WEBVTT

00:00:00.170 --> 00:00:04.570
Good morning, how y 'all doing? Awesome. Hey,

00:00:04.589 --> 00:00:06.730
wanna take the opportunity? We have a few new

00:00:06.730 --> 00:00:08.849
folks here today. Just wanna say welcome to Hosanna.

00:00:08.949 --> 00:00:10.369
We're so glad you're here to worship with us.

00:00:11.550 --> 00:00:13.929
And if you're joining us online, we wanna say

00:00:13.929 --> 00:00:15.529
welcome to you too. We're so glad you're here.

00:00:15.970 --> 00:00:18.890
Now, I am Pastor Nathan, and this morning, we

00:00:18.890 --> 00:00:21.050
are gonna be looking at one of the most famous

00:00:21.050 --> 00:00:25.670
Bible stories in Scripture. It is the story of

00:00:25.670 --> 00:00:30.370
the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. This account

00:00:30.370 --> 00:00:35.229
has some of the most disturbing narrative elements

00:00:35.229 --> 00:00:39.469
to it. In most of scripture, this story has attempted

00:00:39.469 --> 00:00:42.710
sexual assault. It has potential sex trafficking,

00:00:43.049 --> 00:00:47.130
mass death, destruction, materialism, hypocrisy.

00:00:47.770 --> 00:00:51.289
And then in verse two, no, just kidding, guys,

00:00:51.350 --> 00:00:54.399
just kidding. But it does have all those things.

00:00:54.500 --> 00:00:57.140
It's a very difficult piece of scripture, but

00:00:57.140 --> 00:01:01.420
the story is drama and action and tension and

00:01:01.420 --> 00:01:05.459
fire and sulfur and brimstone, angels, salt,

00:01:05.719 --> 00:01:10.219
judgment, and the wrath of God. But the story

00:01:10.219 --> 00:01:12.500
is here in scripture because it paints a very

00:01:12.500 --> 00:01:15.739
clear understanding, a very clear picture of

00:01:15.739 --> 00:01:18.900
how God feels about sin, how God feels about

00:01:18.900 --> 00:01:21.900
wrongdoing, wickedness, evil, and injustice.

00:01:22.989 --> 00:01:26.730
But this story is also simultaneously a story

00:01:26.730 --> 00:01:30.709
of salvation by faith, reinforcing what we understand

00:01:30.709 --> 00:01:33.950
biblically, the truth that we are saved by faith

00:01:33.950 --> 00:01:38.349
and nothing else. That's a truth many of us go,

00:01:38.430 --> 00:01:41.170
yeah, of course, we believe in that, we understand

00:01:41.170 --> 00:01:45.689
that, yet sometimes we can struggle with believing

00:01:45.689 --> 00:01:49.010
that when it comes to people that maybe do something

00:01:49.010 --> 00:01:52.459
that's very, very terrible. do something that's

00:01:52.459 --> 00:01:56.379
considered absolutely atrocious in our society,

00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:58.799
and we could wrestle with the fact of saying,

00:01:58.920 --> 00:02:02.079
oh yeah, but they believe God. We're going to

00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:05.379
see today a reminder that if you have faith in

00:02:05.379 --> 00:02:08.000
God, true faith in God, you are saved no matter

00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:11.120
what. Not that sin is excused and not that you

00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:13.860
avoid consequences of sin in this world, but

00:02:13.860 --> 00:02:16.610
still. God's grace and God's mercy even goes

00:02:16.610 --> 00:02:18.389
beyond ourselves. And so we're gonna be looking

00:02:18.389 --> 00:02:21.150
at both the free gift of salvation and the consequence

00:02:21.150 --> 00:02:24.729
of sin simultaneously in this story about the

00:02:24.729 --> 00:02:27.449
city of Sodom, the cities of the plain, and this

00:02:27.449 --> 00:02:30.509
man Lot. But first, we're gonna pray, we're gonna

00:02:30.509 --> 00:02:32.370
worship, and we're just gonna praise God, amen?

00:02:32.849 --> 00:02:36.509
Let's do that. Father God, we love you, Lord.

00:02:37.270 --> 00:02:39.289
We're so grateful even for pieces of scripture

00:02:39.289 --> 00:02:40.949
like this, God. There are a lot of uncomfortable

00:02:40.949 --> 00:02:44.449
topics here. And yet, Lord, your word doesn't

00:02:44.449 --> 00:02:47.909
water down truth. And we're grateful for that,

00:02:47.969 --> 00:02:50.870
Lord. I just pray, God, today as you speak to

00:02:50.870 --> 00:02:52.530
us, Lord, if there's anybody here in our room

00:02:52.530 --> 00:02:54.909
or watching online, Lord, anybody that's come

00:02:54.909 --> 00:02:57.530
to this sanctuary, hearing the word of God preached

00:02:57.530 --> 00:03:00.689
today, Lord, if they don't know you, that they

00:03:00.689 --> 00:03:03.810
would hear the very clear, very loud warning

00:03:03.810 --> 00:03:09.150
about the judgment to come upon sin. Lord, your

00:03:09.150 --> 00:03:12.900
word assures us and tells us, Lord, That judgment

00:03:12.900 --> 00:03:16.240
is coming upon this world. That the time is short.

00:03:16.379 --> 00:03:19.360
And God, for those that don't know you, it's

00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:22.620
the wrath of God they will experience. But God,

00:03:22.639 --> 00:03:24.620
at the same time, Lord, in this world that is

00:03:24.620 --> 00:03:27.159
really under the control of Satan today, God,

00:03:27.300 --> 00:03:29.379
your grace, your mercy, your forgiveness and

00:03:29.379 --> 00:03:31.219
salvation have worked and have worked through

00:03:31.219 --> 00:03:34.020
so many lives, God. So many of us here today,

00:03:34.159 --> 00:03:37.219
Lord, are people who know the salvation, that

00:03:37.219 --> 00:03:39.860
free gift that you offer to those who put their

00:03:39.860 --> 00:03:42.729
faith in you, God. And we're so grateful. And

00:03:42.729 --> 00:03:46.430
Lord, I pray today you would remind us, God,

00:03:46.509 --> 00:03:51.629
that if we trust in you, we are forgiven. Lord,

00:03:51.729 --> 00:03:54.430
as we trust in you, God, your promise that you

00:03:54.430 --> 00:03:57.669
will not kill the righteous the way you kill

00:03:57.669 --> 00:03:59.590
the wicked in judgment, Lord, that we can hang

00:03:59.590 --> 00:04:02.669
on to that. But Lord, also that we would carry

00:04:02.669 --> 00:04:04.810
that understanding to those we have a difficult

00:04:04.810 --> 00:04:09.590
time believing are saved. God, in all of you

00:04:09.590 --> 00:04:11.370
are glorified, and we ask that you be glorified

00:04:11.370 --> 00:04:13.770
today, Lord, in our gathering. Be glorified in

00:04:13.770 --> 00:04:15.530
your word, and be glorified, God, as we praise

00:04:15.530 --> 00:04:18.069
your holy name. We love you. We thank you for

00:04:18.069 --> 00:04:20.230
everything. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

00:04:20.850 --> 00:04:24.889
We are in Genesis chapter 19. I have to give

00:04:24.889 --> 00:04:27.310
a quick disclaimer here. You know, we're going

00:04:27.310 --> 00:04:30.579
to be talking about some very intense... stuff,

00:04:30.579 --> 00:04:33.300
very difficult topics that may be uncomfortable

00:04:33.300 --> 00:04:35.720
for some, and so I just want to give you that

00:04:35.720 --> 00:04:38.540
disclaimer up front. Some of the content here

00:04:38.540 --> 00:04:41.420
may be inappropriate for children, so parents,

00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:45.079
I will let you decide what to do with that, but

00:04:45.079 --> 00:04:46.899
some of the content is going to be pretty...

00:04:47.579 --> 00:04:50.279
pretty real. And so I just wanted to say that

00:04:50.279 --> 00:04:53.060
up front. But it's here in the Word of God for

00:04:53.060 --> 00:04:54.779
a reason. So we're going to walk through this

00:04:54.779 --> 00:04:57.220
chapter, and we'll be walking through tactfully,

00:04:57.319 --> 00:04:59.980
but I'm not going to water down what the Scripture

00:04:59.980 --> 00:05:03.600
is saying. So... We are here in chapter 19 looking

00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:05.980
at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. And

00:05:05.980 --> 00:05:08.160
this story wraps around really an individual

00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:12.259
named Lot. We were introduced to this man, Lot,

00:05:12.279 --> 00:05:15.240
back in Genesis chapter 11. He was a part of

00:05:15.240 --> 00:05:17.680
the family of Abraham. He's in the ancestral

00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:21.360
line of Shem. And he was actually Abraham's nephew

00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:26.220
who left the city of Ur when God had told Abraham

00:05:26.220 --> 00:05:29.439
to leave the city with his family. And so he

00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:31.720
was one of the people that had left. Abraham's

00:05:31.720 --> 00:05:35.019
brother was named Haran, and Lot was his son.

00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:37.379
So that's where we first got introduced to Lot.

00:05:37.459 --> 00:05:39.860
And then the next time Lot came up was in Genesis

00:05:39.860 --> 00:05:44.579
13. Genesis 13 was the story of the dispute between

00:05:44.579 --> 00:05:48.879
Abraham's herdsmen and his flocks and Lot's herdsmen

00:05:48.879 --> 00:05:51.819
and their flocks. And if you remember, there

00:05:51.819 --> 00:05:55.300
was a famine in the land. Abraham, who was Abram

00:05:55.300 --> 00:05:57.620
at the time, had gone down to Egypt with his

00:05:57.620 --> 00:06:00.540
family because there was a great famine in the

00:06:00.540 --> 00:06:03.800
land. And while he was there in Egypt, he had

00:06:03.800 --> 00:06:06.040
told his wife to lie, say, you're my sister,

00:06:06.180 --> 00:06:08.639
so nobody takes you from me. And guess what?

00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:12.029
Pharaoh took her from him. to be a wife in his

00:06:12.029 --> 00:06:14.889
household. But as the custom was for the day,

00:06:15.110 --> 00:06:19.589
Abraham was given many riches and stuff and camels

00:06:19.589 --> 00:06:22.110
and servants, and he was just loaded down with

00:06:22.110 --> 00:06:25.629
wealth in return for what was his sister. And

00:06:25.629 --> 00:06:27.889
then when God judged Pharaoh's household and

00:06:27.889 --> 00:06:29.769
Pharaoh found out that it was actually Abraham's

00:06:29.769 --> 00:06:33.550
wife, he said, Nathan translation, what's up

00:06:33.550 --> 00:06:36.149
dude, why'd you do that? And then he said, get

00:06:36.149 --> 00:06:38.730
out of here, and he sent him on home. So at that

00:06:38.730 --> 00:06:41.509
point, Abraham and his family went back to the

00:06:41.509 --> 00:06:44.970
Holy Land, now just loaded up with riches, and

00:06:44.970 --> 00:06:48.069
Lot was a part of that blessing. So when they

00:06:48.069 --> 00:06:50.689
got there, there was just too much land for their

00:06:50.689 --> 00:06:53.790
sheep. Abraham, knowing that the land was his,

00:06:53.889 --> 00:06:56.370
regardless of what happened with it or whether

00:06:56.370 --> 00:06:58.430
he gave it away or not, he knew that the land

00:06:58.430 --> 00:07:01.350
was promised to him. So what he did very graciously

00:07:01.350 --> 00:07:03.009
is say, hey, Lot, we're having this problem.

00:07:03.850 --> 00:07:06.689
You pick. Wherever you want to go. You get the

00:07:06.689 --> 00:07:09.389
pick of the land to take your flocks. And so

00:07:09.389 --> 00:07:11.810
the scripture tells us there that then Lot made

00:07:11.810 --> 00:07:15.290
a decision that was more based on materialism,

00:07:15.290 --> 00:07:18.889
what he thought would be more material, a greater

00:07:18.889 --> 00:07:21.410
material blessing to himself than spiritual blessing.

00:07:21.629 --> 00:07:24.769
And so we read in Genesis 13 verse 11, it tells

00:07:24.769 --> 00:07:28.149
us Lot chose the entire plain of the Jordan for

00:07:28.149 --> 00:07:31.310
himself. Then Lot journeyed eastward and they

00:07:31.310 --> 00:07:34.240
separated from each other. Abram lived in the

00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:36.319
land of Canaan, but Lot lived in the cities on

00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:40.139
the plain and set up his tent near Sodom. Now

00:07:40.139 --> 00:07:42.879
the men of Sodom were evil, sinning immensely

00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:45.019
against the Lord. And then it goes on, after

00:07:45.019 --> 00:07:47.220
Lot had separated from Abram, it goes on with

00:07:47.220 --> 00:07:49.759
the story there. But that's where we get our

00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:53.600
first indication about what this city Sodom was

00:07:53.600 --> 00:07:55.899
like, right? The character, what the people there

00:07:55.899 --> 00:07:58.779
were known for. It says they were evil, sinning

00:07:58.779 --> 00:08:02.199
immensely against the Lord. And that sin means

00:08:02.199 --> 00:08:04.720
that their behavior, their lifestyle, their actions,

00:08:04.759 --> 00:08:07.639
their activity was all stuff that was against

00:08:07.639 --> 00:08:10.500
the character of God, was contrary to God's will.

