Don't Touch

Thank you, Catherine. That was beautiful. What wonderful words. Really appreciate that. We are always in God's care. That is a wonderful reminder, so really appreciate that. We had so many baptisms in this last week, I forgot to mention one of them. So that is a great problem to have, isn't it?

Amy Bates was baptized yesterday as well, and so that was really exciting. Now, did I get everybody else? If I missed you, raise your hand. Okay. All right, I think I got everybody otherwise. So that was another wonderful event. In fact, her mom and dad were able to come, and so that was exciting to be able to have them here as well. So congratulations goes out to Amy.

Don't touch that! Anybody ever said that to you? My mom used to be really good at it.

And she would always tell me that. Don't touch that! Look out! Of course, one of the things she loves to tell this story when I was little—I don't think I was walking yet at the time—and she loves to tell this story how one day she and I were outside, and I was in the yard, and there happened to be a little caterpillar that I ran across. And so she and I were watching this caterpillar, and as she watched me watch this, I was just intrigued by this caterpillar and how it crawled up on the little leaves of grass and that sort of thing. And being the little one that I was, it was like, whoa, let's touch that! And so she said, no, don't touch! Well, when she turned her back, evidently, I grabbed that thing. And as all good little babies love to do, where do you think that caterpillar was heading? Yeah. So she turned around and was like, ah! Don't touch it! So I don't know if I ate it or I dropped it, but I sure put her in tizzy for a little bit there.

Yeah, some things you don't want to touch. You know, they're an odd thing. They say, oh, don't touch a toad. You're going to get warts and all those kinds of things. But those are a bunch of old wives' tales. But you know, there are things that we're not supposed to touch. We shouldn't have any part of these things. And of course, this is the time of the year that we rehearse the things that we're not supposed to have a part in, that we're not supposed to touch, that we're not supposed to connect with in any way.

And the other day, I was watching the Bible on the History Channel. If you've watched any of the programs that have been on, it's an ongoing series. And of course, I've enjoyed going, huh, that's not true! Get out my Bible. It's like, oh, yeah, I knew that wasn't right. Something was wrong with that. And so I was especially irritated the other night when they had Mary and Joseph on. It was just, oh, it just was so irritating.

But before that, I watched the episode that had Lot and his wife. Anyone see that one? That had some interesting inconsistencies and little parts that were made up and interesting additions that aren't in the Scripture. So I got out the story again and I started reading through it. And it is an amazing story. Because as I looked over it again to see if they got any of it right or not, I realized that the story of Lot didn't really begin with those angels showing up on his door.

Because back in Genesis 18 is really where the story begins. You know what the circumstance was? It didn't even have anything to do with Lot to begin with. It was a conversation between God and Abraham. And in chapter 18 of Genesis, God draws Abraham's attention to Sodom and Gomorrah. In a way, he's asking Abraham to kind of investigate it, to consider it, to take it to heart and think about what's going on over there. I'm sure part of the thinking of Abraham's was, yeah, I've got my relatives over there.

That's what's going on. And of course then God reveals to Abraham that it's all over for Sodom and Gomorrah. And so when you read through Genesis 18, that's where that discussion takes place, where Abraham is kind of feeling God out on how bent on destroying Sodom and Gomorrah are you God? And so he works with God. He talks to God. He tells him, well, you know, if there's this many people, will you still destroy it?

Will you still do it? And so they work down and work down and work down until... How many did they finally get down to? It's like there's 10? If there's only 10, would you still do it then? Would you still... How about five? How many? How many? So suppose there are five less than 50?

That was his beginning. Then he goes down and he goes down. So, okay, get down to 10. If there's 10 there, all right, I won't destroy it, God says. Then when you get to the next chapter, chapter 19, now the scene shifts. Now we go to Sodom and we're given some insight. So look at Genesis chapter 19. We have the two angels showing up in Sodom. It says, They came in the evening Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, He bowed himself with his face toward the ground. All right, what's he going to do? He says, Here now, my lords, please turn into your servant's house.

Spend the night, wash your feet. Then you may rise early and go on your way. And they said, No, I think we'll hang out here in the open square. That wasn't going to work too well for Lot. He knew what kind of city this was. So he insisted strongly. So they turned into him, entered his house, and he made them a feast. And so he welcomes them into his house.

