Reasoning With God

Any children ages three and under that would like to take advantage of the nursery, you may do so at this time.

Looks like they've already made their exit, so they're welcome to stay in here or take advantage of the nursery, either one at your discretion.

But if you would, let's open up our Bibles this morning to Genesis chapter 18, and we're picking up halfway through in the second half of chapter 18

Genesis 18 · chapter mention

this morning in verse 16, going through the end of the chapter, verse 33. So Genesis chapter 18,

Genesis 18:16–33

verses 16 through 33, and when you found that in your Bibles, let's stand in honor of the reading of God's Word this morning.

Then the men set out from there, and they looked down towards Sodom, and Abraham went with them to set them on their way.

The Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great

and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. For I have chosen him,

that he may command his children and his household after him, to keep the way of the Lord,

by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.

Then the Lord said, Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great,

and their sin is very grave,

I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me,

and if not, I will know. So the men turned from there and went towards Sodom,

but Abraham still stood before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near and said, Will you indeed sweep

away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then

sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing.

To put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked. Far be that

from you. Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just? And the Lord said, If I find at Sodom

fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake. Abraham answered and said,

Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty

righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for the lack of five? And he said, I will not destroy it

if I find forty-five there. Again he spoke to him and said, Suppose forty are found there. He answered, For

the sake of forty, I will not do it. And he said, Oh, let not the Lord be angry and I will speak. Suppose thirty

are found there. He answered, I will not do it.

He said, Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there. He answered, For

the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it. And then he said, Oh, let not the Lord be angry and I will speak

again but this once. Suppose ten are found there. He answered, For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.

And the Lord went his way when he had finished speaking to Abraham. And Abraham returned to his

place. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord endures forever. Father God, we

are grateful, Lord, that you are a God who hears our prayers. And that you are a God that sees all and

that knows all, that you are a just and a holy God. And so we pray this morning, Lord, we pray

God, would you bless the preaching of the word this morning. Would you bring non-believers to faith and

would you bring believers to maturity this morning? We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated.

It has been an interesting few weeks, to say the least. If you pay attention to the news and follow

the headlines that are put before us, you'll notice often it's very little good news, is it?

And this week, the headlines read, Shooter opens fire at ICE facility kills one detainee.

A week or so ago, the headlines were about a shooting at a school in Evergreen, Colorado,

and of course, Charlie Kirk at the campus of Utah Valley University. Before that, it was

Irina Zarutska, a refugee, stabbed on a train in Charlotte late August. It's really never much

good news that we get. And of course, it's not just here in our country. If you zoom out just a

little bit beyond our borders, you zoom out. You may not have even heard about this. I'm not even sure

if it made the major headlines or not. But just a few weeks ago, over 100 Christians were killed in the

Democratic Republic of Congo. They were gathered together worshiping at a funeral for one of their members

when a militant group from the Islamic State came in and began to open fire and wipe them all out.

And just before that, towards the end of July, about 200 Christians were murdered in Yelwada,

Nigeria. Very similar type of story. And this sort of wickedness is profound and it is widespread.

And you hear stories like this and oftentimes as Christians, we might wonder, well, how in the world

are we supposed to respond to the wickedness all around us? And what can we do as Christians all

the way here in all in all South Carolina for our brothers and sisters throughout the world who are

experiencing great and terrible wickedness? Well, there are many ways that we can respond, but I want to

show us one from our passage this morning. Our passage gives us one very simple way, and it's this.

God's people are called to pray. God's people are called to devote themselves to prayer.

In our passage this morning, Abraham shows us what it looks like for God's people to pray

in light of the wickedness all around us. And so what I'd like to do this morning as we look at our

passages. First, I want to just briefly try and explain what's going on here. We'll just kind of

review what's happening here in the passage. And then I want us to see five takeaways for our prayers.

Five takeaways, five ways to pray in light of the wickedness all around us. So first, let's take a

look at the passage here. And look there with me starting in verse 16. We're starting halfway through

the chapter this morning. Again, we saw last week, if you remember, these three men come and appear

before Abraham and Sarah in the first half of chapter 18. And if you remember, there's no doubt

that this is the Lord. This is another theophany. The Lord appears here in human form to Abraham.

