Pray I will never get over the
wonder of it. God, by his almighty grace, has
been married to a son that saves us and enlightens us. Verse 12, The men, those messengers of
mercy that God had sent to Solomon to deliver Lot, the men said
unto Lot, Hast thou here in Abishai? You got a son-in-law, you got
some sons, some daughters. Whatsoever thou hast in the city,
bring them out of this place. Damnation is sure. Judgment is
coming. God's gonna destroy the city. Get them out of here. Get them
out of here. And Lot went out and spake unto
his son-in-law, which married his daughters, and said, get
you out of this place, for the Lord will destroy this city." But he's seen as one that mocked
unto his sons of all. God was gracious to Lot. He sent
Lot two messengers of mercy. men to declare to him the mind,
the purpose, the will of God. They told Lot of God's intending
judgment upon the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. And these two heavenly
messengers urged Lot to flee from the city and to bring his
family out with him. And Lot was a man who believed
God. He knew that what God said, God would do. He believed God,
and he recognized that what God had declared meant the city was
certainly doomed. And Lot loved his family. Just like I love my family, just
like you love your world. Lot loved his family. So he hurriedly,
hurriedly went out at the command of God's messengers, out of love
for his daughters, out of love for his sons-in-law, and he went
about to warn them of God's sure and just wrath. He pleaded with
them earnestly. He pleaded with them with great
urgency, but they wouldn't hear a word he said. The scripture
says here that he seemed as one that lost. They heard Brother Lot declare
the sin of Sodom, the judgment of God upon the wicked city. He said, now I'm telling you,
this city will be destroyed. I'm telling you, your house,
your land, your cattle, your possessions, everything in this
city, God's going to destroy it. And if you stay here, God's
going to destroy you with the city. Oh, now, Daddy, you know
that's not so. Why, then, what have you been
preaching? You don't act like this. This isn't the way you
behave. You sound like one of those fanatical
prophets in Israel we've heard about. What are you talking about? Now, Daddy, go home and get some
rest. You'll get over this delusion. He's seen as one that lost. What a sad commentary on this
man lost. though apparently his children
loved him, they had no regard for his religion, no reverence for his God, and
they perished with the land of God. Now, these things are written
for our learning and our admonition. May God give you and me ears
to hear the story of Lot. First, I want you to see this
fact. Lot was a true believer. Now, do not be mistaken about
this. Lot was not some base, irreverent infidel. He was not
a rogue. He was not a drunk. He was not
a blasphemer. Lot was not a hypocritical professor
of religion. He was a good, godly man, made
so by the grace of God. He worshipped and served the
living and true God. In the beginning, Lot was very
zealous. He was devoted and faithful. Very, very few people begin so
well as Lot. He learned much, he sacrificed
much, and he showed so much Oh, if only he had continued
as he began, no one would ever question the excellence of his
character. Let me refresh your memory. When
God called Abraham out of the earth to Calvary, Abraham left
his family. Abraham left his father, his
mother, his brother. Abraham left the city. Abraham,
however, had received the call from God. Lot had received the
call from God through the lips they drank, and he too left his
father, and his mother, and his brothers, and his kin. He left
his home, his property, his wealth, he left everything down in Calvary. Lot forsook his faithful companions. He forsook his family, his mother
and his father. But he forsook them, he didn't
just forsake their house, he forsook their daughters. He forsook
their redemption. He forsook the family traditions.
He forsook the family customs. He forsook the family altar.
Lot forsook it all. And he worshipped God with Abraham.
