Rescued By Angels
By Senior Pastor Dr. Bill Rains | January 21, 2024
Turn to Genesis 19:10-17. Today’s sermon, “Rescued By Angels,” continues our series on angelic encounters. The text reads: “The men… pulled Lot into the house… Escape for thy life.” Let’s pray: Father, thank You for Mission Baptist. Bless our sick, save the lost, help me preach, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Sodom’s depravity—violent homosexuality rampant—drew God’s judgment. Two angels, appearing as men, arrived to rescue Lot, a backslidden believer turned judge, before fire fell. A mob demanded his guests; Lot offered his daughters instead—an insane act of sin’s depths. Angels intervened, blinding the mob, pulling Lot inside, and urging escape. His sons-in-law mocked; his wife looked back, becoming salt. Three lessons emerge.
Our Responsibility To Propagate Faith
Abraham interceded for Sodom, hoping Lot had won souls (Genesis 18:17-33). God agreed to spare it for ten righteous—Lot’s family could’ve sufficed. Yet Lot failed. “Get… out of this place” (v. 14), he urged, but his sons-in-law scoffed. He likely married a worldly woman, never teaching faith to her or their children. I met a professional whose family rejected God after tragedy—Lot’s story mirrors such loss. We must propagate faith, starting at home, or risk consigning loved ones to hell.
The Example Of A Ruined Testimony
“He seemed as one that mocked” (v. 14). Lot’s pleas fell flat—his life screamed worldliness, not godliness. In Genesis 13, he selfishly chose Sodom’s plains, pitched his tent toward it, then moved in, forsaking God. He didn’t pray, witness, or build a church. Sin drove him to offer his daughters—madness! A man I knew skipped church for fishing, raising unsaved kids who later dismissed his late pleas. A ruined testimony undermines our witness when judgment looms.
The Results Of A Worldly Life
“Escape… look not behind thee” (v. 17). Lot’s wife, tethered to Sodom, looked back—her end was salt. Worldliness reaps ruin. Lot’s older daughters married unbelievers; only his youngest escaped, impressionable to angels. Over 45 years, I’ve seen saved kids marry without prayer, forget God, and lose families to the world. “Only what’s done for Christ will last”—a worldly harvest is loss, not what we’d hope.
