The Double-Minded Man

Introduction

I. Examine the Life of the Double-Minded

A. Darkened Thinking

1. Makes His Home With the Wicked

Genesis 19:1 “Now 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 he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.”

Lot sitting at the gate means that he had worked his way up in the ranks of Sodom.

He served in some kind of civic authority or judicial power. It was the place in any city where legal disputes were resolved or binding transactions were conducted.

In other words, Lot was sitting in the high court of Sodom as a judge or an advisor.

Genesis 19:9 Then they said (about Lot), “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.”

The fact that he bowed shows us that he knew what was right.

2. Takes Serving God Lightly

Genesis 19:2–3 “And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.” But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.”

When we find Abraham serving God in chapter 18, the Bible describes Abraham as being “quick” to serve God.

Lot isn’t quick to do anything but hide his double life.

The person with darkened thinking allows their life to be dominated by their desire to appear outwardly successful, while being inwardly filthy.

3. No Logical Reasoning

Genesis 19:8 “See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”

In his attempt to cover his double life, Lot is willing to give over the safety of those things which are most precious in his life, and yet is also saying that those “under the shadow of his roof” deserve his protection.

A man with his darkened thinking will neglect those things that are most precious to him instead of simply admitting that who he is, is vile.

If Lot would have remained a righteous man, he would have never found himself in this situation.

Instead of standing his ground as a man of principle, we find him trying to cover his sin with more sin.

4. Considers His Power Greater Than God’s

Genesis 19:10–11 “But the men (angels) reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.”

Lot says to these messengers of heaven, “Stay here, I’ll deal with this.”

In his foolishness, he believed that he had the power to set things right.

He says, “Don’t worry girls, don’t worry men, I’ll go out there, and with my influence, I’ll stop this madness.” Only to go out there and sell out his family and to fail in appeasing the crowd.

A man with darkened thinking is a man who believes that he can control what he cannot control.

Proverbs 25:27 NKJV

It is not good to eat much honey; So to seek one’s own glory is not glory.

Proverbs 27:2 NKJV

Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.

We may not say this out loud, but in our hearts we become proud, and we believe that we are someone that we are not.

We must never consider our power to be greater than God’s.

5. He Has No Wisdom

Genesis 19:15–16 “When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.”

God Himself has sent angels to warn Lot of the coming destruction, and he lingers.

His family is there, people that he knew and supposedly loved were there, and everything was set to be destroyed, and he lingered.

2 Peter 3:10 NKJV

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

We can sit here and wag our finger against Lot, but we still linger about in our world.

Rarely do we consider that the things we are most passionate about are things that are going to be destroyed.

When we are double-minded, every treasure that we have is here on the earth, but with our lips we praise God.

To place all of your life’s value in the things of the world, those things which are going to be burned up, is to be lacking in wisdom.

6. He Has No Sensibilities

Genesis 19:17–20 “So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords! 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. 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.”

When God says something, we better do it.

To deny the divine protection of God is the most senseless thing that we can do.

Genesis 19:30 “Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.”

Once God allowed Lot to go to Zoar, and he did, he became afraid for no reason.

What happened is Lot saw all the destruction taking place, and thought, “Surely God cannot save me, I need to go to the mountain.”

I am almost certain, because of his lousy character, that Lot thought going to the mountains was his idea!

B. Dysfunctional Relationships

1. He Lacks Fellowship With God

Genesis 19:1 “Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening.”

When these same two angels came to Abraham, the Bible says that the Lord was with them.

When they went to go see Lot, the Lord was not with them.

A person that is living in the depth of sin can be saved, just as Lot was, but they can never have fellowship with God.

The Spirit of God will not be around filth.

If you have sin in your heart and in your life, you won’t lose your salvation, but you won’t have meaningful fellowship with God.

You are to ask God daily for forgiveness, so that you can fellowship with Him.

2. Negotiates and Pleads With Sin

Genesis 19:7 “and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!”

The only good relationship with sin, is no relationship with sin.

2 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

What happens here is that Lot leaves the safety of God’s men to go out and negotiate with satan’s ministers.

The reason he does this is because he considers himself one of them, but the problem is that they don’t.

