2 Peter 2:7 – And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

2 Peter 2:8 – (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

Genesis 19:1 – And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

Hey all, back with a new blog today, and in the coming blogs I will be going through the life of Lot. I’m hoping to keep my blogs a little shorter, both for readability’s sake and so that the whole point of the blog is not lost as I can tend to chase rabbit trails! See you 3k words later!! But on to the blog… Jesus said that when he comes again the world would be like it was in the days of Lot. So the life and times of Lot bear extreme significance and relevance to us today. Lot is found in Genesis, and primarily between chapters 11 and 19. Lot was a saved man, Peter called Lot a just and righteous man in his second epistle. But much of Lot’s life doesn’t seem that righteous, in fact without Peter calling him righteous Lot, we may even question that this man was saved at all. But the fact is, most saved people live more like Lot did than like Abraham. That’s the reality. Lot was Abraham’s nephew, but we see two very different lives, choices, and legacies. But Lot is perhaps a truer picture of Christians by and large today than Abraham is. Abraham was a man of faith, he believed God, he obeyed God, he walked with God by faith. Lot’s story though is less than glorious. But God has left the record of his life to show us a great many truths, and we would do well to heed the warnings found in his life, because Lot’s story is loaded with warnings. Lot is primarily a picture of a believer, but the truths of his life are equally applicable to an unsaved person. If you are not saved, you need to be saved, that is the starting point. Lot did believe God, but many things went wrong in his life because of choices he made. Lot is a picture of a believer who is and remains a spiritual babe, one who never grows spiritually. He is a picture of a believer who is out of fellowship with a God, a believer who is out of step with God and not walking with God, a believer who lives in the wilderness, who never enters the promised land of their life. He is the picture of a believer who compromises with the world, who is weak in the faith, who lives carnally not spiritually, who has earthly temporal vision and not heavenly eternal vision, whose witness is destroyed, whose life is a smouldering mess by the time he’s done with it, who leaves a legacy to be scoffed at and not admired… who calls their kid Lot?

Today I will be talking about the subject of inaction. Because immediately we see from Lot’s life that he knew that something was wrong with where he was living, but he stayed there anyway. He knew better, it wasn’t he didn’t know, it’s he didn’t do anything about it. We all have the knowledge of right and wrong, and sure our conscience can become seared and hardened over time, but right now, guaranteed the reader knows things in their lives that are wrong, that need to be addressed, that should be done… but which they just will not do. Satan wants to get you to a point where you are so weak, so wore out, indifferent, incapable of doing anything. He will cower you down, he wants you to stay right where are you. Look in 1 Kings 13, there was a man of God who in obedience to God rebuked the king of Israel, but as he was going home, and after mighty deeds and exploits, he decided to sit down under an oak tree. And when you are not moving, you become a sitting duck. He sat under an oak tree, and read the rest of the story, he had a terrible ending, all because he sat down, instead of going home and obeying God to the fullest. It was at the point of sitting down that he then embarked on a disobeying God’s word, sitting down preceded disobedience. Inaction will lead you to disobey God’s express, clear, written word. The Bible says that to him that knoweth to do right and doeth it not, to him it is sin – James 4:7. There is a time to wait on God, but waiting on God is not to be confused with knowing when to do something, and not doing it. And that’s exactly what Lot did… or didn’t do! And look what it cost him. David could have easily turned around and gone home when heard Goliath’s words defying the armies of Israel, but instead he did something about it. Is there not a cause? he said to his brother. God’s cause is the right thing to do. If God’s glory is first and foremost in your life, than your actions will be right, they will be guided by the right thing. Do things because God’s glory is at stake. God will honor the actions those who are seeking him and his glory. Lot’s inaction not only cost him, but it also cost his family. Our sin affects those around us, sin is always selfish at it’s core.

The Bible says Lot was vexed with the filthy words and deeds of the people of Sodom. He knew being in Sodom was wrong, he knew what they were saying and doing was exceedingly wicked just as the Bible in Genesis 13 says. There is greater sin in the Bible, sin is sin, but some sin is much worse than others, Jesus said those that delivered him to Pilate had greater sin. Sodomite sin is the worst, read Romans 1 and you see the progression of humanity, unrestrained sexual wickedness that is not only allowed but promote, justified, and that you are openly proud of (gay pride anyone?) is the final step to being a reprobate. A reprobate mind is one that God has given up on, God will turn you over to a reprobate mind, and at that point you are done. God’s spirit departed from Saul, and God had long departed from Sodom. In fact, God was coming to judge and destroy Sodom, not to save any of the Sodomite. He was going to get Lot out, and then blow it of the map. The wicked words and deeds of the Sodomites not only wore Lot down, but they wore him down to such a point that he got used to it! And not only that by the time God came to get him and his family out, he didn’t want to leave! He couldn’t imagine life without Sodom, he didn’t want to go to the mountains where the angels were taking him, he wanted to go to Zoar, one of the cities near Sodom! He needed his Sodomite fix! The mountains are no place for backsliding, weak Christians. And this is exactly like the people of Israel who were slaves in Egypt, and yet in the wilderness they longed to go back! They would rather stay as slaves than live in freedom! Crazy!  But Satan will get you to a point where you are not only under his heavy yoke, but you can’t imagine being without it. When Samson was doing war with the Philistines, his own brethren came to get him to deliver him to the Philistines, they said to him, Know ye not that the Philistines are rulers over us? If you are a man of faith as Samson was, trying to do what God wants you to do, the right thing, expect your family, the people you don’t expect to be against you, the ones whose betrayal would hurt the most… to be the ones leading the charge against you. Jesus said in Matthew 10:34-37 – Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. God will use your family try your heart, to show what you’re truly made of. In John 9, Jesus healed a blind man, he had the most amazing simple testimony of God’s grace toward him, he was just taking simple but powerful steps of faith, and in came the religious elite to oppose him and they asked his parents about him, and did they back him up? No. His father and his mother surrendered him, they did not back him up, they betrayed their own son, because they didn’t want to be kicked out the temple, they didn’t want to be put out of the synagogue.

