Discipled by Sin

Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone and I'm one of the pastors here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church.

! It's my joy to bring God's word to you today.

A special welcome if you are new or visiting with us.

We're glad that you're here.

And we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats, but because we're following Jesus together as one community.

And as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's no one so good, they don't need God's grace, and no one so bad that they can't have it.

Which is why we come back week after week to hear what God has to say to us in his word.

This morning we're continuing our series in the book of Genesis, and specifically Genesis chapters 12 through 25, which tell the story of Abraham.

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

And we're doing that for two reasons.

First, to prepare us to return to our series in the book of Romans, we're going to pick up probably in September in Romans chapter 4, and chapter 4 tells the story of Abraham.

Romans 4 · chapter mention

The second reason is it allows us to ask this question, what does it look like to follow God in faith?

This morning we're going to come to one of the hardest passages in Genesis, if not the entire Bible, hard for its content, and I'll just be blunt and name it.

This is a story, a story of Lot that's about incest.

And so we have to ask this question, how do Christians find themselves in such gross sin?

And I say Christians because in the New Testament, 2 Peter chapter 2 tells us, Lot was righteous.

2 Peter 2 · chapter mention

In fact, that's the words they use.

Peter says, righteous Lot.

And so there's a warning story for us here.

Our question is this, why, how did Lot's daughters fall so low?

Why did they do this?

And how can we avoid the same?

So with that, I invite you to turn with me to Genesis chapter 19.

Genesis 19 · chapter mention

You can turn in your Bible.

You can turn in your worship guide.

You can turn on your phone.

No matter where you go, remember that this is God's word.

And God tells us that his word is more precious than gold, even the finest gold.

And it's sweeter than honey, even honey that comes straight from the honeycomb.

So that's why we read now Genesis chapter 19, starting at verse 30.

Genesis 19 · chapter mention

Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar.

So he lived in a cave with his two daughters.

And the firstborn said to the younger, our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come into us after the manner of all the earth.

Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him that we may preserve offspring from our father.

So they made their father drink wine that night.

And the firstborn went in and lay with her father.

He did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

Verse 34.

The next day the firstborn said to the younger, behold, I lay last night with my father.

Let us make him drink wine tonight also.

Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.

So they made their father drink wine that night also.

And the younger arose and lay with him.

And he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

Thus, both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father.

The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab.

He is the father of the Moabites to this day.

The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammai.

He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.

I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.

Our father in heaven, we do praise you and thank you again for your word that you've given us.

To direct us and warn us and guide us and comfort us.

Most of all, to show us Jesus.

That we would follow him in faith and obedience.

We ask that you would help us this morning as we look at this difficult passage.

For people who are pressed in on by the world, the flesh, and the devil.

That in the midst of that, you would remind us of what's true.

You'd remind us of yourself.

Remind us and show us the way to go.

Most of all, we ask that you would make Jesus more and more beautiful to us.

That we would see his glory and beauty and majesty and holiness.

His mercy, his grace, and his love.

That we'd love him and follow him more and more.

And we ask all of these things in his mighty name.

Amen.

In his book, The Revenge of the Tipping Point,

Malcolm Gladwell tells the story of a man named Philip S. Formes,

who was convicted in 2019 of Medicare fraud.

Over 20 years, Philip had defrauded the Medicare and the Medicaid system

of a total of 1.3 billion.

That's billion with a B dollars.

Now, by some accounts, Philip was a great guy.

And so there were folks who came to his sentencing hearing

to talk about what a great guy Philip was.

And one of the men who came to testify was the rabbi

that had been with Philip's family for many, many years.

And the rabbi says, look, the problems with Philip didn't start

until he moved from Chicago to Miami.

Really, this is a problem of location.

In Chicago, Philip was a great, great man.

In Miami, he became a crook.

And so you all need to take that into account as you sentence him.

The problem is environment.

Now, there is some truth to that.

Miami happens to be the headquarters

by a large bit of Medicare and Medicaid fraud.

And the book goes into a variety of factors to explain

that if you're in Miami,

the odds of you participating in that are much higher.

Gladwell goes on to say this.

This is on page seven of your worship guide.

Communities have their own stories,

and those stories are contagious.

Now, you might say, that's silly.

Philip did what he did.

His environment had almost nothing to do with that.

The reality is this.

We are affected by the world around us

more than we think.

We're affected by the world around us

more than we think.

In fact, a study came out a number of years ago

that said this.

If your friend gets divorced,

you are 75% more likely to get divorced.

If a friend of a friend gets divorced,

you are 33% more likely to get divorced.

The study's subtitle is this.

Breaking up is hard to do

unless everyone else is doing it.

