Fleeing Sodom

The title is, Fleeing Sodom. Fleeing Sodom. Each and every one of us have been examining ourselves. We should have looked at ourselves both from the inside and from the outside. What people see, and also what God sees. Because that's a deep examination. Because we can hide a lot of stuff from other people, but we can't hide anything from God. But I wanted to give this sermon today. Never given it before in my 20 years of giving sermons.

Because I want to talk about something that maybe you have not thought about before. We've actually talked about. You've heard of theology, sociology. Well, today we're going to talk about typology. Typology. Typology is a name given to the study of types and symbols. You know, we went through the book of Ruth. In our Bible study, we took it apart and looked at all the symbolism.

Well, types and symbols are pretty closely related. So I'd like to look at something today as we study types and symbols. To hopefully get something from this message today that can carry us through the next seven days. As we are now in the days of Unleavened Bread. Moses taking Israelites out of Egypt. Us coming out of the world. Egypt, symbolic of sin. This world full of sin. God instructs us to come out of the world. We have to be a part of it.

We have to live in it, but we don't want to be a part of it. Moses taking the Israelites out of Egypt is a type of us coming out of the world. Also, there's another typology that can be used. Because Joshua, after 40 years, took that huge nation of probably at least 2 million people. He took them out of the wilderness, the desert, and brought them into the Promised Land.

A land he called Milk and Honey. He promises us if we will come out of this world, he will bring us to a Promised Land called the Kingdom of God.

It's the millennial reign of Christ when Jesus Christ returns. Another type has been compared of Joshua and Jesus. Can you imagine those people being in the desert? The oldest ones would have been 20 years older than the youngest. The only thing the younger would have ever known is walking around in a desert, in a circle, going out, collecting manna, picking up your tent every day or every week, and moving on, hoping you had water, the heat of the Middle East burning down on you, and then being told that you don't have to live like this anymore.

And that he's going to take you into a land that has an abundance of food, vineyards already planted, trees already there, even cattle and everything you could want laid out before you. The only thing you're going to have to do, as Scripture says, Scripture tells us, you will take the promised land little by little. It's going to take some time. It's going to require some patience. And it's going to take time to build character. And that's how we are. Because to make it into the kingdom, it's just not that easy.

It's not that quick. And every day, little by little, we will work on our character, become closer to our Father, and follow the path that was paved for us by Jesus Christ. Symbolic city. Many of you have a city in mind.

If I were to say, Sin City, what city would come to your mind? New York. New York. LA, Los Vegas. Los Vegas has even known what? Sin City. Right? What was their thing they advertised on the television? What happens there stays there. Los Angeles. It's supposed to be the city of angels. It probably is. In all reality, it's just the fallen angels. So many. South Beach. How about New Orleans? Anybody ever been to New Orleans? Would you say that's a sin type of sin city? Symbolic of sin?

How about Bangkok? Anybody heard? They even had a song one time, One Night in Bangkok. You can do about anything you want to do. Amsterdam. Wow! You're coming up with a lot of sinful cities. How about Miami? How about Fort Lauderdale? How about Miramar? Mmm. Didn't get as much there. How about Kindle? As a matter of fact, I had somebody tell me when I first moved here.

I don't think Mary was even here yet. This individual told me about, since I didn't know much about Miami and Fort Lauderdale, he said they're considered twin cities, like Sodom and Gomorrah. Which I said, well, that sounds a little dramatic. A little, maybe, hyperbole. Now, four and a half years later, I realize maybe it wasn't hyperbole. Maybe there is something to that. And I want to talk about that today as we go back to our title, Sleeing Sodom.

We live in sin. All of us would admit to that. Problem is, sin lives in us. That's what these days of Unleavened Bread picture. They picture us trying to perfect ourselves, trying to work on ourselves for seven days as this little flat piece of bread, is to remind us that we're not to be puffed up, not to be like the world. The next seven days, we will work on getting sin out of our lives. Will we focus on leaving sin behind us at the end of those seven days? Setting our minds on the things above and not the things of the earth, as Colossians 3 and verse 2 says.

