Lot Lost a Lot

Lot Lost a Lot (II Peter 2:7-8)
 
II Peter 2:7-8, And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
 
A key characteristic of people who are truly right with God and completely devoted to living by his principles and standard is that they love righteousness and hate wickedness (Hebrews 1:9). Their souls are distressed and grieved by the sin, immorality and ungodliness in the world. Lot was a saved man. The Bible tells us in II Peter 2:7-8 that he was a “just or righteous man” whose soul was vexed by the sin around him. And yet, Lot fell into some of the most tragic and miserable sin recorded in Scripture. He lost his family, his testimony, and his legacy. How did this happen? And how can we avoid the same spiritual collapse? Lot’s story offers us powerful answers.
 
He had everything a man could ever want: a loving family, an abundance of possessions, a good name, and a personal relationship with God; but He traded it all away because of his love for the world. I am not talking about the latest televangelist who was caught in a scandal; I am referring to the nephew of Israel’s great patriarch: Lot. Lot jeopardized all the blessings of God with an insatiable hunger for worldliness.  Peter says that Lot vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds. The word vexed means "tormented and distressed." It carries the idea of being weighed down and wore out. Lot was tormented and distressed by the overwhelming depravity all around him. He should have never went to Sodom, but certainly he should have left as soon as he saw the wickedness. He did not leave. Like many of God's people of today, Lot kept his mouth shut and blended in with the world. Lot paid a big price for his disobedience. It cost him his walk with God. He lost his family to the world. He lost his wife. Even his daughters who came out with him brought the philosophies and practices of Sodom with them. If Abraham hadn't interceded for him, Lot would have died with the sodomites. When God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot lingered.  Listen to what Peter had to say about Lot’s carnality in II Peter 2:7-8, And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) God’s deliverance was not based on any merit of Lot, but it was based on the fact that he was a child of God.
 
Lot had a righteous soul. Lot was a saved man. He never got involved in the wicked practices of the Sodomites, but he did tolerate it though he was repulsed by it. It weighed him down and wore him out, but he stayed there. Remember that it was largely a financial decision that landed him there. But Lot, nevertheless, was a righteous man. He wasn't righteous because of his actions, but because of his faith. He had a righteous standing before God. I am thankful that as believers our sins are gone and we have the imputed righteousness of Christ. What a security!
 
Lot was a believer, but he is one who had a very poor testimony in this world. Lot loved the praise of men and the things of this world more than God (John 12:42-43; I John 2:15). Not only did Lot dwell among the world, He delighted in the world.  As a result, Lot lost a lot.  Sure, Lot himself was saved, but he lost his livelihood; he took nothing with him out of the city.  He lost his loved one; Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt.  He lost his legacy; his daughters tricked him into having sex with them, and they bore two sons by their own father.  He escaped the destruction of the city but he was not altogether spared.  Love not the world, neither the things in the world, you just might lose a Lot! What a warning for our day. God will not spare apostate false teachers. He did not spare the apostates before the flood and He will not spare apostates after the flood. God did not withhold His judgment.
 
The Right Companions:
Lot began his journey well. He walked alongside his uncle Abraham, who was called in James 2:23, … the Friend of God. When Abraham stepped out in faith, Lot followed. Their companionship had a spiritual effect on Lot, at least temporarily. Proverbs 13:20, He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Throughout Scripture, we see how godly friendships shape godly lives: Joshua and Caleb, Jonathan and David, Elisha and Elijah, Timothy and Paul, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and Daniel. These relationships provided examples to follow, encouragement to do right, and accountability to stay the course. So ask yourself: Who are my Abrahams? Are you surrounding yourself with those who will point you toward God or toward compromise? “You are or soon will be who your friends are.” 
 
The Right Commitments:
Abraham was called God’s friend because he obeyed God’s commands (John 15:14). He had a personal, living, daily walk with the Lord. Lot, however, was familiar with Abraham’s walk, not his own. Lot had a borrowed faith. He thrived when he was near his godly mentor, but when separation came, his spiritual foundation crumbled. Genesis 13:9, 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. When Lot separated from Abraham, it became clear that he had been drawing power from Abraham’s relationship, not from God Himself
 
The Right Choices:
Life eventually separates us from our spiritual support systems. Children grow up and leave home. Pastors retire or are called elsewhere. Faithful friends move away. If our faith is only borrowed, we will falter. We must become friends of God ourselves. Lot didn’t have what Joseph had in Egypt: a personal reverence for God that said in Genesis 39:9, “how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Nor did he have Daniel’s resolve, who purposed in his heart not to defile himself (Daniel 1:8). Jeremiah, even when tempted to quit, confessed that God’s Word was like a burning fire shut up in his bones (Jeremiah 20:9). Their faith was real, active, and unshaken by separation. Lot’s downfall was not a sudden collapse but the slow unraveling of a borrowed spirituality. He failed because he never developed his own walk with God. He knew of Abraham’s faith, but not the God of Abraham. Don’t make the same mistake. Be thankful for the Abrahams in your life, but don’t rely solely on them. Develop your own daily walk. Be a friend of God. Build your own altar. Worship the Lord for yourself.
 
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