There's a phenomenon there called social contagion,

which is simply saying behaviors

and norms spread among communities.

There's a sense in which sin is contagious.

There's a sense in which righteousness is contagious.

Now, that brings us back to our question,

why did Lot's daughters do this?

Why did Lot's daughters decide

it was a good idea to have incest with their father?

And there are many reasons.

One of them is this.

Lot's daughters had been discipled by Sodom.

Communities have their own stories

and those stories are contagious.

And what is the story that Sodom is telling?

You guys looked last week.

The story of Sodom is a story of sexual sin.

And so those things had become normalized, right?

Week by week, year by year, decade by decade,

Lot's daughters had become desensitized.

They lived in a world of sexual sin.

Sexual sin seemed less and less scandalous.

Of course, I don't say any of this

to excuse anyone's behavior, right?

Philip S. Formas is responsible

for his $1.3 billion of fraud.

Lot's daughters are responsible

for what they did with their father.

The point is this.

The world and its values

are always pressing in on us.

The world and its values

are always pressing in on us.

What was disgraceful 50 years ago

is normal in 2025,

often and sadly,

even of Christians.

We have immodest celebrities,

and so guess what?

We have immodest Christians.

We have a materialistic culture,

and so guess what?

We have materialistic Christians.

We have politicians

who are crass and cynical,

and so guess what?

We have Christians

who are crass and cynical.

We have a world

that takes marriage vows lightly,

and so guess what?

We have Christians

that take marriage vows lightly.

The environment around us

is always discipling us.

The environment around us

is always discipling us.

We are pulled along

by the path of least resistance,

changed little by little

by osmosis.

Is there anything I need to do

to try to fix this?

No?

Okay.

We're going to continue.

What do we do?

All right,

if we say they're discipled by Sodom,

that's the challenge,

that's the problem,

that's one of the answers

to why Lot's daughters did this,

many people are going to be tempted,

right, to say,

well, if Sodom is the problem,

then getting away from Sodom

must be the solution, right?

If the challenge

is that the world around us

is pressing in on us,

then what should we do?

Well, we have to create

a holy huddle, right?

We can circle our wagons

and make sure

the culture doesn't get to us.

It's what I call

the dandelion theory of Christianity.

Why do I have dandelions in my yard?

It's my neighbor's fault.

If he didn't have dandelions,

they wouldn't blow it.

My yard's perfect,

except for those things outside, right?

And we know that's not true.

As I've told you many times,

Alexander Solzhenitsyn said,

the line between good and evil

cuts through every human heart.

And so the holy huddle is tempting,

not the solution.

And we know it's not the solution

because of what we've already read.

John told us from John chapter 17,

John 17 · chapter mention

Jesus says,

I want my disciples to be in the world,

but not of the world.

So at first glance,

what's intuitive is,

okay, discipled by Sodom,

let's run away from Sodom.

Discipled by the culture,

let's circle the wagons.

The problem is that Jesus says this,

verse 14,

you guys can go to page three

of your worship guide.

I have given them your word

and the world has hated them

because they are not of the world,

just as I am not of the world.

But verse 15,

I do not ask them,

ask that you take them out of the world,

but that you keep them from the evil one.

They are not of the world,

just as I am not of the world.

Okay, so part of the problem is

Lot's daughters have been discipled by Sodom.

The solution, however,

is not to hide from the world

because Jesus tells us

to be in it,

but not of it.

So what are we supposed to do?

We're supposed to be in it,

but not of it.

We don't want to be discipled by the world.

What's the answer?

Thankfully, Jesus does not leave us

to wonder that either.

Verse 17,

he gives us the answer.

Sanctify them in the truth.

Your word is truth.

How do we avoid being discipled

by the world?

We avoid it

by being formed and shaped

by God's word.

How do we avoid being discipled

by the world?

We avoid it by being shaped

and formed by God's word

constantly over and over again.

The problem is not just

that Lot is in Sodom.

The problem is that Lot

is a lone ranger.

Remember, he's separated from Abraham.

He's been years away

from anyone who could remind him

of what the truth,

the reality really is.

If communities tell stories

stories,

and those stories are contagious,

the answer is not to run

from the world.

The answer is to be

in the community

that's telling

the true story.

That's what we're doing

this morning.

We are here

to be in the community

that story is true

and contagious

as we're pressed in on

by the story

of the world.

Kids,

I hope

if you want to go to college,

and you don't have to,

that you go to the best college

you can get into,

the best college

you can afford.

But,

is there

a church there?

Is there a good church?

Is there a church

that's going to shape you

and form you,

right,

as the world

is pressing in on you?

If there isn't,

don't go.