And there are two angels there with him. They come and they promise him yet again,

this reminder of the promise of the coming birth of Isaac. That was last week. The verse 16 picks up

from here. And it tells us that the men set out from there. They're leaving and they they look down

towards Sodom. The Hebron, where they are, is up on a hill. Sodom is down by the Dead Sea. And so up in

Hebron, they have a pretty good vantage point where they can literally look down and see the city.

And as they make their way out, we're told Abram, he goes with them to send them on their way. And the

Lord, he begins to speak. He says, shall I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do? Why? Well, because

Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed

in him. I've chosen him that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way

of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has

promised him. We see right away a reminder of this special place that the Lord has has brought Abraham

into. All right. Why does the Lord want to fill Abraham in on his plans? Well, it's the same reason

why the Lord has appeared again and again and again and again to Abraham over these chapters, speaking with

him and making promises to him. Abraham, by God's grace, has been brought into this special

covenantal relationship with the Lord. And we see here Abraham enjoys this privileged relationship

with God. That's one thing we ought to notice. We also notice again, God is making here a distinction,

isn't he? God is marking off Abraham and his offspring from the wicked, in particular from the inhabitants

of Sodom. There's a distinction between the righteous and the wicked. Abraham and his children are to keep

the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and doing justice so that the Lord may bring to Abraham all

these promises. They are to be distinct. And the Lord, as we'll soon see, he certainly will do righteousness

and he will do justice and his people must also do the same. We see here God makes a distinction between

the righteous and the wicked. And ultimately, as we'll look ahead to next week, we see a distinction in

their end destination. The righteous are delivered by the grace of God, but the wicked are ultimately

destined for destruction. Well, the lesson for God's people here is do not be like Sodom. Be distinct.

In one way, a very clear way that we ought to respond to the wickedness around us, Christian, is to make

certain that we're not a part of it. We, as God's people, are called to stand out. We ought to stand

out and be distinct in the midst of great wickedness all around us. God's people are called to be light.

And so we see the Lord plans to go down and see what's going on there in Sodom. And verse 20 picks up

and explains the reason why. He says it's because this outcry has come against Sodom and Gomorrah.

And this outcry is very great and the sin is very grave. So I'm going to go down and I'm going to see

whether or not this outcry is true. And if it is, or if it's not, I will know. This is courtroom language

here. The outcry has come to the Lord. An accusation has been made. The charges have been filed.

Now this is the cry of somebody who has been oppressed and who needs justice. This outcry has come to the Lord,

the judge, and so the men go down and head towards Sodom. But look what happens here in verse 22.

It says Abraham is still standing before the Lord. He doesn't just simply send them off and say

goodbye, does he? He stands there and he does something very bold here. He begins to bargain

with God. And so I want you to get this courtroom image in your mind, okay? Imagine a courtroom scene

with me here. God the judge sits with gavel in hand. He is ready to render the verdict.

He is ready to give a sentence of complete destruction on the entire city of Sodom. He's heard

the accusation. He's ready to render judgment. The people of Sodom sit there in their seat. They are

awaiting their sentence. But before that gavel can come down, Abraham stands up and he presents his case

to the judge. Abraham is serving as their defense attorney. But notice here who it is that he represents.

He doesn't represent all of Sodom without qualification, without distinction, does he? Who is he representing

here? He stands up to defend the righteous. His argument to the judge is that it would not be just for God,

the judge, to destroy the righteous with the wicked. You see that? Don't lump them all up together and

punish them all the same way. That would not be just. Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with

the wicked? He says, verse 23, surely not. And he begins to bargain him down. And suppose there are

50 there. Will you indeed sweep away the place for 50 and not spare the 50 righteous who are in it?

Far be that from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the

righteous fair as the wicked, far be that from you shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just. And we see

the Lord agrees. If I find that Sodom, even 50 righteous, he says, I will spare the whole place for their sake.

So Abraham keeps bargaining him down. He's like negotiating the price of a used car, isn't he? He's just whittling

him down little by little by little by little from 50 to 45, from 45 to 40, from 40 to

30, all the way down to 10. And God, the judge says, if I even find 10 there, Abraham, I promise you,

I will spare the whole city for their sake. Abraham stands here and intercedes for the righteous.

That's his primary aim. He's defending the righteous. He's praying for the righteous there in the city.

