him, his home, and his beliefs, was better than what they wanted but … it was not what they wanted. Lot was hoping to appease them but …
You cannot feed the beast and expect it to not turn and devour you. It’s just the nature of the beast and that’s what unruly and ungodly beasts do!
Genesis 19 NLT
1 ¶ That evening the two
angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting there, and
when he saw them, he stood up to meet them. Then he welcomed them and bowed
with his face to the ground.
2 “My lords,” he said, “come
to my home to wash your feet, and be my guests for the night. You may then get
up early in the morning and be on your way again.” “Oh no,” they replied.
“We’ll just spend the night out here in the city square.”
3 But Lot insisted, so at
last they went home with him. Lot prepared a feast for them, complete with
fresh bread made without yeast, and they ate.
4 ¶ But before they retired
for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city
and surrounded the house.
5 They shouted to Lot, “Where
are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we
can have sex with them!”
6 So Lot stepped outside to
talk to them, shutting the door behind him.
7 “Please, my brothers,” he
begged, “don’t do such a wicked thing.
8 Look, I have two virgin
daughters. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do with them as you wish.
But please, leave these men alone, for they are my guests and are under my
protection.”
9 “Stand back!” they shouted.
“This fellow came to town as an outsider, and now he’s acting like our judge!
We’ll treat you far worse than those other men!” And they lunged toward Lot to
break down the door.
10 But the two angels reached
out, pulled Lot into the house, and bolted the door.
11 Then they blinded all the
men, young and old, who were at the door of the house, so they gave up trying
to get inside.
12 ¶ Meanwhile, the angels
questioned Lot. “Do you have any other relatives here in the city?” they asked.
“Get them out of this place — your sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or
anyone else.
13 For we are about to
destroy this city completely. The outcry against this place is so great it has
reached the LORD, and he has sent us to destroy it.”
14 So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, “Quick, get out of the city! The LORD is about to destroy it.” But the young men thought he was only joking.
Our lesson from the Lord this morning includes 5 Truths for Today.
1.
You cannot feed the beast and expect it to not
devour you.
a. You cannot feed the
demon of sin, lawlessness and destruction imagining it will be your pet.
b. Sin and ungodliness knows
no bounds and cannot be satisfied
c. Demons are liars and
they are never loyal … if they rebelled against the one true living and loving
eternal God, why would any man think they could be their master or even their
friend?
d. Stop feeding the
beasts … he will only demand and then devour more.
2.
Constant bombardment of unrighteous conversation
will torment, vex, and confuse your soul.
a. 2 Peter 2:8 Though Lot
was a righteous man, he was vexed by the constant filthy conversation and
actions of the wicked …
b. Lot had a good and
godly heart, but he was tormented in his mind and confused about what was right
and wrong …
c. Somehow, less of a
wrong seemed right to him.
3.
Divine judgment is coming upon the world.
a. Without a doubt, this
world is on a collision course with hell.
b. It will wax worse and
worse with more and more people having fun with and believing that ungodliness
is ok. (2 Timothy 3:13)
c. We are in the last
hour and Jesus is coming quickly. (Revelation 22:20)
4.
Only Divine intervention can save us.
a. If the angels had not
have pulled Lot to safety, he would have suffered violent wickedness at the
hands of his own neighbors and townsfolk.
b. Do not imagine that is
an impossible scenario … it has happened and is happening today all around the
world and even in the cities of our nation today.
c. Only Jesus can save … (Ephesians
2:8-9)
d. Jesus said: “Come unto
Me all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28)
5.
There is something you can do. You have a part to play in God’s plan.
a. You can be a messenger
of the Lord, an angel sent by the Spirit of God, reaching out into the darkness
of this world and pulling souls to safety by the divine grace of God.
b. Good men and good
women, their children and their friends are being vexed and confused by the
wicked conversations and behavior going on all around them.
c. The solutions offered
by many good and godly people today are no better than the horrible solution
offered the depraved mob by Lot. “Feed the beast and it will leave you alone.”
It won’t! The beasts of this world will never be satisfied.
d. The angry mob would have taken Lot’s virgin daughters, had their way with them, and then still wanted the angels and probably Lot and his wife as well. You can’t satisfy the beast!
What can be done to avert the current depravity in our streets and the total destruction of our cities and the world we live in today? It’s the same thing that could have happened in Sodom and Gomorrah? The same thing that postponed the judgement and destruction of Nineveh in Jonah’s day …
·
In
Nineveh, the people heard the Word of the Lord spoken by Jonah and they
repented of their sins. (Jonah 3:4ff)
o
That’s
right, they had a divine encounter with the Holy Spirit of God and saw just how
wrong and stupid they were, and they repented … changed their minds … and
thereby changed their ways. How? Someone was bold enough to tell them … Jonah.
o
God
forgave their unrighteous sins and wicked behavior
o
And
God did not destroy the city or judge the people
o
Of
course, this did not make everyone happy, but it sure saved a lot of people’s
lives and ultimately saved the whole city from total destruction.
o
It took someone showing up, standing up, and speaking up so those good people,
who are almost always the silent majority, could hear and make an informed
decision. (Like voting …)
·
In
Sodom and Gomorrah, God told Abraham that if He could find a few righteous, only
10 in that case, that He would not destroy the cities. (Genesis 18:23-33)
o
Lot
was sent out in the nighttime to tell his family and friends of the judgment
and destruction that was coming.
o
Genesis 19:12 ¶ Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone
else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the
city — take them out of this place!”
o
Unfortunately,
it seemed to Lot’s sons-in-law that Lot was only joking. Haha … what a fool …
you’ve got to be joking!
o Let me
assure you … This is no joke!
·
Today,
we must go out and speak up to our family, friends and neighbors, and even to
our enemies in this dark hour of impending judgement and tell them about Jesus
and His hope to save them and get them out of this world before that dreadful
coming day.
·
Who
knows … if we can just get God’s people to humble themselves and pray, seek the
face of God, and turn from their wicked ways … He might hear our prayers,
forgive our sins, and heal our land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
o
Romans 13:11 ¶ And do
this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep;
for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
o
Romans 12:21 Do not be
overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
o Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
What
can you do today?
1.
Show
up, Stand up, and Speak up.
2.
Stop
feeding the beast.