Wherever Abraham built an altar to worship God, Lot worshipped
with it. Whenever God spoke to Abraham,
Lot was privileged to hear the message from his uncle. Lot even
entered into the land of promise with Abraham. Yes, our brother
Lot was a righteous man. He was born again by divine grace. He was converted. He was justified. He was sanctified in Christ,
just like you, just like me. Lot was a child of God, an heir
of heaven, a true believer. If you have any grace in your
heart, be sure of this, Lot had that grace. If you have any love
in your heart for Christ, be sure Lot had that love. If you
have any hope of eternal life founded upon the promise of God,
so did Lot. If you have faith in Christ,
Lot had that faith. If you have entered in by the
straight way, if you walked in the narrow way, Merle Lot entered
in and walked in that way. He was just like us. He was a
real believer, a genuine child of God. The Holy Spirit makes
this a matter beyond all controversy. Turn over to the book of 2 Peter
and I'll show it to you. 2 Peter chapter 2. Now, this is not just my opinion
about Lot or another man's opinion about Lot. This is the Word of
God, 2 Peter 2, verse 7. Peter tells us how that God destroyed
the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, condemned them, and in verse
7, delivered just Lot, who vexed with the filthy conversation
of the wind. For that righteous man dwelling
among them seeing and hearing vets his righteous soul from
day to day with their unlawful deeds. God himself has given
us good evidence of grace in this man Lot. God has shown us
something about Lot's true character. Lot lived in a wicked place,
seeing and hearing evil all around him, and yet he was not a wicked
man. Now, that's rare. That's rare.
That's a mark of grace. To be a Daniel in Babylon, to
be an Obadiah in Ahab's house, an Abijah in Jeroboam's family,
a saint in Nero's court, or a righteous man in Sodom, a man must have
the grace of God in his heart. He lived among men and women
who continually, perpetually walked contrary to the law and
the revelation of God, but not law. He was a righteous man.
Lot vexed his righteous soul with the unlawful deeds of the
city around him. Lot was wounded, grieved, pained,
and hurt by the sight of sin against God. I read this 19th
chapter to you just a few minutes ago, and as I came to that passage
where it says that Lot said to those being in Solomon, I have two virgin daughters under
my roof, who've never known a man. Take them and do whatever you
will with them, but don't touch them. I thought to myself about
a minute that Talbot must have been grieved with the hideous
evil of the homosexual perversion of that slave. He's willing to
sacrifice his own daughter rather than to see these messengers
of God abused by these perverted men. This man Lot was like David
when he wrote, I beheld the transgressors and was grieved because they
kept not thy word. Rivers of water run down mine
eyes because they keep not thy law. And Lot vets his righteous
soul from day to day with the wicked things he saw. Now many
a man is shocked by sin when he first sees it. But afterwards
he just kind of becomes accustomed to it. You're that way, and I'm
that way. How many things that you and
I see on our television Night after night, week after
week. First time you saw one, I never
thought I'd see them either. I never imagined they'd show
such a thing. And now we just kind of, well, that's the way
things are. Just shrug it off. Just let it
go. But not watch. Not watch. He was continually grieved by
the evil around him. I've said all of this to remind
you of one fact. A true believer may have many
blemishes, many faults, many defects, many infirmities, and
yet be a true child of God. We don't despise gold because
it's been withdrawn from us, and we certainly ought not to
despise the grace of God because it's lodged in a man of sinful
flesh. As you read the scriptures, You will find that Lot's errors
caused him much grief, but he was, with all his faults, a righteous
man. He was a true believer. His faith
was genuine. He was a child of God. In spite
of everything that was wrong with him, one thing was right
with him. Lot believed God, and it was
imputed unto him for righteousness. Today, Lot is seated with Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob around the throne of Christ. He was saved by the
grace of God. Now, be sure you understand this.
