Read Matthew 24:3-8. The birth pains have begun my friends. Lloyd gave me these rocks that are from Haiti and as I watched CNN this week, I saw hundreds and thousands of people lying dead and alive underneath much larger pieces of rock from collapsed buildings. Bodies scattered on the sidewalks covered with whatever they could find. No heavy equipment to dig people out.
In this country where the average annual income is $560 the ironic picture of the presidential palace lying in ruin beyond lavish gates, made a very powerful statement to me about what’s important in our world.
I have to admit that this was a very difficult week for me in preparing this sermon. I literally felt somewhat traumatized by it. But in the end God gave me a great vision of the church from His word. I’m going to do my best not to traumatize you today, but the fact is that this is a really distasteful part of scripture, especially when we see ourselves and our modern world in it.
Sodom and Gomorrah were two cities in what they called the plains, at the southeast corner of the Dead Sea. There were actually five cities in this area known as the Pentapolis. All were very sinful. Nobody knows the exact population of these cities, but estimates put Sodom at about the 1200 – 5000 range. Probably similar to Killarney in population but in a much more condensed area.
Now I don’t know if God’s judgment is behind the New Orleans flood and this horrendous earthquake in Haiti. What I do know is that these are the two centers of one of the most idolatrous and wicked religions in the world, Voodoo. We think what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah is bad, but here in Haiti this week they are estimating deaths approaching a hundred thousand, far outdoing the destruction in Genesis.
Very few people inside or outside of the church haven’t heard about Sodom and Gomorrah, but not everyone knows why they are so famous, or infamous. Certainly God had something against these cities and as we saw from Chapter 18, God was going to go have a “look for himself” because the stories of their sin were so bad.
So today we pick up the story with the two angels that came with the Lord to Abraham, now getting to the city of Sodom, and that evening as they arrive, Lot greets them at the city gates and the passage describes:
I. The Righteousness of Lot (vv 1-3)
Now righteous is not the first word that comes to mind when thinking about Lot. Here’s a guy who can’t seem to get enough of this sinful pagan city. Yet we see that even though he is deeply entrenched there now, he doesn’t seem to have fallen into their ways yet, and at least in God’s eyes he is still righteous probably because of his connection to Abram, and how he receives these angels.
First look at:
A. His Position (v. 1a)
What do the angels find when they get to Sodom? They find that Lot has become fully immersed in the Sodomite culture. He’s in a place of prominence at the gates of Sodom (like city hall). This is where the important business of the city took place.
Notice the parallels between chapter 18 where Abraham is sitting at the door of his tent in the country, while Lot is in an urban setting at the gate of the city. The Lord and angels came to Abraham’s place in the light of the day, while they arrive in Sodom at night in the darkness. And also notice that the Lord was with the two angels at Abraham’s but not at Sodom. In him there is no darkness at all and he will not go to Sodom because his holiness cannot fellowship with such evil.
John 3:19, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”
No doubt this represents the fact that it was at night that the people of Sodom probably performed most of their wickedness as if they could hide it.
Then there’s:
B. His Invitation (vv 1b-2a)
Lot is now established in Sodom, he’s a leader in the community, has a house in the city, no longer a tent outside the gates. In spite of all this he still recognizes the importance of these spiritual men or angels that come to the city. He recognized them for who they were when nobody else did. And he responded appropriately as Abraham did by doing a face plant.
Now we might say, how good for Lot to immediately invite them to his home, but Lot also knew that the men of this city would be very interested in these beautiful angelic men, so he quickly invited them to his house before too many could see them, and we witness:
C. His Protection from the Sodomites (vv 2b-4)
The angels first refuse to stay with Lot to test his response. He knew they would be raped in the city square so he’s very persistent. He prepares food for them and has obviously not fallen fully into the wickedness of Sodom yet.
But soon enough, “before they lay down” the word had gotten out and every single man in the entire city, young and old, was surrounding the house. Can you imagine this scene, every man in the city, not coming to give these two strangers a warm welcome, but drooling with lust wanting to have a homosexual orgy with them. Lot tries to protect them by hiding them in his house. He knew he was living in a horrible place.