But do you notice how the wicked are blessed as well? His primary aim is to save the righteous.

But did you notice in preserving the righteous there in that city? Guess what? The whole place is spared

for their sake. The wicked also are blessed. You know, the same is true today. We know, Christian, that God has appointed

a day soon to come when God will judge the wickedness of all the world. But God delays his wrath

for the sake of the salvation of his people. And in this moment of God's patience, guess what?

Well, the wicked enjoy all sorts of blessings, don't they? The wicked enjoy all sorts of common grace gifts

from the Lord. They enjoy life and joy and children and family and riches and prosperity. But you know,

the most obvious blessing that the wicked enjoy in this moment of God's patience, do you know what it is?

It is the opportunity to repent and to come to the Lord so that they may no longer be counted in this

category of wicked, but may be included amongst the righteous. God will one day judge America and Nigeria and the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, but not before every last one of his people are redeemed. Until then, the wicked enjoy

many, many, many, many mercies that are called to repentance.

Here Abraham, he stands before the Lord and he intercedes on behalf of the people of God. He is praying

as mediator between God and man. Here he is standing in the gap and he's looking out in light of the

wickedness all around him and Abraham is interceding on behalf of the people of God. And now church and the

rest of our time together, what I want us to see is that we too are called to pray like this.

Five ways.

Because I'm sure you've noticed that Abraham is not the only one to live in a wicked world. Amen?

I mean, the wickedness that Abraham saw in Sodom, the wickedness that Abraham endured in a fallen world

thousands of years ago here in the book of Genesis, is it any different today?

We too live in a world that is cursed by sin. The curse of sin is just as real in our day now,

2025 as it was all the way back here in Genesis. So how should we pray? Five takeaways here. First, church,

we must pray in light of who God is. Pray in light of who God is. This is the foundation of our prayers.

God's character is the basis of our prayers. If Abraham thought for a second that the judge of all

the earth was corrupt, he wouldn't waste his time bringing his case before the Lord, would he? But because

he knows God's holy character, he pleads with him, he begs him, he brings his case before him. Church,

we pray because God is holy. Our God is perfectly righteous in all his ways. Our God is totally pure. God

delights in righteousness and God abhors wickedness. If we have any sort of anger in our hearts towards

towards the wickedness around us, if we look out and say, that's not right. If it makes you angry that

our brothers and sisters are put to death throughout the world, just think of the holy, righteous anger of

the Lord. If we are offended by sin, we can be certain that God who is holy, holy, holy does not take sin

lightly. He does not have a live and let live attitude towards sin. Not only this, we pray, because our God is

just. He is totally just in all his ways. This holy God will not let wickedness have the last word.

evil will not triumph. Our God will execute justice. Do you believe this?

Sometimes it's hard to believe this because we look around and it looks like evil is winning.

And sometimes it looks like we can't find justice. And sometimes church, I'll be honest with you,

we will not get justice on this side of glory.

But we know

in the end, our God will bring

justice. If not immediately in this life, then ultimately, certainly

at the return of Christ. So we pray

that our God is holy. Our God

is just. We also pray because our God is omniscient.

That's a big word.

God. It simply means that our God knows

everything.

We see that here in verse 21.

Don't we? He's heard this outcry.

He's going to see and

he will know.

Whatever is happening there in Sodom,

it is not a secret

to the Lord.

No sin, no

wickedness catches the Lord

by surprise. No

rebellion is a new

discovery for him. He sees

all. He knows

all. God knows

about all the evil in the world.

Sometimes in human courts, they get it wrong, don't they?

Sometimes evidence

is withheld.

Sometimes they don't have all the information

they need to render a proper

verdict. Sometimes they just

get it wrong. Sometimes people know,

they think they know what's going on,

but they're wrong. They really don't have a clue.

They don't have the knowledge to execute

justice.

Not

so

with God.

God knows.

We cry out to God

for justice because

He knows.

Some people take that as reason

not to pray.

Right?

If God already knows,

if He already sees what's going on,

why in the world would I pray to Him about it?

And may I just say

that that's not how Jesus sees it?

You know, the most

famous prayer in the Bible,

the Lord's Prayer,

we just had it read

earlier this morning.

Right before the Lord's Prayer,

what does He say?

Your Father in Heaven

knows what you need

before you ask Him.

