Woodville Baptist Church
Sunday Morning Sept. 15, 2024

      • John 10:27NLT

      • Bible Trivia
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      • Acts 1:8ESV

  • This Is My Father's World
  • In His TIme
  • Spirit of the Living God
  • Genesis 19:1–29 (NLT)
    1 That evening the two angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting there, and when he saw them, he stood up to meet them. Then he welcomed them and bowed with his face to the ground.
    2 “My lords,” he said, “come to my home to wash your feet, and be my guests for the night. You may then get up early in the morning and be on your way again.” “Oh no,” they replied. “We’ll just spend the night out here in the city square.”
    3 But Lot insisted, so at last they went home with him. Lot prepared a feast for them, complete with fresh bread made without yeast, and they ate.
    4 But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house.
    5 They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!”
    6 So Lot stepped outside to talk to them, shutting the door behind him.
    7 “Please, my brothers,” he begged, “don’t do such a wicked thing.
    8 Look, I have two virgin daughters. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do with them as you wish. But please, leave these men alone, for they are my guests and are under my protection.”
    9 “Stand back!” they shouted. “This fellow came to town as an outsider, and now he’s acting like our judge! We’ll treat you far worse than those other men!” And they lunged toward Lot to break down the door.
    10 But the two angels reached out, pulled Lot into the house, and bolted the door.
    11 Then they blinded all the men, young and old, who were at the door of the house, so they gave up trying to get inside.
    12 Meanwhile, the angels questioned Lot. “Do you have any other relatives here in the city?” they asked. “Get them out of this place—your sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else.
    13 For we are about to destroy this city completely. The outcry against this place is so great it has reached the Lord, and he has sent us to destroy it.”
    14 So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, “Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is about to destroy it.” But the young men thought he was only joking.
    15 At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. “Hurry,” they said to Lot. “Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out right now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!”
    16 When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful.
    17 When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”
    18 “Oh no, my lord!” Lot begged.
    19 “You have been so gracious to me and saved my life, and you have shown such great kindness. But I cannot go to the mountains. Disaster would catch up to me there, and I would soon die.
    20 See, there is a small village nearby. Please let me go there instead; don’t you see how small it is? Then my life will be saved.”
    21 “All right,” the angel said, “I will grant your request. I will not destroy the little village.
    22 But hurry! Escape to it, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.” (This explains why that village was known as Zoar, which means “little place.”)
    23 Lot reached the village just as the sun was rising over the horizon.
    24 Then the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah.
    25 He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation.
    26 But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.
    27 Abraham got up early that morning and hurried out to the place where he had stood in the Lord’s presence.
    28 He looked out across the plain toward Sodom and Gomorrah and watched as columns of smoke rose from the cities like smoke from a furnace.
    29 But God had listened to Abraham’s request and kept Lot safe, removing him from the disaster that engulfed the cities on the plain.
    ​
    ​
    ​
    INTRODUCTION:
    A- The problem of spiritual stagnation:
    1. Obstructing the flow of the Spirit in the life of the believer; resulting in becoming unusable due to personal pollution with sin and compromise.
    B- A Picture of spiritual stagnation:
    1. Lot. (Text; 2 Peter 2:6-9)
    2 Peter 2:6–9 (NLT)
    6 Later, God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people.
    7 But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him.
    8 Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.
    9 So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment.
    ​

    I. WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SPIRITUAL STAGNATION?

    A. Attempting to ride on the spirituality of other people.

    1. Abraham's walk with God was genuine (James 2:23)
    James 2:23 (NLT)
    23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.
    2. Lot went along for the ride. (Genesis 12:4)
    Genesis 12:4 (NLT)
    4 So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

    B. Avoiding involvement in the service of God. (Genesis 12:7-8; 13:18)

    Genesis 12:7–8 (NLT)
    7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
    8 After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord.
    Genesis 13:18 (NLT)
    18 So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the Lord.
    1. Abraham demonstrated a life focused on God.
    2. Lot is never mentioned in any event in which Abraham encountered God in worship.

    C. Choosing to follow the way that appeals to the physical senses and appetites.

    1. When faced with choosing a direction for life, Lot's choice was what appeals to the physical senses. (Genesis 13:9-11)
    Genesis 13:9–11 (NLT)
    9 The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.”
    10 Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
    11 Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram.
    a) Notice that he made no attempt to seek direction from God.