Lot's salvation, just exactly like Buddy Garner's salvation,
was entirely the work of God. Entirely. There was nothing in
Lot before he was converted which caused him to win God's favor. And there was certainly nothing
in Lot after he was converted that caused God to continue his
favor toward him. God chose Lot because he loved
Lot. God redeemed Lot, God gave his
son before the world was to be a sacrifice of servitude for
Lot, because he loved Lot. God gave Lot faith, because he
loved Lot. God imputed righteousness to
Lot, because he loved Lot. God was pleased to preserve Lot
in the midst of his sin because he loved Lot. There was nothing,
absolutely nothing, that Lot contributed toward his salvation
in the beginning, in the process, or in the end. He was saved by
grace, my brother, just like you and just like me. Exactly
the same way. Exactly the same way. Lot was saved by the grace of
God. But turn to chapter 13. He was saved by the grace of
God, but Lot chose to raise his family
in Sodom. Look in verse 9. Lot lifted up
his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan. and it was well watered
everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as in
the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest
into Zohar. 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 Solomon were awakened,
and sent before the Lord a seal. Now this was the beginning of
Lot's woe. This was the beginning of his
sorrow. This was the beginning of his trial of great difficulty.
I don't have any questions. By some means or other, Lot had
convinced himself that he was making a good decision, one that
would greatly benefit his family. But he would woefully be saved.
When Brother Lot chose to raise his family in Solomon, he may
have secured for them much earthly comfort, but in doing so, he
secured their eternal damnation. Did you hear that? He may have
secured for them much earthly comfort. Oh, I will tell you,
Lot no longer dwelled in tents once he moved into Solomon. Lot
no longer had to look for pasture for his cattle. Lot's children
no longer had to go to the old yard and buy their clothes. He
secured for them much earthly comfort. But he ruined their
eternal souls. He secured their eternal damnation. He said, Pastor, I want you to
show me that. Just hang on, I want to show
you. I want you to see the steps of
his decline. Lot separated himself from Abraham.
And you know what it was over? Do you remember what it was over?
A few head of cattle. A few head of cattle. Look in
verse 9, chapter 13. The scripture says here that
Lot, 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. They needed each other for a while, but now Lot didn't
need Abraham, he would just dwell all that Abraham was. And there
was a strife between the herdsmen of Lot, or the herdsmen of Abraham's
cattle, and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle. And the ten and I of
the pair of his side dwelt then in the land. And Abram said unto
Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between thee and
thee. and between my verdment and thy verdment, for we are
brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself,
I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take to the left
hand, then I will go to the right. Or if thou wilt depart to the
right hand, then I will go to the left." And so Lot lifted
up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan where the well
watered. He said, I'll take that. strife between brethren arises
because of earthly possessions and material wealth. Abraham
was a peaceful man, and he chose the way of peace, regardless
of what it cost. Lot was a covetous man, and he
chose the way of prosperity, regardless of what it might cost
his godly uncle Abraham. Lot chose the land that was near
Sodom, The men of Sodom who would be his neighbors were wicked,
ungodly men, but their pastures were good. That usually determines what
we do better. Usually does. So what if I raise
my daughters among a city of queers? So what if I raise my
sons and grandsons among men who hate God? So why do my neighbors
and relatives and friends down here in this place have no regard
for God? What does that matter? I can
make God save this place! Lot chose by sight, not by faith. Like Eve before him and Nathan
after him, he saw He covered it, and he took. That's the way
men live. That's the way men live. He never
asked the counsel of God. He never sought the counsel of
his uncle Abraham, the servant of God. He looked only to the
things of time. Only to the things of time. He
weighed no consideration, but what can I give? He weighed no
fault, but how will this serve my interest in this world? Sodom
was so beautiful, Sodom was so rich, Sodom was so charming,
Sodom was so alluring, that Lot's eyes were blinded to the themes
of eternity. He thought of his worldly profit,
but not his soul. He thought of his family's happiness,
but not of their salvation. There was nothing in Sodom. Listen. There was not one thing in Sodom
to give Lot any spiritual help. There was not one thing in Sodom
that would be of any spiritual benefit to his wife, his children,
or any children that should follow him. You see, Sodom was wealthy. Sodom offered great security. Sodom offered great opportunities. But there wasn't a prophet in
Sodom. There wasn't a man in that place to speak Not one! More than that. There was no
place in Sodom where God was worshipped and apparently no
place where He had ever been worshipped. There's something
more. There was not even one believing
man in that city with whom Lot could have fellowship. Not one.
