Book of Genesis - Ch. 18, Vs. 23-Ch. 19, Vs. 14 (09/24/2000)

Abraham Appeals for Sodom’s Righteous Remnant

All right, let's begin. We have worked our way through to Genesis 18 24 an incident takes place now that is rather important in the aspect of human nature. Remember the last time we watched as three Strange men come to Abraham To being angels and one being the Lord pre-incarnate.

The two angels have Gone on their way now towards Sodom and Gomorrah. And the Lord has stayed behind. And we pick it up in the middle of the conversation in verse 24 Abraham is speaking Per adventure there be 50 righteous within the city.

Will tell also destroy and not spare the place for the 50 righteous That are therein. That be far from thee to do after this manner to slay the righteous with the wicked and That the righteous should be as the wicked.

That be far from thee shall not the judge of all the earth do right now. Where's joy joy if that was you and I I Would hesitate to make such a statement to the Lord. Aren't you gonna do what's right? Well the Lord answers.

And the Lord said if I find in Sodom 50 righteous within the city Then I will spare for all of the place. Spare all of the place for their sakes. Please notice the pronoun I. Not if you find them not if they take a vote but if I find.

Meaning he could find without ever going. Diane he knew. But he's carrying on this conversation with Abraham and it's for Abraham's sake but we see here by the pronoun I that the Lord judges for himself and.

And John we can inform him of nothing and Abraham answered and said behold now I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord which am but dust and ashes. So he's putting himself just as low as he can. I am I'm just dust and ashes now and I'm talking to the Lord.

Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous without destroy all the city for lack of five now. Notice the psychology of Abraham. He did not say if there be only 45. That sounds like a whole lot doesn't it 45?

But he says if they're just lack five. Very small amount. If they're just lacks five of being 50 instead of saying if there's 45 Will you save it? And he said if I find there forty and five so he circumvented Abraham's psychology I Will not destroy it and he spake unto him yet again now Abraham's getting bolder and bolder and Said peradventure by the way Clarence what's the word peradventure mean?

What do you think it means? Just just suppose that there is or if by chance there be Peradventure there shall be 40 found there. And he said I will not do it for 40 sake. So he's worked him down now from 50 to 45 to 40.

And he said unto him Oh, let not the Lord be angry. And I will speak Peradventure there shall be 30 now. He jumps 10 and he said I will not do it if I find 30 there. And he said behold now I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord peradventure Shall be 20 found there.

And he said I will not destroy it for 20s sake and he's not through yet. And he said oh, let not the Lord to be angry and I will speak yet this once just one more peradventure 10 shall be found there.

And he said I will not destroy it for the sake of 10. Now, where's great? Great. What would the Lord have said if Abraham had asked for one. No, I don't think so. And how do I know that? What? Well, I'll tell you what he would have said.

Because I was there listening. He would have said Remove that one and I will destroy the city. Now, how do I know he would have said that? That's what he did now he started out by Telling Abraham is going to destroy the city.

Is that what he did? Exactly because he said so. Yes, sir. Oh, there's so much in lot lots of churches have.

But he didn't know.

Lot had to leave before the destruction would come. Does that tell us anything? That's Absolutely, the church will have to go before the tribulation time. That's right. And I I really think that Abraham thought surely there'd be 10 there.

Lot and his family. But it wasn't like that. His church will be removed before the tribulation will come. By the way. The rapture is not the trigger that sets off tribulation. What is? Who's talking to me?

Signing of the peace treaty between Israel and the Antichrist. That's what starts the tribulation time. If you're here around that time, you can just mark on your calendar now in verse 33. And the Lord went up his way.

And the Lord went his way as Soon as he had left communing with Abraham and Abraham returned unto his place two or three things. The Lord went his way. Where'd he go? Where do we find him next? Speak up.

Somebody all right as soon as he had left. Communing. What's communing mean? Speaking discussing conversation when he. The pronoun he speaks of. Who? What? God our Lord. When the Lord was finished he left not when Abraham was finished.

But when the Lord was finished he left. And Abraham returned to his place. Now This is on Abraham's mind. We leave Abraham for a little while. But we shall come back to him. Chapter 19 verse 1. Now, we're in the city.

The Angels Arrive in Sodom and Lot’s Position at the Gate

And there came two angels to Sodom at even or in the evening. And Lot sat in the gate of Sodom and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them. And he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. Seems as though Lot had achieved a very prominent place among these wicked people.

