Genesis 19:6 – And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,

Genesis 19:7 – And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

Genesis 19:8 – Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

Genesis 19:9 – And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

Hello readers, I’m going to be a godly influence! This is a common one. Often Christians justify their actions and lives because they say they’re going to influence the world for Christ. That’s how they justify there being no separation, no consecration, no dedication and no true obedience to God’s word in their lives. Unlike Moses who God got out of his palace in Egypt, they’re instead going to help as an Egyptian. I’m sure people would’ve told Moses, hey you’d do a lot more good staying in Egypt and passing some governmental reforms to make life a bit easier for us.

So maybe today you have the smoke screen of I’m being all things to all people, maybe you say you’re having a godly influence… but what’s it really all about. Lot’s life was all about himself, about his cattle, he did no good in Sodom, he didn’t make them any less Sodomite.

Lot’s an example of someone who tries to be a godly influence. Who tries to reach the world his own way… not God’s way. We know that what Lot really wanted was to advance and protect his own interests… his cattle business did a lot better in the well watered plains and in the cities where heaps of buyers and demand for meat was. Furthermore he wanted his family in the city with schooling, friends, activities… that’s what it really was about.

He came into Sodom and he tried to elevate himself to a position of leadership where he could influence life in Sodom. He was sitting in the gate when the angels came to get him out of there. What do you need to get out of? What’s it going to take to get you out of Sodom? Lot didn’t want to go.

Lot’s godly influence did no good. He didn’t really care about them, he may have been trying to raise the standard… but he only went down to their standard. In the name of being a godly influence, the only person being influenced is you.

Back in Genesis Abraham had offered Lot to choose to take whatever land he wanted. They were splitting up. They needed to because they could no longer dwell together because their herdmen were having problems. Christians are having the same problems today. Different Bibles and doctrines and truths will split the true Christians from the fakes.

Lot ruined himself and his family with his compromise, with his love of the world. His kids and grandkids would become enemies of God and father nations that would oppose God’s word and God’s people for the rest of history. How often you see today sons and daughters who’s parents and grandparents were Christians… but now they’re the worst opponents of truth.

I’ve talked to people during my life who think they know a better way than God’s way to reach the lost and care for others. They care for people more than God you see (yes this blog has a slight sarcasm to it in places, but hopefully it gets us thinking, and us includes me because I need to look at myself first and foremost). But funnily enough, people get to thinking they’re holier than God. It’s incredible, but true. How many people elevate their standard for morality above the Lord… crazy stuff. And even Christians do, in fact they can be the worst because we get to having an air about ourselves. So while God says sodomy is an abomination to him…. we’re instead like Lot, we’re going to go down to Sodom and dwell amongst them for selfish reasons (we don’t really love other people). Oh yeah Lot will go, Abraham is that stupid hermit who doesn’t get along with anyone out in the middle of nowhere, but I’m a people person!

We shouldn’t be there, but here we are, a Christian has no business pitching his tent toward Sodom… which then becomes living in Sodom. We then try and make our difference in life by being nice and understanding and getting to know them so they can show them God’s love. We’ll be careful to evade any confrontation or say anything that might be offensive or wait for it… judgmental. See, they liked Lot until they felt he was being judgmental. Don’t judge us Lot. And we, like Lot, can’t stand for truth because we are compromised by our own rebellion to God in our own life. They didn’t respect Lot, they won’t respect you either. Lot was in no real position to speak the truth because his own life was full of issues. How can you preach against something you’re part of and accomplice to? They were his “brethren” remember. He had become one of them, even if he didn’t participate in everything they did. See, the only one who’s being influenced is you. And God cares for people a lot more than you do. Your way of reaching out to people and making a difference isn’t better than the way God says to do it.

Lot had tried making the Sodomites less sodomite. Why do we ever try to change people ourselves? He was trying to make them fit for purpose. He was trying to raise the standard of Sodom. And maybe he wiped it out during the daytime… but in the night, they were marching in the streets. Funny that, there’s a mob marching in the streets these days too. The only change you’ll ever make is by giving them the truth of God’s word, telling them the gospel, and outside of that having no part or lot with it (no pun intended). Without the new birth, without God making a change in someone’s heart through the gospel, without that vital spiritual kingdom change which only the Holy Spirit of God can do… the change we make to someone is us just kidding ourselves. Why would you ever want to produce someone anyway… as soon as you’re not there to make sure they’re behaving as they should, they’ll behave as they are truly wont to do.

