From the sermon preached on September 20, 2026
Walking by faith means believing God enough to give Him your time, trusting that nothing is too hard for Him, and praying for the people you love while you wait. In Genesis 18 and 19, Abraham (the patriarch God called to follow Him into Canaan) models that kind of faith, while his nephew Lot shows what happens when a believer's heart slowly settles into the world.
Barry Mershon, Lead Pastor of Believers' Chapel in Murfreesboro, opened this message with a confession. Over the years he lost three close friends from childhood and seminary who had trusted Christ, then stopped walking with the Lord, and all three died too soon. He called it a sad legacy, and he called this sermon a warning to his own heart first.
That warning sits beside a promise the church holds firmly: eternal security. Jesus does not give temporary life; He gives eternal life, yet every believer will still give an account for how that life was spent.
Abraham and Lot were both righteous in God's eyes, but only one of them finished well. Set side by side, their stories show that walking by faith is the daily choice to let God, not the world, shape what you love.
How Does Praying for Unsaved Family Members Grow Out of Real Faith?
Genesis 18 opens with Abraham sitting at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. When the Lord appeared with two angels, Abraham ran to meet them, hurried Sarah (his wife) to bake cakes, and ran to the herd to choose a calf for the meal. Then he stood beside them while they ate, ready to serve.
Barry Mershon drew a simple truth from that scene: walking by faith means spending real time and energy on fellowship with God. He admitted he does not always wake up excited to pray, so he asks the Holy Spirit to turn his heart and begins with praise and thanks. We find time for what we believe matters, and Abraham believed God mattered.
That same faith trusts God's promises when they look impossible. Sarah laughed at the idea of a son in her old age, and the Lord answered, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Whatever situation you have stopped praying about, that question still stands
Then the Lord turned toward Sodom, the wicked city on the Jordan plain where Lot had settled. "Abraham still stood before the LORD" and boldly asked, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Praying for unsaved family members begins right there, carrying the burden of what you know back to God instead of carrying it alone.
Today, start praying for unsaved family members by name: write down one person in your family who does not know Jesus and pray for them before bed. Keep praying for unsaved family members on that list, even when nothing seems to change.
What Are the Dangers of Worldly Compromise for a Believer?
The dangers of worldly compromise rarely arrive all at once. Years before Genesis 19, Lot looked over the Jordan plain and saw land that looked "like the garden of the LORD." Barry Mershon compared that moment to Eve looking at the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden; it looked good, so Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom.
First he camped near Sodom, then he lived in it, and by Genesis 19 he was sitting in the city gate where business and court were done. Lot was advancing in Sodom because that was where his heart was. Yet the apostle Peter later called him "righteous Lot"; his eternal security was never the question, but his heart had been formed by the world.
The sermon spoke plainly about the sins of Sodom, then turned the mirror toward the church: in 35 years of ministry, the pastor said gossip and pride have caused him far more grief. Paul, the apostle, tells believers to restore anyone caught in sin "in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted." Truth and love belong together, because any of us is capable of Lot's drift.
When the angels warned Lot to flee, he hesitated: "And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him." His home, friends, work, and hopes were all in Sodom. His wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.
That is one of the quiet dangers of worldly compromise; it can leave a saved person unwilling to leave what God is about to judge. Since the dangers of worldly compromise grow through small decisions, start small: today, name one compromise you have made peace with, confess it to God, and take one concrete step away from it this week.
What Can Lot's Legacy Teach You About Building a Life That Lasts?
Lot's legacy did not end with the fire on Sodom. In the mountains after the escape, his daughters carried Sodom's way of thinking with them, and the final scene of Genesis 19 is one of the saddest in Scripture. As the pastor put it, you can destroy Sodom, but Sodom can come with you.
