Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Genesis chapter 18. Genesis chapter 18. I'd like to deal with the remaining
verses. I'm going to start in verse 22. I didn't deal with verse 22 last
time on purpose, and so I'll try to take it up this evening. Abraham, the scripture declares,
has gone with the two angels and the Lord on their way towards
Sodom. And the angels, being there,
surely have heard the words spoken by the Lord unto Abraham. They've heard the Lord say, that
I'm going to go down, he's going to go down in these two angels
and he's going to see if these things that he's heard, the cry
that has gone up unto him out of Sodom, if these things are
so. And he said, I'll know, I'll
know. Well it says in verse 22, and
the men turned their faces from thence and went towards Sodom. But Abraham stood yet before
the Lord. Now, the Lord has declared His
mercy and compassion toward Abraham and Sarah, and now He's going
to display His justice And Abraham, the scripture says, stood yet
before the Lord. He soon will begin to intercede,
intercede for the righteous. And if there's anything that
is to be known concerning the Lord's will, for Abraham, the
Lord's will concerning Sodom, but for us, If there's anything
that we would desire to know, our right place in heart is before
the Lord. That's where Abraham stood. He
was before the Lord, desirous to know the Lord's will. And
so the scripture declares in verse 23, and Abraham drew near. That struck me. When I read those
first few words in that 23rd verse, he drew near. What grace was found in the Lord
toward Abraham and only in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hold your place right there and
turn with me to Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. And I'd like to read verses 19 to 22. This is our privilege
that we have, the joy that we have concerning drawing near
unto the Lord. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 19 says,
having therefore, brethren, boldness, liberty to enter into the holiest
by the blood of Jesus. Now, I'll just stop for a second,
just into the holiest. You remember the tabernacle in
the wilderness? That tabernacle that was broken
into two rooms, two compartments, and it had the holy place, it
had the table of showbread, it had the labor, the golden labor,
And the priest could go and they ministered every day in that
court. I'm not talking about the yard,
the outer court, I'm talking about in that tabernacle, it
was in the middle of that place where the tabernacle, the holy
place, but then there was a veil. There was a veil. And inside
that veil, that's where the altar was, the mercy seat. And one day a year, one day,
on the day of atonement, the high priest and the high priest
only, and not without blood, would go in one day, only the
high priest, and make atonement. for the sins of the people. Now
listen, think about what's being said. Having therefore, brethren,
boldness, liberty, to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through
the veil, that is to say, his flesh, and having a high priest
over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in
full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." So,
when the Lord was allowing Abraham to draw near, the significance. He was going to draw near unto
the Lord, beseech the Lord, approach the Lord, and I'm telling you,
listen, being able to draw near unto Him. In the Old Testament,
back, I'll just read a verse, if you want to look at it, it's
Exodus 19. Exodus chapter 19, verse 12 and 13. I want you to
listen to this. Whenever the Lord was going to
give Moses the law on Mount Sinai, God gave Moses some strict instructions
about God being approached. Now, you think about this. Here
was Abraham, and I mean, we just read that Abraham drew near,
not think anything about it. Oh, think about the privilege
that we have right now to draw near unto God and to be accepted
in the Beloved. and have God Almighty accepts
us for the sake of Christ. Here's the way it was in the
Old Testament. Exodus chapter 19 verse 12 and
13. Let's see, scripture, I'll get
it, let's see. Here's what the Lord said, 19
verse 12 and 13. Thou shalt set bounds unto the
people round about. saying, take heed to yourselves
that you go not up into the mount, nor touch the border of it. Whosoever
touches the mount shall surely be put to death. There shall
not a hand touch it, But he shall surely be stoned or shot through,
whether it be beast or man, it shall not live. When the trumpet
soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount." Now Moses was
going to be able to approach God. But he said, I want you
to tell the people, I want you to put a border. And it wasn't
told. I couldn't find what it was.
But there was a mark. There was some way that Moses
was to mark, set the bounds on this mountain. And you tell the
people, I don't want you to even touch the bounds. Don't touch
it. If you touch it, if you pass
it, if a beast touched it, you kill it. If someone came and
went in or happened to go past, he said, don't you go get them.
