187-The Two Different Lives of the Righteous#
187-The Two Different Lives of the Righteous
(JP Text Group - Beautiful Compilation)
Greetings brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord! First, let’s look at today’s Bible passage,
Genesis 13:1-18
We share a topic called: The Two Different Lives of the Righteous
Alright, let’s read together,
Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward and southward and eastward and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.
Let us first pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise You, thank You for preparing this time for us, allowing Your children to worship and praise You here. Keep us during this time, so that as we share Your words, we can all gain something. Thank You, Lord, and we commit the following time to You. Holy Spirit, please personally guide each of our hearts, renew us, and supply us through Your words. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
Let us first think about a question: What is a righteous person?
Is a righteous person someone who does not sin? Today we read about two people: one is Abraham, and the other is Lot. Are these two people righteous? Some say Abraham is righteous, but Lot is not. So, let’s think about this question: how are we justified? By faith. Does it have anything to do with works?
Let’s read a passage from the Bible, Romans 4:1-5,
What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Is this the reason Abraham was justified? It is not because Abraham did good works, but because he believed in God’s promises, right? Romans chapter 4 makes it very clear, what did our father Abraham find according to the flesh? The flesh refers to our works, right? Abraham was not justified by God based on his flesh?
So the second verse says, For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory. Then each of us must have good works for God to accept us, to receive God’s blessings, but that is not what it says. It says: “Abraham was not justified by works; he had nothing to glory in before God. What does the scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”
So how was Abraham justified? Because he believed in God’s words, believed in God’s promises, so he was called righteous. Therefore, we must know today that our justification is a free gift of God’s grace. So the fourth verse says, “To him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.”
Its meaning is simple: if we are justified by our good works today, that is not called grace. That is what you are supposed to receive.
What is grace? The fifth verse says, “But to him that worketh not,” meaning you have not done anything, but God calls you righteous today. When you do not work, you only believe, what do you believe? You believe in the God who justifies the ungodly.
So brothers and sisters, in the past, when we did not believe in Jesus, we were called sinners, but today God says, “When you believe in Him, I call you righteous; your faith is justified by God.” There is no mention of our works here, right? Always remember: our being called righteous today has nothing to do with our works. We just mentioned that Lot’s behavior was very bad. Is Lot a righteous person?
Let’s look at a passage, 2 Peter 2:5-9
And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; and delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.
Let me ask again, is Lot a righteous person? Yes. Is his behavior very bad? Yes.
To be honest, his behavior is really not good. But brothers and sisters, think about it, a person with bad behavior is still called a godly person by God. 2 Peter 2:5-9 makes it very clear, does it mention that Noah was called a righteous man? Was Noah’s behavior good? Abraham was called a righteous man; was Abraham’s behavior good?
But what about Lot? And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; this proves that those people who were burned were indeed very wicked, right? But who lived among them? Lot. But how good could Lot’s behavior be?
Yet God said, Lot is a righteous man. Verse 7 says: And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked. So today many people say that Lot cannot be considered a righteous man; at most, he can be considered a half-righteous man. Is a half-righteous man a righteous person or a sinner? Still a righteous person. Even if today we are not very willing to accept the concept of Lot being a righteous person, it is clearly stated here, because that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing their unlawful deeds, what was his heart? His righteous heart.
What kind of person can have a righteous heart? Only a righteous person can have a righteous heart, right? Although Lot thought of terrible things in his heart, he was indeed influenced by the people of Sodom, right? So after he left the city of Sodom, those bad habits were not changed, but God still said, he had a righteous heart.
Look at how verse 9 says? The Lord knows how to deliver what kind of person? Is Lot considered a godly person? By our standards, how can he be considered a godly person? This person’s behavior is not good at all, but how does God say? The Lord knows how to deliver what kind of person? The godly out of temptations. Was Lot a person saved by God?
So brothers and sisters, do not think that godliness is related to behavior; this is a misconception we have. We always think that Lot is not a godly person, but later God makes it very clear, The Lord knows how to deliver the godly, referring to Lot, right?