Don't go.

Right?

Nothing else

matters.

Now,

I know many of you

are in the military.

You don't have a choice

about where you move,

right?

You are told,

and if you don't go,

you have the joy

of being arrested

and being put in prison.

Some of you,

though,

do have a choice.

When you're thinking

about moving

to a new place,

your first question

is this.

Are there

Christians

there?

Is there

a community

that is telling

the truth?

Is there

a place

where I can be

shaped

and formed?

I don't care

how good

the job offer

is

if you don't

have that.

Nothing

else

matters.

Hebrews chapter 3,

Hebrews 3:13

verse 13,

says,

exhort one another

every day

as long as

it's called

today

that none

of you

may be

hardened

by the

deceitfulness

of sin.

She's telling us

this.

Day by day,

we're tempted.

Should I just

switch to this mic?

Oh,

I'm already on this mic.

Oh,

okay.

It explains so much.

Exhort one another

as long as

it's called

today,

right?

Because the sin

is deceitful,

we need other

people around us

telling us over

and over again

what's true.

The new members

class,

we talk about

the importance

of actually being

here on Sunday

morning,

that we want

our members

to be here

unless something

providential is

keeping them

away.

And I say

that not

because we're

legalists,

not because I'm

a pastor and

that's what I'm

supposed to tell

you.

I say that

because the

world,

the flesh,

and the devil

press in on

you every

week.

And you need

to be reminded

and shaped

and formed

every week

by a different

story.

And remember,

it's not just

the world

and the devil,

it's also

the flesh.

Some people

will say,

oh,

well,

you know,

I've been a

Christian a long

time,

I'm not going

to lose the

plot,

you know,

and really

what they mean

by that is

I'm not going

to commit

adultery

or murder

anyone.

You know,

I'm not at

risk of that

if I don't

go to church.

What about

your greed?

What about

your cynicism?

What about

Jesus being

more precious

than anything

else?

What about

a tender

heart?

Exhort one

another every

day,

as long as

it is called

today,

that none

of you may

be hardened

by the

deceitfulness

of sin.

Why did

Lot's daughters

do this?

They did it

because they

were discipled

by Sodom.

That wasn't

the only reason

though.

It's not just

that they're

discipled by

Sodom,

they were

also discipled

by Lot.

There's an

old cliche

in parenting

that says

that values

are more

caught

than taught.

God.

It's a way

of saying

your kids

care a lot

more about

what you

do than

what you

say.

Lot's

daughters

very well

may have

been taught

about the

one true

God.

But what

was it

that Lot's

daughters

caught?

What Lot's

daughters

caught is

that none

of that

matters

when the

going gets

tough.

What they

caught is

that when

you're in

a bind,

you can

throw

everything

God has

said out

the window.

And you

know that

if you were

here with

us last

week,

chapter 19

at the

beginning,

what happens?

Lot has

these visitors

who come

to him,

they're

threatening

violence

to Lot

and his

guests,

and he

says,

Behold,

I have

two daughters

who have

not known

any man.

Let me

bring them

out to

you and

do to

them as

you please.

What did

Lot's

daughters

catch?

When

problems

arise,

it's

totally

fine to

use your

family members

sexually.

That's what

they caught.

Doesn't matter

what Lot

had taught

them,

that's what

he showed

them.

When you

are up

against the

wall,

God's

law can

go out

the window.

And so

there's this

rich

irony,

this tragic

irony here.

The beginning

of chapter

19,

Lot offers

his daughters

up.

The end

of chapter

19,

Lot's

daughters

offer

him

up.

Lot's

pragmatism,

his fear,

his selfishness

come

back.

They

boomerang

onto his

own head.

What he

thought was

the smart

move,

comes back

to catch

him.

Years ago,

I was a

deacon at

another church

in another

part of the

country,

another time,

and we

had this

joint meeting

between the

elders and

the deacons

because there

was an ugly

divorce that

was happening

in the

church.

And it

was sort

of this

he said,

she said

situation.

The wife

said the

husband was

terrible,

and the

husband said

the wife

was terrible.

And the

senior

pastor sat

down with

all of

us,

and he

said,

look,

we really

don't know

the truth

here.

We don't

know who's

telling us

what's

right.

And then he

said something

I'll never

forget.

He said,

the only

people who

know the

truth are

the kids.

brothers and

sisters,

our children

always know.

You can

fool many

people.

You cannot

fool your

kids.

The reason

is this.

They see you

behind closed

doors.

They see you

at your best.

They see you

at your

worst.

They know

what you

really care

about.

They know

what makes

you angry.

They know

what makes

you happy.

They know

what you're

willing to

sacrifice for.

