Text:  Genesis 19:16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them.

How many of you are looking back?

• We look back for numerous reasons.  Some look back for money, wealth, status, power, pride, But in this life many time it comes back to money.
• If you want to test your commitment to Christ, try this
• Life is rough, bill are past due.  You say you love the Lord; the bible gives no excuses for not giving your tithes. What will you do?  Is this example holding you back?

Back ground:  Abraham Make a plead

• Three men appeared before Abraham.
• Sodom and Gomorrah was going to be destroyed.
• These three men could have been angels.
• The city was going to be destroyed because it was full of sin.
• Abraham pleaded with the Lord for the righteous if he could find 10 righteous people but there were not.

Angel meets with Lot:

• Lot was sitting at the gateway of the city.
• The Angels accepted an invite to Lot’s Home and ate.
• Men from the city came to Lot’s home to have met with the two men.
• You must remember that the city was full of aggressive homosexuals, bent on raping innocent travelers.
• Lot tried to reason with them, to no avail.
• The two men (angels) blinded the men of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Genesis 19: 12-13 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: (13) For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.

• With the coming of dawn, Lot must have his family out of the city.

Lot

• Lot lived in a city of unrighteousness and sin for so long that his witnessing for God made him unbelievable.
• His own future son-in-law thought he was joking.
• Lot hesitated because he had wealthy; he had position, power and comfort.
• Many times we get caught up in the material things in the world and put them before God.
• We call them false attractions or Gods.

Genesis 19: 17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”

• Lot was grateful that he and his family were being spared.
• They went to a small town called Zoar and the city of Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed with all that happen, guess what? Lot’s wife looked back.

How can you make progress while you’re looking back?

Genesis 19: 26 But Lot’s Wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Lots Wife:

1.     She looked back

2.     She was still clinging to the past.

3.     She was still unwilling to look forward.

4.     It was obvious that she still felt a connection to the City.

5.     This made it impossible to move forward when you are still looking back.

Closing: It’s time to look around and smell the roses. We need to look where the world is going today.  We are in two wars.  The economical structure of our country is failing. The belief system of our nation is in question and there is sickness and disease all around us.

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

• We can only serve one God.
• We need to decide where your loyalty lay.
• Again I say to you.

What’s Holding You Back?