The Choice of Lot
A. MUCH CAN BE LEARNED FROM OLD TESTAMENT CHARACTERS.
B. FROM LOT WE CAN LEARN VALUABLE LESSONS IN:
1. Decision making.
2. The importance of making proper choices.
C. WE WILL LOOK AT THE LIFE OF LOT, THEN FOCUS ON HIS DECISION
AND HOW IT EFFECTED HIS LIFE.
A. IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS, LOT IS INTRODUCED TO US AS...
1. The nephew of Abraham who sojourned with him( Gen. 12:15; 13:1 ).
2. A man who like his uncle became quite wealthy( Gen. 13:2-5 ).
a. Their combined wealth forced them to separate( Gen. 13:6-9 ).
b. Lot made a choice which seemed like a good one( Gen. 13:10-12 ).
c. But good as it seemed, it resulted in much sorrow and hardship for Lot!
B. AS A RESULT OF HIS CHOICE, LOT SUFFERED...
1. War( Gen. 14:11 ).
2. Kidnapping( Gen. 14:12 ).
3. Oppression by the citizens of Sodom( 2 Pet. 2:7-8; Gen. 19:1-11 ).
4. Loss of all his material wealth( Gen. 19:15-16, 24-25 ).
5. The death of his wife( Gen. 19:17, 26 ).
6. The shame of incest with his daughters( Gen 19:30-36 ).
C. ALL THIS EVEN THOUGH LOT WAS A RIGHTEOUS MAN( 2 Pet. 2:7-8 ).
D. THE EXAMPLE OF LOT SHOULD IMPRESS US WITH THE IMPORTANCE
OF MAKING PROPER CHOICES IN OUR LIVES.
A. WHETHER OR NOT TO FOLLOW JESUS!( John 8:12; Luke 9:57-62 ).
B. YOUR CAREER( 2 Thess 3:10; Eph. 4:28; Acts 19:23-27 ).
C. YOUR MATE( 2 Cor. 6:14; 1 Cor. 9:5 ).
1. You may think you can divorce a person who turns out to be a bad choice.
2. But once you have children, there is no way to reverse the choice you made as
to who is the mother or father of your children!
D. YOUR FRIENDS
1. Having close friends can be a wonderful blessing( Pro. 17:17 ).
2. But wrong friends can be a curse( Pro. 12:26; 1 Cor. 15:33 ).
E. WHERE YOU WILL LIVE - LOT'S MISTAKE!
F. WE MUST OFTEN LIVE WITH CONSEQUENCES OF POOR CHOICES.
A. ASK GOD FOR WISDOM( Jas. 1:5-8 ).
B. SEEK ADVICE FROM OTHERS( Prov. 11:14; 12:15 ).
1. Discuss your alternatives with older, mature Christians.
2. Consult the wisdom found in the Bible ( Psa. 119:97-104 ).
C. PUT GOD'S WILL FIRST( Psa. 37:5-6, 23-26; Jas. 4:15 ).
A. SOME DECISIONS YOU ARE STUCK WITH.
1. Marriage( Matt. 19:9; Eph. 5:25 ).
2. Some consequences are irreversible.
B. WHEN POSSIBLE, DO WHAT LOT, PETER, PAUL DID.
1. They changed. Where sin was involved they repented( Rom. 6:17-18 ).
2. The gave themselves to serve the Lord( 1 Pet. 4:19 ).
3. The wrong thing to do is to continue in the choice because of pride or some
other reason!
A. THE EXAMPLE OF LOT SHOULD SERVE:
1. To teach us that making the proper decisions is very important.
2. To warn us not to make our choices lightly.
B. REMEMBER LOT WHEN MAKING DECISIONS.
1. Seek to make that decision based upon the will of the Lord and not your own
2. Your eternal destiny (and that of those you love) might rest upon your choice!
C. THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISION YOU WILL EVER FACE DOES HAVE
AN EFFECT ON YOUR DESTINY( Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:38 ).