00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:13.579
It was abject disobedience to what God would

00:08:13.579 --> 00:08:17.480
want for his people. Now when it says that Lot

00:08:17.480 --> 00:08:20.360
separated from Abram there, that word separated

00:08:20.360 --> 00:08:24.939
means to break something off. But the idea is

00:08:24.939 --> 00:08:28.300
that it implies a severing or a damaging of a

00:08:28.300 --> 00:08:31.639
relationship. So this argument between Abraham

00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:36.679
and Lot resulted in a damaging of their relationship

00:08:36.679 --> 00:08:39.799
and then Lot went to do what he wanted to do.

00:08:39.940 --> 00:08:42.720
The word separated also refers to a person who

00:08:42.720 --> 00:08:46.990
lives only for themself. So both things we see

00:08:46.990 --> 00:08:49.490
in Lot, that relationships were damaged and that

00:08:49.490 --> 00:08:52.009
he chose to go do what was most beneficial to

00:08:52.009 --> 00:08:55.470
him rather than what was in line with God. And

00:08:55.470 --> 00:08:58.149
so he went away, he moved away from his uncle,

00:08:58.269 --> 00:09:00.529
therefore he moved away from the godly influence

00:09:00.529 --> 00:09:03.490
there in the family with Abraham. And then symbolically

00:09:03.490 --> 00:09:06.529
and quite literally practically, he created distance

00:09:06.529 --> 00:09:09.710
between him and God. This is what the picture

00:09:09.710 --> 00:09:12.870
of Lot moving to Sodom was. There in Genesis

00:09:12.870 --> 00:09:15.730
13, it told us that he pitched his tent near

00:09:15.730 --> 00:09:18.970
Sodom. So he was close to this evil and wicked

00:09:18.970 --> 00:09:21.269
place, but wasn't technically a part of it yet.

00:09:22.029 --> 00:09:25.230
Then in Genesis 14, we have the story of the

00:09:25.230 --> 00:09:27.850
four kings from the east. They come down. They

00:09:27.850 --> 00:09:30.649
conquer the five cities of the plain. They take

00:09:30.649 --> 00:09:32.850
all their possessions. They take all the people

00:09:32.850 --> 00:09:36.789
captive, and this included Lot. It says in Genesis

00:09:36.789 --> 00:09:40.659
14, 12, They also took Abram's nephew Lot and

00:09:40.659 --> 00:09:44.639
his possessions, for he was now living in Sodom,

00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:47.899
and they went on. So Lot had gone from living

00:09:47.899 --> 00:09:51.019
near Sodom to living in Sodom, and the result

00:09:51.019 --> 00:09:55.039
of being a person with a godly background, getting

00:09:55.039 --> 00:09:57.419
this close to sin, now he's lost his freedom,

00:09:57.500 --> 00:10:01.679
he's lost his possessions. as God's grace often

00:10:01.679 --> 00:10:05.139
does, or God's grace often does. We see him have

00:10:05.139 --> 00:10:08.379
Abraham run up with his army to rescue all the

00:10:08.379 --> 00:10:10.899
people, rescue all the possessions, and it tells

00:10:10.899 --> 00:10:13.940
us in Genesis 14, 16 that including with all

00:10:13.940 --> 00:10:15.799
the people and all the possessions he rescued,

00:10:15.899 --> 00:10:18.720
it specifically says he rescued his nephew Lot

00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:21.940
and all of Lot's goods. That's the last time

00:10:21.940 --> 00:10:24.919
we hear of Lot until now, Genesis 19. And so

00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:27.559
read with me Genesis 19, verse one. The story

00:10:27.559 --> 00:10:37.799
opens this way. Now these two angels are... Two

00:10:37.799 --> 00:10:40.000
of the three visitors that we read about in Genesis

00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:42.740
18, if you remember, it was these three visitors

00:10:42.740 --> 00:10:45.620
came to Abraham's tent. Abraham went into a big

00:10:45.620 --> 00:10:48.320
flurry to welcome them, to treat them with great

00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:51.179
hospitality. And then we come to know that it's

00:10:51.179 --> 00:10:54.139
the Lord and two angels that were those three

00:10:54.139 --> 00:10:57.240
visitors. So after the meal, Abraham walks with

00:10:57.240 --> 00:10:58.980
them as they're heading towards Sodom again.

00:10:59.059 --> 00:11:01.320
And then the two angels go on ahead of the Lord

00:11:01.320 --> 00:11:03.700
as Abraham has this conversation we looked at

00:11:03.700 --> 00:11:07.399
last week with the Lord. And really in that conversation,

00:11:07.679 --> 00:11:11.279
Abraham's concern was God. You're the judge of

00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:14.860
the world. You have to do what is just. And so

00:11:14.860 --> 00:11:18.240
you're not going to destroy the righteous with

00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:21.779
the wicked, are you? And so he went through this

00:11:21.779 --> 00:11:24.720
whole negotiation process. Lord, if there's 50

00:11:24.720 --> 00:11:26.580
righteous there, you won't destroy the whole

00:11:26.580 --> 00:11:30.019
city for the sake of the 50 righteous. And God

00:11:30.019 --> 00:11:32.899
said, no, I won't. And then Abraham, realizing

00:11:32.899 --> 00:11:35.139
the place he was talking about, went, uh, 45,

00:11:35.419 --> 00:11:40.879
40, 30, 20, 10? But God very clearly illustrated

00:11:40.879 --> 00:11:45.100
to Abraham there, look, the righteous will not

00:11:45.100 --> 00:11:47.820
fall under the judgment that I drop on the wicked.

00:11:48.659 --> 00:11:51.080
And so, then we get to this chapter, these two

00:11:51.080 --> 00:11:54.820
angels now arrive in Sodom, and what bums me

00:11:54.820 --> 00:11:58.259
out here about Lot is apparently after the rescue

00:11:58.259 --> 00:12:01.480
from the four kings, Abraham rescues everybody.

00:12:01.799 --> 00:12:05.240
After they're traveling back home, and then the

00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:10.059
indication is when Abraham was met by Melchizedek

00:12:10.059 --> 00:12:12.100
and he had that whole moment with Melchizedek,

00:12:12.120 --> 00:12:14.139
it seems to infer that all the people that had

00:12:14.139 --> 00:12:15.980
been coming down with him were there. And so

00:12:15.980 --> 00:12:19.360
it's likely Lot observed that whole interaction

00:12:19.360 --> 00:12:22.559
between Abraham and Melchizedek. But then after

00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:28.450
all of that, Lot still went back to Sodom. And

00:12:28.450 --> 00:12:31.570
so we find him here now sitting in Sodom's gateway.

00:12:32.110 --> 00:12:35.070
And that detail about the gateway tells us that

00:12:35.070 --> 00:12:38.559
Lot is even more... more ingrained into the society

00:12:38.559 --> 00:12:41.039
and culture of Sodom than he had been before.

00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:44.019
The reason why is the gateway of a city in ancient

00:12:44.019 --> 00:12:48.399
times was equivalent of the civic center here

00:12:48.399 --> 00:12:50.120
in modern days. It was where the city council

00:12:50.120 --> 00:12:52.820
met. It was where the judges met. It was where

00:12:52.820 --> 00:12:54.980
the important people of the city came together

00:12:54.980 --> 00:12:58.480
to judge disputes, to take care of their civic

00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:01.700
meetings, and really to oversee all the people

00:13:01.700 --> 00:13:04.019
that came in and out of the city as government

00:13:04.019 --> 00:13:07.000
officials of the city. So what that tells us

00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:11.100
is Lot now had gone from near the city to living

00:13:11.100 --> 00:13:13.700
in the city to now being a part of the leadership

00:13:13.700 --> 00:13:19.559
of the city. Lot's story is a story about the

00:13:19.559 --> 00:13:23.840
steady progression of compromise in one's life.

00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:27.559
Instead of staying close to his godly uncle,

00:13:28.559 --> 00:13:31.620
and staying close to the influence that that

00:13:31.620 --> 00:13:35.500
whole life was all about there, he instead chose

00:13:35.500 --> 00:13:38.980
to get close to Sodom. And then he got a little

00:13:38.980 --> 00:13:42.299
closer, and then a little closer, and a little

00:13:42.299 --> 00:13:45.720
closer. Now, Sodom has already been clearly defined

00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:49.240
for us as a place of great evil and great wickedness.

00:13:50.039 --> 00:13:52.919
And yet, this is where Lot chose to go live and

00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:55.190
to go work and to be close to. What we're going

00:13:55.190 --> 00:13:57.309
to see through this story is that his closeness

00:13:57.309 --> 00:14:01.110
to this place and his slow inclusion into this

00:14:01.110 --> 00:14:03.730
place compromised his witness. It compromised

00:14:03.730 --> 00:14:08.750
his morals. Lot is a picture of what the compromised

00:14:08.750 --> 00:14:13.870
Christian life looks like. Now, if you know the

00:14:13.870 --> 00:14:16.169
story of Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot, you might

00:14:16.169 --> 00:14:20.639
say, Christian, come on. We're gonna read some

00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:23.019
really terrible things that Lot did here, but

00:14:23.019 --> 00:14:25.539
I wanna set this foundation before we go through

00:14:25.539 --> 00:14:28.480
the story so we understand what is taking place

00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:32.379
here. In 2 Peter chapter two, Peter the apostle

00:14:32.379 --> 00:14:36.360
is making a case for the truth that God's judgments

00:14:36.360 --> 00:14:40.039
will not fall on the righteous, okay? And he

00:14:40.039 --> 00:14:42.539
says this in 2 Peter chapter two, verses six

00:14:42.539 --> 00:14:45.659
through nine. He goes on, if he, speaking of

00:14:45.659 --> 00:14:48.059
God, reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah

00:14:48.059 --> 00:14:51.559
to ashes and condemned them to extinction, making

00:14:51.559 --> 00:14:54.100
them an example of what is coming to the ungodly,

00:14:54.120 --> 00:14:58.379
and if he rescued righteous Lot, distressed by

00:14:58.379 --> 00:15:01.559
the depraved behavior of the immoral, for as

00:15:01.559 --> 00:15:04.200
that righteous man lived among them day by day,

00:15:04.259 --> 00:15:07.279
his righteous soul was tormented by the lawless

00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:10.399
deeds he saw and heard. Then the Lord knows how

00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:12.580
to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the

00:15:12.580 --> 00:15:15.320
unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.

00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:20.039
So the context of telling us that the Lord knows

00:15:20.039 --> 00:15:23.740
how to rescue the godly from judgment, the context

00:15:23.740 --> 00:15:28.840
is Lot. So what that's telling us is that Lot

00:15:28.840 --> 00:15:34.120
is considered by God in his word a godly, righteous

00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:37.539
man. Now you need to hang on to that because

00:15:38.200 --> 00:15:41.120
We understand from Genesis and the rest of scripture,

00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:44.639
the whole concept of salvation through faith.

00:15:44.899 --> 00:15:47.639
That in Genesis 15, it tells us that when Abraham

00:15:47.639 --> 00:15:51.519
believed God, it was credited to him as righteousness.

00:15:52.379 --> 00:15:55.279
Meaning his belief. I believe God is real. I

00:15:55.279 --> 00:15:57.460
believe in who you are. I believe in what you

00:15:57.460 --> 00:15:59.600
say. I believe in your judgments. I believe in

00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:03.679
your promises. That God says, great, I see you

00:16:03.679 --> 00:16:08.679
as sin free. Your faith has cleansed you of sin.

00:16:08.759 --> 00:16:11.639
Your faith in me is what allows me to see you

00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:16.720
as perfect and righteous, right? Well, Lot being

00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:19.620
called righteous in 2 Peter tells us that he

00:16:19.620 --> 00:16:22.419
believed in God. He believed in God's promises.

00:16:22.539 --> 00:16:27.299
He believed in who he was. That Lot was saved.

00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:32.850
And he was saved by faith. But the important

00:16:32.850 --> 00:16:36.570
detail 2 Peter 2 tells us is that Lot was righteous

00:16:36.570 --> 00:16:41.110
while he lived in Sodom, right? It said that

00:16:41.110 --> 00:16:43.830
that righteous man lived among them day by day

00:16:43.830 --> 00:16:47.850
and he was tormented. He was not okay with the

00:16:47.850 --> 00:16:50.590
sin that he saw and heard there. Now as we go

00:16:50.590 --> 00:16:52.190
through this chapter, some of you may have a

00:16:52.190 --> 00:16:53.690
problem with that and we're going to deal with

00:16:53.690 --> 00:16:57.190
that. But I need to ask you an important question.

