In this compelling message, Adrian Rogers sheds light on the amazing concept of grace while cautioning believers about the pervasive dangers of worldliness. Drawing on scriptures from Titus and Peter, he delineates the responsibilities that come with being saved by grace, urging believers to live distinctly and resist the subtle entrapments of worldly systems. The sermon examines the dichotomy of living in the world but not being of the world, using the example of Lot as a powerful illustration of grace gone awry.
Pastor, teacher, and author Adrian Rogers has introduced people all over the world to the love of Jesus Christ and has impacted untold numbers of lives by presenting profound truth simply stated. Thanks for joining us for this message. Here’s Adrian Rogers.
SPEAKER 02 :
Find Titus chapter 2, if you would, please, beginning in verse 11. And this verse begins in a wonderful way because it begins with these words, THE GRACE OF GOD THAT BRINGETH SALVATION HATH APPEARED TO ALL MEN, TEACHING US THAT DENYING UNGODLINESS AND WORRELY LUSTS, WE SHOULD LIVE SOBERLY, RIGHTEOUSLY, AND GODLY IN THIS PRESENT WORLD, LOOKING FOR THAT BLESSED HOPE AND THE GLORIOUS APPEARING OF THE GREAT GOD AND OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR US, THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM US FROM ALL INIQUITY AND PURIFY INTO HIMSELF A PECULIAR PEOPLE, ZEALOUS OF GOOD WORKS. THESE THINGS SPEAK, AND EXHORT AND REBUKE WITH ALL AUTHORITY, LET NO MAN DESPISE THEE.” THE TITLE OF THE MESSAGE, DON’T BE A DISGRACE TO GRACE. DON’T BE A DISGRACE TO GRACE. NOW WHAT IS GRACE? GRACE IS GOD’S LOVE TO US. GRACE IS GOD’S LOVE THAT CAUSES GOD TO GIVE TO US. GRACE IS GOD’S LOVE THAT CAUSES GOD TO GIVE TO US WHERE THERE IS NO MERIT. GRACE IS GOD’S LOVE THAT CAUSES GOD TO GIVE TO US WHEN THERE IS MUCH DEMERIT. GRACE IS GOD’S LOVE THAT CAUSES GOD TO GIVE TO US WHERE THERE IS NO MERIT AND MUCH DEMERIT WHEN WE DON’T EVEN WANT IT. HE MUST FIND US AND PERSUADE US THAT WE NEED IT. AND GRACE IS GOD’S LOVE THAT GIVES AT GREAT, GREAT COST TO GOD HIMSELF. AMAZING GRACE, HOW SWEET THE SOUND, THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME, ANYBODY, ANYPLACE, ANYTIME, NO MATTER HOW WICKED, HOW VILE, CAN COME TO HIM IN REPENTANCE AND FAITH AND WILL BE SAVED GLORIOUSLY, INSTANTANEOUSLY, RADICALLY, DRAMATICALLY, ETERNALLY SAVED. BY THE GRACE OF GOD, NOT ONE THING TO EARN, BUT THERE IS MUCH TO LEARN. NOW LISTEN, THE GRACE OF GOD, VERSE 11, THAT BRINGETH SALVATION HATH APPEARED UNTO ALL MEN, TEACHING US THAT DENYING UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY LUST, WE SHOULD LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY, SOBERLY, AND GODLY IN THIS PRESENT TIME. SO, LET’S LOOK AT THIS PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE. WE SHOULD LIVE SOBERLY, RIGHTEOUSLY, AND GODLY IN THIS PRESENT WORLD. WHAT IS THE DEED, WHAT IS THE LIFESTYLE THAT IS A DISGRACE TO GRACE? IT IS WORLDLINESS, WORLDLINESS. VERSE 12, TEACHING US THAT DENYING UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY LUSTS, WORLDLY LUSTS. MANY OF US LOVE THE MESSAGE OF GRACE, BUT WE DON’T WANT TO HEAR OUR PASTOR TEACH MUCH ABOUT WORLDLINESS. HOWEVER, LOOK IN VERSE 15, THESE THINGS SPEAK AND EXHORT AND REBUKE WITH ALL AUTHORITY, LET NO MAN DESPISE THEE.” THE DEVIL DOES NOT WANT YOU TO HEAR THE MESSAGE OF THE GRACE OF GOD, AND SO HE WOULD DENY GRACE. BUT IF HE CANNOT DENY GRACE, THEN HE WOULD TRY TO DISTORT GRACE. AND HAVE YOU TO BELIEVE THAT SINCE WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE AND GRACE ONLY, AND SINCE WORKS DON’T HELP SAVE US NOR KEEP US SAVED, THEN IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE HOW WE LIVE. THERE IS NO MORE DEVILISH LIE OUT OF THE PIT OF HELL THAN THAT. AND TODAY I WANT TO SAY TO YOU, YOU NEED TO PRAY THAT GOD WILL KEEP YOUR LIFE FROM BEING A DISGRACE TO GRACE. NOW OFTEN, WE HEAR ABOUT A WORLDLY CHRISTIAN. A WORLDLY CHRISTIAN REALLY IS A CONTRADICTION IN TERMS. BILLY SUNDAY SAID, YOU MIGHT AS WELL SPEAK OF A HEAVENLY DEVIL AS TO SPEAK OF A WORLDLY CHRISTIAN. NOW I’M AWARE OF THE FACT THAT IN THIS GENERATION WE DON’T HEAR A LOT OF PREACHING ABOUT WORLDLINESS. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THE WORLD HAS BECOME SO CHURCHY AND THE CHURCH HAS BECOME SO WORLDLY THAT PEOPLE REALLY DON’T UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLE OF BIBLICAL SEPARATION. WHAT DO WE MEAN BY WORLDLINESS? WHAT IS THE WORLD? WELL, WHEN THE BIBLE USES THE PASSAGE WORLD HERE IN TITUS, UH, 212, IT’S NOT SPEAKING OF THE PLANTED EARTH. THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS TERRESTRIAL GLOBE AS IT IS. God made it. God created it. Jesus loved nature. He said, consider the lilies, how they grow. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. The rocks, the trees, the hills, the rivers, all of this is the handiwork of God. Thank God for it. If you love nature, you love what Jesus loved. So when the Bible speaks of the world, it’s not speaking of the planet earth. AND WHEN THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF THE WORLD, IT’S NOT SPEAKING OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON PLANET EARTH. THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH LOVING PEOPLE. IF YOU DON’T LOVE PEOPLE, THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU. THE BIBLE SAYS, CONCERNING THE WORLD OF PEOPLE, THAT GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON. NOW IF GOD LOVED THOSE PEOPLE, YOU CAN LOVE THEM. SAY, AMEN. YOU OUGHT TO LOVE EVERYBODY. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN, THEREFORE, WHEN IT SPEAKS OF THE WORLD AND WORLINESS? THE WORD THAT IS TRANSLATED WORLD IS A GREEK WORD, KOSMOS. AND IT MEANS A SYSTEM. IT MEANS AN ORDER OF THINGS. IT MEANS A PHILOSOPHY. FOR EXAMPLE, WE SPEAK OF THE WORLD OF SPORTS, OR WE SPEAK OF THE WORLD OF BUSINESS, OR WE SPEAK OF THE WORLD OF FASHION. NOW PUT THIS VERSE IN YOUR MARGIN. FIRST JOHN TWO AND VERSE 15, FIRST JOHN TWO AND VERSE 15, LOVE NOT THE WORLD, NEITHER THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE WORLD. IF ANY MAN LOVE THE WORLD, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM. NOW THAT’S A VERY STRONG VERSE. YOU CANNOT LOVE THIS WORLD SYSTEM AND LOVE GOD ALMIGHTY AT THE SAME TIME. PUT DOWN THIS, THE WORLD HAS A PRINCE, A PRINCE. WHO IS THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD? PUT THIS SCRIPTURE DOWN, JOHN CHAPTER 12, VERSES 31 AND 32. JESUS IS FACING THE CROSS, AND THIS IS WHAT JESUS SAID, NOW IS THE JUDGMENT OF THIS WORLD, AND NOW SHALL THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD BE CAST OUT. THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD. NOW WHO IS THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD? HE IS SATAN HIMSELF. AND THEN PUT THIS SCRIPTURE DOWN, JOHN 14 AND VERSE 30, JESUS SAID, HEREAFTER I WILL NOT TALK MUCH WITH YOU, FOR THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD COMETH. AND HATH NOTHING IN ME.” THAT IS, HUH, THERE’S NOTHING THAT SATAN COULD ACCUSE JESUS OF. UH, THERE’S NO, UH, TEMPTATION THAT SATAN COULD ALLURE JESUS WITH. JESUS HAD NO ITCH THE DEVIL COULD SCRATCH. JESUS HAD NO WRONG THE DEVIL COULD ACCUSE. THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD COMETH AND HATH NOTHING IN ME. AND THEN JESUS SPOKE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO WOULD COME AND BRING JUDGMENT AND PUT THIS SCRIPTURE DOWN. IN JOHN CHAPTER 16 VERSE 11 HE SAYS, THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL CONVICT OF JUDGMENT BECAUSE THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD IS JUDGED. AND IN THESE FEW CHAPTERS, JESUS HAS SPOKEN THREE TIMES OF THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD. WHO IS THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD? HIS NAME IS SATAN. NOW JOHN, WHO WROTE THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, ALSO WROTE THE EPISTLES OF JOHN. AND IN FIRST JOHN CHAPTER FIVE AND VERSE 19, HE SAID TO THE BELIEVERS, AND WE KNOW THAT WE ARE OF GOD, AND THE WHOLE WORLD LIETH IN WICKEDNESS. SCHOLARS TELL US THAT LIETH AND WICKEDNESS LITERALLY MEANS IS CRADLED IN THE LAP OF WICKEDNESS. AND THE WORD WICKEDNESS MEANS THE WICKED ONE. THAT IS, IT IS SATAN WHO HAS THIS WORLD SYSTEM IN HIS ARMS, ROCKING IT TO SLEEP IN THE LAP, IN THE BOSOM OF THE WICKED ONE. NOW UNDERSTAND THIS ABOUT THE WORLD SYSTEM THAT IS ANTITHETICAL AGAINST GRACE. THERE IS A SYSTEM AND BEHIND THAT SYSTEM THERE IS A MASTER MIND. SOMETIMES PEOPLE ASK ME, PASTOR ROGERS, DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE CONSPIRATORIAL THEORY OF HISTORY? THAT SOMEWHERE BACK BEHIND EVERYTHING THERE ARE A FEW MASTER MINDS THAT ARE JUST WORKING EVERYTHING OUT. FRANKLY, FRIEND, I DO NOT KNOW, BUT I KNOW THIS MUCH, THERE IS A MASTERMIND, AND HIS NAME IS SATAN. JESUS CALLS HIM, THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD. AND HE HAS MANY UNDERLINGS WHO CALL HIM MASTER. HE HAS AN INTROCUTE ORGANIZATION. THERE IS A NETWORK OF WICKEDNESS. LISTEN TO THIS ABOUT SATAN. EPHESIANS CHAPTER 6 AND VERSE 12, PAUL SAID, FOR WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD. BOY, WE NEED TO LEARN THAT. WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, BUT AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES. NOW YOU SEE, SATAN IS A PRINCE. A PRINCIPALITY IS THAT ORGANIZATION THAT IS UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF A PRINCE, AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES, AGAINST POWERS, AGAINST THE RULERS OF THE DARKNESS OF THIS, ARE YOU LISTENING, THIS WORLD. AGAINST SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES. THERE IS A GREAT CONSPIRACY, THE BIBLE CALLS IT, THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY. HAVE YOU GOT IT? SO THE FIRST THING ABOUT THE WORLD IS THIS, THE WORLD HAS A PRINCE. NOW SECONDLY, THE WORLD HAS A PHILOSOPHY. THAT’S THE SECOND P. THE WORLD HAS A