Diane how do you suppose he accomplished that? That's right. Exactly, right. He was an extremely rich man. Sodomy was practiced in the heathen worship as a sacrifice before their idols. Now, we're going to talk about a Subject I really don't like to discuss but it's in the Bible and we must address it.

But I want you to first to go quickly to 2nd Peter 2 8 and 9 and when I say quickly, I mean we must get this in our mind very quick. Bill will you read 2nd Peter 2 8 and 9? All Right if that were not in the Bible and The only picture I had of Lot was the incident that we're going to see in Sodom.

I Would never have suspected he was a Christian or was saved. But I believe it because the Bible says it now. Where is Lot at this particular moment? He's in their courthouse at the gate this is where their court was always conducted and perhaps because of his Money, he has secured a position on their court.

Well, he sees strangers come and he immediately volunteered to play the lavish host to these two strangers now. That's not uncommon. Because the hospitality in that part of the world at that time especially and still is but especially here Was extremely important.

We're going to see just how important a little bit later. We have in Lot the ugliest ugliest situation imaginable. Public homosexuality. Public homosexuality. Go with me now to the book of Deuteronomy 23.

Let's see a little bit of what the Lord has to say about such. I Think this is very timely. We know what's right and wrong. We as this group. But we hear so much in the world and from the other side that it I think will do good to refresh our mind.

Deuteronomy 23 Beginning with verse 17 and I would ask you to follow along. There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel. Nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. Now go to first Kings Chapter 14. First Kings 14 24 and there were also Sodomites in the land and they did according to all the abominations of the nations.

Which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel? Now go to first Kings 15 verse 12. And he took away the sodomites out of the land and removed all of the idols that their fathers had made. Now go to first Kings 22 46.

And the remnant of the sodomites which remained in the city of His father Asa he took out of the land. Chapter 23 verse 7. And he break down the houses of the sodomites that were by the house of the Lord.

Where the women wove hangings for the grove? So their church was right next door to the Lord's Church. Now one last one in Leviticus the 20th chapter. And the 15th verse and let me say this while you're looking when you find that verse.

And I'll read it in a moment. That is practiced today. And if a man lie with a beast He shall surely be put to death and he shall slay the beast. In England in the 1800s this Sin was punished by death.

Isn't it strange? Here in Sodom We see no mention of a church for these people. No mention of a temple or anything in Sodom and Gomorrah. So do you see how much more civilized we are today? We have churches and everything for them.

I say we in the world. And I'm sure they did. Well We all know there's a gray area today. Because Pat sin is not really as black as we once thought it was. The typical Church of today teaches that you can become a Christian and continue your present lifestyle.

Now they teach it by never mentioning it. By never telling you the truth. Go to the book of Jude. Go to chapter 1 Verse 6. And the angels which kept not their first estate. But left of their own habitation.

He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day even as Sodom and Gomorrah and as cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and Going after strange flesh.

Are set forth as an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. So it's an example for us. We will have no excuse when I say we. I'm talking about the world. The United States or of course Canada, Texas.

Leviticus 20 and the verse 15. Well, we've already had that one. Skip it. My Secretary coppered it twice. I guess it needs repeating. Well, this is What everyday life was like in Sodom and Gomorrah? Now first.

Lot Offers Hospitality and the City Surrounded by Wickedness

19 -2. He said behold now my Lord's in his little hell. Meaning what David? For afraid he'll tell you wrong. I'll tell you. It's the same as saying mr. Or sir. And he said behold now my Lord's turn in.

I pray you into your servants house and Terry all night. And wash your feet and you shall rise up early and go on your way now. Greg does not recognize these strangers as angels. No. So Abraham did and lot didn't and they said no.

We'll abide in the street all night now Debbie. What do you suppose might have happened? To the town. If they had remained in the street all night. There would have been some sorry people. I tell you that and he pressed upon them greatly.

And they turned in unto him and entered into his house, and he made them a feast and did bake Unleavened bread and they did eat. Did these angels purge. Let me ask you did these angels finally decide to turn in with lot?

Because he insisted on it. It wasn't time for the destruction yet, but before they laid down. Now look at this the men of the city even the men of Sodom compassed the house around both old and young. All of the people from every quarter when the disease of sin has become Epidemical it is fatal in any place.

And it's approaching that here and they called under lot and said unto him. Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out to us that we may know them. I'll leave you to decide what they mean by know them.