00:16:57.350 --> 00:17:01.279
Are Christians capable of sin? Absolutely. Are

00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:05.980
Christians capable of every sin? Are Christians

00:17:05.980 --> 00:17:09.900
capable of the deepest, darkest, most vile sins?

00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:16.519
We are capable. We are capable of all sin. Paul

00:17:16.519 --> 00:17:19.980
said in Romans that my sin -fallen nature lives

00:17:19.980 --> 00:17:24.420
alongside my born -again nature. And so what

00:17:24.420 --> 00:17:29.279
that tells us is that sin in the life of a believer

00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:34.960
is not what determines your salvation. Now, yes,

00:17:35.059 --> 00:17:37.799
James talks about if you're truly saved, you're

00:17:37.799 --> 00:17:40.700
gonna make those intentional decisions to obey

00:17:40.700 --> 00:17:43.019
God, but the Bible is very clear that we still

00:17:43.019 --> 00:17:47.940
stumble, we still sin, right? Now, we aren't

00:17:47.940 --> 00:17:52.579
saved by what we do or don't do. Now, Again,

00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:55.259
can what we do or don't do demonstrate whether

00:17:55.259 --> 00:17:57.779
or not we likely know the Lord? Yeah, the Bible

00:17:57.779 --> 00:17:59.440
talks about that. But ultimately, at the end

00:17:59.440 --> 00:18:02.539
of the day, you and I, not a single one of us,

00:18:02.579 --> 00:18:05.559
have the authority or the ability to accurately,

00:18:05.720 --> 00:18:09.779
definitively judge someone's heart. We can't.

00:18:12.380 --> 00:18:16.279
Because we don't know, right? Now, that doesn't

00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:19.200
excuse sin, or that doesn't mean the consequences

00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:22.599
of sinful decisions won't affect us in this life,

00:18:22.700 --> 00:18:25.640
but what it does do is give us hope that as believers,

00:18:25.779 --> 00:18:27.599
that when we stumble, when we backslide, when

00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:30.460
we compromise, we're not lost, we're not cast

00:18:30.460 --> 00:18:33.420
off. This is why I believe in this church, our

00:18:33.420 --> 00:18:37.400
stance on salvation is once you are saved, you

00:18:37.400 --> 00:18:41.920
are always saved. You cannot lose your salvation.

00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:45.970
Why? Well, Ephesians says that when you are saved,

00:18:46.009 --> 00:18:50.630
the Holy Spirit seals you as a guarantee of your

00:18:50.630 --> 00:18:54.569
inheritance. If you could lose it, it's not much

00:18:54.569 --> 00:18:59.269
of a guarantee, is it? No. And so, that's the

00:18:59.269 --> 00:19:02.309
background here, right? This is the background

00:19:02.309 --> 00:19:04.869
of Lot as we go through this story, which it's

00:19:04.869 --> 00:19:07.990
gonna be very tough to stomach here, but as we're

00:19:07.990 --> 00:19:10.640
gonna see, though, Even though we are saved by

00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:13.220
faith, the reality is that the closer you are

00:19:13.220 --> 00:19:18.700
to sin, the closer you are engaged with or living

00:19:18.700 --> 00:19:23.779
close to or even participating in, the more likely

00:19:23.779 --> 00:19:26.200
you are to make very, very wrong decisions as

00:19:26.200 --> 00:19:29.140
a Christian. You'll make decisions that harm

00:19:29.140 --> 00:19:31.140
yourself, that harm others. You'll make decisions

00:19:31.140 --> 00:19:33.660
that deeply grieve the Lord. And you'll make

00:19:33.660 --> 00:19:39.099
decisions that wreck your witness and give They

00:19:39.099 --> 00:19:42.880
give non -believers the place to call you a hypocrite.

00:19:44.599 --> 00:19:46.660
That's the challenge. A lot of Christians were

00:19:46.660 --> 00:19:49.200
saved by faith, but there's Christians out there

00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:51.200
that then go on and they live their life the

00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:53.240
same way that their unsaved friends and family

00:19:53.240 --> 00:19:54.900
do. They go on and live their life the way they

00:19:54.900 --> 00:19:57.279
did before they were saved. Now again, we don't

00:19:57.279 --> 00:19:59.519
have time to get into the whole theological discussion

00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:03.079
in James and whatnot, but the reality is the

00:20:03.079 --> 00:20:09.019
more you pitch your tent near sin, the greater

00:20:09.019 --> 00:20:11.180
likelihood your morals become corrupted and you

00:20:11.180 --> 00:20:15.220
start making really, really bad decisions. But

00:20:15.220 --> 00:20:17.880
we have to be very careful looking at those decisions

00:20:17.880 --> 00:20:20.180
of people and then going, you aren't saved. You

00:20:20.180 --> 00:20:22.319
lost your salvation. There is no way because

00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:23.720
we're gonna see something very different in the

00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:28.200
story of Lot. So back to verse one. When Lot

00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:31.480
saw them, he got up to meet them. He bowed with

00:20:31.480 --> 00:20:33.660
his face down to the ground and said, my lords.

00:20:34.509 --> 00:20:36.589
Turn aside to your servant's house, wash your

00:20:36.589 --> 00:20:39.690
feet, and spend the night. Then you could get

00:20:39.690 --> 00:20:44.009
up early and go on your way. No, they said. We

00:20:44.009 --> 00:20:46.849
would rather spend the night in the square. But

00:20:46.849 --> 00:20:49.329
he urged them so strongly that they followed

00:20:49.329 --> 00:20:51.930
him and went into his house. He prepared a feast

00:20:51.930 --> 00:20:54.269
and baked unleavened bread for them, and they

00:20:54.269 --> 00:20:57.329
ate. So that word Lord there, when he says my

00:20:57.329 --> 00:20:59.950
lords, that's that word Adonai. that we've talked

00:20:59.950 --> 00:21:03.250
about before. The word Adonai simply is a word

00:21:03.250 --> 00:21:06.509
referring to somebody very important. You know,

00:21:06.529 --> 00:21:08.950
it's not necessarily a direct and only word for

00:21:08.950 --> 00:21:12.329
God. It's a word to say, you know, manager, boss,

00:21:12.569 --> 00:21:15.490
CEO, right? It's the, you're somebody with authority

00:21:15.490 --> 00:21:17.990
and importance here. And so obviously, Lot sees

00:21:17.990 --> 00:21:20.769
something about these angels that was important.

00:21:21.049 --> 00:21:24.890
And it says he bows down as Abraham did in Genesis

00:21:24.890 --> 00:21:27.579
18 when the Lord and the angels showed up. Now,

00:21:27.640 --> 00:21:29.920
does he know there are angels at this point?

00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:34.140
I don't think so. And there's a reason for that,

00:21:34.200 --> 00:21:37.539
but when the Lord and the angels showed up in

00:21:37.539 --> 00:21:39.980
Genesis 18 to Abraham, I believe that he knew

00:21:39.980 --> 00:21:42.579
it was the Lord and the angels. One of the reasons

00:21:42.579 --> 00:21:44.400
I believe that is because Abraham was close to

00:21:44.400 --> 00:21:46.960
the Lord. Abraham had seen the Lord a couple

00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:48.960
times. Abraham had a relationship with the Lord,

00:21:49.019 --> 00:21:50.759
so when the Lord appears in his life, it's like,

00:21:50.839 --> 00:21:55.900
Lord, I know you. Here you are. Lot, the opposite.

00:21:56.649 --> 00:21:58.650
Didn't walk close to the Lord. The Lord had never

00:21:58.650 --> 00:22:00.970
appeared to him, let alone angels and all that.

00:22:01.069 --> 00:22:03.329
So I believe that he was just, these are somebody

00:22:03.329 --> 00:22:05.690
important. Maybe they looked a certain way. They

00:22:05.690 --> 00:22:07.930
had an air about them, but I don't think he knew

00:22:07.930 --> 00:22:11.470
they were angels. But notice Lot's heart here.

00:22:12.589 --> 00:22:14.589
Living in Sodom, being a part of the government

00:22:14.589 --> 00:22:18.349
of Sodom, he still cares about strangers. He

00:22:18.349 --> 00:22:21.509
fears for their safety because he knew how wicked

00:22:21.509 --> 00:22:26.180
Sodom was. He knew the evil and just the sin

00:22:26.180 --> 00:22:28.359
that was there, and so he immediately stops them

00:22:28.359 --> 00:22:30.140
at the gate as they're coming in. He invites

00:22:30.140 --> 00:22:32.980
them into his home, which is just a picture of

00:22:32.980 --> 00:22:35.180
that hospitality that his uncle would demonstrate.

00:22:35.559 --> 00:22:37.640
But then they reject the offer. No, that's okay.

00:22:38.680 --> 00:22:40.539
We're just visiting. We're just passing through.

00:22:40.579 --> 00:22:42.880
We want to stay in the square where visitors

00:22:42.880 --> 00:22:49.339
would normally stay. But he urges them so strongly.

00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:53.480
Why? Because he knew what happened to strangers

00:22:53.480 --> 00:22:57.640
in Sodom. He knew what would happen to them if

00:22:57.640 --> 00:22:59.539
they stayed in the square, especially as night

00:22:59.539 --> 00:23:03.579
fell, and so he's like, no, please. You don't

00:23:03.579 --> 00:23:06.220
understand what this place is like. Please come

00:23:06.220 --> 00:23:08.779
to my house. And then he makes this feast for

00:23:08.779 --> 00:23:10.960
them, and something I never noticed before, but

00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:13.759
it says he prepared a feast and baked unleavened

00:23:13.759 --> 00:23:17.119
bread for them, and they ate. Now, unleavened

00:23:17.119 --> 00:23:19.940
bread means that there's no leaven in it, that

00:23:19.940 --> 00:23:22.359
the bread doesn't rise. And to me, I just saw

00:23:22.359 --> 00:23:24.720
that that was foreshadowing the exodus of Israel

00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:27.099
when they were leaving Egypt because it says

00:23:27.099 --> 00:23:28.980
that they had to make unleavened bread because

00:23:28.980 --> 00:23:30.819
the exodus was coming so fast they didn't have

00:23:30.819 --> 00:23:33.259
time to wait for the bread to rise. And it's

00:23:33.259 --> 00:23:35.700
a very interesting, similar picture here where

00:23:35.700 --> 00:23:37.960
judgment is about to fall on this place. And

00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:39.640
even though Lot doesn't know it, he makes this

00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:41.799
bread that, you know, we gotta hurry up and make

00:23:41.799 --> 00:23:43.299
this because my guests are here and so on and

00:23:43.299 --> 00:23:46.049
so forth. Now, verse four. Before they went to

00:23:46.049 --> 00:23:48.230
bed, the men of the city of Sodom, both young

00:23:48.230 --> 00:23:50.789
and old, the whole population surrounded the

00:23:50.789 --> 00:23:53.829
house. They called out to Lot and said, where

00:23:53.829 --> 00:23:56.250
are the men who came to you tonight? Send them

00:23:56.250 --> 00:23:58.549
out to us so that we can have sex with them.

00:24:00.730 --> 00:24:04.750
Now verse four there, it tells us it's the men

00:24:04.750 --> 00:24:07.910
of the city of Sodom, so it's just the men, both

00:24:07.910 --> 00:24:11.250
young and old. That word young there includes

00:24:11.250 --> 00:24:14.559
minors. So it's all the males in the city, young

00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:19.920
and old, the whole population. That word there

00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:22.339
is referring to the entire population of men

00:24:22.339 --> 00:24:26.559
in the city. They surround Lot's house and they

00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:28.779
start demanding that he send these visitors,

00:24:29.059 --> 00:24:31.440
these guests out so that they may have sex with

00:24:31.440 --> 00:24:33.279
them. They're not even hiding the intention.

00:24:34.900 --> 00:24:39.240
This behavior was apparently so normal. so widespread,

00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:43.099
so accepted among the men in the city of Sodom

00:24:43.099 --> 00:24:47.119
that the whole population came out. It's like

00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:49.799
this city, the men in this city were pleasure

00:24:49.799 --> 00:24:52.680
vultures just waiting for their next victim to

00:24:52.680 --> 00:24:54.779
show up. And so when a victim would show up,

00:24:54.799 --> 00:25:00.559
they would just swarm onto the person. Now, I

00:25:00.559 --> 00:25:02.500
have to address something here to get into this

00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:07.109
because the most common understanding of the

00:25:07.109 --> 00:25:09.970
story of Sodom and Gomorrah and the sin of Sodom,

00:25:09.970 --> 00:25:12.769
the most common understanding is like, oh, it

00:25:12.769 --> 00:25:18.369
was homosexual intent, homosexual intimacy, right?

