A LITTLE MATTER CALLED “REVIVAL”

Genesis 19
Bob Bonner
April 10, 2005

We often use religious terms with little or no understanding as to what they mean. Words like “salvation, blessed, redemption, holy, glory, etc.” One word in particular that is a very important word for our day, a word that many misunderstand is the word “revival.”

Websters New Collegiate Dictionary defines the root word for revival, “to revive” this way: “To restore to consciousness; to restore from a depressed, inactive, or unused state.” However, when we think of revival in theological terms, we most often think of some kind of move of God upon a community where a lot of people get saved. But that is an improper use of the term revival. For revival, as the definition explains, does not focus on the dead or the unsaved or spiritually dead, revival focuses on that which is alive, but out of it. You don’t restore or revive a dead man’s conscience. You don’t restore a dead man’s depression. Restoring anything that is dead is a resurrection not a reviving. So then, if revival is not something that deals with the dead, the who is the focus of a revival? It is only those who are alive, spiritually alive or the saved.

When Christians, the spiritually alive people experience a revival and go from being inactive, depressed, or out of fellowship to awake, usable, active, empowered by the Holy Spirit, that’s when we see others get saved. The great movements in history when thousands come to Christ, those are the results of when the Christians experience personal revival, taking God seriously and go about that which God has called us to do. But as long as we are spiritually comatose, we will not see others come to Christ. We will not influence one individual, let alone our community.

In addition to not understanding to whom the word revival points, we don’t understand the “when” of revival. Most think of the word revival as pointing to a short period of time or an event. But in reality, revival is more of a state of being than an event for the Christian. None of us, one day, get permanently revived in this life. Revival is a daily occurrence as we seek to depend upon God and to make his agenda the priority of our lives. As soon as we stop depending upon Him and seeking first His purposes, our spiritual life goes to sleep, and we personally need revival in our lives.

This morning, we are going to look at a believer who was spiritually in a comatose state, desperately in need of revival. He knew God, knew the truths about God, but he was spiritually ineffective and not influential in any of the lives of those who lived around him. Lot never lived as though revival was the ongoing state of his walk with God. In the end, his lack of living in the state of ongoing revival proved to be disastrous to him and to his entire family.

I would like to submit to those of us who claim to be Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, that most of us are living more like Lot this morning, than we are as spirit-controlled Christians experiencing revival. We are in serious need of an ongoing revival in our lives and in the life of the Christian community in this town.

The evidence of the need for such a revival is not only the ineffectiveness of the church to lead thousands in our community to Christ; but the evidence is that much of the sins or those things that God has said is out of bounds for us, have become unashamedly part of our everyday lives. We have Christians within our churches who are slandering other Christians; unforgiveness and bitterness is rampant, lying is laughed at or goes unchecked; our greed is rising like leaven. As a result of these things, there is very little difference between us and those who don’t claim to follow after Jesus.

Instead of Christians worshiping Jesus, we have Christians worshiping at the altars “of my agenda”, “my rights” and “that’s not fair” or my justice. We know little or nothing experientially of what Jesus said would be true of our lives if we are going to be His disciples. He said, “Take up your cross daily and follow after me.” Now, I ask you: Where does the altar of my rights and that’s not fair or the altar of my agenda fit into that statement? Look at these words from the Apostle Peter. He wrote in 1 Peter 2:19, 21, “For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly...For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you , leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.”

Again, I ask, where do the altars of my rights, my agenda and my justice fit in those words?

Like Lot, we are clutching so tightly to our lives on this earth, that we are failing to have any impact or influence for Christ on our community. I’m convinced that this morning, God has us looking at Lot’s life for a reason. He wants us to take a closer look at Lot’s life so that we will stop to take stock of our own lives or own walks with the Lord. Are we seeking God more like Abraham or more like Lot?

Let’s look at Genesis 19 together. As we will see, the two angels who were with Jesus and Abraham in the last chapter, leave them and travel 20 miles to Sodom. If they walked as humans rather than moving like angels, they probably arrived the evening of the next day. We pick up the story in verse 1. “Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.”

