(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Amen. Well, thank you very much for being here everybody this morning. I appreciate it's a great crowd here this morning, and thank you for having us, and my wife, and our family. We always feel so welcomed here, and of course thank you to the Pazarski family for your hospitality, and just, you know, your kindness and your friendship, and we're excited to be here. I'm glad to be here. You know, I think it should be said, we don't want to minimize Brother Phil's birthday, but he didn't bring cake. So, you know, that's what happens when you don't bring cake. But anyway, we're glad you're here, and you know, I was sitting there this morning singing when the service was started, and I was thinking about this place is an amazing place, and to think about the fact that five months ago this did not exist. And today there's a legitimate, independent, fundamental, Baptist, soul winning, King James only, you know, hard preaching church. This is a great thing, so we're glad you're here. I'm glad that you are a part of it. This morning I want to preach to you about a character in the Bible by the name of Lot. Oftentimes when we go to Genesis 19, we focus in on the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, and I'm really not going to be focusing on that this morning. And I want you to look at the last part of Genesis 19 if you would, and I want you to notice this other story in Genesis 19 that is a disturbing story in the Bible, maybe an interesting story. Genesis 19, if you would look at verse 30, the Bible says this, and Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and of course this is Lot running from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He's running from the fact that God is destroying that place, and his two daughters with him, for he feared to dwell in Zoar and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. And the firstborn said unto the younger, our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth. Now these girls are confused, they've just seen God destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain, and they think that God has destroyed the entire earth. So they're with their father hiding in this cave, and they get this idea, notice again verse 31, the firstborn and the firstborn said unto the younger, our father is old and there is not a man in the earth. To come in unto us after the manner of all the earth, verse 32, come, let us make our father drink wine. And I'm not preaching about this this morning, but let me just point out the fact that in the Bible, nothing good ever comes from drinking alcohol. And alcohol is always presented in scripture as a negative thing, and I hope you young people will get that in your head. Nothing good ever comes from drinking alcohol. And here they said, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn went in and lay with her father. And without going into any details, this is of course incest, this is a very disturbing story in scripture. And he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose, and it came to pass on the morrow that the firstborn said unto the younger, behold, I lay yesterday night with my father, let us make him drink wine this night also, and go thou in and lie with him that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger arose and lay with him. And here we're talking about an incestuous relationship here, and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose, thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the firstborn bare a son and called his name Moab, and the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. And the younger, she also bare a son and called his name Benami, the same as the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. And of course these children of Lot that he fathered with his own daughters ended up being men who tribes descended from them and nations, the nation of Moab and of Ammon, and these were enemies of the people of God and the children of Israel later on in the history of God's people. So I'm pointing this story out to you, and if you're familiar with the life of Lot, you know that at this point in Lot's life, he has had a couple of daughters, at least a couple of daughters. Is this water for me? May I drink this? Thank you. He has had at least a couple of daughters who were married to men in Sodom, who he was not able to get out of Sodom, and they died there in Sodom when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. He has a wife who is a pillar of salt just outside of this cave somewhere because of the fact that she looked back to Sodom when it was being destroyed and disobeyed the instruction of the angels. He has these two daughters who were virgins, the Bible tells us, so they're with him, and now he has these daughters who are pregnant by him due to incest. And when I look at the story in the life of Lot, I think to myself, I don't know that someone could have made a bigger mess of their lives if they set out to do so. I mean, have you ever met somebody like that? When you kind of look at their lives and you think to yourself, I don't know that you could have done a worse job with your life. I mean, if you set out to just ruin your life, if you set out to just destroy your life, if you want to set out and say, I just want to destroy my marriage, I want to ruin my children, I want all my friends and coworkers to hate me, I just want to destroy everything, every relationship, every value that I have. You know, sometimes people end their lives in such a way, and we see this with Lot, where you kind of look at them and you think, man, if you were trying, you couldn't have messed up any more than you messed up. But when you realize that, you've got to ask yourself this question, does anyone ever intend to end their lives in such a failure? And you know the resounding question to that is, no, of course not. Nobody ever sets out, you don't walk up to children playing at the park and ask them, hey, what do you want to be when you grow up? And they tell you, when I grow up, I want to serve a life sentence. I mean, I just want to be in prison for the rest of my life. I want to do something and lead my life in such a way that they incarcerate me and never let me out, where they actually sentence me to die in an institution. Nobody has that goal in life, but yet, there are people all over this country whose lives are exactly that. Now for many of those, some of those people, you know, they weren't guilty and we understand that, but for many of those people, they are guilty and they've made choices and decisions that led them in that direction. And here's what I'm telling you, whether it's law or whether it's someone you know or whether it's someone that I know that has ruined their marriage, that has ruined their relationship with their children, that has made mistakes in their life, they get to the end of their life and you think, man, this is such a mess. I couldn't imagine that anybody would do this, yet people do so and you've got to ask this question. If no one sets out to ruin their lives, then how does somebody end up there? How did Lot end up here? In a cave with two daughters who were pregnant by him, with his finances a mess and his possessions ruined and his relationships ruined. How did he get here? And I want to preach to you this morning on the subject of the slippery slope of sin, because nobody actually sets out to destroy their lives, but when we study and when we look at the life of Lot, and I'd like to do that this morning, when we go through his life, and I'd like to point out several things to you, when you look at the life of Lot, you realize that there were specific choices, decisions that were made through his life that led him in this path that nobody would actually try to go down on purpose. Here's what's interesting about Lot, and