When God Says Go

Introduction

Good morning. If you will open in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 18. Genesis chapter 18. As you’re turning there, I’m curious, and not by a show of hands, because for whatever reason, even though the answer is almost 100%, it’s embarrassing. Who here has been on or thought about being on a diet? Can I rephrase that? Who has thought about willingly subjecting themselves to utter torture for at least a week or two at a time? That is my view. That’s why I look the way I do. That’s how we get there. In Genesis chapter 18, though, we have Abraham, and he’s on the precipice of this negotiation with God. And he’s in this negotiation with God over Sodom and Gomorrah. We know about Sodom and Gomorrah. We know how wicked they are, we know how bad it was, and we know what is Abraham even negotiating about.

Because they are so wicked, God is going to destroy them. But this morning, what I want to what I want to study is not just about what did Sodom and Gomorrah look like. What were the citizens like? But rather, what about the righteous people who actually were there? I want to study when God says we need to go and do things that are hard, do things that are difficult. And yet we know he has our best interests at heart. And we know he is offering deliverance from an awful destruction that awaits us. Why don’t we just do it? You see, the truth is we we diet because we need it. We need it because our body needs more healthy foods. We need to, or most often want to look better.

But the truth of the matter is we have to give up something that we like, and there’s a lot that we like. There’s ice cream. There’s chocolate. Did I say ice cream? Did you know it’s almost 12 o’clock? See, we have temptations all around us. The truth is, as it comes to obeying God, though, there are also temptations that maybe in and of themselves aren’t bad. The problem is when the priority level shifts in such a way that God is no longer number one. We don’t trust him number one. We don’t, more importantly, act like he is deserving of our entire life, even though we would never say that out loud. This morning I want to study a story about when God says, Go. What is our reaction to be?

We know the answer to that is to go. But note what happens, beginning in Genesis chapter 18. In Genesis chapter 18, if you’ll pick up the reading with me there in verse 22. So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near and said, Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose that there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked. Far be that from you. Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just?

And the Lord said, If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake. Abram answered and said, Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of fire, for lack of five? They said, I will not destroy it if I find forty five there. Again he spoke to him and said, Suppose forty are found there. He answered, For the sake of forty I will not do it. Then he said, Oh, let not the Lord be angry and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there. He answered, I will not do it if I find thirty there.

He said, Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there. He answered, For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it. Then he said, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there. He answered, For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it. And the Lord went his way when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place. I got to tell you, it’s not looking good for Sodom when Abraham is interceding with God, when God’s going has marked it for destruction, and when Abraham begins putting with God and says, You know what? If there’s fifty righteous people there, please do not destroy them. And God agrees.

But Abraham’s not confident in fifty, he’s not confident in forty-five or forty. It gets all the way down to how many? If there are just ten righteous people.

And so when we consider the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, recognize God has sentenced Sodom to destruction. Because as we’re going to read, unfortunately, they don’t even have the ten righteous among them. And so God will not spare them. In fact, in case you’re wondering if that was a raw deal or if that’s wrong, note in chapter 19, when they prove their wickedness, when they show why they were going to be destroyed. In Genesis chapter 19, beginning in verse 1. 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 bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet.

Then you may rise up early and go on your way. They said, No, we will spend the night in the town square. But he pressed them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house, and he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them. Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man.

Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please, only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof. But they said, Stand back, and they said, This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge. Now we will deal worse with you than with them. Then they pressed hard against the man Lot and drew near to break the door down. But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. And they struck with blindness, the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door. Then the men said to Lot, Have you anyone else here?

Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city? Bring them out of the place, for we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against this people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it. As you see that story, you recognize that the destruction not only was coming from God and from Abraham having to, you might say, negotiate with God to see that there are just, if there are ten righteous, spare the city. And then you see in chapter 19, who is it that surrounds the house, demanding that they know the two angels, the two people they think are men visiting? The whole city. The city has gathered around, and they are demanding to know these men.

And Lot tries to offer his daughters, but that doesn’t pacify them. They are violent, they are corrupted, they are, you might say, depraved. When you think about the story, you see a city that’s completely lost its moral compass. They don’t fear God, they don’t follow even natural order of anything, and they’re demanding that which doesn’t belong to them, that which shouldn’t even be thought of. And surely we understand from reading this text and its counterparts in the New Testament how often Sodom and Gomorrah is recognized, and the counterpart, particularly in the book of Jude, how wicked the situation was, and how without God these people were. They proved their wickedness. And so as a result, as we continued in the reading, what was the result going to be?

As the angel said to Lot, this city will be destroyed. It’s very important to note that God offered Lot and his family safety. If you note in verse 13, for we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against his people has become great before the Lord. The Lord has sent us to destroy it. So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-laws who were to marry his daughters, Up, get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city. But he seemed to his son-in-laws to be jesting. As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city. This is a critical moment for Lot.

