Christine Caine/ Go Again Part 1

Christine Caine - Don't Look Dorsum, Function 1

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There are so few words that we have, comparatively speaking, that Jesus Christ spoke on this world in his lifetime, that nosotros have record of. Recorded in the canon of scripture. I think information technology's important that we should but pause, and go, hang on a infinitesimal. I have lived my whole Christian life, and I haven't remembered Lot'southward wife. So you've tuned onto this plan right now. And y'all are going to leap into this series, and you're near to recollect Lot's wife, and we're going to find together why Jesus said this, how crucial information technology is. How poignant it is for our fourth dimension correct now in 2020, to remember Lot's wife. To learn the lessons that we demand to learn so that nosotros tin can move into the futurity that God has for u.s.a..

Thanks for joining me today on Equip and Empower. There's ever something relevant and powerful to notice in God'southward word. And I'k believing he has something special in store for usa today. Set your heart, focus your mind, and permit's dive into what he has to say about resisting distractions and embracing his plans and purpose for our lives.

Hey everyone, I am so grateful that you lot've joined me today. I so appreciate your time. And I believe that God has a give-and-take for you. It has been a year, hasn't it. And you know, equally nosotros're getting gear up to launch into a brand new year's day in the next few weeks over here, there's a little phrase in scripture that I believe that the Lord wants every one of us to take to heart in this season. So we're going to turn to the book of Luke affiliate 17, and nosotros're going to become to verses 20 to 37. The Bible says, being asked by the pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, he answered them.

Now this is Jesus. The Kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can exist observed, nor will they say, look, here information technology is, or at that place, for behold the Kingdom of God is in the midst of y'all. And he said to the disciples, the days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and y'all will not see information technology. And they volition say to you, look there or look hither, do non go out or follow them for as the lightning flashes, and lights upwardly the heaven from one side to the other, and then volition the Son of man exist in his twenty-four hour period. But first he must endure many things and exist rejected by this generation. Just as information technology was in the days of Noah, so it volition be in the days of the Son of man. They were eating and drinking and marrying, and beingness given in marriage until the twenty-four hour period when Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Likewise, but equally information technology was in the days of Lot, they were eating and drinking, buying, and selling, planting, and edifice. Only on the day, when Lot went out from Sodom, and fire and sulfur rained from heaven, and destroyed them all, then will it be on the day when the Son of man is revealed. On that day let the ane who is on the house top with his goods in the house, not come up down to have them away. And likewise, allow the one who is on the field, not turn dorsum. Think Lot'south wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep information technology. I tell you in that night in that location volition be two in one bed, one will be taken and the other left. There will exist two women grinding together. Ane will be taken and the other left. And I said to him, where Lord, he said to them, where the corpse is, the vultures will gather. I mean, what a portion of scripture.

At present, of course, hither we are talking about the terminate times. This is a text about the coming of age, the text deals with eschatology and the finish times. And nosotros're all like freaking out, because you're similar Christine, seriously, this is 2020. We take had a pandemic. We have had locusts. We have had riots. Nosotros have had elections. I mean, really now you're going to pull out. Nosotros've been in the end times all year. Look, permit me say this. I'm at Wheaton college doing a chief's program in evangelism and leadership. I practice not take a seminary caste, so I actually practise not know much most the terminate times. This is about my whole theology on it. Okay. You ready? Don't freak out. This is my theology. I know that Jesus is returning again. I believe that with all of my center. I long for that 24-hour interval. I don't know when, but I'm in good company because the Lord said nobody knows the day or the hour. So I'm going to salve yous a lot of stress.

In that location'south a lot of people out at that place, and they're putting up charts and they're picking days, and they're doing all of the science and the mapping. Here is what the scripture says, nobody knows. So that'southward going to set you free. Yous can just stop freaking out. We don't know when, nosotros live every bit if it'southward going to happen today. And nosotros also alive like nosotros're going to be hither for the term of our natural life. So nosotros do both. I live expected and I besides live like I've got the here and now, and I've got responsibilities here and now. And I've got to live here and now. Only in this text, this is a pretty intense text, we're going to go through it. Basically it says that God's kingdom is non going to be proceeded by signs that could be calculated and observed.