when you notice Lot, Lot began well, he ended poorly, he ended badly, but he began very well. In fact, if you would, go with me to the book of Genesis, chapter number 12, and we'll see the beginning of the Lot, of the life of Lot, the first time we see him in Scripture, Lot chapter 12 and verse 4. If you're familiar with the book of Genesis, you know that chapter 12 is the chapter where we see Abraham leaving his home and going, following the Lord and believing him in faith and going to start this new nation and movement that God has called him to. Genesis chapter 12, look at verse 4, the Bible says this, so Abraham departed as the Lord had spoken unto him, and notice this, and Lot went with him, and Abraham was 75 years old when he departed out of Haran, and Abraham took Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his brother's son, and all their substance. I want you to notice that Lot was his nephew, Lot was Abraham's brother's son, and Lot joined Abraham on his journey to follow the Lord. Lot joined Abraham on his journey to go and seek after God, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran, and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan, and into the land of Canaan they came. Notice chapter 13 and verse number 1, if you flip over just one chapter, chapter 13 verse 1, not only was Lot in a relationship with Abraham as a family member, but as a friend and as a sojourner, they were on this journey together to serve the Lord, but Lot had been blessed with Abraham because of the fact that Lot was with Abraham, he had been highly blessed. Notice Genesis 13, look at verse 1, and Abraham went up out of Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him into the south. Notice verse 2, and Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. Notice verse 5, and Lot also, Lot also what? Lot also was rich, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. So notice, he had been blessed financially by God. He had been blessed because he was journeying. This is how we see Lot begin his life. He begins his life as in a relationship with Abraham, following the Lord with Abraham, serving with Abraham, being blessed by Abraham, and then things begin to break down in his life. And here's the truth, usually things will begin to break down in our lives, we begin to start getting backslidden when things are going well, isn't that true? I mean when things are going fine, when finances are going well, when business is going well, when things are happening, that's usually when we kind of get distracted and we get our focus off of the things that we should have. And here's what I'd like to do this morning, I want to give you four statements as we travel through the life of Lot that'll kind of help you identify the slippery slope of sin. And how sin will slide, will backslide slowly into destruction. And if you would, and if you've got a baby sitting on your lap, I understand this might be difficult, but if not, maybe you can write these things down on the back of your bulletin there. You've got a place to take some notes, I'd like you to write these statements down, they're not alliterated and they're not catchy, they're just statements and I'll repeat them several times if you want to write them down. But I want you to get these statements this morning in regards to the slippery slope of sin. And I'll begin by saying this, point number one this morning is this, sin has a slippery slope because, sin has a slippery slope because it starts with making seemingly insignificant wrong choices. Sin has a slippery slope because of the fact that it starts, it begins with making small, making small seemingly insignificant wrong choices. And this is what we see Lot do in his life. Now in the life of Lot and Abraham, remember we saw that they had much cattle. And we won't take the time to read these verses, but because they had so much cattle, they had so much, so many flocks and herds and possessions, their herdmen actually began to fight with each other. And they decided that they should put some distance between each other and that they should separate so that they're not just trampling over each other, living on top of each other. Though their workers aren't just fighting with each other. And this is when Lot makes a small, seemingly insignificant, yet very wrong choice. Notice verse 10, Genesis 13 and verse 10, and Lot lifted up his eyes. And I want you to notice that the focus in this passage is on Lot's focus. What's being emphasized is what Lot is paying attention to, what he's giving his attention to, what he is focusing on. And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan. That it was well watered everywhere before the Lord destroyed Samra and Gomorrah. Even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zor. So Lot decides that it's time to maybe put some distance between him and Abraham and he can go anywhere and he can choose anything. But the Bible tells us that he lifted up his eyes and he beheld the plains of Jordan because they were well watered, because they were like the garden of the Lord, because they were like the land of Egypt. Notice verse number 12, Abraham dwelt in the land of Canaan and Lot dwelt in the city of the plain. And you say, well what's the problem? What's the problem with the fact that he chose the plains of Jordan? I mean he's got herds and he's got cattle and he's got flocks. I mean what's the big deal with the fact that he chose a place that's well watered, a place that's like the land of Egypt and a place like the garden of the Lord? You know the problem was not necessarily the place he chose, but where he chose to put his focus. Because in verse 12 we're told something about the focus of Lot. Notice what it says in verse 12. Abraham dwelt in the land of Canaan and Lot dwelt in the city of the plain, notice, and pitched his tent towards Sodom. God and the Holy Spirit of God takes the time to tell us that he not only chose the plains of Jordan, but that he actually physically pitched his tent in a way where his focus, where his direction, where his eyes could be focused on this city called Sodom. Now I'd like you to keep your place there in Genesis 13, that's our text for this morning. Go with me if you would to the New Testament book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter number 11. If you go towards the end of the New Testament, if you start at the book of Revelation and head backwards, you'll have the book of Jude, 3rd, 2nd and 1st John, 2nd and 1st Peter, James and Hebrews. Revelation, Jude, 3rd, 2nd and 1st John, 2nd and 1st Peter, James and Hebrews, Hebrews chapter number 11. And in Hebrews chapter number 11 we have actually a commentary of the stories we're reading in Genesis. We have a commentary of the life of Abraham and I want you to notice what the Bible says about Abraham in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 15. And here's what I want you to understand. Your focus will determine your direction. Your focus will determine your direction. In your life what you choose to put your focus on, in your life, and I realize there's some distraction going on back there, but just keep your focus up here, alright? The devil's trying to distract you from what needs to be said and what you need to hear this morning, but I want you to get this. Your focus, your focus will determine your direction and here's what I mean by that. When my wife and I had first gotten married before we had children, she was serving as a nanny. She was working as a nanny for this rich couple. They had a lot of money. They had one child and they wanted to make sure that their kid was safe whenever my wife was driving her around through town, taking her to different appointments or to different places. And they put her through this course where they taught her how to do defensive driving and it was a really cool thing. She got