Thank you very much Fiona and thank you Alistair for reading such a long and difficult passage.
So I have the great task of speaking on this passage for 30 minutes.
It will not be longer than that, do not worry.
Thank you all for coming out tonight, it's great to see you.
It would be really helpful if you had that passage open in front of you
as we think about what God has to say to us through his word.
But let me just pause very quickly and pray before we begin again.
Father as we come to your word we ask that you would give us soft hearts and open ears
to hear what you have to say and that we would learn what your word has to say to us.
In Jesus name, Amen.
So keep Genesis 18 and 19 open in front of you and I want to ask us a question as we begin.
What does it take to be a judge?
And if you're a judge, what does it take to be the best judge in the world?
Now there is no official best judge in the world award, but I think if there were,
Frank Caprio would be in the first place.
Now maybe you've heard of this judge.
He is an 80 year old judge who is sitting in,
he was a sitting judge in the city of Providence in Rhode Island in the United States.
Now maybe you've never heard of this judge.
But he is famous all over social media because of some short videos that came out in 2016,
which are filmed in his courtroom.
Now this judge is so popular because of his wittiness and because of his humour and his care
for the people who come into his court.
So for example, one short video shows the case of a father and a young son who come in
and the father's been given a fine for a parking ticket.
And instead of the judge telling this five-year-old boy to sit down and be quiet
because the court is in session, he says, come up.
So the son gets up and goes up to the stand and the son gets to decide his father's fate.
Now you can imagine what the fate was.
It was that he had to buy, his dad had to buy him breakfast.
That was all the punishment that was required.
But the judge also deals with some horrible cases.
It's not all fun and games.
Some people come in in terrible situations and the judge listens to their case
and he is why their situation is so bad.
And often he will say to them, if their situation is terrible, you can go.
No punishment is required.
Life is hard enough as it is.
Sometimes he is more humorous and he'll say, you can leave as long as you promise never to do it again.
Or you can leave if you promise to go to university one day.
But if this judge was like this in every single case, he wouldn't be a very good judge, would he?
So whilst it's necessary for a judge to be gracious and forgiving,
a judge must also do what his job title demands, mustn't he?
If a judge always shows grace and never punishment, can he really be a good judge?
So whilst Judge Caprio is a very likable and popular judge,
I don't think we can say that he's the perfect judge.
But in the passage that was read to us earlier on by Alistair,
we see God being described as the perfect judge.
The judge, the rightful judge of all the earth, who is both abundant in grace and who also shows divine justice.
And the key verse in these whole two chapters,
which give us the right focus on this whole Sodom and Gomorrah narrative,
is in 18 verse 25, where it says,
Will not the judge of all the earth do right?
So let's look at this passage and see how God is the perfect judge.
The first thing that we see is that God has abundant grace.
Chapters 18 verses 16 to 33, abundant grace.
So at the beginning of chapter 18, Abraham's visited by three people,
one of whom is described as the Lord.
And it's believed that these people are God and two angels.
That's what the text seems to be saying.
And in verse 16 and 17, we see the beginning of a very interesting conversation between Abraham and God.
In verses 17 to 19, God seems to be bringing Abraham into his decision of whether or not he should destroy Sodom and Gomorrah
because of the outcry on account of their evil.
Now, what do you think God's expecting at this point?
Is God expecting Abraham to say, yes, God, destroy them?
No.
God is encouraging Abraham in these verses to plead for the people of Sodom.
God is challenging Abraham to act wisely and nobly for justice's sake.
God says these things so that Abraham is invited to intercede to pray for the people of Sodom.
And God gives Abraham this opportunity because of who he is.
Look at verse 19.
Abraham is described as God's chosen one.
He is the one who will direct his children,
teach them the way that they should live and direct them not to live in a certain way.
Abraham will encourage his whole family to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right
and by doing what is just.
And so Abraham will be influential.
And God says, pray for the people of Sodom.
And Abraham accepts this invitation and he intercedes for them.
And some of the stuff that he says is rather bold.
So look at verses 23 to 25.
Then Abraham approached him, that is God, and said,
Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
What if there are 50 righteous people in this city?
Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the 50 righteous people in it?
Far be it from you to do such a thing.
To kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike.
Far be it from you.
Will not the judge of all the earth do what is right?
