Genesis - Part 35 | Pastor Paul McGee

Not free to worship you. Hallelujah, Hallelujah,

Hallelujah, Amen. Free to praise.

Magnify the name that is above every name, the name of Jesus,

Amen. Just a few things here today.

Amen. Before we get into our Bible

study tonight, remember tomorrow night is Power hour.

Power Hour here at the church from 7:00 to 8:00.

Prayer at the church. What a great way to begin a camp

meeting with prayer leading into Amen that week of camp meetings

succumb be a part of power hour. He made we did such a good job

last month after being in revival from Wednesday to Sunday

that we had our highest percentage of since tracking

that the people here Amen. So let's let's let's not let's

follow that line that's going upward and just keep it going

upward that way. My graph.

I like happy graphs, happy graphs.

It goes down if it goes back up, then starts make you know, it

just it's not good, just not good.

It's a happy graph. Amen.

So keep that in mind. Also on Sunday, there's just one

service. There's camp prep.

Well, the Masons after Sunday service, they'll be going to

prep for camp in Frankfurt and there'll be others of you if

you've not already started packing.

Some people are like, does it way ahead of time, like they're

packed weeks in advance. Then there's others that, you

know, they'll still be putting stuff together on their way over

to put it in the cargo trailer. You know who you are.

But we tried to, we tried to eliminate some of that hurry by

providing that Sunday night for you.

And so with those that are going from the church and some others

that are coming under our wing from other churches, we have 30

people going or we've lost a couple because of Sister Brenda,

of course. And Sister Jenna Adams has a job

that she has started that she's not going to be able to go.

But outside of that, a good number of people going.

And so be a part of that. A man, you may be seated.

I don't want to keep you standing as I'm going through

this. As a result of that, we will be

leaving those who need transportation, we or want to

follow the church van. We will be leaving at 1:00 PM on

Monday, 1:00 PM on Monday, and so if you can get here at least

by 12:30, if not just a little earlier, I'll probably be here

by 12, but 12:30 we can start loading the cargo trailer with

luggage of people needs to go. With that being said, don't let

me forget whenever we close service tonight, if you're not

going to camp, you can go. We'll cut the live feed, but we

probably need to talk about transportation because I had

several people that needed transportation.

However, I, I know that some of them sometimes ride with other

people that are going. And so I need to know exactly

who needs the van for transportation.

All right. And so we'll, we'll get

clarification for that here at the end of this service.

Everybody say tennis tennis shoe Sunday.

That is the Sunday after camp because everybody's feet is

screaming after being on concrete floor.

Morning services, night services, walking at the

distance you got to, whether it's just to get food or get a

shower, all right, none the less.

So that's going to be tennis. Tennis shoe.

I almost can't even say that. Tennis shoe Sunday.

I can call it sneaker Sunday. How about that sneaker Sunday?

I can do that one easier. All right, sneak up on you.

All the bad puns. Amen.

Hallelujah. So those are some of the things

that are coming up within the month of July.

We have other things, but I won't overburden you with all of

the details as it goes. Ladies and gentlemen, you have

been a month without the Book of Genesis.

Welcome back. Let's go to the Book of Genesis

chapter #19 that's where we left off, and that's where we're

going to begin again. Amen.

Word of the Lord, Genesis 19. I'm going to read the first 11

verses for your sake. I'll read the first three and

then allow you to be seated. All right, so that you're not

continuously standing. The Bible says, and there came

two angels to Sodom. You remember we're all in this

Abraham and Lot visitation of three, realizing two of those

are angels. One of those are the Lord Lot or

Abraham's been interceding for Sodom Gomorrah, because there's

this tendency that the Lord's going to destroy.

He's come down to look at the outcry of what's come up to him.

And so these are the angels that are actually now going to the

city of Sodom. There came two angels to Sodom,

and Even and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom.

And Lot, seeing them, rose up to meet them.

And he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.

And he said, Behold, now, my Lords, turn in, I pray you, into

your servant's house, and tarry all night.

Wash your feet. He shall rise up early and go on

your ways. And they said, Nay, but we will

abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them

greatly, and they turned into him and entered into his house.

And he made them a feast and did bacon leavened bread, and they

did eat. I'll continue reading here in a

moment tonight I've labeled this a soul under siege.

A soul under siege. Let's pray this evening.

Father, I need you tonight. Lord, we need enlightenment,

revelation of your word. God, You're able to help us, God

by it. God, in these Lord's scriptures

are the words of life, words to live by.

Help me, oh Lord, God, to apply him, Lord, to my life.

God to help me live, Lord, to navigate this world below, in

the lovely name of the Lord Jesus Christ that I pray, Amen.

In the church say, Amen, you may be seated, continuing on with

verse #4. But before they lay down, the

men of the city, even the men of Sodom, can pass the house round,

both old and young, all the people from every quarter.

And they called into lot, and said to him, Where are the men

which came in unto thee this night?

Bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

And Locke went out at the door unto them, and shut the door

after him, and said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

Behold now I have two daughters which have not known man.