PHILOSOPHY. THERE IS AN ENTICING NETWORK OF IDEAS AND VALUES THAT ARE SKILLFULLY WOVEN TOGETHER TO ENSLAVE THE GUILTY AND TO ENTRAP THE INNOCENT. LET ME JUST GIVE YOU QUICKLY THESE VERSES. FIRST CORINTHIANS CHAPTER TWO VERSE 12, SPEAKS OF THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD. THERE’S A, A WORLDLY SPIRIT. FIRST CORINTHIANS 3 VERSE 19 SPEAKS OF THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD. THE DEVIL IS VERY CUNNING. HE IS BRILLIANTLY STUPID, HIDEOUSLY BEAUTIFUL, THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD. FIRST CORINTHIANS CHAPTER SEVEN AND VERSE 31 SPEAKS OF THE FASHION OF THIS WORLD, WHICH IS PASSING AWAY. SECOND PETER CHAPTER TWO VERSE 20 SPEAKS OF THE POLLUTION OF THE WORLD. THERE IS A PHILOSOPHY IT’S OUT THERE, IT’S IN THE MOVIES, IT’S IN TELEVISION, IT’S IN THE NEWS, IT’S IN THE WORLD OF RELIGION. IT GOES FROM THE SCHOOLHOUSE TO THE STATE HOUSE, FROM WALL STREET TO MADISON AVENUE. IT MAY SEEM INNOCENT, IT MAY SEEM BEAUTIFUL, IT MAY SEEM HARMLESS, BUT IT IS A SYSTEM, A PHILOSOPHY. THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF THE SPIRIT OF THIS WORLD, THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD, THE POLLUTION OF THIS WORLD. DO YOU HAVE IT? NOW, NOT ONLY IS THERE PRINCE, AND NOT ONLY IS THERE PHILOSOPHY, BUT THE WORLD HAS A PURPOSE, A PURPOSE. NOW, WHEN WE’RE SAVED BY GRACE, WE’RE TO DENY WORLDLY LUST. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS WORLD? THERE IS A CALCULATED PLAN, AN UNWAVERING PURPOSE OF THIS WORLD SYSTEM. THE WORLD IS HOSTILE TO THE THINGS OF GOD. PUT THESE VERSES DOWN. UNDER THE HEADING PURPOSE. NUMBER ONE, JOHN SEVEN VERSE SEVEN, JESUS SAID, THE WORLD CANNOT HATE YOU, BUT ME IT HATETH, BECAUSE I TESTIFY OF IT THAT THE WORKS THEREOF ARE EVIL. DOES THE WORLD HATE JESUS? YOU’D BETTER BELIEVE IT. THE, ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD DON’T HATE JESUS. NATURE DOESN’T HATE JESUS, BUT THERE IS A SYSTEM THAT HATES JESUS. NOW THEY DON’T HATE THE BABY JESUS. OH, THE WORLD SYSTEM CAN DANCE THE GIDDILY AROUND THE MANGER. THEY DON’T HATE THE JESUS THAT HEALS. THEY DON’T HATE THE JESUS THAT HAS RITUAL. THEY DON’T HATE THAT JESUS. THEY DON’T HATE THE RELIGIOUS JESUS. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY HATE? THEY HATE THE RIGHTEOUS JESUS. THEY HATE THE JESUS WHO SAYS, RIGHT IS RIGHT AND WRONG IS WRONG. LISTEN TO WHAT JESUS SAID, WHY DOES THE WORLD HATE IT? LISTEN, JOHN 7 VERSE 7, THE WORLD CANNOT HATE YOU, BUT ME IT HATETH BECAUSE I TESTIFY OF IT, THAT THE WORKS THEREOF ARE EVIL. JESUS JUST RIPPS THE VEIL OF DARKNESS AWAY AND SHOWS THIS SYSTEM FOR WHAT IT IS. PUT THIS SCRIPTURE DOWN, JOHN 14 VERSE 17, JESUS SPEAKS OF THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, WHOM THE WORLD CANNOT RECEIVE, BECAUSE IT SEETH HIM NOT, NEITHER KNOWETH HIM. WHEN YOU ARGUE WITH PEOPLE OF THIS WORLD ABOUT WHAT YOU BELIEVE, THEY CAN’T UNDERSTAND YOU. THEY’RE NOT LYING WHEN THEY SAY, I DON’T SEE IT. THEY DON’T SEE IT. THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH WHOM THE WORLD CANNOT RECEIVE BECAUSE IT SEETH HIM NOT, NEITHER KNOWETH HIM, BUT YE KNOW HIM, FOR HE DWELLETH WITH YOU AND SHALL BE IN YOU. THAT’S THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT IS ANTITHETICAL TO THE SPIRIT OF THIS WORLD. AND THEN JESUS GIVES YOU A WARNING, BROTHER OR SISTER IN CHRIST, LISTEN, THOSE OF YOU WHO’VE BEEN TRYING TO PLAY FOOTSY WITH THE WORLD, HERE’S A WARNING. JOHN 15 AND VERSE 18, IF THE WORLD HATE YOU, YE KNOW THAT IT HATED ME BEFORE IT HATED YOU. ARE YOU BETTER THAN JESUS? DO YOU WANT THE WORLD TO LOVE YOU THAT HATED JESUS? THEN JAMES SAID, PUT THIS SCRIPTURE DOWN IN JAMES 4 VERSE 4, LISTEN TO IT. HA HA, OH, JAMES SAID, YE ADULTERERS, AND ADULTRICES. KNOW YE NOT THAT THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE WORLD IS ENMITY WITH GOD? AND WHOSOEVER THEREFORE WILL BE A FRIEND OF THE WORLD IS THE ENEMY OF GOD.” IF YOU’RE A FRIEND TO THIS WORLD SYSTEM WITH ITS PRINCE, AND ITS PHILOSOPHY AND ITS PURPOSE, YOU ARE SHAKING YOUR FIST IN THE FACE OF GOD. YOU HAVE DECLARED WAR ON GOD HIMSELF. THERE IS A PURPOSE. SATAN’S SYSTEM IS WHAT? WHAT IS HIS PURPOSE? IT IS CALCULATED TO DRAW AWAY YOUR HEART AND YOUR MIND FROM JESUS AND FROM THE THINGS OF GOD UNTIL SATAN CAN ENTHRONE HIS OWN KING, THE ANTICHRIST, ON THE EARTH. NOW, WHAT’S THE FOURTH P? FIRST OF ALL, THERE’S A PRINCE. SECONDLY, THERE’S A PHILOSOPHY. THIRDLY, THERE IS A PURPOSE. THE FOURTH P, THE WORLD HAS A PEOPLE. NOW, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THIS WORLD SYSTEM. FOR EXAMPLE, LUKE CHAPTER 16 AND VERSE EIGHT, AND THE LORD COMMENDETH THE UNJUST STEWARD, BECAUSE HE HAD DONE WISELY. AND THEN,” LISTEN TO THIS, “‘FOR THE CHILDREN OF THIS WORLD ARE IN THEIR GENERATION WISER THAN THE CHILDREN OF LIGHT.'” NOW WE’RE NOT TO HATE PEOPLE AS SUCH, BUT WE’RE TO HATE THE SYSTEM THAT HAS ENSLAVED THESE PEOPLE. AND THESE PEOPLE ARE IN THIS SYSTEM. THE WORLD HAS A PEOPLE, THE CHILDREN