Just shoot them, stone them or shoot them with an arrow. Don't
go get them, then you're under the transgression too. Approaching
God was a precious thing, a sacred thing. And so that blessed of
Abraham to approach unto the Lord. Hebrews chapter 9, I'll
just read this if you want to. Hebrews 12 verse 18 to 24. Hebrews
12 verse 18, but you're not come unto the mount. that might be touched, and that
burned with fire, nor with blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and
the sound of a trumpet, and the sound of words, which voice they
heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them
any more, for they could not endure that which was commanded.
And if so much as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stoned,
or thrust through with a dart. And so terrible was the sight
that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. But you're come
unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. To the general
assembly, the church of the firstborn, which was written in heaven,
and to God the judge of all, and to the priest of just men
made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant,
and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than
that of Abel. So here was the thing. When we
read that first, those first few words back in Genesis chapter
18 verse 23, and Abraham drew near. Let's read those words
with wonder and respect for the indescribable mercy and compassion
shown to hail deserving sinners found in the person of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, with Abraham in drawing
near the Lord, he asked an amazing question, one of two questions
that I'm going to just touch on for a few minutes, two questions
that reveal the glory and the majesty of the Lord God with
whom we have to deal. The scripture says, continuing
on in verse 23, and Abraham drew near and said, will thou also
destroy the righteous with the wicked? Are the righteous going to suffer
like the wicked do? Well, first of all, I know there's
two types of people found in this earth. There's only two
kinds. There's righteous and wicked. Righteous and wicked. And these are those two descriptions. The reprobate. Now these wicked,
who are they? I got to looking at that word
and I thought, now when you say the wicked, what do you mean? Now we're all born, I mean, there's
none righteous, none in themselves. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. All men, all women are born in
sin. They're born lost. Now we all
know that. But this word wicked, who are
they? Who are they? Well, these are
they who according to God's eternal will and purpose that are left
to themselves. Left to themselves. left in their
own hardness of heart, answerable before God for their own wicked
works, for their own sin. They're the wicked. Now, when
the Lord said, when Moses asked Him, show me your glory. And
God said, I will have mercy on whom I'll have mercy. And I've
told you many times, the Spirit of God moved upon the Apostle
Paul to write in Romans chapter 9, therefore, Hath he mercy on
whom he'll have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth. What does that mean? He leaves
to themselves. He leaves them alone. He leaves
them alone. That's the wicked. Those that
Almighty God has everlastingly purposed, according to His will,
to leave to themselves. And the righteous, now who are
they? Well, you look at the description of it, the wording, the interpretation,
it's the just, the lawful, the correct. Those are the words
that give as a definition. But here's the righteous. Those found to be in Christ. For He alone is righteous. All men and women born in Adam,
there's none righteous. Not one. But there's one who
is righteous. And these righteous, they were
chosen in Christ by the Father before the foundation of the
world. They are the ones that Christ has everlastingly stood
as surety before the law. They are those whose sins were
born in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary. And
here's the righteous. They shall surely be regenerated
by the Holy Spirit in time, and robed in Christ's righteousness,
kept by the power of God through faith, ready to be revealed in
the last time. And when God Almighty regenerates them, they're known
to be the righteous. They're sinners like anybody
else, children of wrath, that's the way they're born. But God
Almighty is going to call them out of darkness, the righteous. Now, the righteous, these are
not the ones that God looked down before in the world and
was formed and saw that they were going to choose Him, but
they were those that God, according to His will and purpose, chose
unto life in Christ. We don't know who they are until
God calls them out. And God saves them, robes them. We know who they are then, we
know somewhat, but they're a peculiar people. So there's only two kinds,
the elect and the reprobate, the wicked and the righteous. So there's two types of people. And Abraham asked the Lord, Will
thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Will you? Well, I'll tell you this, the
answer is no. You say, well, how do you know
that? How do you know for sure? How do we know anything except
I can prove it by the Word of God? Isaiah 3, 10 and 11, Say
ye to the righteous that it shall be well with him. for they shall
eat the fruit of their doings. The Lord always has his people,
those that he's loved everlastingly, those that he will call unto
himself, those that are distinguishingly his in the Lord Jesus Christ,
those who by faith, the scripture says, shall eat the fruit of
their doings. And I looked up many, many ways
to look at those words and tried to get the heart, the very heart,
the message of that last, they shall eat the fruit of their
doings. Here's the best that I can perceive it to be. They
shall receive of the Lord that which God has promised them.