3. He Has No Dwelling

Genesis 19:9 “And the men of Sodom said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door.”

When you are a Christian who makes his home among the wicked, you have neither fellowship with God or influence with men.

We are seeing it in full force in our world today. That when you cave to the political world, you can never satisfy them.

You can never be Democrat or Republican enough. You can never be conservative or liberal enough.

What will happen is they will eat you alive once you say, “I don’t want to go there or do that.”

One of the great plagues of our nation today is that people find their identities in their political affiliations.

It is something that runs deeper than family relationships, it is something that run deeper than religion. To have an identity in politics is to place yourself in a world where you have no real dwelling.

Psalm 90:1 NKJV

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.

Only when you make the Lord your dwelling place do you have a true and stable home.

4. Uses People For His Own Purpose

Genesis 19:8 “See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish.”

The word “dysfunctional” is not strong enough for this point.

Lot has gone so far that he ought to be hung for offering this.

What kind of man, with any character at all, offers his children to the wolves?

We do it everyday.

We pacify our kids with media.

We pacify our kids with materialism.

We pacify our kids with inflated egos.

I mean to say that we tell them they are the most important thing in existence, but they’re not.

We pacify our kids in all kinds of ways, but rarely do we have any meaningful spiritual conversations in the home.

There is more caught than taught.

It’s possible that Lot taught his daughters about chastity, for they were virgins in the sick world of Sodom, yet they caught his defiled, perverted, adulterous attitude.

There in the mountains, after he flees from Zoar, those daughters of his devise a plan and force upon their father an incestuous relationship.

Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

Those in your home know who you are, despite your best efforts to hide it. And whatever you sow, that will you also reap.

C. Destroyed Witness

1. He Spend His Life Hiding the Light

Genesis 19:6 “So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him,”

Instead of staying with the men of light, Lot goes outside to negotiate and use his influence with the wicked.

In our minds, most people try to hide their sin from the God and God’s people; what actually happens is people try to hide their light from the world.

That’s why Lot went outside, to hide the light!

We ought not be ashamed of who we are, but many of us are, because the world out there knows we’re hypocrites.

Instead of simply cleaning up our act so that our walk will match our talk, we just don’t talk so we can walk however we want to!

Ephesians 5:8 NKJV

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

It ought to be a public display, not just from our words but from our actions.

2. He has no Spiritual Influence

Genesis 19:12–14 “Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.”

We can never save those we love when our life doesn’t match our beliefs.

If you believe that church is optional, your children will believe that church is obligation.

When your children believe that church is obligation, your grandchildren will believe that church is a burden.

And when those generations after you begin to believe that, there is going to be a heartache in your life that I don’t think I could ever describe to you.

There was Lot, in Zoar, his wife now gone, and those he tried to save under the judgement of God.

I don’t want you to have this life of the double-minded, I want you to experience the life of the spiritually minded.

II. Experience the Life of the Spiritually Minded

James 4:1–6 NKJV

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

A. A Delivered Mind

James 4:8 NKJV

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

1. Draw Near To God

We draw near to God by making Him our dwelling!

The Bible says that if we seek Him then He may be found.

I cannot express to you the importance of simply having a heart and a mind of prayer.

Instead of focusing your mind on all the burdens of your life, you ought to be simply rejoicing in all that God is doing.

Matthew 6:34 NKJV

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

This isn’t talking about a lack of foresight and wisdom, it is talking about walking daily with God and letting Him accomplish His work in you one day at a time.

2. Be Clean and Be Prepared

We cannot be spiritual and be in sin.

The Bible says for us to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts!

The only way for us to do that is to pray to God and ask Him to do it for us.

1 John 1:9 NKJV

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

B. A Devoted Fellowship

James 4:7 NKJV

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

1. Therefore, submit!

2. You have the power to fight!

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

God’s word is our weapon against darkness!

C. Dynamic Witness

When the way you live your life matches what you say you believe, then you will have a dynamic witness.

Kent Hughes says the reason the words of Jesus boomed like thunder is because His life struck like lightning!

James 4:10 NKJV

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

When you are living for the Lord, you don’t have to try and make yourself seem better than you are.

You can lay that burden down and simply be all that God wants you to be.

Then, He will lift you up.

Conclusion