It says, He baked on leavened bread. They ate. Before they laid down, we know what happened. All the perverts in the city show up. It says, Young and old, all the people, every quarter, they surrounded the house. They call out in verse 5, Where are the men who came to you tonight?

You know, they want to do unspeakable things. And we know what happens. Now, it's interesting as you set the theme of what was going on at that time. Here's Lot. He was somebody that was different from all the rest of the society around him. And Abraham must have, or not Abraham, but Lot must have been so aware of what was happening. Why was he sitting in the gate to begin with? Why was he out there? Why was he there when the angels came? Or was there some kind of expectation of something to happen? Well, as he talks to these angels, the angels are urging him. You've got to get out. Verse 12. At the men, the angels literally said the Lot, Have you anyone else here, son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, whomever you have in the city, take them out of this place?

I often wondered if you added up his sons-in-laws and the rest of the family if they came out to 10. I don't know. Maybe. Maybe. But the angels are sure telling them, you've got to take them out. Verse 13. It's already been decided we will destroy this place because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.

So that was a done deal. So what is Lot going to do? Verse 14. He goes out. He spoke to his son-in-laws who had married his daughters and said, Get up, get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city. What was the reaction to what Lot told them? Well, his sons-in-law, he said, but to his sons-in-law, he seemed to be joking. That's what New King James said. Seemed to be joking. Some translations say they were like one that mocked. So they were making fun of him. They laughed. He said, No, are you kidding? It's always been like this. It will always go on this way. This is no big deal. You're crazy. You're crazy if you think anything's going to happen.

But, verse 15, the morning dawn, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, Arise, take your wife, your two daughters who are here. Now, as long as you can't convince everybody else, you better take your household, those right here, and let's go. He says, Lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city. Now, did Lot then rush out the door? That's it. I'm ready. Got my bags packed. I'm ready to go. Well, it says, verse 16, while he lingered, while he lingered, there was some hesitation. There was some type of delay. He lingered just a little bit. He waited. Some kind of question must have been in his mind. Why did he do that? Was it because he didn't believe God? Was it because he didn't want to obey God? Was it because of those other family members that were still there?

Well, let's think about that for a moment. He lingered. So what happens? It says, The men, who are the angels, took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.

So it came to pass that they had brought them outside, and that he said, Escape for your life. This is the angel speaking. Do not look behind you, nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.

A lot says in verse 18, Please know, my lords, indeed now your servant has found favor in your sight, and you've increased your mercy, which you've shown me, by saving my life.

But I can't escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me, and I die.

So Lot says, See now this city is near enough to flee to the... It's a little one. It's a little one. Please let me escape there. Isn't it just a little one? And then I'll have my life. My soul will live.

And he said to him, See, I've favored you concerning this thing also.

So not only did we take you out of the city, but we're also showing you favor.

We're showing you favor in that I will not overthrow the city for which you've spoken.

So this little city says, Hurry, escape there. Verse 22, For I cannot do anything until you arrive there. Therefore the name of the city was Zo-Air, which means little, which means small. There's that small town, that small city. So verse 23, The sun had risen upon the earth. When Lot entered Zo-Air, the Lord rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah, and from the Lord out of heaven. And so he overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the city, and what grew on the ground. So there was total complete destruction. Now, we know what happens to his wife, verse 26. His wife looked back behind him and she became a pillar of salt. Now, it's not just, you know, like the movie showed, you turn around and look and bang, you're a pillar of salt.

The word itself seems to be she thought about it. She regarded it. She respected. She wished she was back there. There was more to just gazing, but her heart was still there even though she had fled. And so, like the rest, she met her punishment.

And then the story ends like it began. In verse 27, it says, Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah toward all the land of the plain. He saw and behold the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. 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 which Lot had dwelt. Some interesting things going on here. See, Lot, Abraham, God, all have a vital part in this story. And as we conclude, we find God remembering Abraham. What, did he just remember the conversation? You know, if I don't find enough people, I'm going to destroy them. Is that what he remembered? Or is there something more? Did he remember the promises that he made to Abraham? He told Abraham, you will be a multitude of nations. You will have seed that will come after you. And more importantly, the seed, the Christ, the Savior, would come through your lineage. Is that what God's remembering here? I think that's probably more of what God had in mind, that is there ultimate justice? Absolutely, no doubt. And what's interesting about the scenario is the timeframe that this seems to occur in. Now oftentimes, we read over this really quickly and didn't even address it in the movie. But if you go back to verse 3, we have a little insight into possibly when this was occurring. You see, when Lot insisted the angels come inside, what did he do? In verse 3 it says, he made a feast for them. And what was a part of that feast? Unleavened bread. Unleavened bread. Does that tie in with the story itself? Does the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread fit into the story of Lot? Absolutely, it does. Does it fit in with destruction?

Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed. Does it fit within the framework of the story?

Absolutely, it does. Lot needed to be separate. He needed to escape. He needed to get out of this city. They were urging him to hurry. There was an urgency about escaping from the society around him. He had to get out, and yet he lingered. He hesitated. He was reluctant. So was Lot saved because he was righteous? Because he deserved to be saved? Did he fit the bill of what Abraham was negotiating with God about? And that's why he was saved? God rescued him, didn't He?

The God of the Old Testament sent an angel, and by an angel's hand, God led Lot out.

I think that's pretty interesting when you think about it. Lot needed a rescue. He needed a Savior.

We need a Savior because too often we linger, we hesitate, we delay, and we don't see the need to be separate, to escape. And God uses this whole story much in the same way He used the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt. What happened to Egypt? Well, all of Pharaoh's soldiers, they were totally and utterly destroyed, weren't they? When that sea collapsed, there was destruction. And so as we think of this story, I mean, there is more to the story. We get a little bit more, not here in Genesis, but we can pick up the story over in the New Testament. Take a look at 2 Peter 2 and verse 4. And we'll notice a couple of connections here.

Notice the connections between the Holy Days, the Passover, and Unleavened Bread, and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot, but not that story alone. 2 Peter 2 and verse 4, we find more connections to the basic need that we all have. It wasn't just a story about Lot, it's a story about us. 2 Peter 2 and 4, it says, if God did not spare the angels who sin, but cast them down to hell, to Tartarou, and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment. All right, that's one. Is that the same story? Does God judge? Will God judge evil? Absolutely He will. God didn't spare the angels. They are reserved for judgment.

And just like that, verse 5, He didn't spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.

God's judgment is upon this world. It was the same in the days of Noah. And I'm sure the people, for year after year, didn't see any rain clouds. Never thought it was going to end. Probably mocked him and made fun of him. That it would always be the same. And yet God had already judged the world.

It wasn't going to go on. That it would come to an end. And so just like the angels, just like Noah, this world was judged. And so included, verse 6, turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, He condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly. So an example to the ungodly, but also an example to us. Because, verse 7, He delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked. So here we have not the emphasis on a hesitator or a delayer, but on a righteous man who was delivered. That word can mean innocent. I think some translations say just.

He was an upright man. Maybe that's the best word to use, an upright man. He was a man who was striving to live by God's way. He wasn't perfect. He wasn't perfect by any means. But he was striving to live righteously. He was upright. He was trying to do the right thing. And in doing that, we see how that impacted him. Do you see how it affected him? Here we're told, he was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked. For that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day. He was tormented literally that sukeh. That word means life. His life, his outlook. He was heavy-hearted. He was tormented seeing and hearing their lawless deeds. You see, the society around him affected him. And he felt for them. He dwelt among them. But he also realized, verse 9, the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, out of trials, and reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment. You see, Lot was oppressed. He was vexed. He was greatly distressed because of the world around him. He knew what this world was like. And Sodom and Gomorrah has amazing spiritual connections for us today, just like the flood, just like the fate of the angels, the demons. It's such a reminder, our world is Sodom. This society that we live in is Sodom. There's no doubt about it. And with Lot, he recognized that evil, and it bothered him. It bothered him. Now, the amazing part, even though he was bothered by it, even though he recognized it, even though he was striving to live a godly life, how did he get out of Sodom? It took a supernatural intervention. God had to intervene. God had to go in there by the hand of an angel and literally grab him and take him out of the city. Because when it came to getting out, he was paralyzed. He just didn't seem to have the ability to get out. And so he needed a Savior. We can't get out. We can't do it on our own.

