Sermon # 11 - A Night That Changed Everything Series

We read in Genesis 19:27-28, “Early the next morning Abraham hurried to the place where he had stood in the presence of the LORD. He looked down at Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole valley and saw rising from the land, like smoke from a huge furnace.” (GNB)

God had revealed to Abraham that He was about to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. This was because of their overwhelming sin and wickedness, which the Lord could no longer tolerate. When God disclosed this to Abraham, he pleaded with God to not destroy the cities. There were two reasons why Abraham begged God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah. Firstly the cities had numerous people, and Abraham cared that all of them would perish. Secondly, Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family lived in Sodom, which was also a major personal concern for him.

We believe in a God who is long suffering, but that does not in any way mean that He will tolerate sin to leave it unpunished. Often people continue in sin, taking the grace of God for granted, not realizing that God is just, and hence will not tolerate wrongdoing.

Sometimes we may ponder as to why a God of grace chooses to cut off or destroy. Let me explain this with something that many of us are aware of. When a patient is diabetic and gets hurt, sometimes that injury does not heal and gangrene sets in. In order to prevent this from spreading all over the body, the doctor may decide to amputate the infected part. By doing so, they protect the person from losing their life.

When God reveals certain things to us, like He did to Abraham, He expects us to stand in the gap to pray. We as human being are upset when we see injustice and unrighteousness in the world. How much more will a just and holy God be stricken, when He beholds the wickedness that is prevalent in the world He created?

Pray and rest

After Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah, he was assured that the Lord had heard his prayer. After he did so, Abraham had a peaceful night’s sleep.

Many people are overwhelmed with the challenges that they encounter. They pray to the Lord to intervene, but are unable to commit the situations to Him entirely. What happens as a result is that they spend sleepless nights, and are always anxious. On the other hand, when we commit our circumstances to the Lord and restfully sleep, the Lord take over to do His part. Let me explain this with another example from the field of medicine. A patient who has to undergo a surgery is administered anesthesia so that the surgeon can perform the operation without any sort of disturbance from the patient. If the patient were to be awake, he may be well aware that the surgery is for his well-being, but will find it hard to co-operate.

For those of us who are wearied, here are the words of Jesus as found in Matthew 11:28, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (ESV)

1. The night that changed Lot’s destiny

We read in Genesis 19:24-25, “Suddenly the LORD rained burning sulfur on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed them and the whole valley, along with all the people there and everything that grew on the land.” (GNB)

We also Genesis 19:29 “But when God destroyed the cities of the valley where Lot was living, he kept Abraham in mind and allowed Lot to escape to safety.” (GNB)

Abraham had appealed to God to spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah if there were a few righteous people. Sadly, however the Lord found none except Lot and his family. The Lord therefore decided to totally destroy the cities which were brimming with sinfulness. As the Lord devastated these cities, He remembered Abraham’s plea, and decided to spare Lot and his family. God is a God of justice, and therefore will punish sin, but, He spared Lot only because of His promise to Abraham.

The people of Sodom thought that night would be like any other night, and therefore continued in their sinful ways. They were oblivious to what God was about to do. Lot on the other hand, though he lived in that sin-filled city, he was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by all the wickedness that surrounded him. It was Lot’s righteousness, combined with Abraham’s prayers that brought him, and his children safely out of Sodom. The Lord waited till Lot and his family left, before He rained down burning Sulphur on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. While it was a night of destruction for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, it was a night of protection for Lot and his family.