The Dangers of Appearances
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
We pick up in our text today right after Abraham and Lot had come back from Egypt. Egypt in the Bible is always a type of the world, and Egypt was the place of Abraham’s backsliding. It’s always good when one comes back, and even in the case of Abraham, he was a wiser and better man after leaving Egypt, but coming back doesn’t remove the awful cost of backsliding.
We pay all of our lives for our mistakes.
It was to Christians, Paul wrote, Gal. 6:7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Forgiveness does not take away consequences.
God forgave Moses, but He didn’t let him enter the promised land.
God forgave David, but He promised the sword of trouble would never leave his house.
Abraham sinned against God by going to Egypt, and he sinned against God by taking Lot with him…Because of this disobedience, Lot was a source of sorrow to him all his days. Abraham sinned when he went down into Egypt without consulting God and even though God spared him and forgave him, the cattle he brought back from Egypt became the source of strife and the cause of separation between him and Lot.
Abraham had left Egypt but Egypt had not left him.
The consequences of his sin lingered on, and that is where we pick up our text verses today.
The weight of wealth was weighing heavy in Abram’s life and strife reared it’s ugly head…There wasn’t enough pasture and water for the flocks of Abram and Lot (sounds like a prosperity problem doesn’t it). A war was about to break out within the family if a decision wasn’t made...
So, we find Abram and Lot at a crossroads, and the Bible says that Lot chose to pitch his tent toward Sodom...
Most of the time, when Lot is mentioned in the Bible, he is mentioned in the context of self induced problems. Many of Lot’s troubles could have been avoided, by making better decisions based upon the Lord’s will.
So, today, we are going to consider the choice Lot made, the consequences of that decision, and how to avoid the pitfalls we see in his life.
Number 1 today, let’s consider the fact that...
I-Lot chose to pitch his tent toward Sodom.
I-Lot chose to pitch his tent toward Sodom.
Given the opportunity to choose where he could go, Lot made his choice based on appearance…Look in your Bibles at:
10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
Making judgments and decisions based upon outward appearances can be dangerous.
The old saying goes, “You can’t judge a book by it’s cover.” Why do we say things like that? It’s because first appearances are often misleading...
Lot made his decision based upon what his eyes told him. He was living by sight! A Child of God is to live by faith!
Lot claimed the land that appeared best for raising flocks and herds. He did not consult with the Lord, he just looked until he saw what pleased him and that is what he chose. He gratified his flesh!
We ought to always remember, 1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
Decisions about life are best made when they are based on a knowledge of God’s will...
13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
You want a guide to get you through life, we have one! The Word of God!
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
You think about the Jews who falsely accused the Lord, they were only seeing with their eyes, they were judging based on appearance only, and Jesus told them in, John 8:24 “ I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”
Let me ask some questions here...
Do Christians pitch their tents toward Sodom when:
a. Decisions about where to live and work are based upon how much money can be made in that location?
What about when...
b. Decisions about entertainment are based upon what everyone else does and enjoys?
What about when...
c. Decisions about fashion are based upon what is socially acceptable.
What about when...
d. Children are allowed to make their own religious choices without any parental direction?
There are consequences to making a decision based on appearance alone…Let’s look at them:
II-The consequences of Lot’s decision to pitch his tent toward Sodom.
II-The consequences of Lot’s decision to pitch his tent toward Sodom.
The law of gravity teaches us that what goes up must come down, and we are not smart enough to out-smart the law of gravity.
In the same way that the law of gravity cannot be changed. God’s law of sowing and reaping cannot be changed. Galatians 6:7-8
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
There is no person ever, who has been able to out-smart God’s law of sowing and reaping…Lot was no different!
One morning Lot woke up from a drunken stupor in a cave and the last two of his daughters were pregnant by him.
Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt in the valley below.
All of Lot’s earthly wealth and the rest of his children, lay buried in the ashes of fire and brimstone.
All of this was set in motion the day Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom.
1) But Sodom looked so good and Lot’s decision appeared to be so very wise.
2) Maybe Lot thought that his righteousness would be the key to enjoying the best of both worlds.
3) Friends, all these things happened despite the fact that Lot was a righteous man.
7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
Were it not for that brief note in 2 Peter, it would awful hard to even know whether or not Lot was even saved. Peter assures us, however, that Lot was saved.
Lot had no altar, hence his terrible decisions. He never asked if Sodom were a good place to raise children—just if it were a good place to raise cattle.
Men will reap what they have sown. No one can outsmart God’s law of sowing and reaping
III-How can we avoid what happened to Lot?
III-How can we avoid what happened to Lot?
First, Christians must understand that godliness is a treasure to be valued far above all of the gold this world has to offer:
16 Better is little with the fear of the Lord
Than great treasure and trouble therewith.
8 Better is a little with righteousness
Than great revenues without right.
13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,
And the man that getteth understanding.
14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver,
And the gain thereof than fine gold.
We need to remember that righteousness is a treasure!
Second, Christians need to be responsible with the time we are given.
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
In the business world corporations appreciate what their employees have done in the past, but they also want to know what their employees are doing for them now!
Christians should approach every day, not by remembering all the good they have done in the past, but by asking “what am I doing for Christ now?”
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Every wasted day is a day with one’s tent pitched toward Sodom.
Finally, Christians must focus their spiritual eyes on the Lord, daily.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
If we live with Christ as the focal point of our lives, we will not so easily be tempted to walk by sight, and try to fit in with the world, and try to straddle the fence so to speak.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Lot’s goal in life was not to wake up one morning from a drunken stupor, as the father of his daughter’s children.
His desire was not to allow his portfolio to go up in smoke.
Nor did he want his wife to be turned into a pillar of salt, and several others of his children to be killed.
But when Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom, he began to sow seed which would be reaped in bitterness.
Lot’s fatal choice led to the loss of both his fortune and his family and almost to the loss of his faith. Such is the high cost of backsliding.
Life is made up of decisions. We make hundreds of them every day—some major, most of them minor.
Every decision changes to a greater or lesser degree the direction of travel as we journey towards eternity, and each decision has a bearing on our future. For the most part decisions are determined by desires.
Our desires are determined by our devotions—or lack of them. This is the point of today’s message, “The Dangers of Appearances” - You better watch out, that decision you’re about to make, could just be your downfall...