We can't even begin to think we could overcome on our own. We need Jesus Christ. And we need to be submissive and hold on. Hold on. Lot escaped because he didn't let go. He didn't let go. And God saved him out of that destruction. And I think the spiritual parallels for us are amazing today because that's the kind of world we're surrounded by. And yet sometimes it doesn't seem that way. It doesn't seem that way. There's an amazing connection to our time in the book of Revelation. If you want to turn over to Revelation 11. Revelation 11 is a reminder of this. Because we realize that Sodom and Gomorrah are certainly a type of sin. They represented this sinful world. Egypt represented the same thing. And I'm sure we'll hear a lot about that in the coming days over the days of Unleavened Bread. We also know who let Israel out by the hand.

God did. God did. Who led Lot out by the hand? Well, an angel did by God's instruction. Now here we are today. I think this is not that far away from us. Revelation 11, verse 3.

We find the connection to the time of the two witnesses, which I think my opinion just lies ahead of us. It says these two witnesses, verse 3, Revelation 11, will prophesy a thousand one hundred and sixty days clothed in sackcloth. So for three and a half years. Verse 7, when they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. And so we might say, story over, end of the book, but not. Not by God's plan. He says, their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified.

And then we read farther, they will be resurrected, because that's not the end of the story.

But what's important for us in the parallel that we see here, is that what is Sodom? What is Egypt? You see here, Jerusalem, the city of our God, has become Sodom and Egypt. Now that's not just representing Jerusalem. That's not just representing Israel. I think in a way, this future capital of the kingdom of God is representative of our world. The entire world has become Sodom. That's the kind of world that we live in.

We live in a world filled with sin, and this is describing the spiritual condition of our world.

That's the kind of world we live in. And so this symbolism is so striking when we realize, we're a lot! We're like lot! And how is it impacting us? And what are we doing about it? Are we allowing God to lead us? Or do we even recognize that's the kind of world that we live in?

God makes it very plain. A couple of chapters over, chapter 18, verse 1, we see another symbol for sin. And here we see an angel coming down from heaven right at the very beginning of chapter 18. Having great authority, the earth was illuminated with His glory. He cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, Babylon, the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons. A prison for every foul spirit, a cage for every unclean and hated bird. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her. And the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury. Is that a description of the world that we live in? I think it is. Our world is not so different from this prophecy at all. And so what we are told here is we better be on our toes and do something. Verse 4, I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, lest you receive her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Verse 5, just like Noah and the flood, just like Sodom and Gomorrah, just like Pharaoh and Egypt, we are told, Get out! That word, come out, literally means to escape.

Don't be caught up in this world. You've got to go out from this world and get away.

And Lot wasn't supposed to just be outside the wall. He was supposed to get away. Even the plane was destroyed. We've got to get away. We can't even be close to it. Or we, too, could be caught up in the destruction. So God makes it very plain, especially during this time of the year we've got to come out. We're given this yearly reminder that now is the time. Don't delay. Don't hesitate. For Lot, it was a physical thing. For us, it means we cannot be a part of this corrupt world that is around us. This was continually instructed throughout the Bible. Remember the story of Jesus Christ? Just before His crucifixion, He reminded us of that.

You might just write down John 17. In verse 14, that's that section that talks about not being of the world, even though we are in the world, even though we have to live here right now. This is a temporary thing, and we cannot allow it to be a part of our thinking, a part of our being. We're not taken out of the world, even though we live in it, but we can't become a part of it. We have to be in a way like Lot. That it has to be one of those things. That it vexes us. That we are in turmoil because we are so concerned about being not a part of the way of this world, and yet looking forward to the return of Christ. So if we're not going to be a part of this world, we better understand the difference. We better be able to recognize between what's right and what's wrong. We have to recognize good and evil. We have to recognize and discern the difference between what's clean and what's unclean, like John was reminded there, lest we share in her sins. And so is that what we're striving for? I think in leavened bread and the Passover remind us that we've got to shoot for the ideal. We've got to shoot for the ideal because some things, unfortunately, don't bother us. It surrounds us and we get influenced by it.

And it's like that little bit of leavening that gets in the dough. It just puffs it up. And at first you don't notice it until it gets so far out of hand, it just almost explodes. And so are we like Lot? Are there things that bother us? Are there things that trouble us, upset us?

Things that disturb us? Does it bother us when we miss a church service? Or does it bother us more when we miss a day of work? What bothers us more? Does that give us an indication where we're at?

We're worried that I'm bothered because the sermon is going overtime.