Let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them

as is good in your eyes only. And to these men do nothing.

For therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one

fellow came in to sojourn, and he I've just lost my place, and

he will needs to be a judge. Now will we deal worse with thee

than with them? And they pressed sore upon the

man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the

house to them, and shut to the door.

And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with

blindness both small and great, so that they wearied themselves

to find the door to begin with tonight.

And we have learned something from Scripture.

And again, this is one of those places in verse #1 where we have

information that Lot doesn't have, brother a trout, something

that we get as a reader, a privilege that he doesn't have.

And that is, we know from verse number one that these two men

that have been long on the journey, even visiting Abraham

and now have come to Sodom, that these two men are indeed angels.

The Scripture tells us that emphatically.

And so while we know that Lot does does not know that.

And so Lot's life up to this point has been one that he has

looked toward. And at the the plains in which

Sodom dwell, the Bible talks about him pitching his tent

there. He's lived there.

He's sitting at the gate of Sodom.

And Sodom is a a doesn't have the best of reputation when it

comes to morals. All right, Lot is is living in a

sin ridden environment as he's living in Sodom.

You'll remember as we go backwards a little bit to some

passages we've already looked at, but in Genesis 13, the Bible

tells us that the men of Sodom were indeed wicked and sinners.

The Bible says exceedingly. I mean, I don't, I even don't

know how to process that. I mean, it's one.

I mean sinners are simple. It's like sinners exceedingly.

It's like, I guess if they could find themselves getting into it

to be diabolical or diametric to whatever was upholding the

things of God, then they're like, count me in, I'm going to

be a part of that. They took sending perhaps to new

heights, or maybe we should say to new depths.

I don't know. Nevertheless, they took it to a

whole new level and the Lord said that their sin, this is the

Lord's take on it, that their sin was a very grievous

according to Genesis 18 said it's very grievous.

And so lot has lived here and we we don't know the exact amount,

but he has lived here in Sodom for about 20 or 25 years, but

not without it impacting him. The apostle Peter says in the

New Testament and he records looking back on this episode in

Genesis, it says in second Peter 2 verses 6 through 8 and and and

2 Peter 2:6–8

as you read the verses prior to this, it speaks about basically

how you cannot escape the destruction or even the judgment

of the Lord if it is coming to you, so to speak.

And he says in verse 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and

Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making

them an sample unto those that after should live ungodly.

And so the Bible even tells us that those things that were

written before or written for our learning, right, they were

given to us as in samples or examples.

And so Peter even picks up on that and says what occurred at

Sodom tomorrow is there as a in sample or an example to us, to

anybody that would live ungodly, that there is a day of

reckoning, right, that comes. There's always a day of judgment

or a day of reckoning that comes, especially when

repentance has not entered the picture.

Payday's coming, all right. And he says Sodom and Gomorrah

is an example or an example of that very truth.

He says in verse 7 and delivered just lot.

Now that word just does not meaning only lot.

It means righteous. Lot delivered righteous lot.

Now the word righteous here is of course, in a very broad

sense, because we know that lot has succumbed, right?

Has been wore down and impacted to certain degrees by the

environment that he was living in, but nonetheless and

delivered just lot vexed, right? Vexed with the filthy

conversation. Let's break this down a little

bit. He's vexed or he's wearied with.

He is labored down with the filthy conversation of the

wicked. The words filthy conversation

literally mean lasciviousness. That's a fancy word, but the

basic meaning of lasciviousness is unrestricted living.

Lot has been wearied. He's been labored down with the

unrestricted living of the wicked.

The Bible says verse 8 in parentheses for that righteous

man Speaking of law dwelling among them.

Those of Sodom in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soul

from day-to-day with their unlawful deeds.

I just want to point something out here.

The word vexed in verse #8 differs from the word vexed in

verse #7 They are two different Greek words that are used in

verse #8 The Greek word that is used is a word that wasn't

originally associated with pain or with torment, but it referred

to this. It referred to a testing process

involving A touchstone. Now a touchstone was typically a

black type durable stone that Jewelers and people of that that

that kind of office of of of work would use to test like

metals of gold and silver that they had.

And what would happen is this, they would take a chunk of gold

or silver of a stone and they would strike it.

They would rub it back and forth on the touchstone with friction.

And that that gold or that silver would leave a streak or a

mark on the touchstone. And based upon its color, the

jeweler would know that the quality of the metal, it's

purity of the metal that he had in his hand, based upon the mark

that was left on the touchstone, or maybe even the lack of purity

that it had. And so the touchstone was used

to determine the condition of the metals and, and whenever

that marker, that streak was left, he could understand then

that that the purity of this is XY or Z.

But here's the interesting thing.

The touchstone didn't just test the metal, but it also had a

mark that was left on it from the metal being tested.

So there's something that's taking place here.

It's the vets that's spoken of. Verse #8 Speaking of Lot, being

vexed is as though there's that friction that's happening

between the environment that he is in and the life that he is

trying to live. But the fact of the matter is

this, you can't rub against that.