OF THIS WORLD. NOW DON’T BE SURPRISED WHEN YOU HAVE DIFFICULTY AS A CHILD OF GOD, BECAUSE THIS WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME. WE’RE PASSING THROUGH. YOU ARE A TWICE-BORN PERSON IN A WORLD OF ONCE-BORN PEOPLE, AND WHAT YOU HAVE AND WHERE YOU’RE HEADED, WHAT YOU BELIEVE, IS COMPLETELY OPPOSITE. OUR FATE STARTS AT A DIFFERENT SOURCE, IT FOLLOWS A DIFFERENT COURSE, IT ENDS AT A DIFFERENT CONCLUSION, AND YOU SHOULD NOT BE SURPRISED WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF GOING AGAINST THE TIDE. REMEMBER THIS, WE ARE MEMBERS OF THE HUMAN WORLD. WE LIVE IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD, BUT WE ARE NOT TO BE A PART OF THE SATANIC SYSTEM, THE WORLD SYSTEM. WE ARE TO BE SEPARATED. SO WHAT IS THE FIRST CALLING OF GRACE? WHEN YOU’RE SAVED BY GRACE, FOR THE GRACE OF GOD THAT BRINGETH SALVATION HATH APPEARED TO ALL MEN, TEACHING US THAT DENYING UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY LUSTS. WE SHOULD LIVE SOBERLY, RIGHTEOUSLY, AND GODLY IN THIS PRESENT WORLD. WE’RE IN THE WORLD, BUT WE’RE NOT OF THE WORLD. PAUL SAID IN ANOTHER PLACE THAT OUR FIRST DUTY, OUR FIRST OBLIGATION, OUR FIRST RESPONSIBILITY, HAVING BEEN SAVED BY GRACE, IS TO SEPARATE FROM THE WORLD. IF YOU TAKE THE BOOK OF ROMANS, AND BEGAN WITH THE FIRST ELEVEN CHAPTERS OF THE BOOK OF ROMANS, IT IS A GREAT, GREAT TREATISE ON SALVATION BY GRACE. BUT WHEN YOU GET INTO CHAPTER 12, LISTEN TO WHAT HE SAYS. VERSES ONE AND TWO, I BESEACH YOU THEREFORE, BRETHREN, AND THE THEREFORE REFERS TO ALL THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID ABOUT THE GRACE OF GOD. I BESEACH YOU THEREFORE, BRETHREN, BY THE MERCIES OF GOD, THAT YE PRESENT YOUR BODIES A LIVING SACRIFICE, HOLY, ACCEPTABLE UNTO GOD, WHICH IS YOUR REASONABLE SERVICE, NOW LISTEN TO THIS, AND BE NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD. THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT HE’S SAYING IN TITUS 2 VERSES 11 AND 12. BE NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, WHAT, THAT YOU MAY PROVE WHAT IS THAT GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT WILL OF GOD. THE VERY WORD FOR THE WORD CHURCH IN THE BIBLE IS ECLASIA, WHICH MEANS A GROUP OF PEOPLE CALLED OUT. THE CHURCH IS CALLED OUT. WE’RE TO BE DIFFERENT. WE’RE TO BE SEPARATE. A CHRISTIAN OUGHT TO STAND OUT IN THIS WORLD SYSTEM LIKE A DIAMOND IN A COAL MINE, LIKE A GARDENIA IN A GARBAGE CAN. WE ARE DIFFERENT. AGAIN, PUT THIS VERSE DOWN, JOHN 15 VERSE 19, JESUS SAID, IF YOU WERE OF THE WORLD, THE WORLD WOULD LOVE HIS OWN. BUT BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT OF THE WORLD, AND I HAVE CHOSEN YOU OUT OF THE WORLD, THEREFORE THE WORLD HATETH YOU. QUIT TRYING TO WIN POPULARITY CONTESTS WITH THE WORLD. A DEAR SWEET LADY SAID TO ME THE OTHER DAY, OH, BROTHER ROGERS, YOU’RE SO WONDERFUL. EVERYBODY LOVES YOU. I THOUGHT, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA. SHE OUGHT TO READ MY MAIL BAG. EVERYBODY LOVES YOU. NO, THEY DON’T. NOW, I DON’T WANT TO UNNECESSARILY MAKE ENEMIES, BUT FRIEND, I DON’T WANT TO BETRAY JESUS. I DON’T WANT TO BETRAY THE WORD OF GOD. NOW, JESUS SAID, DON’T BE SURPRISED IF THE WORLD HATES YOU. I’VE CHOSEN YOU OUT OF THE WORLD, THEREFORE THE WORLD HATETH YOU. WE HEAR A LOT TODAY ABOUT THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. THE MESSAGE THE CHURCH NEEDS TO HEAR IS THE MESSAGE ON THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND WORLD. I MEAN, WE NEED TO BE SEPARATE, WE NEED TO BE DIFFERENT. THIS IS WHY THE APOSTLE JOHN WARNED US, FIRST JOHN 2 VERSE 15, PUT THIS DOWN, LOVE NOT THE WORLD, NEITHER THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE WORLD. IF ANY MAN LOVE THE WORLD, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM. FOR ALL THAT IS IN THE WORLD, NOW HERE’S WHAT THE WORLD IS, ARE YOU READY? FOR ALL THAT IS IN THE WORLD, THE LUST OF THE FLESH, THE LUST OF THE EYES AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE. THAT’S ALL THAT’S IN THE WORLD. I MEAN, THAT’S IT, THAT’S THE SUM TOTAL. THE LUST OF THE FLESH, THE LUST OF THE EYES, AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE IS NOT OF THE FATHER, BUT IS OF THE WORLD. AND THE WORLD PASSETH AWAY, AND THE LUST THEREOF. BUT HE THAT DOETH THE WILL OF GOD ABIDETH FOREVER. NOW, ONE ILLUSTRATION IS WORTH THOUSANDS OF WORDS. I DON’T KNOW A BETTER ILLUSTRATION THAN THE LIFE OF A MAN NAMED LOT, WHO WAS A SAVED MAN, WHO WAS SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD, AND YET WHILE HE WAS SAVED BY GRACE, FAILED TO LEARN THE LESSON THAT TITUS TAUGHT IN TITUS CHAPTER TWO VERSES 11 AND 12. NOW THIS TIME I WANT YOU TO TURN TO THE SCRIPTURE AND I WANT YOU TO TURN, UH, TO SECOND PETER, UH, CHAPTER ONE, SECOND PETER CHAPTER ONE VERSE ONE, SIMON PETER, A SERVANT AND AN APOSTLE OF JESUS CHRIST, TO THEM THAT HAVE OBTAINED, LIKE PRECIOUS FAITH, WITH US THROUGH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD AND OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. GRACE AND PEACE BE MULTIPLIED UNTO YOU THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND OF JESUS OUR LORD. PEACE FOLLOWS GRACE, AND IT ALL COMES THROUGH FAITH. THAT’S WHAT PETER’S SAYING. BUT THEN PETER, LIKE PAUL, SEES THAT THERE ARE SOME WHO WOULD BE A DISGRACE TO GRACE. AND HE GIVES SOME EXAMPLES. NOW TURN TO CHAPTER TWO OF PETER, SECOND PETER CHAPTER TWO VERSE SIX. AND I’M GOING TO BREAK INTO THE MIDDLE OF A SENTENCE BECAUSE IT IS AN EXTENDED PASSAGE. VERSE SIX, AND TURNING THE CITIES OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH INTO ASHES, CONDEMNING THEM WITH AN OVERTHROW, MAKING THEM AN EXAMPLE. AND THAT’S THE KEY. SODOM AND GOMORRAH AND THE DESTRUCTION THEREOF IS AN EXAMPLE. GOD LEFT SODOM WITH ITS SMOKING RUINS AS AN EXAMPLE TO THE PEOPLE OF THIS GENERATION. IF YOU CAN’T UNDERSTAND THAT, THEN YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND BLACK PRINT ON WHITE PAPER. NOW LISTEN, HE CONDEMNED THEM WITH AN OVERTHROW, MAKING THEM AN EXAMPLE UNTO THOSE THAT AFTER SHOULD LIVE UNGODLY. AND DELIVERED JUST LOT, THAT IS, LOT, A MAN WHO HAD BEEN JUSTIFIED BY FAITH AND BY THE GRACE OF GOD, WHO WAS VEXED WITH THE FILTHY CONVERSATION OF THE WICKED. FOR THAT RIGHTEOUS MAN, UNDERSCORE THAT, LOT, THE MAN THAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT, WAS A RIGHTEOUS MAN. IN ORDER FOR HIM TO BE JUST AND RIGHTEOUS, HE HAD TO BE SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD THAT PETER HAD ALREADY TOLD US ABOUT. FOR THAT RIGHTEOUS MAN DWELLING AMONG THEM, IN SEEING AND HEARING, VEXED HIS RIGHTEOUS SOUL FROM DAY TO DAY WITH THEIR UNLAWFUL DEEDS. THE LORD KNOWETH HOW TO DELIVER THE GODLY OUT OF TEMPTATIONS, AND RESERVED THE UNJUST UNTO THE DAY OF JUDGMENT TO BE PUNISHED.” NOW WHAT HAVE WE SAID HERE? PETER IS TALKING ABOUT GRACE. AND THEN HE TALKS ABOUT A MAN WHO LIVED IN A WORLDLY SYSTEM. HIS NAME WAS LOT. AND HE WAS SAVED BY GRACE, AND HE WAS KEPT BY GRACE. AND YET LOT WAS WHAT WE WOULD CALL TODAY A WORLDLY CHRISTIAN. HE RECEIVED THE GRACE OF GOD, BUT HE DID NOT DENY WORLDLY LUSTS. LOT IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF A MAN WHO WAS A DISGRACE TO GRACE. NOW I WANT US TO TURN, THEREFORE, TO THE BOOK OF GENESIS. AND I WANT US TO SEE IN GENESIS THE BIOGRAPHY OF THIS MAN THAT WE CALL LOT. AND LOT IS THE PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT WHEN I SAY THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE A DISGRACE TO GRACE. TURN TO GENESIS CHAPTER 13 WITH ME. LOT WAS THE NEPHEW OF ABRAHAM. HE WAS ABRAHAM’S BROTHER’S SON. GOD CALLED ABRAHAM OUT OF MESOPOTAMIA, OUT OF THE EAR OF THE CHALDEES, AND GOD MADE ABRAHAM TO BE THE FATHER, THE PROGENITOR OF THE JEWISH NATION. AND, UH, HE’S THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE HEBREW HEAVEN. AND WHEN HE LEFT HIS HOMELAND TO GO TO THE LAND OF CANAN, THE LAND THAT WE NOW CALL ISRAEL OR PALESTINE, THERE WAS ONE WHO WENT ALONG WITH HIM. HIS NEPHEW WENT WITH HIM. AND ABRAHAM’S NEPHEW WAS A MAN NAMED LOT. AND LOT LOVED GOD. AND LOT WAS SAVED BECAUSE THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT HE WAS JUST, THAT HE WAS A RIGHTEOUS MAN. SO YOU HAVE ABRAHAM, WHO WAS A GODLY MAN, AND LOT, WHO WAS A GODLY MAN, UH, AN UNCLE AND A NEPHEW. AND THEY’RE THERE IN THE LAND OF CANAN. AND BOTH OF THEM ARE VERY WEALTHY. AND BOTH OF THEM HAVE A LOT OF FLOCKS AND HERDS, AND AFTER A WHILE THEY REALIZE THERE’S NOT ENOUGH GRAZING LAND FOR, UH, BOTH FAMILIES, AND SO THERE COMES A DISPUTE. AND THAT’S WHERE WE’RE GOING TO PICK UP OUR READING HERE IN GENESIS CHAPTER 13, AND I BEGIN IN VERSE FIVE. LOOK AT IT, AND LOT ALSO, WHICH WENT WITH ABRAHAM, HAD FLOCKS AND HERDS AND TENTS. AND THE LAND WAS NOT ABLE TO BEAR THEM, THAT THEY MIGHT DWELL TOGETHER. FOR THEIR SUBSTANCE WAS GREAT, SO THAT THEY COULD NOT DWELL TOGETHER.” AND THAT TELLS ME THAT YOU CAN BE RICH AND RIGHTEOUS AT THE SAME TIME. ABRAHAM WAS A GODLY MAN, BUT HE WAS A VERY WEALTHY MAN. AND LOT WAS A VERY WEALTHY MAN. BUT NOW LOOK IN VERSE SEVEN, AND THERE WAS A STRIFE BETWEEN THE HERDMEN OF ABRAHAM’S CATTLE AND THE HERDMEN OF LOT’S CATTLE. AND THE CANAANITE AND THE PERIZITE DWELLED THEN IN THE LAND. AND ABRAHAM SAID UNTO LOT, LET THERE BE NO STRIFE, I PRAY THEE, BETWEEN ME AND THEE, AND BETWEEN MY HERDMEN AND THY HERDMEN, FOR WE BE BRETHREN. IS NOT THE WHOLE LAND BEFORE THEE? SEPARATE THYSELF, I PRAY THEE, FROM ME. IF THOU WILL TAKE THE LEFT HAND, THEN I WILL GO TO THE RIGHT. AND IF THOU DEPART TO THE RIGHT HAND, THEN I WILL GO TO THE LEFT. DO YOU SEE THE MAGNANIMOUS SPIRIT OF THIS MAN ABRAHAM? ABRAHAM SAID, LOT, LISTEN, LET’S DON’T ARGUE. LET’S DON’T FIGHT OVER MATERIAL THINGS. JUST, JUST CHOOSE. JUST CHOOSE. JUST, THERE’S THE WHOLE LAND. HUH. LOT, JUST TAKE WHATEVER YOU WANT, BUT LET’S DON’T ARGUE IN FRONT OF THESE HEATHEN, IN FRONT OF THESE PAGAN. AND NOW NOTICE VERSE 10, HERE’S WHERE A GOOD MAN BEGAN TO GO WRONG, AND I WANT YOU TO