It bothers me because I'm going to be late for lunch. You know, it might sound silly, but do those kinds of things bother us? Where's our focus? Does our Bible bother us because it's closed, sitting there collecting dust? Does that bother me more? Or does it bother me more that I miss NCIS? You know, what bothers us more? Missing TV? Not reading our Bible? Does it bother me more that my pay got reduced? Not bringing home a bigger paycheck? Or does it bother me more that I'm not able to tithe as much? What's our perspective? Does it bother me more to be late for church? It bothers me more to be late for work? I mean, those are the kinds of things that we take the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. We take the story of Noah, and we've got to personalize those things. What is more important to us? And do our actions then reflect our priorities? You see, that's really what it comes down to. Am I more upset when I miss fellowship? Or am I more upset when I miss taking a nap? What should be most important? You see, those are the kinds of things that this time of the year should cause us to step back, rearrange our life. We're going to rearrange our diet over the next week. But it better be a whole lot more than just our diet. What does it impact us? What does it—does it really change us? Have we noticed those things? You know, do we recognize the Sodom of this world that we live in? And has it just gradually gotten a hold of us and pulled us in and altered what really should be most important to us? And this is the time of the year. God's got us by the hand, and He doesn't want to let go. And we cannot afford to pull away from Him. And so these are the times that we notice these things. We take an accounting of ourselves, and we recognize what this world is about. Because sometimes I think the challenge is that this world is pretty attractive. Yes, it is Sodom, but boy, sometimes it doesn't look like Sodom. It looks pretty good. A lot of things out there that don't look so bad. And I think part of the story with Sodom is that we've got to fight that attraction. There's a certain attraction to sin, because Satan is so sly and he's so deceitful, he can draw us in when we're really not on our spiritual toes. The example of this is over in 2 Corinthians 6. 2 Corinthians 6, we find the attraction of this world. Paul deals with here in 2 Corinthians 6.14.

Because once we recognize this world is Sodom, it is Gomorrah, it is Egypt, it is Babylon, and it is representative of sin. You know, it doesn't look like it, though. And so we've got to fight the attraction. Paul puts it a little bit differently here in 2 Corinthians 6.14. He says, don't be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. What does that have to do with anything?

Well, he's showing the poles, the draws, the things we might not readily see with the eye. In fact, the 20th century New Testament says this, stop forming intimate and inconsistent relations with unbelievers. See, it pulls us away from the believers. It pulls us away from the truth. But on the outside, it could look very good. It doesn't look any different initially on the outside. But Paul draws some pretty stark comparisons here because he goes from that to saying, for what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?

Now we're talking about good and evil. What communion has light with darkness? Literally, that's fellowship. How can you hang out in the dark and claim that you're righteous, that you're light? Once you turn on the light, what happens to the dark? It's gone. So you can't have those two things together. They don't fit. They don't work together. So there's no fellowship. How can there be a sharing of a life between light and dark?

He gets right down to it then in verse 15. What accord has Christ with belial? What connection does Christ have with demons? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? And oh, by the way, he says, you are the temple of the living God. So what kind of temple do you have? Is it a temple that's filled with these things, this mixture of things? See, if we are the temple of the living God, he says, I will dwell in them, walk among them, I'll be their God, they shall be my people. And if we're going to ensure that's the way it is, he says in verse 17, therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.

He harkens back to Revelation once again. Escape. Escape out of this world. Be separate. Set a boundary. Set a limit. If you can't do it, get help. Get the help that you need. Utilize God's spirit. He says there are things in your life that have to be excluded. There is no fellowship with light and darkness. You can't hang with darkness on the weekend and then try to hang with God during the week or vice versa. It doesn't work. It doesn't work. Don't touch it, he says. Don't even touch it. Don't touch it. Literally, that means don't be attached to it, which kind of harkens back to Sodom and Gomorrah. You know, they grabbed a lot by the hand. They had a hold of him. That word literally means to attach yourself. So instead of attaching yourself to evil or darkness, attach yourself to your Savior, because that's the only hope that you have.