to drive this Dodge Viper and they taught her how to spin out a vehicle and how to do all these things. And what they taught her, they put her in this big truck and they actually taught her to spin out the truck so that she would know what to do in a spin out. And what they taught her in that course was that it's really important where you put your eyes in those situations because where you put your eyes is where you will end up. And they said this, usually people when they have these accidents and things like that, they're really focused on not wanting to get in the gutter. And their eyes are in the gutter but they end up in the gutter because your focus will determine your direction. What you set your eyes on, where you put your eyes, where you put your tent, in other words, is where you will end up heading in that direction. And this is what the Bible tells us. You're there in Hebrews chapter 11. Look at verse 15. Notice what the Bible says. And truly if they had been mindful, now this is talking about Abraham, this is talking about these guys. If they had been mindful, if they had been putting their mind on, having attention, their focus on that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. That's what the Bible says. If you're mindful of a place, you'll get an opportunity to end up there. If you're driving a motorcycle and you're mindful of that tree, you're going to drive straight into that tree. If your focus is in that direction because your focus will determine your destination, this is why the Bible also tells us. You're there in Hebrews 11. Look at Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12 if you would. And look at verse 2. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 2. This is why the Bible tells us that our focus ought to be on the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 12 and look at verse 2. Looking unto Jesus, that's your focus, the author and finisher of our faith. And here's what I want you to understand this morning. Your focus, especially you young people, I want you to listen to what I'm telling you. Your focus will determine your destination and you will never, you will never make good choices when your focus is wrong. When you're focused on money and your life is all about money and success and look how well I'm doing and look at all this money I'm making. Look, when your focus is wrong, your decisions will be wrong and you say, how did a lot, because we're talking about a lot, remember? How did a lot end up in a cave with two daughters, you know, incest and other children that are dead and a wife who's a pillar of salt? I mean how did this happen in the life of love? And I want you to notice that it began with a small seemingly insignificant choice to put his focus on Sodom and to pitch his tent towards Sodom. And your focus, your focus will direct your direction and you will never make good choices while your focus is in the wrong things. But let me say this, it's not only your focus, your friends. Your friends will determine your direction. It's interesting because when we look at the life of Lot, if you would go back to Genesis 13, we see that he chose, he made a fellowship choice in these verses. Genesis 13, look at verse 11. Genesis 13 and verse 11. Notice what the Bible says. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan. But when Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan, he made a decision as to who he was going to be around. Notice verse 12. Abraham dwelled in the land of Canaan and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain. See, Lot made a choice that he was going to dwell with worldly people, with unsaved people, with people who were just about Sodom and about what Sodom was doing. And here's what I want you to get. Not only did he make a decision, not only did he make a decision as to who he was going to be around, he also made a decision as to who he was not going to be around. Notice verse 11. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan and Lot journeyed east and they separated themselves, the one from the other. So in these verses we see that Lot and Abraham separated while Lot joined himself with the people living in the plains of Jordan, with the people living in the cities of Jordan. He made a decision on fellowship and here's what you need to understand. Your friends will determine the quality and direction of your life. Your friends will determine the quality and the direction of your life. So listen to me, before you get focused on the wrong thing and before you get friendships that are the wrong type of friendships, you may say, well what's the big deal? It's a small seemingly insignificant choice, it's not going to affect anything, but sin is a slippery slope because it starts with the small seemingly insignificant. It's just a friendship, it's just a focus, it's just a desire, it's just something I'm being mindful of, something I'm thinking about, something I'm wanting to do. It's not going to hurt anything, it's not going to affect anything, but what you don't understand is that your focus will determine your direction and your friends will determine your direction. Go to the book of Proverbs if you would, if you open up your Bible just right in the center, you'll more than likely fall in the book of Psalms. Right after Psalms you have the book of Proverbs, Proverbs 27, look at verse number 17, Proverbs 27 and verse 17. And not only will you never make good decisions when your focus is wrong, but you will never make good decisions when your friendships are wrong. Look, you guys, you work with unsaved people, you have to, that's the world we live in. God didn't call us to come, we're supposed to be separated from the world, but we're going to be in the world, we're going to live in the world. God doesn't want us to be Amish and go get some compound somewhere and go live somewhere. You let me know a brother of Jared tries to move you to North Dakota or whatever, you know, because God wants us around people, right? But here's the thing, make sure you're working with unsaved people and make sure you're being friendly with unsaved people, make sure you're not developing friendships with unsaved people. Your friends ought to be people who love the Lord, your friends ought to be people who want to serve with the Lord, Proverbs 27 and verse number 17. Proverbs 27 and verse 17, we've got a problem out there, this guy is just starting to find, yeah maybe you can help him with that. Proverbs 27 and verse 17, the Bible says this, we'll let the guys take care of that and we'll keep going here with the kids and the ladies. Genesis 13 and verse 12, the Bible says this, I'm sorry not Genesis 13, Proverbs 27 and verse number 17, notice what the Bible says, Iron sharpeneth iron, iron sharpeneth iron, it looks like we've got enough guys out there so they're taking care of it. So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friends. The Bible says that iron sharpeneth iron and a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friends. Go to Proverbs 13 and look at verse number 20, if you would, you're there in Proverbs 27, just flip back to Proverbs 13 and verse number 20. The Bible says this, he that walketh with wise men shall be wise, he that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Proverbs 13 and 20, he that walketh with wise men shall be wise, and this is what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that when you walk with wise men, you're going to be a wise person. When you walk with foolish people, the Bible says it'll make you a foolish person. Notice Proverbs 13 and verse 12, he that walketh with wise men shall be wise, and then notice what it says at the end of verse 20, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. So notice, when you walk with wise people, you're wise, but when you're a companion of fools, the Bible says you're