[0:00] Now before we engage with public worship, I've been asked to read this intimation. There will be a meeting of the women in the congregation tomorrow night at 7.30pm in the hall to discuss the catering arrangements to be made for the forthcoming induction of Reverend Donald MacLeod due to take place on Friday the 10th of February.
[0:25] And Katrina McKeever has been appointed to oversee the arrangements. So God willing, tomorrow night at 7.30pm in the hall, the women to arrange catering for the induction.
[0:40] Now we'll continue our worship of God singing to his praise from Sing Psalms and Psalm number 1. Psalm number 1.
[0:52] Blessed is the one who turns away from where the wicked walk, who does not stand in sinners' paths or sit with those who mock.
[1:07] Instead he finds God's holy law, his joy and great delight. He makes the precepts of the Lord his study day and night. He prospers ever like a tree that's planted by a stream.
[1:21] And in due season yields its fruit, its leaves are always green. Not so the wicked. They are like the chaff that's blown away. They will not stand when judgment comes or with the righteous stay.
[1:35] It is the Lord who sees and knows the way the righteous go. But those who live an evil life, the Lord will overthrow.
[1:47] We'll sing this whole psalm to God's praise. Blessed is the one who turns away. Blessed is the one who turns away from where the wicked walk.
[2:11] Blessed is the one who turns away from where the wicked walk.
[2:41] Blessed is the one who turns away from where the wicked walk.
[3:11] Blessed is the one who turns away from where the wicked walk.
[3:41] He will not stand when judgment comes, or with the righteous sin.
[3:56] It gives the Lord to cease and go, the Lord to cease and go, and those who live in the light, the Lord will overflow.
[4:29] Let us pray together. Lord our God, give us to take to heart the solemnity of these words, which we have just read and sung, that those who live an evil life, the Lord will overthrow.
[4:56] And you have demonstrated the truth of that statement down through the years. And your attitude to sin has not changed, because God hates sin.
[5:14] And we pray this evening that we would not be found among those who persist in a life of sin, but rather that we may hear the gospel to our eternal advantage, and take to heart the claims of God upon us, and ask the Lord for mercy for the many sins of our lives.
[5:45] you show to us from your word that we have sinned and do sin constantly in thought, in word and action.
[5:56] And that each sin deserves God's wrath and curse, both in this life and that which is to come. And we pray that repentance would be a reality in the lives of each one of us.
[6:13] When John the Baptist came, preaching the gospel, these were his first words as he opened his mouth, repent, for the kingdom of God has come near.
[6:28] And when Jesus, our Saviour, began his preaching, it's as if he echoed what John the Baptist had said.
[6:39] But he also said, repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel. And these commands are still relevant in our day.
[6:55] It's not as if we have outgrown our need to repent. But we are still sinners by nature and practice.
[7:06] Our communities are sinful communities. Sin is where I am. That's why the Lord is so grieved at us as a nation and as a generation.
[7:31] We ask, O Lord, that you would give us that grace of repentance, that we may turn from every known sin and come to the feet of Jesus, confessing and forsaking all the sins of our life.
[7:49] We thank you for the glorious gospel that you continue to send forth among our people. It's good news for sinners. And we pray that we may embrace it as such.
[8:02] That we may be able to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ, freely offered in the gospel. And that this evening would be a special evening for each one of us.
[8:14] As the word of God is read and expounded. And as we sing together and pray that the Lord Jesus Christ, by his Holy Spirit, would come into our midst to bless us.
[8:31] We thank you for the examples we have had of your gracious favor down through the years.
[8:41] And as we look to the history of the church in this land, we acknowledge that you have visited us in grace and mercy on repeated occasions.
[8:53] We grant, O Lord, that you would remember this generation. And that you would work mightily among us to turn us unto yourself. Just like the Thessalonians of old, when the gospel came to them, that they turned to God from idols to wait upon the living and through God.
[9:15] We pray for your blessing to be upon us here this evening. We thank you for all present. We thank you that you know each one of them according to their needs. Those who are longing to know you.
[9:28] Those who would seek to come a lot closer to you than they are. Those who would want more and more of your love shed abroad in their hearts.
