[Sodom
is mentioned six times in the Old Testament and four times in the New
Testament. Whenever it is
mentioned it is always mentioned with a sense of foreboding and fear,
because it was an exceeding wicked city.
God destroyed Sodom with fire and
brimstone for its wickedness.
The Bible says of Sodom,]
[2 Peter
2:6
6 And turning the cities of
Sodom
and Gomorrha into ashes condemned
them with an overthrow,
making
them an
ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;]
[The smoking ruins of Sodom,
the destruction of Sodom, the judgment of Sodom is God’s classic example of how He feels about the
sin of Sodom.
The Bible states loud and clear that what happened to
Sodom
should be an example to us.]
[God does not change.]
[Malachi
3:6
6 For I
am the LORD, I change
not; . . . ]
[What God did before He will do again.
Indeed He will do again, for the Bible says,]
[Luke
17:28-30
28 Likewise also as it was in
the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they
planted, they builded; 29
But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone
from heaven, and destroyed
them all. 30
Even thus shall
it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. ]
[One day God is going to judge this world again and
that judgment will be similar to that which was rendered upon Sodom.
The people of our world, especially the wicked people of our
world need to be warned by the example of
Sodom.]
There are
three things we need to understand about
Sodom,
A.
The
Perversion of Sodom
(vs 20; Ezekiel 16.49-50; Prov 20.17; Isa 3.8-9, 12) [-
And the LORD said, Because the
cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great,
and because their sin is very grievous; - What was the sin of Sodom that caused God to
Judge them?]
[Ezekiel
16:49-50
49 Behold, this was the iniquity
of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness
was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of
the poor and needy. 50 And
they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took
them away as I saw good.
]
The Sins of
Sodom
were,
1.
Pride (Ezekiel 16.49; Prov 6.16-17; James 4.6) [– There is a sin
that God hates more than sexual perversion and that is pride.]
[Proverbs 6:16-17
16 These six
things doth the LORD
hate: yea, seven are an
abomination unto him: 17 A
proud look, . . . ]
[James 4:6
6 . . .
God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. ]
[We need to understand that God does not just
fail to help us when we are proud. But God resists us, he works against
us.]
[Pride is the greatest restraint that keeps
many lost from getting saved.
The proud refuses to come forward during the invitation and
openly proclaim and receive the Lord Jesus Christ.]
[Had there been no pride there would have been
no devil. ]
[Sodom is a testimony for how God hates the sin
of pride.]
2.
Gluttony (Ezek 16.49) [- . . .
fulness of bread . . . – This
is God’s way of saying they were materialistic.
They were thinking about the things of the flesh rather than the
things of the spirit. They
were living to gratify the flesh.
They were pampering the flesh and forgetting the spirit.]
3.
Idleness (Ezekiel 16.49) [- . . .
and abundance of idleness . . . –
They had become lazy, work had become a thing of the past.
They had become cursed with blessings.
Their prosperity had become their curse.
The Bible says that six days thou shalt work.
Even after retirement there is work to do.
]
[People need to understand that God intends for
you to work. Until you turn up
your toes and die you are to serve the Lord.
There is something for every one to do.
The worst thing that can happen to a nation is for people to
think they aren’t supposed to work anymore. God wants you to be
productive.]
[Work deals with responsibility; a desire not
to work is a desire to be free from responsibility.
When people want to be free from responsibility and work then
they will loose every other kind of freedom.]
[Idleness speaks of irresponsibility.]
4.
Selfishness (Ezekiel 16.49) [- . . .
neither did she strengthen the
hand of the poor and needy – There are people all around us who
desperately need our help.
There are people who do not have a decent place to live or a decent meal
to eat. We as God’s people
ought to be looking for people that we can help.]
5.
Arrogant Immorality (Ezekiel 16.50; Lev 20.13) [–
And they were haughty, and
committed abomination before me . . .
– What was their abomination?