And then the kingdom is already present in the coming of Jesus Christ. Nosotros see that in verses 20 and 21. The consummation of the kingdom, that's going to happen by the return of Jesus. It wasn't going to happen in the disciples lifetime, and it hasn't happened so far. It'south been nearly 2000 years, and information technology has not happened thus far. But it says when Jesus comes, it'due south non going to exist in hole-and-corner, in poetry 23. His coming volition be observed past all. It is going to low-cal up the heaven. You lot don't accept to exist wondering, volition people know that Jesus has returned. It's going to light up the sky. And the fact is that before all of this, Jesus in his present ministry, he's saying to the disciples, he's going to face rejection. He's going to face expiry.

Now, the fact is when he comes back, it volition be unexpected and people volition exist unprepared. It'south going to compare it to the days of Noah and lot's. So flood and fire, we've been looking at and so many fires that have been happening effectually the world. We've been looking at and so many floods. Like me, I would imagine many of you accept been thinking well-nigh this long and hard going, okay, there is plagues. There are locusts. There is pandemics. There has been floods. There has been fires. In that location'southward been earthquakes. There is so much going on around the globe. If you're a laic, it must lead the states to passages of scripture like this, where we're wondering, Lord, what is going on?

And in this text, Jesus is saying, don't effort to relieve your life, or you're going to lose information technology. In that twenty-four hour period at that place's going to exist a terminal separation. We're going to see it in families, in Luke 17, 31 correct through to verse 35. Merely the return of Jesus is going to be clear to the whole earth. I don't know when, but I do believe that sky is going to dissever, and I do believe Jesus Christ is coming back. I practise believe that there is going to be a new sky and a new globe. I know it's going to happen. That'south our future promise, we speak about that. All of that past way of introduction, in the midst of this eschatological text, this text near the king Jesus, about male monarch Jesus who has already come, so the kingdom has already come up, but the kingdom is not notwithstanding.

And and so that is the dilemma of the already, but not still. Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth. The kingdom has come, Jesus brought the kingdom here on earth. But the fact is that's already manifest in Jesus, but the fullness of the kingdom is not hither yet. That'southward going to happen in the 2d coming. In betwixt this huge discourse, but if we're all honest, most of united states are kind of similar, y'all know, I really don't understand all the detail, and we just don't. In the midst of that there'due south three petty words. This whole serial is actually not going to be about all of the stuff, it's going to be about these three little words in Luke chapter 17, verse 32. Information technology's the second shortest verse in the Bible. Of course the shortest verse of the Bible is John xi, 35. And you would all know that in the Bible Quiz, it says that, Jesus wept. Second shortest poetry in the Bible right here in the volume of Luke chapter 17 poesy 32 is, remember Lot's wife.

You ever thought, why is that in that location in the centre of this huge passage nearly the second coming, virtually the Kingdom of God, there's these remember Lot's wife. Why did Jesus just drib them into this discourse? Why did Jesus tell u.s. to remember Lot's married woman? Most of you are thinking like, who is Lot'southward wife? Who was lot? Why should we fifty-fifty remember Lot'south wife? Tell me, have you lot e'er heard a sermon on this passage? Remember Lot's married woman.

This is the only adult female in all of scripture that Jesus tells us to remember. I hateful, that in itself is very important. Over 170 women are mentioned in the Bible, and yet Jesus only ever tells us to remember 1 of them. He doesn't say, remember, Eve, the offset woman. He doesn't say, think Sarah, the mother of a Jewish nation. He doesn't say, remember Miriam, the sister of Moses. He doesn't say, recollect Rahab, she saved 10 spies. Information technology doesn't say, remember Deborah who arose and was a great female person judge. He doesn't say, think Ruth, who was married to Boaz and in the lineage of Jesus. He doesn't say, recollect Hannah who prayed and was the mother of Samuel. He doesn't say, remember Ester, she stopped a Jewish genocide. He doesn't say, retrieve Elizabeth, who birthed John the Baptist. He doesn't say, think Mary, his own mother.

Heed, if I was his mother, I would feel a little fleck rejected right now. He doesn't say, retrieve, Joanna, the wife of Chuza that helped to fund his ministry out of her own means. No, he doesn't say to recollect whatsoever of those women that are listed in scripture, or any of the other 160 or so women. He said, remember Lot's wife.

Now whenever in scripture nosotros see the words of Jesus, and of course, mostly that we've read, and then we know that they're very of import words. And there must be something very, very important about this text if Jesus is maxim, I want you lot to think Lot's wife. This nameless woman who appears on the pages of scripture, just quick enough to disappear. Remember Lot's wife but before I've read that I'chiliad similar, that but went, that simply happened. That's just gone. She has the shortest biography in history. All nosotros know about her is that she looked back at Sodom and Gomorrah, and she turned into a pillar of salt. That'due south all we know. We don't know if Lot married her when he went to Sodom and Gomorrah. Did he do it beforehand? Nosotros know nothing about her, except that this chick looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. Only let me just say that Jesus said, recall Lot's wife.

