A Compromising Faith: Part 1

Introduction

Well, good morning!

If you have your Bible, and I hope that you do, open ‘em up with me to Genesis chapter 19. We’re gonna be looking at the first 29 verses this morning, breaking up this chapter into two parts, digging into what it looks like when we have a compromising faith.

Pastor John MacArthur, he talks about a book that tells the story of another pastor who was sent to prison for robbing 14 different banks…and the reason he robbed banks, it was to pay for his many engagements with prostitutes. And listen, the crazy thing about all of that, its that this pastor and the author that wrote about this pastor, they were convinced that this man was a true Christian. But listen, in his book, Faith Works, MacArthur writes, “Call me old-fashioned, but I think [it’s] fair to raise the question of whether someone who regularly robs banks to pay for illicit sex is truly saved!”

Listen, as we come to our passage this morning, I think we should raise the same question, right? Forget about what you think you know about this story…was Lot truly saved? Was Lot a righteous man? If all we had to go on was the Genesis account, I’d say the answer to that question, its a no. But if you’re familiar with your Bible, Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he calls Lot righteous. He says in 2 Peter 2:7-8:

2 Peter 2:7–8 (ESV)

and if he [God] rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);

Regardless of his actions, Lot was considered righteous in the end. Of course, we know that in order to be considered righteous, a person must have faith, right? We saw that with Abraham back in Genesis chapter 15.

But listen, I think Lot’s rescue, Lot’s salvation, it’s more about God’s grace and mercy…it’s more about Abraham’s desire (which we’ll talk more about in a second)…it was more about those things than it was about Lot or what Lot did.

We don’t know everything with Lot’s life…but again, we do know that because he’s considered righteous…at the very least he had faith in God Almighty. But listen, when we think about Lot, what’s he remembered for? It’s not his faith…its not his righteous acts…it’s certainly not the way he led his family…Lot’s remembered as a man of bad decisions and terrible consequences, right? I mean his righteousness, it wasn’t even enough to spare the city. We looked at that last week.

Listen, this is what I’m hoping you’ll get out of our passage this morning. It’s entirely possible to know God, to have the right kind of faith in God…its possible to have a new life because of God…and yet, be so conformed to the world that it consumes you. Guys, when believers live in conformity to the world, tragic consequences are the result. Lot’s life shows us that. It’s a complete contrast to what we saw with Abraham last week. And understand this…Lot, he’s only saved because of Abraham’s faith…because it was Abraham’s desire. Lot wanted the world so badly that it almost caused him to miss the Lord…it almost caused him to remain separated from Him for all eternity…and if it wasn’t for Abraham and if it wasn’t for God’s gracious nature, he would’ve. I mean, he had to be dragged out of the city in order to be rescued. Lot might’ve come to faith…he might be considered righteous today…but guys, his conformity, it came with tragic consequences.

Guys, if we’re not careful…if we’re not careful with the way we live…the way we raise our children…the testimony we give to those around us…if we don’t understand what this world is and what it leads to…if we’re not careful to find our joy and satisfaction and affirmation in the Lord…we might have faith…but our conformity to the world, it might come with tragic consequences.

And so listen, if you’re there with me…let’s stand and read this passage together. It says this, starting in verse 1:

Genesis 19:1–29 (ESV)

The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down. But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.

Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords. Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!” He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

Thank you, you can be seated.

[Prayer]

Our three points this morning…number 1, beware of Sodom’s influence…number 2, heed the warning…and then number 3, seek to be remembered.

And so, with that, let’s jump into this first point.

I. Beware of Sodom’s Influence (vv. 1-11)

Beware of Sodom’s Influence.

