Casting Your Eye On Sodom — Walid Bitar

You can see my problem now. I'd like to see you. My name is Waleed Bitar. And I come from a small country called Lebanon. And it's north of Israel. And everybody knows where Israel is. It is a country that is devastated by wars.

Every five to ten years, we have either a civil war or a war with Israel. Now, I was born there from a poor family. And like every parent, my parents wanted me to become somebody in life. Go bring us money, dineros.

So we can live like the West. And it happened in our family that there was only one that has no interest in studying. And that's your friend standing over here. All I was interested in was motorcycles and girls.

And so I flunked elementary school. And then I flunked secondary school. And I flunked high school. And I flunked every school that you can send me to. But God has a plan. At the age of 20, I became a drug addict.

And for 20 years, I struggled with drugs. I left Lebanon to go to Saudi Arabia to work over there, thinking that my life will change. And I worked there for 11 years. But I was still a drug addict. So I decided to go to America, join the gringos there.

But I forgot one thing, that I am taking myself with me. And that was my problem. I went to Florida, and my drug addiction increased. And I became suicidal. I wanted to kill myself. Every day, I say tomorrow.

From Drug Addiction to Healing by Jesus

And one day, as I was working in a restaurant, the cook there was a Christian. He looked at me, and he said, my friend, I love you very much. But if you die today, you will be in the pit of hell. And I challenged that thought.

No way, I'm such a nice guy. I give you money. I'm better than our next-door neighbor. And then he explained to me that it is not by works that I can be saved. Time went on, and I struggled with that thought for months and months.

If I die today, I am going to be in the pit of hell. I could not sleep properly for that thought. Then one day, I said, I am going to challenge this God of the Bible. And I knelt down on my knees, and I said, oh, God, if you are truly Jesus Christ mentioned in the Bible, and you heal people, if you heal me, I will teach your word until the day I die.

And there you are. I'm just before you. He healed me instantaneously. I never went to a hospital, nor had anything to do with a patch or anything else. I was saved and healed by the blood of Jesus. Hallelujah.

Jesus’ Warning About the Coming Kingdom and Judgment

I want you to turn your Bibles with me to Luke chapter 17. Luke chapter 17. And verses 20. Luke says, being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God will come, he answered them, the kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, look here it is, or there.

For behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you. 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 you will not see it. And they will say to you, look there, or look here.

Do not go out or follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage until the day when Noah entered the ark. And the flood came and destroyed them all.

Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot, they were eating and drinking and buying and selling, planting and building. But on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all.

So will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop with his goods in the house not come down to take them away. And likewise, let the one who is in the field not return back.

Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life will keep it. May God bless to us the reading. Our Father, I am so grateful that you have allowed me to come all the way from Lebanon to speak about your goodness towards me.

Oh Father, you are so kind. I am humbled by your mercy. Father, bless this time. Help me as helpless as I am. Speak through me in Jesus' name. Amen. Now in this passage, Jesus gave a warning. Remember Lot's wife.

Lot’s Escape from Sodom in Genesis 19

The story of Lot is described to us in the book of Genesis chapter 19. Now if you don't know the story, I'll give you a little. Two angels went to Sodom. Lot took them to his house. The men of Sodom came to Lot to take the two men to sleep with them.

Lot offered his daughters instead. The men said, no way. Angels struck men with blindness. Then the angels took Lot and his wife and his family and asked them to leave the place. Scripture tells us, but Lot lingered.

But Lot lingered. So angels took Lot, his wife and his daughters by the hand and told them, escape with your life. Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plains. Escape to the mountains. Then the Lord rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah out of heaven.

And Lot's wife looked behind him and she became a pillar of salt. Luke tells us that the Lord gave a warning to the people around him. He says, remember Lot's wife. Remember Lot's wife. And I ask this question, my friends.

The Warning of Lot’s Wife and Christ’s Second Coming

Why, Lord, do you want us to remember Lot's wife? The Bible says Lot's wife was a professor of religion. Her husband was a righteous man. She left Sodom with Lot on the day when Sodom was destroyed. She looked back towards the city against God's command.

She was struck dead at once and turned into pillar of salt. The Lord Jesus points to her, talking to his disciples. He says, remember Lot's wife. It is a warning, my dear brothers and sisters. It's a warning for us too.

Young, old, tall, short. This warning is all for you. Look at this thought. He did not tell us to remember Abraham, nor Isaac, nor Jacob, nor Sarah. He singled out one whose soul is lost forever. He cried out, remember Lot's wife.

