1 00:00:03,580 --> 00:00:04,570 I can do it. Thanks. 2 00:00:13,530 --> 00:00:16,367 Good morning. We have. As 3 00:00:16,367 --> 00:00:19,129 you can tell, something of a of a serious 4 00:00:19,129 --> 00:00:21,875 subject this morning. And looking 5 00:00:21,875 --> 00:00:24,796 at this tragic story of Sodom and 6 00:00:24,796 --> 00:00:27,525 Gomorrah and. Really also 7 00:00:27,525 --> 00:00:30,180 a great. I 8 00:00:30,180 --> 00:00:32,973 would say the subject this morning for us 9 00:00:32,973 --> 00:00:35,069 is what we could call cultural 10 00:00:35,069 --> 00:00:37,514 engagement. What does it mean to engage 11 00:00:37,514 --> 00:00:40,307 our culture? What does it mean to engage 12 00:00:40,307 --> 00:00:43,101 our city and this is relevant to all 13 00:00:43,101 --> 00:00:45,895 of us who are here trying to live 14 00:00:45,895 --> 00:00:47,991 in some way following God while. 15 00:00:49,061 --> 00:00:51,878 Following also our paths in the 16 00:00:51,878 --> 00:00:54,696 city, what does it mean to 17 00:00:54,696 --> 00:00:57,513 engage our culture, especially when your 18 00:00:57,513 --> 00:01:00,331 home has reached a sorry state? 19 00:01:01,401 --> 00:01:04,077 And it takes a lot. You know, we talk 20 00:01:04,077 --> 00:01:06,456 about this at the Village Church and we 21 00:01:06,456 --> 00:01:08,538 talk about the attitude that we have 22 00:01:08,538 --> 00:01:10,322 toward our cities 1 of affectionate 23 00:01:10,322 --> 00:01:12,701 restraint. But it takes a lot more than 24 00:01:12,701 --> 00:01:14,783 the right mindset, the right theology. We 25 00:01:14,783 --> 00:01:17,757 find in this story it to walk well and to 26 00:01:17,757 --> 00:01:19,839 engage the culture as we should. It 27 00:01:19,839 --> 00:01:21,978 takes, it takes. It's something that 28 00:01:21,978 --> 00:01:24,449 takes goes very deep into our hearts and 29 00:01:24,449 --> 00:01:26,921 and where where we are in our hearts. 30 00:01:28,041 --> 00:01:30,647 So we'll look at Sodom and Gomorrah here 31 00:01:30,647 --> 00:01:33,254 and what's going on there. I, I don't 32 00:01:33,254 --> 00:01:36,186 know if if this happened to you while you 33 00:01:36,186 --> 00:01:38,466 were listening to that passage being read 34 00:01:38,466 --> 00:01:41,398 or reading it, but at a certain point it 35 00:01:41,398 --> 00:01:44,362 becomes shocking, doesn't it?You get 36 00:01:44,362 --> 00:01:47,058 to verse 5 and these men come 37 00:01:47,058 --> 00:01:49,754 and all the men seems and says, 38 00:01:49,754 --> 00:01:52,451 they say to lot come out, bring 39 00:01:52,451 --> 00:01:55,147 these visitors out because we want to 40 00:01:55,147 --> 00:01:57,843 have sexual relations with them and that 41 00:01:57,843 --> 00:02:00,540 word know them. We know that that 42 00:02:00,540 --> 00:02:03,236 word know means to have relations with 43 00:02:03,236 --> 00:02:05,818 them. Because among other things, Lot 44 00:02:05,818 --> 00:02:08,767 uses the same word a few verses 45 00:02:08,767 --> 00:02:11,715 later in verse 8 when he talks 46 00:02:11,715 --> 00:02:14,664 about his daughters not having known a 47 00:02:14,664 --> 00:02:17,192 man. Same word, yada to know. 48 00:02:18,482 --> 00:02:21,169 So they're saying, yes, we want to have 49 00:02:21,169 --> 00:02:23,855 sex with them. They mean to do that 50 00:02:23,855 --> 00:02:26,207 with these, with these visitors. But how 51 00:02:26,207 --> 00:02:28,558 they're going about it is shocking, isn't 52 00:02:28,558 --> 00:02:31,245 it? I mean, it makes you ask the 53 00:02:31,245 --> 00:02:33,931 question, what is what's going on in this 54 00:02:33,931 --> 00:02:36,618 city? Is this the norm? Are these kinds 55 00:02:36,618 --> 00:02:39,372 of georgies the norm?And you 56 00:02:39,372 --> 00:02:41,612 know when you feel that way? When when 57 00:02:41,612 --> 00:02:43,572 you're brought to an abrupt point where 58 00:02:43,572 --> 00:02:44,972 you're supposed to be shocked? 59 00:02:46,732 --> 00:02:49,487 You're supposed to be shocked so that 60 00:02:49,487 --> 00:02:52,241 the you appreciate the need for this 61 00:02:52,241 --> 00:02:54,603 judgment, which was a terrible judgment 62 00:02:54,603 --> 00:02:57,357 that fell upon these cities, this tragedy 63 00:02:57,357 --> 00:03:00,112 that goes on there. And this was 64 00:03:00,112 --> 00:03:02,867 something that we've been seeing that God 65 00:03:02,867 --> 00:03:05,622 has was reluctant to do. You look 66 00:03:05,622 --> 00:03:08,582 at verse 2. Why is it that 67 00:03:08,582 --> 00:03:10,943 they want to spend the night in the 68 00:03:10,943 --> 00:03:12,418 square, these visitors, these, these 69 00:03:12,418 --> 00:03:14,189 divine messengers and Lot says, no, 70 00:03:14,189 --> 00:03:16,254 you've got, you know, don't, don't do 71 00:03:16,254 --> 00:03:18,320 that. Don't spend the night in this 72 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:20,386 where? Why is it they're so insistent 73 00:03:20,386 --> 00:03:22,451 before he finally prevails upon it? Why? 74 00:03:22,451 --> 00:03:24,812 Because they want to talk to people. They 75 00:03:24,812 --> 00:03:27,172 want to find out. They just come from 76 00:03:27,172 --> 00:03:29,031 this intercession. To Abraham saying, do 77 00:03:29,031 --> 00:03:31,726 you really need to do this God? And they 78 00:03:31,726 --> 00:03:34,422 want to find out if they really need to 79 00:03:34,422 --> 00:03:36,819 do this, whether things had gotten to a 80 00:03:36,819 --> 00:03:39,215 point where God was saying to himself at 81 00:03:39,215 --> 00:03:41,911 this point, is it better for the city not 82 00:03:41,911 --> 00:03:44,307 to exist than for the kind of destruction 83 00:03:44,307 --> 00:03:46,404 and suffering being perpetrated to to be 84 00:03:46,404 --> 00:03:49,261 going on there?So they wanted 85 00:03:49,261 --> 00:03:52,224 to talk to people, want to find out if 86 00:03:52,224 --> 00:03:54,858 you wanted to find out this cry outcry, 87 00:03:54,858 --> 00:03:57,163 verse 13 was was really justifying this 88 00:03:57,163 --> 00:03:59,859 judgment. And this is what 89 00:03:59,859 --> 00:04:02,250 God does, you know, always, always. What 90 00:04:02,250 --> 00:04:04,982 is this? This is the preaching of, of 91 00:04:04,982 --> 00:04:07,373 to stave off destruction. This is the 92 00:04:07,373 --> 00:04:10,106 building of the ark before the flood. God 93 00:04:10,106 --> 00:04:12,838 is always trying to provide a way for 94 00:04:12,838 --> 00:04:15,229 people to 1st change instead of having 95 00:04:15,229 --> 00:04:17,961 to, to do this kind of destruction. He's 96 00:04:17,961 --> 00:04:20,271 always. Trying to wait till the last 97 00:04:20,271 --> 00:04:22,682 minute in the things that he does like 98 00:04:22,682 --> 00:04:25,524 this. So what 99 00:04:25,524 --> 00:04:28,446 was so bad about Sodom? What was this? 100 00:04:28,446 --> 00:04:31,368 What was the great sin of Sodom and 101 00:04:31,368 --> 00:04:34,205 Gomorrah?And when we try 102 00:04:34,205 --> 00:04:36,833 to answer that question, it's helpful to 103 00:04:36,833 --> 00:04:39,461 read on in your Bibles and if 104 00:04:39,461 --> 00:04:42,090 we read later authors in the Scripture 105 00:04:42,090 --> 00:04:44,718 as they reflect back upon Sodom and 106 00:04:44,718 --> 00:04:47,602 Gomorrah. We