Remember Lot's Wife

I'd like to begin this afternoon by considering a very important instruction that Jesus Christ gave to His disciples and by extension to us as well. It's an instruction that refers to a specific event from the distant past, but when Christ gave it, He gave it in the context of looking to the future. And yet that instruction also relates directly to how we live and structure our lives today. It almost sounds like a riddle, doesn't it? Well, the instruction I'm referring to only consists of three words, but those three words convey to us both vivid imagery and an absolute warning. The instruction I'm talking about is found in Luke 17, verse 32.

Can you turn over there, please? Luke 17, verse 32. You find three simple words from Jesus Christ.

In Luke 17, verse 32, Jesus Christ said, remember Lot's wife. He said, remember Lot's wife.

If I were to go around the room and take a poll of the room here and even ask the little children, probably everyone in here could tell us what comes to mind when we hear the words, remember Lot's wife. Probably all tell us what happened in the story that we see in Genesis regarding Mrs. Lot.

The fact is, in the biblical record shows, she was turned to a pillar of salt.

The story of Lot's wife is actually a tragic story, and yet it's recorded for our example. It's recorded for our learning, and Christ said to remember.

So we'll come back here to Luke, chapter 17, in a few minutes, but I want to go back to Genesis and walk through the context of why he said to remember Lot's wife. Because as Jesus Christ felt it was important enough as an example to mention, it ought to stir us to go take a look and to delve into it and see what lessons it is that we can learn and apply in our life.

Follow me back, please, to Genesis, the 13th chapter. We'll set the stage for the story by picking up some of the history here in the 13th chapter of Genesis.

Genesis, chapter 13, and we'll begin in verse 1.

It says, Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot went with him to the south. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold, and he went on his journey from the south as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been in the beginning, between Bethel and I, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

Verse 5, Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock, the Canaanites and the Parazites, and dwelt in the land. So, Abram said to Lot, please, let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brethren. It is not the whole land before you. Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right, or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go down towards Zalar.

Verse 11, then Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the met of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. So this is basically a history. It's a rundown of how Lot wound up in Sodom. Abraham gave him a choice, and he looked out over the land, and he picked the prime piece of real estate for himself. But the problem was, the prime piece of real estate was also the prime area for sin. And Lot dwelt among it. Now, as we read, the city of Sodom was set on the Jordan plain. It was an area that was described as being like the Garden of the Lord. So in that sense, it was a very Eden-like environment. It was a very fruitful and abundant area, and all of its produce. Its crops were well watered and plenteous. Its herds were fat and well grazed. It was a region that was ready-made for prosperity, and a place that one could build themselves up and acquire wealth, and a rather good standing for themselves. Sodom was a region of commerce. It was a region of trade. Sodom was located along a well-traveled trade route. So you had caravans that would come in and out there through Egypt and probably babble on and trade as they went. So these conditions gave birth to a cultural structure that was based both on wealth and leisure. Now the question I have is, what happens in a society that has everything it wants, everything it could need, and thinks it doesn't need to look to God for any of it?

Well, the answer is they do what seems right in their own eyes. The fact is they act with no accountability to God or his standards. They do what's right in their own eyes. In other words, sin and corruption abound. And that was the condition of Sodom.

To turn forward to Ezekiel 16, we see a passage that very much describes the condition of the society in Sodom. Ezekiel 16, verse 49. Here God's rebuking Jerusalem for their abominations before him. And he's drawing a comparison to the sins of Sodom. I think it's very compelling.