So God draws that parallel here. The apostle Paul certainly reminds us that there are things in our life that are out of bounds that we cannot participate in if we're to be a part of the temple of God. And so he says, do not touch what's unclean. Don't even touch it. Don't even come close to it. And then he says, when that's the case, I've got you by the hand. Verse 18, I'll be a father to you. You will be my sons and daughters. Then we have a relationship. And so he wants that spiritual relationship. And he's bringing it down to that. We've got to get out of this immoral world and put on the fruit of the Spirit. That's got to be a result of our spiritual life. So the pollution, the corruption, the dishonor, that's going to tarnish us. And so that's going to affect our spirituality. So we've got to be connected with God so that we can overcome those things and escape. And it is our only hope. Our only hope. If we rely on ourselves, where are we going to be? Where are we going to be? I think the Passover certainly reminds us we have to be attached to God. I was reminded of this the other day. I was looking at a little picture on the internet that was of this beautiful flowering tree. I was just hoping spring would soon be here and all the plants would be flowering soon. But at first I thought it was one of those crabapple trees. I don't know if you've ever seen these beautiful crabapples when they blossom. They're just gorgeous. They can be different colors. We used to have one that was pink. It would blossom in pink and it would just be, wow, just beautiful, just absolutely gorgeous. Or maybe you've seen some of the pictures from Washington, D.C.

Not too long from now they'll be blossoming and the cherry blossoms are all—the trees are just amazing, absolutely amazing. I was looking at this one picture and I realized, well, this wasn't a crabapple or a cherry tree or anything like this. But this particular tree was a Circeus siliquastrum. That's a scientific name. I can only say it once, so I won't repeat that. Make sure you write it down. No, you don't have to write it down. But it's an odd tree. Even though it looks kind of like kind of a blossoming cherry tree or a blossoming crabapple tree, it's not. It's got these beautiful pink blossoms and they kind of hang down a little bit. That makes it a little bit unique. But if you were to go to a certain variety of that kind of a tree, it's only over there in the Middle East. You can only find this particular kind in the Middle East. I mean, it's just gorgeous when this thing blossoms. And it attracts just thousands upon thousands of insects that come and go into the little flowers for the nectar and all the wonderful things that that has to offer. But if you went up to this tree, you would find as you got closer that there are insects littered all around the base of that tree. You know why? Once those little bugs go in there to get the little nectar that is in the leaves or in the flowers, the nectar itself has some kind of an opiate in it. And it actually can poison the bugs. And so they end up kind of getting drowsy, and if they drink too much, they die. So most of the bases of those trees are surrounded by dead bugs, bees that die from taking that nectar. Now, the interesting thing about the tree is that it has a scientific name, Cerces siliquostrum, but you know what it's known by?

It's known as the Judas tree. The Judas tree. Because it looks good, looks very nice, but it brings death. And like the pieces of silver look so good to Judas, it ultimately brought death. In fact, some of the legends say maybe this tree is the one that Judas hung himself from. That doesn't seem to fit, but I don't think that's the case. But the flowers kind of hang down like a noose might wave in the wind after someone hung themselves. So they think that maybe that's where the name comes from. But the interesting part, it is a beautiful tree. It's a tractive tree. Its appearance looks wonderful. But the bugs that venture into the flowers, they die. They die. And so I think it's just an amazing reminder for us that even though this world can be attractive, even though it may not appear to be evil, it will bring death. That's the reality of what it's about, even though it might look very good. Remember, Satan can appear as an angel of light. And so like this Judas tree, spiritually speaking, we better remove ourselves from the attraction of this world because it really only holds death. That's all it has to offer.

In fact, there's some amazing instructions for us as God's people.

When it comes to the attraction of this world, we have to be very careful. Ezekiel warned about that. Ezekiel 44, verse 11. Ezekiel is prophesying, giving some instructions about the priesthood. The Levitical priests were commanded to order their lives in a certain way. They were the ones, of course, that were responsible for the worship of God in the tabernacle and later in the temple. And in Ezekiel, he says something interesting that I think draws an amazing connection for you and I. This is in Ezekiel 44, verse 11.

He starts out in verse 11 saying, yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary. Talking about the priests. Now, why is that important for you and I? Well, remember what Revelation 5 says? We have a future of looking forward to being a priest. We'll be kings and priests or a kingdom of priests in the family of God. When Christ returns in His kingdom, we have an opportunity to serve with Him. We are to be servants. We are to be ministers in that regard. And we're to be servants right now. And so it says, they shall be ministers in my sanctuary. Then he goes on as gatekeepers of the house and ministers of the house. What house? The temple.

