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SERMON NOTES

Remember Lot’s Wife
Genesis 19
Pastor Taylor Mendoza, Students & Young Adults

Overview: After the Lord’s conversation with Abraham in chapter 18, the Lord sends two of his angels to the city of Sodom to see if there are ten righteous people in the city. If he finds ten righteous people in the city, the Lord promised that he would not wipe out the righteous with the wicked. During the visit, we learn that everyone in the city, the men of Sodom and Lot’s family, are deserving of punishment. Yet, we also learn that God is merciful in salvation and just in judgment. Today, out of this story, Christians learn a valuable lesson about their call to discipleship from a minor character (Lot’s wife). We learn from her that disciples of Jesus must continually leave behind their loves in this world in order to gain Christ.

Application:

01. As disciples, we must remember that mere association with Jesus is not enough.

02. As disciples, we must break our love for this world by loving Jesus more and fearing His eternal power.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION & DISCOVERY

1. Without getting lost in the weeds, is there a part of Genesis 19 that makes you feel uncomfortable? How so? (Examples: homosexuality, God’s judgment upon the city, mistreatment of Lot’s daughters, incest, or Lot’s wife)

2. What do we learn about discipleship from Lot’s wife in both Genesis 19:26 and Luke 17:31-33? (For help, see the application points.)

3. Look at the rest of the context of Luke 17:20-37. What does Jesus compare the final judgment to? What is similar, and what is different?

4. Read Ezekiel 16:49-50. What are the sins of Sodom? (Note: “Abomination” here is a reference to the sin of homosexuality.) Compare the list of sins with Paul’s list in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. What does this tell you about the nature of sin and the power of the gospel?

5. We can be tempted to gloss over judgment today because our culture is uncomfortable with it. What should the judgment of God evoke in our own hearts? Take, for instance …
a. Judgment should break our hearts.
b. Judgment should cause us to reflect upon God’s character.

6. In what ways do you see God’s mercy, grace, and kindness in Genesis 19?

7. Zephaniah 2:9 suggests that Moab and Ammon will be judged and will turn into “salt pits” like Sodom. If this is true, what does this tell you about Lot’s wife being turned into a pillar of salt?

8. Worldliness is a horrible sin. Worldliness is thinking like the world, loving the world, and living like the world. How serious is worldliness in God’s eyes? (See James 4:4, 1 John 2:15.) Have we treated worldliness as a “respectable sin” today in Christian circles? How so? Personally, have you been guilty of this?

9. How do mercy and judgment reconcile scandalously at the cross of Jesus Christ? How have you processed this wonder and mystery?

Recommended Reading on the issue of Homosexuality: Kevin DeYoung, What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality? (Wheaton: Crossway, 2015).

Recommended Reading on the sin of Worldliness: Edited by C. J. Mahaney, Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008).