LISTEN. LISTEN, BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T LISTEN, YOU WILL LOVE WHEN I PREACH THE MESSAGE OF GRACE, BUT THEN YOU WILL BE A DISGRACE TO GRACE, BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT LEARN THE LESSON OF GRACE, THAT DENYING UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY LUST, WE SHOULD LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY, SOBERLY, AND GODLY IN THIS PRESENT WORLD.” NOW HERE IS LOT. HE HAS THE CHOICE. AND LOOK, IF YOU WILL, IN VERSE 11, AND LOT CHOSE HIM. THERE’S THE KEY RIGHT THERE. NO PRAYER, NO LOOKING TO GOD. FOR HIM HIS SALVATION HAD BECOME A SELF-SERVICE CAPITERIA LINE. AND LOT CHOSE HIM ALL THE PLAIN OF JORDAN, AND LOT JOURNEYED EAST, AND THEY SEPARATED THEMSELVES THE ONE FROM THE OTHER. AND THEN LOOK IN VERSE 12, AND ABRAHAM DWELLED IN THE LAND OF CANAN, AND LOT DWELLED IN THE CITIES OF THE PLAIN, AND PITCHED HIS TENT TOWARD SODOM. NOW WHY DID HE DO THIS? WELL, FOR ONE THING, HE WANTED ALL THAT SODOM HAD TO OFFER. UH, SODOM IN THE BIBLE STANDS FOR THE WORLD. IT STANDS FOR ALL THAT GOD HATES. IT WAS UNSPEAKABLY WICKED, AND YET THERE WAS AN ATTRACTION FOR A LOT. NOW I WANT TO GIVE YOU FOUR PRINCIPLES CONCERNING THE WORLD, AND THEY’RE GOING TO BE FOUND IN THIS PASSAGE. PRINCIPLE NUMBER ONE, YOU NEED TO LEARN TO RESIST THE PULL OF THE WORLD. IT PULLS ON ME. I’M TELLING YOU IT PULLS ON ME. YOU SAY, I THOUGHT YOU WERE SO SANCTIFIED YOU DIDN’T HAVE ANY MORE TEMPTATION. WELL, I’M NOT MORE SANCTIFIED THAN JESUS WAS, AND JESUS WAS TEMPTED IN ALL POINTS, LIKE IS WE. AND THE BIBLE SAYS, LET HIM THAT THINKETH HE STANDETH TAKE HE, LEST HE FALL. AND I’M GOING TO TELL YOU THAT THIS WORLD SO PERVADES US AND IS SO AROUND US AND IS SO, UH, PERVASIVE THAT THERE IS CONSTANTLY A PULL ON YOU. YOU’RE BOMBARDED WITH IT. I MEAN EVERY MOMENT. AND THE PRINCIPLE NUMBER ONE IS YOU NEED TO RESIST THE PULL OF THE WORLD. WHAT WAS PULLING ON LOT RIGHT NOW? THE WORLD WITH ITS MONEY, THE WORLD WITH ITS BUSINESS, THE WORLD WITH ITS PLEASURE, THE WORLD WITH ITS SOCIAL LIFE. LOT HAD NO PRAYER. HE WASN’T SEEKING GOD. THERE WASN’T A THOUGHT FOR THE WELFARE OF HIS CHILDREN. LOT MADE A DECISION AT THIS POINT, I BELIEVE, WHICH WAS PURELY ECONOMIC. BY THE WAY, NO MAN HAS A RIGHT TO MAKE ALL THE MONEY HE CAN. OFTEN WE HEAR PEOPLE SAY TO YOUNG PEOPLE, MAKE ALL THE MONEY YOU CAN JUST SO YOU MAKE IT HONESTLY. THAT’S BAD ADVICE. BECAUSE IF YOU MAKE ALL THE MONEY YOU CAN, YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF MAKING MONEY THE WRONG WAY AT THE WRONG TIME. FOR EXAMPLE, I JUST WANT TO PAY MY RESPECTS TO GAMBLING RIGHT NOW. ANYBODY WHO IS IN FAVOR OF LEGALIZED GAMBLING WILL NEVER HAVE MY SUPPORT AS A POLITICIAN. JUST WON’T HAVE IT. GAMBLING IS NOT LIKE ANY OTHER BUSINESS. IN GOOD BUSINESS, THERE’S ALWAYS A WIN-WIN SITUATION. YOU GIVE A CUSTOMER WHAT HE NEEDS, HE GIVES YOU WHAT YOU NEED, AND YOU BOTH ARE BLESSED. GAMBLING IS ULTIMATELY SELFISH. GAMBLING IS ALWAYS WIN-LOSE. YOU CANNOT WIN WITHOUT SOMEONE ELSE LOSING. AND WHEN THE GOVERNMENT IS IN THE BUSINESS OF GAMBLING, THE GOVERNMENT IS IN THE BUSINESS OF PRODUCING LOSERS. THEY ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE MAN WHO WON THE SWEEP STAKES. WHY DON’T THEY TALK ABOUT THE MILLIONS WHO LOST? NOW, HERE’S A DECISION THAT LOT MADE, A DECISION THAT WAS BASED ON ECONOMICS. FIRST TIMOTHY CHAPTER SIX VERSE TEN, FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL. WHEN ARE WE GOING TO LEARN? MATTHEW 6 VERSE 33, BUT SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU. YOU SAY, WELL, PASTOR, A MAN’S GOT TO LIVE. NO, HE’S GOT TO DIE. AND AFTER HE DIES, HE’S GOT TO FACE GOD. BUT THERE WAS SODOM, AND SODOM WAS SATAN’S MASTERPIECE. REMEMBER THE SCRIPTURE, FIRST JOHN TWO VERSE 16, FOR ALL THAT IS IN THE WORLD, THE LUST OF THE FLESH, AND THE LUST OF THE EYES, AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE, IS NOT OF THE FATHER, BUT OF THE WORLD. THERE WAS THE LUST OF THE FLESH, SODOM WITH ITS PLEASURES. THERE WAS THE LUST OF THE EYES, SODOM WITH ITS POSSESSIONS. THERE WAS THE PRIDE OF LIFE, SODOM WITH ITS PHILOSOPHY. LOT’S SIN IS NOT A SIN THAT ONLY THE RICH HAVE. YOU CAN BE POOR AND BE COVETOUS. YOU CAN BE IN, IN A MEAGER SALARY AND BE COVETOUS. THIS OLD WORLD FLIRTED WITH LOT. HE WAS ENTICED. HE BECAME A FRIEND OF THE WORLD AND COMMITTED ADULTERY WITH GOD. THOSE SAME FORCES THAT WORKED ON LOT ARE WORKING ON YOU AND ME DAY BY DAY. RESIST THE PULL OF THE WORLD. NUMBER TWO, SECOND PHILOSOPHY, REFUSE THE PERSUASION OF THE WORLD. NOW REMEMBER ROMANS 12 VERSE ONE AND TWO, THE BIBLE SAYS, WE’RE NOT TO BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD. HOW DID LOT END UP IN SUCH A HORRIBLE STATE? FIRST OF ALL, THE DEVIL BEGAN TO WORK VERY SUBTLY WITH THIS MAN. THERE WAS THE PERSUASION OF THE WORLD AS WELL AS THE PULL OF THE WORLD. FIRST OF ALL, LOT JUST SIMPLY MOVED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. LOOK, IF YOU WILL, IN VERSE 12, UH, GENESIS 