Non Refundable Faith

Have you ever bought something that maybe was a little more expensive then you wanted to spend.

And After looking at for days, deciding, I don’t really need that.

So you return it to the store.

Unfortunately many Christians out there are like this with their faith. Viewing as something they don’t really want, they try to give it back.

However, the thing with faith is there is no giving it back.

You either have it or you do not.

For those who fall back into a life of sin, they simple do not have it.

You cannot be walking with God and simultaneously walking with Satan.

You cannot turn back to your past life and expect God’s blessings

All of us are unworthy and have found ourselves in sin, we have found ourselves making a bad decision.

Sometimes we fail in remembering that one day we will not have to option to make the right decision.

One day we will not be able to choose to remain faithful.

One day we will be unable to choose to remain Godly and just.

One day we will have set our eternity in stone and the question will become which choice have we made.

Scripture leads us to a city that had made bad choices and a woman who couldn’t leave those choices behind.

Genesis 19:15–29 KJV 1900

And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 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 without the city. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord: And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

How many times does it take for us to learn our lesson?

Perhaps you have noticed in your life this one reoccurring sin that you just can’t seem to stop.

You tend to go back to it.

What if I told you today that their is no looking back at sin.

Here in our scripture today we see many opportunities where our God has offered grace.

The most notable through all of this is found in verse 16… (Genesis 19:16)

Genesis 19:16 KJV 1900

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 without the city.

You see at first, Lot and his family resisted to leave Sodom but Lord showed him grace and mercy even in their extreme stupidity.

friends, I don’t know bout you but God has shown me mercy many times, yes there have been times I have displayed extreme stupidity as lot. However, in God’s grace comes an expectation.

God went on with Lot and said that he wanted them to leave the city.

one of his commands in that which appears the most simple whoever, proves to be the most difficult...

I. Do Not Look Back!

We find Lot’s family willing to leave after God had spared them.

But there was one member of lot’s family that’s heart still dwelled in Sodom.

Lot’s wife… Genesis 19:26

Genesis 19:26 KJV 1900

But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Here is the thing.

yes God is a God of grace but he is a God who has also called us to obedience.

He has called each of us to obey and live for him.

Like Lot’s wife many of us look back to our old life.

even if we have left it we dream of what could have been.

or we still take bits and pieces of that life.

Obedience for the christian is completely leaving those things in our past where they belong.

It isn’t turning back to our sin in a moment of weakness.

Obedience is trusting that the life Jesus has promised us will be better,

It isn’t secretly wondering if on our own life could've been more successful.

When Jesus forgives his people and we seek repentance we have been...

II. Made New

Jesus didn't save us so that we could return to our past life.

He saved us so that we would be a new creation and we would worship him with our being life.

So the question today is brothers and sisters, have you been made new?

I mean really been made new?

Have you looked to Jesus with the full knowing truth that you are not gonna look back to your past life.

You are looking to the new…2 Corinthians 5:17

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV 1900

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Notice Paul says the old has passed away.

Now God displayed immense grace to Lot and his family.

He allowed them the opportunity to flee Sodom.

But Lot’s wife just wouldn't move into her new life.

She insisted on looking back.

When she looked back God’s wrath showed.

Each of us have the same choice to make.

Are we going to live looking into the New life that Jesus has promised us.

Or are we going to revert back and look into the old.

friend’s we see plainly what God’s wrath can look like to someone who disrespects his promises and grace.

So are you willing to keep living this life of sin when you have the option to truly be made new.

when we consider the city of Sodom.

The evil that was taking place there far beyond what many of us could have imagined.

Yet, God gave ample grace opportunities to the city, its inhabitants and especially Lot and his family.

but at the end of the day....

III. The Choice is Our Own

Lot’s family had to each make their own decision.

No matter how much Lot would have wanted to make the decision to not turn back for his entire family they all had to decide that on their own.

For his wife she made the unfortunate decision to turn back.

So that brings us to our own life.

What are you going to do?

Are you going to turn back when our God has given us such grace or hope.

We each must make our own decision to follow Jesus Christ.

The decision has eternal consequences in that when all is said and done we will either spend our eternity in heaven or hell.

Friends, those who look back and choose to leave a part of themselves in a life of sin cannot be walking with the Lord.

You are either all in, or all out.

Friends in a world where sin is so common and convenient.

Where we sin just because it’s what everyone else does.

Or we justify our sin by making excuses.

If you hear nothing in today's word hear this.

Sin is never justifiable.

At no point is sin OK.

Sin always separates us from God which is directly against his original intended purpose to have a relationship with him.

We cannot continue to live this life of grace in sin and not understand that one day his wrath will come down.

One day we, like Lot’s wife will experience the judgement of our God if we are unwilling to turn from our wicked ways.

So what will it be today.

If you find yourself living a life of sin. You have never made the decision to follow Jesus, and you see that God’s Judgement is real and just.

Will you make the decision today to seek repentance on your life, will you come and bow before the father and seek to be made new?

Or will you continue a life of sin, knowing that one day you will not have the opportunity of grace any longer.

Perhaps you find yourself here today as someone who has made the decision to follow Jesus but you keep looking back.

You keep living in sin, knowing that he has come to save us.

You cannot live half in sin and half in grace.

Perhaps you need to seek repentance today because you realize that you keep trying to walk with Jesus while living in sin and its frankly not possible.

Friend, if that is you would you come today and repent for your sin. Would you to turn away and seek to be made new.