It's a great warning if we consider the subject he was talking about. He was talking about his second coming to judge the world. He is describing the terrible state of unreadiness in which many will be found in.

The last days were on his mind. These days you are living in. Remember Lot's wife. It's a warning for us as if we are in danger of forgetting the subject. And what is the subject? Jesus Christ is coming back.

Are you ready? Are you ready? It's amazing how many people in the world are not ready today. Let us learn some lessons from Lot's wife. And this evening I want to speak to you young people. I can see many young people here.

Religious Privileges Cannot Save the Soul

Young people, the first lesson you have to learn is that Lot's wife had many religious privileges. The religious privileges that Lot's wife enjoyed did not save her. You know in the days of Abraham and Lot, through saving faith or knowledge of the true God was scarce in the land.

Why? There was no Bibles, no pastors, no churches, no missionaries, no tracts. The knowledge of God was confined to a few favored families. This great part of the world was living in darkness, in sin, ignorance.

And so are many of us in this world. Compare the millions of people that lived in her time. I say to you Lot's wife was a favored woman. She had Abraham and Lot and both of them are believers, godly men, lovers of God.

The faith, knowledge, and the prayer of these people she heard and saw in action. It is impossible for this woman not to see Abraham and Lot talking about this God, Lot's wife. Religion with Abraham was not a business like it is today.

It was the ruling principle of his life. All these things Lot's wife might have seen and heard, she has heard them pray. When Abraham received the promises from God, Lot's wife was there. When Lot was taken captive and God through Abraham brought him back, she was there.

When the angels came to Sodom, she was there. When angels took them by the hand and led them outside and said, escape with your life, she was there. Once again, I say to you young people, Lot's wife was a privileged woman.

So what good effect has all these privileges on her heart? None at all. With all the opportunities and means of grace and with all the special warnings that came from God, she lived and died graceless, godless, and not believing.

The eyes of her understanding were not open, remember Lot's wife. Her conscience was not quickened. Her will was never in obedience to the will of God. Her affections were not set on things above. She was a lost woman.

The world was in her heart and her heart was in the world. I see a lesson over here, don't you? A very important one for us. Many of our churches today are lukewarm. Many of you come to church and see godly people.

Yet, you are not saved. You're just like Lot's wife. You need to learn that only having religious privileges do not save your soul. You may go to church, you may get married to a leader, you may teach Sunday school, live in the midst of light, and yet you can be not saved.

It takes more than privileges to save your soul. Joab was David's captain. Judas was Christ's disciple. They all died in their sin. So brothers and sisters, if you have religious privileges, make sure they produce fruit in your heart.

If not, they will do damage. Remember Lot's wife. Many of you children, your parents are pastors, missionaries. Your parents do great job for the kingdom of God, yet you are not saved. Many of the children I know, they hate Christianity because daddy is not home for me.

Once again, I say to you, privileges do not make people Christians. It's only the grace of the living God. Without grace, no man will be saved or see the kingdom. You see, if your mother, your father, your sister, your brother, your neighbor is a Christian, you cannot go to heaven on their account.

You must be born again. May God have mercy on us this day. Remember Lot's wife. She has many privileges. Many at her time did not have those privileges. Without saving faith in Jesus, you will never make it to heaven.

Lot’s Look Back as Disobedience and Unbelief

Let me now look at the sin of Lot's wife. What did she do? The sin that Lot's wife committed, what is it? The scripture gives us a very brief description of it. The Bible said, she looked back from behind her husband and she became a pillar of salt.

Now listen to me. Does this sin, she looked back, seem small in your eyes? This is how many Christians feel about it. Allow me to reason with you about this look. That look seems a little thing, but it reveals the true character of Lot's wife.

Do you remember the fruit that Eve ate? Does that look like something so horrendous that she made? But look at the result. Look what happened to us. Disobedience. The look of Lot's wife seems little, but it speaks of disobedience of Lot's wife.

The command that the angel gave was very clear. Do not look behind. And she refused to obey. How many of you refuse to obey God on a daily basis? The Holy Spirit says that to obey is better than sacrifice.

And that rebellion is as a sin of witchcraft. Man's duty is to obey God's word. You know in this world, God made physical laws and spiritual laws. I'll tell you this little story. Every one of you knows that there is a law of gravity.