Ezekiel 16, verse 49. It says, Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom. She and her daughter had pride. So Sodom was a very prideful city, a prideful region. They were very lifted up. They said, you know, look at us. Look at what we can do for ourselves. Look what we were able to accomplish by our own hand. It said Sodom had fullness of food and an abundance of idleness. So produce became very easy, came to them very easily. It was a very rich region. It was a prosperous region. So they didn't necessarily have to spend all their time out working in the field, trying to eke out a living for themselves, working very hard just to put enough food on the table. That wasn't necessarily the condition in Sodom. Probably many of them had slaves or servants, certainly. And as a result, people had time on their hands. And oftentimes, I think we know when people have too much time and idleness on their hands, it leads to trouble and destructive behaviors. It goes on to say that neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy. So they were very self-serving people, very inward-focused society, focused on themselves and their needs and their wants. Didn't look out so much for everybody else. Verse 50 says, When they were haughty and committed abomination before me, therefore I took them away as I saw fit. So because they were lifted up in their own eyes and they were very sinful and corrupt in their behavior before God, he destroyed them. Again, this is the condition and the society in which Lot had immersed himself when he went down to Sodom. Let's go back to Genesis chapter 19. Continue the story leading up to explaining to us why Jesus Christ made the comments. Remember Lot's wife, Genesis chapter 19. Basically, the history leading up to Genesis 19 is that the Lord, the one who became Jesus Christ, along with two angels, had appeared to Abraham and he made him aware of his plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. We recall the story and basically Abraham was able to convince Jesus Christ to spare those cities if they could find ten righteous individuals. Ten righteous individuals who were repentance and submissive to God. So when we take it up in Genesis 19 verse 1, we have the angels coming down into Sodom to survey the scene. It says, Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. So obviously, he recognized who these men were. Probably with experiences with Abraham, he knew what the messengers of God would look like. So he came and bowed himself before them. What's interesting is the fact that Lot was sitting in the gate of the city. It indicates he was probably an elder or a judge of some sort. It appears he would have had some sort of standing in the city of Sodom.

Verse 2, He said, Hear now, 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 to him, No, we will spend the night in the open square. But he insisted strongly so that they turn into him and enter his house. Then he made them a feast and baked eleven bread, and they ate.

So apparently Lot knew the society he lived in. He knew the open square was in a safe place for the messengers to spend the night. It certainly wouldn't have been a comfortable or favorable environment. So he invited them into his home, offered protection. What's kind of interesting, as a side note, is it says he made for them eleven bread. And some have speculated that perhaps this incident took place during the days of eleven bread.

Verse 4, Genesis 19, Now before they laid down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 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. So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind them, and said, Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly. See, now I have two daughters who have not known a man. Please let me bring them out to you, that 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. So here Lot went out, he was trying to quiet the crowd, he was willing to offer something that I think is shocking to all of us, and I can't even imagine why Lot offered that. Except, I would say, he took his eye off of looking and trusting faith to God to provide. I can only assume he repented of that later, but clearly he wasn't putting God first. Verse 9, it says, And they said, Stand back.

Then they said, This one came to sojourn, and keep acting as a judge. Now we will deal worse with you than with them. So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became very weary trying to find the door. You can only imagine the chaotic scene that developed from that. Verse 12, Then the men said to Lot, Have you anyone else here? Son-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. So Lot went out, spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, Get up out of this place, so the Lord will destroy this city. But to his sons-in-law, he came to be joking. They were very immersed in the city of Sodom. They were immersed in its culture. They probably grew up there, and so to them he seemed to be joking.

Verse 15, When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, Arise, take your wife, your two daughters, those who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city. And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hands and his wife's hands, and the hands of his two daughters, and the Lord being merciful to him. And 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, and don't look behind you, nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed. Then Lot said to him, Please know, my lords, indeed now your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy, which you have shown to me by saving my life, but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me, and I die. See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Please let me escape there, is it not a little one, and my soul shall live. And he said to them, See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, and that I will not overthrow this place for which you have spoken. Hurry and escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there. Therefore the name of the city was called Zohar, and the sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zohar. Verse 24 says, Then the Lord rained brimstone fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of the heavens. So he overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is an incredible story of mercy and deliverance. God, in his mercy, brought Lot and his family out of that world, out of that society in which they live. But it's also an incredibly tragic story. The instruction in verse 17 was, Don't look behind you, and yet Lot's wife did, and she paid the ultimate price for doing so.

Why did she look back? What would have been the pull for her to turn and look back to Sodom? What would have caused her to stop and disobey the command from the angels?