But I'd like you, if you will, turn with me to Romans 8, one of my favorite chapters, something that we always go over for baptism. Romans 8 and verse 5, because this kind of points us in a great direction. Romans 8 and verse 5, one of the memory scriptures I've had for about 15 or 20 years, but I'd like to just read it here anyway from the New King James. For those who live according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh. You know, as I focus and start examining myself, boy did I find that was true.

When I started focusing and trying to draw closer to God and study my Bible more and pray more and focus on myself and these sins and putting them out and learning to control my mind, I found, wow, the more I read and study, the less I'm affected by the things of the world. The less of Chuck Smith comes out of my mouth. For those who live according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh.

But those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. That is so true. That is so very true. Are we all affected by this world and the events around us? You have to answer that question. But we must come to grips, brethren, with where we are at. Where we are at, at this present time. Are we living in modern Sodom? What do you think? Isn't it amazing?

All you have to do is turn on the news. And day by day, month by month, it's not even year by year anymore. We have a situation in North Carolina that they've asked now that sports teams and companies and corporations no longer move their businesses to there, no longer do business with North Carolina. And that there should be a huge protest and that people should not vacation there. They should not entertain even doing business with anyone who does business in North Carolina.

Because North Carolina, even though it is one of 50 states, and they have their rights, each state has their own right to do what they want to do. They have decided, the United States as a whole, the press, has decided that North Carolina is an abomination to this country. Because North Carolina has said that they do not want men or women who have not decided what they are.

They want them to be able to go in any bathroom at any time. North Carolina legislators said, no. What you were born, what's on your birth certificate, defines exactly if you are a man or a woman. And that is the bathroom that you will use in public and in businesses. And this nation, this press, and hopefully, which I doubt, majority of people, they're thinking, that makes sense. Rather than that, it does not make sense.

With the crime, pornography, voyeurism, the child pornography, child molestation, the rapes that have gone on in the colleges today, everything we are seeing points to, this is a dangerous society. And why would you want your child of 10 or 11 to go into a bathroom, a young little girl, of 9 or 10, go into the bathroom, and have to worry that some man will walk in that bathroom with all the rights to use that bathroom as he sees fit? Does that make sense, brethren? That is an abomination. And that this country has come to the point to where they are upset at a law that protects its people.

It's upsetting. It's upsetting to me. And hopefully it is upsetting to you. Modern Sodom. Are you living in it? Two weeks ago today, I stood in this pulpit giving a sermon, knowing I wanted to give another sermon. Well, today is that sermon. Two weeks ago today, just a few miles down the road, Miami was celebrating the Miami Beach Gay Pride event 2016. I want to read to you that Sodom may be closer than you think, because we're going to go through the story of Sodom today.

We're going to see just how close we are. I read to you, The mission of Miami Gay Pride is to bring together numbers of lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender communities, their friends and allies and supporters, in celebration of the unique spirit and culture of the LGBTQA. It's gotten bigger, right? You see LGBT quite often. But now they want to include in this the queue, because some of this bent, use that word, have decided that they don't want to be called anything but queer.

Queer. Okay? Now, if I were to call somebody that, they would be all up in arms. But they have decided that they want to be called. And they only want to be called queers. So they have put the Q on the end. The A at the end stands for asexual. They're not anything that they know of. But it also stands, and I'm reading this from their brochures. I'm reading this from their website. I'm not making any of this up.

I didn't come up with this from some newspaper article. This is from them. The A stands for asexual, allies and advocates. Advocates. Miami Beach Gay Pride 2016 is made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County and Board of County Commissioners, and the Miami Visitor and Convention Authority. Miami Beach Gay Pride was founded eight years ago, but did not take off really until 2011, when 40,000 people came to attend this Gay Pride event.

2012, 60,000 came. 2013 saw an increase to 80,000. 2014, over 100,000 people. And 2015, which was last year. They don't have the total count yet this year, but it grew even more. But in 2015, 130,000 people attended this event. Their motto is, Pride is a celebration that brings out the best in us all. We know what God says about pride. What about that kind of pride? He knows what He says about pride in us. Now, in case you're thinking, well, why are you on this? Because this is my... Are there other sins? Yes. Well, I'm focusing on Sodom today and fleeing it and hoping we can all see where we were at.