As some of you know, the gates to the cities in those days, were a significant point of communal life. There, the politicians and judges dealt with city issues. Major businessmen carried on their transactions. Lot’s presence there suggests that politically he had become a leader among the Sodomites. Apparently, Lot is alone when these two visitors show up, suggesting to his credit, that Lot alone is concerned about the community’s best interests and well-being, as will be demonstrated in the following verses. Though politically one with them, theologically, Lot was not one with the Sodomites. He had not abandoned his faith roots.

In fact, we read this in 2 Peter 2:7-8, that Lot was “oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds).” This makes the next events in this story even harder to comprehend. According to Peter, Lot was definitely a morally sensitive person, but when pressured to remain friends with the world, to be politically correct and approved of by others, he crosses a huge moral line and compromises his faith.

We read, “And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house;” Why did he urged them strongly? Because being morally righteous and realizing the treachery of his neighbors, Lot knew it wasn’t safe for these two men to sleep out in the open in the town square. “and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; 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 have relations with them.” Take note that Moses writes that “all the people from every quarter”showed up because he wants us to understand the extent of the wickedness of Sodom and that when judgment comes everyone in Sodom rightfully deserved to be destroyed.

Realizing that the mob was intent on homosexual gang rape, Lot courageously steps between the mob and the visitors who are safely inside his home. He tries to reason with them on the basis of their friendship and his past track record of being politically correct. We read starting at verse 6, “But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, and said, “Please, my brothers, [or “Please, my friends”] do not act wickedly. “Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof.” But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one [a derogatory reference to Lot] came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.”

Lot, addressing this mob as “friends” trying to appeal to them as equals fails to win their good will. In addition, can we ignore his theological and moral hypocrisy? Clearly, Lot understood the evil of homosexuality, but what are we to make of his offer of his two virgin daughters? And where’s Mama in all of this? There are many questions left unanswered here, and I believe for a reason. That reason being to show how easily a man who knows God and who knows the difference between good and evil, a man who could have two engaged daughters who were still virgins in that culture and still he could be compromised into an evil action. He is desperately in need of a personal revival.

The citizens of Sodom were truly a model of a depraved community. Apparently, this ungrateful city had forgotten all that Lot or his family had done for them. If it were not for Lot and his relationship with Abraham, their entire citizenry would be slaves in the east. But because of Abraham’s defeating the armies of the east, all of these citizens were set free 15 years earlier.

But driven by their perverted lusts, this community would have killed Lot, one of the leaders and celebrities of their politically correct community if the angels had not dragged him into the house.

These two angels, having witnessed the wickedness of the city have now decided to bring judgment on the city. But before they do, these just agents of God, also extend the hand of mercy to Lot and his household. Verses 12 - 16, “Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting. When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion [“mercy”] of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city.” Moses makes plain that Lot’s salvation does not depend upon Lot’s righteous actions. Even at this moment of judgment, Lot does not want to leave his “wonderful home town.” The angels have to literally drag him and his family out of the city instructing them, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.”

What happens next is so absurd that one can hardly believe it to be true. Lot has been rescued from a killer mob, then literally been dragged to safety against his will, told to run off to the mountains or die. And what does he do? He stops to negotiate a better deal!!! Verses 18 - 20, “But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords! “Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be saved.”

So spiritually depressed is Lot by his love for the city, that his actions reveal a loss of perspective. He doesn’t want to go back to living in tents like his uncle Abraham. He has come to love the city life, with its comforts of hot and cold running water, etc. So, he drums up this excuse about being afraid that he can’t get to the safe zone quickly enough to avoid getting hit with the coming judgement, so can he flee to a little city, with a little bit of culture and possibly not quite as evil as Sodom?

Now think about that. After having taken all the previous steps to protect Lot, do you think that the angels are not going to wait til Lot gets to safety before bringing down destruction upon Sodom? Sure they would have. But Lot just wanted an excuse to be able to live in another nearby city where he was still known as a celebrity figure, so that they wouldn’t have to give up a life to which they were accustomed.

Yet, the angel, being the longsuffering ambassador of God that he is, chooses to appease Lot and says, “Behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. “Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar. God’s longsuffering with us is absolutely amazing. One day, when we all face God, no one will ever be able to rightly say that God has not been long suffering, merciful or just. Lot deserved to die, but God had mercy on him...the same mercy I require to be remain able to serve the Lord every day.

