MCLEAN BIBLE CHURCH February 24, 2013 PASTOR LON SOLOMON

Transcription

1 MCLEAN BIBLE CHURCH February 24, 2013 PASTOR LON SOLOMON >> PASTOR SOLOMON: You know, when it comes to sad endings in life, I think we can all think of lots of examples. There's Michael Jackson and Elvis and Marilyn Monroe and Curt Cobain and Heath Ledger and Chris Farley, and Whitney Houston and Jimi Hendrix and on and on we could go. But today what we are going to do is talk about from the Bible one of the saddest endings you have ever heard of and it is in the life of a fellow named Lot, Abraham's nephew. His story is found in Genesis Chapter 19. So we are about ready to charge in there and look at it. But before we do, I think a little bit of review would be in order, okay? Let's go back a little bit. We're in a verse-by-verse study of the Book of Genesis. And in Genesis 18 we saw when Abraham was living in Hebron three men came to see him. Two of them were angels in human form, and then the third one was the Lord Jesus Christ himself in human appearance. And after they had lunch, the two angels headed off down to Sodom which is not far away. We'll show you a mom so you can see. The purpose of their going there was to destroy the City of Sodom. Meanwhile, Abraham was left standing before the Lord. And, of course, in destroying the City of Sodom, it meant destroying his nephew Lot who was living in the City of Sodom along with his family. And so in one of the most incredible conversations anywhere recorded in the Bible, Abraham begins to bargain with God to intercede with God for the people of Sodom. He starts at 50. Lord, if you can find 50 righteous people in the town, will you not spare it? And God being a good, you know, member of my race, works God all the way down to ten. And at the end of that, God says if I can find ten in the city, I will spare it. And as we all know, God couldn't. Now, that's our background. So are you ready? We're going to dig into Chapter 19. You ready? Ready? (Yes!) Okay. Here we go. Verse 1. The two men, that is the angels, arrived in Sodom in the evening and Lot was sitting in the city gate. When Lot saw the two men, he rose and went to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. And Lot said, sirs please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night there and then go on your way early in the morning. And they answered and said, no, we'll spend the night in the city square. But Lot insisted so strongly that they went with him and entered his house. Now, we all know why he insisted so strongly. He understood the danger these men faced if they spent the night out in the street. Verse 4, and before they went to bed, all the men from every part of the City of Sodom both young and old surrounded Lot's house. And they called to Lot and said: Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them. And I find it very interesting here that the Bible says that it was both the young and the old men of the city who were involved in this. Folks, the fact that the old men of the city were involved in this just reveals to us how deeply infected with sin this town had really become. Verse 6. So Lot went outside to meet them and he shut the door behind him. And he said, no, my friends. Do not do this wicked thing. I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out

2 to you and you can do what you wish with them. But do not do this to these men for they've come under the protection of my life. Then the men said, Get out of our way! This man, Lot, came here as a foreigner and now he presumes to play the judge over us! We'll treat you, Lot, worse than we treat them! And they kept bringing pressure on Lot and moving forward to break the door to his house down. But the two men, that is the angels, reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. Then they struck the men at the door, young and old, with blindness. I don't have any idea if Lot had suspicions about these men maybe not being just ordinary travelers up to this point. But I would say after this, he figured out that these were not just ordinary guys. These were some kind of heavenly beings. These were some kind of angels. And they said to him, verse 12, if you have anyone else in this city who belongs to you, anybody you love, anybody you care about, get them out of here because we are going to destroy this place. Well, if you read the rest of the chapter, you know that Lot went around trying to get people to leave and no one would leave. As a matter of fact, even his wife and his daughters resisted leaving. You say, how do you know that? Look at verse 16. When Lot hesitated in the morning to get out of town because his wife and his daughters were hesitating, look at this, the men, the angels, grabbed him by the hand and grabbed the hands of his wife and his two daughters and pulled them out of the city. And as soon as the men had brought them out, they said, flee for your lives. Don't look back. And don't stop anywhere in the plain or you will be swept away. And then the Lord rained down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah and thus He overthrew those cities and the entire plain and all the vegetation in the plain. But in direct obedience to God, Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. Now, this chapter is chockfull of stuff that we are going to want to talk about but that's as far as we will go today. There is a couple of questions we need to answer from everything we have seen. Two of them as a matter of fact. Question Number 1 is: Did the destruction of Sodom happen as a real historical event the way the Bible describes? And we believe the answer is a resounding "yes, it did." Let me tell you why. I got two reasons. Number one, all the rest of the Bible says it did. Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, all refer to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as an established historical fact. Interestingly enough, it is one of the most commonly referred to events in all the Bible, even in the New Testament. Peter said, 2 Peter 2:6, God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes but rescued Lot. You say, yeah, but, Lon, you know what? Maybe all these people were just wrong, you know. I mean, they could have been wrong. Well, maybe. But you know what? The Lord Jesus Christ can't be wrong. He being God in the flesh and the messiah can't be wrong. And the Lord Jesus six different times in the gospels talked about Sodom and Gomorrah and every time he did, he reaffirmed that these events that the Bible describes happened precisely the way the Bible says they did. For example, Luke 17, verse 28, Jesus said it was the same in the days of Lot, people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but the day Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Now, what this means, is that for us as followers of Christ today who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible and who believe that Jesus is God in the flesh and he cannot lie, he cannot make a mistake, what this means is that the destruction of Sodom and