They know

what you're

willing to

spend your

money on

and what

you're not

willing to

spend your

money on.

They know

when you

love comfort

and money

and respect

and convenience

and honor

and power

more than

God.

the children

always

know.

One of the

most painful

parts of

parenting

is seeing

your own

sins

reflected back

to you

and your

kids.

The point

here is

this.

Your

children

need

your

godliness

more

than

anything

else.

your

children

need

your

godliness

more

than

anything

else.

They need

it more

than your

money.

They need

it more

than your

success.

They need

it more

than peak

experiences

and great

vacations.

They need

it more

than being

on every

sports team.

I'm not

saying those

things are

bad.

I'm not

saying they

don't

matter.

I'm

saying

they're

secondary.

Lot's

daughters

were not

just

discipled

by

Sodom.

They

were

discipled

by

Lot.

The

children

always

know.

Proverbs

Proverbs 15:17

chapter 15

verse 17

tells us

better is

a dinner

of herbs

where love

is than

a fattened

ox and

hatred

with it.

Do you

want your

children to

be blessed?

You need

to do two

things.

More than

anything else,

you need to

love God

and love

your spouse.

Other

things matter.

They don't

matter as

much.

If you want

your children

to be

blessed,

love God

and love

your spouse.

Children

always

know.

Remember

we're asking

this question

about why

Lot's

daughters

did this.

We saw

they've been

discipled by

Sodom.

They've also

been discipled

by Lot.

There's a

third reason

that they

do it

and that's

this.

They have

no future.

They do

it because

they're

desperate.

Look at

me at

verse 31.

The firstborn

said to the

younger,

our father

is old

and there

is not a

man on

earth to

come into

us after

the manner

of all

the earth.

In other

words,

if we

don't do

this,

there's no

future.

there's no

other option

for us to

have

children.

Same thing

in verse

34.

Let us

make him

drink wine

tonight also

that you

may go

in and

lie with

him that

we may

preserve

offspring

from our

father.

We can

throw Lot's

daughters under

the bus all

day and we

should,

right?

What they do

here is wicked

and we can

also understand,

right?

This is in the

ancient Near

East.

What's more

important than

having a

future?

What's more

important than

the next

generation?

And where

has Lot

left his

daughters?

He's left

them with no

other option.

Why?

Because Lot

loved the

world and

the things

of the

world.

Why are

they even

in a

cave?

Verse 30.

Because they

are in this

city,

Zoar,

and that

city is so

dangerous that

they fled.

We might

say,

wow,

how the

mighty have

fallen,

right?

Chapter 13,

Lot is given

this choice to

choose land and

he chooses the

land that is

most likely to

give him the

good life,

the land that's

right next to

Sodom.

In the next

chapter,

chapter 14,

we find he's

not just next to

Sodom,

he's moved

into Sodom

because Lot

wants the

good life more

than anything

else.

Remember 13,

he looks and

he sees how

great this

land is.

And so we're

meant to look

here and see

the contrast.

Lot chose

the very best

land.

And where

does he end

up?

Hiding in a

cave.

Brothers and

sisters,

brothers,

the point

is this,

when we

choose the

good life

over God,

it always

ends in a

cave.

It may not

be a literal

cave,

maybe you'll

die surrounded

by money,

but it will

be a spiritual

cave,

it will be an

emotional cave.

You will

find that

everything you

chased at the

end tastes

bitter.

There's a

quote in your

worship guide,

again on page

seven,

attributed to

Sophocles.

He says

this,

one must

wait until

the evening

to see

how splendid

the day

has been.

I'm sure

there were

times in

Lot's

afternoons

that were

really great.

I'm sure

that Lot

went to

some fantastic

restaurants

in Sodom.

I'm sure

that Lot

went to

some great

parties.

I'm sure

he went to

some fantastic

concerts.

There were

moments when

Sodom made

total sense,

right?

but in

the end,

in the

evening,

it no

longer

made

sense.

As I've

told you all

before,

sin is a

player.

Sin can

arouse,

it can

entice,

it cannot

satisfy,

it will

not

fulfill.

fail.

It's

easy in

the middle

of our

lives to

be fooled,

but as

we get

near the

end,

as we

get older

and older,

it becomes

clearer and

clearer.

I was up

in Denver

last Saturday

in a

quirky used

bookstore,

and I came

across this

poem,

part of which

I put on

the back

of your

worship

guide.

And yes,

Charles

Bukowski

is a weird

dude,

but this

poem is

about aging.

And how

when we

make choices,

we make

the wrong

choices,

it does

not end

well in

the final

chapter.

Age is

the total

of our

doing.