[9:40] Those who want more light to shine into their dark minds. Those who complain of their hardness of heart. O Lord our God, we thank you that you are able to do all of these things as the great physician of body and soul.
[10:00] That you are able to change things for the better in the experience of our sinful world. We pray for your blessing to be upon this whole community.
[10:11] Remember our island and our nation. Remember our leaders in government. And we ask Lord that they would not think it a strange thing to bring the word of God into their discussions.
[10:28] And be willing to live under its authority. We pray that you would bless them. And bless our King also. And the royal family.
[10:39] Each one of them with their own personal needs. And their needs also as those who are elevated to such a high position over us as a nation.
[10:51] We pray also for those who are grieving this evening. And we pray for your blessing to be upon them. That you would heal their broken hearts and bind up their wounds.
[11:04] And we remember those who are ill. And who have recently gone under the hand of doctors and medical staff. We pray also that you would bless them richly.
[11:18] And that they would be renewed in body and strengthened in spirit through this whole experience. We pray now for your blessing to be with us as we read your word.
[11:30] And as we continue to sing your praise and meditate upon the scriptures. And forgive every sin we ask in Jesus name and for his sake. Amen. Now I'd like to read a portion of God's word.
[11:46] At this point from the book of Genesis. And chapter 13.
[11:58] And verses 1 to 13. Genesis 13 verses 1 to 13. So Abram went up from Egypt.
[12:11] He and his wife and all that he had. And Lot with him into the Negev. Now Abraham was very rich in livestock. In silver and in gold.
[12:23] And he journeyed on from the Negev. As far as Bethel. To the place where his tent had been. At the beginning. Between Bethel and Ai. To the place where he had made an altar at first.
[12:36] And there Abraham called upon the name of the Lord. And Lot who went with him. And Lot who went with Abraham.
[12:47] Also had flocks and herds and tents. So that the land could not support both of them. Dwelling together. For their possessions were so great. That they could not dwell together.
[12:59] And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abraham's livestock. And the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.
[13:13] Then Abraham said to Lot. Let there be no strife between you and me. And between your herdsmen and my herdsmen. For we are kinsmen. It's not the whole land before you.
[13:26] Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand. Then I will go to the right. Or if you take the right hand. Then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes.
[13:39] And saw. That the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere. Like the garden of the Lord. Like the land of Egypt. In the direction of Zohar.
[13:50] This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley. And Lot journeyed east.
[14:01] Thus they separated from each other. Abraham settled in the land of Canaan. While Lot settled among the cities of the valley. And moved his tent as far as Sodom.
[14:15] Now the men of Sodom were wicked. Great sinners against the Lord. Amen. May God bless to us that reading from his word.
[14:26] We'll now sing from the Scottish Psalter. And Psalm number 50. Psalm number 50. From the Scottish Psalter.
[14:39] The first version of the Psalm. The mighty God the Lord. Hath spoken and did call the earth.
[14:51] From rising of the sun to where he hath his fall. From out of Zion hill. Which of excellency and beauty. The perfection is. God shined gloriously.
[15:02] Our God shall surely come. Keep silence shall not he. Before him fire shall waste. Great storms shall round about him be.
[15:13] Down to verse 6. The end of verse 6. And then the heavens shall his righteousness declare. Because the Lord himself is he. By whom men judge dar.
[15:25] Psalm number 50. From the Scottish Psalter. Verses 1 to 6. The mighty God the Lord. The mighty God the Lord. Has spoken and before.
[15:37] The mighty God the Lord. Has spoken and before. The mighty God the Fall.
[15:49] Eign. The mighty King. The mighty King. In the host of theĐľĐ˝Đ˝Đ°Ń hall. Let the rich King. Of the brow. Of theação.
[16:00] The mighty Lord. vile ans a nan fed. The mighty name. The mighty He Date. Of the angel. The mighty Lord. The mighty Lord.螣 Gear war. The mighty King.iri of the!
[16:11] The mighty King. which of the children see, and you will hear the reverence on this God shining glorious name.