Not that they've done anything, not the fruit of their doings.
You know it doesn't mean that. Because by the works of righteousness,
no man is going to be justified by the law of God. We know that.
But they're going to receive that which the Lord has promised
them in the Lord Jesus Christ. So the scripture says, are you
going to destroy the righteous with the wicked? Are you? Well,
I tell you this, again, that answer is no. But now concerning
the wicked, continuing in Isaiah 3 verse 11, Woe unto the wicked!
It shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall
be given him. You see that definition that
I came up with? For the righteous, they'll eat
the fruit of their doings, that which has been promised them
in Christ, given them by grace. Righteousness of Christ, obedience
of Christ imputed to them. But now for the wicked, it's
going to be ill with him. Why? Because the reward of his
hands, that's what he's going to get. Books are going to be
open. And the book. Oh, lamentation and alas. That's
what it means. Woe is the verdict of the wicked. It's going to be bad with him
because he's going to receive the treatment that is deserving
of his works. that fell short of the glory
of God. We've all come short of the glory
of God. So knowing that the Lord would know the evil of Sodom,
that city, which is really a picture and type of this world. Abraham
begins to intercede for the righteous in Sodom. Those who were like
the ones interceded for by the Lord. In John chapter 17, John
17, 11 says, the Lord praying, and now, I am no more in the
world, but these are in the world. I come to thee, Holy Father,
keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that
they may be one as we are. Then he said in verses 15, 17,
he said, I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the
world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They're
not of the world, even as I'm not of the world. Sanctify them
through thy truth. Thy word is truth. So he asked
the Lord, drew near to the Lord, and he says, Lord, wilt thou
destroy the righteous with the wicked? And he said in verse
24, 25, peradventure there be 50 righteous within the city.
Wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the 50 righteous
that are therein? That'd be far from thee to do
after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked. And
that the righteous should be as the wicked, that'd be far
from thee. And then here's that second question
I said we were going to look at. Shall not the judge of all
the earth do right? Now here, this is intercession. Do we not behold our great high
priest? Here's Abraham. interceding for the righteous. That's who he's praying for.
Are you going to destroy the righteous with the wicked? That'd
far be from you, to destroy the righteous with the wicked, you
know. Shall not the judge of all the
earth do right? Will he? Well, let's just see. Let's just see. Let's see what
Deuteronomy 32.4 says. Let's just see if the, you know,
you know the answer. You know this. But I tell you
what, don't you like to read it? I like to read this. Deuteronomy
32 verse 4. Here's what it says. He is the
rock. His work is perfect. And all
his ways are judgment, a God of truth and without iniquity,
just and right is he. Now you know when you read something
like that, And then you read something that declares God's
sovereignty to do what He will, with whom He will, as He will,
when He will. When you read that, and just
remember, you go back to Deuteronomy 32, 4. He is the rock. He's right. He's just. He does that which is right and
just. What He does, That's right. Somebody said, well, I think
the Lord will do the right thing. No, what the Lord does, that's
right, no matter what we think. And so here he is, you know,
shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Abraham was interceding,
asking that the righteous judge preserve those toward whom God
had shown mercy. They are your people. They're
the righteous people, that they be preserved and not destroyed
in the place where the wicked, who truly deserved condemnation
being left to themselves, were found. And let me ask you this,
in him asking, will you preserve, you're not going to destroy the
righteous with the wicked, surely. Will the judge of all the earth
do right? I thought about this passage of scripture. And he
was asking, now Sodom, obviously it was a wicked place. The Lord declared that, wicked,
wicked, wicked. And then he says, will you spare
that place? Would you spare that place for
the sake of the righteous? Now I want you to listen there.