find that 107 00:04:47,602 --> 00:04:50,258 the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah were 108 00:04:50,258 --> 00:04:52,915 in fact various. They were sundry. There 109 00:04:52,915 --> 00:04:54,053 wasn't just one. 110 00:04:56,423 --> 00:04:59,267 For Isaiah, the sins were 111 00:04:59,267 --> 00:05:02,110 oppression of the poor and 112 00:05:02,110 --> 00:05:04,385 not respecting gender. Interestingly, 113 00:05:04,385 --> 00:05:07,228 Isaiah 3 for Jeremiah, looking 114 00:05:07,228 --> 00:05:10,072 at how Gomorrah it seems 115 00:05:10,072 --> 00:05:12,915 to be adultery, lying, abetting 116 00:05:12,915 --> 00:05:15,699 criminals. For 117 00:05:15,699 --> 00:05:18,362 Ezekiel. The issues 118 00:05:18,362 --> 00:05:21,084 that he brings up when he reflects 119 00:05:21,084 --> 00:05:23,807 and and is trying to compare Sodom 120 00:05:23,807 --> 00:05:26,530 and Gomorrah to what's going on in 121 00:05:26,530 --> 00:05:29,253 Israel then and and when he brings 122 00:05:29,253 --> 00:05:31,975 it up, he talks about the arrogance, 123 00:05:31,975 --> 00:05:33,920 the complacency, the prostitution, the 124 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:35,865 promiscuity and the forbidden sexual 125 00:05:35,865 --> 00:05:38,572 practices. And he uses the 126 00:05:38,572 --> 00:05:41,019 same word when he talks about that. 127 00:05:41,019 --> 00:05:43,815 That's used in in the Levitical law to 128 00:05:43,815 --> 00:05:46,690 categorize same-sex relations. In 129 00:05:46,690 --> 00:05:49,124 the New Testament, the writer Jude. 130 00:05:49,884 --> 00:05:52,450 Says also that what brought God's 131 00:05:52,450 --> 00:05:54,589 judgment included this sexual immorality 132 00:05:54,589 --> 00:05:57,583 and then giving themselves over to the 133 00:05:57,583 --> 00:06:00,537 pursuit of forbidden desires. So 134 00:06:00,537 --> 00:06:03,440 it wasn't just one thing, it was a lot 135 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:05,698 of different things that were brought up. 136 00:06:05,698 --> 00:06:08,602 And if we're using, if we, this is a 137 00:06:08,602 --> 00:06:10,537 good idea to let Scripture interpret 138 00:06:10,537 --> 00:06:12,473 Scripture. If we use the later 139 00:06:12,473 --> 00:06:14,731 reflections of these writers to tell us, 140 00:06:14,731 --> 00:06:17,312 it shows us the sin of Sodom was 141 00:06:17,312 --> 00:06:20,031 multiple. And so when 142 00:06:20,031 --> 00:06:22,685 you're reading through this story. You 143 00:06:22,685 --> 00:06:25,489 gotta realize that author is is piling 144 00:06:25,489 --> 00:06:28,292 up details to help you see that 145 00:06:28,292 --> 00:06:29,895 it really was bad. 146 00:06:31,215 --> 00:06:33,830 What it was and each detail is kind of 147 00:06:33,830 --> 00:06:35,864 important in in trying to create this 148 00:06:35,864 --> 00:06:38,640 picture. And you know, if 149 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:40,972 we look at this kind of model of 150 00:06:40,972 --> 00:06:43,012 depravity, if we say, if I could 151 00:06:43,012 --> 00:06:45,343 summarize it for you, I could say, what 152 00:06:45,343 --> 00:06:47,675 is it that all these things are doing? 153 00:06:48,405 --> 00:06:50,275 That make it so bad it would be this. 154 00:06:51,715 --> 00:06:53,795 Each of these things and all of these 155 00:06:53,795 --> 00:06:56,433 things. Destroy and tear 156 00:06:56,433 --> 00:06:59,263 down the image of God 157 00:06:59,263 --> 00:07:00,395 in people. 158 00:07:02,255 --> 00:07:04,098 From from the adultery to the oppression 159 00:07:04,098 --> 00:07:06,205 of the poor, all of these things are 160 00:07:06,205 --> 00:07:07,785 tearing down the image of God. 161 00:07:09,255 --> 00:07:10,555 And the people of Sodom. 162 00:07:12,075 --> 00:07:14,485 And this is the message of this book, by 163 00:07:14,485 --> 00:07:16,627 the way. Genesis teaches us that what God 164 00:07:16,627 --> 00:07:18,770 really cares about is, is his image, that 165 00:07:18,770 --> 00:07:20,912 he creates people in his image, men and 166 00:07:20,912 --> 00:07:23,322 women in his image. And then the book is 167 00:07:23,322 --> 00:07:26,079 about preserving that. And making 168 00:07:26,079 --> 00:07:28,897 sure that lasts. And the sodomites 169 00:07:28,897 --> 00:07:30,285 were obliterating that image. 170 00:07:31,835 --> 00:07:34,224 And you look at verse 4, it says they 171 00:07:34,224 --> 00:07:35,285 acted with one mind. 172 00:07:37,605 --> 00:07:40,376 So what does that tell us? There was 173 00:07:40,376 --> 00:07:43,147 a there was, there wasn't a culture war 174 00:07:43,147 --> 00:07:45,918 going on in Sodom. There was a uniformity 175 00:07:45,918 --> 00:07:48,343 in the culture, in their oppression and 176 00:07:48,343 --> 00:07:51,114 adultery. Now every part of the city, it 177 00:07:51,114 --> 00:07:54,039 says both young and old. There 178 00:07:54,039 --> 00:07:56,725 are no struggles about value here. The 179 00:07:56,725 --> 00:07:59,411 culture had moved into a place of 180 00:07:59,411 --> 00:08:02,097 agreement about right and wrong. But it 181 00:08:02,097 --> 00:08:04,016 was it was radically Askew. 182 00:08:05,266 --> 00:08:07,979 It was a radical redefinition of 183 00:08:07,979 --> 00:08:10,691 God's image into wholesale violence and 184 00:08:10,691 --> 00:08:11,596 self destruction. 185 00:08:13,816 --> 00:08:16,443 That was Sodom's way of life, redefining 186 00:08:16,443 --> 00:08:17,944 God's morality into destructive 187 00:08:17,944 --> 00:08:20,196 tendencies. That's what was going on. 188 00:08:20,916 --> 00:08:23,422 And if you look at the imagery of what 189 00:08:23,422 --> 00:08:25,650 happens in the story, it just tells you 190 00:08:25,650 --> 00:08:28,417 what's going on. Look at verse 11. 191 00:08:28,417 --> 00:08:30,478 What is it that that they are? They're 192 00:08:30,478 --> 00:08:33,422 blind. They're 193 00:08:33,422 --> 00:08:36,054 blind. They had so redefined 194 00:08:36,054 --> 00:08:38,826 moral reality. That. 195 00:08:39,596 --> 00:08:41,830 You know, they they couldn't find the 196 00:08:41,830 --> 00:08:44,383 door. I mean, what the Angel does, the 197 00:08:44,383 --> 00:08:46,298 angel's action is just calling attention 198 00:08:46,298 --> 00:08:48,531 to their spiritual state that are so 199 00:08:48,531 --> 00:08:50,446 blind they can't find the door. 200 00:08:52,916 --> 00:08:54,786 Model of depravity here. 201 00:08:56,376 --> 00:08:59,168 And when we get to the part of 202 00:08:59,168 --> 00:09:01,959 the story, the end there, when we see 203 00:09:01,959 --> 00:09:03,704 somebody who actually experiences one 204 00:09:03,704 --> 00:09:05,448 individual, who experiences what the 205 00:09:05,448 --> 00:09:07,542 judgment does in verse 26, what's 206 00:09:07,542 --> 00:09:09,286 happening there with lots wife? 207 00:09:10,786 --> 00:09:12,754 What's going on with Last Wives? She 208 00:09:12,754 --> 00:09:15,594 looks back. And 209 00:09:15,594 --> 00:09:17,506 what happens? She disintegrates. 210 00:09:18,497 --> 00:09:19,527 Into salt. 211 00:09:23,177 --> 00:09:25,597 She could hardly leave this culture. 212 00:09:27,037 --> 00:09:29,623 And so she's, she's, she's 213 00:09:29,623 --> 00:09:32,209 reduced, she starts to disintegrate. 