[16:43] Her God shall surely know, He strides and shall know Him, Behold them by the childless big stars, Shall run the birth in me, And to the heavens here, In all our love shall come, And to His earth, like one side he,
[17:46] May the childless people alone. Together is my spirit, And to the earth, And to the earth, And the earth shall come, And to the earth shall come, And to the heavens shall come, And to the heavens shall, And to the heavens shall, And to the heavens shall, And to the heavens shall, And to the heavens shall,
[18:50] And to the heavens shall And to the heavens shall is he by good nature, Jesus.
[19:10] Now if we turn again to Genesis, I'm reading a portion from Genesis 19, verses 1 to 29.
[19:22] Genesis 19. 1 to 29. The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom.
[19:40] When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, My lords, please turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night and wash your feet.
[19:53] Then you may rise up early and go on your way. They said, No, we will spend the night in the town square. But he pressed them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house.
[20:09] And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house.
[20:25] Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him and said, I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.
[20:44] Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.
[20:59] But they said, Stand back. And they said, This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge. Now we will deal worse with you than with them.
[21:12] Then they pressed hard against the man, Lot, and drew near to break the door down. But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door.
[21:25] And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out, groping for the door.
[21:37] Then the men said to Lot, Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, Bring them out of the place.
[21:49] For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.
[22:01] So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, Up, get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.
[22:12] But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting. As 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.
[22:29] But he lingered. So the men seized him, and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, and the Lord being merciful to him. And they brought him out and set him outside the city.
[22:43] And as they brought them out, one said, Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.
[22:55] And Lot said to them, O no, my lords, behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life.
[23:06] But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me, and I die. Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one.
[23:18] Let me escape there. Is it not a little one? And my life will be saved. He said to him, Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken.
[23:34] Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar, and the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah, sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven.
[23:54] And he overthrew those cities and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the cities and what grew on the ground. But Lord's wife behind him looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
[24:09] And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley.
[24:21] And he looked, and behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace. So it was that when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.
[24:44] May God bless to us that reading from his holy word. And to his name be all the praise. And let's again sing to his praise this time from Sing Psalms and Psalm number 11.
[25:00] Psalm number 11 and verses 3 to 7. 3 to the end. Psalm 11, verse 3.
[25:15] If the foundations are destroyed and all around there is decay, whatever can the righteous do surrounded by such desire? The Lord is in his holy place.
[25:27] The Lord is on his heavenly throne. His eyes observe the human race. And in his sight each one is known. To the end of the psalm. Psalm number 11, verses 3.
[25:39] To the end of the psalm. If the foundations are destroyed and all around there is decay. Amen. The third foundation is destroyed and all around there is decay.
[26:06] What? What? What? Whatever! You don't know what the hell is going to be? See level 50, verse 4. How good?
[26:16] The use of God? The Lord is in his holy place.
[26:31] Thank you.
[27:01] The Lord e convey to our willace The righteous are the good days The Lord goes to the wickedness, And by those ends, their shorty test.
[27:37] Upon the wickedness, we will reign, His high evil, our self-adorn.
[27:55] Our shorty wind will keep your name, Such furnishing will be in the Lord.
[28:14] For God the Lord is righteous still, And righteousness is divine.
[28:32] And we alone will see His face Throughout the heart of the night.
[28:52] Amen. So as the Lord enables us, let us turn to the second portion of the scripture which we have read in Genesis chapter 19.
[29:12] Particularly focusing on verse 17. And as they brought them out, one said, Escape for your life.
[29:30] Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away. This is the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, And the saving of God's man Lot from that situation.
[29:58] We first come across the name of Lot in chapter 11 of Genesis. At verse 27.
[30:10] He is among the extended family of Abraham. And when Abraham was called by God out of Ur of the Chaldees, You remember that the Lord of glory appeared to Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees, And commanded him to go out from there.
[30:38] And in the epistle of Hebrews in chapter 11, We have brought before us that Abraham believed God, And he went out not knowing where he was going.
[30:50] He had that depth and a quality of faith that he took God at his word. He obeyed God, leaving his land and everything else that he had.
[31:06] And he became a dweller in tents along with the rest of his extended family. And Lot was one of the group who accompanied Abraham.