So was Lot really righteous? We’ll talk about this more later, but from this passage we may say that he tried to do the right thing here, but was he really living a righteous life in Sodom prior to this? Was that even possible?
So Lot tries to protect the angels but then we see even more of:
II. The Wickedness of Sodom vv 4-11
Let’s look closer at:
A. The Perversion of the City (vv 4-5)
Every single man in Sodom came to KNOW the newcomers. We all know what that means in the Bible. How would you like to go down in history as the city that the word sodomy came from?
One of my purposes today is to show that our culture at present is perhaps as depraved as the culture of Sodom was, though perhaps not as widespread or visible. Our culture is very driven by sex. Have you watched TV, read a magazine, sat in a bus stop in the city? Just about every single piece of media or advertising uses sexual images.
Now why do they do this, because they think its good art? No, advertising has one sole purpose, to make money at any cost, and unfortunately this tells us that the best way to sell stuff and make money in our culture is to appeal to our depraved sexual nature.
Stats Canada now gathers same sex statistics in their census, and do you care to hazard a guess at how many same sex couples were reported in Canada in the 2006 census? Now this is just those who are in committed relationships which is by far the minority of gay people. 45,300 reported same sex couples in Canada four years ago.
There’s only a very slightly higher percentage of those couples that are men, 54% to 46% females. And again we see the city influence that half of all same sex couples in Canada live in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Those are just the three largest cities. Best estimates, going by those who openly report to be homosexual, puts the percentage in the entire population at between 5 and 10 %.
Now obviously this is way lower than the percentage in Sodom, but when you see that today one in six children (boys and girls) are sexually abused by an adult, 29% of college age women report being sexually assaulted, 60% of college age males report that they would commit a sexual assault if they knew they wouldn’t get caught, a 1993 stats Canada survey showed that half of all women report at least one incident of sexual or physical violence.
Not to mention the internet porn business brings in billions each year and a lot of it is free. You begin to wonder if we are that bad. Reading these stats makes me sick to my stomach.
This doesn’t even include all the other crime and immorality that goes on in our society. In the next 30 minutes in the US, 29 kids under age 18 will make a serious suicide attempt (that’s 1 per minute), and 100,000 ten year olds get drunk at least once a week.
We are somewhat protected being rural, and again I believe it was God’s original design to live rurally, but we can’t turn a blind eye to the state of our culture and our responsibility to be salt and light in the darkness. We can’t avoid the fact that we live in a perverted, God hating society that desperately needs Jesus.
Then there’s the:
B. The Pleading of Lot (vv 6-8)
Now this is where it gets really nasty. In his efforts to protect these men of God, Lot starts to panic and he offers his two virgin daughters to the mob instead. Can you imagine that?
But these sickos aren’t interested in Lot’s cowardly offer. Not that it would have been better if they were, but it shows the extent of their wayward sexual perversion. It’s well known that homosexuals are much more promiscuous in general than heterosexual people. And here they want an orgy with these new men, forget about beautiful young virgins. I can’t help get the image of a bunch of drooling dogs out of my mind as this mob begins pressing more aggressively against Lot.
C. The Pressing of the Mob (v. 9) (don’t read)
Not only do they refuse Lot’s cowardly offer of his daughters, but they see this as Lot judging them as an outsider, and they turn their aggression onto him. They became very militant and savagely hungry to get to these men and probably would kill anything that got in their way. One has to wonder how Lot avoided this in his time in Sodom previously if he wasn’t taking part.
However, just as it seems the mob is going to prevail over Lot we see:
D. The Power of the Angels (vv10-11)
But the men reached out their hands. The sinners were made blind, and they protected Lot, as he tried to protect them. Once again we see God coming to the rescue just in time. They saw what Lot did, looked at his heart, overlooked what he did with his daughters, and had mercy on him. They could have just protected themselves, but again because of the promise to Abraham, Lot escapes this situation which he never should have been in, in the first place.