13 VERSE 12, HE PITCHED HIS TENT TOWARD SOLEMN. THAT’S JUST A LITTLE COMPROMISE. HE’S JUST MOVING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. AND THEN SECONDLY, HE JUST MAKES A WRONG DECISION. HE NOW BECOMES AT HOME IN SODOM. LOOK, IF YOU WILL, IN CHAPTER 14 AND VERSE 12. LOOK AT IT, AND THEY TOOK LOT, ABRAHAM’S BROTHER’S SON, WHO DWELT IN SODOM. NOW, WE JUST READ THAT HE PITCHED HIS TENT TOWARD SODOM. WELL, HOW DID HE GET INTO SODOM? WELL, JUST AN INCH AT A TIME. THERE’S SOME OF YOU, YOU’VE JUST SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE WE OUGHT TO HAVE HBO IN OUR HOME. YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO WATCH THE SPORTS, THE BOXING AND SO FORTH. AND SO, WHATEVER’S ON THAT, I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S ON IT. BUT I KNOW IT’S HELL’S BOX OFFICE. YOU JUST KIND OF PITCH YOUR TENT TOWARD SOLEMN. YOU WOULDN’T WATCH THAT RAUNCHY, OH, NO, NOT YOU. BUT YOU’RE GONNA HAVE THAT IN YOUR HOME. YOU’RE GONNA GIVE THE DEVIL A PIPELINE RIGHT INTO YOUR HOME. AND SO YOU’RE MOVING A STEP AT A TIME. FIRST HE PITCHES HIS TENT. THERE’S A WRONG DIRECTION. THEN A, A WILLFUL DECISION. UH, HE SAID, WELL, I’LL MOVE IN. I DON’T HAVE TO PARTAKE OF THE SINS. AND THEN THERE IS A WOEFUL DECEPTION. LOOK, IF YOU WILL, IN GENESIS CHAPTER 19 NOW. I WANT YOU TO SEE THIS EVOLUTION. I WANT YOU TO SEE HOW THE WORLD PERSUADED HIM. GENESIS 19 VERSE 1, AND THERE CAME TWO ANGELS TO SODOM AND EVEN. AND LOT SET IN THE GATE OF SODOM.” NOW AT FIRST HE’S MOVING TOWARD SODOM. THEN HE’S DWELLING IN SODOM. NOW HE’S SITTING IN THE GATE OF SODOM. YOU KNOW WHAT THE GATE OF SODOM WAS? THAT WAS THE COURTHOUSE. THAT’S WHERE THE DECISIONS WERE MADE. HE HAS BECOME AN ALDERMAN. HE’S BECOME A CITY COUNCILMAN. HE’S BECOME A COMMISSIONER OR SOMETHING THERE IN SODOM. HE HAS MOVED IN TO SODOM. HE’S AT HOME IN SODOM. NOW HE’S WORKING WITH SODOM. HIS CONSCIENCE HAS BECOME DULL. HE’S NO LONGER SHOCKED AT SIN. WHAT USED TO AMAZE HIM NOW JUST AMUSES HIM. HE’S BECOME A SOLID CITIZEN OF SODOM. HE’S ON THE CITY COUNCIL. HE’S A V.I.P. HIS WIFE, I’M SURE, WAS A LEADER IN SODOM’S SOCIETY, HIS GIRLS, CHEERLEADERS AT SODOM HIGH. THEY’RE DATING THE BOYS OF SODOM. I MEAN, THIS IS A RIGHTEOUS MAN. HE’S MOVED INTO SODOM. AND THEN I WANT YOU TO SEE SOMETHING, GENESIS CHAPTER 19 VERSE 7, AND HE SAID, I PRAY YOU, BRETHREN, DO NOT SO WICKEDLY. NOW HE’S CALLING THE SODOMITES HIS BROTHERS. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? DO YOU SEE HOW THE WORLD PERSUADED HIM? UH, HE HAS SUNK SO LOW. NOW YOU COULD NEVER HAVE TOLD THIS RIGHTEOUS MAN HE WOULD GET SO LOW. WHO IS IT KNOCKED SO LOUD? A LONELY LITTLE SIN. SLIPPED THROUGH, I ANSWERED, AND SOON ALL HELL WAS IN. LOT MOVED INTO SODOM, AND SODOM MOVED INTO HIM. THE WORLD CONFORMED HIM AND CORRUPTED HIM. NOW, THE THIRD THING, AND VERY QUICKLY, I WANT YOU TO REALIZE THE POLLUTION OF SODOM. SODOM WAS SO WICKED THAT GOD SAID, I’M GOING TO DESTROY IT WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE. GOD SENT TWO ANGELS, TO WARN LOT THAT SODOM WAS GOING TO BE DESTROYED WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE. THE SODOMITES, SEXUALLY PERVERTED AND WICKED PEOPLE, ACTUALLY WANTED TO COMMIT SODOMY WITH THOSE ANGELS. THE SEX PERVERTS OF SODOM SOUGHT TO SEXUALLY ATTACK THESE HOLY ANGELS. LOT HAS BECOME SO LOW AND SO VILE, NOW REMEMBER HE WAS CALLED A JUST MAN AND A RIGHTEOUS MAN, SAVED BY GRACE, BUT HE HAS BECOME SO LOW AND SO VILE THAT HE OFFERED HIS TWO VIRGIN DAUGHTERS. TO THE WICKED MEN OF SODOM IN ORDER TO SATE THEIR LUST AND TO AVERT HIMSELF FROM THE JUDGMENT OF THESE ANGELS. WHY, THE MEN OF SODOM ARE AROUND THE HOUSE OF LOT. LOT’S OUT THERE TRYING TO REASON WITH THEM. THE ANGELS REACH OUT AND SNATCH LOT INSIDE. THE SODOMITES ARE STRICKEN WITH BLINDNESS. AND WHEN LOT FINALLY SPEAKS, TO HIS SONS-IN-LAWS TO TRY TO GET THEM TO FLEE THE CITY OF SODOM, THEY SIMPLY MOCK HIM. LOOK, IF YOU WILL, IN GENESIS CHAPTER 19 VERSE 12, AND THE MEN SAID UNTO LOT, HAST THOU HERE ANY BESIDES SON-IN-LAW, AND THY SONS, AND THY DAUGHTERS, AND WHATSEVER THOU HAST IN THE CITY? BRING THEM OUT OF THIS PLACE, FOR WE WILL DESTROY THIS PLACE, BECAUSE THE CRY OF THEM IS WAXING GREAT BEFORE THE FACE OF THE LORD, AND THE LORD HATH SENT US TO DESTROY IT. AND LOT WENT OUT AND SPAKE UNTO HIS SONS-IN-LAW, WHICH MARRIED HIS DAUGHTERS, HIS GIRLS MARRIED THE MEN OF SODOM, YOU SEE, AND SAID, UP, GET YOU OUT OF THIS PLACE, FOR THE LORD WILL DESTROY THIS CITY. BUT WATCH THIS, BUT HE SEEMED AS ONE THAT MOCKED UNTO HIS SON’S IN-LAW. THEY LAUGHED AT THE OLD MAN. YOU LISTEN TO WHAT THIS PREACHER’S TELLING YOU TODAY. SOME OF YOU ARE GOING TO HEAR THE MESSAGE, SAVED BY GRACE. AND YOU’RE GOING TO SAY, WELL, HALLELUJAH, BELIEVE ON JESUS AND BE SAVED. AH-HA! NOTHING I DO DOESN’T MATTER. MY WORKS DON’T MATTER. I’M JUST SAVED BY GRACE. THEREFORE, I’M GOING TO BE IN THIS WORLD AND OF THIS WORLD AND I’M GOING TO HEAVEN. PASTOR, IF I GET SAVED BY GRACE AND