All right, Genesis chapter 19.
The chapter that we shall now consider is one that deals with a city
and its destruction. It's a city that's mentioned
numerous times throughout the Holy Scriptures and therefore
being mentioned as many times as it is, it would do us well
to seek the Lord's direction, guidance, understanding concerning
the meaning, what's being set forth concerning the city of
Sodom and its destruction. Truly, Sodom was, without a doubt,
it was a wicked city. The scripture reveals that it
was a city given over to vile affections, whereby men and women
left the natural use of nature and burned after the unnatural
women with women, men with men. But though Sodom and the cities
of the plain in that area were shown to be, according to God's
word, wicked cities, that wickedness revealed to be more than just
the natural wickedness of which we're all aware, but the wickedness
of Sodom, now listen, get what I want to try to say right here.
Because we're going to be dealing with this chapter, and we've
got to remember this. Sodom is a spiritual picture. It's a type of man's total depravity. This world's carnal, depraved,
man-centered, God-hating, false religion and the different denominations
of all that have sprung forth as a result of man's fall in
the garden. Remember that. Sodom is a picture. It's a type of this world. And man's depravity, false religion,
Now, just as the unnatural union of men with men and women with
women cannot produce life, two men cannot produce life, two
women cannot produce life. So also, that which Sodom pictures
is that false religion of this world. Again, that man-honoring,
God-dishonoring message that promises life with God by man's
works, but it's a lie. It's deceptive. It's not natural. It's not natural to the old man,
natural to the carnal man, but not to the things of God. It's
another gospel. It's not the truth by which God's
Spirit powerfully imparts life. Now, the significance of hearing
the gospel, the truth of the gospel, the gospel of God's free
and sovereign grace, listen to what the Apostle Paul, under
the inspiration of God's Spirit, said to the church at Galatia.
He said in Galatians chapter 1 and verse 8, but though we
are an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than
that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Let God send him to hell. A man
dies, a woman dies in unbelief of Christ. Christ crucified as
he set forth in the gospel, the gospel of God's will and purpose
to save a people of his choosing, to proclaim a false gospel and
die in unbelief. Let him be accursed. There's
one gospel, one truth set forth that God's going to bless. It's
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said, I'm not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ. It is the power of God and salvation. So with this foundational truth
set forth that wicked Sodom sets forth this carnal world, this
fallen world, its hatred of God, its love for a lie, its love
for that which is dishonoring God. With that underlying issue,
this is what Sodom sets forth. This is what it's all about.
This is why. This is why God destroyed it. Because they didn't believe God. With that, then let's consider
this chapter. Chapter 19, verses 1 through 3. And there came two
angels to Sodom at Even, and Lot said in the gate of Sodom,
And Lot, seeing them, rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself
with his face toward the ground, and he said, Behold now, my lords,
turn in, I pray you, into your servants' house, and tarry all
night to wash your feet, and you shall rise up early and go
on your ways. And they said, Nay, but we'll
abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly.
And they turned in unto him, and entered into his house, and
he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they
did eat." Now these two angels, we watched them through these
last few chapters. We saw them when they came in
to chapter 2 before, and they were with the Lord. They met
Abraham. You remember the conversation
they had Sarah was inside the tent and she heard the Lord say,
I'll come, the time of life is next year, Sarah's going to have
a child. She laughed in her heart. The Lord asked Abraham, why'd
she laugh? You know that. And now they've
come to this point, Abraham has besought the Lord for for Sodom,
for the sake of the righteous. He was seeking the Lord's mercy
for the righteous. He knew a lot was there. And
asked the Lord, you know, the 50, 45, 40, down to 10. Now these two angels have now
turned their face and they've headed to Sodom. Now here they
are. They've come in. They're sent of God for the accomplishing
of God's will. His will being set forth as the
complete destruction of Sodom because of their wickedness.
Remember what Sodom pictures. And also, they've sent there
for the deliverance of Lot and his family. All according to
God's mercy. Here's what's set forth with
these two angels coming into Sodom. God is a just God. And God's a Savior. That's the
first two things we see. And they've come to Sodom and
they meet Lot. And he's sitting in the gate
of this city. And here's an amazing thing.
The path of both the angels and Lot, ordained to cross at this
moment for the glory of God and salvation of Lot, takes place.