Well, the Bible doesn't exactly say why she turned back, but I think we can gather some pretty good indication from what it does say. First of all, there was family that was left behind.

The unmarried daughters of Lot had come out with them, but the sons-in-laws and the married daughters had stayed behind. They were destroyed. Maybe they were children in the mix. Maybe they were grandchildren in the mix. And I can only imagine what the trauma of that would have been if you know your family was being destroyed back in Sodom while you're escaping.

Some sources indicate that, perhaps, Lot's wife came from Sodom. The Bible doesn't say, but that could be a possibility, and so she would have had many deep roots in Sodom and friendships and relationships there from her years growing up. The Bible says that Lot sat at the gate of Sodom, so he was a very highly respected individual. Perhaps there was a social status. Perhaps there was a certain level of friends that Lot's wife became accustomed to hanging out with.

You get your friends and the places you like to go and the things you like to do together.

Maybe she didn't want to leave that behind. There were material riches that were abandoned. Then the Bible shows that when Lot departed from Abraham, he had flocks, he had herds, probably had servants. He appears to have been a very wealthy man. He was probably very successful in the city of Sodom. Maybe he had a big house in Sodom. Maybe he had one right on Main Street, a two-story house with a nice landscaped yard, a white ticket fence, a lot of furnished goods in the house that came from the abundance of trading with the caravans that came through. Maybe it was tied to the physical possessions she couldn't seem to leave behind. A number of things could have caused her to turn her back. Put yourself in her place. What would have caused her to turn herself back and look longingly towards Sodom? Maybe she just renewed her membership at 24-hour fitness. Maybe all her friends were standing in line at the Apple store waiting for the new iPhone release. Who knows? Whatever happened to her, whatever it was, when the moment of destruction came, she looked back.

The indication is from Scripture was more than just a quick glance over her shoulder. It appears to have been a turning. It appears to have been a looking and a longing after those things that were destroyed. The problem is Lot's wife had a divided heart. She was torn between two masters. She was torn between the old life that God was calling her out of and the life of deliverance that He was leading them to. She couldn't seem to let the first one go in pursuit of the second, and the result was it cost her her life. Remember Lot's wife.

Why did Jesus Christ say those words? What relevance does it play in our life today?

Let's go back to Luke 17th chapter and take a look at the context surrounding those words. Why Jesus Christ said it and what lessons we can learn.

Luke 17. I'm going to begin in verse 20.

Luke 1720. It says, Now when Christ was asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God does not come with observation.

You know, the people of that day were expecting a kingdom to come and deliver them from the Roman oppression. They were expecting to one day look up and see an army come marching over the hill that would deliver them and re-establish the glory of Israel. And Jesus Christ said, You know what, it doesn't come by observation. You're not going to stand here and physically observe this army coming in. Verse 21, Nor will they say, See here or see there, for indeed the kingdom of God is within you. And probably better translation of that would be the kingdom of God is among you.

First, the fact that Jesus Christ, the king of that kingdom, was in their midst. He was teaching them. He was instructing them. Verse 22, Then he said to the disciples, The day will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it, because he wouldn't be physically there with them forever. He would be sacrificed. He would return to his father. Verse 23, And they will say to you, Look here or look there.

Do not go after them, nor follow them. For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven, trying to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in his day. So when Jesus Christ returns, it will be an obvious event. The whole world will know about it. So don't imagine that you have to go chase over here or chase over there because somebody said you missed it or you slept through it. Jesus Christ said it will be an obvious event. Verse 25, He says, But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

And as it was in the days of Noah, so will be also in the days of the Son of Man. Noah, as the Bible tells us, was a preacher of righteousness. Noah instructed the world on the truth of God. He gave them a witness and a warning as to what was coming. He warned them about their sins and they rejected him. And right up to the moment that the rain began to fall, nobody accepted that there was a problem.