And so as I was reading this, I'm thinking, well if I'm supposed to remember her, I improve find out who she is. And I ameliorate find out what I'thou supposed to remember nearly her, because information technology was of import enough that she made it into the passages of the New Attestation. It's important enough that she fabricated it into the words that were spoken by Jesus. There are and so few words that we have, comparatively speaking, that Jesus Christ spoke on this earth in his lifetime, that we have record of, recorded in the catechism of scripture. I think it's of import that we should merely pause, and go hang on a minute. I have lived my whole Christian life and I oasis't remembered Lot'south wife.

So you've tuned onto this program right at present, and you lot are going to bound into this serial, and you're nearly to remember Lot'due south wife and we're going to discover together why Jesus said this. How crucial information technology is. How poignant it is for our time right now in 2022 to remember Lot's wife. To learn the lessons that we need to learn then that we can move into the hereafter that God has for u.s.a.. So many of us in this moment feel stuck. Information technology's been a really difficult twelvemonth. It's been a really challenging year. Nosotros feel stuck. We feel stuck emotionally. We feel stuck spiritually. Nosotros feel stuck financially. We experience stuck relationally. We feel stuck.

Some of us are stuck in our fear. Some of usa are stuck in our anxiety. Some of us are stuck in our offenses. Some of us are stuck in our unforgiveness. Some of us are stuck in our thwarting. Some of us are stuck in our disillusionment. Some of us are stuck in our hurting. Some of united states accept been stuck in our suffering. Some of us take been stuck in our loss. Some of u.s. have been stuck in our grief. We have been stuck and we have spent the entire year looking back, looking dorsum, looking back. Rehearsing, going over it, going back, where could I changed it? What could I accept washed? We're stuck in our failure. We're stuck in our loss. We're stuck in our mistakes. We're stuck in our past successes. And God's saying, remember Lot's wife.

I need yous to non be stuck. I need you to not look back. I need you to outset looking forwards. I demand you to fix your optics on Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. I need you to start looking forwards to the time to come. Looking forrard to the promise, looking forrad to your purpose. Looking forward to all that God has for yous. It'south fourth dimension to stop looking back, it'due south time to start looking forward. It's time to get unstuck from being stuck and step into the presence and the purpose of God for your life. 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ said, retrieve Lot's wife.

Let's go to Genesis xix, and have a wait at what Lot's wife was doing. Then we get back to Genesis nineteen. And this story is so lamentable on so many levels. And Genesis 19 is and so sorry. And as nosotros get into it, we see that in Genesis 13, initially in Genesis 13, Abraham and Lot separated considering they're herds were then huge. And then the Bible tells usa in Genesis 13 versus 12, it says, Abraham settled in the land of Canaan while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent every bit far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners confronting the Lord. I mean, that is very sobering. So in Genesis 13, they separated. And then in Genesis xviii, God decides to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, because of their great sin.

So Abraham intercedes, and he says, Lord, if this x righteous, would you lot relieve the metropolis? Would yous not destroy it for x? And then ii angels come to Lot, in Genesis chapter nineteen. They stay at his house. Then of form we see in verses iv to six, very agonizing passages of scripture, where the men of Sodom came, wanting to assault the guests and Lot offered his daughters instead. I mean, this is just tragic. The angels rescue Lot in verses 10 and 11, and then the angel say verses 12 to xiv, that they're about to destroy the city.

Then and so we pick information technology up at Genesis chapter 19 poesy xv. As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot saying, up, take your wife and your two daughters who are hither, lest yous be swept abroad in the punishment of the city. Only he lingered, but he lingered. But he lingered, only he lingered. And then the men seized him and his wife and his 2 daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and prepare him outside the metropolis. And every bit they brought them out, 1 said, escape for your life. Do not look back or terminate anywhere in the valley, escape to the hills. I want y'all to catch that. Escape for your life, do non look back. Do not look back. And Lot said to them, oh no, my lords. Behold your retainer has found favor in your sight and you accept shown me not bad kindness in saving my life, but I can not escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. Behold, the city is near plenty to abscond to, and it is a petty one. Permit me escape there. Information technology is not a little one, is it not a little one. Behold I grant you lot this favor also, and I will non overthrow the city of which you lot have spoken, escaped at that place apace for I can do nothing till you arrive there. Therefore the name of the metropolis was called Zoar.