Perhaps look back where we were, but also look ahead of where we're headed. I was given this little card that, in case you want to sponsor this event, it says, Does your company want to impact the world in a positive way for change? And that two weeks ago tomorrow, Sunday, at 10 o'clock to 11 o'clock, they hold their annual interfaith worship gathering led by four Christian churches and three Jewish temples. And they're looking for more to come on board. I can guarantee you there's one church that will not be with them, and that is this one.

Like you turn to Romans 1 with me, Romans 1, verse 24. The church at Rome had the same problems we were having almost 2,000 years ago. Romans 1, verse 24, Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness in the lust of their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

For this reason God gave them up to vile passions, for even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error, which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting, being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness. They are whispers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, who know the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death.

Not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.

Reminds me of an alliance. You can go back and study this sometime. I remember the story well in 1 Kings 22, where you had a righteous king over Judah named Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was blessed by God, and everything was going right. So he decided to have certain compassion towards the nation right next to him.

And so he decided to join up with another king, so they could work together, merge together. That other king was named King Ahab, wicked king of Israel.

I'd like you some time to read that story. Find out what happens.

Fire and water do not mix. God tells us not to be unequally yoked. I mean, oh, he hates those who struggle with sexual sins? No. We've had those in the church. I know of some. Worked with one or two.

No, God hates the sin, because he knows what it leads to. We should know what it leads to because we can read the Bible.

And when a nation or a city or a country gets so far out of control, God has to do something. You look across the Miami skyline, and you see those huge, what is it, 40, 50? Do they have 60 floor condos? Office buildings? Do you look across the skyline? What you have to do is go back and rent the documentary, Cocaine Cowboys. It's a true story of how a lot of those buildings built in the 70s and 80s were built off of cocaine money, laundered money. How corrupt not only the politicians, but everyone that was doing business in Miami was at the time. It was an amazing, amazing documentary that I never knew anything about until I watched it.

You see this area, and you read constantly in newspapers about financial and other scams pulled upon the elderly in this area. There are so many people who retire down here, only to be taken advantage of, to be ripped off.

Sodom? You look at the police corruption. Everybody thought New Orleans was corrupt police department. Wow! Just go back and pull this up on the internet and Google the police corruption in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area. See how many policemen were fired. Those are the ones that got caught. I don't know how many of you have done roofing. Not many. It's not a pleasant job. There's one, two, three, four, do I have five, six, seven. When you repair a roof, sometimes you use something called roofing cement, also called tar. Pitch. Here's what comes in a can. You have to dip it in there and you get it. And you spread it on a roof, spread it on a hole. That might be and patch that hole.

Neil and I use some on his place. It's not leaking anymore, right? Good. Didn't want you to embarrass me in front of the whole church. Guess I should have asked you before. Then they'd say, well, we know why you got out of construction and got in the preaching business.

But I was over at Bahamas and a widow had a terrible leak in her roof. So when I was over there, I got on the roof and saw that I thought it could be fixed. She'd had two or three people there before. She was running in and she had a bucket in her house. It had been going on for about two or three years. So I went to the hardware store and picked up some roofing cement. Pitch. Tar. And I actually knew if you've ever dealt with it, it's just like it will get on you. No matter what you do, you can take all the precautions in the world and it just seems to get on you and it's hard to get off you. It stains your clothes. It stains your hands. It's like no other product. And so I decided because I didn't really have the facilities that I wanted to work with, I went and picked up this roofing cement. And I picked up a couple of trowels, just little cheap plastic trowels that I could trowel it on and then throw them away. But I also picked up a couple because I only cost 50 cents a couple rubber gloves. Because I didn't want to get it on my hands because it takes sometimes weeks to get it off, if you can, without using gasoline and so forth.