Yes, you might identify the difference or the purity or

impurity of the environment, but it also has some type of

streaking impact of a mark upon the touchstone as well.

It doesn't go unscathed, it doesn't go unimpacted.

And so Lot we understand in scripture, we understand from

his story from Peter that he has succumbed to even some of those

vices tomorrow was but Lot saying no, how about this little

one right here again showing the mentality, if you will, of Lot

in all of this. And this has been his mentality

from the very beginning. He's had this tendency.

You can look at Genesis 13 verse 12.

Genesis 13:12

It's from from yesteryear of these lessons, but the Bible

said from the beginning that Abram dwelled in the land,

everybody say land of the of Canaan and Lot dwelled in the

cities of the plain and pitched his tent towards Sodom to note

that that Abraham, it kind of has this land mentality.

It's here and there and not necessarily a structured edifice

or anything like that. But Lot on the other hand, is

city mentality. I don't want anything that gets

too rough. I want all the pleasantries, if

you will, that the city provides.

And so I think our chapter tonight, chapter 19, and we will

not get through all of it, but chapter 19, I think illustrates

that that vexing that touchstone of of Lot with the city of

Sodom, because we have this friction that's constantly

taking place just in the few verses that I read to you of

righteousness and wickedness. And there's the friction between

the two there, there's conviction on one part, but

there's also compromise and there's friction between the

two. There's the hospitality that Lot

will show, but then there's the hostility that that that Sodom

will show. There's the friction between the

two. And so Lot as as the guests come

again, he doesn't realize, doesn't know to begin with that

these are angels. And so he's hospitable toward

them, which is a part of their culture, a part of the culture

even being under the umbrella of Abraham.

That's that's what you did. He follows, as a matter of fact,

very closely in the response that Abraham had unto these

individuals. Lot seems to have very close the

same response and so although he's not totally sensitive to

exactly who he's entertaining as we looked a few weeks ago, it

seemed like Abraham picked up on pretty quickly because he had

relationship and visitations. You remember over and over again

with the Lord. But look in Scripture there just

some of the beginning verses. Look how he interacts with these

men when he saw them coming. He rose up to meet them.

He went forward to them. He bowed himself down to the

ground. He address them as Lords as a

means of respect to them. He invited them.

This is important here. Later tonight, he invited them

into his house. He provided water for their

feet. He provided A feast that

included unleavened bread. So there's a lot of similarities

between what he had done and what Abraham had done.

And we're not certain. We see that that Lot is sitting

at the gate. Some people want to say that

he's a magistrate, if you will, or like a judge of the city as a

result of this. But could it also be that Lot

knows the city in which he dwells and what their tendencies

are, particularly for guests? And maybe he's trying to head

off any guest or visitor being mistreated and safeguard them

from any abuse. That seems to be the tendency of

what Sodom wishes to do to those that show up to their town and

to their city. And not only that, notice that.

And it's it's like modern day. It's it's I smiled at it.

All right. But he's like, what's like come

into my home? And they're like, oh, no, yeah,

come on. And he's like pressing, yeah, go

on, come. They're like, OK, we'll go.

Is that not like the total picture of today, you know, come

over to the house. Oh, no, I don't want to.

Yeah, come on. OK, I will.

It's just, it's just like real life stuff, folks.

I mean, it's real life stuff. You want to go eat with me?

Oh, no, I don't want I don't want to put you out when I go.

Oh no, it won't be no problem. OK, I'll come.

But the Bible, the Bible says in the wording in Scripture is that

he pressed on them. He pressed on them to stay And

and that's a that almost seems even going beyond a little being

hospitable. But perhaps Lot is urging them

to stay in his home again because he knows the danger of

staying in the streets of Sodom at night.

Listen, if Sodom vexes or troubles a man who has an

edifice with house and walls, how much more do you think that

that same city would be troubling or vexing to someone

without the safety and protection of a refuge like a

house with walls? And so I'm going to turn the

little corner here because I think through the story of Lot

here in chapter #19 we often underestimate how protective the

walls of our homes. Have shielded us from the

influence of our surroundings. I want to take you to

Deuteronomy Chapter 7. I'm going to spend a little time

Deuteronomy 7 · chapter mention

here tonight, not necessarily in Deuteronomy, but in this

concept. In Deuteronomy chapter #7 verse

25, the Bible states these words.

And this, of course, is Moses unto the children of Israel.

And at this time the children of Israel are entering a a country

occupied by idolterers, those who served idols.

And it says in verse 25, The graven images of their God.

Shall ye burn with fire. Thou shalt not desire the silver

or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be

snared therein. For it is an abomination to the

Lord thy God. Verse 26 Neither shalt thou

bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed

thing like it. But thou shalt utterly detest

it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it, for it is a cursed thing.

Israel is getting ready to enter into this land occupied with

idols. And so Moses being directed by

God, it's just giving them a heads up.

