"Don't Look Back" Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr.

let me set the stage for you and then we're going to tell the story and read down through this 19th chapter of Genesis in chapter 18 of Genesis the previous chapter God goes to Abraham y'all do know who Abraham is the father of faith God told me be the father of a great nation he's the start of the Jewish nation God says to him I'm going to destroy Sodom because their wickedness has come up before me as a matter of fact in chapter 18 it says is the sin of Sodom was so it was meant for Hitler scripture says in verse 20 of chapter 18 you have to turn there just it says that this sin was very grave it was a very grave sin and God decided he was going to wipe out wipe out Sodom and he told Abraham and the reason he told Abraham is because Abraham had a nephew and his family who were staying in Sodom have I confused you yet let me try a little harder so Abraham makes an appeal to God and Abraham says to God if I can find 50 righteous people in Sodom will you spare the city and God says yes he said how about if I can find 45 God says sure how about 30 and he goes all the way down to 10 if I can find 10 righteous people will you spare the city and God says yes that's the end of chapter 18 if you find 10 I'll spare the city when we pick up chapter 19 chapter 19 starts off with two angels who have been sent to Sodom to destroy Sodom so that tells us that between the end of chapter 18 and the beginning chapter 19 they couldn't find 10 righteous people and so when we pick up chapter 19 y'all walk with me down through these verses of chapter 19 I'm telling story whatever God speaks to you write it down y'all got me I give you my subject at the end y'all with me verse number number 1 chapter 19 verse number 1 now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening and lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom now let me start right stop right there I know that's a very start let me tell you what that means you see at the gate of every city is where business was conducted it is where the politicians hung out the smart people it is where discussions were held debate went on it is where business was transacted and it was the normal hay hangout place for lot lot laws in the city at the gate of Sodom it says first night one when when lot saw them he rose to meet them and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground and he said verse 2 here now my Lords please turn in to your servants house and spend the night and wash your feet then you may rise early and go on your way and they said no but we will spend the night in the open square but he insisted strongly so they turned in to him and entered his house then he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread and they ate y'all with me so far so these two angels have come into the city like meat cement the gate and vice it into the house matter of fact strongly insisted they don't spend the night out in the open city in the square but to come to his house verse number 4 now before they may down the men of the city the men of Sodom both old and young all the people from every quarter surrounded the house and they call it a lot and said to him where are the men who came to you tonight bring them out to us that we may know them carnally I heard somebody say break it down let me break that down for you two strange men who happened to be angels coming to the city the depravity and the sin of Sodom was so bad that when they saw these two strangers come in town they decided they wanted them you know what I don't need to define they wanted them any more than you'd explain that to y'all what we need what we need to understand is that sexual sin is never satisfied if you all say Amen together nobody will know that you know what I'm talking about it always wants more in these case the depravity of these men who who were homosexuals homosexuals so they want they want these men in the house they want these men in the house matter of fact we're going to see a little bit later that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sin I mixed I'm extremely troubled that the politicians of our state and community are pushing hard and and thank you seventeen people that wait the bigger problem I have is that most Christians see nothing wrong with them we don't we think that people should be able to live how they want to live a they can't people can live however they want to live but we don't have to endorse it and make it as though it's and accept that's not what the gist of this message is about but I just thought I'd throw it in for free just to let you all know that we are campaigning to speak to the politicians of our day that we don't agree that you should redefine what a family looks like by human ethics for those of you wrote for those of you who think it's okay I encourage you to go get our series in the bookstore where we taught in Bible study piece-by-piece scripture by scripture concept upon concept with God's thoughts are about it because you need to understand that there is a standard at God elevates as a matter of fact if we think that we can just go ahead and embrace homosexuality and lesbianism as a lifestyle and make it acceptable don't get me wrong I love everybody I don't you know you know homosexuality is a sin just like adultery is come on talk to me for say this I love everybody I don't want the bike get anything wrong don't get me wrong I love everybody Amen but we don't endorse a lifestyle that's contrary to the scriptures to the Word of God and if and if we think we can just go ahead and do that and make it okay God will have to go back and apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah because he wiped them out and it's our