214 00:09:32,209 --> 00:09:34,795 Well, what, what's happening to 215 00:09:34,795 --> 00:09:37,380 her graphically is conveying what 216 00:09:37,380 --> 00:09:39,966 has already happened in Sodom, 217 00:09:39,966 --> 00:09:42,552 the disintegration of God's image, 218 00:09:42,552 --> 00:09:43,587 you see. 219 00:09:45,477 --> 00:09:47,389 So if you want to understand what's going 220 00:09:47,389 --> 00:09:49,539 on in this story and and try to enter 221 00:09:49,539 --> 00:09:51,451 into it, say what's so bad, it's the 222 00:09:51,451 --> 00:09:53,542 disintegration of God's image. That's 223 00:09:53,542 --> 00:09:56,332 happening in a human body. It's 224 00:09:56,332 --> 00:09:58,657 already chemically a certain percentage 225 00:09:58,657 --> 00:10:01,047 of salts. Right. 226 00:10:02,287 --> 00:10:04,423 You remember that old Star Trek episode 227 00:10:04,423 --> 00:10:07,169 where I think, I don't know how many of 228 00:10:07,169 --> 00:10:09,610 you might remember this, but there was 1 229 00:10:09,610 --> 00:10:12,050 alien that came across who had this gun 230 00:10:12,050 --> 00:10:14,796 and he could shoot this gun at you. He 231 00:10:14,796 --> 00:10:17,237 pointed a gun at you and went good. 232 00:10:19,297 --> 00:10:21,555 And it somehow extracted all the water 233 00:10:21,555 --> 00:10:24,135 out of your body and we're about 70% 234 00:10:24,135 --> 00:10:26,715 water. And what was left was this small 235 00:10:26,715 --> 00:10:28,972 octogonal loid little box like thing. And 236 00:10:28,972 --> 00:10:31,875 if they were wearing a red shirt, it was 237 00:10:31,875 --> 00:10:34,777 red. And you know, if there was Spock, it 238 00:10:34,777 --> 00:10:37,357 was blue. But they extracted all this was 239 00:10:37,357 --> 00:10:39,745 all that was left. And then, you know, 240 00:10:39,745 --> 00:10:41,543 when they, it was when you took 241 00:10:41,543 --> 00:10:43,341 everything out, it was reduced to these 242 00:10:43,341 --> 00:10:46,003 salts. Somebody 243 00:10:46,003 --> 00:10:48,923 got crushed, you know, and it was the 244 00:10:48,923 --> 00:10:51,114 drama of this reduction. And fortunately, 245 00:10:51,114 --> 00:10:54,035 I think there was a switch on the 246 00:10:54,035 --> 00:10:56,956 gun so that you could go, he go, 247 00:10:56,956 --> 00:10:59,876 go again and all this boom, there's Kirk 248 00:10:59,876 --> 00:11:02,432 again. He's extracting the water from the 249 00:11:02,432 --> 00:11:05,427 air, but you see what's going on. On 250 00:11:05,427 --> 00:11:07,643 that Star Trek episodes, what's happening 251 00:11:07,643 --> 00:11:10,227 here? There's a reduction going on. Yeah, 252 00:11:10,227 --> 00:11:12,812 we're salt. Yeah, we have these desires, 253 00:11:12,812 --> 00:11:15,766 you know, But what happens when the image 254 00:11:15,766 --> 00:11:18,721 of God is kind of withdrawn in some 255 00:11:18,721 --> 00:11:21,675 kind of weird, alien way? That's what our 256 00:11:21,675 --> 00:11:23,890 sin does, friends. It extracts. It 257 00:11:23,890 --> 00:11:26,223 reduces our us. To our compositional 258 00:11:26,223 --> 00:11:26,608 solves. 259 00:11:30,408 --> 00:11:32,535 To the disintegration is a reduction 260 00:11:32,535 --> 00:11:35,370 because we're meant to be so much more 261 00:11:35,370 --> 00:11:37,851 than our desires. It's it's Sodom was 262 00:11:37,851 --> 00:11:39,978 about kind of fulfilling your desires. 263 00:11:40,978 --> 00:11:43,911 Not letting anybody stand in the way 264 00:11:43,911 --> 00:11:45,168 of that, hmm. 265 00:11:47,198 --> 00:11:49,720 Listen, friends, to consciously resist 266 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:52,292 a desire. That's 267 00:11:52,292 --> 00:11:53,318 not repression. 268 00:11:55,698 --> 00:11:57,528 That's to know your own heart. 269 00:11:59,798 --> 00:12:02,198 And that's what it is to be in the image 270 00:12:02,198 --> 00:12:05,132 of God. Is 271 00:12:05,132 --> 00:12:08,048 to rule over your desires to be able to 272 00:12:08,048 --> 00:12:10,641 at times, maybe a lot of times, resist 273 00:12:10,641 --> 00:12:11,289 those desires. 274 00:12:13,829 --> 00:12:16,160 Behold Sodom and the divine image and 275 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:19,157 what I want to talk about today here is 276 00:12:19,157 --> 00:12:22,154 is what we've seen here in my first point 277 00:12:22,154 --> 00:12:24,486 is that this is a divine image 278 00:12:24,486 --> 00:12:27,451 disintegrated. And 279 00:12:27,451 --> 00:12:29,705 the first exhortation for us is to our 280 00:12:29,705 --> 00:12:31,960 own lives. Are we building up the image 281 00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:34,497 of God in us, or are we? Is it 282 00:12:34,497 --> 00:12:37,416 disintegrating?But but 283 00:12:37,416 --> 00:12:40,136 the but the three things I want 284 00:12:40,136 --> 00:12:42,856 to bring out for the pastor, the 285 00:12:42,856 --> 00:12:45,188 divine image disintegrated here like lots 286 00:12:45,188 --> 00:12:47,908 wife. But then there's the divine image 287 00:12:47,908 --> 00:12:50,240 debated and the divine image displayed. 288 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:52,960 OK, so I want to talk about 289 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:55,680 the second point here, the divine image 290 00:12:55,680 --> 00:12:58,419 debated. Wonderful when it works out 291 00:12:58,419 --> 00:13:01,177 like a 3D's of divine image. It 292 00:13:01,177 --> 00:13:02,359 doesn't always happen. 293 00:13:04,129 --> 00:13:06,663 But whenever you have the disintegration 294 00:13:06,663 --> 00:13:09,619 of the divine image in a people, 295 00:13:09,619 --> 00:13:12,574 it's always going to create a cultural 296 00:13:12,574 --> 00:13:15,530 conflict. That's why this is really about 297 00:13:15,530 --> 00:13:18,473 cultural engagement, this passage. It's 298 00:13:18,473 --> 00:13:20,105 always going to create a a cultural 299 00:13:20,105 --> 00:13:21,971 conflict and there is always going to be 300 00:13:21,971 --> 00:13:23,836 the same things that come out in our 301 00:13:23,836 --> 00:13:26,716 said. And that's why when you get to 302 00:13:26,716 --> 00:13:28,872 verse verse 9, I don't know if when I 303 00:13:28,872 --> 00:13:31,456 read verse nine, I chuckle. When they 304 00:13:31,456 --> 00:13:33,781 come to him and say, you know, the law 305 00:13:33,781 --> 00:13:35,848 comes out and says don't do this, and 306 00:13:35,848 --> 00:13:37,140 they say you're judging us. 307 00:13:40,610 --> 00:13:42,240 Doesn't that sound familiar? 308 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:46,821 You know, one of my one of my favorite 309 00:13:46,821 --> 00:13:49,257 movies, maybe, maybe of all times. One of 310 00:13:49,257 --> 00:13:51,998 my favorite movies of all time is a movie 311 00:13:51,998 --> 00:13:54,130 made by Jack Black called Nacho Libre. 312 00:13:56,450 --> 00:13:58,557 I think that it's just hilarious. It's 313 00:13:58,557 --> 00:14:00,965 maybe alright, some of you have seen it, 314 00:14:00,965 --> 00:14:03,374 I guess. Good. It's about this monk in 315 00:14:03,374 --> 00:14:05,782 Mexico who wants to be a pro wrestler. 