Unfortunately, we’ll see later in the chapter some consequences with his daughters that no doubt had something to do with the inexcusable way he offered them to these savages here.
This chapter is clearly about righteousness in a depraved world. We use the words Holy and sanctified to indicate that God and his people are to be “set apart” or different from the world around them.
I want to believe that Lot must have found a way to be in the culture of Sodom without taking on all of its ways, being in Sodom but not of Sodom. Or maybe he was taking part in some of their ways, but when he saw the men of God he immediately repented and tried to protect them.
Peter in his second letter says that God rescued righteous Lot, that righteous man that lived amoung the wicked day after day, tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds. Yet Lot chose to stay in Sodom, and had to be literally pulled out. I’m not sure Lot was tormented there until the two angels came.
I tend to lean toward Lot gaining righteousness through Abraham’s intercession, and then the way he tried to protect the angels, because surely when he came to town, if he hadn’t fit in and taken part, you would think that these mobs would have gone after him. Abraham was counted righteous by his faith that made him willing to sacrifice his son, perhaps Lot’s righteousness came from his willingness to sacrifice himself and his daughters for the angels.
Or maybe Lot’s righteousness was imputed to Him simply by his relation to Abraham. In that way Abraham here could have even been a type of Christ in that His righteousness was put in Lot’s account, but it wasn’t his own. Abraham pleaded with God, interceded for Lot and God granted Abraham’s desire, much as Jesus intercedes for us now.
Regardless, it is clear that true righteousness comes from God, and through our own actions this righteousness is seen. Second Peter also says:
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
11Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
“Be diligent” meaning to use speed in making an effort or labouring. Then he says “beware, take care, that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless, and lose your own stability.”
Clearly we are to make a strong, quick effort to act and think righteously, sinlessly, because of the righteousness that the Lord has imputed to us through Jesus.
You know, I’ve been told that Pisces are dreamers, I don’t believe in astrology but it is true that I am a Pisces and a dreamer. I have a vision for the church, starting with our specific church, and though many will call me unrealistic, from what I have experienced of you people, I believe it’s possible.
In Acts 2 we have the ideal of the early church, and the first characteristic of that church is that they met together everyday, ate together, prayed together, learned God’s word together, praised God together, shared everything they had, and were so different from those around them that because of their love and generosity, they had favor with all people. 1 Corinthians 12,13 and 14 show how the church is to be one body with each person sharing their gifts and talents for the upbuilding of others in the church.
“The Church is here for one reason just as Jesus was, and why the Holy Spirit was sent, to glorify God in Christ Jesus, and show His glory. John Piper says it well: “This is our final destiny. Beholding the glory of Jesus, we will shine with the beauty and love that he has. The church he promised to build will find its final destiny in reflecting to one another the glory of Jesus, so that our enjoyment of him will be all the greater because of the manifold manifestations of it in the shining members.”
Now I see us doing all of these things to some degree, and I bet if we met together everyday in the way mentioned in Acts we would be doing it all the time. Over time though the church has started meeting less and less. In many of our lifetimes, the church may not have met everyday, but many of you can remember having church services twice on Sundays, and at least once during the week. Three times as much as now.
Lloyd was telling me that when he was in Haiti, people would be going to church at 4 in the morning for a morning service everyday. But of course they’re poor and have nothing better to do.
So I got to thinking, what has replaced church in Christian’s lives over the centuries? If we look at Scripture the two major factors that Jesus talks about getting in the way of following Him are money and the things it can buy, and pleasure, including the sexual pleasure that was rampant in Sodom and Gomorrah. Basically self-gratification.
Do we work harder than people did 50 years ago? I don’t think so. Are there more family obligations than there were 50 years ago? Well families are more scattered now, they don’t do as much together, but typically families were much larger back then, but church was a family affair.
There are only two things I can think of that have legitimately gotten in the way of more church, economics (money) the need to work more, and more desirable alternatives, namely media, like TV, movies, video games, internet, and sports.