going to get destroyed. And look, you can put anything into this verse and it would be true, he that walketh with wise men shall be wise, he that walketh with soul winners is going to be a soul winner, he that walketh with people that walk with God is going to walk with God, he that walketh with people who read the Bible are going to read the Bible, he that walketh with people that pray are going to pray. Why? Because your friends will determine the direction of your life, your friends will determine the quality and the direction of your life. And Allah made these bad choices, he made these small seemingly insignificant wrong choices, when his focus was in the wrong place and when his friendships were in the wrong place. Now go back to Genesis, if you would, Genesis chapter 13, and look at verse number 12. Genesis chapter 13 and verse 12. Here's point number 1. Sin has a slippery slope because it starts with making small seemingly insignificant wrong choices. Here's point number 2. Those small seemingly insignificant wrong choices lead to larger, more damaging decisions. Now we talked about the fact that focus and friendships determine your direction. The problem with that is this, that direction determines destination. See your focus will determine the way you're going to be directed and your direction will determine where you're going to end up. Genesis 13, look at verse 12. Notice what the Bible says about Lot's direction. Genesis 13 and verse 12. Abraham dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, notice what the Bible says, and pitched his tent towards Sodom. So we see his direction, right? It's towards Sodom. Now here's what's interesting. When we see Lot in Genesis 13, we see him directed towards Sodom. The next time we see Lot in Genesis 14, there's something very interesting about where we see him. Go to Genesis 14, if you would, look at verse number 1. Genesis chapter 14 and verse 1. The Bible says this, and it came to pass in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar. I'm going to read these verses to you because I want you to get the context. Aria, king of Eleazar, and Cato Leomer, king of Elam, entitled king of nations, that these, notice what it says, made war with Bera, king of Sodom. So in Genesis 14 and verse 2, we have a really interesting passage because really this is the first war you see in the Bible. Genesis 14 and verse 2, these, that these made war with Bera, king of Sodom, and with Bersha, king of Gomorrah, and Shinab, king of Admah, and Shemabir, king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela, which is Sohar. So we have this war that is happening in Genesis 14, and they're making war with the king of Sodom. Notice verse number 11, and they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. And, notice verse 12, they took Lot, Abram's brother's son. Now you might ask yourself, wait a minute, they're fighting a war with Sodom, they beat Sodom, and they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, but then in verse 12 we're told that they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, why is that? Here's why, notice what it says, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods and departed. Now here's what's interesting, last time we saw Lot, he had a tent pitched towards Sodom. The next time we see Lot, he's living in Sodom. The reason for that is this, your direction will determine your destination. See, your focus and your friendships may seem like a seemingly insignificant small choice, but the problem is that your focus will determine your direction, and your direction will determine your destination, and those small, seemingly insignificant wrong choices lead to larger, more damaging decisions. They lead your direction, which determines your destination. And here's the truth, you know, as a pastor, I've been a pastor now for 10 years, and I've tried to help a lot of people, and counsel people, and these things, and you see these people, you know, they're getting a divorce, and of course nobody on the day of their marriage, when they're standing there at the altar, and they're saying their vows, and they're saying till death do us part for better, nobody at that moment decides that we're going to end this thing in a divorce court, angry, and bitter, and fighting over money, and fighting over custody, nobody makes that decision. You say, well how did they get there? Well they got there, because though that was not their destination, that was their direction. They were making decisions in their relationship and their marriage that was leading them in that direction, and they got there because your direction will determine your destination every time. And whether your destination is that where you want to go, whether that's really what you decided you wanted to do in your life, your direction will determine your destination. And these small, seemingly insignificant wrong choices will lead to larger, more damaging decisions, and those larger, more damaging decisions, here's point number three, create immediate consequences in your life. And these immediate consequences are meant to be warning shots. Do you know what a warning shot is? You know, if you pull out a gun on somebody and you're about to shoot them, a lot of times, you know, the best thing to do is to kind of shoot up in the air to give them a warning. Hey, we're not messing around here. You know, this is a warning, the next one is going to go in your chest, right? This is a warning, the next one is going to go in your head. You know, this is a warning, but you better back off. And God will often do that in our lives. He'll send a warning shot, and here's the mistake we make, and here's the mistake Lot made. We hear the warning shot and we think, oh, that's the punishment of God. Well, that wasn't that bad. And we don't realize that that's not the punishment of God. That's God's warning you before He punishes you. And here's the problem. We often confuse patience with permission. Now, notice what happens to Lot. Remember, he moves into Sodom, right? Genesis 14, look at verse 13. And there came one that had escaped and told Abram the Hebrew. For he dwelt in the plains of Mamre, the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol, the brother of Anar, and these were the confederate with Abram. And when Abraham heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed the strange servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. So Lot is living in Sodom, and then Lot gets captured in Sodom, and he's taken captive. And Abraham has to go, and he takes his trained men, and he rescues them. Now, what would you think would be the smart thing to do at this point? Wouldn't you think that you'd think to yourself, hey, maybe I shouldn't be living in Sodom. Maybe I should go back with Abraham. Maybe this is not what God wants from me. But notice, in Genesis 19 and verse 1, the next time we see Lot after this event, we read this, Genesis 19 and verse 1. And there came two angels to Sodom at even, these are the two angels that are going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. And you're just like, what's wrong with this guy? I mean, are you not getting it that God does not want you in Sodom? You were captured, you were taken prisoner, Abraham had to come and rescue you, Abraham had to come and protect you. And here's all I'm telling you, don't assume, if you decide in your life that you're going to go down that slippery slope, you make small, seemingly insignificant choices that lead to larger, more damaging decisions, and those decisions create immediate consequences. And God is being patient with you, and then Abraham saves you, Abraham bails you out, somebody helps you out, somebody takes care of you. Don't sit there and think to yourself, well God's patience actually means permission. Because you know that God is patient with