job to call our leaders and voice our opinion about this matter and hopefully they'll take heed but anyway that's not necess I just do that in for free these men are hungry from the new meat in the town woof call pastor preach they want some new meat so the group of men matter of fact all the men I mean it is so pervasive in the city that the scripture says they all came to Lots house and the outside banging on the door ringing the doorbell blowing up his cell phone let us in it's right here in the text are y'all with me I'm not making this up that's what the scripture says before they could lay down they surrounded his house verse 5 and they caught the light said to him where are the men who came to you tonight bring them out to us that we may know them currently 4:6 so light went out to them through the doorway and shut the door behind them here's what here's what lie did they knocking on his door he answers the door steps outside Pam closed the door behind shhh which I'm doing here what's up these were his friends these were people he was accustomed to talking to and hanging out with he was in the city in the crowd a leader the community he was at the gate he gives them a proposal here's what he says verse 7 he said to them please my brother and do not do so wickedly see now I have two daughters who have not known a man please let me bring them out to you and you may do to them as you wish what does that tell you about the morals of this man lot by the way lot is Abraham's nephew and he is proposing to these men take my daughters so that I can protect these men and they said verse 9 stand back then they said this one came in to stay here and he keeps acting as a judge now we will deal worse with you than with them so they pressed hard against the man lot and came near to break down the door so there is this a lot who do you think you are to come and try to be a judge over us and call our behavior wickedness so they're pressing the door I got with me has I can have I confused out yet I'm going to be done in just a few minutes I'm trying to paint a pitch I'm going somewhere somebody say he going some way I want you to get this so they're pressing against the door they want to push the door down and go in and take these men and rape them that's the story verse number 10 says but the men reached out their hands and pulled a lot into the house with them and shut the door that angels open the door pull lot back in the house verse number 11 says and they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness both small and great so that they became weary trying to find the door now i'ma tell you that's that's the height of depravity that you don't lost your sight and you still try to get you something come on I'll be honest why all of a sudden lost my sight and I can't see don't you think I need to find out what's going on here with my sight matter of fact they were so pressed to do it the description says they got tired of looking for the door I'm telling you sin will make you do crazy things some of y'all have lost your sight you can't find your way but you're still trying to do some stuff you ain't got no business doing should you be concerned about the fact that you don't know whether to go right whether to go left whether to do this whether to do that you have no sense of direction for your life no course of action but you keep on pressing trying to move forward but you can't fee I mean you know sin has to do more than just what you see what your natural eyes it's got to do with what you see with your spiritual eyes and a sense of direction for your life we have a problem because we got people who don't know what to do these men lost their sight but they're still trying to push up against the door verse number 12 then the men said to lot the ain't this is the angels two angels said the lot have you anyone else here son-in-law your sons your daughters and whoever you have in the city take them out of this place for we will destroy this place because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord and the Lord has sent us to destroy it the sin is so bad God has sent us to wipe this place out and he says that he says to light it's important that you get your family up out of here verse number 14 says so lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-laws who had married his daughters and said get up get out of this place for the Lord will destroy the city but to his sons and laws he seemed to be joking it's a dangerous thing when you don't take a warning from God serious lot tries to give with clarity to them this is an important deal it's important is valuable you - you need to flee the city but they thought it was joking they did not take him seriously somebody is here today God's been giving you one is but you haven't been taking it seriously God's been trying to pull you into its kingdom but you haven't been taking it seriously you keep pushing it to the background surely God won't judge you now you send before it doesn't happen but God is warning you now that you need to straighten your life out now or his judgment will fall on you let's make no mistake about it there's some people in this building right here right now there's some people watching my way of the internet right now you didn't tune in by accident you didn't get here by coincidence God brought you here and take it from me that this I this alarmed and I'm sounding right now is God's warning to you to get your act together get your life together verse 15 when the morning dawned the angel urged lot to hurry saying arise take your wife and your two daughters who are here lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city listen to what he says hurry up you ain't got all week you ain't got all day hurry up