And so I didn't want to get it on my clothes. I didn't really have work clothes. But I needed to see if I could stop her leak. Well, after calling her for a month, it stopped her leak. So now it's not leaking anymore because the roofing cement worked. And I was so careful on the roof that I didn't get it on any of my clothes. And I had the rubber gloves.

But you know what? It got on me anyway. When I took the rubber gloves off, it actually leaked through the rubber gloves. And then it actually, when I was taking the gloves off, it got on other parts of my hand. It'll just get on you, no matter what. You mess with it, it will get on with you. It will get on you. And it's hard to get off.

Brethren, you play around with the world. And it's like roofing cement. It's like tar. It's like pitch. It's going to get on you, and it will spot you.

And it's pretty clear.

There is no gray area.

You play around with this world, and it will have an impact on each and every one of us. Just like that tar, the world's values, the world's morality, they affect us. And long enough around it, it will infect you. It will infect you.

And pretty soon, the right and wrong will become gray.

And we have the Bible to read the stories of thousands of years of examples. And you can look around. You can look around. I just heard on the radio. Sometime this week, it was a sports show, and this guy who had been an NBA player, and retired 10 years, and he had a lot of problems and so forth, and he was able to overcome those. So they asked him about certain problems, and he kept bringing up. He said that sports, professional sports, is no place for a married man.

He said anybody that's happily married should not continue professional sports. Because he said you're around all the guys that want different women. They spend money. They drink. They do all these things.

And no matter who you are, it rubs off on you. And he said he saw some really good men have really good families, really great wives, and because they spent enough time around, they not only were affected, they became infected.

The last thing about this issue, I want to read of this modern-day Sodom that is around us. In one of the magazines and on the websites, for those that wanted to attend this gay Miami gay pride event, they asked that you would book your travel through Del May. Del May and partners travel. They would put you in the right hotels, give you all the tickets and everything that you would need. And it said that Jeff and Todd, owners of the travel agency, would be there to help each and every one who wanted to attend this event. And then it told the story how Jeff and Todd, the owners of the travel agency, were the plaintiffs who sued the state of Florida for marriage equality. When the same-sex band of marriage was lifted in January 2015, Jeff and Todd were the first same-sex couple to get legally married in Florida as soon as the band was lifted. And then it gave this special note that said Todd and Jeff were later invited by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to sit with her at President Obama's 2015 State of the Union address. And I saw that address and saw that they actually flashed a picture of these two men sitting there together, looking longingly at each other. And then, in Genesis 18, we have the story. You don't have to turn there. Genesis 18, we have the story of Abraham sitting under a tree. And three men, or angels, appear. And they come and they talk with him. And they give him some good news that he and his wife found hard to believe. But then, one of the angels told him, should I not tell you what's going on, as I paraphrase this, what we are about to go do, since you are a follower of the true God. Shall I not reveal to you? We are going, or these two men, two of the angels, would go to a city called Sodom. And they would, as he said, check it out. And they would destroy it. Totally destroy. And of course, Abraham knew where his nephew was. His nephew was named Lot. He knew him well. His nephew had chosen the best looking area when he was given a choice with Abraham. And he said, you go this way, I'll go this way. Which do you want? He chose the better land. He thought. And Lot went into his family, same family that Abraham had rescued earlier when they were kidnapped. And so these two men were going. And Abraham asked, well, what if there's, would you destroy the city if there's 50 people? 50 righteous people.

God said, Jesus Christ, the Word. The Word. God, at the time, visited Abraham, said, no.

And he said, and I hope you read this sometime, because I found it very enlightening to me. And it's almost humorous. Because he said, well, what about 45? No, I won't destroy every 45. What about 40? No. What about 30? What about 20? And he just kept asking, he said, oh, let me ask this again. Because he knew where he was going with this. He was trying to get it down. Finally, he said 10. He said, no, I won't destroy it for 10.

Then you had to think, when you read the story, and we're going to go through the story. Wow. Here is Lot, his wife, two daughters who live at home, four. Two son-in-laws, five, six, at least. Did they have daughters? I mean, were they married? Well, they weren't called son-in-laws just because. So you're getting up near with possible grandchildren. You're getting up near 10.