What kind of person is a godly person? In the original text, a godly person refers to a person who fears God and believes in God. This is only related to belief, not to behavior. So God will not say, “Because your behavior is not good, I will abandon you.” He wants to save you from evil; do you know what Jesus means?
Jesus means: He wants to save His people from sin. Amen! Are we His people? Do we still fall into sin? For example, we have many bad habits; sometimes when we are anxious, we curse, or we have a bad temper, we have many bad habits, God can save you. Amen!
God will not abandon you because you have a bad habit; He will not throw you away. Although Lot’s behavior was not good, God still saved him from evil. Amen! So Abraham and Lot are actually both believers justified by faith. We are not saying that one is justified by faith and the other by works; both of them are justified by faith, both of them are justified by God’s grace and faith.
But what about their lives? Please listen carefully: one is life, the other is living. We receive life by believing, believing in God’s grace, believing in the salvation that Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross. Amen! But our living is something we can choose for ourselves.
The lives of Abraham and Lot are completely different, one is victorious, the other is a failure. But even though Lot failed, we must emphasize again: Lot is still a righteous person. He is just a failing righteous person; although Lot sinned, he is still a righteous person, he is just a righteous person who has sinned, thank the Lord. His identity has not changed; he has only lost the blessings he should have received in life!
When we accept Jesus, does Jesus want us to receive His blessings? For example, He wants you to live in His peace, joy, and abundant supply, but if we say in our hearts: No, I don’t want to live like that; I just like to curse, and if I see you not pleasing to me, I want to curse you. In this case, when you curse someone, can you bear His joy in your heart?
You must remember: when you curse someone, you are filled with anger. So you can only choose one: either you live in anger all the time, or you choose God’s way, choose to live in forgiveness and joy. This is our choice. Amen! Thank the Lord.
After becoming righteous, God wants us to live like Abraham. When God called Abraham out, he brought his nephew Lot with him, and his nephew Lot actually following Abraham was a good thing. So brothers and sisters, the kind of person you follow will influence your life.
When Lot followed Abraham, he also learned; he also knew how to be justified by faith in God’s eyes. So let’s first take a look at Abraham. You must know some things about Abraham because we are called the descendants of Abraham, right? Is Abraham a model of our faith? Did he have any failures in his behavior? Yes, he did, brothers and sisters, although he was justified by faith, he was not a perfect person. I also want to tell you that today when you believe in Jesus, you are not a perfect person; you will also sin. But you are still a righteous person.
If you observe Abraham’s behavior, you will find that if it were based on behavior, Abraham would not qualify to be called righteous. Because he indeed committed the same sin twice, recorded in the Bible, what is it? Lying. Does anyone remember? Twice the same thing, the first time was when he was about 75 years old, he went to Egypt, and the king of Egypt took a liking to his wife. What did he say to his wife? You must not say you are my wife; you must say you are my sister, otherwise Pharaoh will kill me! He was afraid, a person who believes in God should not be afraid, but he lied out of fear.
In other words, when a person has fear in their heart, it actually means they do not trust God, or they have no faith in God. This also indicates what? Abraham’s faith was not always strong; he also had weak moments.
But one thing is that Abraham was not a person who continuously lied; can everyone understand this distinction? Today we may occasionally be overcome by transgressions, but we do not want to sin; this is a difference.
Brothers and sisters. Moreover, when God intervened to save him, he was very happy to be saved, did you notice? He did not continue to live in Egypt. He did not pitch his tent there; he did not continue to live in sin; he was willing to obey God and left Egypt.
So this is the life of a Christian. When you accept Jesus today, you may be overcome by transgressions. For example, if you sin, at that moment, you call upon God to save you, right? When God saves you from evil, you are very joyful, right? You would not say: Lord, why did You save me? I was quite happy in there. No, it is not like that.
A victorious Christian is: even though he may sin, God saves him out, and he thanks God for that. So he learns to thank God for everything He has done for him.
