Biblical teaching - T81

The Lord is warning you : He is coming very soon

Will He find you like Noah or like Lot ?

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            However Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. Her heart was set on what she had left behind, so she was not saved. She was destroyed by the rain of brimstone. This reminds us of what I read from Luke 17 at the beginning : « He who shall be there, let him not go back to take his clothes, the one shall be taken and the other shall be left. Two men shall be in the field, the one shall be taken, the other shall be left ; two men in one bed, the one shall be taken and the other shall be left ». Why shall the one be taken ? Because he is a righteous man, yearning for the Lord. Why shall the other be left ? Because his heart is attached to this evil world, whose spirit he has accepted. He is not entirely devoted to the Lord. Sin had entered the hearts of those who stayed behind and were killed by the judgement.

 

            That is what became of Lot's wife. She could have been saved, but her heart did not wholly belong to the Lord and was not even with her husband. So she died. Do you know what happened to Lot and his two daughters then ? Through an abominable act, by their own father, the daughters gave birth to two peoples, the Moabites and the children of Ammon, who were to become the fiercest enemies of Israel later on. You can see that Lot was saved, but because of his compromises and because he did not walk with God, his life on earth was one of defeat. Not only he did fail to save most of his family, since he only saved his two virgin daughters, but also both these daughters, who were saved on accouint of the righteousness of their father, hadn't righteous hearts. They gave birth to two peoples who were the enemies of Israel later on.

 

            All this is the result of Lot's behaviour. So you can understand that although God considers us as righteous through Jesus' blood and the confession of our sins, it is still possible to live in defeat. All this shows us that it is possible to be taken only just, in the nick of time, and as through fire, after a life of defeat and compromise. God wishes us to live in victory so that when the rapture comes, we will be in a position of victory. Lot was saved as through fire. We must not think that this pleases God.

 

            We can be righteous in God's sight, because we have accepted the Lord as our Saviour and have confessed our sins, and still hold a relatively pleasant position in this world, amidst lost pagans. I am not speaking of our physical presence in the midst of this world, but of the condition of our hearts in the midst of this world. Lot was in the midst of Sodom because his heart did not wholly belong to the Lord. And that is what God condemns.

 

            As a conclusion, I'll come back to Luke. Let us be among those who answer the Lord's call in Luke 17, verse 33 : « Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it... » If you are trying to do your own will, if your heart does not wholly belong to the Lord, if it is not honest and righteous and desiring to walk only with God, then you may well lose your life. Not only is it likely, but if you seek to save your life in your own way, you'll certainly lose it.

 

            Jesus goes on to say : « and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it ». This is the foundational spiritual principle of God's word. I would like to conclude with this, because it is vital. If we want to be part of the Bride who will be raptured in the end times when Jesus returns, we must hold fast to this spiritual principle in our hearts : « Whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it ». Let us ask the Lord to shed light in our hearts tonight concerning this word that Jesus spoke, "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it, and whosoever shall lose it shall preserve it".

 

            This concerns all those who fully accept Jesus-Christ, in such way that they are no longer attached to anything from their past lives or from this world. That is how one can utterly lose one's life, how one can die to the uttermost. Jesus said in Luke 14:27 : « And whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple ». The one who does not constantly dwell in Jesus' death regarding this world and regarding his past life, this one cannot receive the Lord's resurrection life and walk in victory. It can't be done. A divided heart cannot receive the fulness of the Lord. « Whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it ». Let's compare what we lose to what we gain, i.e. the very presence of the Lord, everlasting life, the heavenly Jerusalem, and the fact that we shall be taken to be forever with the Lord. And what do we lose ? Can it be compared, can you even measure the difference ?

 

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