They have

aged badly

because they

have lived

out of

focus.

They have

refused

to see.

Why is

Lot here

in a

cave being

raped by

his daughters?

Because

Lot lived

out of

focus,

and he

refused

to see.

And it

was good

for a

time,

it's not

good

forever.

Brothers

and sisters,

I'm really

saying one

thing to

you this

morning.

I am

begging you

to live

in focus.

I am

begging you

to see.

I am

pleading

with you

to put

first things

first.

Not just

because that's

what brings

honor and

glory to

God,

but it is

because it

is what is

good for

you.

Remember in

Romans,

we've talked

about this,

it's in

God's glory

that we

discover our

good.

Abraham was

willing to

make sacrifices.

He gave

up the

good life

at various

points to

honor and

please God.

Which has

the better

ending,

Abraham's

story or

lots?

Lots

every

time.

Christian,

live in

focus.

Do not

refuse

to see.

Live in

focus knowing

what matters

more than

anything

else.

live in

focus and

know that

it really

is at

the end

of the

day in

God's

glory that

we discover

our good.

You may

not believe

it now,

you may

not see

it now,

trust me.

Even more

than that,

trust God's

word.

Remember

that one

must wait

until the

evening to

see how

splendid the

day has

been.

these are

heavy things

that we've

talked about.

I told you

it was a

heavy passage

and it's

heavy less

because of

the content

and more

because of

the warning.

So what do

we do with

all of these

things?

The reason

that fleeing

from Sodom

is not the

solution

is because

Lot's

problems

started before

Sodom.

Lot's

problem is

not fundamentally

Sodom.

Lot's

problem is

the heart

that was

attracted

to Sodom.

Lot's

problem was,

remember

chapter 13,

that his

eyes saw

what was

good.

His

problem was

that he

was out

of focus.

He loved

the good

life and

chose that

over loving

God.

And so

when we

talk about

being sanctified

by God's

word,

being part

of a

counterculture,

participating

in a

community

that tells

the truth

and that

is contagious,

we are

not doing

it for

its own

sake,

that we

would merely

or simply

grow in

knowledge.

No,

the goal

is that

unlike Lot,

we would

love what

is good.

That our

eyes would

not be

captured

by the

land of

Sodom and

seeing what's

good and

beautiful about

that,

but our

eyes would

be captured

by God

and his

kingdom.

We're

already

saying it.

Hast thou

heard him,

seen him,

known him?

Is not

thine a

captured

heart?

What can

strip the

seeming beauty

from the

idols of the

earth?

Not a

sense of

right or

duty,

but the

sight of

peerless

worth.

God

is to

see Jesus

as more

beautiful

than

anything

else.

The

problem was

not that

Sodom was

fertile.

The problem

was that

that was

what Lot

thought was

the greatest

good.

And the

beauty of

Jesus is

this.

Jesus

gives what

the world

only offers.

The world

offers Sodom

but gives

you a

cave.

joy.

It's

Jesus

who

actually

gives the

forgiveness

and restoration

that leads

to real

joy.

It's

Jesus who

gives real

safety and

security.

The safety

and security

that can't be

taken away

when the

stock market

crashes.

It's

Jesus that

gives humility

and repentance.

The humility

and repentance

that actually

allows for

real

deep

connection.

The connection

that we

long for.

It's

Jesus who

gives us

real

meaning

and purpose

in our

work.

Now as I

mentioned at

the beginning

Lot's still

a Christian.

Lot focused

on wealth

and comfort

and ease

and somehow

in the midst

of that Lot

is still a

part of

God's

people.

So passages

like this

give me a

lot of

hope.

If Lot

is going

to be in

heaven,

man,

I think

there's some

hope for

me.

Right?

I think

there's some

hope for

us.

In fact,

you're going

to see Lot

in heaven if

you go

there.

Man,

but it

could have

ended

differently.

Right?

Lot's

story did

not have to

finish in

a cave.

May it

end

differently

for us.

May we

see Jesus

and his

kingdom as

more beautiful

than anything

else.

May we

live in

focus and

not refuse

to see.

And we

praise God

because in

the midst

of that,

his mercy

is more.

Let's

pray.

Our

Father in

heaven,

we do

praise you

and thank

you for

your word

as it

encourages us

and challenges

us.

We ask

that you

would be

at work

in our

hearts

and our

minds,

that you

would help

us to

live in

focus,

that we

would

see

Jesus

as more

beautiful

than anything

else,

that we

would choose

him over

anything this

world tries to

offer us.

We thank

you that he

is beautiful,

beautiful because

of his mercy

and his grace

and his love

to us,

and we ask

these things

in his mighty

name,

amen.