Grace and Wrath

There's a fictional comic book character in the British comic strip called Judge Dredd.

And I have not read it myself, and I would not endorse its contents,

but it is a well-known cultural reference point.

And he is a law enforcement officer in some kind of dystopian future, sometime in the 22nd century.

And he's invested with the power to not only police, but also to arrest, convict, sentence, and execute criminals.

So in himself, he is both the jury, the judge, and the executioner.

And normally, people should be wary of investing so much power, concentrating it in one person.

But this is Judge Dredd we're talking about. He's a superhero, right?

So he is known for his unflinching execution of justice and known for his incorruptible integrity.

He never bends the law for anyone, and he follows the law impeccably.

And so his catchphrase is, I am the law, right?

And his multipurpose pistol is called the lawgiver.

And his motorcycle is named the lawmaster.

I mean, it's a comic book we're talking about, right?

So he's not a conventional hero. He's kind of an antihero, really.

But there is something about him that is still heroic and awe-inspiring.

Why is that?

It's because as much as people, we desire and admire mercy and compassion in people,

we also desire and admire justice.

It is right to protect the innocent and punish the wrongdoer.

And people are outraged for this reason when they see the evildoers go free,

when they see the innocent unprotected.

And in Genesis 18 to 19, we see God's judgment, his rightful and holy judgment

and punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah.

And his judgment is infallible, and his punishment is exacting.

But that's not all we see.

God's so much more than a cosmic judge read, right?

He's also merciful, compassionate.

We see his grace and favor.

And seeing the wrath of God on the one hand

and the grace of God on the other simultaneously

is what helps us properly both to fear him and love him as God.

And that's the main point of this passage.

We are to fear and love God because he is the judge of all the earth

who punishes justly and saves graciously.

And so my first point is going to be that he punishes justly.

And my second point will be that he saves graciously.

And the first point is going to take most of the sermon,

so don't despair if I say second point after 40 minutes.

Now, the first point is that God punishes justly,

and we see this in chapter 15.

A little bit of chapter 19.

But before we get a glimpse of his punishment,

we see as kind of a contrast to the wickedness of the Sodomites,

Abraham and Sarai.

We get another glimpse into their life.

And Abraham is portrayed as kind of this righteous person,

and we see this in his hospitality toward the guests he receives.

Verse 1, it says,

The Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre

as Abraham sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.

Now, but this is from the narrator's perspective.

It's different from Abraham's perspective,

because he says in verse 2,

When Abraham sees the Lord, he lifted up his eyes and looked,

and behold, three men were standing in front of him.

When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them

and bowed himself to the earth.

So the narrator tells us that the Lord came to Abraham,

and Abraham says he sees three men, right?

So it's not the same.

So Abraham has a little bit,

he has no idea who he's truly encountering here.

And this is impossible to ascertain for sure

whether this is representative of the persons of the Trinity or not,

but it may be a hint of that,

because it's three men, the three persons.

For example, there's in verse 9 of chapter 18,

it says,

They said to Abraham,

so third person plural pronoun,

but then later it says,

It's the Lord said.

So it kind of goes back and forth

between the third person plural pronoun

and the third person singular pronoun.

And then not only that,

it says that the men set out from there in 1816

while the Lord was still speaking to Abraham.

So it seemed that the Lord stayed,

and then his two angels or represented perhaps went to Sodom.

And that's what it seems in the beginning

when it says in chapter 19, verse 13,

the visitors say,

We are about to destroy this place

because the Lord has sent us to destroy it.

But then later in verse 24,

it says that the Lord destroyed Sodom.

And Lot entreats the Lord, not the men.

So there's a consistent kind of conflation

of the identity of the Lord

and the identity of the three people,

three men were the angelic visitors.

So there's two main possibilities,

either that they represent persons of the triune God,

the Father, Son, Holy Spirit,

or it's the Lord himself

and his two angelic representatives,

but the angels are so closely identified with God

and represent him

that they're almost addressed as the Lord himself.

But either way,

we're supposed to understand these to be divine figures

or divine representatives at the very least.

But Abraham doesn't realize this.

But even though Abraham doesn't realize this,

he unwittingly treats these visitors

as if they were God.

So we see his piety in that,

even though he is himself unaware of it.

So first, he runs to greet the guests.

It was considered unbecoming of the gentleman

of that time to run.

Yet he runs,

which is what people do in Genesis,

only when they're running toward a long-lost relative.

And he bows himself down to the ground,

which is also a gesture of great honor and respect.

You bow down to someone who is high and mighty,

not to someone who is lowly.

And in these,

there's a lot of double meaning in play of words.

The word bow down is the same word

for prostrating yourself in worship.