How about you? Would you feel strange having a conversation with an angel?

Is it possible you already have that, and you didn't know it? Hebrews 13, verse 2 says, entertained angels unaware makes it, in the context, makes it sound like, guess what? It happens.

Pretty strong words. And we come to the chapter 19 of Genesis, which is the chapter of Lot, the story of Lot. And it's a story of apathy, and it's a story of complacency around sin.

Most of you know the story, right? Is there anybody here that does not know the story of Lot? No? Everybody knows it. Who do you most remember? Lot? Lot's wife. What was her name?

She didn't even have a name. He didn't give her a name.

There was his lot, there was his wife, there were his daughters, there were the angels. His name was said. Then there's the sodomites, right? We've got a name for something after this thing happened. It's even a legal term today. And then you have the sons-in-laws. That's the question, will the sermon make you think this week? That's the purpose of it. About sin and about fleeing Sodom.

You know, except for two of the people I mentioned, the angels, all these people were living in Sodom. They were living in a very sinful society, very sinful environment. They were so deeply entrenched, they couldn't see, as you say, the forest for the trees.

How about you?

Did any of Lot's family realize just how depraved Sodom really was? You think they did? Or did they think this is just life?

Let's not be too judgmental. Let's not make anybody feel uncomfortable, right? Brethren, do you realize how bad South Florida is? Do you realize how wicked South Florida is? Do you realize how depraved South Florida is?

My bet is you don't, because you've been here so long.

Are you as affected by this sinful world as Lot was with his? I'd like you to turn with me to 2 Peter. 2 Peter, please. 2 Peter 2, 2 Peter 2 and verse 6 says, And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them... Oh, wait a minute. Is everybody there with me?

What does it say? ...condemn them to destruction, and making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly.

I'm not a homophobe.

That's not the purpose.

I know people who are homosexuals, and I love them.

I pray that they will change. But we do not live by the world's standards. We live by the Bible, the book, the Word of God, the instruction manual for all of us. That's why we don't stand on a corner at this rally or this event, holding signs that say, God will burn you. That's not our job.

But it says in verse 7, And delivered righteous lot. Hmm. Righteous. That's a pretty strong word, isn't it? We get to look at righteous lot in just about 20 verses we're going to cover. Chapter 19. Who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked. One of the translations, I don't know what you have there, was vexed. It's a favorite phrase down in Trinidad.

I said tormented. Tormented. Anybody have something else? Sick. Sick. Sick. Vexed. Oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked. For that righteous man dwelling among them tormented. You get this? Tormented what? His righteous soul. His righteous soul. From day to day, by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds, then the Lord knows how to deliver the ungodly out of temptations and reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.

Hmm. That's quite a statement about lot.

Vexed.

Sick. Tormented. Are we that way?

Are we just kind of complacent?

That's the old Seinfeld show you used to say. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Because they were talking about somebody being gay. And then they go, oh, not that there's anything wrong with it. Yes, there is!

That's why you're here.

It's interesting that not only Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach, Abednego, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, all had to live in a sinful society.

They could not leave. And, brother, most of us cannot leave here for one reason or another. But they kept from being infected by not being affected by the society they were living.

Brethren, Seinfeld, we call it what it is. And we need to get out a flea, Sodom mindset for the next seven days.

Come out of Sodom. It's time to flee, mentally, spiritually, and if necessary, physically.

Like you, go with me now as we wrap this sermon up back to chapter 19.

Chapter 19 of Genesis.

I'd like you to go with me as we go through the verses now. And I will stop on some key scriptures. I want you to look at, during this reading, of seven signs of infection. Seven signs of infection. Not affected infection. Okay?

And I guess you could, with Sodom, you could say that Sodom just got too hot to stay.

Literally.

Chapter 19, verse 1. Now, the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom.

Sitting at the gate in Sodom. What did that mean? Remember, we touched on that in Ruth, and we touched on other things? When you set out the gate, that is a position of leadership. It is a position of judgment in most cities.

Wow!