Listen, for the sake of time, let me just kind of retell the story here. As we come to chapter 19, entering into the city of Sodom, we see Lot at the city’s gate. And if you know anything about the culture of this day, the city gates, it was a place of prominence where legal and civil affairs occured…it was where business transactions took place. People that sat at the city gates, they were leaders in the community, or in other words, city officials. They handled the city’s affairs. And so, as Lot’s conducting his duties in Sodom, he’s approached by two men. Verse 1, it tells us its two angels. Lot’s literally living out Hebrews 13:2:

Hebrews 13:2 (ESV)

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Lot sees these men, and he immediately urges them to spend the night with him in his home. Now, some would think, “Wow, what great hospitality!” But guys, pay attention to the text…Lot wasn’t naive about Sodom’s moral condition. Even though he wasn’t tainted by the city’s wickedness…even though he hadn’t participated in it…He was completely aware of what was happening around him. It’s obvious that Lot’s conscience troubled him at what he saw in the city…just not enough to flee the city.

You see, Lot, he moved to Sodom, back in Genesis 13:10, to pursue a good life, right? He had done well financially. He had a house in a prosperous city (Ezekiel 16:49). Again, he was most likely some kind of prominent leader, as seen with him sitting at the city gate. And listen, as a leader in this community, he knew the wickedness, he just wasn’t willing to leave it behind. He invites these visitors because he knows the people of the city, they’re gonna take advantage of them.

And so, we keep going…the word gets out that there’s these male visitors at Lot’s house…and we see, according to verses 4 and 5, this large group of homosexual men, both old and young, they’re drawn to Lot’s doorstep.

This picture of Sodom, it literally shows us a world without God. It was a city where it wasn’t safe to be on the streets after dark, where not only the young men, but even the old were living to satisfy their lusts, even if it meant homosexually raping two visitors. That’s what they ask of Lot here. Look at verse 5 again, “5 And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.”

Homosexual practice, it had become a dominant way of life in Sodom. In fact, according to Leviticus 18 and 20, it shows that it had become a common perversion of the Canaanites. And listen, not only were they attempting to practice homosexuality but they were also attempting to rape two incident people.

And listen, in response, Lot says, “I beg you, my brothers, [don’t] act so wickedly.” Or in other translations, “Don’t do this evil!” Which means, most likely, this behavior, it wasn’t something new for Lot. Now, he’s certainly not condoning it, but understand what his response is suggesting…he was aware of these men’s intentions because he’s seen it over and over again.

And tragically, while Lot doesn’t agree with their actions, he also doesn’t resist their desires either. Instead of giving ‘em the men, he offers a pretty cowardly and wicked compromise. He offers his virgin daughters. I mean, can you imagine how the daughters must’ve felt? I’m just assuming they overhead the conversation. Lot literally elevates his duty as a host over his duty to protect his family. What absurdity! Part of the reason for this, it was how honor drove the culture of that day…but I’d argue, while Lot was “righteous” according to Peter…and while Lot was aware of Sodom’s sins…he failed to properly deal with it like a believer…he failed to call a spade a spade. Guys, you can spin this narrative any way you want it, but there’s no righteous reason for Lot offering his daughters. He’s just been impacted by his culture. Again, he saw the wickedness of homosexuality, but he failed to resist their sexual desires. He still offered ‘em something sinful…something just as perverse and wicked in the eyes of the Lord. Of course, the men, they refuse Lot’s offer…they try to force themselves inside Lot’s house…and the angels strike ‘em all with blindness.

Guys, here’s the application for us…beware of Sodom’s influence…or beware of what Sodom pictures for us, the world, right? Listen, we just went through Revelation and every time it referred to those that belong to the world, it was speaking about who? Unbelievers, right? Those separated from Christ. And its’ warnings to us, over and over again, it was don’t get caught staring at the world…don’t get caught in an affair with the world. You remember Revelation 17 and the woman that John was looking at? The world, right? The visions John received, it was of the world’s destruction…very much like Sodom.

Guys, part of understanding the gospel message, its understanding the bad and worse parts of it. The bad part of the gospel, its that every single human-being, we’re all sinful…and the consequences for sin, its death. Romans 6:23, right?

