Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb 12:1-2

The church in this generation is blessed in many ways; as we have multitudes of worshipers so have we many pastors and multiple churches. We are prosperous and rich in monetary terms. In some cities the church is richer than the government, we have pastors that rank among the richest people in the world. Top government officials readily accept invitations to honor our special events and Christianity is the official religion in many nations. Yet it is alarming that the quality of Christian character and virtues are declining day by day. There is so much vagueness in the kingdom, so much division and disunity, errors are been perpetuated daily under the guise of new revelation. Our hearts have become so cold to lost souls to the extent that what bothers us is how we would siphon money from the sinner so that the covetous preacher could be the next millionaire. It is difficult to trust an average Christian with money or the opposite sex.

When I ponder on these evils that have befallen the church, sometimes my heart also becomes weakened and wants to settle with the status quo that God may likely excuse our technologically engrossed generation and may lower His standard to avoid the perishing of multitudes. God’s response in one of those periods formed the basis of this message today and I will like to encourage you to approach it with all soberness and sincerity of heart in readiness to take necessary steps. I want to encourage you to follow on as the Lord challenges us with the case of Sodom.

“And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journey east: and they separated themselves the one from the other”. Gen. 13:10-11

.. THE LORD DESTROYED SODOM …without A Bible.

Sodom is there today as one of the witnesses against this generation. Sodom had no churches, no bible, no preachers, no miracles or healing crusades, no bible schools, no bible study meetings, no organized conferences and seminars, where she could learn about God’s judgment on sin; yet God destroyed it and the people therein. Let this serve as a warning message to you, if God could destroy Sodom with that list of disadvantages, you are multiple times better than Sodom yet your life is neck deep in sin and all manner of unrighteousness.

Below are few of the reasons that made me think our generation was far better than an average citizen of Sodom:

We have unlimited access to the word of God (The Bible)
Churches and fellowship centers are all around your home and offices that you can attend.
There are at least two regular weekly services that hold in your church.
You have departmental (e.g choir, ushers) meetings to attend weekly
There are additional regular monthly meetings (e.g night vigil, Breakthrough service) to attend
Thousands of preachers are available around you and on television that you can listen to.
Thousands of books are available to read and even free online.

With all these wonderful advantages, your life is still filled with corruption of various degrees, you forge documents and tell lies at will. Our names (as Christians) fill the land yet no life to ‘show’ for it.

Jesus said to Capernaum:

And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee…Mt 11:23-24

Dear brother , I hope Jesus is not pronouncing the same word to you and your church already? Pastor, I hope you are not the modern day Capernaum that is exalted right now in the eyes of men but seen in hell by God? Does God have any obligation to spare some nations like America from His fierce judgment? I don’t think so! Sodom and Gomorrah was notorious for extreme base lifestyles of its inhabitants, but several places also in our nation are not better: There you can purchase sex with a dime and drink yourself to stupor. What obligation has a righteous God to spare such nations all over the world? If our nation is filled only with unbelievers and corrupt people as it was the case of Sodom; this will bother me less, but my concern and heart-ache is this; Christians are everywhere and present all over the land; health sector, education departments, in government parastatals; technology and communication fields etc., yet the land cannot feel our presence.

The church right now fits the description of dry bones in the book of Ezekiel chapter 37.

“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry”. Ezek 37:1-2

With all our mass evangelism, with all the billions spent on radio and television preaching; we have not reduced the rate of moral corruption in our nation. We have more fashion than passion; more parties than prayer; more prosperity than purity; more programs than prayers; more competition than compassion for sinners…what is far worse, more sinners than saints in the church today.

What about you my reader? Do you make any difference with your Christian faith? Are your knees bowed already to the god of materialism? Are you joining people in your office to embezzle the company’s money? Are you a Christian lawyer or leader that perverts judgment? Then, be ready for God’s fire-wrath or repent!

LOT’S CHOICE

“And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah”… Gen 3.10

Where did Lot choose? Plain of Jordan in Sodom, a place already marked out for destruction by God, but unknown to him. Why? Because it was a well watered city. That was Lot’s consideration, what endeared Sodom to the heart of Lot was its flourishes and prosperity. God’s leading and direction was not in Lot’s consideration; as long as there is money and prospect, it was alright for him. This singular decision ended bitterly for Lot; he lost his wife and all his properties. Many choose to live in big cities today and forged their way in, because it is a well-watered nation, God is not in their consideration. They come to church and sit comfortably on the pew without a little sense of conviction talk less of repenting. But I must let you know, if your choice is a place or business God has marked for destruction, you may be destroy with them.

