Text: Genesis 19: 17&26 " 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.(vs26)But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt."
Premise
A Quote from Charles H. Spurgeon concerning Gen.19:17 " Escape for thy life" Lot must not stop to argue, nor must you. You have objections, to which my solitary answer is "Escape, escape, escape for your life!" That drowning man will not clutch the rope until I have explained to him the doctrine of specific gravity. O fool, what do you have to do with specific gravity when you are drowning? Lay hold of that rope and live! So there are some who must have election or predestination explained to them. They must have this or that opened up to them and made clear as daylight. I beseech you, do not be such madmen . do not trifle with your souls, but escape for your life. that is the one business of the present hour. See to that first, and let other matters wait awhile till you are in a fit condition to consider them."
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15
1.Gen. 19: 17: Elements of the Exposition:
a. Escape for Thy Life--- St. John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
b. Look Not Behind Thee--- St. Luke 9:61-62 "And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. (vs62) And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
c. Neither Stay Thou in the Plain--- St. Matt. 7:13-14 "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; (vs14)Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
d. Escape to the Mountain---Psa.121:1-2 "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. (vs2) My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth."
e .Lest Thou Be Consumed--- Gal. 5:1 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."
2. The Call Out--- 2 Cor.6:17-18 "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you; (vs18) And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
3. When and Why Must I Come Out--- 2 Cor. 6:2 "(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)"Ref.(Isa.49:8)
4.The Utter Foolishness And Utter Destruction Of Not Heeding And Not Coming Out In Response To His Call In A Time Accepted--- Prov. 1:24-31 "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; (vs25) But ye have set at nought all my counsel; and would none of my reproof: (vs26) I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; (vs27) When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. (vs28)Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: (vs29) For they that hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: (vs30) They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. (vs31) Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices."
5. The Call Out Is A Call To Make A Decision--- 1 Kings 18:21 "And E-li'jah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Ba'al, then follow him. and the people answered him not a word.
6. Therefore Come Out Completely And "Keep Getting Up"
a. From Doublemindedness--- James 1: 8 "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."
b. From Neutrality--- St. Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
c. From the World--- 1 John 2:15-17 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (vs16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (vs17) And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."