Movies can be like post cards, snap shots of some the greatest places on earth like Rome in Roman Vacation with Audrey Hepburn; like Paris in The Devil Wears Prada with Anne Hathaway, and of course, like Las Vegas in like Viva, Viva Las Vegas with Elvis (Thank you very much.). Then there is The Hang Over starring… Doug. In “The Hang Over", four buddies go to Vegas to celebrate Doug’s upcoming wedding. However, what was done in Vegas did not stay in Vegas. It nearly kept them from making it to Doug’s big day to make forever-promises to his lucky bride.
For the foursome, what was done in Vegas did not stay in Vegas because Vegas was in them—in their hearts. They loved them some Vegas. And there are some things we ought not love because they bring dire consequences. What is promoted as true of Vegas—"What’s done in Vegas stays”—is verifiably true one place—the heart. And the writer of I Samuel warns that God judges the heart.
How does God judge the heart especially in light of His promises?
In Genesis 19, we see old school Vegas—Sodom and Gomorrah. God is going to pass judgment on it because of its unrighteousness. Abraham’s nephew—more like a son—lives there. Will God wipe out Lot, too? Enter God’s promises made to Abraham to bless him and his seed. In that Abrahamic promise is the promise to bless all nations. That promise is part of God’s “Genesis 3:15” promise to send a Seed-Son to save all mankind from itself. We see that Seed-son in The Seed: The Greatest Story Ever Told. In that story is a tale of two cities—not just Sodom and Gomorrah—but two theological cities of love.
We will see in Genesis 19, how God judges in light of His promises as seen in the city of “The Love of the World” and the city of “The Love of God.” They are located in the same region—the heart. As we observe Lent, reflect on what you love and look forward to how God has loved you and kept His resurrection promise. When it comes to the judgment of God—unlike Vegas—what is loved in God’s heart, stays in God’s heart and in His promises kept.
First, when it comes to God’s judgment, the “Love of the World” will keep you from the promises of God. Don’t live there in your heart. Lot’s wife did, and God judged her. We see that judgment in Genesis 19: 23-26.
23 The sun had just risen over the land as Lot reached Zoar. 24 Then the Lord rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. 25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew from the ground. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back longingly and was turned into a pillar of salt.
The key word is “longingly”. There was something in Sodom that she loved. What was done in Sodom didn’t stay in Sodom. Even though she was outside the city limits of Gomorrah, Gomorrah was still in her heart.
How did she get there? In a Reader’s Digest summary, Abraham and Lot amicably split because of their competing wealth seen in chapter 13. From a distance, Lot chose the fertile, green valley of Sodom. (Coincidentally, Las Vegas means green meadow.) Lot failed to see the gangrene of Sodom’s sadistic lifestyle for its green, verdant grass. Ingrained in their culture was an unprecedented evil which showed its ugliest head when the men of the twin cities tried to rape two angels visiting Lot. It was then that God judged Sodom and Gomorrah. By morning they would be ashes. The angels warned Lot and his family to get out of town. “Don’t look back. Get out.” However, Lot’s wife obeyed her heart, not the angel’s heeds. She had to have one last look. She was turned into a pillar of salt. Why? She loved the world of Sodom.
“Love of the World” has always been a bad real estate move. God has always posted 1 John 2:15-16 warning signs outside its city limits: Don’t Go There.
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man…does not come from the Father, but the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 1JN 2:15-16.
Achan lived in the Love of the World. He kept for himself the forbidden spoils of war and he and his whole family were destroyed. He never saw the promises of God.
Ananias and Saphira lived in the Love of the World. They kept back real estate proceeds promised to the Church. They were wheeled out feet first. They never saw the promises of God.
Judas lived in the Love of the World. He betrayed Jesus Christ for thirty pieces of silver.
Church, I don’t know where you will be physically in your next location. But when it comes to the place of the heart, beware of some of the longings of the world in your personal and corporate life as the body of Christ. As we observe Lent, reflect on what you love and look forward on how God has loved you and kept His resurrection promise —Easter. Unlike Vegas, when it comes to the judgment of God, what is loved in God’s heart, stays in God’s heart and in His promises kept. The promises of God do not live every place.
Second, when it comes to God’s judgment, the “Love of the God” will keep you in the promises of God. Abraham lived in “The Love of God” seen in his love of God and man, namely his nephew Lot. When he learned of God’s judgment on Sodom, he was concerned how this would affect Lot. His question was, seen in 18:23-24: Will God sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Genesis 18:23-24
Then Abraham began a series of “what ifs” questions de-escalating the possible range of God’s grace to save the righteous among the wicked: “What if there are 45…40…30…20…10? What is the fate of the righteous in God’s judgment?
The answer is this: God will spare any faithful, righteous person who loves Him. God considered His promises to Abraham, His recognition of Abraham’s faith and His compassion for mankind in sparing Lot.
19 I have chosen him so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then the Lord will give to Abraham what he promised him.” Gen.18:19
God chose Abraham because of his faith. His faith, and that of Lot was accounted to them as righteousness according to Genesis 15:6 for the “just shall live by faith” according to Habakkuk 2:4. God saw in the future, Abraham leading generations to faithful obedience. And, when their faith failed, God planned to restore them and give them the capacity to love and obey in their hearts according to Deuteronomy 30:6. This will be a foreshadowing of a New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:33 where God writes the law of faith on hearts of men. They will love God with all their heart and mind because where there is faith, there is love.
God has this love in view in His promises to Abraham. So, out of compassion and His promise to Abraham to bless all men of the earth, He saved Lot.
16 When Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. (Gen. 16:19; Gen. 19:296)
29 So when God destroyed the cities of the region, God honored Abraham’s request. He removed Lot from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed the cities Lot had lived in. Gen. 19:29
God’s judgment is not with a broad, indiscriminate broom that sweeps all away, but with “tweezers”, He plucks Lot (and you and I who love him) out of the fire and into salvation. With tweezer-like precision, God has always had compassion to pluck His children out of judgment.
· God plucked out Noah, the just from the judgment of the unjust.
· God plucked out Rehab from the judgment of Jericho.
· God plucked out the small city of Zoar from the judgment on Sodom.
Church, I don’t know where you will physically be in your next location. Be encouraged to live in a place of love of God and love of men in your heart, to want to please him by faith in your personal and corporate life as the body of Christ. God will not sweep you way, but pluck you out. As we observe Lent, reflect on what you love and project on how God has loved you and kept His resurrection promise—Easter. Unlike Vegas, when it comes to the judgment of God, what isloved in God’s heart, stays in God’s heart and in His promises kept. The promises of God live in the Love of God.
Conclusion
In Genesis 19, we see how God judges in light of His promises seen in two theological places you choose to live—not Sodom and Gomorrah—but the cities I call “The Love of the World” or “The Love of God”. They are in the same region—the heart. Those who live in “Love of the World”, you will not live to realize the promises like Lot’s wife. But for those who live in the “Love of God”, you will be saved, and see the promises of Abraham.
As we observe Lent, reflect on what you love and project on how God has loved you and kept His resurrection promise of Easter. For the foursome who went to Vegas, what was done in Vegas did not stay in Vegas, because Vegas was in their hearts. They almost missed Doug’s big day. But when it comes to the judgment of God, what is loved in God’s heart, stays in God’s heart and in His promises kept. We will make our big day of the marriage supper of the Lamb as Christ’s bride—no tigers and tasers allowed.
Some things need to stay just where they are.
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