They mocked Noah, they ridiculed him. It's going to be the same at the coming of Jesus Christ. At the end of this age, the two witnesses are going to go out and they're going to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom of God. They're going to give a warning to this world, but nobody's going to listen. It's going to be too late. Verse 27, speaking of that generation of Noah, they ate, they drank, they married lives, they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Likewise, as it was also in the days of Locke. They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built. But on the day that Locke went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. You know, life was going on as usual. Nobody suspected there was a problem. At the return of Jesus Christ, this world is going to be conducting business as usual.

It's going to be going about its business of sin. It's going to go about its business of rejecting God, his calling and his people and his warning, and sudden destruction is going to come on them. Verse 30 says, So will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. In that day, he who is in the house stops, and as good as they are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise, the one who is in the field, let him not turn back, remember Locke's life. He said, remember Locke's wife. Remember what happened to that individual who put too much trust, too much stock into those things of her life, and she wasn't willing to leave them behind to come out in the way that God directed.

Remember the person who put so much stock in those things that were not truly important. I said, remember Locke's wife. Remember how she valued the physical possessions so much that she couldn't let them go. Why do we have this warning? Why the instruction to remember Locke's wife? Verse 33 says, whoever seeks to save his life will lose it. Whoever loses his life will preserve it.

Locke's wife wanted to save that physical life that she was being brought out of. She wanted to save that life she'd become accustomed to. She didn't want to lose the luxuries and the wealth and the friends and the social status and all the things that she had accumulated in her life and the problem.

She wasn't willing to leave behind the old self and walk in newness of life spiritually. That's what God's called us to do, to come out of this world, come out of the ways of this world, follow me in newness of life spiritually. Locke's wife wasn't willing to do that, and as a result, she looked back and she was destroyed right along with all those things she valued. Now the problem with looking to the things of this physical life is they can't save us. They can't extend to us the mercies of God. Physical things of this life can't bring us into the kingdom of God, so in that sense, they have no real value. And the point is, we need to take our focus off the things of this world and put our focus on the things of the kingdom of God, those things that have true value in our life.

We can never afford to look back, as if the life we left behind is somehow better than what God has to offer us. He says to come out of this world, which means we have to be willing to forsake it. We need to be willing to leave it behind. We need to be willing to walk out of spiritual fathom in order to go where God is leading us. That's the message Jesus Christ was conveying when he said, Remember Lot's life. If we're going to follow God in a manner that's acceptable to him, we have to come out of this world and never look back.

For each of us, then we have a decision to make. We have a question that we have to ask for ourselves an answer. And that is, how committed am I? How committed are you? That's something we can only answer on a personal basis. It's a God looking for people who are totally committed to his calling. People who are going to follow through and never look back. Let's go to Luke 9. Luke 9.

Luke 9.

Verse 57. It says, Now it happened as they journeyed on the road that someone said to him, Lord, I will follow you wherever you go.

And Jesus said to him, Okay, hold on just a minute. That's fine. That's good, but I just want to let you know what you can expect. If you want to follow me. Verse 58. Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.

So Christ is saying, Look, this is a pilgrimage life.

Say, I'm not putting down permanent roots here. I'm just passing through. If you're going to follow me, this is going to be your life as well. Verse 59. Now he said to another, follow me. But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. And Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.

You know, we can read that verse and it can seem a little shocking to us at first. We just think, wow, you know, Christ wouldn't even let this guy go back and take the time to bury his dead father. But we have to understand that the context of the verse here, it's not that the man's father had just died and Christ wouldn't let him go back and bury him. The point was the man wanted to wait until his father had died, until that chapter of his life had passed. And he said, Once those things are taken care of, then I can come and follow you.

And Jesus Christ said, That's not good enough. You know, when I've extended this call for you to follow me, you need to come now. I think that's a good lesson for us in our life.