The next few verses involve a little know character, Lot’s wife. Verses 23 - 26, “The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” The words “looked back” in the original language carries the connotation of having stopped and looked intently at what was happening behind her. This was not a case of someone turning around and taking a quick peak at what was going on. Lot’s wife looked back with a longing to return. As a result, she lagged behind the rest of the family. In fact, she lagged so far behind that the rest of the family never saw what happened to her. They were busy obeying the Lord’s direction to not look back and keep moving away from the scene. Only to arrive where they were going to discover that Mama wasn’t among them. Presumably, later they found that she had been caught up in the destruction and her remains were turned to salt.

We don’t know when or where Lot met his wife. The best guess is that he picked her up in Sodom. Hence, more than likely, she did not share her husband’s beliefs. Her looking back to Sodom revealed her faithless heart and commitment to all that Sodom stood for.

At verse 27, the scene changes briefly. It shifts back to Hebron, which is a small village near the crest of the tallest mountain in the region, looking down into the Jordan Valley. From there, Abraham can easily see Sodom and Gomorrah. He is eager to learn of the outcome of his prayers for the salvation of his family members. We read starting at verse 27, “Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the Lord; and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace. Thus it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.” Lot now owes the rescuing of his life twice to Abraham. For because of Abraham’s prayers, Lot’s life was spared.

Once again the scene shifts back to Lot and Zoar, a small city at the base of the Dead Sea. In these final verses, we read the epilogue of this story and the last words of Scripture pertaining to Lot’s life. It is a tragic ending to a life that began with such potential. We read starting at verse 30, “Lot went up from Zoar, and stayed in the mountains, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to stay in Zoar; and he stayed in a cave, he and his two daughters. Then the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of the earth. “Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him that we may preserve our family through our father.” So they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn went in and lay with her father; and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. On the following day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine tonight also; then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve our family through our father.” So they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger arose and lay with him; and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. The firstborn bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. As for the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the sons of Ammon to this day.”

When Lot and Abraham split up to go their own ways, more than 15 years before, Lot left a wealthy man. Servants, cattle and the best real estate money could buy. He left with the blessing of Abraham, and God’s marking on his life, only to take his eyes off of God and to seek the exciting life typically found in the metropolitan cities of the world.

In very short time, his faith eroded away almost to nothing. He was spiritually comatose. In the end, we see him destitute, living fearfully in a cave, drunk, a widower, with two worldly daughters with whom he was tricked into incestuous activity. When you look at a map, and see where his sons, Moab and Ammon, grow up and what land becomes theirs, it is a far cry from the fertile land of the Jordan valley or the plains of west Palestine. It is arid hard soil. It is difficult land off which to live. For the most part, Lot’s descendants become bedouins who travel from water hole to water hole, barely eking out a living, extremely jealous of the Hebrew cousins who live in the promised land. As a result these jealousies, their cousins, the Moabites and the Ammonites become perpetual enemies to Israel.

By the end of his life, Lot, not walking by faith ends up appearing as the colossal bungler and buffoon, rather than a blessing to his world. So caught up in the bright lights of the big city and pleasures of this world, this believer ended up a failure. He was a failure as a host to the angels, a failure as a leading citizen, a failure as a husband and failure as a father. He stands in stark contrast to his uncle Abraham, who continued to walk by faith with his eyes upon God.

Having said that, did anything worthwhile come from Lot’s life? Could God somehow use Lot’s life to bring about honor for Himself? Indeed, God does. God not only mercifully saves Lot in the end, but also, from his lineage comes Ruth, a Moabitess, a descendant of Lot. Ruth, because of her faith is reckoned among the tribe of Judah when she marries Boaz, and through her lineage comes our Savior Jesus Christ! Isn’t God’s mercy and plan beyond description?