Now, and he refers to God as Lord,

even though that can simply be translated as sir.

It also was used before

to refer to God as the Lord,

the sovereign Lord, right?

So there's this, again, play on words.

So Abraham is treating these visitors

better than he himself knows.

And he promises just a morsel of bread,

but in reality,

he prepares the veritable feast when they come.

He says he brought cakes out,

and not just with any type of flour,

but with fine flour,

and with three seahs of fine flour,

which is about 90 cups of flour.

How many of you guys bake?

So that's enough bread to feed 100 people.

Well, that's not just a morsel.

And not only that he kills a calf,

a small goat or a lamb would have sufficed

for three guests,

but he kills a calf.

And it's not just any cow,

it's tender and good.

So in all of these actions,

Abraham's not only showing,

displaying his hospitality and generosity,

but his piety,

because all of this points to the later code,

the law of God that Moses institutes.

Because according to the Pentateuch,

the first five books of the Bible,

only fine flour is supposed to be used

in the grain offerings offered to God,

Leviticus 2.1.

And for making the bread of the tabernacle,

in Leviticus 24.5.

And then also,

you're supposed to offer fine calf,

not just any kind of animal,

but a calf that's selected,

afford sacrifice offering.

And after all of this,

you would think that Abraham would sit down

with his guests and eat,

but he says that he sets the food before them

and stands by them while they eat,

like a servant waiting on his master.

Right?

So all of this shows Abraham's piety,

his righteousness toward God.

And then we begin to see the true identity

of these guests in verse 9.

Where is Sarah your wife?

Now, at first,

that seems like a totally normal question.

Yeah, where's your wife, Sarah?

But if you think about it,

this is a very unusual question,

because if you remember,

these are perfect strangers to Abraham

by this point.

So first of all,

how do you even know I'm married?

And secondly,

how do you know that her name is Sarah?

And remember,

God came right earlier in chapter 17

and then gave her that new name, Sarah.

And so this guest knows her new name.

So Sarah,

where is your wife, Sarah?

So at this point,

Abraham's probably a little bit bewildered.

He said,

well, she's in the tent.

But before he could say anything,

God says,

the Lord says,

I will surely return to you

about this time next year,

and Sarah,

your wife,

shall have a son.

Now, this was a promise

that was given before,

but this is the most specific

it has ever gotten up to this point.

He says,

this time next year,

they know now

when this son

is going to finally come.

And Abraham,

when he first heard this

in chapter 17,

verse 17,

he laughed.

And again,

here it says,

Sarah also laughs

to herself,

saying,

after I am worn out

and my Lord is old,

that's his word to Abraham,

shall I have pleasure.

But lest we prematurely,

you know,

criticize,

castigate Sarah

for her lack of faith,

the narrator tells us

why Sarah

has such a hard time believing.

Verse 11,

now Abraham and Sarah

were old,

advanced in years.

the way of woman

had ceased

to be with Sarah.

Abraham was by this point

99 years old,

Sarah is 89 years old,

and she is menopausal.

So that means

it's a biological impossibility

for her to conceive,

let alone give birth.

And so this laughter

is not one of arrogant mockery,

but of cynical,

wary disbelief

conditioned by

years and years and years

of disappointment.

And she would have

had every right

to doubt

and to be skeptical

of these guests

if these were just

ordinary guests.

But they're not, right?

These are divine guests.

So verse 13, 15,

it continues,

the Lord said to Abraham,

why did Sarah laugh

and say,

shall I indeed bear a child

now that I am old?

Is anything too hard

for the Lord?

At the appointed time

I will return to you

about this time next year,

and Sarah shall have a son.

But Sarah denied it,

saying,

I did not laugh,

for she was afraid.

He said,

no, but you did laugh.

So even though Sarah

was eavesdropping

behind the door,

somehow the Lord knows

Sarah was laughing

to herself

and then confronts her,

and then he says explicitly,

is anything too hard

for the Lord?

So from this encounter

with the Lord,

we see that he is

not only all-knowing,

but he's also all-powerful.

Nothing is too hard

for the Lord.

And thus,

in saying this,

the visitor confirms

that he is not just

the ordinary guest,

but he is the Lord himself.

And even in Sarah's laughter,

she confirms the promise of God

because the name Isaac,

which will be the name

of their son,

means I laughed.

So in Abraham's laughter,

in Sarah's laughter,

God's promise

is confirmed to them.

Yes,

you doubt,

you're skeptical,

but even through that,

God's will will prevail.

So with this optimistic note

of God's promise of Isaac,

the narrative starts to turn

in verse 16

and becomes a little more foreboding

because God has chosen Abraham

to bless him

and make him a great nation

and through him

to bless the nations

and for him to be a bastion

of righteousness in the earth.

