Gtcotr/ss012824
One day when Abraham was 99 years old, he was sitting in the door of his tent near Hebron, it was the hottest part of the afternoon. Abraham saw what appeared to be three men approaching. He got up, went out to meet them and invited them to turn aside and refresh themselves. Later he realized one of the men was the Lord and the other two were angels.
They were on their way to the city of Sodom. The Lord wanted to see for Himself if the city was as wicked and evil as it appeared. If so, He planned to destroy the city and its inhabitants. When the Lord informed Abraham of His intent, Abraham began to question the Lord.
Genesis 18 NKJV
23 ¶ And Abraham came near
and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 “Suppose there were fifty
righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it
for the fifty righteous that were in it?
25 “Far be it from You to do
such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the
righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of
all the earth do right?”
26 So the LORD said, “If I
find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place
for their sakes.”
27 Then Abraham answered and
said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself
to speak to the Lord:
28 “Suppose there were five
less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of
five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”
29 And he spoke to Him yet
again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I
will not do it for the sake of forty.”
30 Then he said, “Let not the
Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He
said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 And he said, “Indeed now,
I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be
found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
32 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”
I want to encourage you to read the whole account in Genesis 18 & 19. However, because we are but dust and ashes and have a limited amount of time, allow me to clef note you on the rest of the story.
The two angels went on ahead and entered the city of Sodom near sundown. As fortune would have it, Abraham’s nephew Lot, who lived in Sodom with his wife and 2 daughters, happened to meet the angels at the gate and invited them to lodge with him for the evening.
Through a series of events the angels witnessed just how wicked the men of the city of Sodom were and if they had not stepped in and blinded the mob, no telling what would have happened. It reads so much better than I can tell it.
The end of this story for our purposes today concludes with the angels finding only one righteous man. There were not 10 righteous in the city, there was only one! So the angels, who looked like men, were determined to save Lot from the destruction which the city and its inhabitants well deserved. They also gave Lot instructions, time, and the opportunity to invite his family and their friends to be saved as well.
Lot warned those he cared for but was unsuccessful in convincing them. The next morning, just as the sun was rising, Lot was lingering …
Genesis 19:16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
They told Lot to take his family to a certain place and said:
Genesis 19: 22 “Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” …
As soon as Lot and his family were safely inside the protected city …
Genesis 19
24 ¶ Then the LORD rained
brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.
25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
What was so special about Abraham that Abraham could barter with God?
Abraham had a covenant with God. Covenant is powerful. This gave Abraham audience with God and God respected Abraham’s requests.
Like most every other accounts in the Bible, This account is a picture of a future spiritual event. Specifically the destruction of this wicked world in which we live. In the current unfolding story of the world and the impending judgment of God, which is already on His calendar, Jesus is Abraham, we are Lot, and the world is Sodom and Gomorrah.
God has a covenant with Jesus. It is not a covenant sealed by the blood of bulls and goats but rather a covenant sealed by the blood of Christ.
We are but dust and ashes in God’s sight however, we have been invited and included in the great salvation. Noah invited his family, friends and neighbors; Lot invited his family and others as well; and so can you. We have been instructed by Jesus to go into the highways and byways and encourage others to come and be saved.
Since God agreed to not destroy the city of Sodom for the sake of 10 righteous people living in the city, how many righteous people do you think it would take for Him to not destroy the world? I have the answer and it is one of the plain truths we learn from the story we have heard this morning.
In fact, just like Abraham said: “Far be it from You, Lord, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked.” “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
God will not destroy the righteous with the wicked … not even one!
God did not allow even one person who was right with Him to die in the flood of Noah’s day. Neither did God leave even one righteous person to die with the wicked when He judged the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
And God will not judge the earth until every single one of His children are safe and secure in heaven.
I believe the account of Lot and his family being saved and taken out of the city of Sodom by angels on assignment is a picture of the imminent return of Jesus and the coming Rapture of the Church. We who have heard from the Lord have been given time and opportunity, like Noah and Lot, to invite others to be saved before God unleashes His wrath upon this world.
Judgment day is coming but God will not allow even one of His children to suffer His wrath. I believe Abraham could have bargained with God to not allow even one righteous person to be destroyed with the wicked. But he didn’t really need to. This was God’s intent all along.
Abraham didn’t ask God for anything God wasn’t already planning to do. This is why it is so easy for God to say yes to your prayers. If you’re right with God, He is the One who put those desires in your heart.
What
is on your heart today?
·
Are
you right with God?
o Righteousness is what
you are given when you get saved.
o It is a gift from God
… A gift of grace, not works.
o Are you born again?
·
Is
there anyone else you want to invite?
o Pray for them.
o Asked God to show you
the best time and the opportunity to invite them to Jesus, to Church, and to
heaven.
o And even though we are
but dust and ashes, we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2
Corinthians 5:21)
o Expect a miracle! The
effectual fervent prayers … (James 5:16)
·
God
is the One who has put these desires in your heart.
o You are only asking Him
to do what He has already planned to do.
