God Will Judge Sin

God Judges The Sin of Men

Text: Genesis 18-20

Focus: Genesis 18:17-21. 23-26; 19:1-9, 24. 25

As we continue in our study in Genesis we find it has been about three months since the Lord last appeared to Abraham. Remember from chapters 16 to chapter 17, 13 years had passed that Abraham was out of fellowship with the Lord. Since that last time Abraham had circumcised every male that traveled with him. The family, those he had bought and strangers that stayed with him. The Lord appeared again to Abraham as he set in the shadow of his tent in the heat of the day.

We will learn some great truths in these passages as throughout God's word.

1.) God's love is universal
2.) God is no respecter of persons
3.) God's hatred for sin is also universal

Throughout time man's perversion to sin has often seen the judgment of God.

Three times in the Book of Ezekiel God say's:

Eze 7:4 [And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee], and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

Why does God say that?

Eze 7:5 Thus saith the Lord GOD; An evil, an only evil, behold, is come.

God does not just get mad and do things when He sees sin. No God is longsuffering, praise the Lord, or we would all be destroyed.

Psa 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

But God also has these words for those that are stubborn:

Pro 29:1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Sin will be judged and punished. Sin is never without consequences. The righteousness and justice of God "demands" that He judge sin.

Psa 89:14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.

What we see in these passages is an example of how God will spare the faithful who are living in a sinful generation. God is ready willing and able to grant mercy to all those that call upon Him. God is also willing to remove those that sin in powerful and dramatic ways.

Remember God saved Noah and his family out of the sinful world before the flood.

1Pe 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, [wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water].

God will spare the faithful. If we look around us we can see that our world is a lot like Noah's world. A world whose "every imagination of thoughts of his heart was only evil continuously."

God will show His friendship to Abraham and His judgment upon sin all in the same day.

THIS IS THE PRIVILEGE OF FAITH!

Just a few of the scriptures that prove the "Rapture" will happen before the tribulation period besides these great examples God shows us in His Word.

Psa 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. [Blessed are all they that put their trust in him].

Rom 5:9 Much more then, [being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him].

1Th 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, [even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come].

1Th 5:9 [For God hath not appointed us to wrath], but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

Heb 2:3 [How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation]; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

Lot had been a poor witness for the Lord. Lot only showed us how important it is for the Church to NOT be a part of the World.

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

The way to know the divine purpose about the world is not to be mixed up with its schemes and speculations but walking in communion with Christ. We must be a true witness to the Lost! We cannot be that witness if we partake in their ways or condone their life styles. Even the lost want no part of a hypocrite!

The Bible says:

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

When we yield ourselves to the Spirit that abides in us we will not be conformed to this world! The closer the believer walks with God, the more he will know of God’s mind about everything. The secrets of the Lord are with those who fear Him.

God says:

Pro 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.

Everyone in Hell are now believers. When the Church is taken out, the world will be full of non-believers. Some will go through the "tribulation" period and be saved but not any that sat in a Church will be among them.

2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; [because they received not the love of the truth], that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Our Text:

Gen 18:17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
Gen 18:18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
Gen 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Gen 18:20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
Gen 18:21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

Why did Abraham need to know? God explains Himself in verse 18. Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation. The Bible had not been written at this time. The Nation of Israel would be the nation to bring forth the preserved word of God. God wanted Abraham to have no doubts about the blessings of God and also the wrath of God.

You see God does not have some secret agenda!

Amo 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

In other words there is nothing that God is going to do that He has not told us!

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

God spoke through the prophets and then Jesus, who spoke through the Apostles.

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 [Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son], whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Listen to what Jesus Says:

Joh 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
Joh 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Joh 17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Joh 17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Joh 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, [but for them also which shall believe on me through their word];
Joh 17:21 [That they all may be one]; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, [that they also may be one in us]: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Why did Abraham need to know all these things?