And if you throw something up, it must come down. And that is a law that you all respect. So I'm not going to see anybody going up to the balcony, throwing himself from there, expecting himself to fly.

You'll be crazy. Nobody will do that. So you respect the law that God has given us. Because you know the consequences of that law. But there are laws that God made and they are spiritual laws. And they are put for you to respect also.

But because you don't see the consequences of those laws, you do not respect them. And you do not obey them. And that's the problem with man. He doesn't believe the word of God. When God says do not cheat, He was not joking with you.

When God says do not commit adultery, He was not joking with you. It is for your own good. Remember Lot's wife. The Lord have mercy on us. The look of Lot's wife seemed to be a little thing, but it speaks of a proud unbelief in the heart of this woman.

She seems to doubt that God was really going to destroy Sodom. And many of you do not believe that God is coming back to judge you. Remember Lot's wife. The look seems a little thing, but it speaks of a secret love of the world in her heart.

Worldliness as Enmity Against God

Her heart was in Sodom, though her body was outside. She looked back to the place where her treasures are. Now my friend, Scripture says, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity against God?

If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. You know what I'm trying to do here? I'm trying to help you to understand the point Jesus wants you to understand. He's emphasizing a point.

He says, remember Lot's wife in her worldliness. Remember Lot's wife in her worldliness. Our churches today look like the world, sadly. Most churches are social clubs. Most churches are man-centered instead of God-centered.

Now if you come to Jesus, my brothers and sisters, you need to forget about the world and its pleasures and its lusts. The disease of the church today is worldliness. We look like the world in our actions, in our beliefs.

Sometimes we caught worldly proverbs. Many people today are like Lot's wife. They come to church. But let me tell you something about Lot's wife, my friends. You understand Lot's wife was not a murderer.

She was not a thief. She was not a bad woman. She professed to be a believer. Many of us has done more sins than Lot's wife. She was not a thief. Many of you are baptized, but you are not saved. Many will come for a season and then leave.

They catch this disease, the love of the world. It's all over the world, this love. Many of you speak Christianese. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah, brother! Remember Lot's wife. We have a desire to go to heaven.

But without Jesus. We have a desire to be a Christian. But without suffering. No one wants to suffer for Jesus. Many will leave and join the world in unbelief. Finally, my brothers, I want to look at the judgment that God gave Lot's wife.

Sudden Judgment and the Reality of Eternal Life

The word of God says, God turned her into a pillar of salt. A miracle has to happen here to turn this woman into a pillar of salt. Can you see the miracle? I mean the woman was healthy. She was alive.

And all of a sudden, she was fine. Sudden death came upon her. And listen to me, young people. Sudden death can come to anybody. Whether you are young or old, it can come. She did not have a chance to repent.

Young people many a times think, I still have time to play. I can go party. I spent my life in nightclubs with my friends. I worked in Saudi Arabia for years and years. Made a lot of money and spent it in nightclubs.

Just an empty person. Nothing satisfied my heart. I was drunk and stoned every day of my life. The truth is, there is one year of my life, my friends, I have not seen the sun coming up. It was all night.

I sleep during the day and wake up at night and go to the nightclub again. And that was my life. And now I'm here to tell you, don't do what I did. Because it is bad. It is bad. You know, we have something in the state on television.

They show a guy frying two eggs. And then the announcer says, if this is you, you are on drugs. That's what happens to your brains. Like the two fried eggs. And that's what happened to me. I read the Bible every day, my friends.

I cannot retain much in my mind. God, by his grace, has to remind me of every scripture that I read to you on stage. Because 20 years of drugs fried my brains. I want to remember Lot's wife. Young people, God did not promise anyone tomorrow.

It's always today. Today, if you hear his voice, if you hear God speaking to you through his word, do not harden your heart. Many young people at the age of four or five got saved. For the gospel is the power of God unto salvation.

Preach the word. It is time for us to think seriously about the reality of eternal life. Hell is a real place. The Lord spoke about hell more than any other subject, I think. Don't go there. He talked about hell, fire, eternal damnation, the place of torment, outer darkness, the warm that never dies.

Don't go there. Don't go there. You know, Jesus in Luke 17 was speaking about coming back to judge the world. And I remember one day preaching in Lebanon from 2 Peter. And Peter spoke about heaven and the earth that now exists.

Holiness in Light of the Coming Judgment

They are stored up for fire, being kept till the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. I preached this message to pastors, pastors who are corrupt. If you truly believe, I said to them, the world is going to perish.