[31:18] And as we have read here in chapter 13 this evening, We find that Abraham and Lot have been down in Egypt.
[31:34] Because there was a famine in the land of Canaan. And they went down to Egypt during the years of famine. And we now find them coming back to the land of Canaan.
[31:48] And both of them, Abraham and Lot, had become extremely rich. While they were in Egypt.
[31:59] Obviously, they were into flocks and herds. And each one of them had a large flock and a large herd. And the land became too small for them.
[32:13] It's as if there was competition between the herdsmen of Abraham and the herdsmen of Lot. And they asked Lot as to which part of ground that they would graze their cattle and sheep on.
[32:28] And Abraham saw the problem. And he said to Lot now, he said, The land is too small for all of us. We better not have any animosity between us.
[32:44] I think you should go to one way and I should go to another. And he said, You choose which way you want to go. And if you go to the right, I'll go to the left.
[32:58] And if you go to the left and choose that grazing, I'll happily go to the right. So that we won't get tangled up and there will be no problems.
[33:10] And we read that when Lot looked around him, he saw that the Jordan Valley was lush. A wonderful place to graze cattle and his flocks of sheep.
[33:24] And he decided to move there. But at the end of the section that we read there, first of all, the section finishes with this, as it were, sting in the tail.
[33:40] Although the Jordan Valley was lush and wonderful for grazing animals and so on, it says that the people of Sodom were sinful exceedingly.
[33:56] So that's the first point I want to make. When Lot makes his choice, he makes a careless choice.
[34:08] And I want to explain that in a moment. And secondly, having spent some time in the vicinity of Sodom, which was such a sinful place, the Lord visited Sodom, sending his angels to destroy it.
[34:30] And that's the second point. The angels command to Lot and his family. Escape for your life.
[34:41] Get out of this place as fast as you can. An urgent command. And thirdly, the way the angels pointed him. Escape to the mountain, to the hills, to the higher country, that you will not be consumed in the destruction of the city.
[35:03] That's guaranteed safety to Lot and his family. So these three points. Lot's careless choice, first of all.
[35:17] Secondly, the angels giving him an urgent command to escape from where he is. And thirdly, the angels pointing him to a secure place of refuge against the day of great calamity coming upon the city.
[35:37] Firstly, Lot's clear. He's given the choice of which direction to go with his flocks and his herds.
[35:49] And he chooses the valley of the Jordan. Lush, wonderful for cattle and for sheep. But I said, this was a very careless choice.
[36:05] I looked up the meaning of the word careless in the dictionary in the afternoon. And it says something like this. If you're careless, you are not giving sufficient attention to avoiding harm or danger.
[36:21] Or error.
[36:34] You see, Sodom had a reputation. And it wasn't a good reputation. It was exceedingly sinful.
[36:47] And although Lot decided to go and tend his flocks and his herds in the vicinity of Sodom, Sodom's influence reached him eventually.
[37:02] He didn't stay outside of Sodom. It's as if he was drawn in. And that's the problem with sin every time.
[37:13] It's as if it's got strong and long tentacles. And it draws people in. That's what happened in the experience of Lot.
[37:26] The sin of Sodom was a horrendous sin. Of which we hear so much nowadays. If not straightforwardly spoken, certainly the language around it is common enough.
[37:45] The sin of homosexuality. It prevailed among the people of Sodom. To a great extent. So that that sin is named after that city mentioned here in the scriptures.
[38:01] The sin of Sodomy. The Lord is not pleased with any sin.
[38:13] But the apostle Jude, in Jude chapter 1 and verse 7 says this. Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities.
[38:24] Which likewise indulged in sexual immorality. And pursued unnatural desire. They serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
[38:41] As well as that prevalent sin in Sodom.
[38:54] We find in the prophecy of Ezekiel. At chapter 16 verses 49 and 50. An account of the kind of sins that generally prevailed in the atmosphere of Sodom.
[39:12] The first one he mentions is the sin of pride. And the second one he mentions is excess of food. And the third one, abundance of idleness.
[39:27] If you look this up in Ezekiel 16, 49 and 50. You'll find that that was the kind of atmosphere that prevailed in Sodom.