SIN, WILL I LOSE MY SALVATION? NO! BUT FRIEND, YOU WILL LOSE MUCH. ONE OF THE THINGS YOU MAY LOSE IS YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR CHILDREN. THESE SONS-IN-LAWS, LOOKED AT LOT AND THEY SAID, WOULD YOU LISTEN WHO’S TALKING? THEY SAID, OH, MAN, HEY, HEY, LOT, YOU’RE GOING RELIGIOUS ON US. NOW, WE’VE SEEN YOU DRINKING THERE IN THE TAVERN. WE’VE SEEN YOU GAMBLING. WE’VE SEEN YOU PLAYING AROUND. WE’VE SEEN YOU THERE CALL THE SODOMITES YOUR BROTHERS. AND NOW YOU’RE TELLING US, YOU TELLING US, HA, HA, HA. AND THEY DIED AND WENT TO HELL. And some of you are going to go to heaven and your loved ones are going to go to hell because of the rotten, ungodly life that you’ve lived as a child of God. And you’ll be singing amazing grace all the way and your children are going to die and go to a devil’s hell. The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. I DON’T HAVE TIME TO TELL YOU THE REST OF IT. I WISH I DID, BUT I JUST SAY THIS, REMEMBER THE PRICE. THAT’S THE FIFTH PRINCIPLE, JUST REMEMBER THE PRICE. WHEN JUDGMENT FELL ON SOLEMN, THERE WAS A SHOWER OF RED RAIN. FIRE POURED FROM HEAVEN, IF YOU WERE TO GO DOWN WHERE SODOM USED TO BE TODAY AS I HAVE DONE, YOU WOULD FIND NOTHING THERE BUT A DESOLATE PLACE, SLIME PITS. JESUS SAID IN LUKE 17 VERSE 29, BUT THE SAME DAY THAT LOT WENT OUT OF SODOM, IT RAINED FIRE AND BRIMSTONE FROM HEAVEN AND DESTROYED THEM ALL. IT COST TO SERVE SATAN. IT COST EVERY DAY. IT COST EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. NOW, FRIEND, THERE ARE SOME WHO DON’T LIKE THE MESSAGE THAT I’M PREACHING TODAY, BUT THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID, THESE THINGS SPEAK AND EXHORT. HE SAID IT VERY CLEARLY AND VERY PLAINLY, IF ANY MAN’S WORK SHALL BE BURNED, HE’LL SUFFER LOSS, YET HE HIMSELF SHALL BE SAVED, YET SO IS BY FIRE. THAT’S WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS IN FIRST CORINTHIANS THREE VERSE 15, HERE WAS LOT. THE ANGEL HAD TO TAKE HIM BY THE HAND AND PULL HIM OUT OF SOLEMN. JUST PULL HIM OUT OF SODOM. LOT’S WIFE TURNED AROUND, TURNED TO A PILLAR OF SALT. IF ANY MAN’S WORK SHALL BE BURNED, HE’LL SUFFER LOSS. THERE GOES HIS FAMILY. THERE GOES HIS MATERIAL POSSESSIONS. THERE GOES THE INFLUENCE HE COULD HAVE HAD. THERE GOES A LIFE WASTED. WAS HE SAVED? THE BIBLE CALLS HIM A JUST MAN. I DON’T KNOW OF A GREATER TRAGEDY THAN THIS. THAT A MAN WHO BECAME A DISGRACE TO GRACE. THERE’S A SYSTEM OUT THERE, AND THAT SYSTEM IS WORKING ON YOU TODAY. BELIEVE THIS, PASTOR, AND YOU’D BETTER LEARN THAT THE WORLD HAS A PRINCE, THE WORLD HAS A PHILOSOPHY, THE WORLD HAS A POWER AND A PURPOSE, AND IT’S WORKING ON YOU TODAY. FATHER GOD, SEAL THE MESSAGE TO OUR HEARTS. AND I PRAY, DEAR GOD, TODAY THAT YOU WOULD HELP THOSE OF US WHO ARE SAVED BY GRACE NOT TO USE GRACE AS AN EXCUSE TO SIN, BUT, OH, GOD, TO USE GRACE AS AN EMPATUS TO LOVE AND TO SERVE YOU, THAT, LORD, THAT WE MIGHT DENY UNGODLINESS AND WORRIELY LUST AND LIVE SOBERLY, RIGHTEOUSLY, AND GODLY IN THIS PRESENT TIME, BECAUSE, LORD, YOU’RE COMING SOON. LORD, I PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT SAVED, THAT TODAY THEY MIGHT BE SAVED. IN JESUS’ NAME, AMEN. NOW LISTEN, I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR ANYBODY TODAY. IF YOU WANT TO BE SAVED, YOU CAN BE SAVED. YOU’RE NOT SAVED BY YOUR GOOD WORKS. YOU’RE NOT SAVED BY GIVING YOUR MONEY. YOU’RE NOT SAVED BY TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF. YOU’RE SAVED BY RECEIVING A NEW LIFE. IF YOU WILL PRAY LIKE THIS, OH, GOD, I’M A SINNER AND I’M LOST AND I NEED TO BE SAVED AND I WANT TO BE SAVED, JESUS, YOU DIED TO SAVE ME AND YOU PROMISED TO SAVE ME IF I WOULD TRUST YOU. IF YOU WOULD PRAY A PRAYER LIKE THAT AND MEAN IT, I PROMISE YOU ON THE AUTHORITY OF THE WORD OF GOD, JESUS CHRIST WILL SAVE YOU TODAY. TO BE SAVED MEANS THAT EVERY SIN WILL BE FORGIVEN. TO BE SAVED MEANS THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL COME TO LIVE IN YOU. AND TO BE SAVED MEANS THAT WHEN YOU DIE, YOU’LL GO TO HEAVEN. IF YOU’RE SAVED AT ALL, YOU’LL BE SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD. YOU’LL JUST SIMPLY SAY, OH, GOD, I TRUST YOU. COME INTO MY HEART AND SAVE ME. AND HE WILL SAVE YOU INSTANTANEOUSLY AND FOREVER. AND THERE WON’T BE ANYTHING TO EARN, BUT THEN THERE’LL BE A LOT TO LEARN. YOU’LL BEGIN TO GROW IN THE GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.
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In this compelling message, Adrian Rogers sheds light on the amazing concept of grace while cautioning believers about the pervasive dangers of worldliness. Drawing on scriptures from Titus and Peter, he delineates the responsibilities that come with being saved by grace, urging believers to live distinctly and resist the subtle entrapments of worldly systems. The sermon examines the dichotomy of living in the world but not being of the world, using the example of Lot as a powerful illustration of grace gone awry.