The temple. Where's the temple today? Remember where the temple is today, verse 23. They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the unholy, cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. Wow, we're back in Corinthians again, aren't we? We have to discern the difference. It says we have to recognize the difference between what's right and wrong, good and evil, clean and unclean. Now, we're not just talking ceremonially here, because there is a spiritual connection here. He says, in controversy, they shall stand as judges. So not only as priests, but we better judge. Now, that's not talking about condemning others. I think the more important representation is we better be judging ourselves. We better recognize the challenges we have in our own life. Stand as judges and judge it according to my judgments, because where is the temple today? We are the temple. We are individually and as collective members of God's church. So I better be judging my temple and judge it according to God's judgments. If I don't, I'm not discerning the difference between the clean and the unclean. It says they shall keep my laws, my statutes, and my appointed meetings. The appointed times, the holy days, that's what he's talking about. They shall hallow my Sabbaths.

And so we have these amazing connections that as God's people, as His ministers, as His servants, He says we're to be, verse 11, gatekeepers in the New King James. We have to be gatekeepers. So here, as Unleavened Bread approaches, we're going to be gatekeepers over what goes into our mouth. So no buns from Burger King are going to go in our mouth, right? Unleavened Bread is going to go in our mouth. We're going to discern the difference between that representation of what is sin and what isn't sin. So that when I'm guarding my mouth, I'm guarding what's going inside of me. I'm not going to allow the unclean things, the sin, to penetrate my thinking. That's got to be gone. I've got to judge and discern the difference between those things so that God's temple remains holy. So I've got to be a gatekeeper. I'm in charge of the gate. That's what some of the translations say. And that gate is my mind. And God's given me a reminder at this time of the year that I need to readjust my thinking. I need to be repentant before God, change my thinking, and change my behavior, change my diet. So I'm reminded about the spiritual aspects of what I need to be doing. And so He reminds us through this that as His servants, as His ministers, as His gatekeepers, we're His judges so that we're discerning the difference, not allowing the attractions of this world to infiltrate our way of thinking. And so we've got to get out of Sodom. We've got to come out of this world. We've got to ignore the attraction that's out there and stay with God's program. We've got to follow His instruction. We've got to march to a different drummer, to a different drummer. We know the old saying, march to God's drummer is what we've got to do. In fact, I'm reminded of the story of Alexander the Great. Of course, he had a great army, and they marched. They conquered the world almost instantaneously. I mean, it was remarkable how fast he conquered the world.

They got to one point, the story goes, that they had done so much conquering and had done it so quickly. One day, his generals came to Alexander the Great, and they said to him, we don't know what to do next. And Alexander was a little surprised by that. What do you mean? What do we do next? Why is there any question for what we do next? And the general held up the map, and he said, we've marched right off the map.

You see, the Greek maps of that day didn't have the entire world, and they had gone so far, so fast. The Greek mapping system didn't have a GPS. They marched right off the map.

And I think that's a pretty good analogy for you and I, isn't it? We better be marching a whole different way from this world. If we're still on the map of this world and its way of thinking, we better get off of the map. We better set our coordinates for some other place that is a godly place, because God's not on that map, is He? Is He on the society of this world's map? I don't think so. And so, with that in mind, we're to do that. And the only way we can is if we really are determined to discern, to really notice those differences between light and darkness, between good and evil, right and wrong. And so, how determined are we? I think God blesses us so much that He reminds us again at this time of the year to refocus, to make sure we're marching the right direction, giving us another opportunity to learn even more deeply those lessons of what is right and what is wrong and how to apply them in our life. If you flip back to Corinthians, let's go to 1 Corinthians this time. Paul emphasizes this concept of being determined to discern this world and its attractions and put them in its right perspective. 1 Corinthians 2, verse 6 is where we'll begin. And of course, here, as Paul is writing to God's church in Corinth, he writes to us by extension as well. He's correcting the Corinthians, probably the most corrective letter in probably all of the Bible. He reminds them of their focus and he reminds us of our determination to recognize what this world has to offer. In verse 6, he says, however, we speak wisdom among those who are mature. A message of wisdom, he says, not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age. He says, this is hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the ages for our glory. The wisdom of God is spoken in a mystery. That doesn't mean we can't figure it out. Normally, people can't figure it out. But we've been given insight because it means it's something that has to be revealed. We're talking about revealed knowledge. God has to reveal this mystery and ultimately that mystery is what He's doing, His plan, the kingdom of God, that we have the opportunity to be partakers of the family of God in His kingdom forever. And He's saying God's revealed that to us, secret to the world, but revealed to us so we can understand. So he says in verse 7, we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the ages for our glory because God has a plan. Verse 12, we've not received the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God that we may understand what God has freely given us. So now we have an expectation of understanding.