You're about ready to enter into an environment that does not

align with the principles that you live by.

And he says so whenever you enter into this environment,

there's going to there's going to be idols of gold and silver.

There's going to be some things that will look appealing to your

eye. What's not appealing about the

glistening of gold or the shining of silver?

We just presently got back not too long ago from Washington, DC

and we went through one of the many museums we went through and

there was one that had all these gems.

Me and Trevor just about Jimmed out, you know, but my wife and

and daughter was in there and they're taking pictures and the

goat and sapphire and all this stuff.

But in essence, Brother Mason, there was some, I mean, there

were some things in there were pretty spectacular that I mean,

whenever you got into that diamond section and then stuff,

it's like, you know, there's a lot of money just beyond that

glass. Gods tell me he said you're

you're coming into an environment.

He said they're going to be some things that cut catch your eye.

But this is what he says, don't be alert by that.

Destroy that. That goes against human nature.

That goes against human nature. He says, destroy that.

And this is essence. God's words destroy that lest it

destroys you. He says if you don't destroy it,

if you don't abort, if you don't detest it, if you want to take

it, He says it will become a snare.

It will become a trap. Huh.

That's what we're talking about when we're talking about a

snare. It'll become a trap to you and a

trap. Listen, let's get real.

A trap many times is camouflage, not to look like a trap until

you are snafu by and it's like oh that was a trap.

God's pulling back the cover though.

He's saying it's a trap. Don't, don't take that.

Don't entertain that it's a trap.

For that matter. It's not acceptable into God and

you're God's people, so why would God's people partake of

something that's not acceptable to the one who possesses them?

Huh. So he says don't, don't do any

of that. But then he goes just a step

further, huh. Because it's one thing not to

get involved with that out here. But he says don't you dare think

for a moment you and get by with taking it into your house.

What are you saying? Because I mean, in the public,

every Tom, Dick and Harry course would know.

But if you could get into the privacy of your house, what

things could we entertain? What things could we touch?

What things could we involve ourselves with that are on the

off list of God as long as we get into the privacy of the

walls of our home? But know what he says?

He says neither. He says lest you be tempted for

that. Neither Bring the abomination,

that detestable adorned thing that's against God.

Don't bring it into your house because it'll corrupt you.

If you bring the abomination, if you bring the cursing, if you

bring that in your house, it will corrupt you.

Don't allow it there. Can I ring the bell tonight?

This last year for for the AOJC was family.

Can I ring the bell? Amen.

Mothers and fathers have a pulse on what's coming into your home.

Grandmas and grandpas have a pulse of what's coming into your

home. Because it may be the

abomination, it may be the thing.

It looks good, it's appealing, but if you allow it there, it

will ensnare you in that most sacred place.

Listen, it may be out there, but only you can control what's in

your home. It may be running rampant

everywhere else, but you have control what enters and exits

your house. Be real, and I realize this

today only as lot folks. I'm sure there was only

sometimes a refuge and a safety that was found in the house,

living in that environment among that society.

I believe even today, Bishop, sometimes the church in my home,

sometimes the only place of refuge that I have in the modern

day world. And I don't need to

underestimate the the the efficiency, if you will, of a

godly home. But there's something else that

caught my attention as he's read these scriptures, and that is

this. The fact that there was a door

to Lot's home seems somewhat important.

As a matter of fact, this door is mentioned frequently just in

the 1st 11 verses of the scripture.

Look at verse number six. And Lot went out at the door

unto them, the sodomites, and shut the door after him.

He didn't walk through the door today where they were and leave

the door open because listen, there are literally sometimes

that you got to shut the door when you walk out because

there's things just beyond your door.

What, what, what, what, what, what did God, what did God tell

Cain? I remember back in the New

Testament when we first started all this mess, he said, Cain, if

things be well, they're well. But behold, he said, there is

sin that's crouching at the there's some things just beyond

the door. And we got to learn that this

door of our homes and our lives is not a revolving door.

This is a door with locks. This is a door with bars.

This is a door that I have control of opening and shutting.

And I may step out in this world, but I close my door from

anything from there menacing getting into my house.

Look at verse 9 and they, the sodomites pressed sore upon the

man, even Lot, and came near to break the door because they're

wanting the men that's come to visit him.

Fine, say it like this. If you don't bring them out,

we're coming in man. I hear a call right now today

that there is adversaries that speak in those very words over

some of our children and grandchildren.

If you don't give them to us, we're coming in after them here.

Oh yeah, hear me, hear me. And the Bible says as a result

of him rebuttal in this and standing against this, no Lord

is still on the outside of the door and the Bible says they are

pressing sore. They're pressing sore upon him

because they're wanting to get to what's on the inside of the

house. They're my God, I feel the Holy

Ghost right here tonight. They're pressing sore upon him.

If he thought he was vexed by living in that city, he for sure

is vexed now. They're pressuring.

He feels the pressure. He feels the clutches, if you

will, of the adversary on him. And the Bible says, if possible,

even if they could break down, even if they could break down

the door, our adversary is not just satisfied with pressing

sore upon us, they want to breach your house.