A position of leadership for Lot. So one man said one time, I remember, quote, He'd rather be a janitor in heaven than the vice president of hell.

So he said, When Lot saw them, he arose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face towards the ground. Obviously, he knew righteous men when he saw them.

And then he said, Here, my lords, please turn into your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet. Then you may rise early and go on your way. And they said, No, but we will spend the night in the open square. Hmm.

Not safe. Not safe in the streets.

Lot knew it. But he said, He knew it. He knew what this. He knew a righteous man did not belong inside him.

Verse 3, But he insisted strongly, so they turned to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. It's interesting that many theologians speculate that this was during the time of unleavened bread. Because typically they kept bread and they let it leaven, and nobody typically just looks, Oh, can I have some unleavened bread?

A lot of parallels. A lot of parallels to this time. You had washing of the feet, a feast.

They prayed for him, unleavened bread. A lot of parallels to us.

But then verse 3, He said, But he insisted strongly, they came in, they made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Now, before they lay down the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter surrounded the house. A mob. A mob. And they called to Lot and said to him, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them carnally.

We're going to rape some men. We're going to abuse these men. And we're going to do it as a group.

So Lot went out to them, through the doorway, and shut the door behind him. And said to them, Please, my what? What's the word there? My brethren, please, my brethren.

He was no longer affected, he was infected. Please, my brethren, my brothers, oh, my friends. Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly. Number one, infection. Verse 7, Please, my brethren, first sign of infection is where you accept it. You become a part of it. See now, I have two daughters. Second sign of infection. You get a warped mind. He said, Now see, I have two daughters who have not known a man. Please, let them, let me bring them out to you. And you may do to them as you wish. Rape my daughters. Abuse them all you want. Just don't bother these men. Do you know why? Because there was a code in the Middle East, as it is today, that anybody that comes under your roof, you are obligated, and their visitors, their friends, you're obligated to protect them with your life.

Women had very little value, even as they do today. But even more, here righteous lot had been so infected that he was willing to give his daughters so two strangers wouldn't be raped. Rape your daughter because of this tradition. In vain do they worship me teaching as doctrine the traditions of men.

That's what Christ said. You see where infection can lead? We're all affected, brethren. We must not be infected. You can't. You may do to them as you wish. Only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof. How must his daughters have felt? How must his wife have felt? Whew! Man, that mindset so depraved. So depraved. And they said, stand back! Get out of the way, lot! Then they said, this one came in to stay here. And he keeps acting as a what? Judge. He's sitting at the front. He's been trying to tell them what's right and what's wrong. They didn't listen. Who rubbed off on whom? Who had more influence? Whose fear of influence was greater? The righteous man or the unrighteous man? And he keeps acting as a judge. Now we will deal worse with you than with them. You better shut your mouth. We'll rape you. Multiple times.

So they pressed hard against the man lot. They're coming through the door. And came near to break down the door. But the men inside, the two angels, reached out their hands and pulled lot into the house with them and shut the door. You know what this tells you? Brethren, you're not safe in this world. You need protection from evil. This is not our world. We are just passing through it.

Get a grip on it. This is not our world. Our king is not here yet. Our prince did not die last the other night. His color is not purple. We have the prince of peace, the king of kings. That's who we. That's who we serve. And that's our world that's coming. Then verse 11. And the angels struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great. You remember the old and the young. The old men can't get around, but we can give me a man.

Huh? Yeah! And the young guys, ah, yeah, ah, ah, ah, ah. I mean, this is what it was like, brother. This is, this was our society. It's coming our way.

Not yet. It's not there yet. We're going to see it. The Scriptures, Jesus Christ said it's going to be as bad as any time. It's going to be far worse than any time that's happened before.

And so they struck the men with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door. If I become blinded, have you ever gotten something in your eye, ever got sand in your eyes? The only thing I want to do is get the sand out of my eyes. They couldn't. The carnal attitude, the carnal heart, the carnal mind was just like we can't see, but we still want to rape people.

We want those men. They became weary at the door. They were beating on the door. They were like, oh, ah, ah, ah, ah.