But Sodom and Gomorrah,

in contrast,

has exceeding wickedness

and has reached to the heavens.

And so God has come

to render judgment.

And so when the Lord

confides this to Abraham,

this purpose to Abraham,

Abraham begins to intercede

on behalf of the righteous

in Sodom and Gomorrah

or the righteous

that may be there.

Verses 23 to 25,

follow along with me

as I read that.

Will you indeed sweep away

the righteous

with the wicked?

Suppose there are 50 righteous

who are in it.

Far be from you

to do such a thing,

to put the righteous to death

with the wicked

so the righteous fare

as the wicked.

Far be that from you.

Shall not the judge

of all the earth

do what is just?

So this,

the whole Old Testament

attests to the reality,

the truth,

that the Lord loves

the righteous,

but the way of the wicked

he brings to ruin.

That's what he says

in Psalm 146,

8 to 9.

And that's the principle

upon which Abraham

builds his defensive case.

If there's any righteous,

if there's righteous

in the city,

how can you possibly,

if you are just,

if you're righteous,

destroy the righteous

along with the wicked?

And the Lord apparently

agrees with Abraham's logic

because Abraham begins

to bargain with God

and God keeps assenting

to his suggestions.

So verse 32,

and he bargains

all the way down

from 50 to 10.

So God answers

in verse 32,

for the sake of 10,

I will not destroy

Sodom and Gomorrah.

Now,

some people wonder

why Abraham didn't,

you know,

take this to its

logical conclusion.

Say,

why don't you just go

all the way to one,

right?

Why didn't you say that?

But I think the principle

is already established

by this point

because God is saying,

no,

I will not destroy

the righteous

along with the wicked.

That's what he's saying

to Abraham.

So the bargaining

stops there

and even though,

and the whole point

of this bargaining

is that we will see

this clearly

in the next chapter,

but there is no

righteous person

in Sodom and Gomorrah

at all.

So even if there were one,

God would have saved

the city

for the sake

of that righteous,

but there is not one.

And Lot,

who is the lone,

relatively speaking,

righteous person,

is not a citizen.

He's a sojourner.

He's described

as a guest

in that town.

So now,

let's turn to Lot

as we go

and in chapter 19,

verses 1 to 3.

And here,

we see Lot's hospitality

to the angelic visitors

just as we saw

Abraham's hospitality

to the angelic visitors.

And there's a lot

of verbal parallels

to highlight

that Lot,

like Abraham,

though not as righteous,

is also relatively righteous.

Read verses 1 to 3

of chapter 19 with me.

Now,

the two angels

came to Sodom

in the evening,

and Lot was sitting

in the gate of Sodom.

When Lot saw them,

he rose to meet them

and bowed himself

with his face

to the earth

and said,

My lords,

please turn aside

to your servant's house

and spend the night

and wash your feet.

Then you may rise up early

and go on your way.

They said,

No,

we will spend the night

in the town square.

But he pressed them strongly,

so they turned aside

to him

and entered his house.

And he made them

a feast

and baked unleavened bread

and they ate.

You see the similarity?

So he,

Lot,

like Abraham,

calls them lords.

And Lot,

like Abraham,

prepares them a feast.

And Lot,

like Abraham,

bows himself

to the face,

his face to the earth.

And so in all of this,

Lot is also hospitable.

But we see kind of something

a little bit,

that makes us a little bit uneasy

about their interactions

because it was taken for granted

in the ancient Near East.

You offer hospitality to visitors

who are in your town,

foreigners.

But it was the height of,

you know,

dishonor

and to refuse that offer.

You always accept that,

so you don't refuse that.

But here the angels

are reluctant to stay

in Sodom and Gomorrah.

So they refuse the offer

so that he has to almost

twist their arms

to bring them into their house.

So something is going on here.

Why are they so reluctant?

And then when they get

to Lot's house,

the bread that they serve

is unleavened.

So that suggests

that it was prepared

in a hurry.

And this seems to be

an allusion

to the later Exodus,

right,

when Israel has to leave Egypt

and they're leaving in a hurry

to have to eat unleavened bread.

And remember

from a couple chapters ago

that Sodom was described

a land like Egypt,

right?

So now here,

just like Israel

has to leave Egypt,

now here Lot's going

to have to leave Sodom.

So it's already,

we're seeing a foreshadowing

of that.

Now,

and that's,

there's another key difference here

and is that Abraham,

when he was preparing,

he had help.

His wife,

Sarah,

was helping him

prepare the meal

for the guests.

But here,

interestingly enough,

even though that would

have been traditionally

what their wives

would have helped them do,

Lot here seems to prepare

the meal alone.