But brothers and sisters, do you know? Years later, about when Abraham was 99 years old, because he was going to have a child at 100 years old, in the year before having the child, they encountered another king, what was that king’s name? Abimelech, the king of Gerar. As a result, he committed the same problem again; when he went to see the king of Gerar, because his wife was too beautiful, even though she was almost 90 years old.
Sisters, you can pray and meditate on this question: why is a 90-year-old still so beautiful? So the matter of returning to youth is definitely not a legend. Eternal youth is not dependent on cosmetics but on God’s faith. Hallelujah! Thank the Lord!
At that time, Sarah was almost 90 years old, and when Abraham saw that his wife was so beautiful, the king of Gerar took a liking to her. What did he say? You must not say you are my wife; you must say you are my sister. Is this the same lie? You would think that after more than 20 years, he should have learned a lesson and should have faith in God, right? What happened?
This is human weakness. Abraham can be weak, and we can also be weak, but Abraham did not continue to lie; the Bible only records these two times in his life, and there are others, but the Bible does not record them; these two times are the same.
Our life is changed by believing in Jesus. Hallelujah! Once your life is changed, even if you occasionally are overcome by transgressions, you are still a child of God.
Just like the lives of pigs and sheep, pigs like to live in sin, but sheep may occasionally be overcome by transgressions and fall into the mud, but they do not want to live in it, can you understand? Jesus calls us His sheep; we may occasionally be overcome by sin, but we do not want to dwell there.
Now let’s look at another person: Lot. What is the difference between Lot and Abraham?
Let’s first see, were both of these individuals very wealthy at the beginning? The scripture we just read also said that Abraham had a lot of gold, silver, and cattle. What about Lot? He also had a lot. This proves that when Lot followed his uncle Abraham, actually in the Lord, they were called brothers; when Lot followed Abraham, he was blessed by faith. What does this tell us?
When you accept Jesus, your blessings are the same. God will not say that because you just believed, your blessings are a little less; he has believed for a long time, so give him a little more. No, the moment you believe in Jesus, God gives you the same blessings, just like Abraham and Lot.
But later, the differences between the two became more and more significant. Lot gradually moved his tent where? Sodom. Brothers and sisters, when we share about Lot, you must know that Lot did not live by faith but by sight;
while Abraham lived by faith. Although Lot lived in Sodom, he felt uncomfortable and troubled! So, brothers and sisters, when we Christians curse and sin, do we feel uncomfortable? What should we do when we feel uncomfortable? It is not to say, “Lord, what should I do about this discomfort?”
If you always focus on sin, you will remain in sin and cannot come out. Isn’t Lot like this? Lot’s problem was that he clearly saw the wicked behavior of the people of Sodom, but he continued to stay inside and did not come out, so he could not overcome this sin; he was extremely troubled in his heart, and he suffered greatly.
So brothers and sisters, after we believe in Jesus, we may have some bad behaviors. For example, some young people watch some pornographic movies; they may feel good at the time, but they feel very uncomfortable inside; for example, when we curse, we may feel good at the moment, but later we regret it. What should we do in such situations? The spirit is troubled, but you must know that when you regret this bad thing, it proves that the Holy Spirit is already working in you. Amen! At this time, you should ask God to help you and save you.
Lot is not like this.
Let’s look at the scripture we just read, Genesis 13:7, And there was strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. Why did the herdsmen of the two argue? Because their flocks were increasing, and their numbers were growing, and the grass was too little, not enough to use, at this time, the two families began to argue.
The Bible does not record that Abram’s herdsmen were all believers, nor does it record that Lot’s herdsmen were believers, which proves that our faith in God does not mean that our family or colleagues are all believers. So in this situation, what should we do? Because they represent two groups, in this situation, worldly people are there, Abram is a person who lives by faith, so he is willing to bear witness for God. What did he choose to do? To yield.
Brothers and sisters, sometimes yielding is not necessarily a bad thing; it is a good thing. So brothers and sisters, are we willing to be like Abraham, or is your attitude: I don’t care; today, how we behave in front of people, I curse you, what does it matter? After all, I am already saved; I am going to heaven. You can live like this, or you really want to live like Abraham and show good behavior in front of people. So this is our choice, one is victorious, the other is certainly a failure.
So the victorious choice yields, and others say, “Wow... this person is really a Christian; clearly, it was my fault, I was unreasonable, and yet they don’t hold it against me.” The other person says, “Look, you are still a Christian; I didn’t offend you, why are you cursing me?”
Aren’t there two kinds of testimonies? One is victorious, the other is a failure. So you must have a heart to bear witness for God, and when you are willing to let God be glorified in your life, God will give you strength.
So Abraham understood: if brothers argue, it will only give these people a bad testimony. In fact, aren’t we the same today? When brothers argue and attack each other, this is a bad testimony. If today we think about this question: if two Christians are cursing at each other on the street, how do you think unbelievers will evaluate these two people? “Oh, you said the words better; you are right!” How will they say? They will say these two who believe in Jesus are not worth anything!
So Abraham deeply understood this problem; he did not want brothers to argue in front of those who do not believe or let others see a bad testimony. At this time, Abraham was already very old, right? What does an elder say to a younger person? How about this, you see, all the land is before you; if you choose to go left, I will go right; if you go right, I will go left. Who gets to choose first? Lot gets to choose first. Brothers and sisters, everyone knows that the one who chooses first has priority, right? He will definitely choose the better one.
Let’s read Genesis 13:10 together:
And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
We see that a key word is mentioned here; when Lot looked at the plain of Jordan, what did he see? Wasn’t this land well-watered? You see, we just read, he saw that the plain of Jordan was well-watered everywhere. Well-watered proves what? Where there is water, there is grass. Right?
If it were you, which would you choose? A mountainous area or a well-watered area with grass and water! According to everyone’s judgment, the plain must be better, and this place is quite large, all the way to Zoar, well-watered, and there is also a phrase later, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, what is this like? Like the garden of the Lord.
So what is the garden of the Lord like? There is grass, there is water, a very well-watered place, right? Just like what? Egypt. Abraham had been to Egypt before; actually, in chapter 12, when Abraham and his wife went to Egypt, he knew that the current land of Egypt was much better than the current land of Canaan, but God had brought him out of there.
When God brought him out, did Lot come out with him? But the problem is that Lot came out of Egypt, but his heart was still thinking about Egypt. What does Egypt symbolize? The world. The king of Egypt symbolizes the king of this world. Generally speaking, it symbolizes the devil. If a righteous person’s heart uses the world as a standard, he will definitely fail.
So today, as believers in Jesus, we should not look at people or things with the eyes of the world. Today, we think: you cursed me, shouldn’t I curse you back? This is the perspective of the world, brothers and sisters. Or say: this thing is pretty good; everyone thinks it is good; why should I think it is bad? This is the perspective of the world. Whether in business or in dealing with others, sometimes what we see with our eyes is not necessarily the truth; sometimes people can easily be deceived by their eyes.
Lot saw that this place was beautiful, such a large area like the garden of the Lord, and it was fertile like Egypt, with water and grass—how good! How suitable for grazing sheep! But he did not see God’s grace and provision. Brothers and sisters, do you know? If our hearts have our own standards and perspectives to look at things, we will not see God’s grace and provision.
Let’s look at verse 11, Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
Even today, do people who believe in Jesus also separate? Yes, it must be like this. There will be such separations in the church and in the world. From Genesis until today, has there always been a separation between the two, even though they both believe in God? One is spiritual, the other is worldly, haven’t you noticed? It has always been separated, Esau and Jacob were separated like this, Abraham and Lot were separated like this, and later there were many separations. For example, were the disciples separated from the Pharisees of that time? The law and grace? They were also separated.
So until today, since Lot lives according to worldly standards, then Abraham lives according to God’s standards; the two of them must be separated. Sometimes when we are separated, we feel very uncomfortable, but there is God’s good intention in it. Or when we are separated, we lose something, there is God’s good intention in it.
Lot, relying on his eyes, saw Sodom and Gomorrah like the garden of Eden, very fertile, but how many people understand that today, whether in investment or in relationships, do not decide based on your eyes; you must rely on God in everything like Abraham. Amen! Although Lot did wrong to Abraham, what did Abraham do? He still helped Lot; he still tolerated Lot.
Brothers and sisters, even if those people are under the law, they attack us and slander us, are they brothers? They are also brothers justified by faith, right? Although their behavior is quite bad, they are still brothers. What should we do? Like Abraham, tolerate them and pray for them. Amen!
Just like Abraham accepted Lot, because Lot’s life was just like that; their lives were so small, would you argue with a child? Right, brothers and sisters? Their lives are like this!
So verses 12-13 make it very clear, Abraham dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and gradually Lot moved his tent toward Sodom. Then verse 13, a very important verse, how were the men of Sodom before the Lord? They were exceedingly wicked. Lot’s vision was not good; although this place looked better, in the end, it left him with nothing.
What about Abraham? When God saw that Abraham chose to yield, after Lot left, what did God say to Abraham? “Abraham, now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give to you and your descendants.” Hallelujah!
When we live by sight, you take care of yourself, but you cannot take care of your descendants, right, brothers and sisters? But when God wants to bless you, He not only wants to bless you but also includes your descendants; that is in God’s hands, right? God will have a correct guidance for them.
We are already living well; can you guarantee that your children will definitely live well? We cannot guarantee that. We do not know what will happen in the future, but if you start from this moment to learn to rely on God in everything in your life, God will keep them, and God will give them the best path to walk.
Lot initially thought he had the advantage, but in God’s eyes, the people of Sodom were exceedingly wicked. The Bible does not say that Sodom had sin; it says they had become wicked people, exceedingly wicked.
At first, when Lot was with Abraham, his life might still have been relatively good, but gradually, when he made bad friends, his life began to deteriorate. So brothers and sisters, if today we who believe in Jesus live every day with a group of people who condemn each other, slander each other, and find fault with everyone, you will eventually become like those people.
So choosing spiritual partners is very important, brothers and sisters. He left his spiritual leader and lived like the world, and the result was inevitable deterioration; in the end, Lot lost all the blessings he originally had.
So was this blessing taken away by God? No, God did not take everything away from him; he chose to live in sin, but despite this, Lot was still saved. Amen! Today for us, some Christians clearly know that there are things they should not do, but they still choose to do them, still choose to sin; are they saved? They just lost the blessings that God originally gave them.
In fact, during this time, Lot originally had a chance; he should have had spiritual insight, but unfortunately, he did not. What happened? When the four kings and five kings fought, Lot and his wife, including everything, were taken captive. In this situation, shouldn’t he have realized what was going on?
When everything Lot had was taken away, who went to save him? Abraham led 318 trained men to rescue Lot’s family. In this situation, shouldn’t he have followed Abraham to live? But he still did not realize where his problem was; he returned to Sodom.
Brothers and sisters, God does not overlook Lot; God does not stop loving Lot; God also gave him a chance to come back; he should have awakened and left that evil place, but he still chose to go back, ultimately leading to having nothing. Because Lot was spiritually blind, he could not see anything; many people have believed for many years and are still confused, knowing nothing about spiritual matters.
What do we want to share with everyone today? When a person has a correct relationship with God, when he looks up to God’s promises, he possesses spiritual insight. If we do not have such insight, even if temporarily you do gain a little advantage, in the end, you will still have nothing. Because spiritually, you have gained nothing. What kind of life did Abraham live? A life that relies on God in everything. We can imagine that when Abraham let Lot choose first, he left himself to live in the mountainous area; since he was in the mountainous area, water and grass would definitely be limited. Many times, I feel like we are at a disadvantage, but you must know, God will have abundant provision.
At first, it seemed that Lot had the advantage, but in the end? It got worse and worse, going downhill until he had nothing.
Today we should often meditate on God’s words; when you see that Abraham often centers his life on God and looks up to God, Abraham’s life becomes more and more abundant. Although in the past Lot wronged him, he still went to save Lot and help him. He had a heart of compassion.
When God was about to destroy Sodom, Abraham even prayed for the people of that city. So, brothers and sisters under grace, we should have a heart like Abraham’s; you need to pray for the people around you. At that time, Abraham prayed for the city of Sodom, so you should also pray for the city you are in; this is an attitude of life that arises from being under grace. No matter how others treat you, you show compassion to them and help them. Hallelujah!
On the contrary, Lot was different; the angels clearly told him that God was about to destroy this city, but he was unwilling to come out. Many people after believing in Jesus live like these two types: one like Abraham, learning to rely on God more and more, and the other increasingly falling. We are talking about believers, not unbelievers.
So many believers who have accepted Jesus live exactly like unbelievers. So such people often complain to God, why doesn’t God bless me? Why doesn’t God help me? They often complain to God; they do not look at themselves and wonder why they choose to live in an evil place, and when God saves them, they are still unwilling to leave.
Lot was such a person; he knew that God was going to destroy this city, but he hesitated to leave. Why didn’t he leave? In fact, he was looking at everything he had worked hard for over the years, the houses, cattle, and sheep, right? All of these were in Sodom; now you want me to leave, can I bear to do that?
If we put all our focus on this world, you will be reluctant; even when we leave this world, we will be reluctant, saying, “Lord, what about all this property? What should I do?” But you must know that this world will one day be rolled up like a garment; when that day comes, where will all your things go?
But Abraham knew that he was just a sojourner in this land; he was to store up treasures in heaven, so Abraham was willing to give. Every time Abraham saw someone passing by his door, he would invite them to his home for a meal; this kind of living is definitely a losing business, isn’t it, brothers and sisters?
But Abraham knew: When I do this, I am storing up treasures in heaven; this world is not an important long-term living place, so Abraham became more and more prosperous. When you give, you do not become less; God will let you exceed Lot materially, just like Abraham. Hallelujah.
So we see the angels say: “Hurry up and get up and go! Soon we will destroy this city!” But Lot hesitated to leave; how merciful is God? He was reluctant to leave, the angels took hold of his hand and the hand of his wife and his two daughters, and finally dragged them out.
Brothers and sisters, do not worry; even if you have believed in Jesus, your behavior is not good; you are still better than Lot, right? When He comes again, He will definitely take you away; even if you are unwilling to leave, how? He will drag you and take you to heaven, so you do not need to worry at all. But one thing is that it is very regrettable for Lot; everything he had in Sodom was destroyed along with the city of Sodom.
Today, I wish brothers and sisters to store up treasures in heaven. How to do this? Help people, pray for them, and show compassion to them; this is how you store up treasures in heaven. When we leave in the future, that place will have more stored up. Hallelujah! Because the Lord had mercy on Lot, He sent two angels to drag them out; this is our God. Even if you are in sin today, God will personally take your hand and pull you out. Because you are His child. If our focus and investment are all in this world, when the day comes that this world ends, we may end up like Lot, with nothing.
Genesis 19:26, But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
The life of the righteous looks forward, rushing towards the mark of Jesus Christ; this should be our life, do not look back. Because looking back will always leave you feeling lost. In the Psalms, there is a saying, the days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
So God tells us, do not be like Lot’s wife. In Luke 17, Jesus personally tells us, “Remember Lot’s wife.” This is a very serious warning. So what did Lot’s wife do?
When God saved them from Sodom, she looked back. In fact, some historical texts record that Lot’s wife was unwilling to leave, so she delayed too long, and the fire that fell from heaven directly melted the salt land around the Dead Sea, and the salt slurry splashed everywhere, instantly surrounding Lot’s wife. Because the speed was too fast, that person could not be melted in time and directly turned into a pillar of salt. The human shape remained there.
Have you heard of the ancient city of Pompeii? Pompeii was a very developed city during the Roman era, and next to Pompeii was a large volcano. But the people there were very wicked; in fact, the local government had already told them that the volcano might erupt at any time, and they should leave this place. But this place was too beautiful because of its rich products and advantageous geographical location, being by the sea. But on that night, when the volcano erupted in Pompeii, all the people in the city turned into volcanic ash; they did not all turn into a pile of ash, but maintained human shapes; people could not be burned in time and turned into ash shapes.