[39:40] And it's as if the people in Sodom lived in that kind of atmosphere. And indulged in such a sinful lifestyle.
[39:53] The sin of pride. Pride was, one of the commentators says, the sin of which Satan was guilty.
[40:07] When he sinned in heaven against God and he was cast forth. He wanted to usurp God's position. He wanted to be God himself.
[40:19] The sin of pride. And that commentator also says that it was the sin of pride that prevailed upon Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
[40:30] When Satan comes and tempts them with the same kind of thinking. And he says, you shall be like gods, knowing good and evil, if you eat the fruit of this tree.
[40:44] And Eve stretched forth her hand and caught the fruit and ate it and gave to Adam. And he ate.
[40:56] The sin of pride seeking a place that doesn't belong to us. Pride in ourselves rather than glorifying God with our lives.
[41:12] The prevailing sin of human nature seems to be pride. Setting ourselves first before God. Before other people. You see, if you love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
[41:26] The scripture says that you're putting God in the right place in your life. And you're putting other people in the place that God would want you to put them in your life.
[41:38] Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. And pride prevailed in Sodom. In Sodom.
[41:50] But the second thing was they had excess of food. Or as it is in the authorised version, fullness of bread. The land of Sodom, surrounding area, was very fertile.
[42:06] And they had no shortage of food to eat. And the people were luxurious in the amount of food that they had available to them.
[42:20] But you see, that kind of provision of God to them ought to have led them to praise God and to love him and serve him.
[42:34] See what it says in Romans 2 at verse 4.
[43:08] The Apostle Paul is writing in another context. But the same thought prevails there. We must not pursue God's kindness and longsuffering and patience just to do our own thing.
[43:26] No, he is kind to us as an expression of his love. And we are called upon to respond in obedience and love and faith and service to him.
[43:44] The people of Sodom. I don't know if this is true, but they had many banquets. They had access to all the food they could eat and much more.
[43:59] But you see, that didn't turn them away from their sin. Rather, it entrenched them deeper and deeper in their sinful life.
[44:10] Living without God and living without any real ethic that magnifies holiness of life. Excess of food.
[44:24] And the third thing that Ezekiel mentions is abundance of idleness or prosperous ease.
[44:36] These things were true. Prevailed among the people. So much leisure time. So much time on their hands.
[44:50] I remember reading once about Roman society before the fall of the Roman Empire. And the amount of time that was dedicated to sports and relaxation.
[45:07] A number of days a week were allocated for that kind of activity. How far is that idea from what the Lord says, Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work.
[45:24] And the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. People need to work. People need to have a commitment to doing what pleases God.
[45:39] Not just sit at ease. I know that there may not be as many opportunities for employment in some parts.
[45:56] But where there are opportunities of employment. People need to take them up. If people are well enough to do so. People need to take them up.
[46:08] Because the devil will find work for idle hands. And it's not the best work he will find for idle hands. And that's what was true in Sodom and Gomorrah.
[46:21] And the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah prevailed more and more. To the extent that God sent his angels to destroy it. So Lot made a careless choice.
[46:43] In his place of abode. He and his herdsmen and their flocks and herd. And each of us has to be careful.
[46:54] When we decide for one place or another. Or one situation or another. Weigh up all the pluses and minuses.
[47:06] The pros and the cons. And if the particular commitment you're making opens you to a particular sin. Or a sinful lifestyle. Or if it keeps you from fulfilling your commitment to the Lord.
[47:22] The way you feel you ought to do. Well keep clear of it. The Lord will open up something better. If you and if I prayerfully consider our moves in life.
[47:38] A careless choice. But secondly we see. That when the angels came to Sodom. The angels found.
[47:51] The situation. Awful to say the least. The men of the city surrounded Lot's house.
[48:02] And they wanted to come in. And know the men. And they were strong and persistent in their attitude.
[48:17] Their sinful attitude. And Lot sent. He went out and spoke to them. And the men inside.
[48:29] And the men inside. Struck these evil men around Lot's door. With blindness. So that they couldn't find the door. The situation was horrible.
[48:42] But in the midst of that horrible situation. Lot, a good man of God. As it says elsewhere in the scriptures.