There are some obvious lessons about living in a continuous state of revival that we can learn from this chapter. Here are just three:

As it concerns you and me experiencing ongoing revival in our lives, we observe that ongoing revival cannot be experienced while we continue to try to serve two masters. We either end up seeking God first and His kingdom, or we seek after Mammon first and this world. We can’t make both of them the priority of our lives. If you try to seek after both and to make the glory of this world as well as the next your goal, you will either get just this world’s glories, which are temporary and fleeting, or you will get neither.

On the other hand, experiencing ongoing personal revival requires that we only serve one master and his agenda. If we seek to depend upon the Lord and to honor the Lord, and make Him and His kingdom the priority of our lives, then He promises to provided for us here on earth. He will make sure that we are physically, emotionally and spiritually revived, all the while preparing for us a tremendous life in eternity.

Here’s another lesson concerning ongoing revival that we can learn at Lot’s expense. Be careful whom you choose to be your partners and close friends. The Apostle Paul warns us, “Don’t be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’” (1 Cor. 15:33). Clearly, Lot made the citizens of Sodom his close friends. He sought their approval rather than desired to be an influence in their lives for God. He did not stand against their wicked lifestyles until it was too late. He welcomed two young Sodomites to be his son-in-laws. He married a woman who did not fear God. Lot learned the hard way that you can’t become “friends” with the world and love God too. To attempt that will put you into a spiritually comatose state, desperately in need of reviving.

Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying that we are not to make friends with the lost in order to save them. I live and breathe friendship evangelism. What it means is that we don’t have to become like them or dependent upon their approval or join them in all of their activities in order to be influential in saving them.

Lot, on the other hand, learned that seeking the approval of his culture, lost him his opportunity to effectively impact any individual’s life, including his wife and daughters. Hence, when we attempt to make friends with the world at all costs, we become more like those we partner with, than they become like us. Therefore, Ongoing personal revival demands that you choose your mate, your close friends and your business partners wisely. You honor God and you protect yourself when you choose to place godly people in life’s most influential positions around you.

One final lesson we can learn from this passage is taught to us by Jesus, in Luke 17:26-33. The context of these words is Jesus explaining the events that will proceed his second coming. He says, “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building ; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.”

“Remember Lot’s wife.” That’s the second shortest verse in the Bible, which probably explains the urgency of Christ’s words. There are only 15 words dedicated to Lot’s wife in the Old Testament, and those words speak more about her death than her life. Hence, Jesus is stating, “Remember what led to Mrs. Lot’s death!”

Lot’s wife had fallen in love with this world. Her priority in life was to get all she could get from this world. In the end, she learned the hard way that worldly sophistication is overrated. By implication from these verses, she had no problem with the wickedness being carried on in her culture. She was even tolerant of her husband’s offer to give their virgin daughters to be gang raped. She was so in love with her world, her life, she couldn’t let it go. She had to keep the pleasures of the life she was accustomed to. In the end, Mrs. Lot was almost saved. The angels had dragged Mrs. Lot from the city which was about to be destroyed. But almost saved is no better than being altogether lost. When Mrs. Lot died, she had neither gained this world, or the world to come.

Experiencing ongoing revival will cost you something: at times, it will mean you learn to live with injustice; at times, it means you accept those times when you are misunderstood; at times, it means that you will be inconvenienced on your day off. Being alive spiritually means being available to serve Him and His interests first. To experience revival, sometimes it will mean that you will have to lose your life today.

Experiencing ongoing personal revival, requires that we consciously choose to let this life go, to preserve our lives. As Jesus put it, “Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.”

Heavenly Father, the next few moments are not enough to stop and do a serious evaluation of how we are investing our lives; whether they reflect someone who has placed your agenda as the priority of his life, or our agenda as number one, based on our love for this world ahead of our love for you and your plans. So, I would ask that you would cause each of us to stop sometime in the next 24 hours, and to seek your face in this matter. Would you please reveal to us if there are areas in our lives in which we are not seeking you first; areas in our lives in which it is clear that we need revival. Would it be with the way we use our tongues? Invest our free time? Stretch ourselves in order to serve or reach out to others? Lord, we don’t want to look back at the end of our lives to see that they made no influential difference for Christ. That we wasted them and spiritually speaking failed you here on earth. So, speak loudly and clearly to us Lord, for we want to hear from you. Amen.

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