But the move to Sodom was good business. It was good business. Surely God shall be in this vein
after all. God wants his children to prosper. God wants his children, and God
will speak to it that his children prosper spiritually. One way
or the other, he'll speak to it that his children prosper
spiritually. But to think that God Almighty is shut off to the
sun, that the worship of God, the service of God, the fellowship
of God's church, all is shoved aside merely for material gain,
and then speak as though, this is what God, I believe the Lord,
begged you to do this, I convict you. Or whether Lot would come
to his pastor, he would say, well, I'll tell you, you know,
Things haven't been going so well with me and Abraham lately. And it looks like I'm going to
have to make a move, Pastor. And I've been praying about this
thing a great deal. And it seems to me the best thing
to do is that I go down to the psalm. You know I could possibly
become a missionary in the psalm. I believe I might do that, Pastor. Maybe you could come down sometime
and we could get together. You see, what happens, maybe
the Lord's going to do something like that with it. And the pastor
says, well, do what you have to do. Do what you have to do. He's going to do it now. Going
to do it now. Do what you have to do. Lot mingled
with unbelievers when there was no need for him to do so. Now,
listen carefully to me. any self-righteous attitude of
abhorrence, any bigotry toward ungodly people, we abhor. We abhor. I don't promote that.
I don't promote that. But the warnings and the admonitions
of Scripture are plain enough. We have nothing in common with
the unbelievers of this world. Turn over to 2 Corinthians chapter
6. I want you to see this. We have nothing in common with
the unbelievers of this world. Nothing. And we would be wise
to have no association with them except as providence dictates. Let me tell you something. I'm not a novice at this business
of preaching and pastoring. I've been around a little while.
I have seen more often than I dare to tell you men and women who
today wish they had just listened to that open hat. Oh, I wish
I had listened. I wish I had listened. Because
they have put themselves in a yoke from which it is nearly impossible
to escape, with men and women who have no regard for God. Now listen to me. You young people,
you boys and girls, listen to me. As you grow older, If God's
pleased to have mercy on your soul, if God's pleased to give
you life and faith in Christ, you be wise. Be wise and seek
a man or a woman for your companion who loves Christ. Who loves Christ
more than they love you. Who's willing to see you leave
them, if need be, so that they may worship and follow Christ.
Are you following me? Seek to it that you form your
associations in this world, whether in business or in daily life.
Seek to it that you form your associations with men and women
who love Christ, who love your Redeemer. I know, I know how
you talk. I know what you think. Well,
you know what? Maybe, you know, maybe a whole Joe and I get together, and we
decide to play golf two or three times a month. And I think there's
going to be a few facts about that. Maybe if I get together
with this fellow down here, he hates God. Oh, yes, he's religious. And you try to convince yourself
that he's a believer, you know, but you know he hates God. Hates
everything about God. Hates every attribute and every
characteristic of God. Well, we'll get together and
we'll have a little project. And, you know, it might be, if
we do things like this, maybe, uh, maybe I can, I can win it
over. Maybe I can minister to it. Sometimes
it happens that in God's providence that comes to pass. Sometimes
it happens. I rejoice when it happens. I
want to tell you something. For every one time I've seen
it happen that way, I could name you a hundred times when I've
seen the man who hates God continually, little by little, bit by bit,
drag the heart of the other away from Christ and the gospel. I've
seen it time after time after time. I've seen it with husbands
and wives. I've seen it with women and their
friends, men and their friends. I've seen it with business associates.