316 00:14:05,782 --> 00:14:07,889 It's already funny, right? You know, and, 317 00:14:07,889 --> 00:14:10,297 and so he's he's got this struggle going 318 00:14:10,297 --> 00:14:13,007 on. He wants to be a good monkey. He 319 00:14:13,007 --> 00:14:15,415 wants to be spiritual, but he also really 320 00:14:15,415 --> 00:14:18,102 wants to be a pro. Wrestler. So he 321 00:14:18,102 --> 00:14:20,672 gets this partner who's this other sad 322 00:14:20,672 --> 00:14:22,876 sack Mexican character who's an atheist 323 00:14:22,876 --> 00:14:25,446 and it's his wrestling partner. And at 324 00:14:25,446 --> 00:14:28,384 one point he asks his friend Sue some 325 00:14:28,384 --> 00:14:30,955 simple question like have you ever been 326 00:14:30,955 --> 00:14:33,158 baptized or something? And it's friend's 327 00:14:33,158 --> 00:14:35,361 answer. It's just immediately to say 328 00:14:35,361 --> 00:14:38,243 you're always judging me. I always feel 329 00:14:38,243 --> 00:14:39,420 like you're judging me. 330 00:14:40,940 --> 00:14:43,680 And it's hilarious because it's an exotic 331 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:46,028 location, exotic people. And yet they're 332 00:14:46,028 --> 00:14:48,768 saying the same things that are so 333 00:14:48,768 --> 00:14:51,508 familiar to us, you know, just even 334 00:14:51,508 --> 00:14:54,254 to suggest. That there might 335 00:14:54,254 --> 00:14:56,294 be a moral principle makes people respond 336 00:14:56,294 --> 00:14:58,333 this way, and that's what's going on. 337 00:14:58,333 --> 00:15:00,664 That's what makes verse 9 so funny. Look 338 00:15:00,664 --> 00:15:02,704 at that. They're saying the same thing. 339 00:15:02,704 --> 00:15:05,326 This is 4000 years ago on the other side 340 00:15:05,326 --> 00:15:07,657 of the world, and what are they saying? 341 00:15:07,657 --> 00:15:08,531 You're judging me. 342 00:15:10,571 --> 00:15:12,241 There are utterly something so familiar. 343 00:15:12,241 --> 00:15:14,746 All a lot comes out and says don't do 344 00:15:14,746 --> 00:15:16,694 this, this isn't right, don't do this, 345 00:15:16,694 --> 00:15:18,921 please. In a in a sense, they're imposing 346 00:15:18,921 --> 00:15:21,649 their moral, moral values on him. But 347 00:15:21,649 --> 00:15:24,116 it to them, it looks like he's imposing 348 00:15:24,116 --> 00:15:26,892 on them. Just come out and say don't do 349 00:15:26,892 --> 00:15:29,051 this, please. Why are you judging us? 350 00:15:30,291 --> 00:15:33,141 How dare you?All right, 351 00:15:33,141 --> 00:15:36,076 how dare you suggest. And that there's 352 00:15:36,076 --> 00:15:38,851 a moral law. How dare you 353 00:15:38,851 --> 00:15:41,278 suggest to me that God might have a 354 00:15:41,278 --> 00:15:43,098 different view about what builds his 355 00:15:43,098 --> 00:15:45,986 image?And what tears it down then I 356 00:15:45,986 --> 00:15:47,811 have. How dare you to suggest that? 357 00:15:48,861 --> 00:15:51,207 Never mind that our city was actually 358 00:15:51,207 --> 00:15:53,888 saved a few years back because of your 359 00:15:53,888 --> 00:15:56,233 uncle Abraham, you know. Never mind that 360 00:15:56,233 --> 00:15:58,914 we exist as Sodom because of what Abraham 361 00:15:58,914 --> 00:16:01,595 did a few years back. Never mind that 362 00:16:01,595 --> 00:16:03,941 what we're feeling now is that we're 363 00:16:03,941 --> 00:16:05,281 feeling judged by you. 364 00:16:07,001 --> 00:16:09,337 And so you see, friends in any culture is 365 00:16:09,337 --> 00:16:11,672 going to be the same. They're going to be 366 00:16:11,672 --> 00:16:13,229 points of agreements where people hold 367 00:16:13,229 --> 00:16:15,305 on, hold on to the moral law. They're 368 00:16:15,305 --> 00:16:17,122 going to be points of disparity and 369 00:16:17,122 --> 00:16:19,868 disagreement. And so there going to 370 00:16:19,868 --> 00:16:22,247 be things that are sin that are crimes 371 00:16:22,247 --> 00:16:24,625 and some things that are not crimes that 372 00:16:24,625 --> 00:16:27,004 are sins. So, you know, there are things 373 00:16:27,004 --> 00:16:29,382 that are going to be sins, for example, 374 00:16:29,382 --> 00:16:31,761 even in our culture that are not crimes, 375 00:16:31,761 --> 00:16:34,139 like adultery, it's a sin but not a 376 00:16:34,139 --> 00:16:36,220 crime. There going to be other things 377 00:16:36,220 --> 00:16:38,302 that are sins and crimes like rape. 378 00:16:39,172 --> 00:16:41,988 You know, and then there are going to be 379 00:16:41,988 --> 00:16:44,492 things that are not sins but are crimes. 380 00:16:45,622 --> 00:16:48,009 And perhaps you could think of a few of 381 00:16:48,009 --> 00:16:50,131 those you know, or things that are fast 382 00:16:50,131 --> 00:16:53,127 becoming crimes. And so you're 383 00:16:53,127 --> 00:16:54,890 always going to have these hot button 384 00:16:54,890 --> 00:16:57,836 issues. Because every culture you find is 385 00:16:57,836 --> 00:16:59,922 gonna latch on to certain parts of the 386 00:16:59,922 --> 00:17:02,268 moral law of God and they're going to be 387 00:17:02,268 --> 00:17:03,833 very self-righteous about it and say, 388 00:17:03,833 --> 00:17:05,918 see, we are moral, you know, and they're 389 00:17:05,918 --> 00:17:08,481 going to ignore other parts. They're 390 00:17:08,481 --> 00:17:10,276 gonna they're they're in any, any 391 00:17:10,276 --> 00:17:12,371 culture. There's gonna be the building up 392 00:17:12,371 --> 00:17:14,465 of God's image and the disintegration of 393 00:17:14,465 --> 00:17:17,158 God's image going on at the same time. If 394 00:17:17,158 --> 00:17:18,954 you read history, this is becomes 395 00:17:18,954 --> 00:17:20,749 especially clear. There are always these 396 00:17:20,749 --> 00:17:22,843 few several hot button issues that are 397 00:17:22,843 --> 00:17:25,237 going to be there when, when, when the 398 00:17:25,237 --> 00:17:27,032 biblical faith interacts with anyculture. 399 00:17:29,752 --> 00:17:32,626 And So what we find. Is 400 00:17:32,626 --> 00:17:35,590 that God leaves them there. God leaves 401 00:17:35,590 --> 00:17:38,554 these, and this is for your benefit 402 00:17:38,554 --> 00:17:41,519 by the way. He leaves these hot 403 00:17:41,519 --> 00:17:44,483 button issues in place so that you 404 00:17:44,483 --> 00:17:47,447 can tell what you are. If I 405 00:17:47,447 --> 00:17:49,565 have what your epistemological loyalties 406 00:17:49,565 --> 00:17:52,529 are, that is where you find your 407 00:17:52,529 --> 00:17:54,882 authority. He will leave them in place 408 00:17:54,882 --> 00:17:56,894 every time. And in our culture there are 409 00:17:56,894 --> 00:17:58,403 three, there are three big ones. 410 00:18:01,153 --> 00:18:03,780 Currently in our time and 411 00:18:03,780 --> 00:18:06,407 place, you know, American Northeast 412 00:18:06,407 --> 00:18:07,983 urban city place. 413 00:18:10,453 --> 00:18:13,428 And. I guess 414 00:18:13,428 --> 00:18:15,373 since since we're dealing with Sodom and 415 00:18:15,373 --> 00:18:17,596 Gomorrah today, I I need to talk about 416 00:18:17,596 --> 00:18:19,263 one of them, and that's homosexuality. 