He has offered safety. When you read the story of Genesis, you know that Lot was drawn to Sodom and Gomorrah. Why? Because of how wonderful the land was. He chose this land when he separated from Abraham. And you have Lot now in the midst of what is obviously a perverse and corrupt city, the city that has lost its bearings, where Lot knows that God is going to destroy it. How wonderful it is that God recognizes who are his. Isn’t it a blessing to know that when God is speaking with Abraham and when the angels are with Lot, they know who are righteous. It shows us that we need to be trusting in our great God. That it doesn’t matter who’s around us, but that if we are with God, we will stand, and our God will deliver us.

It’s important to note that fact. But as you see in the story, Lot’s being offered this chance to get out, to be free from the destruction. And unfortunately, the story doesn’t go as you would think. As it was titled, when God says go, what are we expected to do? We are to go. If you read, reread with me in verse 15, as morning dawned, the angels urge Lot. Note that. The angels urge Lot up. Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city. It’s easy for us to look and say, Well, if angels are there and they’re saying, go, take your family, avoid sure destruction. The only answer is to what? Go. But note what verse 16 says Lot did.

Verse 16, but he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him. And they brought him out and set him outside the city. Lot was very fortunate that God was merciful, that they kind of almost forcibly took him out of the city to save him. But consider for a moment this man who was supposedly the righteous among the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, that Lot, who knew God, Lot who should have trusted in God, was told up by angels to go save your family. And what is the first part of verse 16? But he lingered. Lot hesitated. Why do we hesitate to obey God? Have you ever considered that obeying God really conceptually is very easy.

It’s very simple to say there is a God who created the heavens and the earth. There is sin because God has ordained that which is law. I need to not sin. I need to strive towards holiness and righteousness as God has said. Let’s be more like Jesus Christ. That’s very easy to say. And yet, if I’m honest, if I consider my life and I think about what we struggle with, it’s not the concept. It’s not knowing that God is there. It’s not knowing that God is going to punish those who disobey him. The text is very clear about that in the Bible. It’s that we hesitate. We don’t quite move forward as we should. And the question is in chapter 19 and verse 16, why did Lot hesitate?

This seems like a no-brainer. Angels are telling him, up, go. And yet he hesitated. No doubt Lot is thinking about his city, his life, his family, and not just their survival, but what his way of life is, that which they own, that which belongs to them, what is there, what is in front of his eyes. And the truth is, that’s the same reason I hesitate, and I think if we’re honest, that’s the same reason many of us hesitate because we know God is there. We know there will be a judgment. But what I see right now is a lot of this physical life. I see a job that takes many hours of stress, not only for me to go to and from an office, but that involves me thinking about and dwelling on even in my off time.

I see a family that needs help, a family that needs love, which is a good thing. In fact, even part of serving your family is part of serving God. But sometimes it’s hard. And that’s stressful. I see all the wonderful things that are offered in this country like ice cream and chocolate and all kinds of trips and places to go. We are in the shadow of Disney and universal and sea World. There’s always things to do. And to be honest, life is pretty good. We’re a very blessed people, particularly physically, in this particular nation at this particular time. That cannot be debated. But what can be is are we devoted to God? We have to decide that when God says go, we will immediately go. The fortunate thing is that as verse 16 continues, that the Lord was merciful, and they took him out, but keep reading with me in verse 17.

As they brought them out, one said, Escape for your life, do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Now stop right there. You know when an angel says, Do not look back, you know what’s coming eventually. But keep reading with me in verse 18. The end of verse 17 Escape to the hills lest you be swept away. And Lot said to them, Oh no, my lords, behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills lest the disaster overtake me and I die. Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there. Is it not a little one, and my life will be saved?

He said to him, Behold, I grant you this favor also that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

And he overthrew those cities and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the cities and what grew on the ground. And in verse 26, but Lot’s wife behind him looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. If we’re making a list of how not to respond to God when he says, judgment is coming, the two main things not to do are hesitate and think about it and debate whether or not it’s worth it, or think about this life instead. And the second thing is certainly not to go against explicitly what you have been commanded. What were they told explicitly? Do not go back, do not look back. And what did Lot’s wife do? Regardless of whether it was turning around and actually going backwards or looking back, she violated the command and she suffered the same destruction that those who were violating God’s will in the city did.

Why? Because she also likewise disobeyed God. And I have to think for a moment, while I can consider myself like Lot, no one likes to consider themselves like Lot’s wife. The angel says, Don’t look back, Lot’s wife says, I’m looking back. But it’s hard. And again, why would she look back? Is it the miracle of the destruction? Moreover, more likely, what is she remembering? Perhaps what Lot was calculating when he hesitated. When the text says in verse 16 that Lot lingered, she’s remembering her life that was, unwilling to leave the people she knew, the places she was accustomed to, or the joys and privileges of this life that she was wrapped up in. Lot hesitated. Lot’s wife looked back. And these were supposed to be those who were spared by God from the judgment of the unrighteous.