********Verse 19:

"For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment";

The Lord is omniscient. He has universal knowledge or knowledge of all things; infinitely knowing; all-seeing. Only God has this trait, not Satan, not the angels and certainly not mankind.

You see all these things are written for us:

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

These things are written so we do not fail!

Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

*******God will punish sin! (verse 20)

"because their sin is very grievous"

1.) (the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah)

This means that though they did not know God there were many people in Sodom and Gomorrah that were suffering for the sin of these two cities. We will learn about a certain sinful life style shortly but we can be sure that murder and mayhem and all other social crimes were happening also in these cities.

Way back in chapter four when Cain murdered Able:

Gen 4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of [thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground].
Gen 4:11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

God hears these things:

In the time of Moses:

Exo 3:7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and [have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters]; for I know their sorrows;

God hears and sees the affliction of all people!

Psa 22:24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; [but when he cried unto him, he heard].

Psa 106:44 Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, [when he heard their cry]:

Even when the lost are oppressed by others God will respond with His wrath. There are two days ahead for this world that are sure:

Isa 63:4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.

You see Christ Our Lord knows the feeling of pain!

Isa 52:14 As many were astonied at thee; [his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men]:

And He knows the temptation of sin!

Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

God wanted Abraham to know all these things and also to witness them with his own eyes.

***********verse 21:

There is another main thing God wanted Abraham to know.

"I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it"

Did God need to come down and see for Himself the sin of these cities. Of course He did not but He wanted Abraham to know that He does not take any one elses word for what people do. He wanted Abraham to know that He would not punish anyone on the hearsay of another. God will always check things out for Himself!

After all:

Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

We need to know that God will always see for Himself before He destroys any people. He never takes anything Satan says to be the truth. Praise the Lord! We would all be in Hell if God was any other way.

*********Our text:

Gen 18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Gen 18:24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
Gen 18:25 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?
Gen 18:26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

What does the rest of this chapter tells us about Abraham?

He was a prayer warrior. He shows in type "Our Intercessor". Abraham pleads with God for any righteous that might still be alive in these cities.

1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 2:5 [For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus];
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

What does this show us about God?

He will not ever destroy the righteous with the lost! There will be a "rapture" of the Church before God brings His wrath to this Earth.

Our God is truly righteous!

God will not break His Own Word!

Joh 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

**********Our text:

Gen 19:1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; 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;
Gen 19:2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
Gen 19:3 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.
Gen 19:4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
Gen 19:5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
Gen 19:6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
Gen 19:7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
Gen 19:8 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.
Gen 19:9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: 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.

Now we should know that Lot did not know these two men were angels in human form. It was the custom at that time for the important men of the city to be sitting at the gate to welcome the traveler, to do business with the merchant, or to simply greet all others and tell them where they could stay or refresh themselves. This is also where the business of the city was conducted.

Rth 4:1 Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.
Rth 4:2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.

What we find here in Sodom is that only Lot sat at the gate. We also find that Lot knew how much the morals of this city had degenerated and it seems Lot still tried to protect any visitors. Lot had not been much of a witness to these people but Lot was still a righteous man that tried to do right.

2Pe 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
2Pe 2:8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

We can see in this the results of our testimony when we run with the immoral crowd. We are called to witness to them but not to fellowship with them and certainly not to live amongst them if we can help it.

Were these angels looking to see if there were at least ten righteous men. No, I don't think so. God was doing some things to show Abraham, Lot and all those that would read and study the Bible that He was truly a Righteous Judge but the Lord came down to do a certain thing.

Jud 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

This is our example of what happens when immorality and sin dominate this Earth and the Righteous have been removed. Let there be no doubt this world we live in will be judged by the Lord.

Did you know this is the very first time we see the word "unleavened" in the Bible. This word will be used 60 more times in the scriptures. Just the mention of this word shows us Lot knew the wickedness he lived in and he did not want to discuss it with these angels, these visitors.

1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

We can see in verse four that the wickedness of this city came to the residence of Lot and they did not come to be friends but to push their way of life onto these strangers.

