Remember Lot's Wife

This is a message I preached several weeks ago. If you would like to hear it in a audio version your welcome to go to www.fairhavenbaptistchurch.org and select sermons followed then by January 17th, 2010's sermon "Remember Lot's Wife". Enjoy!

During the ministry of Jesus Christ upon the earth, he was the greatest teacher and Biblical scholar who has ever lived. The religious leaders of the day the Pharisees and Sadducees knew about him and of him, and realized that his following was to large to be just dismissed or ignored. The religious leaders of the day also couldn’t just categories him as a fanatic because of the miracles that he did and the number of people that followed him. Unfortunately though, they never understood that Christ was the Messiah, the one who had come to set them free.

In Luke 17:20-32 he gives a sermon; a discourse if you will, and he explains to the Pharisees who were demanding a sign from him as to when his “Kingdom” was coming, that horrific events were going to take place as that day grew closer.
I think three of most important words in this passage are the most distinct, and out of place words in the entire passage.

-“REMEMBER LOTS WIFE” (vs. 32)

Why was it so important for them and for us today to hear those words? After all, we don’t even know her real name! Yet obviously important enough for Christ to want us to remember her, something must have happened to her in Genesis 19.


Historical Background:
Genesis 11-12 - Abraham leaves Ur to a new land that God has shown him.
12:4 - tells us that Abraham’s brother’s son Lot (his nephew) has come along for the journey.
We don’t know if he is married, but we obviously assume that if he is then his wife is journeying with them.

Genesis 13 - Between the two men there was so much success that herdsmen began fighting for grass and water. A decision to split occurs. Lot chooses desirable Jordan valley, and Abraham is left with the desert hills of Canaan.
Genesis 19 tells us that Lot has left his tent and now dwells within the city of Sodom.
Genesis 14 - five southern kings rebel against four northern kings. Great war, and Lot, family and possessions are carried away to the North. Abraham hears word, gathers approx. 300 of his trained servants goes, fights northern kingdoms, gets Lot, family and possessions back.

Genesis 15-17 - not much about Lot in these chapters more about maturing faith of Abraham. By chapter 17 - 24 years have passed since Abraham left Haran. Approx. 20 year at least of Lot living in Sodom.

Genesis 18 - God and two angels appear to Abraham and Sarah - 2 reasons
1. To tell Sarah she’s going to have a son indeed.
2. To tell Abraham because of the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah that God was going to destroy the two cities.

THE CITY OF SODOM
The city is believed to have existed on the SE side of the Dead Sea.
Sodom was a cesspool of unspeakable immorality and abomination.
It was obviously made into an example not to be repeated.

Before we focus on Lot’s wife, let’s look at the story.

Vs 1 - Lot was a leader in the city.
Vs. 2 - Travelers usually stayed in the city square at night, but Lot urged his two visitors not to do so, but to stay with him. Obviously at night things were happening to travelers in the square.
Vs. 3 - I believe Lot feared for their safety.
Vs. 4 - Everyone was involved in the sins of the city - young and old, from every area of the city.
Vs. 5 - Their intentions were very clear. There was no reason for them to be discreet in the city, because EVERYONE was doing it.
Vs. 6-8 - Lot offers an alternative the is unimaginable. Christ wants us to Remember Lot’s Wife. He wants us to remember her mistakes and weaknesses. The key lesson about Lot’s wife has not come into the picture yet, but where is Lot’s wife during this unbelievable offer?
VS. 9-13 - Situation becomes critical.


Vs. 14 - Lot’s family didn’t take Lot seriously. Why? Because most likely he had never mentioned his faith to his children before. Perhaps Lot’s words were of no reputation, for his family wasn’t used to him denouncing sin and wickedness in the city.

At this point in the text though, we are starting to see clearer pictures in this story. It’s very clear that the sins of the city were out of control and rampant. Everyone was involved in them, and there was nothing that anyone could do about it. In this city not even 10 righteous men could be found to spare the city.

I think we can now start to look at Lot’s wife.