The dominicus had risen on the globe when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah, sulfur and burn down from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the city, and what grew on the ground. But Lot's wife backside him, looked dorsum and she became a pillar of common salt. Just Lot's wife behind him looked back and she became a pillar of table salt. This is all we know about this adult female. She did the one thing that she was told not to do, afterwards such a spectacular escape. The angel of the Lord comes, takes her by the mitt, brings her out, there's but one thing that the affections of the Lord says, don't look back. Don't wait dorsum. But she was behind and she was lingering.

I don't know was she longing for her home. Was she longing for her friendships. Was she longing for relationships. Was she longing for her possessions. Was she longing for the feelings that were associated with that identify. She was non saved because she was torn between what she was leaving and where she was going. Looking back, got her stuck. And you know what, that's where she still is, it is highly likely today. I mean, I've been to Israel and I don't know if that'southward the exact spot, just there is a pillar that they say, this is Lot's wife right here. And the fact of the matter is, she got stuck betwixt the place she was leaving and the place she was going to.

1 of the greatest challenges coming out of 2022 is that we don't get stuck out of where we're coming out of and what we're going in to. That this could be a flavour that could be used by God to catapult us into our God-given purpose, and our God-given destiny. But for many others of us if we exercise not make a decision with intentionality to not await back, we're going to become stuck. We're going to get stuck back in this season. When God is getting ready to take yous forward, don't lose your opportunity. I want to speak to yous today on the other side of the screen, God's getting set up to accept you forward. This is not a time to lose your opportunity. You've got to have the courage to get where you've never gone. Have the courage to do what you lot have never done. Have the courage to get out the unfamiliar, for the familiar. Have the courage to take the mitt of God that is taking you into your future. And have the courage to let become of the things that are holding y'all to your past.

I wonder this year, are you willing to allow go of certain things, and are you willing to lay hold of what God has for y'all in the future? Encounter, we accept to remember Lot's married woman. Lot'due south wife looked back, she looked back with longing. She looked back with a lingering. She wanted to stay. She didn't know whether she wanted to go. God had supernaturally turned upward, and told her to move on, and even so she nonetheless lingered. She however hovered in that place of indecision. She yet couldn't make up one's mind whether she and information technology cost her everything. And I believe in this season that God has immune the events of this year to bring the states to a place to brand a decision that there are certain things we've got to let go of.

If we're going to lay concur of all of that for which Christ Jesus laid hold of the states, there are some things in this seasons we demand to let get of. In that location are some relationships, there are some friendships. There are some attractions, there are some addictions. There are some distractions, at that place are some habits that nosotros need to let go of so that we tin lay hold of things that God for u.s. in the future. Remember Lot'due south wife. Lot'due south wife looked back. I wonder whether you're going to accept the courage to proceed looking forward this year. I wonder if y'all're going to take the courage to continue pressing on into a new year, into a new purpose, into a new vision, or are you going to keep looking back?

Some of you, you keep looking dorsum at those high school trophies that yous've got. You oasis't been in high school for 35 years. Yous actually haven't even run effectually the block in the concluding 20 years, just you're still maxim that you were the best track runner in your high schoolhouse. Yous haven't done annihilation new for the final couple of decades. It's time to stop looking back. Terminate looking back at by successes. Cease looking back at past failures. End looking dorsum at past mistakes. Stop looking back at past offenses. Stop looking dorsum at past disappointments. Stop looking back at past hurts. Finish looking back at those things that keep you stuck, it's time to get unstuck. It'south time to stride up and into the purpose and the plan of God for your life.

The affections of the Lord comes, takes you past the hand and says, look, I'yard only saying one thing. If you want to make it, if yous want to go into your spiritual Promised Country, if you want to lay agree of all of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of yous, don't look back. Stop rehearsing, stop going over information technology. End obsessively ruminating virtually it. Terminate looking at pictures of it. Some of you accept got to shut down some of those Facebook accounts. Some of you have got to stop stalking ex-spouses, ex-lovers on your Facebook accounts, on your Instagram accounts. You got to stop looking at the things that held you dorsum, and it's fourth dimension to let get, grab agree of God and footstep into the fullness of your God-given destiny and purpose.

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