If I can see Lot hesitating and Lot’s wife looking back, I know that these struggles can be mine too. And the truth is they have the kind of the same problem tying them together. Do they not? Not just that God was bringing destruction, not just that he said don’t look back, or that they need to go, but there was a distraction from this life. No one likes to think that they’re distracted. But if the Bible was writing a story about you, if the story was written about me, would it say that I hesitate? Would it say that when God says do this or don’t do that, or to serve me humbly, or to sacrifice my life to deny myself daily, taking up my cross and following after him?

1. When God Says Go, the Answer Is to Go

Is that something I kind of do? Would the text say I hesitated? Would the text say that I started my walk with Christ? And then I turned, and in my mind, or physically and with my actions, I looked back. I started calculating, is it worth it? Consider that when we are with God, we need to be all in. And so three quick lessons this morning that we’ll learn from Genesis chapter 19. First of all, when God says go, the answer is as simple conceptually as you think it would be. The answer is to go. But how do we do that? In Luke chapter 9 and verse 57, note what Jesus says. In Luke chapter 9 and verse 57, what level of commitment does Jesus require? What type of moving forward is necessary from a servant of Christ?

In Luke chapter 9 and verse 57, as they were going along the road, someone said to him, I will follow you wherever you go. And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. To another he said, Follow me, but he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. And Jesus said to him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God. Yet another said, I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home. Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.

If you note the transition in Genesis chapter 19, from the righteous to the unrighteous, back to the righteous, from Abraham to Sodom and Gomorrah, to Lot and his wife. What is the key in verse 16? What was the key in verse 26? It was that first word that popped up in verse 16 and 26. Three small letters, strong meaning. It is the word but. But he lingered. But, what do we know about Lot’s wife? She looked back. In Luke chapter 9, you have people who are saying they will follow Jesus. You see the first man in verse 59, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. The operative word in Luke chapter 9 is first. You see that in verse 59, but also look again in verse 61.

I will follow you, Lord, but but let me first say farewell to those who are at my home. The time to serve Jesus is now. The time to start being loving, kind, generous, is now, is today. Not when we have the job we think we deserve, not when our life looks like it does, not when I have things worked out, not when my bank account’s high enough. The time to serve God is now. And that means sacrifice.

What is Jesus’ response to the first man who says, But let me first go and bury my father? The same response as he has to the man who says, First, let me do this other thing, or first let me do that. What does Jesus say? You follow after me. You come to me. There is no looking back. When God says go, we need to learn to go, and it starts now. One of the easiest ways to be distracted, to hesitate, to linger, to look back, is to realize or think to yourselves that you know what, maybe there’s something better for me outside of God. We would never say that. But isn’t that what underlines our thought when we say, why is this happening to me? Or if I could just get here and there, is that not the underlying thought?

2. We Need to Be Pressing Forward

That if I just had this, or if I just had that, then I would be ready, then I could serve God. In addition to not being assured at any time, recognizing 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 makes clear the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Jesus demands our sacrifice today. And a rejection of him, a refusal to follow after him, is sin. We have to go all in with Jesus, who gave all of himself to die on the cross for our sins. When God says go, we need to go. That lesson’s obvious. But consider secondly, we need to be pressing forward. In Luke chapter 17 and verse 31 and 32, Jesus simply says, remember Lot’s wife. What are we to remember? Pressing on.

Know what Paul says in Philippians chapter 3. Turn with me to Philippians chapter 3. I apologize if I misdirected you there. I heard a couple passages flipping. I appreciate that. But in Philippians chapter 3, Philippians chapter 3 and verse 12, after Paul has made this great statement of recognizing who he was, and he’s saying, if you out of a pedigree as a Jew, I have a better one. But I count all things as lost for the sake of Christ. Verse 11, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection of the dead. Note what he says in verse 12. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. What is Paul telling us? Well, in verses 5 through 11, he’s telling us very clearly Jesus is worth everything. That when God says go, you go because it’s worth it. We need to attain the resurrection of the dead by any means possible. Give complete devotion and submission to Him. But note also in verse 12, not that I’ve already made it. We may sit and think that Lot made a mistake. Yes, he hesitated, he lingered. And certainly Lot’s wife violating the command by looking back, she erred.

But we need to realize that even if we’re here, as long as we have life, we have service to God required of us. And in verse 13, note what he says there’s one thing I do. Forgetting what lies behind. That is really hard. What lies behind? Depending on who you are, sometimes good things, sometimes bad things. For most people, a mixture of good and bad things. If you look back on your life, perhaps you have pride that you were able to be a part of a family, be a part of a church, be a part of a job, to help people, to help others, to show love, to be receiving love. There are many great memories that can be made in this life. But maybe there’s also sin in our past.

