Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
January 27, 2002 - W0204

Although we live in an uncertain and volatile time since 9-11, God tells us that we must have confidence: ìDo not throw away your confidence, which has a great rewardî (Heb. 10:35). For confidence is an expression of faith. In fact, the word ìconfidenceî comes from the Latin word confidere, meaning faith. To proclaim our faith in a shaky world, we must have confidence!

Confidence is a natural result of a life of order. Normally, life has a certain orderólike the sun rising and setting, the earth rotating, and ebb and flow of the tides. This natural order gives us a sense of normalcy and dependability, where we can be confident that life is going to be okay. If that order is broken, however, we lose faith. Weíre no longer confident, or faithful, and that reflects in our decisionsÖ especially in a shaky world.

This is clear in the Bible story about Lot. God shows us that Lotís life was so out of order that Lot had a hard time obeying and believing in God. Lot lacked the faith to follow God and violated three important laws: the laws of confidence. Through Lotís poor choices, letís learn valuable lessons for our own lives. Here are the inviolable laws we must adhere to with everything weíve got!

THE LAWS OF CONFIDENCE:

I.                  ORDER IN MORALITY.

The first important order that Lot violated was in his morality. He was living in one of the most sinful areas of all historyóSodom and Gomorrah. In fact, so notorious was this area for its sin that we still refer to it today and itís become a clichÈ, ìLike Sodom and Gomorrah.î Lot moved there and their immoral lifestyle permeated his own lifestyle, even though he knew God.

One evening two guests (angels in disguise) arrived at Lotís house. They had come to save Lot from the destruction God was about to pour upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Meantime, Lotís neighbors came banging on his door, demanding his guests to come out and have immoral relations with them. Lot knew that wasnít acceptable, but his response was equally immoral: ìBehold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roofî (Gen. 19:8).

Lot knew he couldnít give in to their immorality, but he became immoral himself when he offered his daughters. He upheld the laws of hospitality, but committed a much more serious violationóhe violated the order of Godís morality. Thatís the first red light we see in Lotís life.

Though that sounds outlandish, itís something we have to watch for in our own lives. There are times when we willingly go outside of Godís will and break the order of morality. Itís especially easy to slip in the area of sex. So we have to be extra careful there: ìRun away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own bodyî (1 Cor. 6:18 NLT).

Sexual sin can have tremendous impact on our future because one impulsive act can destroy our destinyóall God has planned for us. Just one! God warns us that this one sin is more destructive than any other because ìNo other sin so affects the body as this one.î

But the world we live in is a lot like Lotísófull of sexual immorality. In fact, we can almost grow immune to it because itís so common; weíre almost blind to it, and much more accepting of it. And like Lot, we allow it to permeate our own lifestylesówhat we listen to on the radio, how we dress, and what we watch.

Question 1: Do you agree with the statement that we live in a sexually immoral world? Why/not? Support your opinion with real life evidence.

Question 2: Assess how well youíre honoring God in the order of morality. Examine the things you listen to or watch, what you wear, what you do, what you say and even what you think about. How do you fare? Your family?

If we want Godís blessings as His children, we need to abide by His greater laws and His order of morality. We cannot simply give in and be affected by what society deems acceptable. Our confidence and our faith only comes by living according to Godís order.

Some of you may feel itís all right to have sexual relations before marriage even though you know Godís laws are being violated. Be careful because when you get married the Bible says, ìA man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two shall be come one.î You become one and begin to build a new foundation. Therefore, you set a new code in your family and if you say it is permissible to violate Godís laws, then that is the legacy you pass to your children.

Remember, the Bible says that the sins of a father can be passed down to the fourth generation. So be sure to build on Godís laws and moral order so that you leave a legacy for your next generation. This will also give you tremendous confidence in your own life.

Question 3: What legacy are you building to pass on to your children? Does it honor God?

The first important order we must establish in our lives is the order of morality. Once this foundation is set within us, weíre ready to build the next level of order:

II.               ORDER IN OUR HOMES.

Here are three verses that offer three ìsnapshotsî of what Lotís home looked likeóand itís not pretty!

ìLot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, ëHurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!í But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.î (Gen. 19:14 NIV)

ìBut Lotís wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.î (Gen. 19:26)

ìOne day the older daughter said to the younger, ëOur father is old, and there is no man around here to lie with us, as is the custom all over the earth.íî (Gen. 19:31)

In one we see his future sons-in-law laughing at his advice, in the second his wife turns into a pillar of salt because she disobeyed Godís instructions, and in the last one his daughters cook up a terrible scheme to sleep with him since no other men are around. Yikes! Hardly a happy home!