3 Gomorrah, the way the Bible describes it, it is not myth. It is not a legend. It is not fanciful. It is rather solid and utter historical fact. You say, wait a minute, Lon, wait a minute. What about people who don't believe the Bible? I mean, what about people who don't accept Christ as being infallible? I mean, do we have any empirical or factual or concrete proof that these events really happen, that we can offer to those people? Well, yes, we do. In 1924, archeologists began excavating in the area south of the Dead Sea around the area where the Bible says Sodom and Gomorrah were. Today I will show you a picture. This is what it looks like. It is a complete barren, utterly forsaken desert. What the archeologists found is that at the time of Abraham and Lot, this is not the way it was. Rather, it was densely populated and it was highly affluent and it was verdant with vegetation and agriculture just the way the Bible says. In fact, the famous Jewish archeologist and Rabbi Nelson Gleek found remains of 72 cities here dating back to the time of Abraham and Lot. You say, well, did he find Sodom and Gomorrah? No. Most likely Sodom and Gomorrah are actually under the Dead Sea which has kept expanding south over the years. But if we go back 2,000 years before the Dead Sea has swallowed up Sodom and Gomorrah with its expansion and we read the historical accounts of this area, we find that the historians who recorded what this area looked like recorded for us accounts that agree totally with the Bible. I'm talking about Josephus and Tacitus who wrote in 100 AD. Here's what he said and I quote, he said, not far from the Dead Sea is a plain which according to reports was once quite fertile and was the sight of many great cities but which was later devastated by violent lightnings. He says, traces of that disaster still exist there. Remember, he is writing in 100 AD and even the very ground there says -- looks, what is the next word? (Burnt) Burnt. And has lots of all its fertility, end of quote. My point is that when it comes to the area of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Bible and archeology and the historical reports from 2,000 years ago all agree that something positively catastrophic happened in this area just the way the Bible says. Now, that leads us to question Number 2 that we need to answer. And that is, well, how did this event take place? The Bible says then the Lord rained down fire and brimstone and Sodom and Gomorrah. And the Hebrew words that are used here imply some kind of sulfur compound, some kind of burning sulfur that was involved in this, that scorched hundreds of square miles. And so many commentators, many Bible scholars have a theory as to how this happened. Their theory is that there was earthquake which released lots of sulfur and hydrocarbons into the air from the tar pits that are all around this area. And then there was a bolt of lightning which ignited this combustible mixture that was in the air creating an enormous fire ball that rained down on these cities and destroyed every living thing. And then there are other people like me who freely admit that I don't have the slightest clue how God did this. And you know what? I don't need a clue how God did this. What difference does it make how God did it? The only thing that matters to me is that I believe God did it exactly the way he said he did it. I don't need to have it explained or understand it scientifically. From my point of view, God said it. I believe it. And that settles it for me. Amen? (Amen) Amen. So, look, I can't tell you how it happened. And it doesn't matter how it happened. The fact that's important is that it happened.