Now what we read in these next passages come straight from the word of God. If we believe in the Salvation of the Bible and the God of the Bible then we must believe that God considers this lifestyle to be a grievous sin.

Gen 18:20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
Gen 18:21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

The truth of this city and the others mentioned will be shown to the World as an example of what God calls grievous sin. These things do not change because our God does not change. We see this lifestyle increasingly grow and in most cases it is pushed upon other societies as being just a way of life. We can see how this lifestyle is pushing it's way into the Church. We need to see what God says and abide by what He says!

To repent is to walk away from all evil lifestyles and to obey God this includes the gay lifestyle. No lost person can become a Christian without being Born Again.

Our example of repentance:

Mat 21:28 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
Mat 21:29 [He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went].
Mat 21:30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

There must be a change of mind and a new direction! God's rules and He is the only One who can forgive us! It doesn't matter what we think!

The truth of Christ:

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

How does this take place:

1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
1Pe 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1Pe 1:23 [Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever].
1Pe 1:24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
1Pe 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

There is no place for this lifestyle in the family of God. Neither is there a place for any who do not repent from every wicked lifestyle:

1Th 2:10 Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:
1Th 2:11 As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,
1Th 2:12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
1Th 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

There is no place for unrepented sin in the House of God! No Christian can find his pleasure and profit in the world and at the same time bear effectual testimony against the world.

If people would just get a clear picture of Hell in their heads, they would want a means of escape and they would not hesitate to give up their old lifestyles. Now we cannot yet be perfect but we should try our best to live a life as Jesus led in His short years because He to is our example.

Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luk 16:23 [And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments], and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luk 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, [that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame].

It's easy to see this man was in torment and he was now a believer, but he would still spend eternity in a torment that would never change.

It is easy to see the truth of Romans chapter one in these wicked men:

Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25 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.
Rom 1:26 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:
Rom 1:27 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.
Rom 1:28 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;
Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Rom 1:32 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.

What else do we see?

In gaining great worldly influence, Lot had lost all influence and spiritual power, even over his own family. When Lot offered up his children, he showed he would still do anything to have influence in this wicked city.

The people that lead this lifestyle will turn on you if you not stand with them and just like the world does now, THEY SAY WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO JUDGE THEIR ACTIONS.

We do not have to be judges to stand up for "right" when the World is wrong!
The World will try to silence everyone that goes against them.

Now Lot sees the plan of God though he didn't understand the reality of it.

Sodom would be destroyed.

It's not discussed in this lesson so much but look what the angels told Lot in verse 22. They cannot destroy Sodom and Gomorrah until Lot is out of the city and at a safe distance.

The Word of God tells us:

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

There can be no tribulation on this world until all the children of God are removed from it.

Our Text:

Gen 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
Gen 19:25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

God literally turned Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes. Let's go back for a moment.

Gen 13:10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and [beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where], before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
Gen 13:11 [Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan]; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

No one has ever found a trace of these two cities. Abraham viewed the destruction from many miles away. There is no well watered plain of Jordan anymore, at this time.

Gen 19:27 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:
Gen 19:28 [And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace].

The daughters of Lot thought the whole world had been destroyed:

Gen 19:31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:
Gen 19:32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

It is believed that the waters of the Dead Sea flowed into place of Sodom and Gomorrah and their remains are under the Dead Sea.

This our example of future judgment

Jud 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

These historical accounts teach us that God will judge the perversion of contemptuous people. When we are tempted to sin we must learn to rely on the Word of God to keep us strong in our faith.

Jesus Christ warned that it would be more tolerable for the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah in judgment than for those who had heard and rejected His Message

Mat 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Mat 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

God HATES sin but God still LOVES the sinner. Through the power of Jesus every soul can change and become a new creature.

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

We do not have to yield to the temptations of sin and we certainly do not have to degenerate into a lifestyle that dishonor our bodies and violates the clearly revealed will of God!

Let's pray!