Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-28
LIFE OF Lot IS
OBJECT LESSON
REV. BROUGHER SHOWS EVIL
OF FALSE GAINS
"DEAD SEA FRUIT" RESULT OF
SELFISH TRIUMPH
Pastor of Temple Baptist Church
Draws Impressive Comparison
Between Biblical and Pres
ent Day Characters

GLOW a City Official Won and Lost"
was the subject Of Rev. ]. Whitcomb
Brougher, pastor of the Temple Bap-
tist church, last evening. He said in
part:
Il have chosen Lot as a representa-
tive character. He is up-to-date. He
and his uncle Abram were moving into
a new country, when their servants
got into difficulty and Abram gave Lot
his choice of the surrounding country.
Lot selected the well-Watered plain
of Jordan in the vicinity of Sodom.
His choice was based on the desire to
get rich and win fame He finally
moved into Sodom, and evidently was
elected to a political office. Possibly
he was a judge, or city councilman,
or he may have been mayor of Sodom
Lot gained some things, but lost
others. There are two ways of doing
almost everything. There is the right
way and the wrong. The things that
Lot gained he got in the wrong way,
and, consequently lost other things of
more value than those he gained.
HE gained riches. Lot made his
choice on the basis of getting rich He
did not consult God about the matter
Abram also gained riches, but he
gained them in harmony with God S
plan for him. Lot did not secure his
wealth in that way. He simply looked
out for himself.
Preachers are sometimes criticised
for going to a large church that pays
q large salary. But a preacher, has
Just as much right to go to certain
city for large salary as a deacon, a
trustee, or any other church member
has | do not find that preachers Will
be judged by one law and deacons by
another. People seem to have the OLD
idea that if a preacher is to be kept
pious he must be kept poor.
Must Be Pious
"Most all of them must be pious
then, for it is certain that most of
them are poor. A preacher, however,
will be judged by the same law that
all other people are judged by. A
deacon. a trustee, Christian man or
woman, have no more right to base
their choices and decisions in life upon
a selfish acquisition of wealth than
does a preacher. The man who gains
his wealth without regard to God will
have to lose more than he gains.
"He gained worldly honor. He was
elected to soffice, and seems to have
held. up to a certain time an honor
able position in the community. But
4 have no doubt that Lot had to make
a compromise with the goddess and
wicked people of Sodom in order TO
gain his position. The man who rises
10 political preferment by compromis-
ing with evil, will find that he must
lose his reputation and possibly ms
moral character in order to MAINTAIN
that place Not many meR today seek
office with the unselfish desire to serve
their country or city. Not many seek
ii who would rather be right than pc
president Many who seek ofhce VIII
he neither The hour calls for men
of character in every position or power
and influence in our government. we
want men who would rather lose ana
be right than win and be wrong, put
who propose to be right and win 100.
HE gained worldly society for MS
family. His sons and daughters mar
ried into the rich and goddess families
Of Sodom. They probably belonged to
the -four hundred or the smart set
in Sodom. They may have been among
the leaders in the great social rune
tions of their day
Went in Society
1--WE know they did not have any
reputation for godliness, nevertheless
they were lin society whatever tnat
NAV mean and We're recognized for
their social standing. n
''In gaining these things, however,
they lost other things.
II believe it is possible for a Chrls-
tian man to gain riches nonorapiy, TO
attain a position of power and lnfu-
ence in the government by doing right,
and also to be influential in the social
circles of his day, without losing his
reputation for purity and uprightness.
But Lot did not seem to do this.
LOT lost the presence of God. From
che time he separated from Abram