Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Old Testament Lesson just read, from Genesis 18. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Our text is quite timely and applicable to the changes that are occurring in America these days. Homosexuality – same sex attraction – was the principle sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is referred to as “grave” in our text, and such sin produced a great “outcry” against these people. In fact, for a long time homosexuality was referred to as “sodomy.”
- It is very sad and deplorable to see a modern culture such as ours degrade itself with the legalization and legitimizing of this wickedness. It is also frightful to think that our own nation is creating this same “outcry” against it, and that the same judgment of God will ultimately come upon us if we do not repent and change courses.
- However, while we might react to all of this with indignation and think that God wants to destroy all who engage in such dreadful sin, this is not in fact the message of our text – or what the rest of Holy Scripture reveals about “WHAT GOD WANTS.” Rather the consistent and uniform teaching of God’s Word is that He is love, that He is merciful and forgiving, and that He wills and desires only the greatest good and blessedness for all of mankind.
- When it comes to His judgments and punishments against sin, God does not do this willingly – but rather because there is no alternative for preserving and enhancing the good of people other than destroying evil. The fact is that:
I. God Desires Not The Death Of The Wicked, But Rather That All People Repent
Ezek. 33:11 “As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?”
1 Tim. 2:4 “God wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
John 3:16 “God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
A. So Let Us Be Sure That We Are Among Those Who Repent And Who Believe In Jesus – Holding On To Him As Our Redeemer And Savior
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
B. And Let Us Be Sure That Our Repentance Is Genuine, Bearing The Fruits Of Repentance
Matthew 3:7-10 “But when John the Baptist saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father,” for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’”
C. And Let Us Be Sure, When Speaking To Others About What God Wants, That We Are Calling Them To Genuine Repentance And Faith In Jesus
1. As John the Baptist did
2. As Jesus Himself did
Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
3. As the prophets and apostles did
Acts 17:30 “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent.”
Romans 10:11-13 “The Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
Statement: Often we look at the dreadfulness of sin – mostly the sin of others – and think that surely God wants us to call down His anger, wrath, and punishment on others. Rather, we should look at our own great sin and wickedness – which may not include homosexuality, but “merely” lust, greed, selfishness, pride, arrogance, laziness, slander, anger, envy, hatred, and gossip. And we must repent of this great sinfulness that exists within us – lest in calling down God’s wrath on others we call it down upon ourselves!
Application: And in our repentance, we must be prepared to turn away from such sin and wickedness – willing to be bearing the proper fruit of repentance, and not just looking for “escape” from God’s wrath and punishment to continue on in our sins! This is grotesque hypocrisy – and as you heard God’s Word warn, “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Yes, we should surely grasp hold of God’s gracious mercy and love, His forgiveness and salvation – Jesus laid down His life to secure these blessings for us. But the blessings He wills for us extend beyond His forgiveness as He seeks to free us from enslavement to sin and into liberty and freedom to do good.
Application: Likewise, we must understand “WHAT GOD WANTS,” that He also wants these same blessings for all men – even those caught in great wickedness, just as we have been. What we say to others – even those caught in the great sins of our time – had better accurately convey “WHAT GOD WANTS” for them, and that is repentance and faith, genuine repentance and faith which begins “bearing fruit in keeping with repentance.” To do otherwise is to misrepresent God, to distort “WHAT GOD WANTS,” and this is a huge evil in itself, just as bad as any sin can be!
Transition: And when it comes to our prayers to God for our nation, and for our fellow citizens, we do well to look carefully at the example of Abraham in our text – and listen carefully to what Jesus teaches about God’s will to give us good things – so that we pray as “GOD WANTS” us to pray. It is certainly true that:
II. God Grudgingly Must Carry Out Judgment Against Incorrigibly Unrepentant Evil-Doers – As He Ultimately Did Against Sodom And Gomorrah
Genesis 19:27,28 “And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.”
A. Still, God Wants us to Pray For Mercy For Others As Abraham Did
Text: “Then he said, ‘Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten [righteous] are found there.”
B. God Wants Us To Remember That He Will Heed Our Prayers – And Give Us Good Things – Especially When We Pray For Spiritual Blessings
Gospel: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
Statement: So we surely are to pray for God’s mercy to be upon others – so that they may have time to come to repentance. And we should do so with great fervor, and be zealous in urging all people to repentance and faith in Jesus – knowing God’s wrath will ultimately come upon the impenitent, just as it did upon Sodom and Gomorrah. For we know “WHAT GOD WANTS,” that all should come to repentance and knowledge of His gracious mercy and to new life and salvation!
Application: And perhaps of greatest importance is that we also be praying to God to give us His Holy Spirit – so that we remain in His will, properly and truly repenting of our sin, rejoicing always in His forgiveness, and striving constantly to bear the fruits of repentance. Sadly, what emboldens much evil in the world today is the shoddy and weak commitment of so many “Christians” who don’t really take God’s Word seriously, and so with their own lives do not reflect “WHAT GOD WANTS.” Let us pray God that this is not so with us!
Conclusion: It is important, I think we would all agree, to know “WHAT GOD WANTS.” Since He alone has the power to judge, to save and to destroy, it is only prudent to know His will and to conform to it! Fortunately, His will is principally to love us, to bless us, to have mercy on us, to forgive us, and to work all good in us – to make us His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works!
Chief among these good works which He has foreordained for us to be walking in is bearing accurate witness to “WHAT GOD WANTS” – in lives of repentance and faith, prayers of mercy for all people, and winsomely pleading with all to join us in repentance and faith and lives bearing the proper fruits of repentance.
If we are worried and fearful for the future of our nation, let us begin with ourselves – making sure that we know “WHAT GOD WANTS.” Let us conform our lives to His good and gracious will, and making our prayer in conformity to what He desires. Perhaps it is not too late for our nation, our people, our fellow citizens – so let us take up with Abraham in genuine and proper prayer! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.