I'm telling you, I'm telling you, the warnings of Scripture
are plain. Look at what God says in 2 Corinthians
6, verse 14. Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers. Is that plain enough? Well, don't
be yoked together with unbelievers. Now that's just plain. That's
just plain whiskers on your chin. That's plain. Don't be yoked
together with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light
with darkness? What concord hath Christ with
Demiurge? Or what heart hath he that believeth
with an infidel? And what agreement has the temple
of God with idols? You're the temple of the living
God. God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I
will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come
out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord. Touch
not the unclean thing, and I'll receive you." What I'm saying is this. Don't
live as though you were some kind of a holy and now Pharisee. You're just like the folks you
live with. You're just like your neighbors and friends and relatives.
You're just exactly like them. Don't separate yourself like
some kind of nun or some kind of atheist priest and walk around
dressed a certain way, look a certain way, comb your hair a certain
way, walk a certain way. Maybe have a certain pious air
about you, you know. Don't be a bitch. Don't be self-righteous. Don't be arrogant. But don't
be so foolish as to make your companions of men and women who
hate God. They'll destroy your soul. that
destroy your soul. Solomon's wives turned his heart
away from God. But the book said it turned his
heart away from God. First we're told that Lot pitched
his tent toward Solomon, and then we read in this 19th chapter
that he's living in Solomon. I preached on this one time I
kind of tried to figure out why he moved to Los Alamos. You know,
it's alright, bad enough to live outside the country, in the suburbs,
you know, but for some reason, after he pitched his tent in
the general vicinity of Los Alamos, he assumed Bob Monster moved
in with him. I expect I got some idea as to
why he moved. I bet that's what I did. Sister
Locke came up knocking. She said, now, honey, it'd be
so nice to live down there somewhere. We've lived in a pen all our
lives. And we've, you know, we've gotten
back. The Lord's been good to us, but
it'd be so nice to have a nice house. And Locke says, now, they
said, now, sweetheart, we can't lose something. No, no, we can't
lose something. Do you realize who our neighbors
have been? Yeah, but not everybody lives in the South. But it can
be so much nicer. You wouldn't have to ride that
camel in the town every day to finish this. You'd be right there.
It'd be so convenient for you. No, no, we're not moving to the South. Gets in bed one night,
starts to kiss her, says, I love you, children. If you love me and move to the
South, it might be a nice, healthy, healthy South. Maybe his daughter
is singing in school and says, Daddy, you know everybody who
goes to school with me is a sophomore. I mean, we don't have to do that.
That's my position. They get to go to all the parties
and they're on all teams. and they beat all the fellas
and they're going to wind up in the best positions in life.
They actually would like to move south. But you know how a girl can have
an outstanding man. Well, sure, if that's what you
want, we'll see what we can do. Or maybe, maybe. He just used those things for
excuses and he thought to himself, Man, if I didn't have to spend
all that time going back and forth into town, I'd make a whole
lot more money if I lived in Sodom." And he moved. Say something I've learned. Men
never lack any excuse for doing anything they're determined to
do. If you decide to do something, you can justify anything. I have a friend who walked off
left his wife and children. And that hardened rascal tried
his best to convince me of doing what I thought I ought to do.
He's right there! Yeah, I know he is! I've been
praying about it for a long time! You can justify yourself to do
anything you want to do once you determine what you're going
to do. Is that right, brother? Sure
you can. My friends, I set forth before you as a beacon, and I
warn you as earnestly, as solemnly, as I ever have, to beware of
the love of this world, the deceitfulness of vengeance, and the care of
yourself. If you lay your head in the lap
of this world, don't be surprised to wake up one morning like Samson
did and find that your strength is gone. Do you hear me? Listen to the words of our Lord
in Matthew 13. Our Lord speaks so plainly, so
very plainly. I have seen a few, I've seen
a few, not many, but a few, Men and women completely forsake
the gospel because of some sudden burst of passion. The rest I've
seen very few. I'll tell you what I usually
see. I usually see men and women gradually, little by little,
bit by bit, week by week, month by month, year by year, gradually
lose interest in the gospel. That's what I've seen. That's
what our Lord said. Matthew 13, 22. He also that
receives seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word and
the care of this world." What on earth is that? That's the
care of raising children, feeding children, clothing children,
providing for a wife, providing for a family, the care of shelter
and food and raiment, the care of all those things, the legitimate
care of this world. the care of educating and training,
the care of seeing to it that they're well-adjusted socially,
the care of seeing to their happiness, the care of this world, the care
of your job, the care of your community, the care of society,
the care of this world. Beware of the care of this world
and the deceitfulness of riches. They choke out the word. I've seen men and women as well. They think to themselves, well,
you know, I know that what I'm going to do is going to keep
me away from the Word of God and the worship of God. It's
going to keep me away from the fellowship of God's Son. But
after all, you know, I'll be able to make so much more money.