Pray then like this,

He says.

His omniscience

is a reason to pray

with confidence

because God sees.

God knows.

But praise God,

we also pray

because our God

is merciful

and gracious.

God is willing

to be patient.

Far more willing

than you and I are.

He is willing

to delay

His wrath

for the sake

of the salvation

of His people.

So we pray

because our God

is not willing

that any should perish

but that all

should reach repentance.

So we see,

first,

Abraham,

he speaks in light

of God's character

and so must we.

We pray in light

of who God is.

Not only this,

second,

second,

we pray in light

of who we are.

We must pray

in light

of who we are.

are.

And for one thing,

we ought to recognize

our unworthiness

in prayer,

church.

Abraham knows

exactly who he is.

Look there

to verse 27.

As he's reasoning

with the Lord,

as he's bargaining

with God,

what does he say?

Behold,

I have undertaken

to speak to the Lord,

I who am

but dust

and ashes.

I mean,

it's like he just

recognized,

I am talking

with almighty

God here.

What have I gotten

myself into?

This is the creator

of the universe.

This is the Lord

of all the earth.

This is the king

of kings.

I'm face to face

with God almighty.

Who am I

to speak

to do something

like this?

This is dust

and ashes

speaking to the Lord.

He recognizes

his unworthiness.

Church,

I wonder,

do you pray

like this?

Do you recognize

your unworthiness

before the Lord

in prayer?

I mean,

don't pray to the Lord

like you're just

texting your buddy.

We ought to pray

as the Puritans

prayed.

Have you ever read

some Puritan prayers?

I love,

there's this little

prayer book,

it's called

The Valley of Vision.

It's a collection

of Puritan prayers

and in it

there's this little

prayer,

it's called

Self-Deprecation.

Now if you want

to be encouraged,

go read

Self-Deprecation.

Let me read it to you.

It's very encouraging.

Oh Lord,

my every sense,

member,

faculty,

affection

is a snare

to me.

I can scarce

open my eyes

but I envy

those above me

or despise

those below.

I covet

honor

and riches

of the mighty

and I'm proud

and unmerciful

to the rags

of others.

If I behold

beauty,

it's a bait

to lust.

If I see

deformity,

it stirs up

loathing

and disdain.

How soon

do slanders,

vain jests

and wanton

speeches

creep into my heart?

Am I comely?

It's fuel for pride.

Am I deformed?

What an occasion

for repining.

Am I gifted?

I lust

after applause.

Am I unlearned?

How do I despise

what I have not?

Am I in authority?

How prone

to abuse

my trust,

make my will

my law,

exclude others'

enjoyments,

serve my own

interests

and policy.

Am I inferior?

How much I grudge

others' preeminence.

Am I rich?

How exalted

I become.

You see?

You see the picture.

Thou knowest

that all these

are snares

by my corruptions

and that my

greatest snare

is myself.

I bewail

that my apprehensions

are dull,

my thoughts mean,

my affections stupid,

my expressions low,

my life unbeseeming.

Yet what

canst thou expect

of dust

but levity,

of corruption

but defilement?

Keep me ever

mindful of my

natural state,

but let me

not forget

my heavenly title

or the grace

that can deal

with every sin.

Do you pray

like that?

And maybe not

quite like that

but do you pray

humbly

recognizing

your unworthiness

and your

weakness

before the Lord?

But did you catch

the last line?

He said,

keep me ever

mindful of my

natural state

but let me

not forget

my heavenly

title

or the grace

that can deal

with every

sin.

We see Abraham,

he prays humbly,

he recognizes

his natural state

that he is

dust and ashes

but he also

prays boldly.

Why?

Because of an

awareness

of his heavenly

title

and the grace

of God

that is

for him.

church,

we pray

with boldness

before the Lord,

we come to him

with confidence

because of our

heavenly title

in Christ.

God has brought

Abraham into this

covenant relationship

with himself

and church,

in Christ

we have

this access.

when we pray,

yes,

we pray in

light of

who we

are

and that

includes

who God

has made

us to be.

Yes,

we are unworthy

by our own

right but God

by his grace

has given us

this access

in Christ.

We are his

children

in Christ.

We are

declared

righteous

by faith

in Christ.

we are

washed

clean

of every

sin.