That's some pretty bold stuff to say to the God of the universe, isn't it?
And maybe you remember the times when you were a kid
and your teacher or your parent told you that something was going to happen
and you sat down and took it because you were frightened of the consequences.
You wouldn't dare answer back.
Well, not Abraham.
See, he intercedes for the people of Sodom.
Abraham can be bold because he knows who he is speaking to.
This is the God who chose him.
The God who singled him out to receive the amazing promises of a people, of a land,
and that he would be a blessing to the whole world.
God has chosen him and made a covenant with him.
God has seen Abraham's ups and his downs.
Abraham has been faithful and obedient,
but God has also seen Abraham's doubts and failings.
God knows Abraham and Abraham knows God.
And this is the setting of the courtroom style discussion that we see in the following verses.
Abraham is presenting his case before the judge of all the earth.
It's like a scene from the movie Twelve Angry Men.
Maybe you've seen it.
If you haven't, it's a good movie to go and watch.
It shows a murder trial where 11 out of 12 jurors convict an accused teenager of murder.
But one juror, juror number eight, says no.
And he votes not guilty.
Because he says that they haven't reviewed the evidence enough.
And so the movie clearly lays out this courtroom discussion
where evidence is brought before the jurors
so that they can make an informed finding of guilty or not guilty.
Abraham is pleading with God, saying,
Far be it from you, God, to destroy a whole city
if some of your people live there.
Far be it from you.
Won't the judge of all the earth do what is right?
And the answer is yes.
The judge of all the earth will do what is right.
And so Abraham begins with his list of questions.
What if you find 50 righteous people in this city?
Now, a righteous person is someone who's walking in line with God,
someone who is in a right relationship with God.
If you find 50 people, God, surely you won't destroy Sodom.
And God answers in verse 26 and says,
If I find 50 people in that city, I will not destroy it for their sake.
Do you see God's abundant grace?
God listens to Abraham's case
and he communicates with a fallen, corrupt human being.
God doesn't have to have this discussion.
God didn't need to listen to Abraham's intercession, but he does.
Abraham knows that he is absolutely nothing in comparison to God.
All of these lists, these questions that he asks
are all coming from a position of self-recognition in verse 27.
Abraham knows that he is dust before God.
And from this place of self-awareness,
he pleads for the other people who were but dust in Sodom and Gomorrah.
And so Abraham goes from 50 righteous people all the way down to 10.
What is the constant refrain we hear from God?
Verse 26, 27, 29, 30, 31 and 32.
If you find that many people in the city, then surely I will not destroy it.
So whilst this conversation highlights the abundant grace and mercy of a loving God,
it also highlights the depravity of Sodom.
There aren't even 10 righteous people living there.
And yet Abraham intercedes for them, even though he doesn't know them,
because he cares and fears for their souls.
Abraham knows that the whole world is sinful and naturally deserving of God's wrath.
Yet God encourages him to pray.
And that's what he does.
Now, what does this whole conversation mean for us?
Does it have any bearing on our lives?
Well, friends, I would definitely say that it does.
Because the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is to serve as a reminder to Abraham
and all of his descendants,
just how serious sin and rebellion against God are.
So Abraham is to instruct his children and his whole household to keep the way of the Lord.
And the destruction of Sodom is to be a practical reminder to him and to us of the seriousness of sin,
because we are descendants of Abraham through God's covenant and God's promises.
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah should remind us of the seriousness of sin
and the serious spiritual condition of the people around us.
The New Testament explains that this destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
is an example of what will happen to those who do not trust in the judge of all the earth.
So let me ask us a difficult question this evening.
How many times do we consider the eternal consequences of the sins of our loved ones?
Our desire should be to warn them,
to tell them the good news that forgiveness for their sins is possible
and to do as Abraham did and intercede for them before the living God.
We have a gospel to proclaim.
But for us to do that, we need to have a deep care and love for the lost people of this world.
Charles Spurgeon, a well-known pastor, once said,
If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies.
And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped around their knees,
imploring them to stay.
If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions
and let nobody go unwarned and nobody go unprayed for.
We need to start on our knees before God.
We need to be praying for people,
praying that they would see the seriousness of their rebellion against God
and ask that God would open their eyes
and give us opportunities to speak to them about Jesus.