Romans 6:23 (CSB)

For the wages of sin is death...

And the worse part, its that there’s nothing we can do about that problem on our own. Ephesians 2:8 says:

Ephesians 2:8 (ESV)

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Only God can save us from this dilemma we face.

And so, understanding the gospel, its understanding that everything absent of God, its sinful and it leads to death. Everything worldly, it’ll bite you in the end. If you remember a couple weeks ago…I told you to let God’s Word have the final say, right? And to let it guide you and direct you. Some of you got a little upset with some of the things I pointed out…like with marriage…or with your freedoms in Christ…or the gathering of the assembly. And for those of you that I spoke to, I asked you to defend your disagreement with what? The Word of God, right?

You see, without even realizing it, we do the same things the Pharisees did. In trying to justify divorce, for example, they said, “But Jesus, what about someone who commits adultery, doesn’t Moses say we can divorce for that reason?” But in Mark chapter 10 Jesus says, “That was only because of the hardness of your hearts…from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Other’s, in other denominations and churches, they’ll justify things like homosexuality…the very sins we see here in Sodom (I’m not sure how they’d preach this text)…but they manipulate God’s Word and try and justify the world around them. The Bible’s clear…homosexuality, its an abomination to God. And that’s not just the Old Testament, its the New Testament as well. Just read Romans chapter 1. And the reason its such a big deal, its because it attacks the very image of God.

And then listen, we have some who might not question the idea of homosexuality as sinful but then they try and justify things like pre-marital sex…”I mean, it’s not as bad as homosexuality, right?” They’ll live together…co-habitat together, without being married for years, sometimes a lifetime…because there’s no value of marriage anymore…an institution that God created to bring Himself glory. Remember what I said last week…someone that’s been set apart by God, cares about the glory of God, right? There’s more Christian couples living together today than there’s ever been before. And listen to me, if that’s you…you’re no better than Lot. Yes, he acknowledged one sin…but then he partook in another.

Guys, here’s my point…the reason we struggle so much…its two reasons…One, its because we don’t see the world for what it is…sinful and wicked! We have this idea that we can swim with the sharks without getting bit. Guys, if you play with fire long enough…you’re gonna get burned. Acknowledge the world for what it is…and remove yourself entirely from it. That’s why God gave us community in the church. Some of us, we complain about being so busy in the church because we’re so consumed in the world.

And then number two, we struggle with the world because we fail to let God’s Word have the final say. We try and interpret it for ourselves…we try and twist it so much so that it justifies our passions and our desires. I’m afraid we have less Christians reading the Word today not because they don’t have time…but because they’re living in Sodom, like Lot, and they’re afraid of reading things that’ll convict the lifestyles they’ve set up for themselves.

Guys, beware of Sodom’s influence…if you’re not careful, while you might know Jesus, there might be tragic consequences…which leads into the second point.

II. Heed the Warnings (vv. 12-22)

Heed the warnings.

Listen, I’ll be quick with this one. As we keep going in the story…the riot quiets down because of what the angels do. They share their reason for being there, their mission to destroy the city. And listen, they give Lot a warning. Verse 14, “Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” And so, Lot, he goes to his son-in-laws…he goes to his daughters and his wife. And listen, its evident here that his family, they didn’t believe what the angels said. It says at the end of verse 14, “But he [Lot] seemed to his [son-in-laws] to be jesting.” They thought it was all a joke, right?

And what amazes me here…its what Lot does in response to that…Lot doesn’t have any sense of urgency. I mean, he just saw these angels stink the mob with blindness…its obvious they’re some kind of heavenly beings…and here they are, they’re warning Lot of God’s judgement on the city, they’re warning him of the city’s immediate destruction and he’s sitting around doing nothing. Look at verse 15 and 16:

Genesis 19:15–16 (ESV)

As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.