We are

adopted

into his

family.

We are

given

full

access

to God

the Father

in Christ.

Christ Jesus

died and rose

to buy this

access for us.

But we can

pray with boldness

because of who

we are

in Christ.

In Christ

Jesus.

Church,

we are

his chosen

people.

We are

the children

of Abraham.

we are

his privileged

his chosen

his beloved

children

in Christ.

This preferred

privileged place

is ours

in Christ.

Do you realize

what an

extraordinary

privilege that

is?

Anytime

you want

you can

bow your

head and

speak to

God Almighty

and be

welcomed

as his

own child.

God.

So we

pray in

light of

who God

is.

We pray

in light

of who

we are

third.

We pray

in light

of God's

purposes.

Look at

what Abraham

asks God

to do

here.

And notice

again his

concern is

primarily for

the salvation

of the

righteous.

That's his

primary argument

here.

Don't sweep

the righteous

away with

the wicked.

Right?

Abraham does

not argue

the fact

that the

wicked have

earned God's

judgment.

He doesn't

even bring

that up.

He doesn't

say a word

about it.

He knows

that they

deserve

judgment.

But he

also knows

that God

will certainly

save his

people.

So he

speaks with

this big

picture in

mind.

Church,

and so

must we.

When we

pray,

we need

to pray

in light

of God's

heart,

God's

plan,

God's

purposes.

And we

know,

don't we,

with even

greater clarity

than Abraham,

we know

that God

has appointed

a day

when Christ

will return

and all

his people,

the righteous,

those who

have put

their faith

in Christ,

those who

have been

made righteous

by faith

in him,

all of his

people will

be redeemed.

and ultimately

we know

all of

the wicked,

those outside

of Christ,

will be

judged.

As we

pray in

light of the

wickedness all

around us,

as we see

wickedness in

our town,

in our nation,

in our

community,

in our life,

it is good

and right for

us to pray

that that

ultimate,

final judgment

would break

into the

present.

And so

we pray,

God,

judge the

wicked.

Of course,

when we pray

for the wicked,

our first

inclination

ought to be

to pray

that the

Lord God

would be

gracious to

them as

he has been

gracious to

us.

Amen?

That in

this moment

of delay,

this moment

of God's

patience,

our first

prayer ought

to be,

God,

would you

redeem them?

Would you

save them?

Would you

give them

the gift of

faith?

Would you

bring them

to repentance?

Would you

bring them

out of the

category of

the wicked

and into

the category

of the

righteous?

But if

not,

it is

good and

right to

pray for

justice.

Now,

the Psalms

are not shy

about this.

you read

through the

Psalms and

you will

find David

praying that

God would

bring justice

here and

now,

this ultimate

picture of

justice,

that it

would break

into the

present moment.

Psalm 58,

he says

things like,

break the

teeth in

their mouths.

Psalm 58.

We hear that,

we say,

that doesn't

sound very

nice.

Let them

vanish like

water that

runs away.

That sounds

mean,

doesn't it?

Let them

be like the

snail that

dissolves into

slime.

We don't

talk like

that,

do we?

Could you

imagine,

Treg comes

up for the

pastoral

prayer and

he starts

praying,

let them

be like

the snail.

Pour some

salt on

them,

God.

God.

We live

in a

world that

doesn't

think anybody

deserves

judgment.

Church,

we know

better,

don't we?

We know

the wicked

deserve

judgment.

And we

know that

we,

by our

natural state,

belong to

the category

of the

wicked,

that we

are rightfully

deserving of

God's

judgment.

But by

his grace,

Christ paid

the price

for our

sin.

The only

reason that

we are not

in the

category of

the wicked,

bound for

hell,

is that

Christ endured

the wrath of

God for

us.

That's the

only reason.

We don't

pray from a

moral high

ground saying

we are better

than you.

We pray,

God,

would you

save them?

And if

not,

Lord,

judge the

wickedness of

the world.

God,

judge the

wicked and

God,

save your

people.

God,

would you

redeem your

elect?

Would you

rescue them

from the

schemes of

the evil

one?

God,

would you

protect them?

Would you

help them?

Would you

bless them?

Would you

turn the

plans of

the wicked

on their

own heads?

You think

again of the

persecuted

church in

the Congo

and places

of China

and Sudan.