Lot obviously violated the second order in life: the order in his home. Although he was the head of his home, the evidence shows that he really wasnít. Had he established order in his home, life couldíve turned out much different for his family.

The order of our homes is something we as parents, or as the head of your household (if youíre a single mom or a single person), must set forth for your family. Here are three top priorities to put in place and into practice:

1.     GOD

Place God first always and in everything: ìChrist is the head of the church, which is His BodyÖso He is first in everythingî (Col. 1:18 NLT). Nothing else in life, and I mean absolutely nothing else should come before the Lord in your life: ìI am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before meî (Ex. 20:1-3 NIV).

The best thing you can do for your spouse and your family is to stay close to the Lord. If God is your priority, you will be constantly hearing from Him. This will help you to make the best possible decisions for your family at all times.

Question 4: How are you placing God in first place of your life?  

Question 5: If ìloveî is spelled t-i-m-e, how much time do you spend with God daily?  

2.     SPOUSE

Your spouse is so important to God that He places them as a priority second to One: Himself. ìWives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the LordÖHusbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for herÖî (Eph. 5:22,25) Women are to submit to their husbands and men are to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Itís a beautiful submission thatís mutually bestowed by both spouses upon the other.  

By loving your spouse and placing them as the second top priority, youíll establish a loving order in your home that will provide such security. And thatís a home security system you canít buy, guaranteed by God Himself. Make sure youíre spending quality time with your spouse, devoted to loving your spouse daily.

Question 6: If ìloveî is spelled t-i-m-e, how much time do you spend with your spouse daily?

3.     FAMILY

The third priority for the home is the family itself. Providing spiritual, emotional, mental and physical as well as communal needs is a must, and that has to begin in the home. ìBut if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.î (1 Tm. 5:8)  

Also, for the family to function well, God has designed that children learn from and respect their parents: ìChildren, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and motherówhich is the first commandment with a promiseóthat it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.î (Eph. 6:1-3) This allows for the best, easiest functioning of the family. That way everyone knows the order of the home. Spend time prioritizing your family in your life. 

Question 7: Who is your family? If ìloveî is spelled t-i-m-e, how much time do you honestly spend with your family every day/week?

Question 8: How do you communicate to your family that they are a priority?

Establishing Godís order for your homeóGod, spouse, familyówill strengthen you to be able to make it to the end. Make sure you and your family are always aligned with these three non-negotiable life priorities. That way your home will be in order and youíll be confident when you go forth, even in the midst of a shaky world.

As this comes into placeófirst the order of morality and then the order of the homeóyou must also establish the final order in your life:

III.           ORDER IN OUR FAITH.

The angels had one assignment: save Lot. But Lot refused: ìAnd when the morning dawned, the angels urged LotÖbut he hesitated. So the men seized his handÖ for the compassion of the Lord was upon himÖî (Gen. 19:15,16) ot hesitated when the angels promised him that the place was about to go sky high!

This last snapshot of Lotís life and legacy is not a very happy ending. His hesitation shows a lack of faith, even when God spoke so directly into his life. Down to the very end, Lotís life was out of order. He lacked confidence and couldnít receive direction even when it grabbed him by the hand!

How often are we like Lot, where we find ourselves saying, ìHow little can I do and still get by? How little can I give and still be blessed? How little can I obey and still have Godís favor?î

If you have ever been up to the top of Diamond Head, there is a sign along the trail that reads, ìStay on the path, donít take shortcuts, it causes erosion.î The same is true in our lives: If we take shortcuts, we risk eroding our family, our confidence, and our faith. Though it might be tempting, donít take the easy route! It will cost you in the long run, just as it cost Lot.

Make sure youíve established the order of faith in your life, so that youíre actively living in relationship with the Living God. When youíve established God in first placeóas Lord of your every thought, word and actionóthe next step is to make your faith alive and active. Then you will have fulfilled Godís order for your life and you will find that your life is impenetrable to the ways of the world or the wiles of the enemy. Youíll have a well-ordered life based on the Rock!

Question 9: Where would you like to see your faith improved? How can you do so today?

When you come to Christ, He gives you His order, His laws of confidence, a sense of dependability and says, ìAlign yourself with Me.î It may involve a little pain to set your life in order, but ìto him who orders his ways aright to him the fullness of God will be givenî (Ps. 50:23). Then watch as Godís healing flows freely to your life, to your family, and to your heart.

Yes, you can find confidence, even in a shaky world if you order your ways aright and cooperate with Him. His invitation is open; will you say yes?

Final Question: What impacted you most from this lesson? How you change because of it?

Thanks to Rhonda Pang! (Sermon summaries are 100% sheer volunteer effort!)