Title Remember Lot's Wife
Contents
Remember Lot's wife (Luke 17:28-35)
In verse 32 of the text we read today, the Lord says, “Remember the wife of Lot.” Jesus quoted the Old Testament from time to time and gave it as a lesson. The Old Testament is the preparation, preparation, Yeshua, shadow, and representation of the New Testament. Therefore, the Old Testament is the word that we should receive as a lesson in the life of faith. And all the Scriptures are the house, the bed, the cradle, the vessel, and the instrument in which our Lord dwells. The Reformer Luther said, "The Bible is the house of Jesus Christ." We must believe that only the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the way, truth, and life that can give us salvation. With this understanding, if you look at the Lord's words today, "Remember Lot's wife," you will have a clearer understanding.
Who is Lot's wife? She was the nephew of Abraham, who is said to be the father of faith, and the wife of Lot, the patriarch of the Old Testament, but in the Bible, it is a woman recorded as a model as an example as a typical sample of "those who were destroyed because they looked back and hesitated." She was living in Sodom with her husband. However, the city of Sodom was a city that had fallen into an impossible state of rebirth because it was flooded with fornication, violence, and various sins. It's like when a flood swirls and hits a dam, it's in danger of breaking it or overflowing it. If you look at the English dictionary, the word Sodomite means a Sodomite, which means "a sodomy," "a bestiality," and "a naughty one." They are the pronoun of criminals, people to be wary of, people to be careful with, and people who should not share their hearts and actions.
In that sense, the Lord is telling us at this time, "Remember Lot's wife," who turned into a pillar of salt while looking back. What is Lot's wife to remember?
1. It must be remembered that Lot's wife was a man of passive faith.
Lot's wife was Abraham's nephew and daughter-in-law. Lot was a righteous man, and she was his wife. She became the blood and blood of Abraham's family. But she did not have the faith of Lot like Abraham. Faith is individual. Just because it is a mother's faith does not mean it is a good faith. Faith in flesh and blood requires experience of being born again. She was a formal believer who was dragged away by force. He was a member of the church only in his name, but in reality, he was no different from that of a non-Christian. Lot's wife is only forcing her to take a heavy step that does not come lightly, by her husband, by her daughters, and by the force of an angel. I don't know why there are so many temptations in such a formal and passive life of faith. So it is like an uprooted tree that will never fall. It is the same situation where a person walking or standing on an incline is always at risk of falling and slipping.
Just as a spider's web can't roll and fall and can't stop a boulder with acceleration, so our passive, formal and heterogeneous religious life can't stop testing. And you can't create miracles. They are not fit to receive grace. It is unfit for salvation. Therefore, you cannot receive God's inheritance.
Doctors say the mortality rate is much higher for people who watch games than for people who participate in the games themselves. Cardiologists say that being a spectator rather than directly participating in a match puts more strain on the heart and can lead to a heart attack. In other words, things like body weight, blood pressure, pulse, cholesterol, and fat breakdown go up, and on the contrary, vitality, oxygen absorption, adaptability, vigor, and strength are weakened.
If a Christian only watches, stands by, and watches, it becomes dangerous. It's harmful. Criticism, discouragement, disillusionment, boredom arise, and everything spiritual is blurred. Therefore, it is important for us Christians to listen to other people's stories and receive grace, but we must have faith that we experience through our own efforts, and we must have faith that we dedicate ourselves to. The Lord is asking us to lead an autonomous, self-reliant, voluntary, and automatic life of faith. I believe that many trials and temptations will silently come along one road in this life of faith and then go back to seven ways. May you indulge in the joy of faith. I bless you in the name of the Lord that you can fall into the thrill of worship.
2. It must be remembered that Lot's wife was a believer who took the word lightly.
If you do not look back, you should not look back knowing that it is the way, the truth, and the word of life, but Lot's wife completely ignored the warning and neglected it. People of faith must have absoluteness in the word God has given us. If we disregard God's Word and do not rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, all we can do is wait for destruction. In the hymn, "For some reason, my brother, when you only get riches and the things of the world burn, you too will be burned." I sang. Lot's wife became a pillar of salt because she did not believe in the word of God because of worldly greed, and all her wealth was burned down. Anyone who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.
The word of God is good news and the grace of salvation. Anyone who ignores and neglects this gospel has already been judged. Jesus said, "I have one to judge, and the word I have spoken will judge him at the last day." But for the sake of me and my gospel, there is no one who will not receive a hundredfold in this world who has given up or lost anything in this world and will not receive eternal life in the age to come. It is better to find the Word and read it for yourself. Mark 10:29-30 "Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, he who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, is in no time at all, but houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children. There is no one who will not receive a hundred times as much money and lands, with persecution, and eternal life in the age to come." do you believe
In Genesis 19, the account of Lot's sons-in-law is written down. When he said, "The LORD will destroy this city, get up and leave this place" (14), Lot's sons-in-law "considered it as a joke." (14) said.
We must not forget the end of Lot's wife, who disobeyed God's word, and Lot's son-in-law, who regarded God's word as a joke.
Lot's wife and son-in-law saw God's warning as "useless concern." The Word of God was not given to give us any worries. When it comes to the word of God, I hope you will not take it lightly, even one point, one stroke.
3. It must be remembered that Lot's wife was a believer who could not make a decision.
The body came out of Sodom, but the mind remained in Sodom. My steps were going forward, but my heart was going backwards. There was no decision at all. What is the Church? Who are the church members? The church is "Calling Out" and "a gathering of those who are called" is the church, and those who are called are members. Sodom, Ur of the Chaldeans, Egypt, etc., were called out from sin and death. Then you have to make a decision.
However, Lot's wife should take off the things to put off, forget the things to forget, and make a new decision, but she can't. Lot's wife had a love for the world and a love for material things. He could not make the decision to cast away his sin-stained heart. So you become a person of the world, a person of Sodom. In the end, he shared his destiny with the Sodomites.
Even though the ancient Israelites had their bodies out of Egypt, their hearts were still in Egypt. This was the biggest problem for the Exodus community. Although they were going through the wilderness toward Canaan, they were only physically, and their hearts and spirits were still toward Egypt. So are we today. The body is in the church, but the mind is still at home and in the world.
There are still many saints like Lot's wife who are in conflict between Sodom and Zoar because they can't decide whether to go this way or the other way.
4. It must be remembered that Lot's wife was a believer who did not know the grace of salvation.
Knowing the grace, how can I repay it? I believe that evangelism, missions, and a life that glorifies God will be lived through the life we do. As a result, Lot's wife had no faith. He was a person whose spiritual values were not formed and his inner self had not been changed. He was a strong-willed, stubborn person who did not listen to others. He was a proud man who never listened to anyone's advice. As a result, it eventually became a pillar of salt. Salvation was thought to be a chapel, but in the end, he was rescued from the brimstone fire of Sodom, but the pillar of salt did not escape.