[48:54] It says in 2 Peter chapter 2. That from day to day. In seeing and hearing. These people's unlawful deeds. That he vexed his righteous soul.
[49:09] It was a burden to him. It was a heartache and heartbreak to this man. There's an interesting version.
[49:24] I think it's Ezekiel chapter 9. In the beginning. When it talks about. The angel of the Lord coming to destroy people.
[49:35] And he said. Do not destroy. Do not destroy. The people that I have. Sealed in their foreheads.
[49:46] The people who sigh. And cry. For the evil. That is done. In Jerusalem. That was.
[49:57] The Jerusalem situation. Because they. At another time. Had turned their back upon the Lord. But there were some. Among the people living in Jerusalem.
[50:09] Who sighed. Because of the sin around them. And who cried to the Lord. To alleviate the situation. That's the kind of people we want today.
[50:23] You and I. We need. In our doing business with the Lord himself. To sigh with brokenness of spirit.
[50:35] Over our own sin. And the sins of our people. And cry to the Lord at the same time. Lord have mercy upon us.
[50:46] That you would rain the heavens and come down. And do our mighty work. In the hearts of young and old and middle aged. And when the angels.
[51:02] Spoke to. Lot here. It's as if he. Didn't realize the urgency of the matter.
[51:13] At all. He certainly went. And told the men who were going to marry his daughters. To come. And get out of the place. And they thought he was kidding.
[51:24] They thought he was joking. And it looks as if he himself also. Wasn't as fully committed to leaving the place. As he ought to have been.
[51:36] Until the angel caught. Until the angel caught. Him. And his wife and daughters by the hand. And he gave them this urgent command. In verse 17.
[51:48] They brought them out. And said escape for your life. Do not look back. Or stop anywhere in the valley.
[51:59] Escape to the hills. Lest you be swept away. Well that's. A clear enough commandment.
[52:10] And that's the kind of command. That the gospel. Presents to myself and yourself also. Because we. Are sinners before God.
[52:22] And we are sinners accountable to him. And we are those. Unless we respond in faith. And obedience to him.
[52:33] We will die in our sins. And he said. Escape for your life.
[52:45] Do not look back. Which way. Is the escape route. The escape route. For us. For us. I mean.
[52:57] When you are. In a large hall. With which you are not familiar. And if. A fire siren. Siren goes off. Or anything like that. You see.
[53:08] There are lights above. Ferious doors. Exit. Exit. Exit. And the Lord here. He shows us. The way out of our.
[53:20] Sinful dilemma. As he showed. Lot. The way out of Sodom. That was ready to be destroyed. And what is the way? Well the Bible says in the New Testament.
[53:35] And Jesus said. I am the way. The truth and the life. The truth and the life. No man cometh. To the Father. But by me. You are not going to stay where you are.
[53:49] Governed by sin. Governed by pride. Governed by excess of food. Governed by abundance of idleness. Governed by selfishness. You need to get out of that situation.
[54:01] And you must look to Jesus. Escape. For your life. Because it is death if you stay where you are.
[54:15] Governed by sin. Governed by worldliness. And governed by sensuality in all its forms. That is a recipe for death.
[54:26] Eternal death. If you don't turn. And Jesus said. Look unto me.
[54:37] And be saved. All the ends of the earth. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah. They were given as it were. This exit sign.
[54:49] And the angel said. That is the way out. And Lot and his daughters and his wife. Moved towards the exit. Have you moved.
[55:03] Yet towards the exit. Out of a sinful life. Out of a careless life. Out of a self righteous life.
[55:14] Have you. Moved. Moved. Moved. By faith. To look to Jesus. Who is the author and finisher.
[55:26] Of faith and salvation. And the angel says. Don't stop. Don't look back. And don't stop anywhere.
[55:38] In the valley. In the valley. It's as if. The angel is. Directing them to the possibility. And the danger. Of.
[55:49] Being prevailed upon. By various forces. Of darkness. Within themselves. And around themselves. To keep them. Where they are.
[56:00] And that's certainly. A ploy of the devil. At all times. He will try. And keep people. Satisfied.
