The One to Remember

So, when pastor and i planned this series we only had 4 weeks planned out but god as you often know has different plans than ours. So now I get to really preach. What I did earlier was just a warm up for free. I just had to bring that connection to light. That God brought to light for me. I am telling you that you can’t just read the bible, you have to read the bible. This is the last week for our memorial series and really it was supposed to end last week but last week before service the Lord was dealing with me about it and I talked with Pastor and he agreed we needed to add this. So let’s go. Turn to your neighbor and say you ready for this. Now turn to the other neighbor that you dissed the first time and apologize for dissing them and now say you ready for this.

So this memorial is a little different than the others. It isn’t one that was actually built but still a pillar.

Do you all know how many women that are mentioned by name in scripture. There are 192 women mentioned by name in Holy Scriptures. A few of them shared the same name but they were different people. That is pretty good list of ladies. Now not all of them are good. Most of the men in the bible aren’t either if we really want to get down to it. They are just people doing the best they can. They made a lot of bad choices. But that is neither here nor there. 192 named women. Eve, Deborah, Sarah, Rebekah, Esther, Hannah, Mary, and the list goes on and on. These were some powerful women. Women who made sacrifices for the Lord. Women who prayed and sought after his will and women who played prominent roles in all of humanity. But there is one lady specifically that Jesus calls out and says, we should remember her. How many of you think that Jesus is probably going to talk about his mother Mary.

I mean she obeyed God without thought. She walked in humility. How many of you think he is going to talk about Deborah. She was a judge for crying out loud. The only female one. OR Esther. She said if I die, I die but I am going to stand up for Israel tonight. Well let’s see who the Lord tells us to remember.

Luke 17:32 NKJV

32 Remember Lot’s wife.

Wait what?! Run that back Lord! We have all of scripture. We have all of history of man and women. All the greats that played such crucial roles in Your story and in ours. You want us to remember one that doesn’t even have a name. You want me to remember Lot’s wife.

I remember when we were young in the ministry and we would visit district functions and I was pretty well known through all of that mainly because of history and just because I'm big and loud and so Sonya would go around and introduce herself by name but then would say, I’m Chris’s wife. Then I fell out of youth ministry and Sonya went into the district running everything and I would introduce myself and Chris then say…I am Sonya's Husband. It is still that way.

Some say that when you introduce yourself that way that you are losing your identity. But what you are really doing is attaching yourself to someone with authority or notoriety. I belong to them. It is actually an honor thing because no one else can say that. OK side rant over

Lord though why we couldn’t even get this woman’s name. You said remember Lot’s wife. So if we are going to do that I guess we better figure out what happened to Lot’s wife. Most of you in here probably know but for the sake of all of us, let’s go back and take a look.

What do we know about Lot’s wife?

We have no idea where she came from. In Genesis 13, Lot and Abraham separate. No wife. In Genesis 14 Lot is captured and subsequently rescued by Abraham but no wife is mentioned there. Then in nothing for a few chapters and then we see in Genesis 19 he has a wife and two daughters.

Lot’s wife has no important history.

We can only assume or surmise or hypothesize that she came from the land of Sodom. So she is worldly. She doesn’t serve the God of Abraham and possibly doesn’t even know about him because Lot sure isn’t teaching.

So since her history isn’t important, what is she doing in the present that may be of value.

When we catch up to her in Genesis 19 she isn’t preaching. She isn’t teaching. She isn’t worshipping, she is just living. She is in the world just like everyone else doing just like everyone else.

In her present, she is concerned with her present.

She has a position of power or leadership. She is set up with her life the way she wants it. Nothing wrong with that. I am not saying that what she is doing right now is sinning. I just know that she is not concerned though haven been warned about what future punishment may be coming.

How many of you in this room find yourselves more concerned with what is going on right now in the immediate present then what may be coming in the future. Truly be honest. You are worried about current financial situations, current health situations, or current family situations. None of that is the sinful in and of itself but when your present day concerns take the place of your future conclusions then they are out of place. Since she was from there, she doesn’t want to leave there. We see that even when the angels are there to tell them it is being destroyed and the angels give Lot and her an out. They say

Genesis 19:18–20 NKJV

18 Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords! 19 Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. 20 See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”

Lest I get accused of just picking on her, Lot is the leader. Most of this falls on him because he left the place of blessing on his own accord but Jesus didn’t say remember Lot. He said remember Lot’s wife. So that is who we are gonna focus on.

So they are given an out but don’t even want the out to be too difficult. They don’t want the escape to cost them too much or be too taxing on them. It is so self centered approach. Or it is an approach full of doubt to the extent to which the destruction will fall.

So in her present there is nothing in her that actually believes danger is approaching or

The fear of the danger isn’t greater than her current desire for comfort.

I believe that will preach right there so I am gonna stay on it a minute.

