Abraham - Walking in the Light

Well, Lot shows us the pride of life. The world says, do it your way, have it your way. Take care of your own life, take care of number one. And Lot followed that philosophy. The world had gotten in and he was controlled by the pride of life.

Let's talk to our Father now. Gracious Father in heaven, we're grateful that you are on the throne, that Jesus Christ is King of kings, Lord of lords, and that you have our times in your hands, and you do make all things beautiful in your time. Give us patience to wait for that beauty to come, even when we're going through times of difficulty. We realize that a godly Christian life is not an accident. It's the result of decisions and appointments that we make with you. Thank you for the privilege we have of meeting you in the word, and then living the word out in the world. Help us to be good witnesses, help us to be lights in this dark world. And now as we open the word, we pray for the spirit to teach us that we might receive gladly and obediently this word of truth. I pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

I suppose the most desolate place I have ever seen in all of my travels has been the area around the Dead Sea down there in the Holy Land. You cannot believe it unless you have seen it yourself. That whole wilderness area and particularly the Dead Sea, some 1300 feet below sea level, a monument of death and destruction. Many people believe that Sodom and Gomorrah, those cities of the plain, are underneath the waters of the Dead Sea. Be that as it may, in the Bible, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is used as a warning not only to unsaved people but also to believers.

In 2 Peter 2, we read these words in verse 4: "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment, and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly, and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly. And delivered righteous Lot who was oppressed with the filthy conduct of the wicked, for that righteous man dwelling among them tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds." Now there's the New Testament interpretation. The Old Testament record is in Genesis 19.

And two angels come and find Lot at the city gate. Let's read the story. "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. And he said, 'Here now, my lords, please turn into 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.

Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we may know them.'" They're speaking, of course, about immorality, aren't they? "And so Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him and said, 'Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly. 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.' Then they said, 'This one came into sojourn and he keeps acting as a judge. Now we will deal worse with you than with them.'" And so they pressed hard against the man Lot and came near to break down the door, but the men 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. 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 as to his sons-in-law, he seemed to be joking."

Let's notice the contrast now between Abraham and Lot. You see, when our Lord Jesus Christ comes, he's going to find people like Abraham, he's going to find people like Lot. Luke 17, we read these words, verse 28: "Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot. They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built. But on the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed." Then in verse 32, our Lord says, "Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it." So our Lord is saying that the world situation will be like it was in Lot's day. And then the Lord Jesus will come and there will be salvation for some and judgment for for others.

I notice first of all, there's a contrast in places. In Genesis 18, Abraham is at the tent door, whereas Lot in Genesis 19 is sitting in the gate of Sodom. Now the gate of a city in the East was the place of business, the place of authority, it was the City Hall, it was the courtroom, it was the place where cases were decided. Lot apparently had some kind of position in the city of Sodom. I wonder why this was so. He shouldn't have been there to begin with, but there he was and now he is one of the officers in Sodom. I wonder if the fact that Abraham delivered the people of Sodom from the kings had something to do with this. When they got back into the city again, they said to Lot, "Aren't you related to that man?" "Yes, Abraham is my uncle." "Well, you must be a pretty important person then if you belong to somebody like him." And he got promoted because of Abraham. Now he should have learned his lesson and just gotten out of the city, but there he is in the gate of the wicked city. Abraham is at the tent door. You see, Lot has lost his tent. Lot used to have a tent, but now he's lost his tent. He's no longer a pilgrim or a stranger. He is settling down and he's at home in a wicked city, although he's not too happy there. Peter tells us that his soul was vexed because of what was going on.

Not only is there a contrast in places, but there's a contrast in times. The Lord Jesus Christ and the two angels came to Abraham in the heat of the day. Abraham was taking his siesta when they arrived. But with Lot it was in the evening, the sun is setting. You see, Abraham was walking in the light. The path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. But Lot was not walking in the light, Lot was walking in darkness. He was out of fellowship with God. Not only had he lost his tent, he also didn't have any altar. It would have been rather difficult to build an altar there in Sodom. Now I'm not saying that God's people should not be in places of wickedness. The whole world is a place of wickedness. In fact, John tells us that the whole world lies in the lap of the wicked one. Paul says if you're going to be totally separated, you'll have to leave the world. But we are in the world to be a ministry to the world.