Oh, I feel a witness of the Spirit here.

Look now at verse 10. But the men now Speaking of the

angels, these angelic men that are on the inside the house, and

the men put forth their hand and pulled lot into the house to

them and shut to the door. I like that.

So we're going to pull you in to the sanctuary.

What should be a sanctuary, what should be a safe, refuge,

protective place, We're going to pull you back into here.

But we're not leaving the door open.

We're going to shut the door. Listen, there's really two

things right there. Listen to pastor very well.

That's not just about safety. That's about separation.

Matter of fact, let's just blend it together.

Your separation is safety. A lot may have not recognized

this sister Sheila, that these men he invited to his house were

angels. There's some things about ready

to take place. I believe that he'll know

unequivocally that this just isn't a normal man here that we

have in this house. He may not have recognized them,

and this is what's so powerful. He may not have recognized it,

but the Bible says from the very onset that he invited them into

his house. And whether knowingly or

unknownly, he invited the angelic into his home.

And even if he didn't know them to be angels, he did know them.

These are definitely men that are better disciplined than the

environment I'm living in. Or he went and went to the links

that he was doing to protect and safeguard them, treats them

respectfully, yes. And yes, that's hospitable.

But they seem to be respectable men.

And here's what's fascinating to me.

The very ones that lot allowed into his house became the ones

to protect him and his family. You got to ask yourself this

question about what you allow into your home.

When the rubber meets the road, will it protect me?

Will it protect me or is it going to pull the rug out from

under me? Is what I'm allowing to my home?

Is it? Is it going to stand as a

buttress, if you will of strength for me or is it going

to be my undertaking? What he allowed into his home

became the very thing that protected him and his family.

Someone say man. So my advice to us tonight only

allow into your home what can protect you from danger rather

than what can promote, if you will, danger and upheaval in

your life. Look at verse 11 and they smote

the men that were at the door. They Speaking of the angelic men

inside. They they smoked the men that

were at the door of the house, the sodomites with blindness,

both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find

the door. So we have men outside the door

and we have men inside the house and they're significantly

different. After the men outside the door

were struck with blindness, Please note what the scripture

says. They still wearied themselves to

find the door. They were exhausting themselves

to find the door to the house folks.

It's that type of diabolical thing that is seeking to find

entry into your life and family so that a one off blinding one

off slapping of the hand isn't going to dissuade them.

To the .0. I'll go, I'll just go home.

Struck with blindness wasn't enough to cause them to stop

searching for the door that they wanted access to.

There's reason why we read in Scripture talk about Jesus being

tempted in the wilderness of the devil, right?

So the man, can you make these stones into bread?

Son of man, if I take you to the pinnacle of the temple, Amen.

Will you jump down, Son of man, right.

If you'll bow down and worship me, I'll give you all, all of

the kingdoms of the world, all this stuff.

And the Bible says after that, that that the devil departed

from him for a season and that there were ministering angels

come down to minister to him. Notice though, the devil

departed for AI. Wish I could tell you it's one

whip, once whipped, always whipped.

But the fact of the matter is this, you're going to pray

against him. You go do this, you go do that.

And he's still going to try to find your door.

He's going to weary himself. He's going to go to the NTH

degree of trying to find your door.

That's the reason why you can't even perchance leave it open.

He's relentless. He's relentless.

The men verse #4 tells us, and I'm kind of jumping around here

a little bit tonight, the verse #4 tells us that the character

of the men who can pass and look, the Bible says they can

pass the house round, right? They're, they're at the door,

they're around the house. They have impure motives.

The Bible says that they desired to know the men on the Ensign

inside, which was a euphemism to know was for sexual relation

purposes. Our modern word sodomy origin

actually comes from Genesis 19, implying then that the men of

Sodom was practicing some, and I don't mean to be crude, but

homosexual rape. These men are not just wanting

some type of firm formal introduction.

They're not just wanting to to know, to get acquainted with the

men of the house. Because if that was the case, I

don't believe we would have heard Lot say in verse #7 I pray

you, brethren, speaking to the men outside the door, do not so

wickedly. This is not a shaking of hands

and rubbing elbows and a hugging of neck to know.

And Lot, of course. Yes, he said, Well, he calls him

brethren. Yeah.

I mean, have you ever tried to appeal to someone that was angry

and you did appeal to them in a way that hoping you could

appease them in such a way that you brought them down a little

bit. You were kind of gentle in your

address because you were trying to sway them from their purpose

or anger. He's he's trying to he's trying

to touch and have an appeal to their less evil side, brethren,

Right. He's trying to bring them down

off the perch of their wickedness.

Listen to her, McGee tonight. There are some things you just

can't reason with. There are some things peering

into our life that you can't strike, if you will,

negotiations with. It's kind of like who wasn't, I

can't remember right now in scripture.

Ben. Hey, Dad, from someone else, he

should have killed the man. But the Bible says after it's

all sudden over, he said, well, you did things for my father.