Guys, he was so entangled with the world and with the city of Sodom, he didn’t wanna let it go, even if it meant he was destroyed with it…Guys, pay attention to the text here…God literally sent messengers to warn Lot of what was about to happen and Lot still chose the city. I think this is just a great example of God’s perseverance of His people even when they’re unwilling to follow Him. God saves His own even when they choose a different direction. I mean what great confidence for us as believers, right? We’re secure in the palm of God’s hand.

But listen, pay attention to some of the parallels with this passage and what we see in the New Testament. God gives us the same exact warnings about our world today. Revelation 18:4, it says:

Revelation 18:4 (ESV)

“Come out of her, my people,

lest you take part in her sins,

lest you share in her plagues;

We just went through that, right? And listen, when I preached that text, I discussed the warnings given to us in that passage concerning the world. And for a lot of us, we’ve already gone back to some of the things we did before…we’ve forgotten all about Revelation…I mean that was month’s ago. We’ve forgotten about the warnings…and like Lot, we’re lingering in Sodom, still playing with fire.

But listen, I love verse 16…it says, the angels seized Lot and his wife and his daughters, right? They saved ‘em from their own stupid decisions. God saved His own in spite of their bad decisions. I mean, that’s the gospel. Amen? Which, if you remember back in Revelation, this verse, it has strong overtones to what’s promised in the New Testament. As believers, God’s gonna save us from His wrath and from His judgement of the world. Now, as I mentioned when we went through Revelation, I don’t believe that’s in the form of a rapture…but regardless, I do believe God saves us from His promised judgement of the world because look at all the examples of how He deals with his people like Lot. And listen, the angels, they even tell Lot…go to the other city, because we can’t do anything to Sodom until you’ve arrived there safely. That’s their instructions from God.

That’s why Peter says in 2 Peter:

2 Peter 2:7–9 (ESV)

…if he rescued righteous Lot…then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

If the Lord did it with Lot, we can have confidence He’ll do it with us. Amen?

But listen to me, we know judgement’s coming…we know the world’s wicked…the Bible tells us that, right? We understand truth and we understand God’s revelation to us…don’t be caught lingering…don’t be caught like Lot trying to negotiate the terms of our salvation…the terms of our surrender to God’s mercy. I mean, isn’t that what Lot does, even in the midst of his rescue? He says, “Don’t make me go to the hills…let me go to another city!” Which the angels allow. But guys, the city hasn’t even been destroyed yet and the man’s already having withdrawals from sin.

Don’t get caught trying to negotiate with God. Heed His warnings, cling to His word, trust the Spirit to shape you and mold you into the image of the Son. Find joy and satisfaction in the Lord today. Don’t get caught sleeping with the woman, as Revelation alludes to…don’t make God have to drag you out of the city before He destroys it. Heed the warning now…trust what the Word tells us…live a life worthy of the gospel today.

Which moves us into our third point.

III. Seek to be Remembered (vv. 23-29)

Seek to be remembered.

And so, the angels rescue Lot and His family. It’s the morning after…the sun’s risen, it says. The Lord, He’s caused it to rain fire and sulfur on the two cities. And pay attention to the verses…God destroyed everything associated with these cities…the valleys, the people, everything that grew on the ground. It was total destruction.

And listen, the text says, as Lot and his family were settling in at Zoar, Lot’s wife, she looked back toward Sodom…which is you remember, that’s in direct defiance of the order given in verse 17. And listen, the text here, it doesn’t explicitly say why she looks back. Maybe it was all the noise, the people wailing, the sound of destruction…but I think there’s enough clues that point us to it being a heart condition, right? Lot’s wife, she loved the city…she wanted the city life…and so, it says she immediately becomes a pillar of salt. Since she loved the city so much, she gotta join them in their destruction.

But listen, I love the last parts of this passage, it goes back to Abraham for just a moment.

Again, remember where we left Abraham at last week. Him and God, they were standing on a mountain side, looking down on the city, right? And Abraham, he pleaded with God to not destroy the city. I’m sure Lot was a big reason for that. And so, here’s Abraham, he’s still looking down on the city, he see’s the destruction of the cities. The fact that he’s still there, all through the night, it shows you just how much his heart mourns for the city.