4 You say, Lon, well, at least Lot got away and had a happy ending. Well, not actually. His wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. I mean, that's a pretty sad ending. His two virgin daughters, if you read the rest of the chapter, wanted to have a child and so they got their father so drunk he didn't know what he was doing and both committed incest with him and became pregnant by their father. I'd call that a pretty sad ending. And Lot himself spent the rest of his life living in a cave around the Dead Sea with all of his wealth evaporated. I'd call that a pretty sad ending. Now, things didn't end well for Lot, my friends. They ended terribly that's as far as we're going in our passage because it's time for us to ask our most important question of the morning. And you know what this is. And so what I want you to do is make this like a welcome back "so what." Will you do that for me? All you guys at Loudoun and Prince William and Bethesda and in the edge and around the world and here at Tysons, this is a welcome back, Lon, "so what." I know I'm shameless. I'm sorry. But this works. Are you ready? Here we go. One, two, three. (So what???!!!) Oh, how sweet it is. Thank you. You say, all right, Lon, look, let's say I accept that all of this really happened, you know, at Sodom and Gomorrah. I mean, Lot had a terrible ending. Okay. I appreciate that. I don't see what any of this has to do with me. Well, let's talk about that, shall we? You know, the Bible tells us that Lot was a righteous man. I got a letter this week from a lady who said: You mentioned a couple of weeks ago. Where in the Bible does it say that? I wrote her back and told her 2 Peter, Chapter 2, verse 7 says that Lot was a righteous man. What we mean by that is that he had the imputed righteousness of Christ in his life just like his uncle Abraham had. But he was still a sinner, friends. And as a sinner, he made a really bad choice that totally botched up his life. And what was that bad choice? Friends, he chose to be greedy. You know, one of the key principles of the Bible, a principle that's aimed at keeping you and me out of trouble is the principle of contentment. Hebrews 13:5 says keep your lives free of the love of money and be content with what you have. Matthew 16:16 says for what good is it if a man gains the whole world and loses his soul? 1 Timothy, Chapter 6, verse 9 says but people who want to get rich fall into temptation and into many foolish and harmful lusts that plunge people into ruin and destruction. Folks, these words apply perfectly to Lot. And let me show you how. The Bible's clear in Genesis 13 that the whole reason Lot chose to move to Sodom to begin with was because of the wealth and the affluence that we know how from archeology was down there. Genesis 13, verse 10, Lot saw that the Jordan Valley was well-watered like the land of Egypt. And the Bible adds this note. This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. This is what archeologists found, remember? Yes? Yes? Okay. So Lot set out towards the east and pitched his tents near Sodom. But - and don't miss this, because this is the key point in the whole message today. Don't miss this. My friends, Lot was already wealthy. Lot was already rich. Genesis 13:5, now, Lot who was moving about with Abraham also had flocks and herds and tents and the land. Could not even support them. Abraham and Lot, while they stayed together, look, because their possessions were so great. The point is Lot had no need for more. He already had more than he needed. But he was greedy, which is why he moved to Sodom, a place he had

5 no business going. Genesis 13, verse 13, but the men of Sodom were wicked and sinning greatly against the Lord. Let me ask you: Do you think this was a secret what the men of Sodom were doing in Canaan? Do you think nobody in the land of Canaan knew what was going on in Sodom and Gomorrah? Come on, now, everybody knew what was going on down there. And Lot, when he moved there, knew what was going on down there. As a Godly man, Lot should have been moving farther away from sin, not closer to it. But his greediness for more, more money, more affluence, more ease, more luxury, more, more, more drove him to make a really bad choice. To move closer to sin, a choice 1 Timothy 6 that as Paul says plunged him into ruin and destruction and pierced him through with many a grief. Now, let's stop talking about Lot and let's talk about you and me, shall we? And let's ask the question of ourselves, hey, when is enough, enough? I mean, when God blesses us with all the food we need to eat and all the clothing that we need and all the shelter that we need and then gives us on top of that in his mercy lots more that we don't even really need, I mean, when is it time, my friends, to thank God for all of this and enjoy all of it and use it for God's work and stop looking for more and more ways to make more. Jesus warned us about this. He said Luke 12:15, watch out and be on your guard against all kinds with -- what's the next word? (Greed) Greed. For a person's life does not consist of the abundance of their possessions. You say, what's that mean? It means having a bunch of stuff won't make you happy. And getting a whole bunch more stuff won't make you any happier. Jesus said, watch out for greed. It's dangerous. Hey, folks, it was greed that brought Madoff down. It was greed that put Congressman Cunningham behind bars. It was greed that ruined Kenneth Lay and took Enron under and devastated the lives of innocent people and many people have seen the movie Wall Street where Gordon Gecko is played by Michael Douglas that says greed is right, greed works. We know how the movie ended for him. Friends, greed is not good. And greed is not right. And greed does not work, Jesus says. Greed took all of these people down and Jesus warns us that if we're not careful, it can take you and me down, too. You say, Lon, wait a minute, stop right there. I mean it, stop. Because what you're saying, Lon, I'm telling you like it is almost un-american what you're saying. I mean, are you saying that people shouldn't try to better themselves? Are you saying that people shouldn't try to improve their economic condition in life? Are you saying that as followers of Christ, it's wrong for us to work hard and try to get ahead in life and try to be successful? No. I'm not saying that at all. Nor does the Bible say that. Friends, the Bible calls us to work hard and to be diligent. There is nothing wrong with trying to better ourselves as followers of Christ. There is nothing wrong with desiring to be successful so long as -- listen -- we don't do what Lot did. And what did Lot do? Well, so long as we don't allow greed to cause us to compromise our integrity and compromise our ethics and compromise our moral purity and compromise our obedience to God. What was Lot doing living inside the City of Sodom? He had no business in that city. What was he doing in there? It's okay to have ambition so long as we don't allow greed to cause us to mistreat people and step on people and damage people and hurt people in order to get where we want to get to, so long as we don't allow greed to cause us to neglect our family, neglect our spouse, neglect our children, not be the parents we ought to be, so long as we don't let greed cause us

