The Mercy of the Lord

Gen. 19:16 :And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife and upon the hand of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful unto him; and they brought him forth and set him outside the city.“-

 The mercy of the Lord is beyond understanding. Even in our resistance and lingering, God continues to provide ways of escape from our lot. Our pride is self destructive, it does not realize the danger that sin can cause. When God’s laws have been violated, there are consequences. The sin(s) of Sodom and Gomorrah reached a place where the conscientiousness of God’s truth had been seared. Lot’s family had become accustom to sin and did not see or believe that God would destroy the city. Even though they did not participate in the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, they became complacent. But, God in His mercy sent His angels to rescue lot’s family. The people who lived in this wicked city had harden themselves to God’s truth and call evil good and good evil. They had become reprobates to God’s truth, twisting what God said to fulfill the lust of their own flesh. That is the day in which we live. We cannot afford to become immune to the life style of sin. We need the mercy and grace of the Lord to keep us spotless in this present world. The day will come when God will judge this world, we must listen to the voice of God when He calls. Be ready to flee into His presence.

Destruction of Sodom

Genesis 19: 15-26

The account of historic events has shown that God will not tolerate sin. For every cause, there is an effect. For the wages of sin is death, and whosoever willfully disregards God’s call to righteousness will suffer the consequences. The destruction of Sodom was not done without the warnings of God for them to repent and forsake their wicked ways. Likewise, God calls out His warning to all men and women today to repent and give their hearts to Christ. Those who reject the call will suffer the fate of Sodom. Their souls will be cast into the lake of fire where they will suffer for eternity. God is merciful, but He also is a God of judgment. He has sent His messengers to us, interceding and pleading, to accept His divine forgiveness and mercy. The choice is ours to stay, or to flee and escape. What will your choice be?

Hastening of God- (the angels hastened Lot)
• Abram interceded for Lot
• The urgency of the hour- His return is imminent
Hesitation of Lot (he Lingered)
• Procrastination
• Indifference to truth
• Let me sleep- leave me alone
Hauled off by angels ((they brought him forth…)
• The Lord often uses drastic means
• Leaving loved ones behind
Higher ground (escape the mountains)
• Symbolic- out of sin
• Symbolic- go on to holiness
Harboring near- (this city is near to flee)
• The fear of the unknown
• Not willing to go all the way- staying close to the world
Horrifying consequences (rained…brimstone and fire)
• Judgment is sure
• God’s promises are not always pleasant
• The consequences of sin is death
Hindrances from escaping (but his wife looked back)
• Always looking back with longing
• Burning the bridges
• Complete obedience is imperative for full salvation

Lot's Choice

Genesis 13:1-13

The historical accounts in God’s Word are always given with a purpose. It appears evident that the examples given to us by Abram and Lot, was to demonstrate to all who would read that the choices we make will have their consequences. We are constantly faced with choices that shape our character and determine our destiny. It would appear that Lot made a choice that was wise from the prospective of financial gain, but he failed to consider the righteousness of God. His choice was not to seek first the kingdom of God, but to seek first the treasures and pleasures of this world. Lot’s selfish choice was not that he chose the well water plains of Jordan. He suffered a major defeat in his life because he did not inquire of God how to proceed.

Return to God’s will (went up out of Egypt)
• Abram made a wrong choice going to Egypt
• Abram return to where he left the will of God
Rebuild his altars- (the place of the altar)
• God desires that we build “altars” places to meet God
• We must entreat God’s presence
Resolving problems (land was not able to bear them)
• Problems in life are natural occurrences
• Strife-conflict between viewpoints.
• Choices made in conflict
Resigning yourself (then I will go to the right)
• Preferring one another in the spirit of meekness
• Trusting God to take care of the outcome
Relishing the temporal (he lifted up his eyes and beheld…)
• Lot let the desire of the flesh to rule his choices.
• His heart was not set on treasure above, but on earthly treasures
• He did the stop to think how this would affect his family
Resisting temptation (…Lot pitched his tent…)
• In making choices, we must flee the very appearance of evil
• We must be careful how our influence will affect others
Repercussions of self-centered choices
• Lot lost all his possessions
• Lot lost his family
• Lot’s left a legacy that is tainted with warning