00:25:18.450 --> 00:25:20.869
That is the most common understanding. That is

00:25:20.869 --> 00:25:23.589
a part of it, but it's much broader than that

00:25:23.589 --> 00:25:27.099
here in Sodom. However, There are many in the

00:25:27.099 --> 00:25:31.539
world today, especially those that are pro -LGBTQIA+.

00:25:31.539 --> 00:25:34.920
I think that's all the letters. And they're pro

00:25:34.920 --> 00:25:37.299
that. Even Christians, people in the church,

00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:38.880
they say, no, no, no, we're affirming of that.

00:25:39.099 --> 00:25:41.500
And they'll look at the story and they go, this

00:25:41.500 --> 00:25:44.640
story isn't about the homosexual activity. This

00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:48.220
is about the inhospitality. That the men of the

00:25:48.220 --> 00:25:51.740
city of Sodom were not being hospitable to these

00:25:51.740 --> 00:25:53.740
visitors, and that's why God judged it. And so

00:25:53.740 --> 00:25:55.039
we're going to walk through that here real quick.

00:25:55.180 --> 00:25:59.400
But with the biblical creation narrative of God

00:25:59.400 --> 00:26:02.680
created them man and woman, and then he bound

00:26:02.680 --> 00:26:05.220
them together in marriage, and so marriage is

00:26:05.220 --> 00:26:09.440
between one man and one woman. Add to that God's

00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:13.490
creative mandate to procreate. which only a man

00:26:13.490 --> 00:26:16.730
and a woman could do, and their call to multiply

00:26:16.730 --> 00:26:18.630
and fill the whole earth, all of that which is

00:26:18.630 --> 00:26:22.609
supported by biological reality, the concept

00:26:22.609 --> 00:26:26.470
of anything deviating from that, anything deviating

00:26:26.470 --> 00:26:30.769
from that, was and is sinful, because it is contrary

00:26:30.769 --> 00:26:38.289
to God's design, okay? Now, among the many sins

00:26:38.289 --> 00:26:42.829
that Sodom had, is the sin of homosexuality.

00:26:43.829 --> 00:26:46.109
What I mean is what you're going to see is these

00:26:46.109 --> 00:26:49.250
men of the city want to then take these male

00:26:49.250 --> 00:26:52.390
to them, they appear as men strangers, and have

00:26:52.390 --> 00:26:56.289
sex with them. Men having sexual relations with

00:26:56.289 --> 00:27:00.089
men is and was prohibited by Scripture. It always

00:27:00.089 --> 00:27:02.630
has been because it goes against God's creative

00:27:02.630 --> 00:27:07.220
design and intent. Now, Leviticus chapter 18,

00:27:07.319 --> 00:27:09.799
verse 22, it says it this way, and it's very

00:27:09.799 --> 00:27:13.660
clear. You can't argue against this. Speaking

00:27:13.660 --> 00:27:15.819
to the men of Israel, it says, you are not to

00:27:15.819 --> 00:27:21.019
sleep with a man as with a woman. It is detestable.

00:27:23.559 --> 00:27:25.960
Detestable is rendered in other translations

00:27:25.960 --> 00:27:29.960
as an abomination. That word detestable, that

00:27:29.960 --> 00:27:33.099
word abomination, is referring to a vile, shameful

00:27:33.099 --> 00:27:37.359
action or habit or condition or person. It's

00:27:37.359 --> 00:27:40.759
something that, for something to be detestable,

00:27:40.799 --> 00:27:43.420
for something to be an abomination, it means

00:27:43.420 --> 00:27:46.000
that it's to be regarded with, and this is the

00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:49.140
Hebrew definitions of these words, to be regarded

00:27:49.140 --> 00:27:53.700
with disgust, horror, or outrage. That's very

00:27:53.700 --> 00:27:58.599
intense language. Very intense language. And

00:27:58.599 --> 00:28:01.519
a lot of people in the world today, especially

00:28:01.519 --> 00:28:03.680
a lot of Christians, unfortunately, they go,

00:28:03.759 --> 00:28:06.339
oh yeah, but that's the Old Testament. We're

00:28:06.339 --> 00:28:08.160
not under the Old Testament anymore. Okay, well,

00:28:08.240 --> 00:28:11.839
let's go to Romans chapter one, verse 26. Paul

00:28:11.839 --> 00:28:14.259
is addressing here in Romans chapter one, when

00:28:14.259 --> 00:28:18.140
people turn away from God, right? Not being obedient

00:28:18.140 --> 00:28:21.779
to God, not doing God's will. This is what happens.

00:28:22.079 --> 00:28:25.220
And in verse 26, he says, for this reason, the

00:28:25.220 --> 00:28:27.900
turning away from God, God delivered them over

00:28:27.900 --> 00:28:30.519
to disgraceful passions. Their women exchanged

00:28:30.519 --> 00:28:33.259
natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.

00:28:33.519 --> 00:28:36.319
The men in the same way also left natural relations

00:28:36.319 --> 00:28:39.039
with women and were inflamed in their lust for

00:28:39.039 --> 00:28:42.480
one another. Men committed shameless acts with

00:28:42.480 --> 00:28:44.920
men and received in their own persons the appropriate

00:28:44.920 --> 00:28:49.059
penalty of their error. So both the Old Testament

00:28:49.059 --> 00:28:52.279
and the New Testament condemn homosexuality.

00:28:52.740 --> 00:28:55.400
It says it is not God's will, it is not God's

00:28:55.400 --> 00:28:58.759
purpose, it is not God's plan. So yes, as a believer,

00:28:59.079 --> 00:29:03.599
you can boldly and confidently and lovingly say

00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:07.279
this is sin to the Lord. I don't care how the

00:29:07.279 --> 00:29:09.619
culture accepts it now. I don't care about legislation.

00:29:10.759 --> 00:29:14.119
God's word says it is wrong, and we can comfortably

00:29:14.119 --> 00:29:20.000
say that as Christians. But it's not just homosexuality

00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:22.559
that violates God's intention and design for

00:29:22.559 --> 00:29:25.539
sexuality, okay? See, sometimes what the church

00:29:25.539 --> 00:29:28.440
does, and this has happened over the years, is

00:29:28.440 --> 00:29:31.700
the church will focus on a sin, and that'll kind

00:29:31.700 --> 00:29:34.480
of become the poster child sin above all other

00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:38.349
sins, right? And so over the last 20 years, there

00:29:38.349 --> 00:29:40.650
was a lot of times where the church, as we were

00:29:40.650 --> 00:29:42.450
dealing with this cultural shift in regard to

00:29:42.450 --> 00:29:44.289
homosexuality, they go, oh my gosh, that's so

00:29:44.289 --> 00:29:46.349
bad, it's so bad, it's so bad, and those people

00:29:46.349 --> 00:29:47.710
should go to hell, and blah, blah, blah, blah,

00:29:47.750 --> 00:29:50.769
blah. And they lifted up that as that's the major,

00:29:50.829 --> 00:29:52.829
major sin, but you know, adultery, we're not

00:29:52.829 --> 00:29:56.809
gonna, well, yeah, that's bad too. Sin is sin.

00:29:57.150 --> 00:30:00.049
So we're not to lift one up above others and

00:30:00.049 --> 00:30:01.829
make it like, you guys are going to hell, but

00:30:01.829 --> 00:30:03.329
yeah, adulterers and liars, you're fine, you

00:30:03.329 --> 00:30:04.829
could get saved. We're not to do that, right?

00:30:05.609 --> 00:30:08.049
But I bring that up to say this, that it's not

00:30:08.049 --> 00:30:12.569
just homosexuality that is prohibited or called

00:30:12.569 --> 00:30:16.750
detestable or defiling in God's word. Leviticus

00:30:16.750 --> 00:30:20.890
18 talks about incest, sex between family members,

00:30:21.170 --> 00:30:24.670
sex with animals. It talks about adultery, which

00:30:24.670 --> 00:30:27.630
is having sexual relations with someone who is

00:30:27.630 --> 00:30:29.549
not your spouse, regardless of whether they're

00:30:29.549 --> 00:30:33.029
male or female. It talks about sex with children.

00:30:33.900 --> 00:30:36.839
And it says all of these things are detestable.

00:30:37.059 --> 00:30:43.660
They're defiling. They're wrong. So when a culture,

00:30:43.779 --> 00:30:46.640
and this is what I think has happened in Sodom

00:30:46.640 --> 00:30:51.039
here, when a culture decides that the goal of

00:30:51.039 --> 00:30:56.180
sexual intimacy is self -gratification, the goal

00:30:56.180 --> 00:31:00.700
of it is my own pleasure, and they decide that

00:31:00.700 --> 00:31:03.960
my pleasure is what defines what is moral and

00:31:03.960 --> 00:31:08.259
immoral when it comes to sexual intimacy, well,

00:31:08.319 --> 00:31:10.799
the result of that is, well, if it feels good,

00:31:10.920 --> 00:31:14.279
it must be right. And there's nothing wrong with

00:31:14.279 --> 00:31:18.960
it. The problem with that is different people

00:31:18.960 --> 00:31:24.220
in weird ways will go, this feels good. I think

00:31:24.220 --> 00:31:26.420
this feels good. Therefore, it must be right.

00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:29.940
And that's not how you determine morality. Pleasure

00:31:29.940 --> 00:31:31.859
is not the ultimate goal of sexual intimacy.

00:31:32.940 --> 00:31:36.700
It's one of the blessings, right? I mean, God's

00:31:36.700 --> 00:31:38.940
very clear in his word. You're married, enjoy,

00:31:39.279 --> 00:31:44.099
have fun. But that's not the goal. And the morality

00:31:44.099 --> 00:31:46.980
of sexual intimacy, it's not defined by what

00:31:46.980 --> 00:31:48.759
we want, what we think feels good. It's defined

00:31:48.759 --> 00:31:54.980
by God, not us. And so when God says, male to

00:31:54.980 --> 00:31:58.019
male sexual relations, detestable. God gets to

00:31:58.019 --> 00:32:00.920
define that. But that's not the only one. Here's

00:32:00.920 --> 00:32:03.160
all these other categories because anything that

00:32:03.160 --> 00:32:06.299
violates God's intention and design, one man,

00:32:06.420 --> 00:32:08.799
one woman, procreate, multiply, fill the earth,

00:32:09.019 --> 00:32:12.759
anything that violates that is detestable according

00:32:12.759 --> 00:32:18.559
to God's word. Now, on top of the homosexual

00:32:18.559 --> 00:32:22.819
intent we see here in Sodom, we also see a whole

00:32:22.819 --> 00:32:24.980
slew of other things that were just detestable.

00:32:25.119 --> 00:32:28.839
One, we have attempted sexual assault here. Sexual

00:32:28.839 --> 00:32:33.400
violence, right? What the whole population of

00:32:33.400 --> 00:32:35.880
Sodom is essentially saying is send these two

00:32:35.880 --> 00:32:38.279
men out to us that we can gang rape them across

00:32:38.279 --> 00:32:42.259
all the population of the men of the city. That's

00:32:42.259 --> 00:32:46.279
foul. But that's what they're asking here. We

00:32:46.279 --> 00:32:48.339
know that the angels appeared as men. The people

00:32:48.339 --> 00:32:49.880
apparently thought they were men because they

00:32:49.880 --> 00:32:53.019
said send these men out to us. And they wanted

00:32:53.019 --> 00:32:55.119
to do this really horrible thing. The entire

00:32:55.119 --> 00:33:00.839
population. Young and old. It's disgusting. And

00:33:00.839 --> 00:33:04.900
everybody was okay with it. The whole population,

00:33:04.900 --> 00:33:07.019
the men of the city were like, this is what we

00:33:07.019 --> 00:33:10.920
do here. This is okay. Everybody was okay with

00:33:10.920 --> 00:33:15.460
it except Lot. Now, before we move on from that,

00:33:15.500 --> 00:33:18.819
I will say again that those that are very pro

00:33:18.819 --> 00:33:24.940
-LGBTQIA+. And they support that and they're

00:33:24.940 --> 00:33:26.460
affirming of that in the church. Like I said,

00:33:26.480 --> 00:33:28.400
a lot of times I'll look at the story of Sodom

00:33:28.400 --> 00:33:31.380
here and go, no, no, no, the sin was a lack of

00:33:31.380 --> 00:33:35.339
hospitality. And they'll say that to sidestep

00:33:35.339 --> 00:33:37.700
the male -on -male sexual intimacy component

00:33:37.700 --> 00:33:40.539
of the story and the violence of the narrative.