You know, what things pop up in our life that we say, well, once I get past this point, then I can commit fully to following God. You know, once I get through college and school and get the good grades and pass the exams, then I can go to the Feast of Tabernacles. You know, when I get that job and I'm secured and I'm promoted and I'm where I need to be so that I'm stable, then I can dedicate myself to the Sabbath and the Holy Days like I'm supposed to. The point is, God said and Christ said, when that call is extended, you follow me now. You don't wait until you sort of put your life in order and wrapped up certain things and tied up these loose ends before you decide that you're available to follow Jesus Christ. Our calling is immediate. Verse 61, another also said, Lord, I will follow you, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house. So again, this person said, yes, Lord, I'm committed. I'm there with you. I've heard the calling. I understand it. I accept it. I'm there, but first I need to go take care of these other things. Have these loose ends I need to tie up. I'll join you. That's not a good response to have. Verse 62, but Jesus said to him, no one having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. That's a pretty strong warning. It's a strong warning for all of us. It's a warning that once you've committed to your life, but following Jesus Christ, there is no turning back. There's no looking back. There's no longing for those things that you've left behind. It's a committed process, looking forward to the kingdom of God.

I think the analogy of the plow is a good one. It's very vivid imagery. I kind of imagine in my mind the man behind the one horse pulled plow, the single bottom plow, and he's got both hands on the plow so that you can keep that plow down in the furrow, and you're trying to fill a straight line. So you've got to keep your eye on the horizon. You've got to pick a point and work towards that point on the horizon so that you have a straight line with your plow. Well, brethren, that point on the horizon is the kingdom of God. That's our destination. That's what our focus is set on. And our line to the kingdom of God has to be straight and true and direct. Both hands on the plow. Now, the problem comes up is when you have a distraction, and I kind of imagine how you would take the hand off the plow and look back is you would maybe remove one hand and turn and look. What could happen?

Well, the plow can jump out of the furrow. You can plow a crooked line. You know, putting your hand to the plow and looking back, it doesn't mean that you've abandoned the plow altogether, but it does mean that your attention is divided, means your commitment is divided, means it's divided between your calling and the life you left behind. Jesus Christ said no one putting their hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. God, Father Jesus Christ demands total commitment from those that they have called out of this world, which he never for to be distracted. One of the freshmen at Ambassador College, one of the first classes I ever sat in was taught by Dr. Ward, and anyone who ever sat in Dr. Ward's classes know that he hammered home the three C's. And if you've listened to his sermon since that period of time, there's many of them on the archives, you will hear him rehearse over and over the three C's. The three C's are conviction, commitment, and courage. Those three need to be in place if a Christian is going to make it into the kingdom of God. First, conviction.

Conviction is a degree to which a person knows and believes the truth of God.

Conviction comes by studying God's Word. It comes by having your mind open to the truth of God and understanding it and accepting it as truth. Conviction is the start, but conviction alone isn't enough because it also takes commitment. Commitment is acting on what you know to do and following through with it. Commitment is being accountable to that which you know because that knowledge only comes from God. You see, it's a high standard when God calls us and he gives us the Spirit and he opens our mind to understand the truth. It's a huge responsibility to us then to be committed and act on it. It would be better not to know the truth of God, and it would be to have your mind open to it and reject it. So we need to be committed. So once you have conviction and you have commitment, it takes courage. It takes courage to stand fast in our commitment, despite the trials, despite the difficulties, despite all the obstacles that this world and this society throws at us. It takes courage. 1 Corinthians 16, 13 says, watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. So the fact is it takes courage to keep both hands on the plow.

It takes courage to walk out of spiritual thought and leave this world behind. It takes courage to say, you know what, it's tough here, but I'm going to keep going anyway because that's what God's called us to do. He's called us to be courageous in our service to Him. No one putting their hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. Why not? Well, because looking back is equated with drawing back. Looking back is equated with a lack of commitment to follow through on our calling. Remember last wife? Because she looked back and she longed for the past and she longed for those things that she held so dear in her heart, she wasn't found fit to escape the destruction of all that. And as a result, she lost her life.

Brethren, what is it in our lives that could cause us to take our hand off the plow and look back?

I think there's a number of pulls, a number of distractions in this society. Could it be the job?

Could the job cause us to take our hand off the plow and look back? Could we, again, try and achieve that certain level of promotion at work so we're willing to do anything and everything despite the word of God to obtain that level? That's a very dangerous position to be in.