He doesn't have help.

It seems,

it's kind of this passage,

is kind of portraying

Lot as this solitary,

righteous person.

He doesn't have any help.

He's alone in this foreigner's land.

Even his wife

is not really on his side.

And we see this later.

His wife is actually,

as she is leaving

with Lot,

turns around

because she can't

let go of Sodom

and then she turns

into pillar of salt.

Now,

so Lot is the solitary,

righteous person

who is a sojourner

in Sodom.

And then we learn

in verses 4 to 11

the full extent

of the Sodomite wickedness.

This is just appalling

as you read it.

Read with me.

4 to 11.

But before they lay down,

the men of the city,

the men of Sodom,

both young and old,

all the people

to the last man

surrounded the house.

And they called to Lot,

where are the men

who came to you tonight?

Bring them out to us

that we may know them.

Lot went out to the men

at the entrance,

shut the door after him

and said,

I beg you, my brothers,

do not act so wickedly.

Behold,

I have two daughters

who have not known any man.

Let me bring them out to you

and do to them as you please.

Only do nothing to these men

for they have come

under the shelter

of my roof.

But they said,

Stand back.

And they said,

This fellow came to sojourn

and he has become the judge.

Now we will deal worse

with you than with them.

Then they pressed hard

against the man Lot

and drew near

to break the door down.

But the man reached out

their hands

and brought Lot

into the house with them

and shut the door.

And they struck with blindness

the men who were

at the entrance of the house,

both small and great,

so that they wore themselves out,

groping for the door.

Wow, so much sin

in a span of a few verses.

And the narrator's intention

in describing this

is that we are thoroughly repulsed

by the wickedness of Sodom.

There's many things.

So first,

these men of Sodom came

before they laid down.

So meaning,

remember,

the guests came

in the evening already.

So not much time has passed

since these guests came.

But instead of talking about

how they can be hospitable

to these guests,

they've been conspiring

a gang rape

is what they've been doing.

So they didn't lose much time

before they laid down.

They already were at the door.

Second,

these are described

as the men of the city,

the men of Sodom.

And recall that,

according to 18.2,

these angelic visitors

came as men

in the form of men.

So what these men

are clamoring for

is homosexual gang rape, right?

And this is where

we get the word sodomy

from the word Sodom.

Now, Genesis 2.24

prescribed God's intention

for sexual relations

among humanity.

Therefore,

a man shall leave

his father and his mother

and hold fast

to his wife

and they shall become

one flesh, right?

So sex is supposed to be

within the confines

of marriage.

And marriage is supposed

to be between

a man and a woman

and not any other

combination of genders.

And marriage is supposed

to be between

one man

and one woman.

Now,

what the Sodomite men

are trying to do here

transgresses

every single

one of those categories.

Do you guys see that?

It's a homosexual

gang rape.

And I want to be

sensitive to people

who perhaps might struggle

with same-sex attraction

because it's common,

especially nowadays.

And if that's you

and you are tempted

and if you are...

But I want to make

a distinction

between succumbing

to temptation

and to impulses

and sinning.

Being tempted

and succumbing

to the temptation

are two different things.

Hebrews 4.15

says,

We do not have

a high priest

who is unable

to sympathize

with our weaknesses

but one who

in every respect

has been tempted

as we are

yet without sin.

Jesus was tempted.

He was tempted,

it says,

in every way

yet he was without sin.

So it's possible

to be tempted

yet not sin.

And so Jesus

is able to empathize

with even your weaknesses.

Weaknesses

that you don't think

anyone else

can understand

or relate to.

He can understand.

He empathizes

with you.

And while I personally

don't know

what it's like

to struggle

with that kind

of temptation,

I do know

what it's like

to struggle

with temptations.

Every single Christian,

every day,

daily,

we wrestle

with dozens

of impulses

and desires

that are contrary

to the will of God.

And that's what it means

to be a Christian

is to every day

put to death

the misdeeds

of the flesh

and to follow

the Spirit.

That's the Christian calling.

That's what we do.

And we have hope in this.

We are not alone in this.

2 Peter 2, 6-9

It says,

If by turning

the cities of Sodom

and Gomorrah

to ashes,

God condemned them

to extinction,

making them an example

of what is going

to happen

to the ungodly,

and if he rescued Lot,

the righteous Lot,

greatly distressed

by the sensual conduct

of the wicked,

for as that righteous man

lived among them

day after day,

he was tormenting

his righteous soul

over their lawless deeds

that he saw and heard,

then the Lord knows

how to rescue

the godly from trials.

Did you hear that?

The Lord knows

how to rescue

the godly from trials.