My dear, what was your consideration in choosing that man or lady to marry? If it is not God, then your journey is in vain and it will end soon, not all that glitters is gold. Prov 14:12 says : “There is a way that seemed right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death”. Please don’t go in the way of Lot, choose right, choose God.

LOT HAD VIRGIN DAUGHTERS… Without A Bible

Lot told the men of Sodom when they requested to sleep with angels that came to destroy the land that:

“I have two daughters which have not known man”…. Gen 19:8.

What a great testimony of these two young ladies amidst an unbelieving generation! Lot’s daughters lived in a city where fornication was as free as sand, yet they remained untouched; they were still virgins. Sister! what is your own case, a virgin or a door? Can your pastor talk loudly and boldly like this about you? You have advantages gospel-wise that these two daughters of Lot never had.

You were probably born into the church
You own a personal copy of the bible
You hear sermons at least every Sunday
You probably join family prayer every day
You have uninterrupted access to messages on audio, video and the internet
You are likely a worker in the church
You have been water baptized and probably in the Holy Spirit also
You come in contact with Christians every day.

With all these, yet you don’t have this testimony. If your excuse is that everybody is doing it and everywhere is polluted; sorry, the two daughters of Lot were in more serious and grievous environment where fornication is not done only in the secret but openly. It may be understood if you were disvirgined before you came to Christ which was the time of ignorance, but the unfortunate thing is that even after you became a spiritual virgin (born again), you have been disvirgined again because you never left your fornication and adultery lifestyle.

The Bible says in Heb. 13:4 that:

“Marriage should be honored by all, and the bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral”

Madam, let me ask you, how was your marriage bed when you got married? Did you allow any man to pay a price on you before defiling you? Your response may likely be 2 Cor. 5:17 says “If any man is in Christ, old things are passed away” Yes I believe it too, but that is for those that are genuinely repented. But you are not, you claim you have repented and born again but your bed is not kept pure. Remember your illicit affair outside marriage, yet you keep coming to church like one that has known the Lord.

I remember a case of a deaconess that was asked to come and exhort the youths at a conference, she said “well, you are all adults and I don’t forbid sex for you but you must protect yourself to avoid AIDS.” Ha! See that terrible counsel; AIDS is more real to that woman than hell. Friend, what is your own counsel also to the young…to abstain or protect? Lot’s wife will stand in judgment against you on the last day as she made her daughters stand undefiled in the face of wholesale immorality in Sodom.

…REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE

Jesus in His days on earth gave us this instruction in LK 17:32, so it must be taken with all seriousness. “Remember that Lot’s wife almost escaped, but she looked back from outside the city” (Gen. 19:16). Lot’s wife had no precedent, no one to remember that could stand as a guide for her not to look back, yet God destroyed her for that singular error and turned her to a perpetual spectacle. But, you have Lot’s wife and several others to remember, so you can’t afford to misbehave. Sister, are you already looking back? What is it that is drawing your attention back; money or worldly riches? Please, watch your steps and watch your heart. Stay focused on Jesus: He is enough for you.

ESCAPE FOR YOUR LIFE

And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. Gen 19:17

Readers, this message is purposely sent to you by the Holy Spirit to escape now before the fire of God’s judgment catches up with you. God told Lot “Don’t stay in all the plain, but go to the mountain”. My dear, don’t look for a place of refuge among your contemporaries that you are heading towards the same direction with; you are aborting together; you are all beating up your wives and don’t care for your children; you are all chasing after money; you are all engrossed in wickedness and lies.

I am praying that you will not prefer the valley like Lot.

And Lot said unto them, “Oh, not so, my Lord: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live”. Gen 19:18- 20

Lot rejected that gracious offer from God and chose the nearer convenient route. The mountain seemed too long and too high for him; he was wise in his own eyes, the way of God seemed like evil to him. Lot had his way but in that place, he lost his testimony, he became a drunkard and slept with his own daughters; he lost his wife and the spirit of Sodom caught up with his daughters and their virginity testimony and became accursed. As you read this message, please go ahead and do whatever God speaks to your heart to do to correct your ways; it must not be a mountain you cannot climb, there should be no offence you cannot forgive, no wrong doings too much to confess and correct. You are not a candidate of hell so you must not continue in that error.

You must look up; your help can only come from the Lord. Stop deceiving yourself, confess to God and He will abundantly pardon you if you come with genuine repentance. If God can destroy Sodom with those seemingly disadvantages, it will be great injustice for God to spare you unless you repent and come to HIM. Please remember

… all these things happened unto them for examples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 1 Cor. 10:11

Arise and let us pray!