He says I'm just going to release you.

And then the prophet came back, said you should have killed him.

You know why He was basically saying you shouldn't have

negotiated? Because there are some things

that are not up for negotiation. There is no such thing of

meeting a compromise with. So you just can't reason with

something. Some things you just got to shut

the door on it and you got to keep the door shut.

And so look down. The fact that in verse 4, these

men that surrounded the house, the Bible tells us they were

both. And this, this is heart

wrenching. They were both young and old.

Scripture says they were both young and old, which speaks to

me, the proliferation of this wickedness from old to young,

pervading throughout Sodom, but more importantly pervading

throughout generations. It had been generational.

There are generational issues at our doors wanting into your

house. I've had the old, I've had the

middle-aged, I've had the, I've had first generation, second

generation, third generation, 4th generation.

I just want to make you 5th generation with the same issue,

right? We hear it all the time.

You know, Grandfather was alcoholic, Dad was alcoholic.

I want to make sure the son's an alcoholic.

That one was an addict. That one was an addict.

Uncle was an addict. He wants in your house because

he wants this thing to continue generationally.

But that's no, no negotiations, not given here, not given, if

you will, any life unto that. I got to hurry.

Amen. I know you all been waiting to

hear that in second Peter chapter #2 that we just

referenced earlier. Look, Lot is described as a

righteous man. More simply, though, a righteous

man affected and influenced by his environment.

Brother McGee, listen again. Righteousness doesn't equal

perfection. You can be righteous with

faults. I know that's hard for you to

think right, because it's not really your righteousness

anyway. It's our yielding to His

righteousness, Our righteousness from the start.

Filthy rags, huh? The imputing in the book of

Romans, or Corinthians rather, is that he imputes to us his

righteousness. And so I realize, I realize our

our buddy lot, you know, has a few faux pas in his life, right?

Pitching his tent towards Sodom. We even have here the most

gruesome thing you think of here whenever he says, no, you can't

have these men, but here's my daughters and he's offering

them. They're virgins.

They're not even known to man. Take them.

Do with them what you want. I see that.

I understand that. I understand that later in this

passage of Scripture he lingered when he should have got up and

went at the warning of destruction.

I understand he's taken Zohar whenever he should have went to

the mountains. He has some, some, some toe

Pauls, if you will, some, some, some gaps in his armor, so to

speak. Yet the evidence is still there

of his righteousness, because he's rescued from the

destruction. Do you remember the interceding

of Moses to 50 to 45 to 40 to 30 to 20 to 10?

If you'll find such and such righteous, will you not?

And yet He does not allow Lot to remain in Sodom, and for that

matter, he places him, allows him to be placed in Zoar, which

should have been destroyed. But he doesn't destroy Zoar,

even for the righteous family of Lot being there.

So in all this, there's still evidence here.

He shows hospitality to the visitors.

That's great. Again, he refused to let the men

in to the the the men that were inside his house to have those

sexual relations. There's that.

And I'm sure you know, the Bible talks about, we talked about

this, how that Noah was righteous in his generation.

And there is that little phrase in his generation, like in

comparison to the time in which he lived, he stood as an

exemplary righteous person in his generation.

I guess what I'm saying is you can take a person and set them

in different settings and their righteousness made being more

than other places because of the surroundings that they're

setting in, right? You take a white dot of white

out and throw it on the black cloth and it's like it's right

there, but you put it in something just a little bit

white, a shred than that. It's going to be harder to

decipher. So I'm sure lot was righteous

compared to the other people inside them because they're

wicked, they're grievous sinners.

The Bible says, but his soul that was not untouched by living

the living conditions that the people that was around him

again, he was vexed or troubled. Sister Jessica daily and say

well my goodness, what's wrong with that guy say a little bit

On the contrary and that is this we day when the place and

environment in doesn't backs us. Whenever I feel OK with

everything that's going on around me, I feel OK living in

the society. We're seeing the bounds and

continues to abound. And that don't bother me, that

don't trouble me. Or even when I start to excuse

it, well, I'm just talking to myself right now.

If I can say then a little bit. Lots, lots moral discomfort.

That vexing was a good thing because at least it attested to

the fact, at least partially, Bishop, he had some spiritual

sensitivity still about him. There might have been, if you

will, some rubbing off, some friction and rubbing off on him,

but there was still some sensibilities there that he

wasn't OK with. Everything that was going on

with Sodom, huh? Hey man, see the danger lies

whenever there's something biblically wrong and corrupt and

that doesn't bother us, especially whenever you spout

out as much it don't bother you that don't bother me.

Oh God. Oh mercy, right.

One of the Beatitudes, Matthew 5 and 4, the Bible says blessed

are they that everybody say mourn for they shall be

comforted it. It's a very peculiar beatitude.

Blessed are they that mourn. I'm not feeling too blessed when

I mourn. Feel more like not blessed but a

mess when I mourn. But he said, blessed are they

that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

An odd statement, but it's not an odd statement, Brother Trout,

where we understand only those who can feel can mourn.