That's what he did

for Lot,

and that's what he can do

for you,

for us.

So do you wrestle,

then,

with fear and anxiety?

Do you struggle

with grumbling

and discontent?

Are you weighed

down by guilt?

Are you harried

by lust?

Are you overcome

by anger?

We can persevere

in righteousness

with the Lord's help.

So turn to him

in your struggles,

in your temptations,

no matter what stripes

it comes in.

So now,

returning to the text,

I mentioned two things

that highlight

Sodom's wickedness.

It's the third thing

that highlights

their wickedness.

Verse 4,

both young and old,

and all the people

to the last man

surrounded the house.

Later in verse 11,

it reiterates

the same point,

both small and great,

it says,

came.

So this is trying

to point out,

like,

so the dilemma,

the discussion

between Abram

and the Lord earlier,

is there any righteous

person in Sodom?

The answer,

according to this text,

is no.

Everyone,

from small to the great,

to the last man came.

All the men

of Sodom came.

They were all participating

in this wickedness.

And then,

fourth,

remember that these visitors

are not just ordinary men,

but either divine persons

or angelic beings.

And so then,

what these men

are proposing to do,

even though they might not

know the full extent of it,

is unwittingly the same sin

that led to God's judgment

in the flood

during Noah's time.

So sons of God

marry,

intermarrying

with the daughters of men.

It's the angelic beings

having sexual relations

with humans.

So just to,

and there's actually

a lot of verbal perils

between Noah's,

the judgment of the flood,

and this judgment

in Sodom and Gomorrah.

both use the language

of reigning,

right?

In this case,

it's fire and sulfur,

but the language

of reigning is used.

Both talk about destroying,

and both are concluded

with the refrain

that God remembered Noah,

and here God remembered Abraham.

And in,

after the judgment,

in both cases,

Noah,

earlier in chapter 6

and 7,

and here in this case,

Lot,

are dishonored

by some kind of

sexually indecent act

by his own children.

So there's a lot of parallels

between the two stories,

and it's to show

that this is a type.

It's following the type

of God's judgment

in the flood.

And of course,

the main difference

is that God doesn't destroy

the whole earth

because God promised Noah

after the flood

that he'd never do that again.

Now,

Lot,

we see his righteousness,

the fact that he tries

to protect his visitors,

but it's a relative righteousness

as you will see.

He is brave.

He goes out

by himself,

closes the door behind him.

He doesn't know

what these men

are going to do to him,

trying to protect his guests.

And then,

he offers the sexual favors

of his two daughters

who have not known any men.

I mean,

this is a really embarrassing detail

about Lot

in this chapter.

So,

they have not known any men.

That's to know

is a euphemism

for sexual relations.

So they're saying

that these are virgin daughters

that he is dangling

in front of these wicked men.

And now,

this is a completely

inexcusable thing to do

and a horrendous thing to do.

But according to the ancient

Near Eastern Code of Conduct,

they held

the highest regard

the need to protect

the visitors

that came under their roof

because they were

especially aware

that they may be

angelic visitors.

So,

that's what he's trying to do.

But he does get

some kind of poetic justice

later in verses 30 to 38

because Lot dishonors

his two daughters here

by using them

as a bargaining chip

with these wicked men.

And then later,

he will himself

be dishonored

by his two daughters

and he will himself

become the means

by which they lose

their virginity

and are impregnated.

Right?

You see that.

There's kind of a

Lot does.

That's how we know

the narrator

doesn't condone this act

because Lot's punished

later in what happens

to him by his daughters.

But the angels,

it's a really tragic story,

but the angels intervene

and they urge Lot

to grab the rest

of his family

and leave.

But the night passes

and the morning dawns

and Lot still there

in Sodom.

And so,

verse 16,

it says,

But he lingered.

So,

the men seized him.

These are the angelic visitors.

They seized him

and his wife

and his two daughters

by the hand

and then the Lord

being merciful to him

and they brought him out

and set him outside

the city.

So,

Lot,

it seems,

had grown accustomed

to city living,

the luxuries

of urban living.

It seems that Lot

has become too attached

to things of this world.

It seems that Lot

is too fond

of his other family members

that he can't follow

God's direct command.

And so,

the angel sees Lot,

his wife,

and two daughters

and bring them

outside of the city.

And as Lot

and his family

escape to Zoar,

God punishes Sodom

and Gomorrah.

See this in verses

24 to 26.

Then the Lord

rained on Sodom

and Gomorrah

sulfur,

and fire

from the Lord

out of heaven.

And he overthrew

those cities

and all the valley

and all the inhabitants

of the cities

and what grew

on the ground.

But Lot's wife

behind him

looked back

and she became

a pillar of salt.