And what are we supposed to do with that? Are we supposed to linger on it? No, what has God promised us? That if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from our unrighteousness. God paid the price for our sin, so we are not in bondage to it anymore. The time to look back and to be stuck in sin is no longer for the saved Christian. For the Christian who has been touched by the blood of Christ, cleansed from their sin. There is no other. There is only a Christian who is saved, or someone who is neither of both. When we consider what Paul says, it’s not just about forgetting what lies behind at the end of verse 13, it’s also what?

Straining forward to what is ahead. Lot’s wife had a tough choice, and to be honest, we give her a hard time. But you think for a moment, if you had lived in an area for the time that she had, and you had to leave your home, you had to leave many of your family except just a few. And you knew destruction was coming. Or perhaps you questioned if it would. Would there not be a temptation to stay longer? To be with family, to do this, to do that. When God says go, the time to go is now. But we need to be pressing forward. It’s just as important to stop sinning, to put off sin, to recognize the forgiveness that Christ offers as it is to press forward, to press on towards God.

How do we do that? How do we press on towards God? How do we not stay in a state of malaise? How do we not backslide? Read the words of life. I know that sounds like a great preacher thing to say. Read the Bible. There you go. But this is God giving his word to us. If we value that, if we treasure that, we will not only read it, it will become a part of us. You cannot know God if you do not listen to God. And why would you pray to him? If you don’t think he’s listening. Or if you don’t think he really has power. What is your prayer life like? Are you seeking a relationship with God? A relationship with God that he wants so desperately for us to have that is all for our benefit.

3. Choose the World, and Our Fate Is Sealed

We can come before the throne of our great God. He wants to hear our cares, our concerns. It is a wonderful thing to press on towards our wonderful God. But we have to realize and be convicted that we need it, and we must, like Paul, press forward. We will not have made it until we’re there with him. And so we need to sit down and calculate the ways that we can do more for when God says go. Consider one final point, and it’s much more wordy on the slide. God certainly desires our salvation. But if we choose the world over him, like Lot’s wife, our fate is sealed with the world who likewise rejects him too. If you noted 1 John chapter 2, a passage many are familiar with.

In 1 John chapter 2, note very carefully how strong the condemnation of the things of this world are. And more important than the condemnation, note why. Why is this so strong? Why is this so important? In 1 John chapter 2 and verse 15, 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. You see the priority problem laid out in verse 15. If you’re loving the things of the world, you don’t love God. Verse 16, for all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life is not from the Father. Where is it from? From the world. Choose God, reject the world.

Verse 17, the world is passing away along with its desires. But whoever does the will of God abides forever. Verse 17 is the key to our life. The world is passing away along with its desires. Let the world do that. You preach Christ. You live Christ. Stay away from the temptations of a lack of priorities. Staying away from the world doesn’t mean that we don’t teach truth. It means that we teach Christ to any and all who will listen. But before we can do that both effectively and to do that as a humble, non-hypocritical person, we have to first press forward. We have to go when God says go. We have to trust that God is offering salvation and that we can be a part of his kingdom and that we are.

It’s amazing. It’s powerful. It’s wonderful to know that there is a God who loved us, that sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, that we could be his children, that we can be a part of the kingdom. But what are we doing to be a part of it? When God sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, he sent Jesus so that we could be separated from our unrighteousness, and we could choose to practice righteousness, holiness, to be like our God. In verse 17, too often we repay him by acting a lot like the world and a little bit like God. The problem is there is only one way to go. Immediately and forward. That one path is right ahead. That one path needs to be done immediately.

Conclusion

When we consider Lot’s example, what was his problem? He lingered, but God is merciful. The beauty of this is that while we have time before the destruction comes, our God is graciously calling out to us all. In 1 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 4, it says that God desires that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Perhaps you’re someone here this morning who has lingered, who has recognized that God is there, that God has offered salvation, but you have never accepted his invitation. For whatever the reason, confusion, a lack of urgency, or a lack of concern. Choose to follow him now. Lot lingered, but he had time. God was merciful. We have time this moment, and that’s all we’re promised. Choose to press forward now.

When God says go, we go. Maybe you’re here this morning and you’re like Lot’s wife. And you’re someone who’s looked back. You’ve once been with him and you’ve looked back. You’ve been tempted and tried and given in to the desires of the eyes, desires of the flesh, the pride of life. Recognize that the world is passing away along with its desires. Choose God. Choose life. Choose victory. Be a part of God’s kingdom. God wants you to serve him today. When God says go, we need to go. If we can help you in any way, take the steps now. Let’s be a Christian family. Let’s love one another. Let’s go on to serve with Christ. If we can help you in any way, come forward as we stand and sing the invitation song.