Today, so many people become Christians because they have contact with a friend or a family member
who's been praying for them for years.
Our temptation would be to give up and stop praying
or maybe to pray less regularly when we see no fruit.
But Genesis 18 should give us the encouragement to keep on praying regardless of how we feel.
Maybe you've been praying for a friend, a sibling, a parent or a son or a daughter for many years
and you haven't seen any fruit from those prayers.
Do not be discouraged.
And do not ever stop praying for them.
When you feel discouraged and feel down,
please speak to brothers and sisters here and get them to pray with you.
Bring these people before God in prayer together.
Bring them before the perfect judge with abundant grace
that he might open their eyes and hearts.
Don't let your feelings of disappointment
stop you from doing the most important thing you can do for people.
Pray.
Our feelings don't matter.
People's eternal state before God does.
We need to pray for a burden for the people around us.
Pray that God would help us look over the city that we live in and weep
because there are people who are lost without God
and who are on a path which will lead them to destruction.
Let us keep praying to the perfect judge of all the earth
because he will do what is right.
And let's be thankful that we have been shown abundant grace.
The grace which allows us an unholy, sinful people
to come and pray to a holy and pure God.
That is abundant grace from the perfect judge.
But for God to be the perfect judge,
justice also needs to be done.
And so not only do we see abundant grace,
but we see divine justice.
Chapters 19 verses 1 to 29.
Divine justice.
So the two angels arrive in Sodom
and as they approach the city, they see Lot
and he begs them to come and spend the night in his house.
But this isn't just the casual invite
that you used to give your friends when you were a kid.
Fancy having a sleepover at mine?
No.
He is urging them, insisting them very strongly
that they should come and stay with him.
They wanted to stay in the city square,
but Lot knew that that wasn't a good idea.
How did he know this?
Well, he'd lived in Sodom for a while now.
He knew what happened to strangers
who slept in the square
when they visited Sodom at night.
And he didn't want the same fate to happen
to these two people.
So they go to Lot's house.
Now notice some contrasts
if you have your Bible open there at chapter 19
between Lot and Abraham.
So in the beginning of chapter 18,
Abraham is sitting at the shade of his tent.
He sees three people.
He rushes to them, bows down,
begs them to stay for a meal,
and they go and eat together.
And now in chapter 19,
Lot is sitting at the city gate.
He no longer lives in a tent.
But he rushes to the angels,
begs them to stay,
and has a meal with them.
The author is bringing out these similarities
between Lot and Abraham
to show us that Lot has not turned his back on God.
Lot is definitely more righteous
than the inhabitants of Sodom.
And the writer wants us to see
that even though Lot is amongst wicked people,
he himself has not turned against God.
Now when Lot first moved to Sodom in chapter 13,
he lived in tents,
as Abraham and his forefathers.
But he's now forsaken that lifestyle
for a more comfortable lifestyle in the city.
He seems to have married a local Sodomite woman as well.
Life is comfortable in Sodom.
But he obviously isn't happy
with the lifestyle of some of the people in the city.
Now Lot is by no means a perfect man,
and we'll see that as we get further in the chapter.
But the writer wants us to see
that he hasn't completely abandoned God.
And so these men come and stay with Lot
and his fears come true.
The men of Sodom come
and they knock on Lot's door
and demand these two visitors be handed over
so that they can have sex with them.
Now at this point,
I would like to say
that the pending judgment
which will befall Sodom and Gomorrah
is not a direct result of this particular sin.
But this situation is being used
to show the general sinfulness
which is part of normal life in Sodom.
So Lot goes out
and tries to calm down this angry mob.
And in verse 8,
he offers them a horrifying,
horrifying alternative.
Lot is more concerned
with these travelers,
with his reputation,
by not letting these travelers being harmed
than he is with the welfare
of his own daughters.
So even though Lot
is not as openly rebellious
as the people of Sodom,
he is by no means perfect.
So even in God's judgment,
can you see God's grace?
God sent these angels
to save Lot and his family
even though Lot was not living righteously.
Even though his witness
among the people in Sodom
is not what we would expect.
Why does God save Lot?
Well, the only explanation
we see in the text
is in verse 16
that God is merciful.
Apart from that,
we don't know.
Just like we don't know
why God chose Abraham
to be the father
of a great nation.