Now, Lot was set forth in the scriptures. Turn to 2 Peter 2,
verse 4 to 7. 2 Peter 2. Let me tell you what
the scripture says about Lot. And we're going to remember this
now. Remember, what is Sodom? It's a picture of this world.
Fallen, cursed, cursed of God. False religion. This world and
its carnality. And where is Lot? He's inside
them. Where are we? We're in this world. And here was Lot's state, 2 Peter
2, verses 4-7. For if God spared not the angels
that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into
the chains of darkness to be reserved unto judgment, and spared
not the old world, but saved Noah, the eighth person, a preacher
of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the
ungodly, and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes,
condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those
that after should live ungodly, and delivered just Lot, vexed
with the filthy conversation of the wicked." Now what does
the scriptures reveal about Lot? Lot was a believer. I looked
that word up, it didn't just mean he just delivered lot. No,
it means he delivered just upright, righteous, virtuous lot. found in Christ. Obviously, Lot
had been with Abraham. Abraham believed God. And obviously,
Lot had heard the gospel, I'm sure, through Abraham. But this
just man, one justified by the righteousness of Christ, imputed
to him, was like all vessels of God's mercy in this world. Men, frail creatures of dust,
earthen vessels that are prone to stumble, and Lot was not an
exception. He was a believer. Just Lot. He's in Sodom. He's found sitting
in the gate of a wicked city. And the scripture says concerning
Lot, that his righteous soul was vexed from day to day with
their unlawful deeds. Again, he was in that city. He
wasn't of that city. We're in the world. We're not
of the world. And sadly, this is the place
that Lot thought that he wanted to be when strife erupted between
Abraham and Lot's herdmen. Abraham, you know, told Lot to
dispel the strife. He said, now you take what you
want. Whatever you take, I'll take
the other. You go right, I'll go left. You go up, I'll go down.
You go whichever way you want to go, you go that way. You take
what you want. Scripture says in Acts 13, 10,
11, and Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan,
that it was well watered everywhere before the Lord destroyed Sodom
and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of
Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain
of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated themselves
to one from the other. Abraham dwelled in the land of
Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched
his tent towards Sodom." Now, why was he in Sodom? Because
that's where he wanted to be. That's where he wanted to be. We've got a lot of love for this
world still in us. We've got a lot of desire. We
realize more and more, the older we get, the more we realize this
world is not our home. It's a shame that it takes years
and years and years and trials and troubles and tribulations
and strugglings and chastisements to realize, but we're realizing
it more and more. This ain't what I thought it
was going to be. This ain't what it was cracked up to be. But
mercifully, the Lord has sent two angels to rescue Lot. That's why they're there. They're
there to destroy that city. Oh, but they're there to rescue
Lot. How gracious is the Lord who
loves His own, who delivers His own for His glory and the good
of His sheep." You know, where was Lot found? He was found sitting
in the gate and two angels crossed his path. Psalm 37, 23, the steps
of a good man. are ordered. They're established
by the Lord and He delighteth in His way. That is, the Lord
delights in the way that He directs His own because He loves them. He loves them. Psalm 18 verse
19, He brought me forth also into a large place. He delivered
me because He delighteth. So law was where God mercifully
directed him, and at the appointed time, Lot saw these two angels,
he rose up to meet them, and he respectfully bowed, not in
a worshipful manner, but in a civil and a kind way, and he invited
them to come and tarry with him at his home, and he offered them
gracious hospitality. That's a mark of a believer.
Romans chapter 12, Romans 12 verses 10-13, The scripture says, be kindly
affectioned one to another with brotherly love and honor, preferring
one another, not slothful in business, fervent in spirit,
serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation,
continuing instant in prayer, distributing to the necessity
of saints, given to hospitality. And that's what he did. The Lord
put it in his heart. invite these two angels. He didn't know who
they were, but they were men that he was giving a heart to. Come stay with me. Come over
to my house. And the scripture says when he
first invited them to come in, they refused. He said, nay, nay,
we'll stay all night out in the street, you know, possibly to
bestow, maybe in the eyes of Lot, that spirit of modesty,
but more so probably openly refuse, giving Lot that opportunity to
show and to express the heart that he had to truly want them.