[56:11] With their situation. Although it may be. Godless. And although it may be. Far away. From what's acceptable. Socially. The devil will try.
[56:23] And keep you. In that. Lostness. Don't look back. And then also. Don't stop.
[56:34] Anywhere. In the valley. Why? Well. Because the valley. Is full of danger. The valley. Is full.
[56:45] Of temptation. Get out of it. As fast as you can. And finally. Where does he. Point them to. When he points them.
[56:56] To the hills. Or to the mountain. As it says. In the authorised version. A place of guaranteed safety.
[57:10] You know. There is only one. Safe place.
[57:21] For sinners to come. To escape. Eternal. Damnation. And that is the high ground. That is Christ Jesus.
[57:33] I think I quoted this the other night. But it's a good text to apply to this particular situation. That a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind.
[57:45] A covered from the tempest. As rivers of water in a dry place. And the shadow of a great rock. In a weary land. right.
[57:56] This is Christ. A spoken gospel. These words particularly. Are applicable to Jesus. Our Saviour. The rock of the ages. Let me hide myself.
[58:08] In thee. And if you were to read. John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. He was escaping for his life.
[58:20] from the city of destruction as John Bunyan puts it and he had this burden upon his back his consciousness of sin and conscious of his need of salvation and he went on according to the directions given to him until he came to the cross and when he looked up this is what he sang blessed cross blessed sepulcher blessed rather be the man that there was put to shame for me he looked to the highest of all hills the safest of all individuals the safest of all places to come to the place where God was reconciled to sinners by the death of his son and that's the place of ultimate security for every one of us
[59:30] Lot fled Sodom but see the sting in the tail Lot's wife it says that she looked back and she was turned into a pillar of salt looking back however much you may have put behind you by way of Sodom looking back betrays that your heart is still there however much you may tidy up your life openly publicly if you're in love with sin still in your heart you're still liable to the punishment of God remember Lot's wife Jesus said to his listeners in the New Testament he says remember her it's as if she moved away from Sodom but Sodom was still with its tentacles holding on to her heart
[60:45] Lord may that not be true of me or anyone here rather may we with wholesome commitment flee our sin turn our back upon it and embrace a saviour who is freely offered in the gospel these three points then Lot's careless choice secondly the angel's urgent command and thirdly the place of guaranteed safety you ask the Lord to take you from your sinful state to the high ground the safe ground of fellowship with Jesus fellowship with him by faith in this world and at last at the end of life's journey fellowship with him soul and body in heaven let us pray help us O Lord to hear what God the Lord does speak to us have mercy upon us for our sin we by nature are no better than the sinners of Sodom we confess that freely because every sin deserves your wrath and curse but give us not to be hardened in sin give us a hearing ear an obedient spirit that we may turn from every known sin and embrace the sinner saviour who receives all who truly come he will turn none away who truly come to him bless the congregation here we pray and as they prepare for the induction we ask that they would continue in prayerful activity seeking your blessing to continue with them and forgive our sins in Jesus name and for his sake amen now the Scottish
[63:22] Psalter and Psalm 119 in verse 57 these are the words of the psalmist Psalm 119 verse 57 to 60 thou my sure portion art alone which I did choose O Lord I have resolved and said that I would keep thy holy word with my whole heart I did entreat thy face and favour free according to thy gracious word be merciful to me I thought upon my former ways and did my life well try and to thy testimonies pure my feet then turned I I did not stay nor linger long as those that slothful are but hastily thy laws to keep myself I did prepare Psalm 119 from the Scottish Psalter verses 57 to 60 thou my sure portion art alone which I did choose
[64:40] O Lord I have resolved to Christ In the Lord that I agreedě¨ on the might of not God and I I take me I go on That the Lord in you, thy gracious word, be merciful to me.
[65:33] I thought upon and o'er my ways, and it my life will thrive.
[65:51] And through thy testimony's pure, my faith then turned and died.
[66:08] I did not stay in our anger long, as bold as all I am.
[66:25] But peace will be, thy most beauty, thine self I did reveal.
[66:42] Please give me an opportunity to go to the door after the benediction. Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, rest upon and abide with you all, no one forevermore. Amen.