We read in Genesis 19 that Lot tarried. He just kept waiting and waiting. Fire and brimstone was ready to be poured out on the wicked city, but he didn’t want to go! His family definitely didn’t want to go. His sons stayed! They laughed at him, they couldn’t take him seriously. This is the price of staying in Sodom. Your witness, your testimony, your power is gone. Here Lot had been living in Sodom, as a judge of Sodom, and now he’s saying get out? One could imagine his sons pointing out his hypocrisy. Dad, you said the Sodomites weren’t bad people, sure they are bad people, but we all do bad, why is it suddenly not okay? Why do we need to leave? Lot had waited too long, and his sons paid the price because of his inaction, his waiting, his turning a blind eye. Inaction carries a high price. He knew it was wrong, yet he lived there. And not only lived there, but was a judge there, he was sitting in the gate of Sodom when the angels arrived to get him out. What kind of a judge was he? God says sodomy is an abomination. There is nothing more to be said. God is the Judge of the earth. It is what the Bible says. The Bible says let God be true and every man a liar. Maybe Lot was trying to be a “loving” Christian, a “don’t judge anyone” Christian. You are not going to make any sinners nicer and better people by being all “loving” and kind to them. It doesn’t work that way. Love and truth are inextricably linked, you love someone more by telling them the truth, than by greasing their slide to hell. Lot was trying to “christianize” these Sodomites. A pig can be washed, but a pig is still a pig. The the pig returns to wallowing in the mire. “Christianizing” people is a waste of time. Unless you repent, ask God for mercy and forgiveness, and are born again, trying to trim up, refine your words are deeds are pointless. Might as well just do you worst! What good did Lot ultimately do in Sodom? Nothing. In fact it only pulled him down, it cost him and his family.

I have even chased rabbit trails in this blog. The point of the blog was inaction. Lot had no business in Sodom. And he didn’t begin in Sodom, he began with Abram, but then he got closer to and closer to Sodom, and he eventually moved in. Satan may take ground slowly in your life, but he’s taking ground nonetheless. And when you wake up, it will be too late. You may not wake up at all. Abraham was a man strong in faith and obedience to God, he was in fellowship with God, all the while Lot was in Sodom. Abraham’s inheritance is eternal, Lot’s got blown off the map. All because of inaction. Lot knew better, but he did nothing. And that happens in all our lives. It’s not we don’t know what to do, it’s we don’t WANT to do. Because doing carries a price. His family became so entwined in Sodom, in it’s culture, night life no doubt. Where was his wife? It was Lot that prepared the meal for the angels… his wife was nowhere to be seen, his life was no doubt an early feminist, she was busy pursuing her own ambition, career, and goals. Sarah prepared a meal for the angels, but Lot’s nameless wife was not even in the picture. Who says the Bible is not up to date? It is more accurate than anything, and it’s not even close. We are not in “new” times, we are entering times just like the days of Lot, mankind keeps going in cycles. Lot would never have left, he would have been destroyed had not the angels rescued him out.

God is so gracious and merciful. He didn’t take destroying Sodom lightly, even despite the cry of it the Bible says… this city was more wicked than we can imagine. When the men came to rape the angels, it says both old and young, small and great, from every quarter were there. Utterly corrupt. God said in Genesis 6 his Spirit will not always strive with man. He’s longsuffering, he will convict you, the Holy Spirit of God will move upon the face of the deep of your life. But then what? Will you respond or not? Judgement day is coming. And what on earth was Lot doing there, why and how did it all come to this? It was all because of inaction, because of indecisiveness, because he knew the right thing to do, he knew things were wrong, there was a cause, but he didn’t do thing one about it. Turning a blind eye doesn’t fix anything, Lot did quite well in Sodom so there was no need to do anything about it? You may be going ok, in fact you probably are, which is another reason why you don’t do what’s right. Why rock the boat? You’ve got it made! Lot had it made in Sodom. He was rich, he was a judge, everything was going great! But payday was coming, Moses said be sure your sin will find you out. Don’t mistake God’s longsuffering for him winking at your sin, your inaction, your letting things slide. He is giving you space to repent, he is not excusing what you are doing… or not doing. We all have situations in our life today that need to be addressed… not later… NOW. Acts 24:25 – And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. The convenient season will never come guys, you just have to do it, Felix never called for Paul, he never got saved. If you are in this boat today of inaction, of perpetual waiting, first order of business is to get saved, and if you are saved, then it’s time to do what God wants you to do, what his word says. And don’t lie to yourself any longer, it’s not you don’t know what to do (if you truly don’t ask him and he will show you) but in truth it’s probably that you know what to do, but you’re just not doing it because of some cost associated with it.

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