SERMON NOTES (July 5, 2015): Remember a Lost Life -Luke 17:22-37

Remember a Lost Life

Luke 17:22-37

Remember Lot’s Wife: Why Not Remember Lot? Sometimes you can tell more about a person’s real life when you look at his family than just looking at the externals: job, ministry, public actions.

I.                    Who was Lot?

A.      Gen 11 – Childhood

B.      Gen 12 - Family

C.      Gen 13 – Ambition

D.      Gen 14 - Kidnapped

E.       Gen 18 – The Deal

F.       Gen 19 – All is Lost

II.                  Lost Testimony

A.      Could have had testimony among Kings of the Plain.

B.      Instead accepted a counter-culture to God’s way.

C.      Presence does NOT guarantee Witness.

D.      ILL. “Wherever you go, preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words…” – St. Francis of Assisi

“Wherever you go, feed the hungry, and if necessary, use food…” – Ray Comfort

III.                Lost Influence

A.      Could have been a godly manager of many men.

B.      Instead led them to serve a godless model.

C.      Vision does NOT guarantee Leadership.

IV.                Lost Family

A.      Could have had a godly family heritage.

B.      Instead abandoned them to society’s judgment, his message to them was seen as a joke, seduced his wife’s & daughters’ hearts to cultural wickedness, and produced a heritage of evil.

C.      Reproduction does NOT guarantee Legacy.

D.      ILL. Billy Graham’s advice to young evangelists:

“I now warn young evangelists not to make the mistakes I did.”

When asked if Billy could live his ministry life over again, would he do anything differently, he replied, “I would speak less and study more, and I would spend more time with my family… I would also spend more time in spiritual nurture, seeking to grow closer to God so I could become more like Christ…”

“About one thing I have absolutely no regrets, however,” Billy said, “and that is my commitment many years ago to accept God’s calling to serve Him as an evangelist of the Gospel of Christ.”

V.                  Lost Wealth

A.      Could have been a rich man.

B.      Instead all he gained was burned up in alignment to sinful system.

C.      Money does NOT guarantee Security.

VI.                Modern Comparisons

1.       Our Culture praises unbridled ambition

2.       Mocks faith in God as Creator/Judge

3.       Seduces us with entertainment that run counter to God’s way

4.       Accepts sexual immorality as normal; demands that we do the same

5.       Frowns upon verbal witness

VII.              Conclusion

          A. Guard your testimony.

•                                         B. Be intentional about your influence.

                                           C. Lead your family to God.

•                                        D. Align your wealth to God’s purposes.