Daniel was in Babylon, God wanted him there. Joseph was in Egypt, God put him there. Esther was in Persia, God put her there. God does put his servants in places like this to have a ministry, but God had not put Lot in Sodom. Lot had put Lot in Sodom. Someone says, "Well, it's so good that Lot's there in Sodom, he can be a witness." He wasn't a witness in Sodom. Abraham was a witness outside of Sodom. Abraham, the separated man, had a greater witness than did Lot who was sitting in the city gate. You know, when the Lord comes back, he's going to find some people like Abraham who are pilgrims and strangers. They live in a tent and they're ready to go. Others are going to be like Lot who has a house and a position and he doesn't really want to go. And we're going to find that some will be walking in the light, ready to meet the Lord. Others will be in the darkness.

Thirdly, I note there's a contrast in visitors. In Genesis 18, the Lord Jesus came with the angels. But here in Genesis 19, it's only the two angels who made that 25-mile trip from Hebron over to Sodom. The Lord Jesus Christ did not feel at home in Sodom. Now he died for Sodom, but he didn't come to fellowship with Lot in Sodom. Was Lot a believer? Yes, Lot was a believer. Did he have a close fellowship with the Lord? No, he did not. We read in John 14:23, our Lord says, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. And my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." That's a remarkable statement. He is saying, "I'm going to come and bring heaven to your very being." Not just I'm going to come and take you to heaven, I'm going to come and move in with you and bring heaven into your heart. Lot lost that fellowship with the Lord Jesus.

Fourth, I notice that there is a contrast in activity. Now it looks like Lot and Abraham are alike at the beginning, but not at the end. Lot jumps up, he runs out and he bows down. Abraham had done that. He says, "Oh, turn into your servant's house." Abraham had called himself the servant. Abraham made a meal for the visitors, and so did Lot. And that's where it ends, right there. Because we find in verse 16 that Lot lingers. Lot lingers. Abraham is hastening to do everything. He runs and gets a calf. He runs and tells his wife to bake some bread. There's a lot of movement, a lot of activity. And then when it's all over, he stands and waits for further orders. But not so with Lot, he lingers.

There's a contrast in messages. The Lord came down to give Abraham a message of blessing, "Your wife is going to have a son next year about this time." However, the angels came to give Lot a message not of blessing but a message of judgment. Lot, everything you've lived for is going to be destroyed. This is what Paul means in 1 Corinthians 3 when he talks about those who are going to be saved as by fire. They had to take Lot and his family by the hand and drag them out of Sodom because their hearts were so wrapped up in their lives there.

How easy it is for Christians today to get wrapped up in the things of this world. And we do it so gradually. Lot didn't suddenly jump into Sodom. You find that back in Genesis 13, don't you? When Abraham told Lot to choose which way he wanted to go. Genesis 13:10. "And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan. It was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt." Well, his eyes were always on the earthly.

Our citizenship is in heaven, and our affection ought to be in heaven. Our values ought to come from heaven. We ought to measure things on earth by things in heaven. The tragedy was Lot had his eyes on the earth. First he looked toward Sodom, then he pitched his tent toward Sodom, then he moved into Sodom, then God got him out of Sodom as a prisoner of war, then he went back into Sodom and now he's sitting in the gate. How easy it is for us to get worldly, to get all wrapped up in things and thrills, money and the things that money can buy. Now there's nothing wrong with the things that money can buy if you don't lose the things money can't buy. And Lot had lost the things that money cannot buy. He'd lost his altar, he'd lost the light.

There's a contrast in attitudes. Abraham obeyed God and did what he was told. He laughed with joy to hear the message. There's no joy in Genesis 19, there's no laughter. And Lot did not obey, Lot argued. He argues with them. Verse 18: "Then Lot said to them, 'Please, no, my lords.'" Now you can say no and you can say Lord, but you can't say no, Lord. They don't go together. Abraham was obedient. That's what Jesus said, remember now, John 14:23, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him."