So here we find the old and the young from every quarter of the city. The old were not past it and the young were soon come up to it. Either they had no magistrates to protect the peaceable or. Their magistrates were themselves aiding and abetting in the act.

Yes exactly. Well Lot goes out. I Don't know if I would have or not. Lot went out at the door unto them and shut the door after him. And said I pray you brethren do not so wickedly. Behold now I have two daughters Which have not known man.

Let me I pray you. Bring them out unto you and do ye to them as is good in your eyes. Only unto these men do nothing for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. Greg. I believe if I live to be 800, I'll never understand why a lot did this in our culture, it's absolutely Unfathomable,.

I Realized their law of hospitality was extremely strong. But I would never have thought it would have been this strong. Does anyone have any comment what somebody. Oh. That's right. The women were simply a piece of furniture they owned.

Yes I think that's why he said. So that they would have had to come under they would not have had to come under his protection.

That's right. Well of two evils we must choose the lesser. But of two sins we must choose neither. The only course of wisdom and safety is to trust God and do what's right, and they said stand back. And they said again This one fellow came into Sodom Came into sojourn, and he will need to be a judge now.

He's just a visitor here. Now will we deal worse with thee than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man even lot And came near to break the door down. But the men put forth their hand now these are the angels inside Put forth their hand and pulled lot into the house to them and shut the door and They smoked the men that were at the door of the house with blindness Both small and great so that they were wearied they wearied themselves To find the door and lots of conjecture about what they meant by blindness where it was total blindness or They were just confused in their mind or there was such a mist or fog or something they could not see.

It accomplished the same purpose. They were frustrated and finally disbanded. So we see how that all men are dependent upon God with him for their protector his people would be secure and his enemies and Perseveringly opposing them will be destroyed.

And the men said on the lot passed out here any besides son-in-law and Thy sons and my daughters and whatsoever thou hast in the city bring them out of this place. Now did the angels not know the extent of lots family.

Well That's possible. But the angels do not know the future they know only what's been told to them and We have no record that it was told to them. And whether they knew or whether they didn't know they were putting the burden upon lot For him to secure all of his family all of his relatives.

Then they tell him why they're going to be there. For we will destroy this place. Because the cry of them is waxing great before the face of the Lord and the Lord has sent us to destroy it the command of a great duty.

Which was to do all he could for the salvation of those about him to snatch them as brands out of the fire. Those who through grace or themselves delivered out of a sinful state Should do what they can for the deliverance of others.

Especially relatives and I think we all ache over that. The greater the offer of a great favor here. They do not ask whether he knew any righteous in the city fit to be spared. They simply asked him if he had any relatives they Whether the righteous or unrighteous they might be saved with him if they were his relatives.

So I see here that bad people often affair the better in this world for the sake of their good relations with people. It is good being akin to a godly man. And verse 14. And Lot went out and spake unto his sons-in-law.

Now these were two men. He had two daughters and only two daughters and These were men that were betrothed to the daughters not married yet. But under their law, it was the same as marriage. So he calls them their sons-in-law which married his daughters and And said up get you out of this place where the Lord will destroy the city.

But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons-in-law. They laughed at him. Debbie why did they laugh at him? Why didn't they believe him? But What's that got to do with it? Who's talking to me now?

What'd you say? I can't hear anything unless you put up your hand Living. And it was an extreme life-saving emergency. Now That's right, so how important is our way of life. So, would you agree that it makes a difference how we live even in front of people we never know.

I Don't apologize for the picture that's in your mind, but it is an awful thing to leave till next week.

The Warning to Lot’s Family and the Call to Live Differently

Is in our mind now exactly what's going on in the world today? Yes, sir Yes, sir Yes, sir, it's so.

I've had a brother that's the way about six weeks ago. And he told me that he got he missed it one of these churches in Dallas a big church in Bell just to see What they were preaching and he said that they taught that Jesus Was a homosexual.

He wouldn't have had these twelve men following him.

I Wonder how they. I wonder how they would handle some of the scriptures we've read today. They don't preach that I. Well, it was just a way of expressing it. It doesn't didn't mean literally. But it would make us cry and it should today.

Yes. Anything else. Well, then let's go home. Let's stand. And brother David, would you dismiss today, please?

Things that we had learned something today. We ask you to witness now working us that these truths may be applied their lives. The world would see that we belong to you. And probably we would be the proper salt in life supposed to be right with this country.

People that people actually come to. They are.