Lesson #1 - IT REALLY IS IMPORTANT WHO YOU ASSOCIATE WITH. (vs. 15-16)
How many righteous people lived in Sodom?
Do you think that Lot’s wife’s friends were good influences on her? Lot and his family had to be basically dragged out of the city. Why?
Perhaps 20 years of hanging around with worldly people have weakened her faith. Maybe she didn’t believe all this was happening.
The crowd you keep is who you become like.
Notice this goes beyond just human beings though. It extends into your television viewing, your leisurely reading, your websites that you regularly look at, your favorite pass time. You become what you enjoy.
Thursday night some of our teenagers were saying that they enjoyed watching a television show that constantly has swearing, drugs, homosexuality, sex, and other things involved. Teenagers I warn you, just as I warn the adults. You find that interesting and funny? Your going in the wrong direction. The people and things you associate with are the people and things that you force the Holy Spirit who is within you to also look at and associate with. You will become what you associate with.
Illustration: You are what you eat. You become like those you associate with.
This is why its so important to have a church family.
While we are outside the doors of this building our defenses ought to be up! We ought to be ready to deflect a piercing fiery dart at any moment, but instead what happens? Its often in church that we have to put up our shields. Defending ourselves against what others might find the be the true lives that we live.




Lesson #2 - IT REALLY IS IMPORTANT TO TAKE GOD SERIOUSLY
No matter how unimportant or trivial one thinks a command from God is, we have to take God seriously. (vs. 17)
We know how the story ends here (and well get to that later), but Lot’s wife will disobey God and look back. We could speculate as to why, but bottom line is God specifically said, “DON’T DO IT!” God has been very specific about how we live our lives.

Is God serious about our worship? (Heb. 10:25)
Is God serious about prayer? (I Thess. 5:17)
Is God serious about our priorities? (Matthew 6:33)
Is God serious about evangelism? (Mark 16:15)
Is God serious about our disposition? (I Tim. 2:22-25)

What did Christ say? "REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE!"
Perhaps the most obvious thing we see when we remember Lot’s wife is that she didn’t take what God said seriously! Even our children who have learned this story can recognize the point to it! We have to take God seriously. In fact God is also serious about how we get to heaven!

He’s serious about belief (Mk. 16:16)
He’s serious about repentance (Acts 2:38)
He’s serious about confession (Romans 10:9-10)
He’s serious about baptism (I Peter 3:21)

Lesson #3 - IT REALLY IS IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THE WORLD’S DEATH GRIP. (vs. 18-26)
Notice where Lot’s wife was when she looked back.
Our English translation says she was behind him. The word behind is translated from the Hebrew word “Achar” meaning away from, back, it suggests some distance.
Lot’s wife not only had to be pulled from the city, but she lingered behind the fleeing party. Why?
-perhaps she was concerned about her friends.
-perhaps she hated to leave her home.
-perhaps her heart was in Sodom.

Simply put the world had a death grip on her heart. She loved the things of the world, rather than the things of God.

There are many things in the world today that get our hearts and hold onto them.
-drugs
-alcohol
-pornography
-addictions
-money
-ball games
-golf
-fishing and hunting
-sleep
-depression
-lukewarmness and complacency
List goes on and on. For Adam and Eve it was a piece of fruit.

BACK TO THE STORY (vs. 25-30)

Lesson #4 - IT REALLY IS IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT YOUR LIFE AFFECTS OTHERS (vs. 31-38)
Your actions, your lifestyle can and will affect others. Especially those closest to you. Your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, your co-workers, your neighbors, everyone.
It is hard for us to understand and even comprehend such an act. Why would these young ladies from what seems to be a “christian home” devise such a plan?
I believe it was a direct reflection of the lifestyle their parents had been living. We don’t know much about the life of Lot and his wife, but let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. Let’s say that they were not participating in the immorality of the city. I suggest to you that by just living there they subtly condoned it. By just living in such a godless environment their children were thus exposed to it, and allowed to see the disgusting acts that took place day and night.

Notice with me that if we put God first in our lives…that means reading His word, praying, attending church, serving in the church, being active in the church, living for the Lord, encouraging other believers, applying the Word of God to our lives, by example we lead Godly lives and in so doing, perhaps our children will as well.
When we expose them to the correct environments they will be exposed to potentially become the individual that God wants them to be. For me, I’ve never understood why a parent would ground a child from church. If the child needs to be punished for something that they did, church is the first place they need to be at so they learn why they shouldn’t have done what they did do!

CONCLUSION:
What did Christ say? "REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE."
Why? Because who we associate with we become.
Because unlike Lot’s wife’s example we need to take God seriously.
We need to realize that through Christ the world ought not have any hold on us!
We need to understand that our lives are not our own to live, but they are to be examples to those around us who are constantly watching and learning from us.