417 00:18:20,253 --> 00:18:22,554 Ohh. Listen, homosexuality is wrong 418 00:18:22,554 --> 00:18:25,316 according to the Bible, and our 419 00:18:25,316 --> 00:18:28,078 certainty about that statement arises not 420 00:18:28,078 --> 00:18:30,839 only from the writings that evaluate 421 00:18:30,839 --> 00:18:33,601 Sodom and Gomorrah in the Scriptures, 422 00:18:33,601 --> 00:18:36,362 but also for many texts and 423 00:18:36,362 --> 00:18:39,268 more deeply. It arises from 424 00:18:39,268 --> 00:18:42,132 the whole warp and woof. Of 425 00:18:42,132 --> 00:18:44,704 the Bible's emphasis on gender in 426 00:18:44,704 --> 00:18:47,574 relationships. A point that is always 427 00:18:47,574 --> 00:18:50,120 lost in the sound bites. It's always lost 428 00:18:50,120 --> 00:18:52,666 when you hear the question, well, what is 429 00:18:52,666 --> 00:18:54,894 wrong with it, really? When that question 430 00:18:54,894 --> 00:18:57,439 gets asked, as it does today, I mean, 431 00:18:57,439 --> 00:18:59,349 what could really? And people are 432 00:18:59,349 --> 00:19:01,576 honestly wondering what is it? What is 433 00:19:01,576 --> 00:19:04,122 really wrong with it? With two men who 434 00:19:04,122 --> 00:19:06,500 want to love each other?Our two women 435 00:19:06,500 --> 00:19:08,260 want to love each other in that way. What 436 00:19:08,260 --> 00:19:09,825 is wrong with that? What I mean, it's 437 00:19:09,825 --> 00:19:11,193 love. What could be wrong with that? 438 00:19:12,723 --> 00:19:15,629 You know the the Bible has an answer for 439 00:19:15,629 --> 00:19:17,889 that, but I've never heard it articulated 440 00:19:17,889 --> 00:19:20,472 in the media as the Bible teaches it. 441 00:19:20,472 --> 00:19:23,440 I've never heard it. I'm sure that 442 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:25,484 some people out there must be saying it. 443 00:19:26,834 --> 00:19:28,434 Because it's there when you read the 444 00:19:28,434 --> 00:19:30,264 texts closely and when you come out one 445 00:19:30,264 --> 00:19:32,094 form or another. I just haven't heard it. 446 00:19:33,094 --> 00:19:35,729 But this is it friends. When when the 447 00:19:35,729 --> 00:19:38,364 question comes up, why is is that wrong? 448 00:19:40,164 --> 00:19:42,861 The answer is this. We are taught 449 00:19:42,861 --> 00:19:44,788 to reserve our most intimate 450 00:19:44,788 --> 00:19:47,340 relationships. For those of 451 00:19:47,340 --> 00:19:49,784 the opposing gender, because gender 452 00:19:49,784 --> 00:19:52,716 differences define the image of God 453 00:19:52,716 --> 00:19:53,694 in US. 454 00:19:55,694 --> 00:19:58,464 We find ourselves through our genders. 455 00:19:59,514 --> 00:20:02,131 And it is impossible to define 456 00:20:02,131 --> 00:20:04,748 our gender apart from the other 457 00:20:04,748 --> 00:20:07,696 gender. We saw this 458 00:20:07,696 --> 00:20:10,173 back in Genesis too, right? Adam couldn't 459 00:20:10,173 --> 00:20:12,746 really know himself. Without 460 00:20:12,746 --> 00:20:15,154 the other without Eve. 461 00:20:17,644 --> 00:20:20,068 And you know it's true. A man does not 462 00:20:20,068 --> 00:20:23,030 find out what it is to be a man by going 463 00:20:23,030 --> 00:20:25,185 out in the woods and cutting himself with 464 00:20:25,185 --> 00:20:27,879 stones. No, 465 00:20:27,879 --> 00:20:30,454 it's through exercise and courage 466 00:20:30,454 --> 00:20:33,029 in knowing women. It's in 467 00:20:33,029 --> 00:20:34,574 relationship with women. 468 00:20:36,444 --> 00:20:39,244 And vice versa. You know, women need men 469 00:20:39,244 --> 00:20:40,994 to know who they are. 470 00:20:42,604 --> 00:20:44,683 And these relationships, you know, you 471 00:20:44,683 --> 00:20:46,761 know all different kinds of relationships 472 00:20:46,761 --> 00:20:48,839 in your life, but these relationships 473 00:20:48,839 --> 00:20:51,609 reach this level of self discovery in the 474 00:20:51,609 --> 00:20:52,995 church and in marriage. 475 00:20:55,245 --> 00:20:57,636 But that's the answer to why It's a 476 00:20:57,636 --> 00:20:59,430 disintegration of God's image, not a 477 00:20:59,430 --> 00:21:00,925 building up of God's image. 478 00:21:02,215 --> 00:21:05,010 That's the answer why it's wrong. Now 479 00:21:05,010 --> 00:21:07,805 that's a good answer and it fits. 480 00:21:08,545 --> 00:21:11,415 But that doesn't solve all the problems 481 00:21:11,415 --> 00:21:14,082 of this issue. Right. And 482 00:21:14,082 --> 00:21:16,868 that's why we have game. That's why I 483 00:21:16,868 --> 00:21:19,307 was glad to hear this announcement made 484 00:21:19,307 --> 00:21:22,180 today. Because that's why we 485 00:21:22,180 --> 00:21:24,762 have game here at the Village Church, 486 00:21:24,762 --> 00:21:26,606 because there are folks, especially 487 00:21:26,606 --> 00:21:28,819 around these parts, that find these 488 00:21:28,819 --> 00:21:31,602 desires in themselves. And yet they 489 00:21:31,602 --> 00:21:33,602 want to follow Jesus. And now let me tell 490 00:21:33,602 --> 00:21:35,603 you if if that happens to be you here 491 00:21:35,603 --> 00:21:38,523 today. I want you to know we have 492 00:21:38,523 --> 00:21:39,885 nothing but compassion for you. 493 00:21:41,395 --> 00:21:43,585 If this is you, please come here. 494 00:21:44,825 --> 00:21:46,677 We will walk with you. If you're saying I 495 00:21:46,677 --> 00:21:48,322 have these desires, I don't know how to 496 00:21:48,322 --> 00:21:49,762 fit this with following Jesus. We'll show 497 00:21:49,762 --> 00:21:51,820 you how to do it. That's what we do at 498 00:21:51,820 --> 00:21:54,503 game. We'll, we'll 499 00:21:54,503 --> 00:21:57,465 show you how to do it, no matter, no 500 00:21:57,465 --> 00:22:00,097 matter how messy it is. Amen, Tom. That's 501 00:22:00,097 --> 00:22:00,755 right. Amen. 502 00:22:03,005 --> 00:22:05,337 So let's be sure, though, that we're on 503 00:22:05,337 --> 00:22:07,668 the same page here about this ministry of 504 00:22:07,668 --> 00:22:09,999 the village church. We are not here to 505 00:22:09,999 --> 00:22:12,330 make people agree with us, or to force 506 00:22:12,330 --> 00:22:14,953 people to live by morals that they do not 507 00:22:14,953 --> 00:22:17,833 freely embrace. But we are here 508 00:22:17,833 --> 00:22:20,209 for people who want to change or people 509 00:22:20,209 --> 00:22:22,585 who want to be different. We're here to 510 00:22:22,585 --> 00:22:24,960 stand with folks in whom God is working 511 00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:26,742 in this area of sanctification. OK, 512 00:22:26,742 --> 00:22:29,580 that's the. At a point we we 513 00:22:29,580 --> 00:22:31,923 should make about this issue, but the the 514 00:22:31,923 --> 00:22:34,559 larger point here, if I can return to it, 515 00:22:34,559 --> 00:22:36,609 is that in any culture, they're not, 516 00:22:36,609 --> 00:22:38,952 they're not only going to be points of 517 00:22:38,952 --> 00:22:40,416 disintegration of the divine image. 