It is right

to pray,

Lord,

would you

shield,

be a

shield for

your people?

Would you

protect them

as they

gather in

a dangerous

place?

Would you

preserve their

lives,

protect their

families,

protect the

believers there?

And Lord,

would you

just put an

end?

Would you

capture the

murderers?

Would you

bring justice

to them?

Would you

put a stop

to their

evil?

Would you

draw them

to faith

in Christ

and be

merciful to

them?

But Lord,

would you

bring

justice?

Church,

we are

called like

Abraham to

intercede on

behalf of

God's people.

We're called

to pray for

the church

to be built

amongst all

nations.

This is the

big picture

plan of

God.

We have

the responsibility

and the

blessing of

interceding for

our brothers

and sisters

before the

Lord.

Church,

are you

praying for

your brothers

and sisters

in Christ?

Start right

here.

I would

encourage you

to start

right here

in this

church family.

You look

around.

This isn't

a big

room.

You look

around here.

Start right

here.

You recognize

the schemes

of the

wicked would

love to

destroy the

righteous in

this room.

The enemy

would love

if the

righteous were

swept away

with the

wicked in

this room.

Would you

pray for one

another?

Would you

pray for

me?

Pray for

your pastor?

You see

another pastor

seems almost

weakly,

failing because

of some

disqualifying

sin.

Church,

I realize

I am

but dust

and ashes.

Would you

pray that

your pastor

would not

be swept

away with

the wicked?

Would you

take your

membership

directory and

pray this

for one

another?

Pray that

the Lord

would preserve

you by

his grace,

that he

would

finally

rescue

his

people

from the

wickedness

of this

world?

Would you

pray that

for each

other?

We are

called to

intercede

like Abraham

for others

around us.

And again,

church,

what a privilege

that is to

pray.

We stand

in the gap,

intercede

on behalf

of God's

people.

But notice

also,

fourth,

notice how

specific

Abraham

is here.

You notice

that?

How specific

he is with

his prayers?

This is the

fourth way

we are

called to

pray.

We are

called to

pray boldly

and specifically

before the

Lord.

Just look

there with

me at how

specific he

is.

He doesn't

say,

God,

spare the

righteous in

Sodom.

Although that

would have

been perfectly

fine.

What does

he say?

God,

if there

are 50

there,

would you

spare them?

God,

let me,

five more.

If there

are 45

there,

God,

would you

spare them?

All the

way down

to 10.

God,

if there

are 10

there,

would you

spare them?

He is

being direct

and specific

with what

he wants

the Lord

to do.

How specific

are your

prayers?

A pastor

named

Justin

Dillehay,

he wrote

an article

reflecting on

this passage

and he

brought up

George

Mueller.

Do you

know the

story of

George

Mueller?

George

Mueller is

famous for

running several

orphanages and

he said this,

he said,

instead of

vague requests

like,

Father,

please provide

for our

needs,

Mueller's

prayers tended

to sound

more like,

Father,

we need

110 loaves

of bread

and 75

pairs of

shoes

by tomorrow

morning.

he shared

how one

time he

was sailing

to America

for a

preaching

crusade

and his

ship was

stuck in

a dense

fog threatening

to derail

his entire

preaching tour

and according

to the

captain,

Mueller knelt

down on his

knees and

prayed,

oh Lord,

if it is

consistent with

thy will,

please remove

this fog in

five minutes.

He could

have said,

God,

just get us

through this.

God,

remove the

fog,

please,

as soon as

possible,

but five

minutes,

he thought

five minutes

was perfectly

possible for

the Lord.

He figured

he'd be

specific.

And of

course,

that's exactly

what God

did.

Exactly as

Mueller

asked,

church,

as we

pray,

in light of

the wickedness

all around

us,

friend,

let me

encourage you

to pray

specifically.

God knows

exactly what

you need.

Ask him.

Ask him.

Ask him

specifically,

pointedly,

directly.

Put a

number on

it,

a time on

it.

Ask him

specifically

for what

you like

to see

him do.

So let's

get specific.

Church,

it is

good and

right to

pray for

an end

to

abortion.

It is

better to

pray,

God,

would you

bankrupt

Whole Woman's

Health

Abortion

Clinic in

Charleston

this year?