Their abomination was sexual perversion. ]
[Leviticus 20:13
13 If a man also lie with
mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an
abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood
shall be upon them. ]
[Not only did they commit abominations,
they were
haughty and came out of their closets to do it.
They were proud and could not blush.
The Old Testament law commanded the death penalty for such sin,
but we don’t live under that law today.
Our law’s do not command the death penalty for such sins.
But abominable sins as sexual perversion bring spiritual death
instead.]
[Romans 1:24-26
24
Wherefore God
also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their
own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God
into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the
Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: .
. . ]
[Some people say, “If we don’t get right God is
going to judge us.” Friend,
sexual perversion is the judgment of God.
When God gives a nation up, then sexual perversion becomes a par
t of who they are.]
[Romans 1:26-28
26 For this cause God gave them
up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use
into that which is against nature: 27
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the
woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working
that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of
their error which was meet. 28
And even as they did not like to retain God in
their knowledge, God
gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not
convenient; ]
[Romans 1:32 32 Who
knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are
worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do
them. ]
[God have mercy on America.
This was the sin of Sodom
and it is the sin of
America.]
Notice
that their Pride led to Pollution which then led
Perversion.
[Why does a
sinner sin?
Because he wants a kick or a thrill, but sin never lives up to its
expectations.]
[Proverbs 20:17
17 Bread of deceit
is sweet to a man; but
afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel. ]
[In the
end the quest of sin leads first to Pride then to Pollution then to
Perversion. Nothing
will ruin a nation faster than the sins of
Sodom.]
[Isaiah lamented that Jerusalem was ruined.
What had ruined Jerusalem?]
[Isaiah 3:8-9
8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and
Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings
are against the LORD,
to provoke the eyes of his glory. 9
The shew of their countenance doth witness against them;
and they declare
their sin as Sodom, they hide
it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have
rewarded evil unto themselves. ]
[They
not only had become sinful like Sodom,
but they had
become proud of it. ]
[Isaiah 3:12
12
As for my people,
children are their
oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee
cause thee to err, and
destroy the way of thy paths. ]
[You can mark it
down, when you have a society filled with disobedient children,
domineering women, and depraved men that society is on its last legs.]
[That’s what God says ruined Jerusalem. ]
B.
The
Prayer of the Saint (vs 17; Ezekiel 22.30) [–
And the LORD said, Shall I hide
from Abraham that thing which I do; - The Bible says, ]
[Amos 3:7
7 Surely the Lord GOD will do
nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. ]
[Abraham was a prophet of God.
Abraham knew what was going to happen.
Those who are the friends of God know what is going to happen.
Abraham was not a VIP he was the MIP (Most Important Person)
because he prayed and stepped in between God and His judgment for wicked
Sodom.
Abraham started to intercede for Sodom and his carnal nephew Lot.]
[Wicked people, and a wicked Nation needs
intercession. America needs intercession.
Christians need to learn a lesson from Abraham.]
[Genesis
18:22-23
22 And the men turned their
faces from thence, and went toward Sodom:
but Abraham
stood yet before the LORD. 23
And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the
righteous with the wicked? ]
[Notice that Abraham, in prayer, placed himself
between these men of judgment and
Sodom.
One man, prayed and pleaded for Sodom and the people of
that city. No one in Sodom was praying.
Lot wasn’t praying, but Abraham
was. Lot was too carnal to
see God’s coming judgment; Lot was too
carnal to pray. But
Abraham, the spiritual man prayed.]
Notice the
Marks of Abraham’s prayer,
1.
Abraham’s Prayer Was Courageous Prayer (vs 22-23) [- . . .
but Abraham stood yet before the
LORD. 23 And Abraham drew
near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
– This means he interposed
himself between the Lord and judgment.
It means that Abraham at first stood to argue with the Lord.
Abraham’s prayers were like the prayers of George Mueller.
This is sanctified, pleading prayer.
This is holding God to His Word.]
