Intoxicated With Babylon-Chapter Three — Steve Gallagher

The following interview was originally recorded for the Purity for Life radio broadcast. For additional interviews with Steve Gallagher and podcasts of the Purity for Life program, visit our website at purelifeministries .org.

Abraham's Call to Separate From Worldliness

Steve, as we begin our discussion on the issue of worldliness, we want to turn to your book, Intoxicated with Babylon, as you laid out there a really excellent example of worldliness with the discussion of the relationship between Abraham and Lot.

For our listeners who may not be familiar with that history, why don't you begin with Abraham himself?

Well, Mike, a few weeks ago we touched on the place that the Tower of Babel played in the history of Satan's attack against God's people, and how Nimrod established a society outside of God's authority, and he did all of that in the area we now call Mesopotamia.

It was in that very fertile area of Mesopotamia that Abraham was born, really not long after Nimrod died. So Abraham was born into this very wicked culture in Mesopotamia that had been so led into rebellion by Nimrod, and scripture is pretty quiet about his early days, his early years.

Actually, we don't pick up the story of Abraham until he was, I think, 70 years old when he received the call from God to come out of Mesopotamia. You know, in fact, the words that are used by scripture really describe what it's like for a godly person to be consecrated.

It says in Hebrews 11, 8, By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going. Well, that's describing a process of separation from the ungodly culture that surrounds us all.

You know, I mean, that's really what Abraham did to show his faith in God in the first place.

Lot Chooses Prosperity Near Sodom

And Abraham did not go alone. Talk to us about Lot and what happened in their relationship as Abraham was called out.

Well, Lot also had some kind of an experience with God, and so he decided to attach himself and his family to Abraham as they left Mesopotamia and headed into this uncharted region. And Lot followed along, and you know, over the years or however long of a period of time, he was blessed, and his herds grew and multiplied and so on, as did Abraham's.

And Lot was blessed. There came a point where there was a crisis because Lot's servants began arguing with Abraham's servants, and so Lot was faced with a decision. Either I am going to submit myself to Abraham and demand that all my servants do the same, or I'm going to have to separate myself and go my own way, and that's what he chose to do.

So talk to us about the ultimate decision that Lot did make and what that may have revealed about his heart.

Lot had a choice. He could either go west or east, and he looked out over the Jordan Valley and saw that it was well-watered. Back in those days, it was very lush, and even though it contained the wicked societies of Sodom and Gomorrah, he could not pass up the prosperity that was there, and so that's the direction he took his family.

Now Lot finds himself, his family, in this city. The city is then attacked, and once again his uncle Abraham comes to his defense.

Yes, you know, it's interesting how he, first of all, he moved into the Jordan Valley, and then next we hear he's living in the area of Sodom, and then finally he ends up living in the city. And it was actually when he was living in the environs of the city, right outside the city, that it was attacked by some rival kings, and they were all hauled off, and yes, Abraham tracked them down and saved his foolish nephew and restored him.

And once again, Lot was, you know, he had the opportunity, this really was a spiritual wake-up call for Lot and his wife, you know, showing them where his foolish decisions were going to take him. But once again, he saw the choice between the city life and boring life of his uncle, and he chose the city life and moved, at that point, moved right into the city.

The World's Lie About Boredom and Pleasure

Man, I can think how many times in our sin have we actually thought to ourselves, well gosh, if I do everything God's asking me to do, how boring would my life be?

Well, that's the way it seems when you're looking at it through carnal eyes, you know, and when you haven't yet seen the glories and the joy of serving the Lord and that intimacy, people settle for a worldly life and a casual relationship with God, and then they tell themselves they're really godly, and it's just not true.

Yeah, and of course we have a culture that keeps pounding us with this idea that, well, if you don't have this, if you're not doing these things, if you're not enjoying this thing, then life would be boring.

So that really is the lie that's infiltrated almost every aspect of especially the American culture.

Well, that's what this book is all about, is showing how the spirit of the world has gotten into the church, into the body of Christ, and is deceiving people and leading them astray and drawing them into the pagan culture around us and weakening their faith, if not completely destroying it.

Judgment on Sodom and Abraham's Intercession

But of course there is always a consequence to turning away from God and turning to the things of this world, and Lot and his family certainly faced those in Sodom.

Well, you know, this kind of wickedness draws upon itself judgment. It's only a matter of time. And that's what happened. God decided that it was time to step in. There was too much wickedness going on in Sodom and Gomorrah, so he sent these two angels, and Abraham saw what was going on, so he began interceding for his nephew.

And it was only his intercessions that saved Lot. That's all that saved him, because Abraham stepped in between judging God and all of these wicked people. He stepped in there and started pleading with God to have mercy on anyone who would show the slightest willingness to obey God.

And out of all of those two cities, all that he could find were four people, and of those four, one of them ended up being destroyed anyway.

And you know, Lot, even still in this situation, he was still reluctant to leave.

Well that's what the Word says. I mean, it says that he hesitated, and that word in the Greek literally does mean that he was very reluctant to move. He did not want to leave Sodom, even with these two angels warning him that they were about to destroy the city.

He was so attached to it, and so in love with what the city gave him, that he didn't want to go. And I don't think his family wanted to go either, but it says that the angels grabbed him by the hand and drug him out of there.

And again, it only happened because of the prayers of his uncle.

Lot's Wife and the Cost of Looking Back

And of course, for those who have spent any time in the Word of God, who are familiar with this story, we all must remember Lot's wife.

And Lot's wife, just in the final end, would not let go of the city life of Sodom in her heart, and was destroyed along with all the other wicked people.

Abraham, Lot, and Lot's Wife as Spiritual Examples

Well, Stephen, in the time we have left, let's look at some of the lessons that we can learn from Sodom.

Well, there's basically three examples that we can derive from this story. First, there's Abraham, who illustrates what a life of faith and consecration should be. He was determined to follow God, to obey God, and to live a life pleasing to God, no matter what it cost him personally.

And then there's Lot, and he represents worldly, lukewarm Christians, who ostensibly are followers of Christ, but really, in their hearts, they love the things of this world. And that's what they're devoted to in their hearts.

Lot could not give up the world. That's the bottom line. The benefits were too good to pass up, and he just could not get himself to let go of those things, and he paid a terrible price. He ended up living in a cave with his two daughters, getting them both pregnant, and you don't hear anything else about Lot for the rest of his life.

He was a defeated Christian. Whatever that meant in the eternal, I don't know, but he was definitely a picture of a defeated Christian. And then there's his wife, who represents the unconverted amongst us, those who learn how to mimic the things of Christianity, but have never given their heart to God at all.

And when it comes right down to it, they are always going to make the choice to follow the things of this world.

Testing Whether Our Love Is for Christ or the World

Now, I'm going to ask the hard question. You just mentioned that you don't know what Lot's life represented in the eternal, but you know, there are many, Steve, as you well know, it's obvious by the fact that you've written this book, that there are many that call themselves Christians who are not willing to let go of the things of this world.

Ought they really to be calling themselves Christians?

Well, not if the real love of their heart is this world. And, you know, the proof really is in the pudding, that I guess we can see what we really love by what we're giving our lives over to, you know, any given day.

What's most of our focus on? What's most of our interest in? What are we doing with our time and money? Those are the kinds of things that really show where our heart is. Jesus said, where your heart is, there will your treasure be also.

The title of the book is Intoxicated with Babylon, the Seduction of God's People in the Last Days, and that of course is available in our web store at purelifeministries .org. Steve Gallagher, thanks so much.

That's a subject I love to talk about. Amen.