Would you

provide

counseling

and help

for the

mothers in

need this

year?

Would you

raise up

more Christian

families who

would be

willing to

foster and

adopt in

my community?

it is

good to

pray,

God,

would you

save my

family and

friends?

It is

better to

pray,

God,

would you

give me an

opportunity to

share the

gospel with

my brother

tomorrow?

And then

would you

give him

ears to

hear it

and a

heart to

receive it?

It is

good to

pray,

God,

God,

bless my

daughter as

she goes

to college.

It is

better to

pray,

Lord,

send a

campus

minister to

her dorm

room door

this week.

It is

good to

pray,

Lord,

bless your

church.

Would you

bless

Seawee Bay?

It is

better to

pray,

God,

would you

send us

50 children,

five more

elders?

God,

would you

give us

the funds

and the

resources to

expand this

room and

add a

hundred more

seats?

And God,

would you

fill every

single one?

Not for

our sake,

Lord,

but for

your sake,

because we

know,

big picture,

you are

committed to

build your

church,

magnify the

glory of

God in

the gospel

of Jesus

Christ.

That's what

we want to

see happen.

Church,

would you

be bold

and specific

with your

prayers?

Finally,

as we

pray,

number five,

pray in

a posture

of trust.

Look how

the passage

ends,

verse 33.

Abraham

here,

he's done

negotiating,

he's said

his piece,

he's gotten

it all

out,

and then

what happens?

The Lord

goes his

way,

and Abraham

goes back

home.

And we

have to wait

until next

week to see

what happens.

All Abraham

knows at the

close of our

passage this

week is he

has spoken

with the

Lord.

He has

spoken with

God who

is just,

who is

holy,

God who

sees all

and knows

all and

will do

what is

right.

He's been

as specific

as he can

in his

prayers.

He's laid

it all

out.

And so

now,

Abraham can

go back

home in

confidence

that God

will do

what is

right.

right.

The judge

of all

the earth

will do

what is

just.

He doesn't

have to

worry about

the results,

does he?

That's in

God's hands.

Church, you

realize prayer

is where

worry goes

to die,

don't you?

Because we

pray with

confidence

and trust

that the

Lord will

do what

is right.

Church, do

you pray

like this?

When we

come before

the Lord

and bring

our request

to him,

you may

get what

you ask

for in

this life

and you

may not.

You may

see the

Lord move

quickly and

immediately

and you

may not.

You may

get justice

in this

life and

you may

not.

But church,

in every

case, when

we get up

off of our

knees and

when we say

amen, we

can leave

in confidence

and trust

that we

leave it

in the

hands of

a fully

good and

capable

God.

We can

trust that

the judge

of all

the earth

will do

what is

just.

Do you

believe this?

I want to

close with

Jesus'

parable from

Luke chapter

Luke 18 · chapter mention

18 as we

end our

time together.

It says,

Jesus told

them a

parable to

the effect

that they

ought always

to pray

and not

lose

heart.

He said,

in a certain

city there

was a

judge who

neither feared

God nor

respected

man.

There was

this widow

in that

city who

kept coming

to him

and saying,

give me

justice

against my

adversary.

For a

while he

refused,

but afterward

he said

to him,

though I

neither fear

God nor

respect man,

yet because

this widow

keeps bothering

me, I

will give

her justice

so that

she will

not beat

me down

by her

continual

coming.

The Lord

said,

hear what

this unrighteous

judge says,

and will

not God

give justice

to his

elect who

cried to

him day

and night?

Will he

delay long

over them?

I tell you,

he will give

justice to

them speedily.

Nevertheless,

when the

son of man

comes,

will he

find faith

on earth?

Father,

you are

good and

you are

holy.

You are

righteous in

all your

ways.

We praise

you,

Lord,

that you

hear us

and you

love us

in Christ.

And we

pray now,

even as

we've heard

from your

word,

God,

would you

take it

and would

you cause

it to

bear fruit

in us

this morning?

Specifically,

God,

specifically,

we ask,

would you

bring

some

this morning

who are

in this

category

of the

wicked?

And would

you bring

them to

faith and

repentance

this morning?

And for

your church,

God,

we pray that

each of us

would go from

here,

Lord,

praying in

confidence that

the judge of

all the earth

will do

what is just.

We pray this

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.