But look at verse 29. It say:

Genesis 19:29 (ESV)

So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

God remembered Abraham. That’s what I want you to take from this passage.

Abraham didn’t even ask for God to save Lot, but God knew Abraham’s heart, right? We talked about that quite a bit in this study so far. God knew Abraham. And it says, “God remembered Abraham!” Pay attention though…it doesn’t say, “God remembered Lot.” It says, “[God] sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow…as a result of remembering Abraham!” You see, there’s power with Abraham’s righteousness…his desires, it caused God to save the helpless…it led to God rescuing Lot from the city, right?

It reminds me a lot of the four men that bring the paralytic man to Jesus in Luke chapter 5. If you know that story, it says “when [Jesus] saw their faith [the four friend’s faith], he said [to the paralytic man], “Your sins are forgiven.” Because of the four friend’s faith in Jesus, their paralyzed friend, he was saved.

It’s the same thing back in Genesis. Because of Abraham’s faith, Lot and his family are saved. God remembered Abraham and Abraham’s faith and righteousness, it caused God to save the helpless.

Guys, obviously, as I’ve mentioned…Lot was considered righteous in the end. He believed in God…He knew right from wrong…we even see glimpses of him doing the right thing, right? But guys, see the contrasts here…his righteousness, not only could it not save others…it couldn’t even save himself. You remember Abraham’s request last week? If there’s any righteous in the city, would you not spare the city? And God said what? Yes, I will spare the city on account of the righteous.

The point here…God only remembered Abraham…and He moved only on account of Abraham.

Closing

And so my question for you as we close this morning. The way you’re living your life…the things you do…the model you give…we looked a lot at those things over the last month…is there evidence that God’s changed you and that He’s maturing you, spiritually, into the image of Jesus?

Does the righteousness that’s been given to you…does it cause God to remember you and does it cause Him to act on behalf of your desires, your heart?

Or maybe, you’re thinking about what’s in your heart…and you realize, even while I’m talking, why He’s not acting on behalf of those things. Maybe you are who you are because He’s remembering someone else.

Guys, let me urge you this morning, beware of Sodom’s influence…I know the world’s attractive…but guys, the Bible, its clear…the world, it’s sinful and it’s gonna lead to your destruction…heed the warning. God is holy and God is just and He will deal with it in His timing. Don’t keep playing with fire…you will get burned. Guys, seek to be remembered. We might live in a sinful world…but we don’t have to wait until eternity to find joy and satisfaction today.

And remember, your faith…it might just be what God uses to rescue those you love from whatever city’s holding them captive. But if you remain like Lot, you’re not gonna be able to see past your own sins to care enough about those you love.

And so again, my question this morning…is the way you’re living, is it evident that God’s apart of your life?

Every head bowed and every eye closed.

For believers this morning…what do you need to turn from? What’s keeping you from being used like Abraham? Do you see people the way he does? Do you petition God the way he does? Are you bold in your prayers? Does God remember you as He acts?

For unbelievers…what’s keeping you from escaping the city? God’s gonna destroy it…and you need to understand that every one of us, we’re all sinners…and the consequences of that sin, its death. You need to understand there’s nothing you can do about that problem on your own. But listen, understand that Jesus, who is God, came to us…died for us…took on our sins…that’s its all a free gift for those that repent and believe in Him. To experience salvation…all you have to do is repent (or turn) and believe in Jesus as Lord…that He raised from the dead.

And so listen, whoever you are…whatever the Lord’s doing in your heart this morning…you take these next several minutes. The deacons are gonna prepare communion…you take this time, and we’ll close in just a moment. I’ll be down front if anyone needs me.

[Prayer]

Matthew 26:26 (ESV)

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”

Matthew 26:27–29 (ESV)

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”