518 00:22:41,916 --> 00:22:44,319 But there are also going to be points of 519 00:22:44,319 --> 00:22:47,176 debate. Regarding the 520 00:22:47,176 --> 00:22:49,982 divine image. And 521 00:22:49,982 --> 00:22:52,669 so when we as a church and as 522 00:22:52,669 --> 00:22:55,020 individuals, we go out to engage our 523 00:22:55,020 --> 00:22:57,779 culture. We have to be recognizing this 524 00:22:57,779 --> 00:23:00,661 all the time. And we, you 525 00:23:00,661 --> 00:23:02,461 know, we talk a lot about the the 526 00:23:02,461 --> 00:23:04,261 affection that we have. We talk about the 527 00:23:04,261 --> 00:23:05,386 affectionate restraint. We have the 528 00:23:05,386 --> 00:23:06,961 village church and we try to emphasize 529 00:23:06,961 --> 00:23:09,882 the effects because we love our city. And 530 00:23:09,882 --> 00:23:12,326 that's a good part of Lot, you know, 531 00:23:12,326 --> 00:23:14,770 verse 7, Notice he called. Look what he 532 00:23:14,770 --> 00:23:17,688 says, my brothers. Literally, 533 00:23:17,688 --> 00:23:19,546 that's a literal translation. He's 534 00:23:19,546 --> 00:23:22,148 calling him brothers. In other words, Lot 535 00:23:22,148 --> 00:23:24,006 considers the Sodomites his brothers. 536 00:23:25,366 --> 00:23:28,276 He'd really entered in. You look at verse 537 00:23:28,276 --> 00:23:30,823 one. He's sitting there in the gate, 538 00:23:30,823 --> 00:23:33,733 friends in the gate, sitting in the gate 539 00:23:33,733 --> 00:23:36,643 of the city. That's where the elders of 540 00:23:36,643 --> 00:23:39,189 a city would congregate and the leaders 541 00:23:39,189 --> 00:23:41,735 in order to govern. That's that's where 542 00:23:41,735 --> 00:23:43,918 they would adjudicate legal matters and 543 00:23:43,918 --> 00:23:46,551 whence the community was governed. So 544 00:23:46,551 --> 00:23:49,225 with if a lot is there where he's 545 00:23:49,225 --> 00:23:51,565 sitting there, that means he really had 546 00:23:51,565 --> 00:23:54,345 become one of the sodomites. At 547 00:23:54,345 --> 00:23:56,650 this point, you know he was more Sodom 548 00:23:56,650 --> 00:23:59,417 than sodomites. And that's 549 00:23:59,417 --> 00:24:01,017 good. Those are good things. 550 00:24:03,397 --> 00:24:03,877 But. 551 00:24:07,337 --> 00:24:09,663 What we find is that he had entered into 552 00:24:09,663 --> 00:24:11,990 such an extent that he had become a part 553 00:24:11,990 --> 00:24:14,908 of it. And so we see 554 00:24:14,908 --> 00:24:17,409 it in his hesitation to leave, right in 555 00:24:17,409 --> 00:24:19,597 verses 15 and 16. You're probably reading 556 00:24:19,597 --> 00:24:21,473 that thinking, what's his problem? Get 557 00:24:21,473 --> 00:24:24,287 out of there. Place is about to go up. 558 00:24:25,337 --> 00:24:28,092 But what's going on in Lot 559 00:24:28,092 --> 00:24:30,387 He he can't believe, really. 560 00:24:31,167 --> 00:24:33,736 That there's life outside of this 561 00:24:33,736 --> 00:24:36,305 context. He could no longer remove 562 00:24:36,305 --> 00:24:38,017 himself from his culture. 563 00:24:39,797 --> 00:24:42,483 And not only true of him, it's true of 564 00:24:42,483 --> 00:24:44,870 his whole family. No, it's true of his 565 00:24:44,870 --> 00:24:47,258 wife, but also of his daughters later on. 566 00:24:47,258 --> 00:24:49,645 The way they behave, they show they had 567 00:24:49,645 --> 00:24:51,734 adopted the the cultural norms of Sodom 568 00:24:51,734 --> 00:24:54,122 just in the way that they behave. A 569 00:24:54,122 --> 00:24:56,509 different story later on, but all of them 570 00:24:56,509 --> 00:24:56,807 had. 571 00:25:00,107 --> 00:25:02,386 You know, we were talking about being 572 00:25:02,386 --> 00:25:03,688 shocked at verse 5. 573 00:25:05,458 --> 00:25:08,075 When you read on from verse 574 00:25:08,075 --> 00:25:10,693 5, where's the next place you 575 00:25:10,693 --> 00:25:13,311 get shocked if you What's that 576 00:25:13,311 --> 00:25:15,939 8?Right there, 577 00:25:15,939 --> 00:25:18,780 exactly verse 8. Your shock is doubled, 578 00:25:18,780 --> 00:25:19,998 is it not? 579 00:25:21,458 --> 00:25:23,478 Because when Lot opens his mouth. 580 00:25:26,288 --> 00:25:27,118 What? 581 00:25:29,908 --> 00:25:32,678 What, how could he be willing to make 582 00:25:32,678 --> 00:25:35,448 this deal? What on earth? What does he 583 00:25:35,448 --> 00:25:37,871 think? Is he thinking somehow, you know, 584 00:25:37,871 --> 00:25:39,949 heterosexual, you know, allergy is a 585 00:25:39,949 --> 00:25:41,680 little bit better than homosexual 586 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:44,450 allergy, or that he would be willing to, 587 00:25:44,450 --> 00:25:46,873 you know, allow his daughters to be 588 00:25:46,873 --> 00:25:49,864 violated in this way?I mean, 589 00:25:49,864 --> 00:25:52,322 do you, do you see a whole lot of 590 00:25:52,322 --> 00:25:53,688 difference between lot and sodomites? 591 00:25:55,948 --> 00:25:58,571 Not a whole lot of difference here. In 592 00:25:58,571 --> 00:26:00,867 other words, friends Lot had entered too 593 00:26:00,867 --> 00:26:03,700 far into the culture. His 594 00:26:03,700 --> 00:26:05,607 affection over had overcome his 595 00:26:05,607 --> 00:26:08,260 restraint. And 596 00:26:08,260 --> 00:26:10,168 what makes this particularly sad, 597 00:26:10,168 --> 00:26:12,458 especially for Abraham, is that Abraham 598 00:26:12,458 --> 00:26:15,129 had had his hope when he intercedes 599 00:26:15,129 --> 00:26:17,801 with God earlier. His hope was in 600 00:26:17,801 --> 00:26:20,472 Lot. His hope was that Lot living 601 00:26:20,472 --> 00:26:23,144 in Sodom would become an influence rather 602 00:26:23,144 --> 00:26:26,047 than being influenced. That if 603 00:26:26,047 --> 00:26:28,701 Lot had led his family well, then 604 00:26:28,701 --> 00:26:31,354 Lot's wife, his daughters, his sons in 605 00:26:31,354 --> 00:26:34,008 law, you know, and all the other 606 00:26:34,008 --> 00:26:36,662 people in Lots circle, that they would 607 00:26:36,662 --> 00:26:38,179 somehow amount to 10. 608 00:26:40,509 --> 00:26:43,120 Would have spared the city, surely, if 609 00:26:43,120 --> 00:26:45,359 Lot had been doing something spiritual. 610 00:26:46,919 --> 00:26:49,769 But as verse 14 rather 611 00:26:49,769 --> 00:26:52,685 poignantly illustrates. Lot had 612 00:26:52,685 --> 00:26:55,622 no influence at all. You know, 613 00:26:55,622 --> 00:26:57,840 he's, he tries to warn his sons in law 614 00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:00,059 and what do they do? They laugh at him. 615 00:27:01,959 --> 00:27:04,906 Why wouldn't they?Why wouldn't 616 00:27:04,906 --> 00:27:07,624 they laugh at him?I 617 00:27:07,624 --> 00:27:10,042 mean he they just witnessed him promising 618 00:27:10,042 --> 00:27:11,769 their fiancees to the crowd. 619 00:27:13,799 --> 00:27:16,273 How much moral capital do you think that 620 00:27:16,273 --> 00:27:17,819 gave a lot with them? 621 00:27:19,789 --> 00:27:20,919 What about you? 622 00:27:22,949 --> 00:27:25,845 If you have a warning to issue at some 623 00:27:25,845 --> 00:27:28,097 point, what about the people in your 624 00:27:28,097 --> 00:27:28,419 influence? 625 00:27:30,989 --> 00:27:31,819 You know. 626 00:27:34,729 --> 00:27:36,807 You're the hope of Abraham. You're my 627 00:27:36,807 --> 00:27:39,182 hope. At this point, you know, we have 628 00:27:39,182 --> 00:27:41,557 affection for the city, but we also have 629 00:27:41,557 --> 00:27:43,635 restraint. It makes such a difference how 630 00:27:43,635 --> 00:27:45,119 you live your life here. 631 00:27:46,409 --> 00:27:48,867 Don't be like Lot, who could not 632 00:27:48,867 --> 00:27:51,324 extricate himself from the life of the 633 00:27:51,324 --> 00:27:53,080 culture when he needed to. 634 00:27:54,900 --> 00:27:56,963 Now you should. I know you shake your 635 00:27:56,963 --> 00:27:59,541 head a lot and you say ohh wow, why? What 636 00:27:59,541 --> 00:28:01,862 is his problem? Why doesn't he get out of 637 00:28:01,862 --> 00:28:04,740 there? But how different are we?When 638 00:28:04,740 --> 00:28:07,467 we love that part of the city, we 639 00:28:07,467 --> 00:28:10,313 love it too much. And we 640 00:28:10,313 --> 00:28:12,250 don't know when to leave the party. 