Could school cause us to turn back? Could friendships, relationships, finances?

Here's a hot-button topic for you. How about politics?

Could involvement in politics cause you to take your hand off the plow?

Could being wrapped up in this world's politics cause you to have a divided focus?

I would say that it can, certainly.

I'd like to take a minute and talk about politics. We're on the verge of a presidential election in just over a week. It's right around the corner, and there's no doubt that emotions are very high in this country. You turn on the news and you see it. Many people say that this is a very pivotal moment in the history of our nation, that the future of our country and its destiny hangs in the balance, depending on which way this election goes. You know what? They may be right. I would agree there's probably a lot at stake. I've listened to a number of radio talk shows, many of them Christian religious shows, that beat the drum for Christians and the need to get out and vote. I've even had a number of friends in the greater Church of God community, including the United Church of God, that are passionate about the fact that we as Christians have to do our duty and go out and vote in this election. Again, the question is, can involvement in politics distract you from what you're called to do in this life? And the answer is it can. It certainly can. Now, I understand patriotism. I understand love of country and the pulls of it. It's a very powerful emotion. I think many of us do feel it. Most of my life growing up, my mom was in the Church, and my dad was in the Navy. So I spent my life growing up, moving from place to place in our service to Uncle Sam. We moved all over the United States, living from Navy base to Navy base. And for me, as a kid growing up, that was a pretty exciting life. I took every opportunity I had to go and tour the ships whenever we were at a seaport, to go and tour the facilities that were available. And those things fascinated me. Those things actually had a big pull in my life. The fact was, I loved that life. Growing up, there were two principles that were ingrained in my way of thinking. As love of God and love of country. Probably most of us growing up had that ingrained in our mind. Had it not been for God's calling in my life, I probably would have joined the Navy. That's where much of my passion and desire lied at that time, growing up. And the pull in my life was very strong to do that. But God called me. Fortunately, He called me. He drew me to Him. But the fact is, I understand patriotism. I understand what it means to love this country. I still love this country. I don't love the sins of this country, or the sins of the people of this country, or the way this country necessarily governs. I love the territory. I love the people of this country. So I understand the pull to want to get involved and fix it. I understand the pull of politics. Again, it's a very emotional pull. But, brethren, you and I have been called to help fix this world to the establishment of a completely different form of government. We've been called to fix this world by assisting our elder brother, Jesus Christ, in the establishment of the kingdom of God. As citizens of the kingdom of God, our citizenship is in heaven. 2 Corinthians 5, 20, tells us that we're called to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ. So as such, we're representatives of the kingdom of God. So the question I have is, should representatives of the kingdom of God be involved in the governmental politics of man?

And the answer is no. The answer is no. Now, this isn't a new teaching. The United Church of God has always thought we should not become involved in the politics of this world. And, in fact, the Church has taught this for a long time. Back in October of 1956, Robert Armstrong wrote an article titled, How Would Jesus Christ Vote for President? And this was an article that was published, but it was taken from writings that he had made earlier, even in the 40s. And I believe before that as well. But in the article he said, quote, What would Jesus do? I think it's interesting that phrase is popular in the Church before it was ever slapped on a bumper sticker. What would Jesus do? Mr. Armstrong said, He would be too busy proclaiming the good news of this own coming, world-ruling kingdom in the way of salvation to take any part whatsoever in the politics of this present evil world, or in any man-made form of government that is doomed very soon to be destroyed and replaced by the theocratic government of the kingdom of God. In other words, Jesus Christ spent most of his time on the earth preaching that the kingdom of God was the solution to man's problems. He didn't spend his time trying to bring the solution to man's problems through fixing the physical administrations that were in place. Christ taught the kingdom of God. Christ taught the kingdom of God. Now, one of the problems we face when we get in politics of this land and one of the contradictions that we face to our Christianity is the fact that many of the standards of the United States government, even in its purest constitutional form, don't reflect the standards of the kingdom of God. And oftentimes we forget that. We live in a nation that's founded on and promotes freedom. We fight for freedom. We defend freedom. We love freedom. And all of us in this room have benefited from living in a nation that is free.