it is an emergency to him and the Bible says in verse 16 and while he lingered here's the problem God has spoken boldly and strongly and challenged you to get your life together get your finances together get your heart together get your marriage together get your children together get your life together he's made the appeal but they our love is still lingering there's no there's no rush to him to get right there's no no passion about hurrying it up he's just strolling along he lingered he lingered so much that verse 16 says the men took hold of his hand his wife's hand in the hands of his two daughters the Lord being merciful to him and they brought him out and set him outside the city whoo y'all didn't get dad let me let me see if I can paint the picture for you that they they were just lollygagging around they there was no urgency there was no quickness to them they were they were just just just lollygagging around and so the Bible says the men grab their hands and drop their behind out of the city took them to the outskirts of the city because they were not giving it the level of urgency I think I want to talk about this for just a moment because there's a lot of you lingering around things you shouldn't be lingering don't make God have to force you and grab you because I'm telling you got to do whatever it takes to get you where you need to be we got to make you lose your job if he's got to make sickness crashing on your life if he's got to cause you a family to crumble apart whatever God has to allow to happen to get you to turn your heart to him and act with some urgency he will do it because listen God is not interested in your happiness he's interested in your conformity to his will for your life that his priorities become your priorities go on and preach pastor that was important to him becomes important to you that's what God is concerned about that's the burden of God's heart and he will do whatever it takes and in this situation he had to press a lot with two men who came and grabbed him in his family's hands and drugged they're nasty behind out of the city it's a matter of fact I'm almost finished I hate the boy y'all with this story but I want you to see this because I think this is important in verse number 17 so it came to pass when they had brought them outside that he said escape for your life do not look behind you must stay anywhere in the plain escape to the mountains lest you be destroyed he gave them specific instructions don't look back don't linger don't hang around the plane go to the mountains lest you be destroyed verse 18 then lot said to them please no here he is negotiating y'all ever met somebody who's always trying to negotiate with God hey Saints you and I are not in a negotiating position he says to them not says to them please no my lord indeed now your servant has found favor in your sight and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life but I cannot escape to the mountains lest some evil overtake me and I die see now this city is near enough to fleet you and it is a little one please let me escape there and my soul shall live is it not a small City and my social it here's what he says to God here's what he says to the Angels he says I don't want to go up to that mountain can I go to this city there's a nearby see this is what folks do folks when God calls them to change and when God calls them to move forward they they what they have a similar tutor moving forward but they want to stay close enough so they can still be tweeted and find out what's going over where they were doing whoo y'all can't handle the truth up in here you you hos enough to still get to tweet pictures you close enough to still know the music you close enough to still know what's going on you close enough that you still got the phone number just in case you want to give a return call you still close enough reach or pass the tickets just in case God doesn't judge it just in case the brimstone doesn't come down I can quickly get back to my friends when what his heart ought to be is that he ought to be thankful that out of all of the people in the city God chose to spare him or somebody in here better be grateful that out of all of your friends who died on all your friends who got hooked on drugs out of all of your friends who contracted aids out of all your friends who've been killed God spared your life it's not that you didn't deserve judgment it's not that you shouldn't have been in jail it's not that you should have contracted some disease it's not that you shouldn't have died but God showed you mercy anybody here glad that God showed you some mercy I'm thanking God for mercy thank god he's sparing me thank God he gave me another chance thank God he didn't give us what we deserve instead of having an attitude of gratitude he wants to stay close by I don't know who I'm preaching to but you here you want the similar to Dove having changed but you want to still stay close by you want to stay close by so I'm almost finished in verse 21 the angel this is how merciful God is and he said to him see I have favored you concerning this thing in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken all right I'm going to go to that City hurry escape there if I cannot do anything until you arrive there he said I'm gonna destroy the city but the favor of God is so strong on you that I can't do anything to the city till you get to a place of safety somebody ought to help me thank God about weight of all the stuff he kept back until you got to a place of safety the stuff he kept back until you repented and turn around to stop he kept from coming on you until he brought deliverance in your camp verse 23 says the Sun had risen upon the earth when lot in twos or verse 24 