There's a contrast in influence. Abraham had power with God. Abraham stood and prayed. He interceded for Lot. When you read the Bible, you'll notice that these intercessors are a noble group of people. Moses up in the mountain interceding for Israel when Israel had sinned. David crying out to God for his people. Elijah there on Mount Carmel. The Apostle Paul praying for Israel and for the new Christians. And our Lord Jesus Christ himself is a great intercessor. In fact, right now he ever lives to make intercession for us. The closest thing that we have to a heavenly ministry today is the ministry of intercession.

Here is Lot living in a place of disobedience and here's Abraham in the place of separation praying for him. Abraham outside of Sodom, standing before God had more influence than Lot did sitting in the city gate where he was one of the elders or one of the mayors of the city. Lot had no influence. Lot had no influence over his sons-in-law, they laughed at him. He came running in and he said, "Uh, uh, they're going to destroy this place. Get out, get out!" And the boy said, "Whoa, Dad is really funny tonight." "Uh, that's, that's a good joke. The city's going to be destroyed." Lot lost his influence. He, he lost his moral integrity. He offers his two single daughters, his two single daughters to that mob of men out in the street.

I tell you when a Christian gets backslidden, it's the children who suffer. Let the head of the household, let the father in the home cease to have an altar, cease to have a tent, cease to walk in the light and before long his standards will be gone. And the children will be exposed to all kinds of moral infection. Can you imagine a father sacrificing the virtue of his two daughters to the lust of a mob out in the street? Well, it's being done today. People are greatly concerned about the family today. The home seems to be the target for all kinds of attacks. It seems like families are no longer families. Many fathers don't know what their children watch on television, what they read, what they are doing when they're not at home, and they've set the wrong example for them. He lost his influence, he had no witness at all. And the results, well, Abraham ended up with a son ultimately. Lot ended up with two sons, Moab and Ammon. The Moabites and the Ammonites born out of drunken incest.

Now a few years before, when Lot was walking with Abraham, you would never have thought this was going to happen. Nobody would have said, you know, Lot's going to end up really in the darkness. That's where he ended up in a cave in the darkness. Abraham's walking in the light, going from light to light. The path of the just is as the shining light that shines more and more unto that perfect day. But Lot's going from darkness to darkness, finally ends up in the darkness of a cave, getting drunk, committing incest.

Yes, there are going to be two kinds of believers when the end comes. Those who are faithful to the Lord. Those like Abraham who are separated from sin. Those who are walking with God. You see, Abraham was the friend of God, Lot was a friend of the world. James 4:4 tells us, "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." God would have enjoyed having fellowship with Lot, had Lot been where Abraham was, but Lot had exchanged his tent for a house, the heavenly city for an earthly city. He had exchanged values for prices, he had exchanged the permanent for the temporary, the eternal for the passing. He had exchanged the glory of God for the praise of men, and as a consequence he lost his own family. And alas, there are going to be those like Lot who are walking in the darkness, who are what we call carnal Christians, worldly Christians. And Lot lost everything. Saved as by fire. He lost his home, he lost his possessions, he lost his wife, he lost his married daughters, he lost his sons-in-law. He lost his own integrity and honesty, he lost his altar, he lost his witness, he lost. And because he lost, he lost blessing and reward.

People say, "Well, yes, I'm a Christian, but you know, I'm not a dedicated Christian." What do you have to gain by that? Don't use Lot as your example or your excuse. I tell you when the end came for Lot, he must have looked back and said, "I really missed my opportunity. I could have walked with God. I could have known God the way Uncle Abraham knows God. I could have brought blessing into this world. Instead I'm leaving behind the two enemies of the Hebrew people, the Ammonites and the Moabites."

Well, what kind of a believer am I going to be? What kind of a believer are you going to be if Jesus Christ should come today? He's going to come. We don't know when, he's going to come. And the warning is given to us, you better be ready. Where are you today? Are you living in your tent or have you moved into a permanent dwelling in this world? Do you have your eyes on that heavenly city? Are you thinking about the glory of God? Are you a blessing to your family? Abraham was a blessing to his home. Lot brought judgment to his home. Let him who thinks he stands, take heed, lest he fall. You better be ready. Let's be ready by being at the altar, being at the tent, walking with the Lord, looking for his coming.