But the freedom we enjoy in this country is, it's not freedom from sin, it's freedom to sin.

Ask yourself if the freedoms that we hold dear as a nation will exist in the millennium. And we just came back from the Feast of Tabernacles. We had that vision painted brightly in our mind of the coming kingdom of God to rule over this earth. So ask yourself if any of these type of freedoms will exist in the millennium. Try freedom of speech. Will that exist such as we exercise it in our country today? No, that's our First Amendment right, freedom of speech. We have the right to publicly go out on the street corner here, take a bullhorn, and publicly proclaim your dissatisfaction with this government, the leaders of it. You can proclaim the corruptness. You can proclaim any pretty much foul thing you want about those who are in public office and leadership. Will there be freedom of speech under the reign of the kingdom of God in that way? I think not. Let me just go back and look at the example of Korah. See if that freedom of speech worked out so well in his life. How about freedom of religion?

Freedom of religion has been a huge benefit to the Church of God in the modern age. We live in a nation that gives us the ability to preach the gospel, put the word out, gives us the ability to meet right here in this hall in peace and see cybercast our Sabbath services all over the world.

Freedom of religion has been a blessing to at least allow us to operate as a church in the way that we have. But do you think there will be freedom of religion in the world tomorrow?

Do you think people will be free to practice Judaism? Hinduism?

You think the Islamic religion will be preached in the world tomorrow? I don't think so.

The world tomorrow, the age we're looking forward to, the age that we're endorsing, will have government-established religion. Ask yourself how that rubs with your United States of America citizenship. Government-established religion. The point is, this world's systems are not God's systems. It's Satan's system. They're the systems of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which means some systems are better than others. I'm grateful that we live under one of the best systems in the world, but the fact is it's still the wrong tree. It's still the wrong tree. I can't help but feel like going out and taking part in the act of voting in the United States presidential election is helping the world to pick the good fruit off the wrong tree. It's still the wrong tree.

The point is, brethren, if we spend our time and our energies on engaging in the politics of this society, then we run the risk of running the pile-off course. We run the risk of losing perspective of the kingdom of God and the calling and the government that you and I are representing in this world today. I'll remind you again of what Christ said in Luke 9 verse 60. He said, let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God. And the principle is, let the spiritually dead take care of the things of the spiritually dead.

You let this world take care of the things of this world, and you go and preach the kingdom of God.

And that's our calling. Daniel chapter 4 verse 17 says, the most high rules in the kingdoms of men gives it to whomever he will and sets over it the lowest of men. So what that tells me is that God's will will be done in this election, whichever way it goes. God knows what his plan is.

If you feel compelled to offer input on the matter, bring it to God in prayer.

Offer your petition before God in prayer and add to your prayer, thy kingdom come, thy will be done. You won't find that spot on any ballot in any state in the United States of America. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. As Christians, that should be our focus.

I'd like to recommend a little bit of a homework assignment for some of you who have internet connection. I'd like to recommend a sermon for you to listen to. The sermon is by John Elliott. It was given on November 8, 2008, and it's titled, Get Down and Vote.

John Elliott, November 8, 2008, Get Down and Vote. You can find it on the member site. I should very strongly suggest you listen to it.

Like Lot's wife, God's called us out of this world. He says, Don't look back. The problem is sometimes we try to bring the world along with us.

That's a fatal mistake. Go to 1 John 2, verse 15. 1 John 2, verse 15.

It says, Do not love the world or the things in the world.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the love of the flesh, the love of the eyes, and the pride of life, it's not of the Father, but it's of the world.

Rather than this world, it has the capability to offer us the flashy, the glamorous, those glitzy things that capture our mind and our imagination and captivate the senses. But it's all vanity. It's not of God. It's not leading to the kingdom of God. And it doesn't build God the character within us. Verse 17.

So we need to be establishing ourselves in those things of God that are eternal.

And those things that build character.