We don't know
why God saves Lot,
but even in God's judgment,
we see God saving grace.
So Lot runs and tells
his sons-in-law
of the coming destruction
of Sodom.
And here we see
a little taster
of how weakened
Lot's witnesses
by his stay in Sodom.
What do his sons-in-law do
when they hear
of the coming judgment?
They laugh.
They think it's a joke.
Lot and his family
receive the invitation
of salvation
and they respond.
Lot's sons-in-law
receive the invitation
and they think
it's a joke.
Lot and his family
accept the invitation
and leave,
but not right away.
The angels literally
have to take him
and his family
by the hands
and take them out.
And in verses 23 to 26,
we see the severity
of God's judgment.
The whole plane
is destroyed.
All of its inhabitants
have perished
because of their
sinfulness and disobedience.
Even all the vegetation
and plants
are destroyed.
God's judgment
is all-encompassing.
Lot's wife turns around
to see the fate
of her hometown
and she disobeys
the angel's command
and she suffers
the same judgment
and dies.
Her longing
for her home
pulled her attention
away from God's grace
and protection.
She focused on
the things of this world
and not the protection
of the creator
of this world.
Now this judgment
of Sodom and Gomorrah
is often upheld
and used to argue
that God is a dictator.
Someone who punishes
and destroys
all those who don't
agree with him
and do things
the way he wants.
But the truth is
that even in God's judgment,
grace is woven throughout.
See, the decision
to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah
did not happen overnight.
But God has been
patiently waiting
and listening
to the immense outcry
against these cities.
God didn't judge
in a rash, angry manner,
but he was patiently waiting.
And even since the beginning
of our studies
in the life of Abraham,
clues have come up
again and again
of the sinfulness
of Sodom.
God's justice
is right.
The judge of all the earth
has done what is right.
Doesn't that make sense?
If God didn't,
if God doesn't punish,
does God really care?
And if God doesn't care,
then can we really say
that he is a loving God?
We know that God's attributes
work in harmony.
And yet in our minds,
the idea of justice
and love often appear
in conflict.
This is the result
of seeing these attributes
and defining them
in isolation
from one another.
So in other words,
in order to understand
God's justice,
we need to understand
God's grace
and God's love.
In order to understand
God's love
and grace,
we need to understand
God's justice.
justice.
In our culture today,
divine judgment
is one of Christianity's
most offensive doctrines.
People don't like the idea
of a loving God
bringing judgment.
But without judgment,
we would have no gospel
to proclaim at all.
So what should our reaction be
after seeing such a severe act
of divine justice?
Surely,
if Sodom is to be an example
of what will happen
to those who reject God,
then our reaction
should be to warn them.
We should be taking
every opportunity
to tell people
of their need
for forgiveness,
of their need
to be made right
with God.
That's what you'd expect
to see from Lot
and his daughters,
wouldn't you?
They have seen,
they have been recipients
of God's abundant grace.
They have seen God's justice.
They've just been saved
from death.
Surely,
they will never be
the same again.
Last year,
my wife Sabina
was on jury duty
in the high court
and a teenager
was being accused
of a crime
and the accusations
altered his life
from the moment
he was first arrested.
His life would never
be the same again.
And so you can imagine
this boy's relief
when he heard the verdict,
not guilty.
It's highly emotional.
Him and his family
were in tears of joy
because the boy
had been declared free.
The decision was not
in his hands
and yet the declaration
was that he was free
to go home.
That boy will never
be the same again
because of that decision.
Now we'd expect
the same reaction
from Lot and his daughters,
wouldn't we?
To never be the same again?
You'd expect them
to be on their knees
thanking God
every second
that they're alive
because of his grace.
And you'd expect them
to be in awe
for the rest of their days
of the God
who is so powerful
that he can destroy
a city in seconds.
But instead,
what do we see?
Well, verses 30 to 38,
we see that you can take
the people out of Sodom,
but you cannot take
Sodom out of people.
Even after being recipients
of God's grace
and seeing the severity
of God's judgment,
Lot and his daughters
continue in terrible sin.
Lot's daughter devises
a plan to sleep.
Lot's daughters devise
a plan to sleep
with their father.
They get him drunk
and the children
that are a fruit
of this sin
will become the Moabites
and the Ammonites,
the enemies
of the people of Israel
when they get
to the promised land.