The story was told of years ago there was a missionary that,

that he was a missionary in a, a tribe in a sector of the

country, an area where leprosy was very much so prevalent.

He served in, in legitimately in, in a leper colony, which is

a very, very contagious disease. And still medicine is scarce in

certain areas of the country for that, although I know we have

stuff for today, but in certain areas still very scarce.

And he says while he was there one morning, he was boiling some

water, and that boiling pot of water, Sister Samantha, fell and

landed on his foot. And it didn't bother him.

It's then Sister Jen that he understood he had succumbed to

leprosy because leprosy impacts all of your nerve endings and

your ability to be able to feel. That's the reason why some don't

have noses or ears. They get infections in the

extremities of their body and their nerves are not telling

them anything about pain or anything that's wrong and they

end up losing them because they cannot feel.

He said 1000 times would have been better if I felt the pain

and the agony of the boiling water, then not to have felt it.

So listen, it's okay to feel conviction.

It's okay for what's going on around you.

Doesn't just somehow size up with what you feel in your heart

and spirit and what you stand for.

You better be glad to God. It vexes you.

You better be glad to God. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Blessed are they that can feel. At least you're not past

feeling. At least you're not totally

absorbed in the environment that you're living in.

You still have some sensibility to God's Word and God's precepts

and God's principles. But don't get into anything

goes. Don't let first Apostolic Church

ever get into anything goes. Game.

Yeah. Come on.

Yeah, we get the mindset of anything goes.

We won't be going, but can we? Again, I'm hammering this and I

don't know why I feel burdened about this, but even from the

church house. Amen to your house.

Don't get in the attitude that anything goes.

That's OK. I'll endorse that.

That's not a big deal. That's just a little city of

Zohar. That's just close to where Sodom

was, but I'm not in Sodom. Don't push the foot around with

that type of stuff. It's.

This is what Paul said Ephesians 419 I know I'm back, bless the

Lord. Ephesians 419 who being past

feeling everybody say past feeling who being past feeling

have given themselves over until lasciviousness.

Remember our our our decision and restricted living, giving

themselves over to lasciviousness to work all

uncleanness with greediness. Paul urging the church at

Ephesus and he tells us and you can read the verses above.

He says don't be like the other gentiles who are past feeling.

What's that mean? I'm OK, you're OK, we're OK, he

says. Because when you're past

feeling, you'll begin to indulge in unrestricted living and

uncleanness without a second thought of consideration in

doing it, because the senses of right and wrong will have been

severed. Your past feeling conviction,

Brother Mason. I don't care how long I've been

in the church this week, when I go to camp, I can't wait to sit

on that Pew and for that minister to say something

morning or night that pricks my heart and runs me in such a way

that I got to look at Paul McGee again.

I don't want to be able to sit on the Pew and the preacher

preach and say everything and be there for years and never feel

any more conviction over the way that I live my life or how I

order my life. No, I want to feel it.

I want to be vexed. I want to be vexed for my

house's sake, for my church's sake, for the individual's sake.

I don't want to be past feeling. That's the reason why I don't

wag my head as someone that's been in church for 40 years,

comes to an altar and pray. I know summer's like, well,

bless God, what in the world's going on there?

They've been in church for 40 years, yes, but they're not past

feeling. They understand.

Just the same as I understand, we are all still in process.

There are still some edges that need to be sanded off by God's

Word and His Spirit in my life, and I want to be open to that.

Instead, I, you know, we'll do something about this.

So yeah, I got to leave you with hope, though, right?

And I've taken through all the despair and slapped you upside

the head about your door and got to leave you with some hope.

Hope is this for the Fred that regardless how deplorable Sodom

was and how compromised Lot may have been, God still sent a

couple angelic messengers to his house as deliverers for the

pending destruction that was coming.

I have great confidence tonight. Covenants tonight then in this,

that if God would be willing to send angels to Sodom to deliver

a lot, then He's certainly reaching for you today.

Because let's get real, we're living in a modern day Sodom

where live sin is rampant, even to the degree of being

celebrated. Things that that the, the years

gone by, decades gone by, that, that, that, that that would have

been shamed. Now, now all of that's being

rebranded. Now we're, we're we're branded

that as our identity, our freedom and our rights.

Living the modern day Sodom today biblical standards.

Now we look through there and they're just, they're labeled

people say, well, that's intolerant, or that's outdated

or that's oppressive or that whatever you want to throw in

the blank and even it's Lot and just give me a little more time.

And if you even begin to raise your hand and protest against

any of this out beyond these walls, you're labeled a judge.

You can look at verse #9 that whenever Lot objected to the men

that were at the door, they instantly said you came as a

sojourner. But now we need you to be a

judge to us, Brother Mason. It's where I get then the clue

and understand then why it's the do not judge me generation and

culture. You only get that if you're

willing to stand and to object. What's diabolical against God.

That's the only time they'll accuse you of being the judge.