Lot sat in the gate and he called them brethren. Hey a lot of Christians are out there calling very wicked, anti God people their brethren. You get along better with sodomites than with someone standing for truth like Abraham do you? You see, Abraham’s out there living in a tent by himself… and Lot’s got his sodomite buddies in Sodom.

Lot said don’t be so wicked lads, have my daughters instead… like that’s a better option. See, so often down in Sodom we lose all sense of morality…weren’t both things wicked? Your moral compass is going to get messed up when you live, think and do like Lot. Unless your morality comes from God’s word, you’ll end up an exercise in contradiction in your life. Sinners are always in contradiction with themselves and against Christ. Christians out there are all messed up, they’ve left God’s word, they’ve left faith. You never see Lot having communion and fellowship with God, you never see God speaking to him… he was too busy.

The Bible says in Jeremiah 48:10 – Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. I’ve been thinking about this of late, particularly the second part of the verse. See, we are actually soldiers of Christ when we are saved. But you’re going to keep your sword in your sheath ain’t you. God’s word is our sword, but instead of swinging it in God’s battles, we’re keeping it back. But not only that, we don’t want it to be bloody, no blood of Christ required please, nothing about sin, hell judgement, wrath please, no getting in the trenches please, we don’t want to get in the fight, the fight of faith, the fight for souls, we don’t want to fight, we’re too holy and loving and have too much compassion and understanding to call sin sin, to shine as lights in a dark world, in a perverse and crooked nation.

This is the point I’m getting to. So many Christians justify their rubbish in their lives by putting a Christian veil on it. They’re not about winning souls to Christ. They’re not about standing for truth. They’re deceitful workers, because they say they’re doing the works of Christ, that is believing and obeying and following Christ… but they’re not at all. Their life is just about them, just like Lot’s was. They’re brethren to the sodomites, people who hate God, who hate God’s word… and they hate the man of God… they’ve left old Abraham, the doddery old fool off in the wilderness somewhere.

What kind of an influence are you really having on others. Oh yes you say you’re friends with them, you hang out with them so you can be a godly influence in their lives… but honestly? They’re really just influencing you and the only standard being changed is yours. Look how low Lot’s standard was… offering his virgin daughters to a mob of vile men. Look how twisted he was mentally to think that his wicked offer was any less wicked than what they wanted to do to the men inside.

Lot was trying to be a godly influence, but that was secondary to the fact that his life was really all about him just doing what he wanted to do, advancing his own interests. So many Christians have no godly influence, because they’re disobeying God in their own lives and even in trying to help others. You can’t help others by disobeying God yourself and disobeying God in how you go about it. You’re not holier than God. You’re not more loving than God. Your way is better than God’s way. And you’re only kidding yourself. Lot was the one who was influenced, and he was easily influenced. He didn’t make them any less sodomite, but look at his life and what happened to his kids and his posterity. Trainwreck.

Are you brethren to the sodomites? Proverbs is full of warning about companying with people that hate God and love evil. You’re not going to change them by being nice, and understanding, and trying to love them more than God does. People need the truth. Yes they need the gospel and we need to give it, but we know Lot’s life wasn’t about God’s word both personally or towards them. I’m sure he felt better putting his feet up in the gate thinking I’ve made this place so much better. But at night the night crawlers still came out… without repentance and belief in Christ, you can Christianize people forever, but their flesh will still crawl out… because that’s who they truly are. Sodomites are sodomites.

If you’re a buddy to them, you need to tell them judgment is coming, it surely was… Lot never told them the truth, and guess what… they still hated him. You try to be loved by a Christ rejecting world… they’re still going to hate you. The guy that truly loved Lot was the guy pleading for God to spare him… yeah, the guy he’d split from… Abraham. You want to be a godly influence? Do it God’s way. You’re going to reach the lost by obeying God’s word in your own life, standing for truth, standing alone if you have to, and doing it God’s way, the Bible way.

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