Verse 13, this is what we speak, not in words taught to us by human wisdom, not the ways of this world, but words taught by the spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words, spiritual truths in spiritual words. The New King James says, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. You see, those are things God has revealed to us. Well, are we expressing that? Is that what we're discerning, that we've been giving these things? Are we comparing? Are we noticing? Are we identifying? Are we recognizing the difference and detecting that and eliminating the unclean, the sin? You see, that's not a normal thing to do.

It should be normal for us as God's people, but normal to human beings? That's not normal. But God's given us the wisdom of His Spirit so we can discern those things, and we can do something about it. Verse 14, the natural man does not receive the spirit of God. NIV says, the man without the spirit doesn't accept things that come from God. They're foolishness to Him. It says He can't understand them. Why? Because they're spiritually discerned.

God's given us spiritual discernment. Verse 15, He who is spiritual judges all things. Some of the translations say, discerns all things. Discerns all things. Then verse 16, who has known the mind of the Lord that He may instruct Him, but we have the mind of Christ.

So when we have the right focus, when we've submitted our lives to God, we're thinking like Christ. We're applying Philippians to it. We have the mind of Christ, so we can discern these things. We can put into practice the spiritual expectations that God has for us. And so this truth that God's given has to be spiritually discerned. So we've got to make judgments and that we've got to eliminate the sin and put into practice the truth.

And so this time of the year certainly reminds us of this very fact that as mature, Christians, as godly Christians, we have to train ourselves. And we have another opportunity to continue to do that this year as we recognize the wrong things that are out here that seemingly look good. They seemingly feel good, but they're not. And we've got to discern the difference.

Because I think we all know that they're going to know rat poison.

You ever wondered what rat poison tastes like to a rat?

Must taste pretty good. Must taste pretty good because anytime I put out rat poison, we've got rats, they're gone! They like it! But what does it do? It kills them. It kills them. And so if we don't determine our minds to discern the difference between good and evil, it's going to be like the rat. We don't see the difference between the poison and the good. It's going to kill us. If Lot wouldn't have gotten out of Sodom, it would have killed him. Those that remained were destroyed. The same as Jericho, the same as Pharaoh's soldiers, the same as Egypt, the same as the flood. All of those things.

And so we've got to have that kind of perspective. And what a wonderful blessing that God takes us by the hand once again this year and gives us that opportunity to train our spiritual perception.

I think that's one of the reasons for the Holy Days, that He gives us this opportunity to train our spiritual perception so that we can learn that much more to view life as God would view life. So that we can take account of our thoughts that turn into our actions, and we can filter our lives through the mind of Christ. And that's what God wants us to do. Because whatever's out here, it really doesn't have to affect us. It doesn't have to impact our lives. It doesn't have to have an impact on us if we have the right approach. In fact, I heard a little poem that kind of summarized it. The poem was called, All the Water in the World. And it was from a book called, Best Love Poems. Jack Lyon is the editor, page 302.

And here's what it said. It goes like this, All the water in the world, however hard it tried, could never sink a ship unless it got inside. All the evil in the world, the wickedness in the sin, can never sink a person's life unless you let it in.

And in a way, I think that is a summary of where we're at. You know, God's called us. We have God's Spirit. What are we going to let in? Are we going to have that unleavened bread of sincerity and truth? Or the Sodom, the Egypt, the Babylon, the flood, the wickedness and malice? Which are we going to let in? You see, I think we've been blessed because God has taken us by the hand. We do have a Savior. We have the opportunity to leave all of that behind because we know the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. And so He wants us to stay that way. So let's continue to recognize what this world really is all about. Let's make sure we fight the attraction and that we discern the difference between what's good and what's evil. Let's never be paralyzed, unable to actually come out because God does have us by the hand.

And so let's remember that and let's follow His lead. And let's make sure, maybe like my mother said, don't touch that.