He pressed them. He pressed them, no, I want you
to come in. They knew, the angels knew why
they were there. Lot didn't know why they were there, but the
Lord moved Lot to do what he did, to invite them to come in.
But they were there for him. The Lord sent them for him. And
then put in Lot's heart, come to my house. That's where they
were going. So there they were. Bob 4 and
5, verses 4 and 5. But before they lay down, the
men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house
round about, both old and young, all the people of every quarter.
And they called unto Lot and said unto him, where are the
men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us,
that we may know them. Now here we see the indescribable
depth of man's Depravity. This is this world. This is all
men in this world. This is the world and it's false
religion. This is it. Here it is right
here. Here's the picture. Depravity that is marked for
God's judgment. Marked for God's judgment. Jude. Jude chapter 1. Jude 1 verse
7. Scripture says, I'll read 5 to 7, I will therefore
put you in remembrance though you once knew this how that the
Lord having saved the people out of the land of Egypt afterward
destroyed them that believed not and the angels which kept
not their first estate but left their own habitation. He hath
reserved an everlasting change under darkness, under the judgment
of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and
the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over
to fornication and going after strange flesh, are set forth
for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Now
here's what they're doing. Here comes this man. They come
and before they lay down for the evening, they're in Lot's
house and here comes these men, young and old, and they're coming
in to surround Lot's house. They start hollering at him,
telling him, where's the men that came in? came into your
house, I want you to send them out, you know, that we might
know them, that we might wickedly have them. But here's what got
me. And before, verse four, before
they lay down, both old and young, all the people from every quarter,
There's no place in this world that sin hasn't totally polluted
mankind. Genesis 6, 5, And God saw that
the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every
imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. All, old and young, all have
sinned. and come short of the glory of
God. Isaiah chapter 1. Isaiah 1 verses
5 and 6 sets forth. This is man. This sums up man
right here. Why should you be stricken anymore? You will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick. The whole heart faint. From the
sole of the foot, even into the head, there's no soundness in
it but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They've not
been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment."
They were sick. Man is born sick. And what these men are setting
forth in type, desiring that unnatural, That's man by nature
against God. And the scripture says in verses
six to nine, and Lot went out at the door unto them and shut
the door after him and said, I pray you, now listen to this. Listen to the civility of this
man. He's being civil about it. I
pray you brethren, I remember Brother Scott, somebody
asked him, you know what I'm gonna say here, Brother Scott
would call so-and-so, well, Brother so-and-so. Somebody said, well,
why do you call him brother? How do you know he's a believer?
Well, Scott said, well, he's either my brother in Adam or
Christ, one of the two. He said, I'll catch him if I miss him
in one, I'll catch him in the other. That's what he's saying. I pray
you, brethren, do not sow wickedly. Behold, now I have two daughters
which have not known man. Let me, I pray you, bring them
out unto you, and do ye to them as it is good in your eyes. Only
unto these men do nothing, for therefore came they unto the
shadow of my roof." And they said, stand back. They said again,
this one fellow came in to sojourn. What they're saying is saying
a lot. Look, you ain't from around here. You're a foreigner. You just came in from the outside
here. And what now, you're gonna make
yourself a judge over us? Now we'll deal worse with thee
than with them. And they pressed sore upon the
man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. Now, it's
hard to imagine, it's hard to imagine, and just listening to
what Lot said, It's hard to imagine the spirit in which he said it.
He pled with them. He pled with them. Pled with
them as a man to a man. One that was born in the depth
of depravity just like they were. One, but for the grace of God,
was just like them. And so he's appealing to them.
I pray you brethren, Don't do this. Don't do so wickedly. And here they were, again, that
picture of that unnatural hungering for that which is ungodly, that
picture of false religion, going after that what they think is
truth that has no life to it. But it's wickedness, it's wicked,
that's what God calls it. You know, we talk about somebody,
well, they don't believe the gospel, but I think they're sincere.
The Scripture says it's wickedness under the judgment of God. Let
him be accursed. I mean, we give too much credit
to a lie. Do not so wickedly. And what
he did was, he told them. He said, I have two daughters. which have not known man. Let me, I pray you, bring them
out unto you, and do you to them as good in your eyes." Now, I
read, every commentator that I've read, did one of two things
in dealing with that verse 8, and I will be the first to admit,
and I'll say this openly, and I'll say this to whoever's listening
to this tape on the internet. I absolutely am not condoning
anything that would naturally be said concerning just giving
over your kids. I'm not condoning sin. But I want to set forth something
here. I want you to remember something.