So,

our best guess

for where Sodom

and Gomorrah

might have been

is roughly

the southern,

southeastern

end

of the Dead Sea.

So,

just to the south

and east of that.

just outside

of the promised land.

And it's

a desolate area.

It's a desert.

But according

to the Bible,

it used to be

green,

you know,

the verdant land

like the Garden

of Eden.

And it's because

of this judgment

on Sodom and Gomorrah.

And the area

actually still reeks

of sulfurous fumes.

And asphalt deposits

which have a very high

sulfur content

are found there

regularly.

So,

all of this

characterizes the land

even to this day.

And so,

the story is,

this is obviously

a total judgment.

And stories of

God's judgment

like this

often make people

uncomfortable.

And especially

if you're not

a follower of Jesus

and you don't know

the character of God,

then it makes us

all the more uneasy.

We like a God of love.

We don't like

a God of judgment.

But the reality is

we actually all do

like a God of judgment.

We actually do

all like justice.

We submit to the rule

of law in this country

and the courts

render judgments

day in and day out.

And even the people

who clamor for mercy

and leniency,

they are rarely

consistent in their outlook

and they like

the punishments

just as much as we do

when it has to do

with the causes

that they are

passionate about.

To illustrate,

last year,

a college student

from California

raped a woman

while she was

unconscious

and was sentenced

to six months

of jail time

followed by three years

of probation.

So six months in jail,

not six years,

which is what

the prosecution

was pressing for.

And under California's

peculiar legal formulas,

his jail term

was actually reduced

by half.

So he was only in jail

for three months

after raping a woman

who was unconscious.

So this decision

by the judge

was widely decried.

There was a lot

of backlash

and there was a campaign

to recall the judge

and the judge himself

personally vowed

never to take up

another criminal case

even though he tried

to defend his judge verdict.

And not only that,

a new legislation

was approved in California

as a result of this case

to make sure

that certain cases

of sexual assault

always result

in prison time.

And so this verdict,

the judge's verdict

was based on the fact

that too harsh

of a punishment

would have had

a severe impact,

quote unquote,

on this man.

And the woman

who was raped

wrote a heart-wrenching letter

which she read

at the sentencing

and in it she wrote

that the rape

had already had

a severe impact

on her

even though the judge

is worried about it

having a severe impact

on this man.

Her letter went viral

with people all across

the country

bewailing the leniency

of the judge.

And whether you agree

with the judge's verdict

or not,

and there are people

on both sides

of the issue,

we all can agree

that there was

widespread outrage

about this verdict.

And why was there

such an outrage?

It's not because

people are masochistic,

right,

and they derive

sick pleasure

from seeing a young man

rot in pleasure.

That's not why.

It's because they felt

that there was

an injustice.

It's because they felt

that the outrage

stems from the fact

that the severity

of the punishment

doesn't match

the severity

of the crime.

They feel that the woman

who deserved to be cared

for and affirmed

and upheld

in her worth

and dignity

was not given

the due value

and worth and dignity.

That's why people

are outraged.

And so we see in this

two sides of justice.

On one side,

justice punishes

the wrongdoer,

but on the other side,

justice affirms

and upholds

the value and dignity

of the people

who are suffering,

the victims.

There's two sides.

And so if you think

about it that way,

in the same way,

God's judgment

and his punishment

of those who rejected him

affirms the supreme

and indeed eternal

worth and dignity

of the God

who was offended.

We've been seeing

a lot of ants

in our house lately.

That's the time of the year.

And I kill them every day

when they come back.

And I kill them

because they get

into our food.

I mean,

I'm fine with them

living anywhere else.

I mean,

if they're starting

to get into our stuff,

then I'm going to

take care of them, right?

They could also

bite my children.

But no one's going

to give me a hard time

about that.

I hope not, right?

And no one's going

to try to call the police

on me for killing ants, right?

But imagine

if one of us

is abusive

to our pet dog.

Cruelty to dogs

is punishable.

It's a punishable misdemeanor

with fines up to $1,000

or imprisonment

up to a year.

And then imagine

if even more seriously,

if there was a case

of domestic abuse

if we harmed

one of our own spouses.

Now, that is a crime

punishable by up to

a lifetime in prison

in certain states.

Why the difference

in the level of punishment?

Because the people involved,

the victims,

are more valuable,

more worthy.

Now, imagine

the offense committed

against an eternal,

benevolent God.

We commit treason

against Him.

We are ungrateful.

We violate His covenant.

We are unfaithful

adulterers

to a faithful God.

Only an eternal punishment.

That doesn't suffice.

Eternal punishment,

separation from Him,

is word,

is sufficient

to affirm

and uphold

the worth and dignity

of God.