Kids and adults played sports back then, people had meetings, people worked two jobs. The difference was what they did in their spare time. Churchgoers today generally don’t know the Bible as well as they used to, some of that is because they don’t read it at home. Some of it’s because they are not getting taught as much. The church can offer stuff but it doesn’t mean people come.
Our church in Mission had a Wednesday night prayer time. In a church of about three hundred, a good night would see 15-20 people, so about 7% of the Sunday attenders. Here we have a prayer night every Wednesday, and we average about 5 or 6 people, again that would be about 7%. Both groups had very few younger people.
Now I am not trying to lay a guilt trip on anyone. Hey I spent thirty-five years doing my own thing. But I’m just trying to understand what has happened to the church, and is there a way we can reverse some of what has happened?
Now here’s where the dreamer comes in. I’ve only talked to one other person about this, and they think I’m crazy. But I am willing to put on two or even three church services each week. Our regular Sunday morning and one or two others where we would just sing together without a set schedule or praise team, pray together, I would give a short message from the Bible, we could read it together. No need for organization, ushers, bulletins for each service.
Just come together, love each other, pray together, maybe eat together, sing together, learn the Word together, become a place where others want to be, where we would have favor with all people and possibly add to our numbers on a regular basis.
Perhaps a family pizza service during the week using some of the funds you already give, mom doesn’t have to cook. No cleanup. I don’t mind giving a sermon downstairs while we’re eating, as long as you eat with your mouth closed.
Impossible? Isn’t that what Abraham and Sarah said. Do we really believe that God couldn’t make that happen? But it starts with us. Our willingness.
Just think about it, is it at all possible for you to find two more hours in your week to come to church, and more importantly be the church.
I know not everyone would make it all the time, but I would hope we could get more than six people out. Though I’m willing if only six do come. Something has to change, and it doesn’t seem to be happening in our own homes, or with what we are currently doing as churches.
Jesus and his church are becoming less important and less impactful rather than more. Every great revival in the history of the church took place when the church met for extended periods of time, including the day of pentecost.
You know God never commanded the church as a whole to go out and make disciples. The Great Commission was given to the eleven apostles in private. Specific people were always sent out. Most of the growth came by people coming to the church.
But most of the New Testament tells us how to be the church, make disciples in the church, some of whom can be sent out, and use our gifts for the spiritual upbuilding of others in the body. This is where I think the church has failed. Just think about it and let me know what you think, whether you think I’m crazy or not. I have very little pride.
Our mission statement is good, but it might be backwards. According to Scripture it should probably read “equipping believers” before “reaching potential believers”. I say that because we are not reaching potential believers, and I think much of that is because we’re not equipped, and we’re not an attractive enough option in a world where there are so many self-gratifying options. Being equipped does not mean knowing techniques, it means having a deep loving relationship with and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were enjoying life, doing what brought them pleasure. When they woke up that morning they didn’t know it would be their last. What would Jesus and his angels find if they came down to check us out? The birth pains have begun, thousands and thousands of Haitians didn’t see it coming, and many are now lost forever.
Our culture and Christ’s church are ripe for judgment. We may be eternally saved but that doesn’t make us immune to tribulation and judgment. All will be judged according to their works.
Do we believe Jesus is coming? If you don’t you probably shouldn’t be here. But if we do there ought to be a sense of urgency so that the Lord will find us without spot or blemish, at peace, and being the church that he gave his life for (which is not a building but a group of people that trust Jesus as Lord and Saviour, love each other, and love their enemies and neighbors).
Action Plan:
Have you ever had the opportunity to stand up for biblical righteousness in the midst of obvious sin and depravity (for example, a dirty joke at work or school, or an obviously unethical plan)? How did you respond? Did you stay silent and blend in or did you say something? Next opportunity you have, try to stand up for righteousness and see how God helps you.
Bonus: Think and pray about the possibility of having two or three church services each week. What would that be like for you and your family? Be curious about the reasons you come up with for and against such an idea.