us? I mean, do you know that God is merciful? Psalm 86 and verse 15, you have to turn there, the Bible says this, But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. The Bible says that God, look, God is not just on a hair trigger, just wanting to destroy you, just wanting to come down hard on you. God is not just on a hair trigger, just wanting to send down lightning bolts to destroy your life. God will be patient with us, God will be longsuffering with us. God will allow you to get captured in Sodom, and send Abraham to go rescue you, and give you another chance, and bail you out. God will be merciful to us in our time when we need His patience, but don't make the mistake of confusing patience with permission. Because we think, well, God's longsuffering, so it must be fine. Well, God's longsuffering, so it must not be a big deal. And by the way, I want you to notice something about Abraham. When Abraham went and brought Lot and rescued Lot, go back to Genesis 14 if you will, I want you to notice this in verse 17. Abraham has this encounter with the king of Sodom. Because remember, he went and rescued Lot from the king of Sodom, from being captured from Sodom, Genesis 14 verse 17. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Cato Leomer, and the kings that were with him at the valley of Sheba, which is the king's dale. So notice, the king of Sodom goes out to meet Abraham, after Abraham comes back from rescuing Lot. Now notice, the king of Sodom is being nice to Abraham. Look at verse 21, same chapter, Genesis 14 verse 21. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. Now what he's doing is he, because remember, Abraham went and rescued the people and the possessions. And he's bringing it back. And the king of Sodom is actually being generous here, and he's saying, hey, thanks for rescuing the people, and he's basically saying, go ahead and keep the possessions. Go ahead and keep all the goods, just keep that, we want to be a blessing to you, thank you for what you've done. And then Abraham in verse 22, kind of is rude to the king of Sodom, notice what he says. And Abraham said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth. And here's what he's saying, he's saying, I didn't do this for you. He's saying, I don't need something from you, he's saying, in fact, if I'm going to put my hand out and have somebody put possessions in it, I'm going to lift my hand up to God, the God of heaven, because I'm not helping you, this wasn't for you. Notice verse 23, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoe latchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldst say, I have made Abram rich. And when you read this, you think, Abraham, aren't you being kind of rude to the king of Sodom? I mean, you just came back with the people and the possessions, he says, thanks for rescuing the people, go ahead and keep the possessions, and Abraham's being kind of standoffish and rude and says, I don't want none of your stuff. If I want something, I'll ask God for it. I didn't do this for you. And here's what you need to understand, you say, why is Abraham being rude to the king of Sodom? Here's the point, I'm sure Abraham was not happy that Lot was living in Sodom. I'm sure Abraham was not happy that Lot had a relationship with the king of Sodom, had a friendship with the king of Sodom, had this connection with the king of Sodom. And you know what I like about Abraham is that he makes it clear that he's not going to sit there and pretend like, oh yeah, everything's great. I'm glad my nephew Lot is hanging out with you, king of Sodom. In fact, when you see him interact with the king of Sodom, he's standoffish and he's like, keep your stuff, I don't want it. I didn't do this for you. If I need anything, I'll ask God, thank you very much. You know, I didn't do this to help you. Look, what's interesting to me is and what's frustrating to me is how often we will see Christians who are just celebrating and encouraging people in the wrong direction. And you don't see this with Lot. You don't see this with Abraham. Abraham's not happy about this and he makes sure it's clear, he makes sure it's not something that he's interested in. You know, in our ministry at Verity Baptist Church, I've seen this happen before, in fact I've seen it happen even recently. Where people will leave our church. And you know, here's the thing about people leaving church and you guys need to learn this. In ministry, you need to just get this. People come and go. That's just how it is. You got to make peace with that. People come and they go and they come and they go and that's fine. And there's not a problem with that. I mean, people need to make their own decisions and you know, I had a pastor tell me years ago, don't go chasing people when they leave your church. Don't go begging people to be part of your church. You know, if people don't want to be part of our church, that's fine. We've had situations where people leave and it's not that they're leaving to go start a great church in Fresno. You know, they're not leaving to go into the ministry. They're just leaving for a secular reason, for no spiritual reason, for no good reason. They're just going to leave and go to another church. And look, that's fine. They're not my enemies, I'm going to pray for them, I hope they find what they're looking for. But you know what really troubles me? Is when you, I see our church people who love our church, who love the Lord, and they're like, oh this is a good decision for you. Oh, I think this is going to work out well for you. Oh, I'm curious to see what the Lord is going to do in your life. You know, you don't see Abraham telling Lot, hey Lot, oh I heard you bought a house in Sodom, I'm really happy for you. Oh, hey Lot, I heard you're working with the king of Sodom now, I'm glad, I'm curious to see what the Lord's going to do in your life. You know, as Christians, we ought never encourage people to do wrong. When people are making bad decisions and wrong decisions, we ought not put our hand. Doesn't the Bible talk, look, you can see this principle throughout Scripture. Doesn't the Bible talk about not partaking in other men's sins? Doesn't the Bible talk about not wishing Godspeed to those that are doing wrong? And I understand those contexts are different, but the principle is this, that we should not encourage people when they're doing something wrong, and say, oh I think this is good for you. You don't see Abraham doing that, he goes and helps Lot, he goes and rescues Lot, he's going to sit there and buddy up with Sodom, with the king of Sodom, his bad friend. How about this one? How about when church people are encouraging people that have made good decisions to not go through with those decisions? You know, people make decisions like going into the ministry. People make decisions like moving for a good church. And of course, whenever you do anything big for God, let me tell you something, whenever you do something good for God, you know what, there's always going to be obstacles. Whenever there's an open door of opportunity, there's going to be the enemy on the other side, trying to stop you, trying to make things difficult. You don't think it was difficult when Verity Baptist Church Fresno was getting started? You don't think it was difficult for brother Jared and Miss Heidi when they decided to go into the ministry? They don't think, and I won't go into their lives and you can ask them, but I can tell you, they can tell you, hey, battles came their way. Things got hard and got difficult and things weren't easy, because look, doing the right thing. But you'll see church people and they'll be like, oh, well, maybe the ministry isn't for you. Maybe it's not the right time. Maybe it isn't God's will. Look, I understand some of these people, they don't know what to say, but if you don't know what to say, don't say