    D. Connecting too closely With the ungodly patterns and people of the world.

    1. Notice the contrast between the lives of Abraham and Lot. (Genesis 13:12-13)
    Genesis 13:12–13 (NLT)
    12 So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain.
    13 But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.
    a) Abraham lived in the land of promise.
    b) Lot lived in the land of compromise with his focus on the wicked city.
    ​

    II. WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF SPIRITUAL STAGNATION?

    A. A spiritual shallowness that lacks the power of God.

    1. Lot's life does not exemplify the same depth and power that marked Abraham’s life (Genesis 12:1-3)
    Genesis 12:1–3 (NLT)
    1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.
    2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
    3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
    2. The power of God has not changed and is available to work for every believer. (Isaiah 59:1-2; Phil. 2:13)
    Isaiah 59:1–2 (NLT)
    1 Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.
    2 It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.
    Philippians 2:13 (NLT)
    13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

    B. A spiritual emptiness in the heart that leaves an itch that can't be scratched. (Genesis 13:12-13)

    Genesis 13:12–13 (NLT)
    12 So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain.
    13 But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.
    1 - Lot made his choice to separate from Abraham and pursue the world.
    2. Abraham continued to follow the way God had for him.
    3. The scriptures follow the life of Abraham... there is a LOUD, CONSPICUOUS silence about the life of Lot until this incident in chapter 19.
    4. Solomon warned about the emptiness of pursuing satisfaction through the turmoil that leads to conflict with the ways of the world. (Eccl. 1:2; 2:1-2).
    Ecclesiastes 1:2 (NLT)
    2 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”
    Ecclesiastes 2:1–2 (NLT)
    1 I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless.
    2 So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?”

    C. A spiritual turmoil that leads to conflict with those who are walking with God. (Genesis 13:5-8)

    Genesis 13:5–8 (NLT)
    5 Lot, who was traveling with Abram, had also become very wealthy with flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and many tents.
    6 But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together.
    7 So disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. (At that time Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land.)
    8 Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives!
    1. Conflict developed between Lot and Abraham.
    2 Living a Life for fleshly desires leads to conflict with godly people. (1 Cor. 3:3; 1 John 1:7)
    1 Corinthians 3:3 (NLT)
    3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?
    1 John 1:7 (NLT)
    7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

    D. A spiritual bondage that impacts all of life.

    1. Lot's decision to move to Sodom put him in harm's way. Wound up in captivity to an enemy king. ( Gen. 14:8-12)
    Genesis 14:8–12 (NLT)
    8 Then the rebel kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (also called Zoar) prepared for battle in the valley of the Dead Sea.
    9 They fought against King Kedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Babylonia, and King Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against five.
    10 As it happened, the valley of the Dead Sea was filled with tar pits. And as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into the tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains.
    11 The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and headed for home, taking with them all the spoils of war and the food supplies.
    12 They also captured Lot—Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom—and carried off everything he owned.
    2. Our enemy, Satan, is actively seeking lives to destroy (1 Pet. 5:8)
    1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)
    8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
    3 Giving in to sin brings bondage. (John 8:34)
    John 8:34 (NLT)
    34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.

    E. A stagnated spiritual life that has devastating results.

    1. It leads to devastating consequences in this life. (Genesis 19:1-36)
    2. It leads to devastating consequences after this life. (1 Cor. 3:15)
    1 Corinthians 3:15 (NLT)
    15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
    ​

    III. WHAT IS THE CURE FOR SPIRITUAL STAGNATION?

    A. Make sure your faith is personal (Genesis 15:6)

    Genesis 15:6 (NLT)
    6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.
    1. Personal conversion experience. (Matthew 18:3; Acts 3:19)
    Matthew 18:3 (NLT)
    3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.
    Acts 3:19 (NLT)
    19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.
    2. Personally growing in intimacy with Christ. (2 Peter 3:18)
    2 Peter 3:18 (NLT)
    18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.
    3. Personally serving Christ sacrificially (Romans 12:1-8)
    Romans 12:1–8 (NLT)
    1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
    2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
    3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
    4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function,
    5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
    6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.
    7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.
    8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

    B. Move under the direction of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)

    Ephesians 5:18 (NLT)
    18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
    1. Turn away from and forsake anything that blocks the flow of the Holy Spirit in your life.
    (Ephesians 4:30)
    Ephesians 4:30 (NLT)
    30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
    2. Yield complete control of all aspects of Your life to the controlling influence of the Holy Spirit.

    C. Make every effort to lead a separated Life.

    1. Make the choice to live a life of obedience to the Lord and His Word.
    (John 14:15)
    John 14:15 (NLT)
    15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.
    2. Make the choice to avoid entangling Yourself in relationships and activities that do not honor Christ, or tempt you to sin.
    (2 Corinthians 6:17)
    2 Corinthians 6:17 (NLT)
    17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.
    3 Make the choice to passionately pursue a growing relationship with Christ.
    (Mark 12:30)
    Mark 12:30 (NLT)
    30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’
    ​
    CONCLUSION:
    ​

      • Genesis 12:7–8NLT

      • Genesis 13:18NLT

      • Genesis 13:12–13NLT

      • Genesis 13:5–8NLT

      • Genesis 15:6NLT

      • Ephesians 5:18NLT

  • Jesus Paid It All

      • Acts 1:8ESV

Woodville Baptist Church
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(601) 888-3613
http://www.woodvillebaptistchurch.net
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