And if that's the case,

this should strike us

with a healthy fear

of God.

right?

We speak of petty crimes,

right?

There's no such thing

as a petty sin

because every sin

is committed against

eternal,

holy God.

Now, the fact that

we're supposed to fear God

doesn't mean we have

to be terrified of God.

That's not how the Bible

uses the word fear.

So, there's an example

in Exodus 20,

20,

where Moses says to Israel,

Do not fear,

for God has come

to test you

that the fear of Him

may be with you

that you may not sin.

Did you guys catch that?

The two words,

fear,

it's the exact same

Hebrew word,

but it says,

God came,

and God came to Him

so that they may have fear,

but then He doesn't want

them to be fearful.

So, what's going on here

is that He doesn't want

them to be terrified

that God's going

to destroy them,

but God does want them

to have a healthy fear

of reverence,

a sense of awe

of living in His presence,

presence of a holy,

internal God.

I mean, you could think

about it this way.

I mean, I don't know

who's the most

so-called important

or VIP

that you have ever

interacted with,

but imagine that

you are dining

with someone

of great power,

a powerful personage,

right?

You are not going

to have wandering eyes.

You are going to watch

to make sure

that you're not chewing

with your mouth open,

right?

You're not going

to be checking your phone

and distracted.

No, you're going

to be honed in

and attentive

and careful

of watching your manners.

Are you not?

Right?

But imagine living daily,

every second of our life,

before the very face

of the living God.

That's the fear of God,

to live in awe

and reverence

and to imagine

how that will change

our posture

in our corporate worship.

Imagine how that would

change our posture

and attitude

and behavior

in the privacy

of our homes.

To live before

the face of God,

that's fear of God.

And you see this

everywhere in Abram

and Lot's interactions

with him.

They call him Lord.

We use it so much,

it loses force

of meaning in our minds,

but that's Master.

Master.

Master,

I am at your service.

Master,

I'm here to do

your bidding.

They bow to him

and Abram

is so tentative

as he approaches God.

Oh,

I undertake

him to speak

to the Lord.

I'm just dust and ashes.

Oh,

let not the Lord

be angry

and I'll speak.

Oh,

let not the Lord

be angry

and I'll speak again

just one more time.

Right?

This kind of fear

of God

is the normal

and natural

response of humanity

that relates to God

because God

punishes justly

and that is

God's rightful

prerogative.

And we are mistaken

when we think

that God's wrath

and punishment

of evildoers

is shocking

and scandalous.

It's not shocking.

It's not scandalous

for God

to punish the wicked.

What's shocking

and scandalous

is not God's wrath,

but it's God's grace,

His mercy

that's shocking

and scandalous.

And that's precisely

the point that theologian

D.A. Carson

makes in his wonderful book,

The Difficult Doctrine

of the Love of God.

Why does God

love sinners?

Why is God

gracious and merciful

toward people

who deserve

eternal punishment?

That is shocking

and that's scandalous.

And that leads us

to our second point.

God saves graciously

and we see this

in his remembrance

of Abram

and deliverance

of Lot.

After coming out

of the city,

one of the angels

said to Job,

Escape to the hills

lest you be swept away.

But Lot objects

in verses 18 to 20.

Read with me.

18 to 20 of chapter 19.

Oh no, my lords.

Behold,

your servant

has found favor

in your sight

and you have shown me

great kindness

in saving my life.

But I cannot escape

to the hills

lest the disaster

overtake me

and I die.

Behold,

the city is near enough

to flee to

and is a little one.

Let me escape there.

Is it not a little one?

And my life

will be saved.

Now this scene

parallels

Abraham's intercession

on behalf of the righteous

in the Sodom.

There's a lot

of verbal parallels there.

Sweep away,

die,

spare,

granted.

They're all same words.

And in this,

but this parallel

exposes the main difference

because Abraham

is fending

for the righteous

in the city.

He's concerned

for God's righteousness

being vindicated.

But Lot is just concerned

for his own safety.

And you see this

because the word escape

occurs five times

and the word escape

rhymes with the name Lot.

And it sounds

like the name Lot.

So it's like

he just wants Lot,

Lot,

Lot to escape,

Lot to escape,

Lot to escape.

That's all he wants

in this passage.

So he says,

I cannot escape

to the hills

lest the disaster

overtake me and die.

So his basis

for appealing God

is just his own

weakness and convenience.

And so Lot's

certainly righteous,

relatively speaking,

compared to the Sodomites,

but he's no Abraham.

His is a relative righteousness,

not an absolute one.

And if you consider that,

Lot himself

certainly doesn't deserve

God's salvation.