We've read this many times. 3, 7 to 9. Now think of what he was
asking. Think of Sodom being a picture
of this world. This is the nature of this world.
Just pure, filthy wickedness. But now listen to this. 2 Peter
3, 7 to 9. But the heavens and the earth,
which are now by the same word are kept in store reserved unto
fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. Now is this world as it is, as
its fallen mankind, does this world deserve judgment? Yes. But what is God doing right now?
Well, according to the Spirit of God, the heavens and the earth,
which are now, by the same word, are kept in store, reserved unto
fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day
with the Lord is a thousand years, and a thousand years is one day,
and the Lord is not slack concerning His promise. What is that word
of promise? God's going to judge sin. God
is going to judge sin. The Lord is not slack concerning
His promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering
to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should
come to repentance. Now, who do you think the usward
are? That's God's sheep. All that
the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh I
will in no wise cast out. This is the Father's will. Of
all that He's given me, I should lose nothing, nothing. Why is
this world not being judged right now? Because God Almighty is
long-suffering to His people. What if there's some right here
tonight that God's never called out of darkness? Are they the
Lord's people? Though they're lost, though they
don't know Him, they're lost. Are they His sheep? Yes. The
answer is yes. Yes. Are the sheep I have? They're
not of this fold. Them I must bring. Have they
everlastingly been loved of God? Yes. Did He die for them at Calvary? Yes. Has He stood for them as
their surety before the law to answer all the law's demand for
judgment and righteousness? Yes! Yes! Shall all of their
needs be met by the person of the Lord Jesus Christ? Yes! Have
they been called out of darkness yet? No! Is the Lord long-suffering? Yes! So here's Abraham and he's
praying. He said, You won't destroy the
righteous with the wicked, will you? Shall the judge of all the
earth do right? And then the scripture says,
and I'm just going to read verses 26 to 33. I'm going to read it.
Listen to the intercession of this man. And the Lord said,
if I find in Sodom 50 righteous within the city, then I will
spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and
said, behold, now I've taken upon me to speak unto the Lord,
which am but dust and ashes. Peradventured there shall lack
five of the 50 righteous. Will thou destroy all the city
for lack of five? And he said, if I find there
40 and five, I will not destroy it. And he spake unto them yet
again, and he said, Peradventure, there shall be forty found there.
And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. And he said
unto him, O let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Peradventure,
there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it
if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold now, I have
taken upon me to speak unto the Lord. Peradventure, there shall
be 20 found there. And he said, I will not destroy
it for 20's sake. And he said, oh, let not the
Lord be angry. And I will speak yet but this
once. Per adventure, 10 shall be found there. And he said,
I will not destroy it for 10's sake. And the Lord went on his
way as soon as he had left communing with Abraham. And Abraham returned
unto his place. Each request. We find the righteous
judge doing that which is right. Right. If there be 50, 45, 40,
30, 20, 10, he said, I will show mercy for
the sake of those 10 righteous. But here was the problem. All have sinned. and come short
of the glory of God. As it is written, there's none
righteous, no, not one. And based upon the revelation
of God's Word, seeing the lack of there being in themselves
any righteous, what hope is there in this world for any sinner
left to himself? The Lord will have mercy. There
was one man in Sodom that God, according to the revelation of
God's Word, was a man justified before God in the Lord Jesus
Christ. And it was a lot. He was in Christ. But in himself, was he righteous?