then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of the heavens so he overthrew those cities all the plain all the inhabitants of the cities and what grew on the ground he wiped everything out first 26 is where I want to close but his wife looked back I'm tiling this message don't look back his wife looked behind him and she became a pillar of salt instant judgment because she did what God said don't do this is such a serious matter don't turn there but in Luke 17 she just jotted down reading when you get an opportunity in Luke chapter 17 Jesus was warning people about the coming judgement of God and in verse 32 he spoke profoundly to them and it was such a profound statement that I memorized the whole verse y'all don't have to turn down we'll give it to you I worked real hard to get this verse down so I could give it to your world forward I worked very hard I wanted to be able to repeat it to you exactly the way Jesus said I wanted to be able to recall it to your mind and I'm I worked diligently hard til I had it letter four-letter word for word so that I could accurately give you what he said as he was talking about the coming coming judgement here's what he said here's what verse 32 of chapter 17 of Luke says it says this remember Lot's wife three simple words if you think you can get away with sin and God not judge you remember Lot's wife if you think you can keep on doing what you doing with no regard for God and disobeying him remember Lot's wife if you oh I feel the Holy Ghost call talking to somebody today if you think that God will not judge you for your disobedience and for you keep going back tapping this and tapping that and messing with this and messing with that and trying this and trying that remember Lot's wife look at your neighbor and say remember Lot's wife telling with authority telling with power telling with fervor tell them remember Lot's wife tell them don't keep doing down that pack track don't keep walking down that road don't look back there's nothing back there for you we are moving forward we're not going back we're looking we're going ahead we are past is behind us that is yesterday we are moving forward don't look back don't tweet back don't text back don't email back don't face page book what is it I can never get that right don't Facebook back don't myspace back what else you'll be don't call back if you want to move forward you can't keep looking back can I have 30 more seconds how about one minute how about two will somebody give me two minutes when I first read this passage but his wife looked back behind him when I first read it I thought it was saying here's how I interpreted that she looked back behind him because y'all do know wives have a propensity for looking at their husband's past come on brothers I'm trying to help y'all out now and we got some husbands that do the same thing who are good at recalling their spouses past but that's not what this means unfortunately I wish it did because I could weigh it out right there if I didn't feel when I first read it that's what I thought it meant but upon further research and investigation I discovered that what the scripture was saying is that instead of being with her husband she was way behind us instead of being up with him rushing out of the city she was still lingering there was something about Sodom that she liked and there's something about your Sodom that you liked him that you you can't let it go there was something about it that she really liked she didn't want to leave so why she's back there way away she looks back and because of her disobedience she instantly is turned into a pillar who saw instant I wonder how many people here about to be turned into a pillar song not physically but into a solid piece of something that can't move she probably got it honestly her lingering heart her warning what was in the past she probably got it from her man her husband brothers you set the tone of where your family's gone my wife is a reflection of me if she looking sad and bad that's on me but when she's glowing and looking good I take all the credit as a matter of fact it is such a devastating thing that she watched her husband hanging out with people at the gate doing business close to wicked people no regard for the wickedness of the city he blended in so much so that he thought nothing about offering his daughters to wicked men when they came knocking on his door for his two guest brothers we set the tone here's what I'm telling y'all don't look back today's dynamic message to ambassador Jenkins is one that has the power to change your life but it can only do so if you have a heart and soul that belonged to Jesus Christ perhaps you want to be able to make such a claim but you don't know how it's simple you just have to confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and rose again with all power your sins now forgiven and you're part of the family of God welcome maybe you're already saved and in need of a church home one that will nurture your growth and development as a Christian or perhaps you were once in fellowship with God but have since drifted away and are ready to return to your first love whatever the case we'd love to have you become a part of the first baptist family simply contact us at 301 773 3600 or visit our website at WWF BC glenarden org for more information on any one of our four convenient services or our 100 plus ministries designed to meet your most intimate needs first baptist church of glenorchy where god is developing dynamic disciples

Channel: Inside FBCG

Views: 200,945

Rating: 4.794939 out of 5

Keywords: Don't Look Back, FBCG, Pastor, John K. Jenkins Sr, Not, Eyes, You

Id: frvaxpiHrQg

Length: 31min 33sec (1893 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 29 2014