anything. But to sit there and encourage people to do wrong or to try to discourage people from doing right, I mean, if you don't know what to say, just don't say anything. But you don't see Abraham just butting up with King Sodom, the king of Sodom. Oh, yeah, I'm glad you're taking care of my nephew. No, you're not taking care of my nephew. No, you've been a bad example for my nephew. No, you've been a bad friend for my nephew. No, you've been a bad influence on my nephew. And you see Abraham just, I want nothing to do with it. See, the way that people ruin their lives is by making small, seemingly insignificant wrong choices that lead to larger, more damaging decisions, and those decisions create immediate consequences. And when you suffer those consequences, please, please, please, don't make the mistake of confusing God's patience with permission. Because He's being long-suffering doesn't mean He's happy with what you're doing. There's another mistake that we make, and it's that we confuse accomplishment with approval. Go back to Genesis 19, look at verse 1 again. And there came two angels to Sodom at even. Remember, these angels are here to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. Now this is interesting because in the biblical days, these cities were literally protected because of the gates and the walls and the gates around the city. And these places, these walls and these gates, they became kind of the social place where the leaders of the city would gather. This is where business transactions would go down. This is where you would see the leaders, the movers and the shakers of the city to be sitting at the gates. And you see this throughout the Bible. When Boaz wants to marry Ruth, he goes to the leaders that are at the wall, that are at the gate. You see in the virtuous woman, she's being told that her children are going to rise up and call her blessed and that's going to be done in a public way in the gates, in the walls of the city where the people are going to see. So in the Bible you'll see that these walls and these gates, when you see men gathered there, those are men, those are the leaders of the city, those are business leaders, those are people who've succeeded, who've gone up that ladder. And here this is what we see from Lot. So notice, we see Abraham, we see Lot leaving Abraham and he moves to the plains of Jordan and just pitches his tent towards Sodom. Then the next time we see Lot, we see him in Sodom. Then the next time we see Lot, we see him sitting at the gate of Sodom. So not only is he living in Sodom and he failed to take heed to the warning shot that God gave him, but now he's actually a leader in Sodom. Now he's going up the ladder in Sodom. In fact, the people when the angels tried to kill them, remember the people said, this man sojourned among us and now must needs be a judge over us. And they're referring to the fact that he's going up the ladder and he's trying to be a judge and a leader. And look, for Lot at this time, things were going well. I mean he was moving up the ladder, he was a leader, he was sitting at the gate. Not every man got to sit at the gate, not every man got to be there. Things were success, but look, don't confuse accomplishment with approval. Just because things are going well, doesn't mean that things are well with you and God. Go to the book of Acts if you would, Acts chapter 27. In the New Testament you have Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts. Acts 27. In Acts 27 we have a story, this is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Because to me like Acts 27 is just, it's an allegory. And obviously this was something that literally happened in the life of Paul. But I see it as an allegory of ministry. Because we have the apostle Paul who represents spiritual leadership. Like the pastor, the deacon, the satellite leader, whoever is leading spiritually. And notice what Paul says, Paul, just so you get the context. He has been imprisoned and they are shipping him to the Roman Empire. And on the way he's going with this journey and he's a prisoner, he's got other people journeying with him. And there's a decision that needs to be made about whether to get on a ship and go. Or whether to stay and wait in a certain location. Notice Acts 27 verse 10. And said unto them, this was Paul speaking to the people. He gives this advice, he said, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage. Not only of the lading and ship but also of our lives. He tells the guys, hey I don't think we should go on this journey. Now these guys decide to not take the advice of the apostle Paul. Nevertheless, the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship more than those things which were spoken by Paul. And I'm sure these guys were thinking, Paul, you're just some pastor or some spiritual leader, some apostle. What do you know about sailing? These guys are sailors. These guys do this for a living. You know what they didn't realize is that Paul was a missionary who journeyed the entire world. He probably had more sailing experience than any of these guys. He looked at the situation and said, hey, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage. I don't think we should do this. Nevertheless, the centurions believe the masters and the owners of the ship more than the things which were spoken by Paul. And they said, we're not going to take your advice. Look at verse 12. And because the haven, the haven is where Paul is saying, I think we should stay here. We should winter here, we should wait. But because the haven was not commodious. Because the haven was not comfortable. Because the haven was not convenient to winter in, the more part it buys to the part then also. And look, whenever you're making a decision in life, be careful about making decisions based on what's easier. And be careful about making decisions based on what most people are telling you to do. We in our flesh are always going to try to choose the path of least resistance. We're always going to try to do what comes easiest and what comes natural. But when you do what comes easiest, you will usually do the wrong thing. It's easier to, you know, go on Google and to just mess around and check your email than it is to get up in the morning, open up your King James Bible and read it. Do you understand that? It's easier to turn on the radio and listen to talk radio or listen to music than to get on your knees and spend time praying to the God in heaven. It's easier to take a nap on Sunday afternoons or Saturday afternoons than it is to go out there and knock doors and preach the gospel to people who need it. Look, what's easiest is not necessarily the best thing. And I will say this, if you want to get the wrong advice, there's plenty of people out there that will give you the wrong advice. I mean, the Bible says straight is the gate and narrow is the way. The Bible says broad is the way that leads to destruction. You can find, look, you want to get a divorce, you can find a lot of people telling you, oh yeah, leave him, you deserve better. Girlfriend, you need something better than him. I mean, right? And this is the situation Paul says, hey, I don't think we should go on this trip. Nevertheless, they decided not to go with the words that Paul spoke because it was not commodious and because the more part advised to depart. So notice what happens. Look at verse 12 again. Look at the middle part of verse 12. If by any means they might attain to Venice and there to winter, which is in the haven of Crete and lies toward the southwest and northwest. So they said, look, Paul, we understand you're the spiritual leadership here, we understand you're the apostle, we understand you're the pastor, we understand you're the deacon, we understand you're the evangelist, we understand you're the satellite leader, we understand that you're trying to tell us