Sodom is a picture. Sodom is a type. Sodom is a picture
of this world and its wickedness and hatred toward God. And what
Lott is doing right here is also a picture and a type. I was going
to say, most all the commentators I read, they did one of two things
with the scripture. Either they ignored it or they
just let Lott have it and blasted him and said that was totally,
totally out of line. Totally out of line. OK. OK. Well, what does that have
to do with the gospel? That's my question. That's where
I was left, Neil. I was thinking, now what am I
going to do with this? You think the Spirit of God put that verse
in there for nothing? So we could look at Lot and say,
boy, you'd never catch me doing that. You'd never catch me turning
one of my own over to somebody like that. I'd never do that,
you know. Well, now be careful. I'll get into Phariseeism now
if I'm not careful. Looking at Lott, I'm glad I'm
not like other men are. Lott, what he did was he set
forth the purity, the harmlessness, the virtue that these two daughters
pictured. He said, I have two daughters.
Would you desire? He didn't bring them out there.
Here's what he said. Behold, now I have two daughters
which have not known. Let me, I pray you, bring them
out unto you. Would you desire to see that
which is virtuous? Would you desire to see that
which is pure? Have not known man? Would you
desire? Let me ask you this. When a preacher
stands up to preach the gospel of God's grace, Is He not, in
truth, setting forth what Lot did here in picture? Would you
desire that you behold Christ? Would you desire to see Him which
is holy, harmless, without sin, precious, the only begotten Son
of God? Would you desire Him? Let me
tell you about Him. Let me tell you about the Lamb
of God. Let me tell you about Him that
knew no sin, that was made sin for us, that we might be made
the righteousness of God. Let me tell you about Him. Would
you desire Him? They said, stand back. Stand down, Lot. We'll not have
this. You're not a judge over us. And
we're going to deal worse with you. You don't keep your mouth
shut, that's what they're saying. They came near to break the door. What they did was they rejected
Lot's earnest plea concerning him setting forth before them
purity. And that which was right and
virtuous A picture of setting forth the glorious Son of the
living God, the Lord Jesus Christ. And man by nature will say, I'll
not have that man rule over me. You stand down. The Lord Jesus Christ said to
his disciples, if the world hates you, you know this, that it hated
me before it hated you. what they did to Lot when he
pled with them. Brethren, don't do this. How many of you have those in
your family, neighbors or whatever, that you would, in your heart,
it's what you say, don't do this. Don't go after that false lie. Don't go after that false Christ.
Don't go after that which has no life. Don't do that. Don't
do that. Let me set forth the glory of Him that's pure and
holy and righteous. He that is well-pleasing in the
sight of God. But man left to himself will
not have it. So I say, asking the Lord, if
I'm wrong here and error here, Lord, reveal it to me, and I'll
retract it. But it seems to me that there's
a whole lot in that picture and type of what is done when we're
setting forth the gospel and the reaction of the world toward
it, but for the grace of God. They didn't want that. They didn't
want that which was pure. They didn't want that which was
virtuous. They didn't want that. I don't want that. No, I want
the unnatural. I want that which is rebellious.
Why? Because men love darkness rather
than light. That's what they love. That's
what I want. That's what I want. And the scripture says in verses
10 and 11, and the men put forth their hen, the angels, and pulled
a lot. into the house to them, shut
the door. And they smote the men that were at the door of
the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they
wearied themselves to find the door." Nothing less than the
power in that situation right there of those two angels saved
Lot from the ravages of that mob, but just nothing less than
the power of God Almighty can save a man. from the wickedness
of himself. It is sin. They rescued Lot and
they pulled him into the house and shut the door just as God
did Noah before the destruction of this world by water. And when
the men of that city pressed upon Lot, when they refused his
plea, the angels justly smote the men with blindness that sets
forth that state of man if God leaves him to himself. Romans
chapter 1, I'll close with this. Romans chapter 1, verse 20 to
28. For the invisible things of Him
from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,
so that they are without excuse. because that when they knew God,
they glorified him not as God. