Message Sunday night 07/20/08

2 Peter 2:6 – 9 (ISV)

and if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed them by burning them to ashes, making them an example to ungodly people of what is going to happen to them;
and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man who was greatly distressed by the immoral conduct of lawless people-
for as long as that righteous man lived among them, day after day he was being tortured in his righteous soul by what he saw and heard in their lawless actions-
then the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials and to hold unrighteous people for punishment on the day of judgment,

Lot had chosen to live in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. But there he began to experience great distress (wear with toil; harass; oppress; vex) because of what he saw and heard there – their immoral conduct. Their lawless conduct tortured his moral upright soul. Are you maybe in a situation today where you are tormented and harassed by what goes on around you? Are you feeling the oppression of living in this world system? Do you feel overwhelmed by your surroundings because they are distressing your moral stand or belief system? Do you feel that you cannot take anymore? Are you oppressed to the point that you feel you will not get off it at any stage in the future?

IF…and…THEN…!

The good news is that IF the Lord rescued righteous Lot, THEN He knows how to rescue and deliver you too. From what? From the temptation: Every test and trial. We have to recognize that tests and trials will and do come. The word for temptation or test and trial here is- Peirazo -meaning to test or try. Now the sense of this word is to cause to stumble or fail. Doesn’t it just feel like that many times (or most of the time) that the devil is out to cause you to fail? He will try our faith, but the Lord says in the Word, that ” the trying of your faith works patience, and when patience has had its perfect work, you will be entire, complete and without lack” ( James 1: 3-4) – fully mature, grown-up and complete in a sense, in your faith.

But if He did , Then He will. He can and will rescue you.

READ GENESIS 19:1-29

Now, in this passage I would like to point out a few points that, I believe, are pertinent to where we are today, that applies, and that we can apply, that will see the deliverance of the Lord and his rescue of our soul when oppressed.

Genesis 19: 6-7. “But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, and said, ‘Please my brothers, do not act wickedly.”

1. Don’t ever try and negotiate with your tormentors and those causing oppression or even with the circumstances. The Devil is the accuser of the brethren, and when he goes to court , his legal ability is more than you can deal with. You will lose, hands down, every time. His mastery in this area of debating and negotiating with you is a developed skill from ages of dealing with man-kind. See how he negotiate with Eve and Adam and tried with the Lord. never, ever try and discuss or debate or negotiate with the situation. The result of Lot trying was that he nearly ended with a worse situation. ( Genesis 19: 9) now they were prepared to ravage him, and the visitors. If not for the angels rescue, Lot would have been in all sorts of trouble. The result of trying to negotiate.

Genesis 19: 15. “And when morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying,’Up, take your wife and your two daughters, who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city’“.

2. God will give direction and guidance for escape and deliverance. Psalm 43:3 “O send out Thy light and Thy truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Thy holy hill, And to Thy dwelling places. then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy;“

Trust in Him to supernaturally show you the way out. Can you see this whole incident of Lot’s deliverance and rescue is a SUPER-natural event? Meaning it was above natural. You see, the Lord Knows how to do supernatural things on your behalf to rescue you. We need to expect it, and trust Him for it.

Genesis 19: 16. “But he hesitated“.

3. Hesitation means you halt, you pause, you hold back. That’s what DOUBT is, to hesitate, or halt between two points. It could be this, or it could be that. You have to act on what you know, what you are convinced of, what you know the Lord has spoken to your heart. He who hesitates is lost. Doubt will leave you like a wave of the sea. It’s a device of the enemy, to leave you unstable in all your ways. You begin to hesitate and your sense of direction and purpose is lost. Don’t hesitate, move forward with what you know. Don’t question the voice of God, press on. The angels had to intervene to give Lot help, otherwise, again, it could have been catastrophic for him, and his family. For some, it seems, that oppression, torment and vexation they know, which is familiar,  is more comfortable than the realm of deliverance and liberty they don’t know.

Genesis 19: 16. ” … for the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city“.

4. Trust the Love, compassion and loving kindness of the Lord for you. God will deliver you and your righteous soul, the godly, because He loves you. Romans 8: 37 “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who LOVED us“. When you don’t know what else to believe in. Believe in His love for you. Believe He loves you too much to abandon you.

Genesis 19: 17-18. ” And it came about when they had brought them outside, that one said,’Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, lest you be swept away’. But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords!‘”

5. Don’t question God’s leading and direction for your life.  Now that Lot has seen the kindness of the Lord for his life, he presumes to begin to question and debate the will of God for him.  Again, this has catastrophic implications.  Listen to the voice of God. Trust that the Lord knows more than you. The Lord may be changing the people you hang out with. He may be changing your geographical location. Whatever it is, we need to say “YES!” to the lord’s direction because He knows what, where and why. Children that constantly question their parents and presume to tell them why it shouldn’t be that way and how it should be, maybe cute now, but in time will be a constant source of conflict when older.

Genesis 19:26. “But his wife, from behind him, looked back; and she became a pillar of salt.”.

6. Ok. We have heard plenty of this one. But it bears repeating.  Don’t look back. Whatever caused the oppression, the torment, the vexation, is still there. Let the Lord rescue you supernaturally, in soul. Don’t let that soul of yours keep desiring that which was there. The period you are in process of rescue is the most “dangerous” time for this. If you have heard from God, if you are experiencing His supernatural deliverance, if you have set yourself with conviction to obey, the DON’T LOOK BACK. Our past will always high-jack our future.

Genesis 19: 29. “Thus it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.“

7. Do , associate with those who will pray for and encourage you. We cannot be church on our own, its not possible. We are all members of one body, set in place according to the will of God. Paul, the apostle, says we cannot say to any member , we don’t need them, or any member cannot say because they are not some part of the body therefore they aren’t . No! every part and every member is necessary. And you and I need them. We need the other members and parts of the body to pray and encourage us. That’s why its says that we should encourage one another while it’s called Today. And we should not forsake the gathering together. What it’s talking about is, you and I needing each other. And not just the “great” ones, but each and every member.

What are you facing?

What situation do you find yourself in?

With whom do you find trouble for your soul?

What tests and trials are seemingly overwhelming for you?

IF the Lord could deliver Lot, THEN He knows how to deliver

YOU!