641 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:17,998 When you don't know when to leave the 642 00:28:17,998 --> 00:28:19,956 party, you you really don't find yourself 643 00:28:19,956 --> 00:28:22,194 in this passage. I think we should. Or 644 00:28:22,194 --> 00:28:24,433 when you want to be accepted, When you 645 00:28:24,433 --> 00:28:27,230 want to be one of the people who are in 646 00:28:27,230 --> 00:28:29,875 so badly. That 647 00:28:29,875 --> 00:28:32,710 you're, you're just like Lot here. You're 648 00:28:32,710 --> 00:28:35,545 willing to engage in activities that are 649 00:28:35,545 --> 00:28:36,760 disintegrating God's image. 650 00:28:38,740 --> 00:28:40,527 And if you could see yourself, you'd be 651 00:28:40,527 --> 00:28:42,090 saying why? Why am I doing this? 652 00:28:43,290 --> 00:28:46,034 That you're just like, look at lot here. 653 00:28:46,034 --> 00:28:48,820 That's us. He can't 654 00:28:48,820 --> 00:28:51,364 even leave. Things are falling down 655 00:28:51,364 --> 00:28:51,870 around him. 656 00:28:54,450 --> 00:28:57,395 And I know you say, well, you know, 657 00:28:57,395 --> 00:29:00,340 in my circles it's hard, but I know 658 00:29:00,340 --> 00:29:02,549 it's hard. It's not impossible, though. 659 00:29:02,549 --> 00:29:05,494 You know, I, I think of the the 660 00:29:05,494 --> 00:29:08,070 believer working at a bank here and. 661 00:29:08,990 --> 00:29:11,051 Guy comes in to offer him software. I 662 00:29:11,051 --> 00:29:13,112 think I talked about before and he really 663 00:29:13,112 --> 00:29:14,915 needed this software. He said the guy 664 00:29:14,915 --> 00:29:16,975 here, he used this software guy but it's 665 00:29:16,975 --> 00:29:19,036 pirated software. The guy says no I don't 666 00:29:19,036 --> 00:29:21,612 want to use it. I says come on use its 667 00:29:21,612 --> 00:29:23,415 presses and presses and finally says well 668 00:29:23,415 --> 00:29:26,263 you know this is not honest. And 669 00:29:26,263 --> 00:29:28,732 his friend's reaction was the same. Here, 670 00:29:28,732 --> 00:29:31,201 you know, why are you judging me? 671 00:29:33,591 --> 00:29:36,583 It's it's the same reaction and yet he 672 00:29:36,583 --> 00:29:39,576 lost some friends. This believer in in in 673 00:29:39,576 --> 00:29:41,821 that situation. Another person in the 674 00:29:41,821 --> 00:29:44,065 village church. She she wanted the 675 00:29:44,065 --> 00:29:47,058 finally got a good audition for good film 676 00:29:47,058 --> 00:29:50,050 for the film 300 You know there was 677 00:29:50,050 --> 00:29:53,030 but it was for gratuitous. Good 678 00:29:53,030 --> 00:29:55,624 scene, she turns out in 679 00:29:55,624 --> 00:29:57,181 the audition and. 680 00:29:58,521 --> 00:30:01,204 You know, really, really annoys her 681 00:30:01,204 --> 00:30:01,651 agent. 682 00:30:04,421 --> 00:30:06,736 But these are the kinds of examples that 683 00:30:06,736 --> 00:30:08,472 where you start where your restraint 684 00:30:08,472 --> 00:30:09,051 comes in. 685 00:30:11,791 --> 00:30:13,581 And so the scriptures tell us. 686 00:30:14,571 --> 00:30:17,080 Remember Lot's wife, It's the way the New 687 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:19,896 Testament puts it. Well, so 688 00:30:19,896 --> 00:30:22,754 those are the 2. This is the divine image 689 00:30:22,754 --> 00:30:24,976 we see in this passage. Disintegrated the 690 00:30:24,976 --> 00:30:26,881 divine image debated but also friends, 691 00:30:26,881 --> 00:30:29,739 before we close as we are coming to the 692 00:30:29,739 --> 00:30:32,279 table here, I want to bring out the 693 00:30:32,279 --> 00:30:35,033 divine image displayed. What? What 694 00:30:35,033 --> 00:30:37,838 made the difference with Lot? Why did he 695 00:30:37,838 --> 00:30:39,941 get LED out of the city? 696 00:30:40,991 --> 00:30:43,721 Why he instead of the other sodomites? 697 00:30:45,382 --> 00:30:47,710 And there is something that has to do 698 00:30:47,710 --> 00:30:50,038 with God's covenant here, but you can see 699 00:30:50,038 --> 00:30:50,912 it also in. 700 00:30:52,902 --> 00:30:55,386 In this passage in the way Lot behaves, 701 00:30:55,386 --> 00:30:57,871 believe it or not, it's just from verse 702 00:30:57,871 --> 00:31:00,822 one. Lot responds. 703 00:31:01,902 --> 00:31:04,261 To the divine messengers, much as Abraham 704 00:31:04,261 --> 00:31:06,957 did with welcome. You know, if you kind 705 00:31:06,957 --> 00:31:09,653 of go back and read this chapter before 706 00:31:09,653 --> 00:31:12,349 this, it begins the same way. This this 707 00:31:12,349 --> 00:31:14,709 chapter is the beginning. This chapter is 708 00:31:14,709 --> 00:31:17,405 a lot like that when Abraham received the 709 00:31:17,405 --> 00:31:19,764 messengers and it provides clues for us 710 00:31:19,764 --> 00:31:22,612 that lot really knew. Who it was 711 00:31:22,612 --> 00:31:25,252 who was visiting them, Lot knew this was 712 00:31:25,252 --> 00:31:28,030 a divine visit. So 713 00:31:28,030 --> 00:31:30,983 he runs up. What does he do? In the 714 00:31:30,983 --> 00:31:32,624 beginning, he prostrates himself before 715 00:31:32,624 --> 00:31:35,249 them. Now that friends, that would be a 716 00:31:35,249 --> 00:31:37,546 very strange action to do to newcomers. 717 00:31:37,546 --> 00:31:39,842 They're coming to your city. They would 718 00:31:39,842 --> 00:31:42,139 bow before you, these strangers. But not 719 00:31:42,139 --> 00:31:44,764 here. Why? Because a lot knows who they 720 00:31:44,764 --> 00:31:47,657 are. And later on 721 00:31:47,657 --> 00:31:49,465 in the passage, even though they're 722 00:31:49,465 --> 00:31:51,877 described verse one as angels, God a lot 723 00:31:51,877 --> 00:31:53,686 sort of takes on their their 724 00:31:53,686 --> 00:31:55,495 representation of God here and addresses 725 00:31:55,495 --> 00:31:57,002 them with God's title Lord. 726 00:31:59,412 --> 00:32:02,281 And So what? What do we see him doing? 727 00:32:02,281 --> 00:32:04,511 We see him receiving the messenger from 728 00:32:04,511 --> 00:32:06,742 heaven in contrast to the citizens of 729 00:32:06,742 --> 00:32:08,973 Sodom. This is exactly this is precisely 730 00:32:08,973 --> 00:32:10,885 what Sodom doesn't do, doesn't receive 731 00:32:10,885 --> 00:32:13,843 the messengers. And so in the beginning, 732 00:32:13,843 --> 00:32:15,913 we see him sitting at the gate. You could 733 00:32:15,913 --> 00:32:17,753 read that and you could think he was 734 00:32:17,753 --> 00:32:20,607 alone, couldn't you?But he wasn't alone. 