God's holy, righteous character in our lives. We need to establish our things away in those things that won't pass away.

That won't go the way of this world. That won't be swept along with it. That involves putting God first in our lives. It involves counting the cost to make sure that you run this race for the long haul, no matter what.

Counting cost means that we don't look back.

Means we're committed.

Luke Chapter 14 Verse 25. Luke 14 Verse 25.

It says, And great multitudes went with him, and he turned and said to them, If anyone comes to me, does not hate his father, mother, wife, and children, brothers, and sisters, and yet his home life also cannot be my disciple. I'm sure that was a real crowd pleaser.

I'm sure Christ lost a few followers with that one.

The word hate here is a comparative word, and it means to love less by comparison. So what Christ is saying is that there can be nothing in this world that we love as much as the truth and the calling of God. There's nothing that we can put ahead of pursuing the Kingdom of God.

Verse 27. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. So we need to be walking as Jesus Christ walked, engaging ourselves in this life and with the conduct in which Jesus Christ conducted himself. Verse 28. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it?

Counting the cost is deciding if you're going to be able to see the matter through.

Counting the cost is the first thing that we counsel people on for baptism. If you want to be baptized, the first thing you do is sit down and count the cost. Do you have what it takes? Are you committed enough to see this thing through to the end?

Verse 28. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it? Lest after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish it, all who see it began to mock him.

Verse 30. Saying this man began to build and was not able to finish.

Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand. Or else, while the other is still a great layoff, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.

Likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.

So when we're called to follow Jesus Christ, it's a total commitment. It's a total commitment to walk away from an old life and to never look back.

The problem with Lot's wife was that he never reached that level of commitment. She was never willing to forsake all and follow where Jesus Christ was leading her. She never came to the point that she hated those things so much in comparison to the calling of God.

We need to be able to forget those things which are behind, and reach for those things which are ahead. The Apostle Paul set that example for us in Philippians chapter 3. I turn over there to Philippians chapter 3 verse 12.

Philippians 3 verse 12. Paul says, Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected. He says, But I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended. You know, Paul says, I haven't achieved the kingdom of God yet. I'm not there yet. I don't count myself to have apprehended. But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Paul said, I press. It's an effort. It takes effort to pursue the kingdom of God. It takes effort to forget those things which are behind us, and never turn back. It takes effort to put on the character and the nature of Jesus Christ. God the Father. It takes effort to engage in daily prayer and Bible study. It takes effort to engage in fasting meditation. It takes a transformed mind in order to focus on these things.

Final scripture, Romans chapter 12, verse 1. Romans 12, verse 1.

Paul says, I beseech you, therefore, brethren. I kind of visualize that and imagine that as the fact that he says, I'm pleading with you. I'm desperate for you to understand this. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. They may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So there's two options. There's conformity to the world, and there's the renewing of the mind. The question is, which are we going to pursue? Because, like oil and water, they don't mix. You can't be conformed to this world and be pursuing the kingdom of God at the same time. Only the renewing of the mind will lead to the will of God being fulfilled in our lives. Lot's wife became conformed to the world she lived in. She immersed herself in the structure and the status and the symbolism of it. And when the time came, she wasn't able to detach herself from it. She wasn't able to leave. The threat we face is that we too can become too comfortable in our surroundings. As long as things are good, as long as there's money in the bank and food on the table, we can be pretty comfortable in this life.

But the problem is, if we allow that to happen, we can lose our sense of urgency for our calling. We can lose the sense of urgency that says we need to respond now. We need to come out of this world now. But we need to come out of the world before it's too late. This world and the left of it are passing away. As God's people, we must put our time, our attention, our focus, our efforts into pursuing the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The things of this life that we're willing to forsake and service to God can't compare to the glory that will be revealed in us as we return to Jesus Christ. Let's keep our priorities straight. Remember, whoever seeks to save his life will lose it. Whoever loses his life will preserve it.

And our calling to God, Jesus Christ, and our calling to conversion in this life, we can never afford to look back. Brethren, remember Lot's wife.