Not in himself. God was going to take him out,
just like He's going to take all of His people out of this
world. and he's going to destroy this world just like he was going
to do to Sodom. That's what was going to happen. The scripture
says that concerning this world, if there was for, I read something,
I'm going to make this statement, I read where there was probably in Sodom at that time, a guesstimation
was that there was probably in Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding
cities, probably 500,000 people, half a million people. And when it came down to just
the Lord asking, I mean, Abraham asking, would you spare it for
50? If I'm remembering correctly, you check up on me. You'll probably
find me. Because I did it in 50, and I did it right on down
to 10. But it seems like to me that it was, if it was, when
he asked 50 out of a city or metropolis of $500,000, 500,000
people, It seemed like to me it came
out to if we equated Fairmont. And I did Fairmont and Farmington
just to see. What is that equation? How does
that fit? It came down in Fairmont and
Farmington, this area right here, as close as I could figure. It
came down if there was one third of a person. One third. It wasn't
even one. If there was just one third if one third of one person was
righteous, if there was just a third of him that was righteous,
if one third of him found righteous in himself, would God spare this
whole place right here for the sake of that one third of one
person? And again, from the crown of
our head to the sole of our foot, nothing but God. who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, by grace
are you saved, and has raised us up together and made us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. There was not found
In this world, those born in Adam, one person in this whole
world, when God looked to see were there any, any, and what
God Almighty did for the sake of His elect, He sent His only
begotten Son. There was only one man found
righteous in himself. One man. This one man took upon
himself, God himself, took upon himself the form of sinful flesh,
made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were
under the law. And would the God Almighty destroy
the righteous with the wicked? No. No. What he did was this,
and I turned over, and with this scripture I'm going to end. Here's
a scripture that we've quoted, you've known it all your life,
you came up hearing it, and you've quoted it and everything. Lord
willing, I'm going to just tell you a couple of things about
what it means. John 3.16. For God so loved the world. Now let me just tell you again,
I've told you before, let me tell you what that word world
means. It means the orderly arrangement. The orderly arrangement. God Almighty created this world. He made the earth, He made the
water, He made the birds, He made man, He made the atmosphere,
He made the clouds. And do you know what God said
about it? According to Genesis 1.31, God saw that which He had
done, and it was very good. It was very good. God so loved the orderly arrangement,
the creation of this world. A world created wherein would
be found in time a people that he'd everlastingly loved, objects of his mercy. He loved,
he loved this arrangement. He loved it. Man fell in the garden and sin,
by sin, man died spiritually. Now this was man that was created
in the image of God. Let us make man in our image. I don't understand all there
is to know about that, but I can tell you this. The creation of
man was a divine and blessed thing. God created man in his
own image. But in the garden, man fell. All men fell. Did it negate the
love that God had everlastingly for His people? No. Did it change
the fact that God Almighty had purposed from before the foundation
of the world to save everyone that He had chosen in His Son? Was that null and void? No. No.
Is God going to save His people? Yes! Yes! Absolutely! So what did He do? For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son. Our misery was so great that
none could deliver us but the Son of God's love. That whosoever believeth in Him,
should not perish, but have everlasting life. Whosoever believeth by
divine revelation. They couldn't even believe, and
they must believe. God's ordained that. They must
believe, so grace, the grace of faith is given from above.
Whosoever believeth in Him, Not in themselves, but in Him. Him
who laid down His life for the sheep, believeth in Him apart
from any work, so man's part should not perish, but have everlasting
life. Now brethren, we're living in
a world wherein is found the wicked and the righteous. A world
which God's going to justly destroy the wicked and mercifully save
the righteous. The judge of all this earth is
going to do right. And beholding that blessed picture
that we just looked at, there was Abraham. Abraham was a beautiful
picture there of the high priest interceding before God for the
righteous. He ever liveth to make intercession
right now. Were there any righteous in Sodom,
Gomorrah, or any of those cities? Any of them righteous in themselves?
No. Did God end up destroying those cities? Well, you know
He did. We're going to look at that just
here, Lord willing, next week or so. Why did He destroy them? Because there were none righteous
in themselves there concerning this world. God Almighty sent
one righteous man. There was only one, one righteous. This is my beloved son. Well,
please, you hear him. And all found in him. And God
is sparing this world right now just like God was sparing Sodom
for a little while. For the sake of that righteous
man, just lot. May the Lord bless these words
to our heart for Christ's sake.