00:33:40.900 --> 00:33:45.220
And we can't get past what the text says. I don't

00:33:45.220 --> 00:33:47.799
care what the culture is doing. We can't get

00:33:47.799 --> 00:33:50.859
past what the text of God's word says. But yeah,

00:33:50.940 --> 00:33:55.859
I will concede that of course it is not very

00:33:55.859 --> 00:33:58.500
hospitable to homosexually gang rape visitors

00:33:58.500 --> 00:34:01.980
to your city. So yeah, you're right. The sin

00:34:01.980 --> 00:34:06.099
of inhospitality was a part of it. Now, moving

00:34:06.099 --> 00:34:08.719
on to verse six, right? We go, that's terrible.

00:34:08.800 --> 00:34:11.960
It gets worse. Lot went out to them at the entrance

00:34:11.960 --> 00:34:14.820
and shut the door behind them. He said, don't

00:34:14.820 --> 00:34:17.579
do this evil, my brothers. Look, I've got two

00:34:17.579 --> 00:34:19.539
daughters who haven't been intimate with a man.

00:34:19.639 --> 00:34:21.619
That means they were virgins. I'll bring them

00:34:21.619 --> 00:34:23.900
out to you and you can do whatever you want to

00:34:23.900 --> 00:34:27.099
them. However, don't do anything to these men

00:34:27.099 --> 00:34:31.360
because they have come under my roof, under the

00:34:31.360 --> 00:34:38.159
protection of my roof. What? This is a man we

00:34:38.159 --> 00:34:41.639
just established was considered godly and righteous?

00:34:44.339 --> 00:34:46.900
while he was in Sodom, right? It wasn't after.

00:34:46.940 --> 00:34:50.320
Some people go, well, he got saved after. 2 Peter

00:34:50.320 --> 00:34:52.480
2 makes it very clear. It was while he was there,

00:34:52.619 --> 00:34:57.579
tormented by what he had seen and heard. Now,

00:34:57.679 --> 00:35:00.840
even here we see that Lot isn't fully ingrained

00:35:00.840 --> 00:35:02.739
into the culture of Sodom because he goes outside

00:35:02.739 --> 00:35:05.510
and he pleads with them, right? Don't do this

00:35:05.510 --> 00:35:08.130
evil, my brothers. That word evil there, he's

00:35:08.130 --> 00:35:10.110
characterizing what they're doing as evil and

00:35:10.110 --> 00:35:12.929
wicked. He's calling it out for what it is, but

00:35:12.929 --> 00:35:15.969
the don't do this, my brothers, it reads like

00:35:15.969 --> 00:35:19.389
he's out there with a weak, apologetic, meek

00:35:19.389 --> 00:35:22.190
pleading, like please, please, please, brothers,

00:35:22.489 --> 00:35:25.469
come on, guys, don't do this. Come on, this is

00:35:25.469 --> 00:35:27.050
too much. This is wrong, right? He's not out

00:35:27.050 --> 00:35:31.099
there boldly saying this is evil. This is wicked.

00:35:31.280 --> 00:35:34.599
This is not okay. He's out there kind of mewling

00:35:34.599 --> 00:35:37.739
around them hoping that they would pass on by

00:35:37.739 --> 00:35:42.139
his house. It's likely when we see this in Lot

00:35:42.139 --> 00:35:44.039
that Lot was the Christian, the believer that

00:35:44.039 --> 00:35:46.559
lived in Sodom who just looked the other way

00:35:46.559 --> 00:35:49.000
at all of the evil and wickedness that they did

00:35:49.000 --> 00:35:52.539
in this city. He was likely the type of Christian

00:35:52.539 --> 00:35:54.539
that says, hey, you know what? As long as I'm

00:35:54.539 --> 00:35:57.119
not participating in that, whatever they do is

00:35:57.119 --> 00:35:59.730
fine for them. He was a Christian that had the

00:35:59.730 --> 00:36:01.449
idea of like, look, you do you, and that's between

00:36:01.449 --> 00:36:04.389
you and God, and wouldn't say anything about

00:36:04.389 --> 00:36:06.469
it, wouldn't stand up for righteousness, wouldn't

00:36:06.469 --> 00:36:09.530
do any of that. And like I said, we know he didn't

00:36:09.530 --> 00:36:14.429
agree already, 2 Peter 2 .8. That righteous man

00:36:14.429 --> 00:36:16.750
lived among them day by day. His righteous soul

00:36:16.750 --> 00:36:19.289
was tormented by the lawless deeds that he saw

00:36:19.289 --> 00:36:22.949
and heard. But this might have been the first

00:36:22.949 --> 00:36:25.269
time in the entire time he lived there that he

00:36:25.269 --> 00:36:28.300
actually said it publicly. We don't know that.

00:36:28.320 --> 00:36:31.219
That's speculative, but it could be. And we're

00:36:31.219 --> 00:36:33.059
going to see that it could be because of the

00:36:33.059 --> 00:36:35.659
way they respond to him. So then he does something

00:36:35.659 --> 00:36:38.579
as horrible and as detestable as what these men

00:36:38.579 --> 00:36:40.960
are trying to do. Look, take my two daughters.

00:36:41.039 --> 00:36:44.239
You can do whatever you want to them. Okay, I

00:36:44.239 --> 00:36:48.860
don't care how anybody wants to frame this. He's

00:36:48.860 --> 00:36:51.219
trying to sex traffic his daughters to the men

00:36:51.219 --> 00:36:56.199
of the city. It's trafficking. And it's trafficking

00:36:56.199 --> 00:36:59.719
by their dad, who's supposed to be the one to

00:36:59.719 --> 00:37:02.300
protect them and love them and keep them safe.

00:37:02.340 --> 00:37:06.099
Now, was this a decision born of panic and great

00:37:06.099 --> 00:37:09.539
stress? I mean, maybe. That's not hard to see

00:37:09.539 --> 00:37:11.260
that as a possibility, but there's no justification

00:37:11.260 --> 00:37:15.840
for this. It's terribly evil and terribly wicked.

00:37:15.900 --> 00:37:19.820
And you go, how could Lot rationalize this, right?

00:37:21.400 --> 00:37:25.440
How could Lot go, My honor and hospitality is

00:37:25.440 --> 00:37:29.920
of greater priority than the protection of my

00:37:29.920 --> 00:37:33.050
daughters. It's a completely irrational thing.

00:37:33.230 --> 00:37:35.269
And scripture doesn't tell us his thought process,

00:37:35.409 --> 00:37:38.150
right? So we have to kind of deduce and we could

00:37:38.150 --> 00:37:41.110
look at his story that as Lot was once a man

00:37:41.110 --> 00:37:43.210
who lived close to his godly relatives and he

00:37:43.210 --> 00:37:46.030
was surrounded by their culture, he then looked

00:37:46.030 --> 00:37:48.130
towards Sodom, then went down there and pitched

00:37:48.130 --> 00:37:50.769
his tent in Sodom, then he was living in Sodom,

00:37:50.809 --> 00:37:53.130
and now he was a government leader in Sodom.

00:37:53.170 --> 00:37:55.429
So he's just completely surrounded by their culture.

00:37:57.010 --> 00:38:00.730
And what did that do to him? compromised his

00:38:00.730 --> 00:38:06.849
own morality. His ability to go, this is disgustingly

00:38:06.849 --> 00:38:10.750
foul, was dulled, was compromised. That's not

00:38:10.750 --> 00:38:15.010
an excuse. But again, when we look at this and

00:38:15.010 --> 00:38:17.530
we go, we know God considered him righteous.

00:38:18.650 --> 00:38:22.789
That at some point, Lot believed in God and believed

00:38:22.789 --> 00:38:30.250
in God's promises. It's hard to read this. But

00:38:30.250 --> 00:38:33.170
we have to understand that his righteousness

00:38:33.170 --> 00:38:39.030
is not based on his actions. He's making a very

00:38:39.030 --> 00:38:41.590
poor, very evil, very wicked decision right now.

00:38:43.010 --> 00:38:47.429
But his salvation was by faith. It's his distance

00:38:47.429 --> 00:38:49.949
from God, however, his closeness to sin that

00:38:49.949 --> 00:38:52.190
has dulled his ability to make the right choices,

00:38:52.230 --> 00:38:55.570
to behave righteously. That's what sin does to

00:38:55.570 --> 00:39:01.130
us today. It's hard to have a satisfied peace

00:39:01.130 --> 00:39:05.329
in our hearts at a man like this being saved.

00:39:06.030 --> 00:39:09.110
We read this story and we go, oh, our lot was

00:39:09.110 --> 00:39:10.949
a godly, righteous man. It's hard to have peace

00:39:10.949 --> 00:39:13.909
with that, right? But Lamentations 3, 22 and

00:39:13.909 --> 00:39:16.650
23 says this. Because of the Lord's faithful

00:39:16.650 --> 00:39:20.369
love, we do not perish. For his mercies never

00:39:20.369 --> 00:39:24.150
end. They are new every morning. Great is your

00:39:24.150 --> 00:39:29.340
faithfulness. How great. is the Lord's faithfulness

00:39:29.340 --> 00:39:34.860
to us. When we are faithless, he is faithful.

00:39:36.699 --> 00:39:39.920
That in this man Lot's life, that through faith

00:39:39.920 --> 00:39:42.400
he's exercised, at some point God attributed

00:39:42.400 --> 00:39:44.820
the future work of Jesus Christ on the cross

00:39:44.820 --> 00:39:48.940
to him, granting him salvation. That through

00:39:48.940 --> 00:39:51.280
his faith at some point, the blood that washes

00:39:51.280 --> 00:39:54.039
us clean of sin, that allows God to see us blameless

00:39:54.039 --> 00:40:00.679
and spotless, he applied to this man Lot. How

00:40:00.679 --> 00:40:05.139
great is the Lord's faithfulness? We have to

00:40:05.139 --> 00:40:07.639
remember verses like this before we cast stones

00:40:07.639 --> 00:40:11.539
at Lot. Because when we're ready to cast stones

00:40:11.539 --> 00:40:18.199
at Lot or people that we know or have professed

00:40:18.199 --> 00:40:21.420
salvation and then we see some horrible, wicked,

00:40:21.460 --> 00:40:23.099
evil decision in their life, they do something

00:40:23.099 --> 00:40:25.960
terrible, we have to be careful about casting

00:40:25.960 --> 00:40:29.059
stones because which of us is without sin ourself?

00:40:31.110 --> 00:40:35.170
None of us. But what happens in situations like

00:40:35.170 --> 00:40:36.889
this is the devil gets us to think this way.

00:40:37.110 --> 00:40:40.030
Yeah, but your sin is not as bad as their sin.

00:40:43.610 --> 00:40:49.570
And in the flesh, I go, yeah. But God doesn't

00:40:49.570 --> 00:40:55.250
say there's levels. Sin is sin. And sin is going

00:40:55.250 --> 00:40:58.519
to keep you out of heaven. Sin is gonna send

00:40:58.519 --> 00:41:03.119
you to hell. It doesn't matter the degree. Because

00:41:03.119 --> 00:41:06.119
our righteousness compared to God's righteousness,

00:41:06.239 --> 00:41:14.659
the Bible says, is a filthy rag. But still, Lot

00:41:14.659 --> 00:41:18.539
being righteous, his witness is shallow, ineffective.

00:41:19.960 --> 00:41:21.659
He's supposed to be salt of the earth and he

00:41:21.659 --> 00:41:23.460
has no effect because look at verse nine. Get

00:41:23.460 --> 00:41:27.340
out of the way, they said. Adding. This one,

00:41:27.400 --> 00:41:30.039
referring to Lot, he came here as an alien, but

00:41:30.039 --> 00:41:35.880
he's acting like a judge? He kind of was. He

00:41:35.880 --> 00:41:37.980
was a city leader. Now we're going to do more

00:41:37.980 --> 00:41:39.659
harm to you than to them. You know what that

00:41:39.659 --> 00:41:43.760
threat was? We're going to bring you out here

00:41:43.760 --> 00:41:47.699
and pass you around. They put pressure on Lot,

00:41:47.780 --> 00:41:52.139
and they came up to break down the door. Lot

00:41:52.139 --> 00:41:54.679
has no credibility to these people when it comes

00:41:54.679 --> 00:41:58.469
to what is right and what is wrong. He has no

00:41:58.469 --> 00:42:00.650
authority. They don't have any respect for him,

00:42:00.710 --> 00:42:03.070
let alone his beliefs. Why? Because although

00:42:03.070 --> 00:42:06.769
he was saved by faith, he was living as a hypocrite.