In fact, under the circumstances at that time, the city of Sodom was the same. Later, scientists excavated the city of Sodom near the Dead Sea in Israel and found many salt blocks, which we now call fossils, right? In fact, what is it? High-temperature salt quickly surrounded them, and this person instantly turned into a fossil. Today, when many people travel to Israel, they see many salt pillars by the Dead Sea, very much like humans, resembling human shapes. They jokingly say that perhaps one of them is Lot’s wife. Because this situation indeed exists; salt remains in that shape for many years; it will not corrode.
So Jesus tells us, “Remember Lot’s wife.”
Do not look back. Remember Lot’s wife; do not look back. When the Israelites were in the wilderness, every time they encountered difficulties, they would look back. Why did You bring us out? In Egypt, there were leeks, garlic, and onions to eat. They always looked back, but if they were really put back, would they be happy? They forgot that although there were leeks and garlic in Egypt, there were also whips; they still had no freedom; why didn’t they mention this? So many people say: What good is it to believe in Jesus? It is better not to believe. Then let’s see how you feel if you are put back.
Today, as believers in Jesus Christ, we must know one thing, since you have believed in Jesus, you should live a victorious life like Abraham, rushing forward, not looking back. Even if you look back, the outcome is actually similar to Lot’s, do you know? What will you see if you look back? Not only the world, but you will also see many failures you made in the past; you will see the failures of others in the past, all of which will exist in your heart.
Between husband and wife, if a wife always looks back, she will not only see what she did wrong in the past, but she will also see what her husband did wrong in the past, and then nag and nag; how will these two people live? It must be very bad!
If these two people learn this principle: do not look back; the past has become the past; we must move forward because what is behind? It has already been erased by God; your transgressions, God does not remember them anymore, those things should not be mentioned again! We should move forward, not look back.
If Abraham always thought: how did I treat Lot in the past, and how did you treat me? If he thought of these things, would he still be willing to save Lot? Isn’t this the case?
So brothers and sisters, when we are unwilling to forgive someone, we are actually looking back, often thinking about how this person wronged you in the past; at this time, you cannot forgive this person. You really do not need to look back; when you look forward, you can live like Abraham. That is a victorious life; do not look back; let the past be the past. Do not let it affect your present because God has given you a new beginning. Do not always mention the past; this will affect your present; God has prepared new grace for you. Hallelujah!
When the Lord Jesus Christ comes again, Christians will definitely be divided into these two types: one like Abraham, with abundant blessings and rewards; the other will be like Lot, merely saved!
Let’s look at this passage, Luke 17:26-29, let’s read it together,
As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Jesus tells us what the end times will be like. First, you know the days of Noah; were the days of Noah the end times? What were people doing at that time? They ate, drank, married, and gave in marriage; no one cared about what Noah was doing; no one believed Noah’s words, “This world will be destroyed by a flood in 120 years.” Did these people believe? No, they did not.
They did what they were supposed to do. We can even imagine that many people laughed at Noah: you all are crazy; have you ever seen such heavy rain from the sky? Have you ever seen anyone build a boat on a mountain? Don’t you think this family has a problem? Because they are not doing the right thing.
So today, do people think Christians are like this? These people who believe in Jesus have problems; their heads are not normal; they are not doing the right thing; isn’t it better to rest at home on Sundays? Why do these meaningless things? So they ate, drank, married, and gave in marriage; what was Noah doing? Noah was building the ark.
In this end time, when others are eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, we are worshiping God. So when Noah entered the ark, the flood came. When this disaster came, God’s children had already reached this safe place.
Noah entered the ark, and then the flood came, right? So brothers and sisters, when Jesus Christ comes again, He will first save us, and then disasters will come one after another to this world.
Then verse 28 says, Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot. Today we talked about Abraham and Lot; you see, in the days of Lot, although Lot’s behavior was not good, logically speaking, since he loved money so much, let him die in the city. God is not like that; God does not look at our behavior; He looks at whether we believe in Him. So He had to save Lot.