Other people in Sodom wasn't saying that to other people in

Sodom. No, that was only being said to

the one that says I have a door and I'm going to keep it shut.

And there's only certain things that come in this door and

certain things up, man, I'm feeling the Holy Ghost right now

and certain things I'm not going to allow on this door.

If you do that, you got to suffer yourself sometimes being

called the judgment. But God has the final judgment,

as Abraham said. Will not the judge of all the

earth do that? Which is right?

And what comes about in chapter 19 is the judge of all the

earth. All right, I got, I got close.

Let me, we got just another verse up there.

Brother two. Hallelujah.

Amen. Something like that.

Oh, I'm in here. Something over here.

Get out of here. What is that?

I don't know. My iPad is talking to me first.

Peter 4 and verse 3 through 4. He says Peter says Apostle

Peter, for the time past of our life, please watch these words

very carefully and I'll shut up. For the time past of our life

may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles.

Let's stop here. What's he saying?

He's saying there was a time in our past that we acted and we

did our manner of life just after the wheel of the Gentiles,

which was notably unbelievers. He says how did we do this?

He said when we walked in lasciviousness, unrestricted

living, when we walked in lusts, excessive wine, revelings,

banquetings, and abdominal idolatries.

Verse 4, wherein they think it's strange that ye run not with

them to the same excess of riot. What's happened?

I'm not what I used to be. Now I'm not what I used to be.

And whereas before I had unrestricted living and I had

all this diabolical type of life, now those who have not had

the same changes I've had, they look at me in question and say,

I don't understand why you don't do the things that we used to do

or the things that go into the excess of riot like we used to.

And notice what the scripture says.

What do they do? They speak evil of you because

they don't understand that what, what you once considered right,

you now consider wrong. What you once endorsed, now you

say, uh, uh, not here. They want you to be the same

that you've always. Here's even the greater thing,

folks, listen to me. Well, they want you to be the

same that you've always been. Although you said you even had a

change. Come on, talk about it.

I'm going to lose my mind because modern Christianity is

except the Lord Jesus in your heart.

And that's the extent of any type of lifestyle alteration.

Yeah, that's right. That I still show up and I still

cuss and I still smoke and I still chew and I still fornicate

and I still lie and I still cheat.

If I were someone viewing through the binoculars at the

layout of the land that still looks a whole lot like Sodom,

but no, I want to be someone with my hand on the door, Amen.

That's going to try to live in the way that He wants me to

live. Amen.

Work out your own salvation with fear and trebling, for it's

Christ in you that's working that out.

It's that spirit that you receive that's causing, if you

will, different lifestyles and different walks and different

talks and different ways of mannerisms of your life.

I'm not going to run to the same excess in writing that I used to

because I'm not the same person that I used to be.

So do we feel the friction? You better believe it.

Is there times in this real life, even as a Christian that's

trying to do right for God that there are marks, if you will,

left on our life from the yes, there is.

Thank God for a prayer room. Thank God for the, the, the,

the, the aspect of repentance. That's not just a one time, but

a daily thing in my life. So I don't always make the right

choices. Sometimes I give in to the

pressure, Brother Fred, I'd like to say every day I'm successful,

but it's not the case. Sometimes I give in to the

pressure of the culture that's at my door.

They're pressing in on it. But you know, in spite of all

that, Mom, God reaches for me none the less.

And perhaps we'll see in weeks to come.

And he sends envoys of mercy and grace to try to rescue us.

It's been good to be back here on Wednesday.

We are souls that are under siege every day of your life,

every day of your Christian life, whether you're young

convert, whether you're old convert, you're under siege.

He don't take days off. Neither can we.

Let's pray right now. Father, I love you, God.

I appreciate you this evening. Oh God, who, Lord awakens

something, Lord, in our hearts and minds.

Help her to be defenders and protectors.

The Lord of our homes. Help God, those walls, the Lord

of separation and walls of protection, Lord, to be there,

God, that we would not be ignorant of their purpose or the

ways. I pray, O Lord, today protect

households and families and children and grandchildren.

Help us, O Lord, not just to lay hands on things because they

look alluring to our eyes or appeasing God to our natural

man, but help us, O Lord, to be defenders, God, of that which

you have said is as defenders, as children and child of God.

I pray Lord, that would represent you and showcase you,

Lord, in the everyday common affairs of our life.

I pray, O God. Today help us, God, though we're

under siege, Lord, that the Kingdom of God suffer violent,

but the violent take it by force.

Help us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

God, Lord the stand, Lord, strong, Lord, having done all

the stand, Lord, in this wicked day, God.

And I know, Lord Jesus, that you'll help us and you'll aid us

and you'll prosper our way. God, whenever we put forth the

effort, Lord, and direction that is pleasing God to you in the

name of the Lord Jesus Christ that I pray Hallelujah, Amen of

the church, say Amen, Amen, Amen.

Don't leave quite yet. If you can cut the live feed

Brother Alex, and if you're not going to camp or don't need

transportation to camp.