ESCAPE FOR THY LIFE
Genesis 19:12 ¶ And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: 13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. 14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
Genesis 19:15 ¶ And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. 17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
This is a very serious event! It was one that the Great Preacher used in a message to instruct and warn peoples throughout the church age of His coming back to earth again! Luke 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
And it is very personal. For no matter what the relationship ties, one can only escape for himself. No other person can escape for you! And you cannot escape for anyone else. Salvation is a very personal matter. If you have the entire Christian community praying for you, you are still one prayer short! You must confess yourself to be a sinner. You must be a realized, confessed sinner. You must call on the name of the Lord for yourself.
Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
And then when you have gotten out of the realm of sin, by the new birth, you will begin to realize that it was the Lord alone who got you out! Genesis 19:16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Psalm 110:3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, …
For even the word of warning is not sufficient to accomplish the escape! Genesis 19:14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. For neither Lot’s warnings to his family, nor his association with Abraham was sufficient to save him, unless he then put forth the personal effort to ‘flee!’ The rich man remained in hell even though he addressed “father Abraham!” (Luke 16:22). Let us be careful that we don’t take our religion to hell with us!
Stephen, the first martyr, was stoned to death by those practicing, but unregenerate, religionists for his message to them concerning their physical relationship to Abraham. For they lacked the spiritual union with him by faith. Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Acts 7:1 ¶ Then said the high priest, Are these things so? 2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
Acts 7:51 ¶ Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: 53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
Acts 7:54 ¶ When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
For it is not those who are physically associated with Abraham, but those who are spiritually associated with his faith, who shall escape! Romans 4:12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. – Abraham started walking with God as an uncircumcised Gentile!
We also notice that light did arise on that day in Sodom. Genesis 19:15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. How gracious is our merciful Lord to command his sun to shine on the good and on the evil!
And how gracious the Lord is when darkness is upon the face of the deep to send forth his command, “Let there be light!” This was the very last day of the existence of Sodom! This was the very last day that the other four cities of the plain would also have God’s merciful sun to warm them. For those who woke up that morning in these places spend the very next night in eternity!
Take heed, dear One that you do not confuse having the Lord Jesus as just the “light of the world,” and not as the “light of life!” For he gives to every man born of woman the light of understanding and intelligence. John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. But he only grants spiritual life to those who follow him as the “light of life!” John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Luke 11:34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. 35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
And it was the very last day that they would take advantage of God’s mercies in order to rebel against him and commit their sin! And that same kind of day is already scheduled by God for America and the world! Luke 12:46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. Acts 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
Be assured, dear soul, that all the date setters shall always be wrong. For the coming of our Lord will only be when they are not predicting his coming! Matthew 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
And there was not only be a warning, and the infusion of light into that dark world, but there was also one to stand before God on Sodom’s behalf! Genesis 18:22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. 32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. 33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
And so it is with us, dear Reader! Were it not for Jesus Christ standing before God on our behalf, none of us would ever have their “normal” day, nor be able to escape! 2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 2 Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
For if the Lord Jesus had not been as a sacrifice from the foundation of the world, we, like the angels, would have been immediately sent into the pits of darkness as soon as we sinned! 2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; For he was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8). And he took not uno himself the responsibility to redeem angels, but the responsibility to save the seed of Abraham! (Hebrews 2:14-16).
And like all those who are saved from this wicked world of darkness, Lot escaped because God remembered his intercessor! Genesis 19:29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. This is the reason that every crowned head, crowned with God’s honor, shall have to uncrown itself, casting all golden honors at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ! Revelation 4:10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
“Jesus paid it all.
All to Him I owe!
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.”
Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
If we refuse to heed the gravity of these circumstances, “how shall we escape?” Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; 3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
For the awareness of these ancient events, preserved for us to read in our day is a glorious privilege to prompt us to godly preparation.
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 ¶ Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
Pastor Gene Breed
December 31, 2015