And I'm talking to you, too. If you truly believe the world is going to perish and be destroyed, what manner of people ought you to be in godliness and holiness? You tell me. How can you believe this and still be corrupt?

How can you work six days a week like the worldly people, like the heathens, and come to church on Sunday and say, praise the Lord, hallelujah. Nobody will believe you. If this is Christianity, I don't want to be a Christian, they say.

Remember, lots of life. According to the word of God, we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth. And it says where righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since we are waiting for these things to happen, be diligent to be found in him without spot or blemish at peace.

Are you there? Are you listening to me? If you have hope in you, purify. If you believe the word of God, purify your heart. For it is the will of your father in heaven that you should be pure. I want to end.

Forgive me. I was in London, and I had cold, and I was walking. It was hot air, cold air, and I am under the weather. Yet I want to tell you this. One day we made a survey going to young people in the university.

Pursuing Eternal Life Above Earthly Success

And I love you, young people. I pray that God will save every one of you. I'll see you in glory. And I used to go to students like this young man here, and I ask, Brother, why do you labor and study? And I ask the parents, why do you pay so much money for your children to get an education?

And they study, and they study, and they take pills to wake up, and coffee, and this and that, and study years and years and years. And why do you do that, my friends? And the answer came for a better future.

And rightly so, I agree with you. I want you to study and become better people. And then the guy I was talking to, he says, Yeah, I want to get married. I want to have a good wife. I want a house for her.

I want a car. I want, oh, then here comes the bambinos. The children came. I want them to study. I want them to learn dancing. And I want them to play basketball. And I want all these things for my family.

And rightly so, I believe you. I want you to be prosperous in God's will. Then I looked at them and says, Well, my brothers, my sisters, you labor, and labor, and labor, and all that for a better future.

And the Bible says that the average life of a person on earth is 70 years. And if you are strong, maybe 80. Some people die at 40, 20, 100. There is no 200 over here, is there? No. We know that. So there you are, my friends.

The day will come every single one of you will stand there. And then I ask the question, If you labor so much for your 70 years on earth, what are you doing for your eternal life? What are you doing for your eternal life?

I'm asking you now. I'm speaking to you, you up there. What are you doing for your eternal life? You know how many people in the church work? Maybe five or six. And the rest will say, Well, the pastor can do it.

That's about it. Left you on earth for a purpose. He didn't leave you on earth to make money. The goal of your life is to glorify God. How are you doing? What is happening here? God loves you with an everlasting love.

He said, I love you and you. And I came to die for you. I gave my life for you. What has thou given for him? What did you give for him? What are you going to give for him? You tell me. Remember, Lot's wife.

Examining the Heart and Rejecting Idolatry

Ask the question. I'll leave this for your conscience. For God wants us to examine ourselves. Examine our hearts. When you come to know Jesus, what a blessed man you are. There is no blessing that exceeds the knowledge of the living God.

There is no money. Many people know that we have celebrities in America. And many of them, the Hollywood people, have lots and lots of money. And if you read their stories, you will see how many of them commit suicide.

I one time told the story to my sister. She lives in America. And she is a six million dollar woman. How much more do you want to be happy? One million more. And it's always one million more. It is appointed upon man once to die.

And then what? Judgment. You will not take it with you. The best thing to do is send it before you. Use it for the glory of God. Support missionaries. Ask your heart. You know you can, an average Christian, you can beat him, you can insult him, you can punch him, you can do anything to him.

And he will not bulge unless you start hitting his pocketbook. Then he will get mad at you. And many of us are like this. We have this God of the dollar in our lives. We are idol worshippers. We believe that money will make us happy.

Yet many of you are not. Remember, Lot's wife. Come to Jesus. Come to this awesome God that has so much mercy on you. Am I making you unease? I came here not to please you, but to please the God that sent me.

And I want you not to be comfy. That's not my goal, to make you happy. My goal is to make you holy. That's what God wants you to be, holy. That's my message for you. Remember Lot's wife and her worldliness.

Get this disease out of your churches. Worldliness. Don't look like the world. You are a holy people. Unique, separated. When people look at you, they should see Jesus there. And if they don't, you have a problem.

You know, the more you hear, the more you are accountable. So that's why I'm going to stop and ask God to bless you. And I thank God for you inviting me. May the Lord bring into your country a great revival as we have heard in church history.

And I do thank you in Jesus' name.