2.
Abraham’s Prayer Was Contrite Prayer (vs 27) [–
And Abraham answered
and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which
am but dust and ashes:
- Don’t make the mistake
of thinking that this type of prayer is arrogant prayer.
Abraham was trembling before God.
Abraham reminded God of His Word, promises, and character but
always with brokenness. ]
3.
Abraham’s Prayer Was Compassionate Prayer [– Abraham is
praying for others and not for himself.
When is the last time you stood sacrificially in the gap for the
lost and wicked all around you.]
4.
Abraham’s Prayer Was Confident Prayer (vs 25)[ –
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? – Abraham had an
undeniable confidence in that God would always do right.]
5.
Abraham’s Prayer Was Conquering Prayer (Gen 19.29; 1 Tim 2.1-3)
[– And it came to pass, when
God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and
sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities
in the which Lot dwelt. – From this verse we discover that not
because of Lot, but because of Abraham
Lot was delivered. Abraham
was a man who knew how to intercede.
]
[The sin that amazes God is that you don’t
pray. With all of the great
and mighty prayer promises, God marvels that we do not pray.]
[1
Timothy 2:1-3
1 I exhort therefore, that,
first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and giving of thanks,
be made for all men; 2 For
kings, and for all that
are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all
godliness and honesty. 3
For this is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; ]
[We must hear and understand that the future of
America does not lie in
Washington; it lies with the people of God who
will pray like Abraham prayed.]
[One time God would have spared His ancient
people Israel,
but He did not spare them.
Why? Because there was no
intercessor]
[Ezekiel 22:30
30 And I sought for a man among
them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for
the land, that I should not destroy it:
but I found none.
]
[The greatest need in America today is
intercession. Effectual,
fervent, intercessory prayer.]
C.
The
Prophecy of the Second Coming (Luke 17.26-30; Gen 19.22; 1 Thess
1.10; 5.9)
[Luke
17:26-30
26 And as it was in the days of
Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat, they drank,
they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe
entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise also as it was in
the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they
planted, they builded; 29
But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone
from heaven, and destroyed
them all. 30 Even
thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. ]
[Genesis
19:22
22 Haste thee, escape thither;
for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither . . . ]
[Before God poured out His wrath in the flood, God put
Noah in the Ark.
Before God poured out His wrath on Sodom, God delivered Lot.
Before God pours out His wrath on this world His people will be
taken out at the rapture.
The Tribulation is called the Great Day of God’s Wrath (Rev 6.17).
]
[1
Thessalonians 1:10
10 And to wait for his Son from
heaven, whom he raised from the dead,
even Jesus,
which delivered
us from the wrath to come. ]
[1
Thessalonians 5:9
9
For God hath not
appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ, ]
[There are some who teach that the Church is going to
go through the tribulation.
But notice the Scriptures.
In the days of Noah and Lot they were
not in tribulation, they were doing what they did every day and fire
fell from heaven. But
before it could God’s people had to be taken out.]
[When Jesus comes again it will be as in the days of
Noah and as in the days of Lot.
In both of these examples we see something we must note.
]
There will be
three classes of persons living on the earth when Jesus comes,
1.
Spiritual Christians -
The Noah Type People.
[Noah was a picture of a spiritual filled Christian.
The Bible says Noah was a perfect man that loved God and obeyed
God. Because of this Noah
went into provision, protection, and the presence of God.
When Noah came out he was rewarded and inherited the whole earth
and took his family with him.]
2.
Carnal Christians – The
Lot
Type People. [Lot
didn’t want to go and the angel had to drag him out.
His family was left behind and perished in the flames.
He is saved but singed.
He lost everything because of his carnality.]
3.
Worldly Lost [– Those who will be judged and lost in the
judgment.]
[Who are you?
Where will you be when God’s judgment comes?]
CrossRoads Baptist, Evening, October 25, 2009
[1] Resourced From Adrian
Rogers
