Nothing Back There

Gensesis 19:1-26

Some History of Text/Sodom and Gomorrah:

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/people/who-was-lot-s-wife-why-was-she-turned-into-a-pillar-of-salt.html
  1. An Appearance and A Promise – Genesis 17:1-5b

Application: I am changing you….your name, your place and your future!


A Covenant is forged & Secured!


Transition
: Jumping ahead some….

  • Abram Receives three strangersGenesis 18:1-15

  • Abram understood/recognized their significance.
  • Next year…Sarah will have a baby! Sarah wasn’t sure she laughed).

Lord says to Abram, ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord?’

Application: Is there anything that God can’t do for you and I tody? Anything he can’t turn around, heal, and use for our future?

  • The Problem with ‘Sin City’ Sodom – Chapters 18 & 19

The Lord has seen the wickedness of a people!
His plan is to destroy the city!


Question: Lord asks the Strangers, ‘Should I let Abraham in on plan?’

The answer is, ‘Of course…’

  • This would spare Abraham and his family
  • Keep the covenant promise of Abraham’s lineage
  • Abraham Intercedes for ‘Sin City’ –  Genesis 18:16f

  • Lord if I/You can find 10 righteous…will you spare?
  • Sin City Destroyed – Genesis 19:1-26 (Text)


Transition: Enter Lot, Abraham’s nephew.

  • Casualities Noted –  Genesis 19:26

Lot’s Wife Looked Back!


——————————————————————–

Role/Place/Properties of Salt

  1. Salt as a Reality/Necessity

  2. Salt is a fundamental necessity of life, and has been used since ancient times in many cultures as a seasoning, a preservative, a disinfectant, a component of ceremonial offerings, and as a unit of exchange.
  • Salt as part of Religious Activity

  • Leviticus (2:13) and Ezekiel (43:24) make it evident that salt was an important part of ancient Hebrew religious sacrifice. “And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.” (Leviticus 2:13) Also, salt was always cast on the burnt offering (Ezekiel 43:24), and was part of the incense offered in the Temple (Exodus 30:35). Moreover, even newborn babies were rubbed with salt, as we read in Ezekiel: “As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.” (Ezekiel 16:4)
  • Salt as Relational

  • But salt was also widely and variably used symbolically in ancient Israel. The books of Numbers and 2 Chronicles present salt as the symbol that confirms friendship between parties. Eating salt together, in fact, was (and still is) a sign of friendship in some regions in the Mediterranean.

Application: Like us having ‘coffee with someone’ today.

Question: What does friendship with the world / looking back reflect?

Question: What might we learn/believe about what Lot’s wife did?

At minimal….Lot’s wife had:

  1. A Curiosity / An Affinity / Connection / Deire to-with Sin.

Some commentators believe she was looking back to see if her daughters were following behind or if her father’s house was surviving the wrath.

  • The story warns believers of the consequences of looking back on their previous life of sin before salvation. Such pondering will usually return us to past sins.
  • There is no room or time to worry about the things we leave behind in our journey forward with Christ.
  • In order to grow spiritually, we must place our trust in God, not dwell in our past.


Application:What good does looking back at our past do to help us? None!

A glimps / reminder of negative / past history only brings pain, depression, doubt, anger and discouragement.

Truth Bomb! Judgement engulfed Lot’s wife because her affections were with Sodom, now with God!


Transition: The second thing we can definitely see that resulted in Lot’s wife is that it impeded (in this case permanently) her future progress.

Transition:

  • Impeeds Progress


Jeremiah 29:11 is good here!

  • We must follow God knowing his will is perfect and He will be present with the believer each step of our life’s journey.


We can’t dwell on the negative past!

Conclusion: With any curiosity / affinity with sin comes the consequence of sin! Don’t look back!

Pure

Pure Ministry

Introduction: As we have taken the time to honour our Pastors (and thank you), I invite you to look at 1 Thessalonians 2 with me. I. Paul’s Assessment (of Pure Ministry) – 1 Thessalonians 2:1-2a II. Paul’s Advantage (of Pure Ministry) – 1 Thess. 2:2b III. Paul’s (Ministries) Integrity – 1 Thess. 2:3-6 IV. Paul’s…

israel (1)

Word to the Wise

Introduction: Let me finish my thoughts on Matthew 8-10. Jesus is moved for the people and to send disciples/others into the whitened harvest field. Jesus does give additional instructions and awareness of lays before them. Question: Why did Jesus not send the disciples to Gentiles and Samaritans? In Romans 1:16 Paul writes, “I am not…

Parke Maise (1)

Author and Authorization

 Matthew 10:1-15 Introduction: This is where I left off last week. Because there is a ripen harvest prepared by God himself… Jesus says, 9:38, ‘So pray, to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into the fields.’ Pray =Ask =Send = thrust forth – ‘The harvest is…

Harvest (1)

The Lost – A Whitened Harvest

Introduction: Last week I spoke about what the oil running down Aaron’s beard was all about. It was about the separation of objects and especially people for God’s use. Transition: In the Book of Matthew, after Jesus taught about matters like praying, not judging others, the ‘golden rule’, the problem with worrying, and some other…

the anointing oil (1)

Oil on Aaron’s Beard

Psalm 133:1-2; Lev. 8:10-12 Introduction: Some of you may have heard or studied this image in scripture of oil soaking Aaron’s beard and dripping down all the way to his toes. This comes from Psalm 133:1-2 & Leviticus 8:10-12. I sensed the Lord was putting this in my heart and mind and what the significance…

no weapon

Nothing Formed

Isaiah 54:1-17 Introduction: The last verse of Isaiah chapter 54 is one of the verses we lean on frequently. NLT – Isaiah 54:17 ‘But in that coming day no weapon (turned, formed, forged) against you will (succeed, prosper)’. ‘You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants…

Seed!

Harvest Seed

2 Corinthians 9 Introduction: Last weekend I spoke to you about Sabbath rest and how (Labor Day) was one of those days as a day of extra ‘rest’. Labor Day is also known as the last (unofficial) weekend of the summer. That’s the natural time (God’s time) we are moving into. The first official day…

sabbath

Why Rest

Labor Day today is a welcomed day not only because it recognizes workers/labors, but because it gives us an extra day of ‘rest’. Judaism[edit] Main article: Shabbat See also: Hebrew calendar Jewish Shabbat (Shabbath, Shabbes, Shobos, etc.) is a weekly day of rest, observed from sundown on Friday until the appearance of three stars in…

Bitter

The Big Stick

Exodus 15:22-16:27 Introduction: Trustin God during Bitter Times ‘The people complained and turned against Moses.’Meaning:  1) to lodge, stop over, pass the night, abide 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to lodge, pass the night 1a2) to abide, remain (fig.) 1b) (Hiphil) to cause to rest or lodge 1c) (Hithpalpel) to dwell, abide 2) to grumble, complain, murmur…