6 to rob God in our giving and consume everything on ourself. Listen, sanctified ambition is fine. But the difference between sanctified ambition and greed is that sanctified ambition will never lead us closer to sin in order to get what we want. Greed always does. Just like it did for Lot. Sanctified ambition is fine. Greed is dangerous. And may I just say in closing, that greed is a slippery little devil. Remember what Jesus said. He said: Be on your guard against all forms of greed. Folks, greed is not just about money. We can be greedy for fame. We can be greedy for notoriety. We can be greedy for achievement. We can be greedy for awards. We can be greedy for recognition and recognizability. We can be greedy for all kinds of material things like shoes and clothes and furniture and cars and golf equipment and watches. I mean, there is nothing wrong with having a watch. But 20 watches? Who needs 20 watches? Can't even get them all on your arm. (laughter). What are you going to do with 20 watches? And, yet, somehow the thing about greed that makes it so dangerous is we find a way to justify all of this. It is easy to justify. We, go, I'm just providing for my family. You know, I mean, there is nothing wrong with somebody having a hobby and having a collection. Well, no, there isn't. But when it crosses into greed, we start getting into dangerous territory. This is why St. Francis of Assisi, the great Catholic leader has said, people have confessed every known sin except the sin of greed. You know why? Because it is so easy for us to justify it. Friends, greed lives inside you. You say, how do you know that? Well, because greed lives inside me. Greed lives inside all of us because it's one of the -- it's one of the works of the flesh. Galatians Chapter 5. It is part of our fleshly nature. It is endemic to our sinful nature. If you are sitting here going, Lon, you are really not talking to me, I'm not greedy about anything. Well, I'd be very surprised, honestly shocked, if every one of us sitting here isn't current live guilty of some form of greed in our life. It is just that we've got it all justified, we don't see it, which is why we need the Holy Spirit to reveal it to us because only He can. David prayed Psalm 139: Search me O God and reveal my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me. I have been praying all this week, Lord, show me where I'm greedy. I don't think I'm greedy but that's because I don't see my heart as you see it, Lord. Show me where I'm greedy and so I can confess it and I can forsake it, because it will take me in the wrong direction in my life just like it did Lot. Folks, I want to challenge you if you have the courage to pray that same prayer. If I am being greedy about something, show me and give me the power to forsake it before it takes me somewhere that I'm sorry I ever went like Lot. Listen, you've probably never heard a sermon on greed. You know why? Because it's not a sin we talk about. It is a sin that lives under the radar. That's why St. Francis never had anybody confess it to him. But that doesn't mean that it isn't a serious and dangerous -- Jesus didn't say: Be on your guard, watch out, for no purpose. And I hope you and I will take seriously to look at our lives and say, Lord, let me see if the way it really is, Lord. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thanks so much for talking to us today about, as I said, one of those sins that lives under the radar. And we need the spirit of God to help us really see what's in our heart. And if we're being greedy - and I can't imagine every one of us here aren't about

7 something - reveal that to us, Lord, and help us to deal with it before it takes us where it took Lot. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for talking to us today about a dangerous thing. And I pray you would help us to take it seriously. Lot's ending was sad. We don't want ours to be. So help us learn well from him. And we pray these things in Jesus' name. What do God's people say? (Amen) Amen. You say amen to a sin on greed, God bless you. That's all I got to say. Look, we got a lot more Genesis 19 to cover. More next week. God bless you. Thanks for coming today. See ya. (applause). (Music). * * * This text is being provided in a rough draft format. Communication access realtime translation (CART) is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings. * * *