Sermon Tone Analysis

Lot – From Sodom to Salt

 

Genesis 13:12

 

The story that we read in the Bible about Lot is an interesting one.

Anytime that we think about him, I think we think the worst.

We think of Sodom and the destruction there.

We think of his wife looking back at the destruction and turning into a pillar of salt.

We think about events that immediately followed that event with his daughters.

But, if we were to look in *2 Peter 2:6-9** *if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.

Lot probably had as much, if not more, potential than any other Old Testament character.

He allowed the opportunity of spiritual greatness, though, to pass right on by.

Today there are a lot of Christians in churches that are not much different from Lot.

All of us are born with potential.

Oh, today there are psychologists and analysts and so called professionals that would not agree with me on that statement, but spiritually it is true.

We may have different socio-economic advantages over someone else, we may have a more spiritual family that someone else, we may have some opportunities that others don’t have, but we all have potential.

Lot had a lot of potential.

He was related to probably one of the greatest men that ever lived, Abraham.

He was his nephew.

He probably saw his relationship with God and man on a daily basis.

God gave Abraham so many promises.

Ones that Lot could have been a part of.

In fact, for a good part of his life he was part of it.

As Lot grew up, Abraham had no sons and Lot didn’t have any parents, so Abraham basically raised him.

Lot was close to his uncle, and could have followed him.

Lot came out of Ur with Abraham, went to Egypt with him, spent many years watching, learning, listening to what Abraham did and how he lived his life.

Lot believed in God.

His faith was centered in God who had made a covenant with Abraham.

He had an excellent family background, was a constant companion of a very righteous man, had worship that was acceptable to God.

With all the things that he had and saw we know that he had potential.

What happened to that potential?

We never like to recall the failure of people, but we can learn a lot by looking at Lot’s failures.

As we look at what happened to him, we can see stages of failure in him, that maybe are not too far from the ways that people today fail as well.

Lot started down the wrong path by looking away from God and looking toward Sodom.

This was a place of utter sinfulness.

Righteous people tried their hardest to avoid it.

But Lot looked at the land around it and thought it would be a great place to raise his flocks.

His desire to have the best for his flocks caused him to take his eyes off of God and look for another way.

Lot didn’t immediately move into the city.

The Bible tells us that he started out camping in the area toward the city.

He got close, but was not immediately drawn in.

Maybe he thought that he could make a difference and draw people from the lives they were living to a life of serving God.

He was comfortable just living in the area for a while.

Finally though, Lot and his family weren’t happy to just camp outside the wicked city.

They eventually moved right in and made themselves at home.

Just like a lot of people today, the things of the world drew them in and made them do things that they normally wouldn’t have done.

They became a part of one of the most wicked societies that the world has ever known.

Lot’s mind and heart faced a constant bombardment from the city.

So many Christians that try to identify with Christ and the world at the same time face the exact same struggles that he faced.

As we think back to the verses we read from 2 Peter, Lot tried to live his life the way God wanted him to.

He tried to be righteous and upright.

Just think of the conflicts that he faced every day as he tried to do this in such a sinful area.

Think about the times that maybe he thought back to being with his uncle at Bethel, Egypt, and all the other times that he sensed the presence of God.

Do you think he ever longed for the time that he spent with Abraham or do you think he was too involved in the things of life to be bothered?

Finally one night angels came to visit Lot to escort him out of the city.

The horror of the sinfulness of the city is magnified that much more by the account of what happened that night.

God intervened in a miraculous way to preserve his witness in Sodom.

Lot became convinced, finally, that he needed to get out of the city.

His heart yearned for his family to go with him.

Because of his life of compromise, his family members made fun of him as he was trying to get out.

His witness had become virtually nonexistent.

That shows us how his faith had faltered.

Just prior to the cities destruction Lot and his family got out of town.

As the fled, though, his wife looked back.

Why did she look back?

Maybe she enjoyed her life there, the comforts, the privileges that maybe they had.

Maybe she was just curious as to what was going on.

Maybe she heard something that drew her attention back to her life and off of God.

We don’t know why, but we know the results, she became a pillar of salt.

Lot then fled to find the safety that God had prepared for him.

Lot maintained a personal righteousness recognized by the Holy Spirit, but the tragedy of his life is, much like a lot of people today, his power and influence as a godly person and witness failed at some crucial point.

Part of his family was destroyed, his wife died in disobedience.

If we get nothing else from the story of Lot’s life, it has to be that we need to learn the importance of having a consistent Christian witness.