1. Don’t Look Back!
Gen. 19:12-24

2. Genesis 19:  And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.
14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city

3. 16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:
19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.

4. 21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.
22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
24 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;
25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground

5. 26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
1. After receiving mercy from God who sent
2 angels to Lot
2. After holding the hand of an angel,
3. After being given plain language to escape,
4. After being told ‘look not behind thee’,
Lot’s wife looked back : and she
became a pillar of salt!.

6. Jesus reminds us about the veracity of this story:
Luke 17:32 32 Remember Lot's wife
Who wants their wives to be remembered
Like that?

7. Consider these scriptures that teach us ‘not to look back’.
1. Luke 9:62 62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God .. Jesus is saying:
Don’t look back!
2. Matt. 14: 28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

8. God uses a lot of ‘Don’ts in the Bible”
1. Don’t be a gossiper. (Talebearer) Lev. 19:16 Thou shalt
not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour; I am the Lord.
Prov. 10:18
18 He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.

9. 2. Don’t be a Demas ..2 Tim. 4:10 10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
Don’t love this present world. I John 2:15-17
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

10. 3. Don’t be a person who sows discord among the
Brethren. Prov. 6:  These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren
Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is for
Brethren to dwell together in unity. Cf. Eph.4:1-6
God is a God of Unity---not discord. He hates division

11. 4. Don’t forsake the assemblies. Heb.10:24,25
Hebrews 10:  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
{Psalm 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.}

12. Paul had it all right:

13. Phil. 3:1-3
1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.
3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

14. And Look how Paul was handling his
Own personal life: Phil. 3:13-14
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

15. DON’T LOOK BACK…!
Obey God and
Look Forward!!!