At that time, the angels said, “If you do not leave here, I cannot do anything.” What does this mean? If you do not leave this city, we cannot destroy this city. So in the end times, Jesus will first take us away and then destroy this world. We will first go to a safe place, and then God will destroy this world. If there is still one righteous person in this world, God will not destroy this city.
Today, since you have believed in Jesus, you do not need to worry at all. I am not condoning everyone to say: “It doesn’t matter; you can sin however you want.” Do not think like this, because if you want to be blessed like Abraham, do not live like Lot!
Like Lot, people eat, drink, buy, sell, plant, and build; Lot went out and told his two sons-in-law, what did he say? Let’s go together; God is going to destroy this city. Did his two sons-in-law believe? They thought Lot was joking. Why did Lot end up like this?
You can imagine that Lot’s usual speech was like this; do you understand? Usually, he was a person who loved to joke and loved to lie; when it was the real time, he said, “Hurry up, the Lord is going to destroy this city.” Others said, “You are joking again.” No one believed him. What does the Bible say? His two sons-in-law thought he was speaking idle words. So the words of Christians are very important.
Our daily life and behavior will influence others. If today we do all kinds of evil, if you let others believe in Jesus, will they say, “Are they doing all kinds of evil too?”
So we need to have good behavior to reflect God’s glory. It is to let God’s glory be manifested in us that we are blessed. Lot’s behavior was very bad; he did not have a good testimony, so he could not save those people; he himself was unwilling to come out. The angels pulled him out, and when he came out that day.
Look at how verse 29 says? The same day that Lot went out of Sodom, then the people of that city were destroyed. So brothers and sisters, in this end time, we should live like Abraham and not like Lot. Amen! Thank and praise the Lord!
Let’s look at another passage, Titus 2:11-14
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
What does this passage tell us? Today, God’s grace has been revealed, and it has been revealed through Jesus, Amen! How do we remove this ungodly heart? What is ungodliness? It is not fearing God, or not worshiping God, not taking God seriously, so he lives according to his own way. How can we remove our ungodly hearts? By understanding God’s grace. Amen!
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, because this grace can teach us to deny ungodliness, that is, when people do not worship God and do not want to fear God, they are unrestrained before God; they do not understand God’s grace.
Brothers and sisters, how can we remove worldly lusts? It is also God’s grace. When a person understands God’s grace, it helps him remove worldly lusts. So why did Lot fail so much? He did not understand God’s grace. Why was Abraham willing to live a separated life? Because he understood God’s provision and God’s grace.
God’s grace can teach us to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Hallelujah! So understanding God’s grace is so important! When you understand God’s grace, you can look for that blessed hope, waiting for what? Waiting for the glorious appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Do you know what the second coming of Jesus Christ means for us who believe in Jesus? Everything will be over. What is the second thing? The time has come for you to be rewarded for what you have done for the Lord in this world. So these two aspects are a hope for us. Looking for that blessed hope refers to this. Hallelujah!
Verse 14 says: Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Amen! Today He saves us from sin and makes us His people; what is the purpose? To make us zealous for good works.
God does not want us to live like Lot; He hopes we live like Abraham. So the Bible never says we are the descendants of Lot; the Bible only says we are the descendants of Abraham because God wants you to live a blessed life like Abraham. Hallelujah! So each of us must understand God’s grace and live a godly life in this world by God’s grace.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise You; thank You for leading us today, letting us understand the two different lives of the righteous. You do not force us to receive Your grace and blessings; You are willing for us to choose freely.
Lord, today I am willing to choose to live like Abraham; I do not want to live like Lot; I want to live a blessed life like Abraham. Give me this strength. Let me understand Your grace because Your grace can give me a godly heart, allowing me to fear You in everything. I thank You for this; Your grace can help me live a self-controlled, righteous life, a godly life.
Give me strength to be a model for the world, to be able to forgive those around me like Abraham, to help them and pray for them. Thank and praise You! Hallelujah, all glory be to You; in the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!