Hmm? I'm not exaggerating this. If you were there, you would probably be so shocked. Hmm. Sin was so prevalent. You had such sick people, sick men, sick, sick society, that we need to be able to see it. Now, when sickness is before us, we have to have the spiritual eyes to see it and flee it. Verse 12, Then the men said to Lot, Have you anyone else here, sons-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, take them out of this place. For 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. And now we get the third example of infection. Verse 14, So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-laws, who had married his daughters. So he had other daughters and sons-in-laws in the city. Did they have children? Doesn't say, but you've got to remember, back there, ten people, he would save it. So his impossibles could have been saved if there had been ten? Absolutely! But even his own family didn't follow. Who had married his daughters, and he said, Get up, get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city. But to his sons-in-laws, he seemed to be joking. They wouldn't even take him seriously.

Part of infection.

I guarantee you, they would know. I wasn't joking. Hopefully they'd know you, too. But was it something that, oh, well, no big deal? Was there respect? Usually there's respect between the son-in-law and the father. You might not always agree, but there's respect. If he says something's going to happen, well, he thinks, What? I'm going to listen to him. They say, Get out of here, old man! Oh, man! Let's destroy this city. Don't you know what we have here? It's a modern metropolis. This is Sodom.

We're a major city, people. Look at us. People flock here. They vacation here. Everybody says, Let's go to Sodom.

Verse 15. When morning dawn, the angels did what? Urged lot.

Infection number four is verse 15. When the morning dawn, the angels urged lot to hurry. I see this city. I saw what happened the night before. They tried to tear down my door. They said, If you don't give us this man, we're going to rape you and sodomize you and brutalize you, big boy. I'm out before the Muslim comes up. But what happened? He wasn't affected. He was infected. He did what? He had to urge him. He was kind of, Oh yeah, I guess we need to get around.

And they had to urge lot to hurry, saying, Arise, take your wife and your daughters who are here. Lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city. Verse 16. And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand. Number five. Infection number five. They had to grab his arms. They had to pull him because they said he lingered.

Wow. Do you linger around sin?

The men took hold of his hand, his wife's hands and the hands of his two daughters. They wanted to stay. The Lord being merciful to him, they brought him out and set him outside the city. So it came to pass when they had brought them outside that he said, Escape for your life. Do not look behind you, nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains lest you be destroyed. And then verse 18, infection number six. Then Lot said to them, Please, no, my lords.

We don't want to go. We don't want to go out. We don't want to go in the country. We're civilized people. Those are for the hicks. Those are for, you know, those old country people. They're better ones. They live out there. They live away from people. We're more civilized than that. Don't make us go out there. He's going to destroy the city. I'm going to go where he asked me to go. And then he tells you what? Get away from there, because they wanted to go to another city. You read it. I won't read the rest of it, because we're running out of time. They wanted to go! Back where, you know, shopping's great.

They have the best restaurants. They have even drinks named after the city. Oh, could I have a Sodom? No, give me a Gamora. You see what's happened?

And he said, I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. Is that an asinine statement? Think about it. Angels are pulling you out of here, and then you're worried where they take you? Whoa!

And then we come down to verse 25. He overthrew those cities, all the plain and all the inhabitants of the city, what grew on the ground. But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Infection number seven. Even if you leave, do you look back. You know, we... God called us out of sin. Called us out of the life of sin. But too many times, it's not the sin we're confronting now. It's the sin that Satan wants to bring back from our past that gets in our head. And we're affected by it, to pretty soon we become infected by it. Because we did not truly flee Sodom when we said we did. And then we also have to realize we need him to help us stay out of Sodom.

And I could have added a number eight when you get to where his wife is turned into a pillar of salt. And God rains fire and brimstone down to where...as a matter of fact, they...the experts kind of know where Sodom and Gomorrah, they think where it was, because it burnt everything up so much they can't even hardly find anything. But I did watch a documentary on it, and they actually brought where they found salt, because it's a Dead Sea. And those cities were around before it was a Dead Sea. It was actually a prosperous sea that these cities were built on.