And if I make so much more money, then I'll be able to to support
the ministry of the word in radio programs, TV programs, or missionaries,
or what have you. I say I've heard a lot of talk.
I've heard a lot of talk. But I have seen this. Those who
are willing to serve Christ, serve Him, and drop whatever
will hinder them. Those who are willing to worship,
worship, and drop whatever will be in their worship. That's the
way it is. Look in this passage here in
1 Timothy 6, just listen, I'm here. The Apostle Paul warns,
the love of money is the root of all evil, which some have
coveted after, and they erred from the faith. and pierce themselves
through with men's hearts. Oh Lord, when will these hearts ever learn that everything in this world
is man's? Vanity of vanities! All is vanities,
Mr. Preacher! I'm going to tell you
something. When Solomon wrote that, he was
not on LSD, and he wasn't depressed, and he wasn't strung out, he
wasn't thinking about committing suicide. He had come to understand
with experience and maturity that everything under the sun
is unprofitable, and vanity! Vanity! You mean everything,
Richard? I mean everything. Oscar, baby,
your wife is vain, and your son is vain, and your daughters are
vain, and your farm's vain, and your car's vain, and your pension
account's vain. Everything is vain, or it all
perishes. It all perishes! There's nothing
of value, nothing of importance, but Christ will return. Now,
I'm telling you, nothing. I love my wife. And I love my
daughter probably far too much. Probably
far too much. Because my relationship with
that woman is vanity. And my relationship with that
young lady is vanity. It's vanity. It's soon going
to end, is that right? It's soon going to come to nothing.
Place, therefore, no more value upon it than you will each other.
No more. No more. but pass it down. Tell us, God forbid, we've got
to watch out for when it rains tomorrow, when the economy shatters,
when this happens, when that happens. Do you not have God,
who is your Father, who rules this world? Do you or do you
not? They've sent everything here
with this word perish. Perish! Everything perish! Eternal. Worthless. Valuable. Meaningless. Important. Everything here is
vanity. There's no profit under the sun.
No profit. Let me tell you this. It's a painful fact. But Lot's conduct cost him and
his family very dearly. I can almost hear someone saying,
well, Pastor, you know it doesn't really matter how Lot lived.
After all, he was a saved man. He was justified. He went to
heaven. That's all that matters. If you'll
give me your patience for just a few more minutes, I think you'll
think otherwise. Lut did absolutely no good for
the city of Sodom. He lived in that city for a lot
of years. He was a likeable, honest, pleasant
man. When the messengers of God came
to the city, you know where Lut was? Apparently he was sitting
on the Board of Aldermen in that city. He was that way. He saw
God himself. He had a lot of opportunities
for doing good. But this man Lot had no spiritual
influence on anybody in Sodom. None. Not one righteous person
could be found in Sodom other than Lot himself. None of his
neighbors believed his testimony. None of his friends honored the
God he served. None of Lot's servants feared
their master's God. In short, Lot's life had no influence
for good. His words carried no weight. His religion meant nothing to
anyone. Nothing. Lot brought no honor to his God
and his king and his generation. You read the account that's given
in scriptures. And I do not find one large-hearted,
noble-minded, self-sacrificing, sacrificial thing Lot ever did
for anybody his whole life long. Not one. I don't see anything
he ever did for anybody but Lot. I don't see anything he ever
did for his daughters, Why? For his sons-in-law, for his
neighbors, or for himself? Not one. And when he did die, Lot left nothing behind which
would give any indication that he was a child of God. Nothing. If we had only the record of
Moses, If we had only what Moses wrote concerning Lot, when you
read this passage, you'd have less questions about Lot than
you do about Saul. You'd say, he lost his mind.