00:42:07.610 --> 00:42:10.110
And it wasn't so much on what he did himself,

00:42:10.289 --> 00:42:12.710
right? We don't see that Lot was going out, participating

00:42:12.710 --> 00:42:15.409
in these gangs that were trying to get all the

00:42:15.409 --> 00:42:18.550
visitors to the city. But what we do see, or

00:42:18.550 --> 00:42:22.010
what we can assume here, is that he was a hypocrite

00:42:22.010 --> 00:42:25.099
by how much he condoned their evil. by passively

00:42:25.099 --> 00:42:30.320
accepting it through inaction and silence. That's

00:42:30.320 --> 00:42:32.119
one of the biggest problems with the church today

00:42:32.119 --> 00:42:35.440
in a broad general sense. We've lost our voice.

00:42:38.500 --> 00:42:41.500
Many in the church have said, I don't want to

00:42:41.500 --> 00:42:43.960
speak against evil in the world. I just want

00:42:43.960 --> 00:42:46.400
to retreat back to just let me have my relationship

00:42:46.400 --> 00:42:50.659
with God. I'm saved, I'm regulating me, and that's

00:42:50.659 --> 00:42:56.690
all I need to do. And so we don't speak into

00:42:56.690 --> 00:43:01.230
the atrocities in this world. And then they go

00:43:01.230 --> 00:43:05.130
on, and they get worse. And some Christians like

00:43:05.130 --> 00:43:07.329
Locke go, well, as long as I'm not participating

00:43:07.329 --> 00:43:09.789
in that, so I don't need to say anything. And

00:43:09.789 --> 00:43:11.409
then when the time comes where you finally step

00:43:11.409 --> 00:43:14.710
up and you go, hey, that's evil, they laugh in

00:43:14.710 --> 00:43:19.030
your face. Are you kidding me? Who are you to

00:43:19.030 --> 00:43:20.610
tell me what's right and wrong? Christian, you're

00:43:20.610 --> 00:43:22.570
drinking the same alcohol I am, partying at the

00:43:22.570 --> 00:43:24.809
same parties, doing the same drugs. How about

00:43:24.809 --> 00:43:26.349
you cheating on your spouse and you're gonna

00:43:26.349 --> 00:43:31.889
try and tell me what's right and wrong? And so

00:43:31.889 --> 00:43:35.369
they just cast him off. What you have to say

00:43:35.369 --> 00:43:38.190
means nothing to us and how badly do we diminish

00:43:38.190 --> 00:43:40.309
our witness to others and diminish the glory

00:43:40.309 --> 00:43:42.789
of God when we live as hypocrites, whether it's

00:43:42.789 --> 00:43:45.889
through action, being, participating in things,

00:43:46.070 --> 00:43:51.130
or through inaction. We can only watch sin so

00:43:51.130 --> 00:43:58.389
long and not say a word about it. How was I going

00:43:58.389 --> 00:44:03.590
to finish that thought? If we expect people to

00:44:03.590 --> 00:44:08.309
take our faith serious, we have to say something.

00:44:09.250 --> 00:44:11.329
Now, it doesn't mean be a belligerent jerk. It

00:44:11.329 --> 00:44:15.550
doesn't mean be an obnoxious punk. We share in

00:44:15.550 --> 00:44:18.500
love and we share in kindness. But the longer

00:44:18.500 --> 00:44:20.739
you don't say anything, the less impact your

00:44:20.739 --> 00:44:22.480
witness is gonna have on those people that are

00:44:22.480 --> 00:44:25.199
participating in those things. Now I get it,

00:44:25.199 --> 00:44:27.880
some of us are in places where we can't say anything,

00:44:27.980 --> 00:44:29.940
we can't walk away, whatever, like you're in

00:44:29.940 --> 00:44:31.739
a secular workplace and they're like, you can't

00:44:31.739 --> 00:44:33.639
use the name Jesus and you can't talk about religion

00:44:33.639 --> 00:44:36.300
and then you got coworkers that are involved

00:44:36.300 --> 00:44:38.280
in all manner of sin and stuff and you can't

00:44:38.280 --> 00:44:40.440
just walk away and all that. I understand that.

00:44:41.179 --> 00:44:43.599
God has you there for a reason. Pray, seek the

00:44:43.599 --> 00:44:45.960
Lord on how you're going to be a light there.

00:44:48.079 --> 00:44:50.719
But nobody was forcing Lot to stay in Sodom.

00:44:52.139 --> 00:44:56.960
He was choosing to stay there. And he was compromised

00:44:56.960 --> 00:45:00.880
as a result of it. Verse 10, but the angels reached

00:45:00.880 --> 00:45:02.519
out and brought Lot into the house with them

00:45:02.519 --> 00:45:05.280
and shut the door. They struck the men who were

00:45:05.280 --> 00:45:07.260
at the entrance of the house, both young and

00:45:07.260 --> 00:45:08.780
old, with blindness so that they were unable

00:45:08.780 --> 00:45:11.960
to find the entrance. Then the angels said to

00:45:11.960 --> 00:45:14.960
Lot, do you have anyone else here? A son -in

00:45:14.960 --> 00:45:17.380
-law? your sons and daughters, or anyone else

00:45:17.380 --> 00:45:19.940
in the city who belongs to you. Get them out

00:45:19.940 --> 00:45:22.920
of this place. For we are about to destroy this

00:45:22.920 --> 00:45:25.360
place because the outcry against its people is

00:45:25.360 --> 00:45:27.719
so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent

00:45:27.719 --> 00:45:31.480
us here to destroy it. Now, here's one of the

00:45:31.480 --> 00:45:35.440
interesting objections to Genesis 18 that I've

00:45:35.440 --> 00:45:38.420
heard people say. Because again, we've just established

00:45:38.420 --> 00:45:45.610
very clearly that rot, wow, lot. Lot was righteous,

00:45:46.130 --> 00:45:52.050
okay? But in Genesis 18, Abraham's going, you

00:45:52.050 --> 00:45:54.070
won't destroy the city if there's righteous there,

00:45:54.170 --> 00:45:56.110
right? And God goes, nope, I won't destroy it

00:45:56.110 --> 00:45:59.070
if there's righteous there. And well, if Lot's

00:45:59.070 --> 00:46:03.269
righteous, he's in Sodom. God said he wouldn't

00:46:03.269 --> 00:46:04.769
destroy the city if there were righteous there,

00:46:04.829 --> 00:46:06.369
but he didn't say he wouldn't destroy the city

00:46:06.369 --> 00:46:10.639
if he got the righteous out first. I won't destroy

00:46:10.639 --> 00:46:12.900
it if there's righteous there. 50, 45, nope.

00:46:13.880 --> 00:46:23.519
But there's one. Okay, he's out. Boom. Abraham

00:46:23.519 --> 00:46:27.320
was correct. God would not kill the righteous

00:46:27.320 --> 00:46:32.099
along with the wicked. Abraham was correct. The

00:46:32.099 --> 00:46:34.940
judge of the whole earth would do what was just.

00:46:35.039 --> 00:46:40.409
And so the angels. God steps in to do what Lot

00:46:40.409 --> 00:46:42.929
wouldn't do himself, to protect his daughters.

00:46:43.190 --> 00:46:46.550
No, come back in here. He steps in to protect

00:46:46.550 --> 00:46:48.809
Lot himself as much as he didn't deserve it.

00:46:48.949 --> 00:46:51.309
And then they strike the men with a physical

00:46:51.309 --> 00:46:54.849
blindness that is just a physical example of

00:46:54.849 --> 00:46:57.010
their spiritual blindness, the darkness that

00:46:57.010 --> 00:46:59.389
is within them. And he says, okay, look, God

00:46:59.389 --> 00:47:01.190
said to Abraham, he's gonna go down there and

00:47:01.190 --> 00:47:03.590
check it out. We're here, we checked it out,

00:47:03.710 --> 00:47:07.480
get out. We are gonna judge this place. Verse

00:47:07.480 --> 00:47:09.679
14, so Lot went out and spoke to his sons -in

00:47:09.679 --> 00:47:13.059
-law who were going to marry his daughters. Get

00:47:13.059 --> 00:47:14.900
up, he said, get out of this place for the Lord

00:47:14.900 --> 00:47:17.019
is about to destroy the city. But his sons -in

00:47:17.019 --> 00:47:21.719
-law thought he was joking. Joking, right? Now,

00:47:21.800 --> 00:47:24.440
I want you to think about this. If these sons

00:47:24.440 --> 00:47:29.780
-in -laws are part of the men of Sodom and the

00:47:29.780 --> 00:47:32.539
whole population of the men of Sodom came out

00:47:32.539 --> 00:47:34.380
to gang rape these angels and surround Lot's

00:47:34.380 --> 00:47:41.550
house, And they were a part of that. And yet

00:47:41.550 --> 00:47:43.789
Lot's okay with them marrying his daughters?

00:47:46.690 --> 00:47:49.269
And that also takes bisexuality off the table.

00:47:49.670 --> 00:47:52.269
It's also on the list of things God condemns.

00:47:53.869 --> 00:47:55.969
Now again, we see the cost to Lot's witness here.

00:47:56.030 --> 00:47:58.389
They didn't believe him. Why should they? It's

00:47:58.389 --> 00:48:00.230
not like Lot really thought that judgment would

00:48:00.230 --> 00:48:04.630
fall on sin. I mean, after all, if sin was that

00:48:04.630 --> 00:48:07.280
bad, why did you... Why are you staying here

00:48:07.280 --> 00:48:08.599
in Sodom, right? They were the sons -in -law.

00:48:08.619 --> 00:48:10.440
They had to have some relationship with the family.

00:48:11.440 --> 00:48:14.119
But more than that, if your God is real and what

00:48:14.119 --> 00:48:16.380
you say about sin is so real, why are you allowing

00:48:16.380 --> 00:48:20.920
us to marry your daughters? Do you see the effect

00:48:20.920 --> 00:48:24.880
your witness has, parents, on even what you just

00:48:24.880 --> 00:48:27.480
turn a blind eye to in your kids' lives? Now,

00:48:27.500 --> 00:48:28.519
of course, when they're adults, they're going

00:48:28.519 --> 00:48:31.900
to do what they want to do. And hopefully the

00:48:31.900 --> 00:48:33.599
foundation has been laid that they make the right

00:48:33.599 --> 00:48:36.420
choices. But in this culture, these girls were

00:48:36.420 --> 00:48:39.280
likely still minors. And so it cost his witness.

00:48:39.400 --> 00:48:41.679
He had been so passive about sin and wickedness.

00:48:42.079 --> 00:48:45.099
Yes, he was internally tormented. Yes, he was

00:48:45.099 --> 00:48:47.980
just so disturbed by what he saw and heard. But

00:48:47.980 --> 00:48:49.940
nobody in the city seemed to know that he was

00:48:49.940 --> 00:48:54.860
disturbed by it. Let alone had been warned by

00:48:54.860 --> 00:48:56.860
him already. It seems like this is the first

00:48:56.860 --> 00:48:59.920
time and his complacency had damaged his credibility.

00:49:00.920 --> 00:49:04.159
Verse 15. At daybreak, the angels urged Lot on,

00:49:04.239 --> 00:49:06.780
get up. Take your wife and your two daughters

00:49:06.780 --> 00:49:08.519
who are here or you will be swept away in the

00:49:08.519 --> 00:49:14.000
punishment of the city. But he hesitated. Hesitated.

00:49:15.909 --> 00:49:17.949
Because of the Lord's compassion for him, the

00:49:17.949 --> 00:49:20.429
men grabbed his hand and his wife's hand and

00:49:20.429 --> 00:49:21.710
the hands of his two daughters and they brought

00:49:21.710 --> 00:49:23.969
him out and left him outside the city. As soon

00:49:23.969 --> 00:49:26.269
as the angels got them outside, one of them said,

00:49:26.329 --> 00:49:29.170
run for your lives. Don't look back and don't

00:49:29.170 --> 00:49:31.110
stop anywhere on the plane. Run to the mountains

00:49:31.110 --> 00:49:34.530
or you'll be swept away. So what we see here

00:49:34.530 --> 00:49:36.269
is through this night, this hectic, stressful

00:49:36.269 --> 00:49:39.309
night, this gross sin and stuff coming down,

00:49:39.429 --> 00:49:42.250
we get to what is the dawn here or daybreak.

00:49:42.309 --> 00:49:45.030
And this picture just is establishing a very

00:49:45.030 --> 00:49:48.849
common biblical picture of salvation. You see,

00:49:48.909 --> 00:49:52.289
at the birth of Jesus, when Zechariah prophesied

00:49:52.289 --> 00:49:56.369
at his birth in Luke 1, verse 78, he says this.

00:49:56.989 --> 00:50:00.530
Because of our God's merciful compassion, the

00:50:00.530 --> 00:50:04.159
dawn from on high will visit us. To shine on

00:50:04.159 --> 00:50:06.219
those who live in darkness in the shadow of death

00:50:06.219 --> 00:50:09.619
to guide our feet to the way of peace. And we

00:50:09.619 --> 00:50:11.280
see this motif throughout scripture that when

00:50:11.280 --> 00:50:15.639
dawn arrives, that's when salvation comes. And

00:50:15.639 --> 00:50:17.679
it's when dawn arrives that the angels drag Lot

00:50:17.679 --> 00:50:20.400
and his family out of the city. They grab their

00:50:20.400 --> 00:50:22.519
hands. It's like each angel had two hands, right?