Is Lot in heaven today? Barry Mershon answered yes, by the mercy and grace of God, yet Lot's life was lost because it was built in Sodom. He told of a childhood friend who came to faith at a church revival and later died in a house fire in Beaufort, South Carolina; his son believes he turned back for something he thought was important
Jesus warned His followers in Luke 17 to leave everything behind when the Son of Man returns, adding, "Remember Lot's wife." Paul describes believers building on Christ with gold, silver, and precious stones or with wood, hay, and straw. "If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
That is eternal security and accountability side by side. Lot's legacy reminds believers that salvation is secure, while the rewards of a faithful life can still be lost
At 20 years old, discouraged after years of not walking with the Lord, Barry Mershon heard Lehman Strauss, an older Bible teacher, say to start living for Christ that very day. If Jesus returned that night, he would have one day to offer Him. Strauss said he would rather have a book half-written when Jesus comes back than never start at all.
Your story is not finished, and Lot's legacy does not have to be yours. Today, choose one way to build with gold instead of straw: memorize one verse this week, or spend ten unhurried minutes in prayer.
What Does Genesis 18 Teach About Walking by Faith?
Genesis 18 gives three pictures of walking by faith drawn straight from the text, anchored by Genesis 18:14.
1. Faith Makes Time for God
In the Text: Abraham ran, served, and stood beside the Lord while He ate.
For Today: Setting aside real time and energy to be with God, even on mornings you do not feel it.
2. Faith Believes Nothing Is Too Hard for the Lord
In the Text: The Lord answered Sarah's laughter with a promise He kept.
For Today: Standing on God's promises while you wait for His timing.
3. Faith Intercedes for Others
In the Text: Abraham stood before the Lord and pleaded for the righteous in Sodom.
For Today: Bringing the burden of family, church, and country back to God in prayer.
Lot's drift followed a pattern worth recognizing:
Looking toward what seemed attractive
Pitching his tent toward Sodom
Settling and advancing inside the city
Lingering when God said to leave
Leaving a legacy shaped by the world
Where Can Your Family Learn to Walk With God Together?
Drifting rarely feels like drifting while it is happening, and many believers carry a quiet ache over a prayer they stopped praying or a family member who no longer walks with God. You do not have to sort that out alone; Believers' Chapel gathers every Sunday at 10am at 1820 S. Rutherford Blvd., right across from Black Fox Elementary, with groups and Kids/Youth Sunday School at 9am. Whether you live a few streets from campus or anywhere across Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, and Middle Tennessee, you will find jeans, fresh coffee, an open Bible, and people who want to know your name.
Why Your Story Is Not Finished Yet
Abraham and Lot were both saved, but Abraham walked with God while Lot let the world shape his heart. Walking by faith means making time for the Lord, trusting that nothing is too hard for Him, and praying for the people we love. As Barry Mershon reminded the church, your story is not yet done, no matter how old you are.
Start with a Sunday morning at Believers' Chapel, where the Bible is open and the coffee is on, and plan your visit here.
When you are ready to talk with someone on staff about your faith or your family, reach out here.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Lot was a true believer who loved the world, and the apostle Peter still called him righteous. Salvation rests on faith in Christ alone, not on works, so a believer's eternal life is secure. But like Lot, a believer who lives for the world can lose rewards and leave a painful legacy.
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Paul teaches that a believer's works can be burned up when they stand before the Lord, while the believer "will be saved, yet so as through fire." Lot's story shows that possibility clearly. The good news is that any believer can start building with lasting materials today.
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Start by being honest about what you love, since Lot's slow drift began with what looked attractive. Confess small compromises, make real time to be with God, and stay connected to believers who will gently restore you. Change rarely happens all at once, but every step toward God matters.
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Interceding means standing before God on behalf of someone else, just as "Abraham still stood before the LORD" for Lot and Sodom. It is carrying a burden you know about back to God instead of carrying it alone. Abraham asked boldly and specifically, trusting the Judge of all the earth to do right.
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In Luke 17:32, Jesus pointed to Lot's wife as a warning for believers living before His return. She looked back because her home, hopes, and future were in Sodom. Jesus calls His followers to break decisively from the world and seek His kingdom first.