He was a hypocritical professor, that's all. He had no knowledge
of Christ. Were it not for Peter's inspired
record, we would be forced to conclude that Lot knew nothing
of righteousness and faith and religion. But this is the thing
I want you to see. Oh, I thank God. Lot was one
of God's elect, and so God did not let him perish. God awakened
him graciously from his sleep, from his coldness, from his indifference,
because he will not allow his own to perish. But when Lot was finally awakened,
and God gave him some And he came to his daughter's house,
and he warned her, earnestly, as earnestly as I plead with
my daughter, as earnestly as you plead with yours, earnestly,
more earnestly, more earnestly. He warned her of wrath and judgment
coming to be. He warned her. And they laughed
in his face. They laughed in his face. Who
are you to be talking to us about God? Who are you to be talking
to us about eternity? Who are you to be talking to
us about righteousness? Who are you to be talking to
us about faith? Who are you to be talking to
us about justice? There wasn't one person in this
household who believed God. with his lips and with all the
earnestness of his heart, locked pleaded with his daughters and
their husbands, but they could not hear his word, for the sound
of his wife echoed. His warning fell on deaf ears.
It came too late, and it came with no authority. His sons-in-law,
his two daughters, and his wife, all perished in Sodom. You know why they perished? Because
Lot wanted a few more cattle. That's where it all started.
Can you imagine? I wonder what those cattle were
worth to him as he heard the cries of his
tormented children. I wonder what those cattle were
worth to him as he watched his wife destroyed
by the hand of God. I wonder what those cattle were
worth to him when he awoke one morning and the two daughters
that did survive gave birth to his incestuous sons. Reckon then
what the cattle were worth. I imagine they tasted like manure
in his mouth to the day he died. Oh, I wish I had never seen a
cow all my life long." Now, may the Spirit of God drive
this last point into our hearts. Lord and his family stand as
a beacon to warn us of danger. regarding our family. Pause for a moment and lay to
heart what I say. I speak as I do because
I'm concerned for you. I'm concerned for your soul.
I'm concerned for the souls of your children. I'm concerned
for my soul. And I'm concerned for the soul
of my daughter. I'm concerned for you. Oh, may God stir within our hearts
a holy, zealous determination to do all that lies in our power
for the salvation of our family. Now, I'm not promoting any kind
of a selfish attachment to our children. We've got enough of
that. You don't need me to promote
that. But it's foolish for us to pretend
that we care for the souls of the Mexicans, the Jamaicans,
the French, the Canadians, the Indians, or the folks who live
next door to you in Danville, Kentucky. It's foolish to pretend
we care for their souls, so long as we leave one stone unturned,
which might be made the instrument of God's grace for salvation
to those who are near us. Not one of us has done all that
we could do or should do. But there are some things we
can do, we ought to do. God help us, we must do. Look
for and seize every opportunity to proclaim the gospel of Christ
in your house. Look for it and seize it. Opportunities come in God's good providence, special
kind. Won't be long, you'll be going
on vacation, you'll get together with your family, men and women,
brothers and sisters who don't know God. Don't believe when
I tell them the truth. Don't do it. Say, well, they
don't want to hear it. Tell them the truth. It's time that you and Bob get
very prepared. You've got a rare opportunity.
Set down a light for your brother and your sister in that business.
Tell them the truth. Let them know this isn't all.