00:50:22.579 --> 00:50:24.219
It's like a chain of people running through the

00:50:24.219 --> 00:50:27.699
city. Pre -dawn, still dark, little bit of light,

00:50:27.800 --> 00:50:29.320
running from their house, running through the

00:50:29.320 --> 00:50:33.579
city gate, getting outside. And Lot, hesitates.

00:50:33.579 --> 00:50:38.619
Why? It doesn't tell us specifically, but it's

00:50:38.619 --> 00:50:43.019
likely because in the moment of leaving it all

00:50:43.019 --> 00:50:46.639
behind, he realizes, I'm leaving it all behind.

00:50:47.719 --> 00:50:50.099
I'm leaving behind the life and the possessions

00:50:50.099 --> 00:50:52.960
that I had built and acquired in Sodom. He probably

00:50:52.960 --> 00:50:55.000
liked the prosperity. Obviously, that's where

00:50:55.000 --> 00:50:56.800
he went when he first left Abraham. He liked

00:50:56.800 --> 00:50:58.980
the comforts, the prestige of being a judge in

00:50:58.980 --> 00:51:01.880
the city, a leader, of course. But all of that

00:51:01.880 --> 00:51:05.019
had desensitized him to the depth of the wickedness.

00:51:06.039 --> 00:51:08.099
And that's what happens the more we're exposing

00:51:08.099 --> 00:51:12.179
ourselves to sin. We get desensitized. What once

00:51:12.179 --> 00:51:15.039
made us go, oh my gosh, that's horrible. We're

00:51:15.039 --> 00:51:16.760
like, oh, well, that's terrible. Oh, that's bad.

00:51:17.639 --> 00:51:19.400
Then it becomes, well, you know, as long as I'm

00:51:19.400 --> 00:51:22.599
not doing it. And then it gets all the way to

00:51:22.599 --> 00:51:25.199
the place where the people of God start to fight

00:51:25.199 --> 00:51:34.159
for the rights of wickedness. But he hesitated.

00:51:36.440 --> 00:51:39.159
That's what sin does. It causes us to hesitate

00:51:39.159 --> 00:51:42.420
when God says, give that up and follow me. Nonetheless,

00:51:42.679 --> 00:51:46.099
he was God's child. So verse 18, but Lot said

00:51:46.099 --> 00:51:49.599
to them, no, my lords, please. Your servant has

00:51:49.599 --> 00:51:51.119
indeed found favor with you, and you've shown

00:51:51.119 --> 00:51:55.000
great kindness by saving my life. But I can't

00:51:55.000 --> 00:51:56.719
run to the mountains. The disaster will overtake

00:51:56.719 --> 00:52:02.000
me, and I will die. Thank you for saving my life,

00:52:02.099 --> 00:52:06.519
but I'm afraid you can't save my life. See how

00:52:06.519 --> 00:52:08.320
deluded you start thinking when sin's in your

00:52:08.320 --> 00:52:11.380
life? I can't run there. Look, verse 20, this

00:52:11.380 --> 00:52:13.019
town is close enough for me to flee to. It's

00:52:13.019 --> 00:52:16.530
a small place. Let me run to it. It's only a

00:52:16.530 --> 00:52:18.750
small place, isn't it? So that I could survive.

00:52:18.949 --> 00:52:21.250
Do you see what he's doing here? The city he's

00:52:21.250 --> 00:52:23.030
going to flee to is a city called Zoar. It's

00:52:23.030 --> 00:52:24.949
one of the five cities on the plain. It's like

00:52:24.949 --> 00:52:28.829
a mini Sodom. And this is what we do, right?

00:52:28.889 --> 00:52:31.610
God says, flee that wicked sin. That's terrible.

00:52:31.730 --> 00:52:34.170
And we go, right, God, I'm out of here. But can

00:52:34.170 --> 00:52:39.349
you let me still stay with the small sin? Come

00:52:39.349 --> 00:52:43.619
on, let me go there. That's big sin, but this

00:52:43.619 --> 00:52:45.739
is a little itty -bitty sin. That doesn't matter,

00:52:45.820 --> 00:52:53.179
does it, Lord? It's a bit exasperating. Lot's

00:52:53.179 --> 00:52:55.019
been saved and he's doubting God's ability to

00:52:55.019 --> 00:52:56.719
save and then he wants to go to this place, but

00:52:56.719 --> 00:52:59.920
this is what blows my mind. God grants his request.

00:53:02.179 --> 00:53:05.420
He said to him, all right, God's speaking to

00:53:05.420 --> 00:53:07.960
the angels here. I'll grant your request about

00:53:07.960 --> 00:53:09.760
this matter too and will not demolish the town

00:53:09.760 --> 00:53:12.940
you mentioned. Hurry up. Run to it, for I cannot

00:53:12.940 --> 00:53:16.059
do anything until you get there. Therefore, the

00:53:16.059 --> 00:53:17.960
name of the city is Zoar, which means little.

00:53:18.440 --> 00:53:21.079
The sun had risen over the land when Lot reached

00:53:21.079 --> 00:53:27.139
Zoar. Now, here's what's interesting. God said,

00:53:27.239 --> 00:53:32.340
I will not destroy the city if the righteous

00:53:32.340 --> 00:53:37.199
are there. Lot, in his weak, pathetic faith,

00:53:37.280 --> 00:53:39.960
is like, I can't run to the mountains. Let me

00:53:39.960 --> 00:53:43.219
go to Zoar. And because there was a righteous

00:53:43.219 --> 00:53:48.099
one there, God did not destroy that city. It

00:53:48.099 --> 00:53:51.000
just shows us the preserving effect that Christians

00:53:51.000 --> 00:53:53.179
are supposed to have. We're the salt of the earth,

00:53:53.320 --> 00:53:56.599
right? Our job is to go somewhere and be in a

00:53:56.599 --> 00:53:58.719
preserving effect. Now, I think Lot is terrible

00:53:58.719 --> 00:54:02.860
at that, but God said, you're righteous because

00:54:02.860 --> 00:54:04.780
you had faith in me, and because you were there,

00:54:04.860 --> 00:54:07.440
I'm not going to wipe out that city. Just the

00:54:07.440 --> 00:54:11.760
grace of God blows my mind. Verse 24. Then out

00:54:11.760 --> 00:54:13.840
of the sky the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah

00:54:13.840 --> 00:54:16.820
burning sulfur from the Lord. He demolished the

00:54:16.820 --> 00:54:19.059
cities, the entire plain and all the inhabitants

00:54:19.059 --> 00:54:21.099
of the cities and whatever grew on the ground.

00:54:21.400 --> 00:54:23.559
But Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar

00:54:23.559 --> 00:54:27.119
of salt. Now there are a number of naturalistic

00:54:27.119 --> 00:54:30.239
explanations for the cataclysm here that we don't

00:54:30.239 --> 00:54:33.340
have time to get into. But it's very clear what

00:54:33.340 --> 00:54:36.500
it says here. Out of the sky the Lord rained

00:54:36.500 --> 00:54:41.300
burning sulfur. Now is that a meteor? Could be.

00:54:41.760 --> 00:54:46.400
Is that a comet? Could be. Is it just burning

00:54:46.400 --> 00:54:49.380
sulfur falling from the sky? Could be. See, the

00:54:49.380 --> 00:54:51.780
point here is not how it happened. The point

00:54:51.780 --> 00:54:55.199
here is that it was a work of God. God did this.

00:54:56.239 --> 00:54:58.300
God is the one who brought this judgment. And

00:54:58.300 --> 00:55:00.940
he brought it through some type of natural thing

00:55:00.940 --> 00:55:03.219
that happened. Meaning burning sulfur, it's a

00:55:03.219 --> 00:55:06.039
real thing. But it rained from the sky and destroyed

00:55:06.039 --> 00:55:10.739
everything. The people, the cities, all the vegetation.

00:55:13.019 --> 00:55:16.280
Cataclysm. But Lot's wife looked back. Why was

00:55:16.280 --> 00:55:20.019
she turned into a pillar of salt? Well, that

00:55:20.019 --> 00:55:24.239
word looked, it's not a glance, right? We all

00:55:24.239 --> 00:55:26.500
do that. It's really annoying when, you know,

00:55:26.500 --> 00:55:30.219
we see a fire truck on the road or police, right?

00:55:30.300 --> 00:55:34.320
We all get to, like, slow down and look. No,

00:55:35.079 --> 00:55:37.420
it wasn't that type of glance. The word look

00:55:37.420 --> 00:55:39.579
means to look intently at or to regard with pleasure.

00:55:41.260 --> 00:55:46.880
She stopped, turned, and gazed on Sodom with

00:55:46.880 --> 00:55:51.679
a regretful, longing, lingering look. Why? Same

00:55:51.679 --> 00:55:54.829
reason Lot hesitated. Family, pleasure, stuff,

00:55:55.010 --> 00:55:57.650
material goods, her security, right? We're going,

00:55:57.750 --> 00:56:00.570
what is it that caused her to turn into a pillar

00:56:00.570 --> 00:56:03.269
of salt? Well, Jesus tells us in Luke chapter

00:56:03.269 --> 00:56:06.929
17, verse 31. This is what Jesus says, speaking

00:56:06.929 --> 00:56:09.389
of the final judgment. On that day, a man on

00:56:09.389 --> 00:56:11.849
the housetop, whose belongings are in the house,

00:56:12.010 --> 00:56:14.769
must not come down to get them. Likewise, the

00:56:14.769 --> 00:56:17.050
man who is in the field must not turn back. Remember

00:56:17.050 --> 00:56:24.280
Lot's wife. Whoever tries to make his life secure

00:56:24.280 --> 00:56:27.280
will lose it, and whoever loses his life will

00:56:27.280 --> 00:56:31.079
preserve it. Why did she linger? Because her

00:56:31.079 --> 00:56:34.420
security was in the stuff. Her security was in

00:56:34.420 --> 00:56:37.159
the money and her house. Her security was in

00:56:37.159 --> 00:56:39.719
the prestige and her security. I'm a wife of

00:56:39.719 --> 00:56:42.579
a judge. Her security, she thought she was secure

00:56:42.579 --> 00:56:45.679
in all the things that her husband had brought

00:56:45.679 --> 00:56:47.880
up, what had been built up in their lives, the

00:56:47.880 --> 00:56:50.780
possessions. Well, guess what? On the day of

00:56:50.780 --> 00:56:54.320
judgment, none of that's going to save you. None

00:56:54.320 --> 00:56:56.619
of that will save you. Your house, it's going

00:56:56.619 --> 00:56:59.519
to burn like everything else. Your bank, your

00:56:59.519 --> 00:57:01.019
bank account, your money, it's going to burn

00:57:01.019 --> 00:57:07.559
like everything else. Chapter 19, verse 27. Early

00:57:07.559 --> 00:57:10.019
in the morning, Abraham went to the place where

00:57:10.019 --> 00:57:12.440
he had stood before the Lord. He looked down

00:57:12.440 --> 00:57:14.219
towards Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of

00:57:14.219 --> 00:57:15.900
the plain, and he saw that smoke was going up

00:57:15.900 --> 00:57:18.840
from the land like the smoke of a furnace. So

00:57:18.840 --> 00:57:21.179
it was when God destroyed the cities of the plain,

00:57:21.300 --> 00:57:24.400
he remembered Abraham and brought Lot out of

00:57:24.400 --> 00:57:26.860
the middle of the upheaval when he demolished

00:57:26.860 --> 00:57:31.239
the cities where Lot had lived. We can only imagine

00:57:31.239 --> 00:57:34.039
what Abraham was thinking here, right? He had

00:57:34.039 --> 00:57:37.579
pleaded with God, you won't destroy the city

00:57:37.579 --> 00:57:39.019
if there's righteous there, right? And God had

00:57:39.019 --> 00:57:42.300
made it very clear, no, I won't. Abraham comes

00:57:42.300 --> 00:57:44.440
back to the very site where he had that conversation

00:57:44.440 --> 00:57:46.880
with the Lord, looking out. And obviously, destruction

00:57:46.880 --> 00:57:51.219
has happened. Now, speculatively, we don't know.

00:57:51.300 --> 00:57:55.579
Is Abraham going, well, I really hope my nephew

00:57:55.579 --> 00:57:59.119
got his act together. Right? It doesn't tell

00:57:59.119 --> 00:58:00.679
us any of that, but we can know this for sure,

00:58:00.739 --> 00:58:02.639
that as Abraham was looking out over that smoke,

00:58:02.920 --> 00:58:05.980
I believe that what crossed his mind was that

00:58:05.980 --> 00:58:09.019
question he asked the Lord. Won't the judge of

00:58:09.019 --> 00:58:14.230
the earth do? What is just? And as he's looking

00:58:14.230 --> 00:58:16.530
on the smoke and the destruction, it's very clear

00:58:16.530 --> 00:58:19.650
God did it. So what is the answer to that question?