I am fed up with God’s people trying to be comfortable. We are not called to being comfortable. We just had a missionary here Wednesday Mary Beth King and if you did n’t hear some of the things she was saying, you better go back and watch. We sit up here and lie every Sunday. Lord Use me. Take me into the deep Lord. Wherever you want me to go. Whatever you want me to do. You can have my yes. Go to Pakistan. Nope not me lord they kill people there.

OK what about Tanzania. Nope lord they don’t have toilets.

OK what about Arizona. Its hot.

How about downtown Nashville while all the people are waiting to go in their bars. Lord they will think I am nuts if I start doing that.

OK what about next door. Well my neighbor isn't really into that kind of thing. We talked once

OK pray over your family. But Lord I am so busy.

Do you see why things don’t get done in this county or in your life or in this world. This is why revivals don’t break out. Because people are too busy or too comfortable and they don’t want to change.

The end is coming and we won’t tell anyone!!!! You want me to really make it biblical?!?!?!

This is going to hurt. So I am warning you.

Ezekiel 33:2–6 NKJV

2 “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, 3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’

Now I know what some of you are going to say or email me about. That word is only for Ezekiel. Maybe just maybe you are right. However, here is what I read in the NT

Hebrews 13:17 NKJV

17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

For they do what? So who is that? He is talking about the pastors and leaders of the church. They are the ones watching out for your soul. We don’t come in here and hate what we do. We don’t hate the task given though it is hard because we have to tell you things you don’t want to hear, and watch you not listen only so we can clean up the mess and then tell you to go back and do the thing we told you in the first place. But we love you. Pastor isn’t trying to make you upset. HE is trying to make you uncomfortable.

Before you blow your breath in a sigh of relief because you are not a leader...

Mark 14:38 NKJV

38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

The first word was what? WATCH!!!!!

That is for everyone. Specifically in this case it was Jesus giving three disciples particular authority in his life to watch and pray with and for him but truly for themselves because he in his authority knew what was going to happen. this does not mean that everyone is called to be a watchmen for you. First of all when you come to the church and or church people asking advice as iron sharpens iron you gotta make sure the other person is iron. STOP LISTENING TO EVERYONE JUST BECAUSE THEY SOUND SMART!!! Hear what they have to say and go and pray for yourself. If God is leading you a different direction that isn’t contrary to his written word GO THERE!!!! They don’t know you like God knows you!!!

They don’t know the plan he has for you nor do they know the future.

But you are supposed to be watchmen for folks. In particular non believers. If they have no one to tell them how will they here.

I mean lot nor his wife gave anyone any opportunity to change when them angels came except his sons in law.

Come on Son

Finally and here is the true rub

Genesis 19:26 NKJV

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

I mean…This is it. This is the memorial.

Lord why do we have to remember this? This is sad. I mean this woman was so caught up with her worldly life. She was so captivated by it. Truly she was enslaved to it that even when it was being destroyed she couldn’t let go and got destroyed with it. You want us to remember this? Why Lord?

Because the Lord is giving a monologue on the end times. Look at it.

Luke 17:22–35 NIV

22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”

You think this is for today watchmen and watchwomen. This is what Jesus said you need to remember when the end is coming. Go over here. Here is JEsus. GO over there. There is Jesus. This is not an indictment on revivals ore revival pockets breaking out but we....oh boy get your pencil ready

We are not called to seek revivals…we have already been brought to life and are not dead. We are called to walk living in Christ.

The reason we are so hungry for revival is because most of us walk dead in Christ on a daily basis.

YOU ARE THE REVIVAL!!!! YOU HAVE BEEN REVIVED YOU JUST DON’T LIVE IT. YOU LIVE BURIED UNDER THE COMPOUND OF THIS LIFE NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT IS AHEAD AND YOU ARE CONSTANTLY ASKING GOD TO BRING YOU BACK TO LIFE!!!

That ain’t God nor Christ nor the way we are supposed to live and it ain’t none of their faults.

Let go of this life. Let go of this world and its cares and its anxieties. Seek after the kingdom and the revival will follow you!! you will be so caught up in revival of other people that you will never see death again. Remember Lot’s wife!!!!!

Lose this life. I am not saying quit your job. But maybe he is. I am not saying move to some foreign land on the mission field that may cost your life. But maybe he is.

And let me just say this, if you think he is and you obey and you were wrong. HE WILL BLESS IT because your heart was after him.

That is the pinnacle of remembering Lot’s wife is that I on the daily walk so closely to him that no matter where he moves or where I move we are together. That is the blessed life. Not that I get it right all the time but that my heart is so drastically connected to his that we cannot be torn apart. If you have seen your life or are seeing your life disconnected to the father that you believe you need revival come on. He is here right now and in his grace he will bring back the passion for him. He will spark the fire again. But it is your task to manage it.