what you think we should do, but we're going to go ahead and do it easier. We're going to go ahead and do what most people are telling us to do. We're going to go ahead and go on this journey. And then look what happens in verse 13. And when the south wind blew softly. And when the south wind blew softly. Doesn't that sound nice? I mean, when I read the south wind blew softly, I'm thinking like Hawaii. Right? I mean, I'm thinking like you're on a beach, you're drinking out of a pineapple, you know, and the south wind is just blowing softly just through your hair. And when the south wind blew softly, supposing they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence they sailed close by Crete. I would have liked to have been on that ship. I mean, they get out on that ship and the south wind, blowing softly. Some guys playing as ukulele. And they've got their feet up. I'm sure they're looking at Paul saying, yeah, Paul, God, we didn't listen to you, Paul. You said that this voyage would be with much hurt and much damage. Man, this is not, the south wind is blowing softly, things are going well. You know when you make the wrong decisions in life, God will allow the south wind to blow softly for a while. You know when you make the wrong decision, and this is what I love. They make the wrong decision, they get backslidden, they get out of church, they quit church, they quit the things of God. And they want to make sure, you know, on their Facebook, on their Instagram, on their Twitter, they're going to show you the south wind blowing softly. That's what people want to show you, right, on social media? Look, we quit church and things are going great. We quit soul winning and things are going fine. We quit on God and the south wind is blowing softly. They'll show you the south wind blowing softly on their social media, but you know what they won't show you? They won't show you verse 14. But not long after, there arose against it a tempestuous wind called Eurokleiden. Notice verse 18. And we being exceedingly tossed with the tempest, the next day they lighted the ship, and the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship, and when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. See, when you make the wrong choice, God will allow the south wind to blow softly for a while. But not long after, the storm will catch up. Not long after, you'll begin to reap what you've sowed. So what does Paul do? Well Paul does what any good Baptist preacher would do. Look at verse 21. But after long absence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, you know what he said? He said, I told you so. I mean he said, sirs, you should have hearkened them to me, and not to have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And then he steps in as a leader and tells them what they need to do to fix it. And I think this is an allegory of ministry because this is what ministry often is. We tell people, don't do that. Don't marry her. Don't marry him. Don't take that job. Don't move there. Don't go there. And then they go and say, yeah, but what comes naturally, what's easier, what's more comfortable, yeah, but all my friends are saying, and all my unsaved family is saying, and I'm just going to go ahead and make this decision. And they go on their journey, and the south wind blows softly for a while. And then the storms come. And you know what we do? We stand up and say, well, I told you so, but let me help you fix it. I told you so, but let me help you get your kids back on track. Let me help you get your marriage back on track. Let me help you get your finances back on track. See, what you need to understand is this, that the slippery slope of sin begins with small, seemingly insignificant wrong choices that lead to larger, more damaging decisions that create immediate consequences. Here's point number four, and that have ripple effects on those around us. See, you don't live on an island. You don't live an isolated life. Your choices have consequences. And you know what? Lot was making these choices, and these choices had consequences upon his life. I want you to notice quickly what they are. The first thing is this, his family was indifferent to God. We look at Genesis chapter 19 and verse 12. And the man said unto Lot, Genesis 19 and verse 12. And the man said unto Lot, these are those angels that are there to destroy Sodom. Has thou here any besides? Son-in-law and thy sons and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place. They said, do you have any family other than besides the ones that are right here right now? Do you have any in-laws or people outside that, we need to get out of here, look at verse 13. For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxing great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it. Notice verse 14, and Lot went out and spake unto his sons-in-laws, which married his daughters. So notice, his sons-in-law, plural, there's at least two sons-in-law that have married at least two of his daughters. He goes to them and he tries to warn them and said, Get you out of this place, for the Lord will destroy this city. Notice their response, but he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons-in-law. You know the consequences to Lot's decisions were this, because there's always a ripple effect on those around us. He had a family that was indifferent to God. They didn't care. They said, you're joking right? God's going to destroy this place, and we're going to be fine. Everything works out well. Last time you got captured and Abraham bailed you out. I mean, all's well that ends well, right? They were indifferent to God. They would not heed the warning. Not only did Lot have a family that was indifferent to God, but I want you to notice secondly, Lot had a family that was infatuated with sin. Notice verse 15, And when the morning arose, and the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wives and thy two daughters which are here. They said, look, you can't get your family that doesn't live with you to follow you, but at least take your family that's living with you. Take your wife and your two daughters which are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, I mean, this guy's just a stand-up act, right? While he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful unto him. Don't confuse the patience of God with permission. And they brought him forth and set him without the city. Notice verse 17, And it came to pass when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life. Notice the instructions that they give. Look not behind thee. Neither stay thou in all the plain. Escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. They said, Don't look behind you. Get out of here. Don't look back. But you know, the problem with Lot's wife is that she was infatuated with sin. She left her heart in San Francisco. She left her heart in Sodom, right? Look at verse 26, But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. I mean, what were the ripple effects on Lot's life? They were a family that was indifferent to God. They were a wife that was infatuated with sin. And then, of course, he had daughters that were influenced by the world. And we already saw this this morning, but let me just show it to you again briefly. Genesis 19, verse 30, And Lot went up unto Zor, and dwelt in the mountain. And his two daughters with him, of course, were running from the destruction of Sodom, for he feared to dwell in Zor, and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. Look at verse 33, And they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn went in and lay with her father, incest, and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. Look at verse 35, And they made their father drink wine that night also, and the young girl arose, and lay with him, and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And you