735 00:32:20,607 --> 00:32:22,456 Friends, as I was saying, this is the 736 00:32:22,456 --> 00:32:25,453 city. Gate was a busy place. The other 737 00:32:25,453 --> 00:32:27,623 elders and leaders were there no reason 738 00:32:27,623 --> 00:32:30,413 to assume he was alone in the gate, but 739 00:32:30,413 --> 00:32:32,893 he's the only one who goes and welcomes 740 00:32:32,893 --> 00:32:34,753 them. Now this, you know, people 741 00:32:34,753 --> 00:32:36,923 sometimes these days trying to look at 742 00:32:36,923 --> 00:32:39,403 his passion and say, oh, this was about 743 00:32:39,403 --> 00:32:40,643 hospitality. That was showing 744 00:32:40,643 --> 00:32:42,503 hospitality. That was his virtue, for 745 00:32:42,503 --> 00:32:44,363 instance, not hospitality, but having a 746 00:32:44,363 --> 00:32:47,306 hospitable. Art to God's plan. It's not 747 00:32:47,306 --> 00:32:50,249 just the receiving of guests of any 748 00:32:50,249 --> 00:32:53,193 guests, it's the receiving of the guests. 749 00:32:53,913 --> 00:32:56,592 The message and the messengers 750 00:32:56,592 --> 00:32:57,663 from heaven. 751 00:32:59,433 --> 00:33:02,057 And that is what brings God's mercy into 752 00:33:02,057 --> 00:33:04,843 his life. You see 753 00:33:04,843 --> 00:33:07,523 in verse 16 that Lot salvation out of 754 00:33:07,523 --> 00:33:10,203 Sodom had nothing to do with his own 755 00:33:10,203 --> 00:33:12,213 righteousness, his own behavior, but on 756 00:33:12,213 --> 00:33:15,126 God's mercy. You see that there 757 00:33:15,126 --> 00:33:17,284 verse 16, God's mercy and a lot 758 00:33:17,284 --> 00:33:19,750 recognizes that too. He says in verse 19, 759 00:33:19,750 --> 00:33:22,524 what does he say? He said I'm only alive. 760 00:33:22,524 --> 00:33:24,373 I know because of your kindness. 761 00:33:28,563 --> 00:33:29,213 And it. 762 00:33:31,233 --> 00:33:34,070 He, he is, he is received by God 763 00:33:34,070 --> 00:33:35,133 in receiving them. 764 00:33:36,994 --> 00:33:39,745 And boy is he received. I mean, you look 765 00:33:39,745 --> 00:33:42,192 at this, the kind of the grace and 766 00:33:42,192 --> 00:33:44,026 accommodation exhibited by God in this 767 00:33:44,026 --> 00:33:44,944 passage is amazing. 768 00:33:47,054 --> 00:33:49,647 Zoar OK, sure. I'll 769 00:33:49,647 --> 00:33:52,241 spare Zoar. Just because 770 00:33:52,241 --> 00:33:54,835 you asked, just because 771 00:33:54,835 --> 00:33:57,428 you're going there, I'll 772 00:33:57,428 --> 00:33:59,374 spare. So are. 773 00:34:00,454 --> 00:34:02,627 Maybe what is this is the great God of 774 00:34:02,627 --> 00:34:04,800 judgment? I mean, the house is a God of 775 00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:06,490 judgment in this passage and what he's 776 00:34:06,490 --> 00:34:09,253 becoming a pushover. Sure, 777 00:34:09,253 --> 00:34:11,968 I'll change my plans. I'll let Lizzo our 778 00:34:11,968 --> 00:34:14,004 live just because you're going there. 779 00:34:15,764 --> 00:34:17,630 What does that end? Do you not? Do you 780 00:34:17,630 --> 00:34:18,874 not want that entrance into God? 781 00:34:21,124 --> 00:34:23,662 To be welcomed with him. He received the 782 00:34:23,662 --> 00:34:25,882 visitors. He opened his heart to the 783 00:34:25,882 --> 00:34:26,834 message from heaven. 784 00:34:29,794 --> 00:34:32,785 Well, you know, it's, it's true for us 785 00:34:32,785 --> 00:34:35,402 friends, it's, it works the same way 786 00:34:35,402 --> 00:34:37,645 because there was another messenger who 787 00:34:37,645 --> 00:34:40,261 came from heaven, Jesus Christ, and he 788 00:34:40,261 --> 00:34:42,504 came to do the same thing. 789 00:34:43,264 --> 00:34:46,188 He came to see what was going on and he 790 00:34:46,188 --> 00:34:48,234 came to see who would receive him. 791 00:34:49,564 --> 00:34:51,804 And the citizens of another city did not. 792 00:34:53,364 --> 00:34:56,334 But it is about for you whether you will. 793 00:34:58,004 --> 00:35:00,676 Will you receive the divine message 794 00:35:00,676 --> 00:35:03,348 from the Divine Messenger, especially if 795 00:35:03,348 --> 00:35:05,575 that messenger is God's himself? 796 00:35:06,725 --> 00:35:09,359 That's the issue here. Do you receive 797 00:35:09,359 --> 00:35:11,617 Christ authority over you understand in 798 00:35:11,617 --> 00:35:13,875 your life as service to Him? 799 00:35:15,495 --> 00:35:18,116 Cause if you do friends it will save you 800 00:35:18,116 --> 00:35:20,155 even if you are weak and compromise. 801 00:35:21,345 --> 00:35:23,135 Even if you're of the caliber of lot. 802 00:35:24,265 --> 00:35:27,214 The real issue is about, you know, 803 00:35:27,214 --> 00:35:30,163 opening up to to the message of 804 00:35:30,163 --> 00:35:32,949 Christ. And when we turn 805 00:35:32,949 --> 00:35:34,934 to the table here, that's what's gonna 806 00:35:34,934 --> 00:35:36,919 happen. Jesus, when he can, when he 807 00:35:36,919 --> 00:35:38,620 brought up Sodom and Gomorrah, that's 808 00:35:38,620 --> 00:35:41,455 what he said he had. He was going by this 809 00:35:41,455 --> 00:35:43,440 one town, Capernaum. He did these amazing 810 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:45,141 things. There was this amazing, amazing 811 00:35:45,141 --> 00:35:48,135 teaching. And they didn't receive him. 812 00:35:49,915 --> 00:35:52,165 And you know what he said? He said man. 813 00:35:53,215 --> 00:35:55,180 It is going to be better for Sodom and 814 00:35:55,180 --> 00:35:56,927 Gomorrah on the Day of Judgment than for 815 00:35:56,927 --> 00:35:59,899 Capernaum. Because it's it's 816 00:35:59,899 --> 00:36:02,470 not all about where you, where you fail, 817 00:36:02,470 --> 00:36:05,199 or where you're succeeding. It's about 818 00:36:05,199 --> 00:36:06,255 who you're receiving. 819 00:36:08,595 --> 00:36:10,367 And it wasn't because they were 820 00:36:10,367 --> 00:36:12,139 inhospitable to, it's because they were 821 00:36:12,139 --> 00:36:15,013 inhospitable to him. Because 822 00:36:15,013 --> 00:36:16,365 they wouldn't receive him. 823 00:36:19,605 --> 00:36:22,512 He says he who rejects the son won't see 824 00:36:22,512 --> 00:36:25,509 life. But whoever believes in 825 00:36:25,509 --> 00:36:28,384 the sun has eternal life. Yes, it's 826 00:36:28,384 --> 00:36:29,206 that simple. 827 00:36:31,096 --> 00:36:33,487 It's that simple. Do you understand God 828 00:36:33,487 --> 00:36:36,221 this way? I want God to become a 829 00:36:36,221 --> 00:36:39,158 pushover for you. And this is 830 00:36:39,158 --> 00:36:41,823 the way to it. So as we 831 00:36:41,823 --> 00:36:43,346 come to the table. 832 00:36:44,056 --> 00:36:46,958 Now. I want 833 00:36:46,958 --> 00:36:49,103 you to be opening your hearts and 834 00:36:49,103 --> 00:36:51,798 receiving Him. Because on the 835 00:36:51,798 --> 00:36:54,605 night that he was betrayed, he took these 836 00:36:54,605 --> 00:36:57,494 elements. He took the bread, He broke it, 837 00:36:57,494 --> 00:36:59,883 He gave it to His disciples. He said this 838 00:36:59,883 --> 00:37:02,272 is my body which is given for you. Do 839 00:37:02,272 --> 00:37:04,395 this in remembrance of Me. In the same 840 00:37:04,395 --> 00:37:07,050 way He took the cup. He said, this cup is 841 00:37:07,050 --> 00:37:09,173 the new covenant in my blood, which is 842 00:37:09,173 --> 00:37:11,032 poured out for many for the forgiveness 843 00:37:11,032 --> 00:37:12,890 of sins. Receive it. Do this in 844 00:37:12,890 --> 00:37:15,821 remembrance of Me. And that, 845 00:37:15,821 --> 00:37:17,697 friends, allows us to proclaim the 846 00:37:17,697 --> 00:37:19,886 mystery of our faith. Will you stand?