00:58:21.869 --> 00:58:24.349
Yes, he will do what is just. Everything he's

00:58:24.349 --> 00:58:27.170
looking at in this judgment is absolutely just.

00:58:28.190 --> 00:58:30.230
All the people that were wiped out, the cities

00:58:30.230 --> 00:58:32.210
that were wiped out, everything was destroyed

00:58:32.210 --> 00:58:34.289
in that plain except Zoar where Righteous Lot

00:58:34.289 --> 00:58:37.929
was. You see, the only righteous person in that

00:58:37.929 --> 00:58:40.599
city that we know of was Lot. It doesn't tell

00:58:40.599 --> 00:58:42.820
us anything about his kids. Obviously, his wife

00:58:42.820 --> 00:58:46.920
turned back. She was judged. Now, the daughters,

00:58:47.039 --> 00:58:50.019
we're gonna read next week. It just keeps getting

00:58:50.019 --> 00:58:53.440
worse in this family that is so just messed up,

00:58:53.480 --> 00:58:58.199
but Lot was righteous. Backsliding, carnal, compromised,

00:58:58.420 --> 00:59:00.659
conflicted Lot. Whatever word you wanna use,

00:59:00.920 --> 00:59:06.440
he was saved by faith. Even when he hesitated,

00:59:06.480 --> 00:59:10.480
the angels grabbed his hand. Do you think God

00:59:10.480 --> 00:59:12.320
is going to leave his people here when he drops

00:59:12.320 --> 00:59:20.420
judgment upon this earth? No. And we see that

00:59:20.420 --> 00:59:23.219
in Lot's life, his salvation was not based on

00:59:23.219 --> 00:59:26.659
his actions or his lack of actions. Ultimately,

00:59:26.679 --> 00:59:28.559
it was the grace of God and his commitment to

00:59:28.559 --> 00:59:30.260
his promises. Now, did he have a strong commitment?

00:59:30.460 --> 00:59:33.960
Apparently not. He lived hypocritically. He didn't

00:59:33.960 --> 00:59:35.659
stand for righteousness. All this stuff, we would

00:59:35.659 --> 00:59:37.239
look at this person and go, there's no way this

00:59:37.239 --> 00:59:39.739
person is saved, and yet God says, I saved him.

00:59:41.219 --> 00:59:46.420
Why? Because God's salvation is based on God's

00:59:46.420 --> 00:59:48.639
will, God's promises, and God's way. It's not

00:59:48.639 --> 00:59:51.599
about what we do and don't do. Now again, this

00:59:51.599 --> 00:59:53.880
isn't to go justify, do whatever you want. God

00:59:53.880 --> 00:59:56.699
knows the person who says, I'm a Christian, but

00:59:56.699 --> 00:59:58.039
I don't really believe, and I'm just going to

00:59:58.039 --> 01:00:00.000
live however I want, and I don't think it's wrong.

01:00:00.539 --> 01:00:02.400
He knows the difference between that person and

01:00:02.400 --> 01:00:05.139
the person who goes, I believe God, I trust him.

01:00:05.559 --> 01:00:07.679
and I did this wrong thing, and I'm so upset,

01:00:07.800 --> 01:00:09.639
and I'm so bummed out that I didn't, God, please

01:00:09.639 --> 01:00:10.940
forgive me. God knows the difference between

01:00:10.940 --> 01:00:13.719
those two people. You may fake everybody else

01:00:13.719 --> 01:00:16.679
here, fake out everybody else here, but God knows

01:00:16.679 --> 01:00:20.159
your heart. God knows whether you're truly saved

01:00:20.159 --> 01:00:23.199
or not. Now, if you are truly saved, and the

01:00:23.199 --> 01:00:25.300
devil is beating you up daily because you did

01:00:25.300 --> 01:00:28.440
a stupid thing, said a dumb thing, did a wrong,

01:00:28.480 --> 01:00:30.260
sinful thing, and the devil's like beating you

01:00:30.260 --> 01:00:33.000
up and beating you up, reject that nonsense.

01:00:36.409 --> 01:00:38.630
Because if you have trusted in God and you've

01:00:38.630 --> 01:00:40.889
pleaded the blood of Jesus Christ, you are wiped

01:00:40.889 --> 01:00:43.750
clean. God doesn't un -wipe you clean when you

01:00:43.750 --> 01:00:45.869
have a bad day. You are wiped clean. God sees

01:00:45.869 --> 01:00:50.730
you as forgiven. Walk in that freedom. You sin?

01:00:51.630 --> 01:00:54.309
Confess it. God, I did this thing. I'm so sorry.

01:00:55.230 --> 01:00:59.769
Please forgive me. Help me do better. And then

01:00:59.769 --> 01:01:01.309
five minutes later, you go, God, I'm just so

01:01:01.309 --> 01:01:02.789
sorry about that sin. And he goes, what sin?

01:01:06.059 --> 01:01:08.059
The memory of that sin is as far from my mind

01:01:08.059 --> 01:01:09.639
as east is from the west. What are you talking

01:01:09.639 --> 01:01:13.920
about, my perfect beloved child? How amazing

01:01:13.920 --> 01:01:19.280
is that grace? Don't let the devil beat you up

01:01:19.280 --> 01:01:21.400
when you stumble and fall. However, if you're

01:01:21.400 --> 01:01:23.400
in here this morning and you know that you're

01:01:23.400 --> 01:01:25.019
living a life of sin and you're like, ah, it's

01:01:25.019 --> 01:01:30.079
okay, it's no big deal. Don't think you're saved

01:01:30.079 --> 01:01:32.199
just because you carry a Bible, you came to church,

01:01:32.219 --> 01:01:33.699
or one day you said, yeah, I believe in God.

01:01:35.849 --> 01:01:39.449
God knows the difference. Judgment is coming.

01:01:40.269 --> 01:01:44.809
Judgment will fall. It is guaranteed. Those that

01:01:44.809 --> 01:01:46.829
have truly trusted in Jesus Christ for their

01:01:46.829 --> 01:01:51.769
salvation, we will be taken out. If you don't,

01:01:51.769 --> 01:01:55.969
you will die like everything else will die in

01:01:55.969 --> 01:02:06.559
that time. Let's pray. Father God, your word

01:02:06.559 --> 01:02:11.840
tells us that the day is coming, a day burning

01:02:11.840 --> 01:02:13.559
like the furnace, Lord, when all the arrogant

01:02:13.559 --> 01:02:15.860
and everyone who commits wickedness will become

01:02:15.860 --> 01:02:19.559
stubble. Lord, you tell us that this coming day

01:02:19.559 --> 01:02:22.260
will consume them, not leaving them root or branches,

01:02:22.320 --> 01:02:24.039
God. It is going to be a thorough and complete

01:02:24.039 --> 01:02:30.300
and total judgment. But Lord, you also say for

01:02:30.300 --> 01:02:33.579
those that fear your name. the son of righteousness

01:02:33.579 --> 01:02:39.260
will rise with healing in his wings. You tell

01:02:39.260 --> 01:02:41.940
us, Lord, that if we fear your name, Lord, that

01:02:41.940 --> 01:02:44.300
we are gonna be free and your word says in Malachi

01:02:44.300 --> 01:02:46.820
that we will go out and playfully jump like calves

01:02:46.820 --> 01:02:53.119
from a stall. God, this story with as much as

01:02:53.119 --> 01:02:55.739
the very difficult issues, Lord, that we had

01:02:55.739 --> 01:02:59.940
to look at carries that thread of grace through

01:02:59.940 --> 01:03:04.750
the whole thing. And Lord, that really is what

01:03:04.750 --> 01:03:08.250
it's all about. Lord, there is such sin in our

01:03:08.250 --> 01:03:10.170
world, and yet, God, there is a thread of grace

01:03:10.170 --> 01:03:12.489
that runs through all of it for those who call

01:03:12.489 --> 01:03:17.929
upon your name. And so, God, for any in this

01:03:17.929 --> 01:03:20.329
room and watching online this morning, God, maybe

01:03:20.329 --> 01:03:22.050
you've spoken to their heart, Lord. I know you're

01:03:22.050 --> 01:03:24.449
speaking to them. God, that they have realized

01:03:24.449 --> 01:03:25.949
that they're playing games. They're realizing

01:03:25.949 --> 01:03:29.269
that their salvation is false because in their

01:03:29.269 --> 01:03:30.630
heart, they know they don't care about doing

01:03:30.630 --> 01:03:35.139
right. God, I pray, Lord, even in this moment,

01:03:35.199 --> 01:03:42.559
the fear of your judgment, the fear of what's

01:03:42.559 --> 01:03:44.820
to come, God, that you're gonna judge sin would

01:03:44.820 --> 01:03:46.340
fall upon them, Lord, and that they would call

01:03:46.340 --> 01:03:48.500
out to you and say, God, please save me, forgive

01:03:48.500 --> 01:03:54.619
me, I'm sorry, change me, truly. And God, I pray

01:03:54.619 --> 01:03:58.199
for the believers in this room who, God, are

01:03:58.199 --> 01:04:02.039
trying to live a life without compromise. Lord,

01:04:02.139 --> 01:04:04.539
we're trying to live a life to obey you and to

01:04:04.539 --> 01:04:06.780
follow you, and yet we still have this body of

01:04:06.780 --> 01:04:10.000
sin and death with us that just falls constantly.

01:04:13.860 --> 01:04:18.079
And Lord, may you encourage those who know you

01:04:18.079 --> 01:04:22.139
today that have stumbled, that have fallen, that

01:04:22.139 --> 01:04:25.849
have made mistakes, Lord. That even as the devil

01:04:25.849 --> 01:04:27.630
would condemn them in their head, Lord, they

01:04:27.630 --> 01:04:29.449
would remember your word that says there is therefore

01:04:29.449 --> 01:04:31.809
now no condemnation for those who are in Christ

01:04:31.809 --> 01:04:36.869
Jesus and called according to his purpose. Lord,

01:04:36.969 --> 01:04:40.110
set your people free from the shackles of shame.

01:04:42.630 --> 01:04:44.730
Not so that we could go sin, Lord, but quite

01:04:44.730 --> 01:04:46.650
the opposite, so that we could be free to serve

01:04:46.650 --> 01:04:48.510
you and to bring other people to this truth of

01:04:48.510 --> 01:04:53.190
salvation. We love you, God. We can't do any

01:04:53.190 --> 01:04:57.000
of this without you. But Lord, we know that you

01:04:57.000 --> 01:05:01.500
died for the whole world so that any who call

01:05:01.500 --> 01:05:04.659
upon your name would be saved. Let us be a part

01:05:04.659 --> 01:05:06.300
of that, God, because we know and believe that

01:05:06.300 --> 01:05:09.840
judgment is coming. There are disgustingly horrible

01:05:09.840 --> 01:05:12.480
and wicked things taking place in this world,

01:05:12.659 --> 01:05:16.300
Lord. Help us to be people, Lord, with a heart

01:05:16.300 --> 01:05:19.219
that we would see people through your eyes, Lord.

01:05:19.679 --> 01:05:21.619
Regardless of how wicked the sin is, that we

01:05:21.619 --> 01:05:26.269
would see a lost, broken, sinful individual that

01:05:26.269 --> 01:05:28.369
could be saved if they just called out to you.

01:05:29.409 --> 01:05:31.670
Help us to pray for people like that as Abraham

01:05:31.670 --> 01:05:34.829
prayed for Lot and the people in Sodom. Lord,

01:05:34.869 --> 01:05:37.909
help us to be committed to that, Lord, because

01:05:37.909 --> 01:05:43.389
we believe what is coming. But Lord, in all of

01:05:43.389 --> 01:05:46.550
it, we praise your name. We worship you. You

01:05:46.550 --> 01:05:50.570
are the God of glory. You are God Almighty. You

01:05:50.570 --> 01:05:53.460
are the judge of the whole earth. and you are

01:05:53.460 --> 01:05:57.539
the lover of my soul. Thank you, God, for your

01:05:57.539 --> 01:06:01.340
work in our lives. Use us, use our church, use

01:06:01.340 --> 01:06:05.539
your church worldwide, Lord, to be that light

01:06:05.539 --> 01:06:07.940
on a hill in the salt of the earth that many

01:06:07.940 --> 01:06:11.599
would be saved. We thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus'

01:06:11.699 --> 01:06:14.559
name we pray. Amen. Well, God bless you guys.

01:06:14.619 --> 01:06:14.940
Let's worship.