think to yourself, what's wrong with these girls that they would get this idea in their head? But you know what's wrong with these girls is that they were raised in Sodom. I mean, the sights and sounds of Sodom have had an effect on their thinking. I mean, what do you expect when you put your kids in the Sodom Unified School District, and then they get these perverted ideas, hey, I've got an idea, let's get our father so drunk he won't even realize when we lay with him at night. You know what? You know the effects that Lot had on his life? We're a family that was indifferent to God, a wife that was infatuated with sin, daughters that were influenced by the world. Because sin has a slippery slope. And Lot woke up one day in a cave, having drifted so far from where he intended to be, without ever being able to get back. I want you to listen to what I just said. Because we, as preachers, and we try to be positive, and I'm all about being positive, and I agree with that. But we try to tell people, hey, you can get right with God, hey, no matter how far you go, God will always take you back, and listen to me, we believe in eternal security, we believe once you're saved, you're always saved, and you can always get right with God, and God will always take you back, and all of that is true. But here's what I said, Lot woke up one day without being able to get back. I did not say without being able to get right, I said without being able to get back. Because yes, young people, it is true that you can go off in sin, ruin your life, wake up one day, 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 15 years from now, 30 years from now, and get right with God, but you won't be able to get back what you lost. Lot would never get back what he lost. I mean, think about it. I got saved when I was a young kid, and I've been serving the Lord, and my wife and I are serving the Lord, and we've got six children. I mean, imagine if I just got backslidden today. If I just decided today, and I started going down this slippery slope, making small, seemingly insignificant decisions that led to larger, more damaging decisions, not paying attention to the warning shots of God, and going in a direction that's going to create some immediate consequences, but have a ripple effect on those around me. I mean, let's say that I just got backslidden for 15 years. Think about that. 15 years. And 15 years from now, I wake up one day, and I realize, man, I wasted so much time, and my life is not what it should be, and I ask God to forgive me, and I come back to God, and God would have me come back, and lives can be restored, and I'm not trying to beat up on you if that's your story. I'm just telling you, here's the truth. What if 15 years from now, I got right with God, and then I live to be 85 years old, and I serve the Lord, and I mean, you would look at my life, and say, okay, this guy was 85 years old. I mean, he got backslidden for 15 years, but he still served God for 70 years. I mean, that's pretty good, right? But what about the fact that those 15 years were when I was raising my kids? Those 15 years, my kids grew up in Sodom. That's all they've ever known. I can get right, but I can't get that back. I can get right, but I can't get that time back. And look, young people, please understand this. You only get to be a teenager once. You don't get to live the teenage years again. And the problem with the teenage years is this, that whatever sin you get into right now, whether it's drugs, or alcohol, or pornography, or whatever it might be, you're probably going to spend the rest of your life struggling with that. You only get to live your teens once. You only get to do a first marriage once, and that should be the only marriage you do. But you only get to do it once. You only get to raise your kids once. You only get to have a baby and have them be a baby once. They only get to be a toddler once. They only get to be a young child once. They only get to be a teenager once. And yes, you can get right, but you can't get it back, Lot. You can't get it back. And you can sit there and say, what's the big deal? It's not a problem. It's just small, seemingly insignificant choices that'll lead to larger, more damaging decisions, that'll create immediate consequences, that'll have ripple effects on those that are around you, and yes, yes, yes, you can get right, but you can't get it all back. I wonder if Lot woke up one day in a cave from a drunken stupor realizing that his two daughters were now pregnant by him, realizing that his wife was a pillar of salt just outside of this cave, realizing that his daughters and his son-in-law, who he'd married his daughters off to, had been destroyed with a bunch of perverts and sodom. I wonder if Lot regretted a few things. I wonder if Lot regretted the day that he chose the well-watered plains of Jordan. I wonder if Lot regretted the day that he decided to dwell in the cities of the plain outside of Jordan, outside of Sodom. I wonder if Lot regretted the day that he decided to pitch his tent towards Sodom. I wonder if Lot thought back and regretted and said, I wish I would have never moved my family into Sodom. I wonder if Lot regretted the day that he decided to climb up the ladder and to get on that gate committee and that city council committee. I wonder if Lot regretted the small, seemingly insignificant choices that led to a ruined life because nobody wakes up one day and says, I want to destroy every relationship that I have. I want to destroy every opportunity that I have. I want to make the biggest mess I can in my life. Nobody wakes up and says that. But you know what people do? They take small, seemingly insignificant choices. They decide to put their focus on the wrong thing. They decide to develop friendships with the wrong people and those focuses and those friendships direct their direction towards Sodom. Say, what's the problem with that? No big deal, except for the fact that your direction determines your destination and then you end up in Sodom. And you may wake up 15, 20 years from now in a cave somewhere and you can get right with God but you can't get it back. You only get to be in your 20s once. You only get to be in your 30s once. You only get to be in your 40s once. And if you sit here and say, Oh, well, I'm older and it's no big deal. You know, this isn't going to affect me. Really? Because Solomon had his heart turned against God in his old age. How do you ruin your life? You get on the wrong direction. You make the wrong decisions. You don't listen to the warning shots. And I'm here to tell you, we will help you. You might get an I told you so from brother Jared. You might get an I told you so from me. We will help you fix it. You can always get right. But you can't always get it back. Lot learned that lesson. And we would be wise to learn that lesson from Lot. Let's bow our heads in our board of prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, Thank you, Lord, for your Word. Thank you for this message. Lord, here's what I believe. Whenever we have situations in church where major distractions like the ones this morning happened. Here's what I know. Somebody needs to hear the sermon. Somebody needed this truth. And the devil has done everything he can to distract us. And to keep us from hearing what the Bible says. Lord, I pray you'd help us to be wise. I pray, Lord, you'd help us to stay key to what we've heard today. Lord, help us to not minimize these small, seemingly insignificant choices. That lead to larger, more damaging decisions. Lord, help us not to ever be the Christians that would encourage someone to do wrong or discourage someone from doing right. Lord, help us to realize that our actions have consequences. And our choices will have a ripple effect on those around us. Help us to take heed lest we fall. In the matchless name of Christ, we pray. Amen. .