Yet God grants

even this request

and why?

We see the answer

to that in chapter 19,

verse 19 and verse 21.

The Lord says,

behold,

well,

Lot says to the Lord,

behold,

your servant

has found favor

in your sight.

In verse 21,

the Lord replies,

behold,

I grant you

this favor also.

The word favor

is elsewhere

translated grace.

It's the same word

that Abraham used

in 18.3

when he said,

oh Lord,

if I have found favor

in your sight.

It's the same word

that was used

in Genesis 6.8

when it said,

Noah found favor

in the eyes of the Lord.

It's referring to

God's saving grace.

And grace is a gift,

something that we receive,

not because we earned it

or merited it,

but freely

out of God's sovereign grace.

That's what this is.

That's the favor.

That's the reason

why Lot is delivered,

not because of

his righteousness.

That's why in verse 29

of chapter 19,

after the destruction

of Sodom and Gomorrah,

it says that God

remembered Abraham

and sent Lot

out of the midst

of the overthrow.

It doesn't say

God remembered Lot.

It's because God

remembered Abraham

and the covenant

he made with him.

That's why Lot

is spared,

not because

of his own righteousness.

And Abraham, too,

is not saved

because of his own righteousness,

but because his faith

was counted to him

as righteous,

as it says

in chapter 15,

verse 6.

So,

then how can God

justify this grace?

How can he satisfy

his justice?

It's because of Jesus Christ,

the Son of God,

and what he did

in dying for our sins

on the cross.

God never lowers

his standards.

That's not what he's doing

here for Lot.

God is exacting

in his judgments,

and for that reason,

we can never hope

to attain salvation

for ourselves.

We'll always fall short.

But Jesus lived

the perfect life

of righteousness.

He merited,

earned salvation

on behalf of his people

and he died

so that his righteousness

can be counted

to us,

to our credit.

That's our source

of righteousness.

That's our source

of salvation.

You see,

Abraham was interceding

on behalf of Sodom,

but he failed.

Why?

Because there was not

a single righteous person

in Sodom

on whose account

God could spare the city.

But Jesus succeeds

in his intercession

on behalf of sinners

because he is himself

that one righteous person

on whose account

God can spare sinners

and still satisfy

his justice.

And what a glorious

privilege this is

because the Old Testament

saints always were

tentative and fearful

and apprehensive

in their approach

to God

because Jesus

had not yet come.

But he says

in Ephesians 3.12

for us,

in Christ we have

boldness and access

with confidence

through our faith in him.

It says in Hebrews 4.16,

let us then with confidence

draw near to the throne

of grace

that we may receive mercy

and find grace

to help in time of need.

So if you think

of yourself

as approaching God

when we approach

God's quarters,

you know,

don't come with this

tentative,

barely audible

knock on the door.

No,

barge in with the key

because we have the key

in Jesus Christ

because we're his adopted

sons and daughters

and have confidence

that you can be

in the presence of God.

When you feel

crestfallen with guilt,

when you feel

downtrodden by sorrow

and worry,

think on this

and let your heart

fill with the joy

and gratitude

that comes

from knowing

this great salvation.

This is what leads us

not just to fear God

but also to love him.

And let me speak

briefly to those of you

who have not yet trusted

in Jesus Christ

for salvation

because this salvation

is not yet yours

but it can be.

So I want to entreat you

today,

turn with me

just one last time

to chapter 19,

verse 28.

After God's judgment

of Sodom,

it says,

Behold,

the smoke of the land

went up like

the smoke of a furnace.

Does that remind you

of anything we've seen

so far in Genesis?

Remember chapter 15,

verse 17,

when God appeared

in the covenant-making

oath sign with Abram?

It says,

When the sun had gone down

and it was dark,

behold,

a smoking fire pot

and a flaming torch

passed between

these pieces.

Those are not

the exact same Hebrew words

but the image it invokes

is the same.

A smoke coming out

of a furnace,

a kiln,

a kiln.

And that's the language used,

exact same language

that's used here

in this chapter

is used later

in Exodus 19,

18 to refer to

God's presence

on Mount Sinai.

So what's going on here?

So God's presence

is marked by fire

and smoke

and your fate

is determined

by whether or not

you're in proper relationship

to that fire.

God is a consuming fire

it says Hebrews 12,

28 to 29.

Now if he's a consuming fire

and if you are

in right relationship

with God

in faith and obedience

then that's when

you experience

the warmth

and light of the fire

and get to live by it.

But if you are

in wrong relationship

with him

of sin

and unbelief

and rebellion

then you experience

the incinerating flames

of his jealousy.

it depends on

what relationship

you are in

with this consuming fire.

Jesus warned