Isn't this shocking?
Hasn't the goodness
of God
and the severity
of sin
left any lasting impression
on these people?
Well, I definitely
think it did.
You can't walk away
from seeing a sight
like that
and not be changed.
But I think
that they live
in their sin
because that is exactly
who they are at heart.
So while Sodom and Gomorrah
was a sinful place,
it was just
a larger picture
of the sinfulness
of every single
human heart.
Lot and his daughters
have seen
the perfect judge.
They've been recipients
of his grace
and they've seen
his divine justice.
justice.
Haven't we seen
the same?
The very place
where you see
God's abundant grace
and divine justice
together
is at the cross
of Jesus Christ.
Abundant grace
because the Son of God,
God himself
took the place
of sinful people.
He took our place
so that the judgment
would fall on him
and not on us.
God chose
to make it possible
for the world
to be reconciled
to him
by going to the cross
and suffering
his own judgment.
That is true,
undeniable,
abundant grace.
And at the cross
we see divine justice.
A judgment
that was so painful
that Jesus asked
in the Garden of Gethsemane
for it to be removed
from him.
Yet not my will,
he said,
but yours be done.
The judgment
was so severe
that Jesus feared
being under it
and yet by God's grace
Jesus cried out
on the cross
it is finished.
The punishment
for sins
was complete.
Jesus paid
the price,
he took the pain,
he laid himself
bare
so that all those
who call on his name
could gain life
and that they could
be declared
free.
So we've seen
God's abundant grace.
We have seen
God's divine justice.
What will we do
in light of it?
Will we ignore
the immense sacrifice
of Jesus?
Will we live
as if the Son of God
didn't offer himself
as a sacrifice
so that people
can be forgiven?
Or
will we rejoice
in being called
righteous?
will we call
on the name
of Jesus
and be thankful
for the forgiveness
of sins
that he offers
to the world
and rejoice
with the privilege
of being called
children of God?
Now you might be
thinking that
surely I'm not
as sinful
as the cities
of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Surely I'm not
deserving of such
a severe punishment
as they are.
Well in Romans
chapter 3
this is
this is what
Romans 3
has to say
about the spiritual
state of humanity.
For all
have sinned
and fall short
of the glory
of God.
All have sinned
there is no
exception.
Each and every
one of us
has rebelled
against God
and each of us
has Sodom
in our hearts.
In and of ourselves
we are deserving
of the same judgment
that befell
Sodom and Gomorrah.
every single
person in this
world is naturally
in opposition
to God
but further on
in Romans 3
we read
and all are
justified freely
by his grace
through the
redemption that
came by Christ
Jesus.
God presented
Christ as a
sacrifice of
atonement
through the
shedding of his
blood to be
received by
faith.
So the truth
is that despite
our sinfulness
God in his
sovereignty
in his
abundant
grace
gave up
his son
to his
divine justice
so that
redemption
is free
to all
those who
call on
his name.
this is the
perfect judge
of all
the earth.
Are you
trusting in
this judge?
We're going to
close our
service now by
singing these
words and I
want you to
really think
about them.
Amazing grace
how sweet the
sound that
saved a wretch
like me.
I once was
lost but now
I'm found.
Was blind but
now I see.
can you sing
these words and
know that you
are trusting in
the judge?
If you can't
make them your
prayer this
evening.
Ponder the
abundant grace
and divine
justice of
God.
The only
perfect judge.
Let's pray
together.
maybe you'd
like to take
just a few
seconds to
come before
God in the
silence of
your own
hearts.
Heavenly
Father we
thank you
that we
have the
privilege of
being able to
come before
you in
prayer.
Lord we
pray that you
would give
us a burden
for the
world around
us.
Help us
remember the
seriousness of
sin but also
the abundance
of your
great grace.
Thank you
that we have
received your
grace and
help us as
we leave this
place to go
out and share
the good news
of your son
Jesus.
The one who
took the
divine judgment
for all those
who call on
his name.
thank you
for your
grace.
Thank you
that once we
were lost but
now we can
say that we
are found.
That we were
blind but now
we can see.
Thank you
that we are
declared
righteous and
free through
the sacrifice
of your son
Jesus.
And it is in
his powerful
and glorious
name that we
pray.
Amen.