SOUTHSIDE CHURCH OF CHRIST

By: Wayne Wise

2 Peter 2:6-8

2 Peter 2:7-9

• “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation (behavior) of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.)

• Define - Vex: To irritate, to plague, to torment, to harass, to afflict, to disturb, to disquiet, to agitate, to trouble, distress.

What became of Lot’s Soul?

• Is was irritated

• Plagued

• Tormented

• Harassed

• Disturbed

• Agitated

• Questions: – What caused this irritation?

What caused Lot’s soul to be irritated?

Genesis 18:16-19:26

• Lot’s story … Genesis 18:16-ff

• Abraham had just been blessed – Angels visited Abraham & Sarah with news of Issac

• Now the angels turn to the city of Sodom to punish it for its grievous sin … *18:16, 20

• Note the contrast between Abraham & Sodom– 18:17-20

• Abraham’s “hopeful” (naïve?) nature Abraham’s Hopeful Nature

• Was Abraham doubtful of God or Hopeful for Sodom? *18:25

• What was Abraham plea bargaining for?

*18:25– A city full or corruption.

*19:4-5; 9– A city that influenced Lot’s thinking (?)

*19:8– A city that caused ruin to Lot’s wife

*19:26– A city that influenced his daughters

*19:35-36– What was Abraham thinking as he “returned to his place” v. 33?

• Was he naïve?

How Lot Vexed His Soul
2 Peter 2:6-8

Lot became Desensitized

• Over time, Lot (especially his family) became desensitized to the Nature of Sin

• When we view sin daily we fail to see its “Ugliness”

• Following is a picture of the world’s ugliest dog

• The owner loves the dog– She parades it around Hollywood– She even dresses it…– Has she forgotten how ugly this dog is???

Lot became desensitized to the Ugly Nature of Sin

When we step back and view sin we can all agree to the terrible nature & consequences of sin

• Problem is … few times do we “step back” to see where sin is taking us

• Consequently we find ourselves walking in darkness … Eph. 2:2 1 Peter 2:9

I. Dwelling Among Them

• Lot was a double minded Christian. He was unstable in judgment. Genesis 19:8

• His wife proved to be unstable

*19:26

• His daughters proved to be unstable

*19:32

• He was trying to be a two master Christian–

Mt. 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.”

• Lot socialized with the unsaved.

Lot & the Influence of Sodom

• 1 Corinthians 15:33

• 2 Corinthians 6:14

• 1 John 2:15-17

• 2 Timothy 2:4

• Gen. 19:1 – “…Lot sat in the gate of Sodom:”

– Proverbs 31:23

Gen. 19:1 “…Lot sat in the gate of Sodom:”

• He was a community leader

• His kids probably went to the public schools of Sodom.

• He may have belonged to the civic organizations

• He probably dressed like the residents of Sodomn

• The word dwelling means to abide

• Little by Little … he was “under the influence”

“In Seeing” … 2 Peter 2:8

• Lot and his family saw all the wickedness that went on in Sodom• Sodom was a city of homosexuals, sex perverts, social deviates and every imaginable wickedness

• Lot saw all of this before his eyes each and every day “vexed his righteous soul from day to day”

• What happen was that Lot got use to it and it became second nature to him

• Lot became oblivious to it

• It became a way of life to Lot and his familyChristians do the same thing today

• They vex their souls by watching television, movies, and videos–

Where all kinds of sex perversion including homosexuals are depicted as the normal way of life.

Where violence and rebellion against authority are depicted as the normal way of life.

Where adultery and fornication ( sex outside of marriage) are depicted as the normal way of life

• They constantly place wickedness before their eyes.

What happens is that the Christian becomes numb to it.

He can’t hear the Holy Spirit any more.
He can’t feel the quenching and grieving of the Holy Spirit.30 Eph 4:30 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

“And Hearing” … 2 Peter 2:8

• Lot vexed his soul day by day by listening to the filth around him

• His hearing became dull

• He could no longer hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit

• He could only hear the voice of wickedness that encompassed him at SodomChristians do the same thing today.

• Listening to the dirty jokes and cursing at work without saying anything about it.

• Listening to worldly music … then promoting it with sales & purchases Our relationship to Christ & the world

• Col 2:11 “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:”

• Romans 6:6 “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” The Influence of the Holy Spirit or the Body???

• Now, the soul has choice to come under the influence of the Holy Spirit or the body.

• So, today, when a believer today vexes his soul –

What he is doing is putting his soul in a position where the wicked flesh can have more of an influence on it than the Holy Spirit. As Christians, as children of God we are told not to vex our soul day by day.

• 2 Corinthians 4:16 – “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”“inward man is renewed day by day.”

• We cannot renew the inward man day by day by dwelling among the wicked, seeing and hearing their wickedness and filth.