Sermon Tone Analysis

Environment

In the text before us this afternoon Jesus uses the pre-deluvian event concerning Noah and the post-deluvian event concerning Lot to draw his disciple’s attention to the reality that in each case, people were going about their “business as usual” without regard for the Kingdom of God.

See Luke 17:22-30

See Luke 17:22-30

See

I think that I need to tell you all that “there’s a day that’s coming and it’s coming soon; no one knows the hour, morning, night, or noon.

But what we do know is that we cannot allow ourselves to get caught up with the spirit of the age; that is, to become so influenced by our environment to the point that we become products of it.

Product of environment is an expression that states that people may behave or act a certain way as a result of the environment they live in.

So for example if someone lives in a poverty stricken area and cannot get a job, they may become a thief.

If someone grows up in an environment such as Islam, that person may become a Muslim himself, but notice that the operative word is “may become”.

Consider another example: A caged Animal becomes a product of his environment, Mankind however builds his environments to suit his needs.

if someone claims that you are a product of your environment, it means the environment you live in has become your accepted norm, and now influences you, rather then you influencing it.

Child of God, When this world must come to end, we must not allow it or anything in it to distract us from our Lord.

He gave his disciples specific instruction (see ).

He then followed those instructions with an example.

Child of God, When this world must come to end, we must not allow it or anything in it to distract us from our Lord.

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Remember

The Lord’s instructions to his disciples back then is still relevant and applicable for his disciples right now.

We too must “Remember Lot’s wife”.

In the text the word remember is the greek word “mnēmoneuō” and it means to both recall and react; both to remember someone or something and respond accordingly.

Recall

Lot was the nephew of Abraham, he was the son of his brother Haran.

When the Lord called Abraham to go to the Land of Caanan, he took Lot with him.

When famine came, Lot went down to Egy

Mrs. Lot perished because she was a product of her environment.

She was Comfortable in it, she was Careless from it, and she was Controlled by it.

LOT (Heb.

lôṭ, ‘covering’?).

The son of Haran, Abraham’s youngest brother, and so Abraham’s nephew.

Apart from the account of his life in Genesis, his name is absent from the OT (except for references to his descendants in Dt. 2:9, 19; Ps. 83:8), but he is mentioned by our Lord in Lk. 17:28–32 and also by Peter in 2 Pet.

2:7f.

He accompanied Terah, Abram and Sarai as they journeyed from Ur to Harran, and went on with Abram and Sarai into Canaan, down into Egypt and then out again into Canaan (Gn.

11:31; 12:4–5; 13:1).

Flaws in his character first appear when he selfishly chose the well-watered Jordan valley (Gn.

13:8–13).

This brought him into the midst of the wicked men of Sodom, and he had to be rescued from the results of his folly, first by Abraham (Gn.

14:11–16), and then by the two angels (Gn.

19).

In the latter incident he revealed both his weakness and his inclination to compromise.

His salvation from Sodom is expressly linked with God’s remembrance of Abraham in Gn. 19:29.

Through his drunkenness his two daughters obtained children by him, and these became the ancestors of the Moabites and the Ammonites (Gn.

19:30–38; cf.

Dt. 2:9, 19; Ps. 83:8).

Our Lord illustrated his teaching on the subject of his return from the story of Lot and his wife (Lk.

17:28–32), thus setting his seal upon its historicity, and 2 Pet.

2:7f.

emphatically asserts his righteousness.

It is probable that Peter is here deliberately alluding to Abraham’s prayer for the ‘righteous’ in Sodom.

Comfortable

Reading the account of the events of the days of Lot, we discover that the environment that he lived in was wicked (Gen 18:20).

The Lord determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.

At the end of chapter 18 in Genesis, Abraham pleaded with the Lord for the life of His nephew Lot and his family.

God, for the sake of Abraham, arranged their deliverance.

When the angels arrived in the city, the depravity of the people in the city was immediately evident ().

The angels neutralized the situation for the evening and told Lot and his family what was about to happen ().

In the morning, the angels urged Lot to take his wife and his daughters and leave the city.

The text says “But he hesistated” ().

I want to suggest today that the hesitation was due to his wife, who was comfortable in that environment.

Lot’s hesitation was probably due to him not wanting to leave her behind.

(Are you praying with me?)

The text says that when they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life!

Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.”

In verse 18, we see Lot’s hesitation again, by his objection “Oh no, my lords”.

This objection was probably made at the bidding of his wife, who didn’t want to get too far away from her “Comfort Zone”.

A comfort zone is place or situation where one feels safe or at ease and without stress.

The mountains where they were told to go was too far away from what she was familiar with.

She was a product of her environment; she was comfortable in it.

Careless

In , the angel tells Lot that he may stay in the town that he requested; a town called Zoar.

There were five cities in plain (valley), Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela or Zoar ()—all situated in the valley of Siddim (i.e., the Salt Sea).

The angel instructed them to “Hurry” and arrive there because they could not do anything until he arrived there.

The word hurry means to move or act with haste; it is to do something more quickly.

But, as we look at the story of Lot’s wife, we discover that she is not hurrying at all.

The text tells us that instead of her hurrying it up · hastening· speeding up · pressing on · pushing it · running · dashing · rushing · racing · flying · scurrying · scrambling · scuttling · sprinting · getting a move on · moving it · stepping on it · getting it cracking · shaking a leg · hightailing it · tearing out · zipping · zooming · hotfooting it, she was careless.

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Careless is defined as not paying enough attention to what one does.

The fact she is that she was behind Lot.

Now, y’all know, if we were running for our lives we would no be lagging behind.

Some of the oldest of us would be burning rubber; but, the text says that Lot’s wife was not paying attention to the severity of the situation.

She was like a caged bird who was set free but would not fly away.

It is said that Psychological-conditioning is responsible for this.

A caged bird may become attached to the environment they were imprisoned within and fear retaliation for not relying on caution.

She was a product of her environment and she was Careless from it.

press on · push on · run · dash · rush · race · fly · scurry · scramble · scuttle · sprint · get a move on · move it · step on it · get cracking · get moving · shake a leg · hightail it · tear · zip · zoom · hotfoot it · leg it · get the lead out · make haste · hie

See

Can anybody tell me what in the world is she doing behind him?

Can anybody tell me what in the world is she doing behind him?

Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001).

In Tyndale Bible dictionary (p.

1208).

Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

Controlled

React

Conclusion

We too Live in a Doomed Place: This World

A Warning from Peter in Light of this.

See

See

See 2 Peter 3:11

Learn from Lot’s Wife

1. Don’t do what she did

2. Get ready for the return of our Lord

2. Don’t become what she became