Soon God will tell him to leave the solemn trouble, seize the
opportunity to preach the gospel to men, and preach it plain. Tell them of the danger even
Lot would have. I'm an even old, sorry good for
nothing Lot, he didn't have it. He told them, God's going to
destroy this place. Tell them of God's justice in
punishing sin. It ought to be destroyed. and
tell them of God's remedy for sin. God gave you someone, a
substitute for sin that all who believe in him might have pride. Somehow we must place our relatives
and friends under the constraint of the gospel. I don't mean that you should
use emotional force, psychological pressure, to squeeze the profession
from unbelieving people. But I do mean that we must earnestly
lay before perishing souls the claims of Christ. I'm giving
you notice, notice, I call upon you this day to repent and to
believe on Christ. Either repent and believe or
just flat out refuse to do so. I'll give you no rest, give your
family, your friends, your relatives, give them no rest, till they
either say, I surrender to the sovereign Christ, or I am nothing,
one of the two. Tell the sinners all around what
a dear Savior we have found. Point them to redeeming love
and say, Behold, the way We ought to be like that Canaanite
woman. She came before the Lord, and she said, O Lord, thou Son
of David, have mercy on me. My daughter is grievously vexed
with the devil. Now, I remind you that much Much depends upon you. Awful lot. Awful lot. A good many of you are older,
your families are raised, for better or for worse. Many of you are younger. You've
got young children. Some of you don't have any yet.
Listen to me, will you? Listen to me. Many a father and
many a mother has been the cause of their children's eternal ruin. I meant to say that just the
way I did. Many a father and many a mother has been the cause
of their children's eternal ruin, even as Eli and Lot. That's what the book says, isn't
it? And many, like Abraham and like
Timothy's mother, Eunice, are the cause of their children's
salvation. I wonder, will you be the instrument of
ruin or the instrument of redemption
in your household? I ask myself questions like these. Mostly when I'm driving down
the road by myself, I have a lot of time to think. I don't have
enough sense to think of these things as often as I'd like. When I'm driving down the road,
I ask myself, I wonder, what does Shelby really see? Oh, I know what she sees. And I love her for saying what
she does. But I wonder, what does she really see in me? More important than ever,
what is faith? What does she really see in her father? Now, to be honest, that'll cause you to do some
more thinking. I wonder, do they see in me a
man in love with Christ, or a man in love with a woman? Do they see in me zeal for the
glory of Christ, or zeal for a fleeting moment of pleasure?
Do they see in me a heart devoted to Christ, or a heart devoted
to my sin? Do they see in me self-sacrifice,
self-denial, or greed and covetousness? What kind of attitude is reflected
in my actions? How important is the gospel of
Christ, the worship of Christ, the church of Christ, and the
glory of Christ to me, not in my eyes, but in her eyes? Do I live in my home as a man
committed to Christ? I mean committed to Him. A man
in submission to Christ. A man content with Christ. Do I live in my home as a man
in love with the Lord Jesus Christ? or do they see right through all that I say, and see one whose God demands
no respect, reverence, commitment, and devotion? I'll tell you this. Whatever they really see in me,
whatever it is, has in great measure the force of determining
how they regard every word I say. Do I appear to them as one who
stands up here three times a week, telling a joke, making fun? or as one who earnestly seeks
the glory of God in Christ. So, I know this, an awful lot
depends on just that. And the same is true of you,
Linda. And you, Wes. And you, Bob. And you, Rex. And
you, Merle. And her. and D.C., and Hubert,
and Bobby, and Buddy, and Oscar, the same is true of you. Father, will you graciously this day give us a renewed commitment
to the glory of Christ, the cause of our Redeemer. the Church of
Christ, will you renew our hearts' love and commitment to ourselves? Turn us, and we shall be turned. Draw us, and we will run after
Thee. These things we ask, O God, with
earnestness, for Christ's sake. Amen. Why don't you let's sing
a hymn to this?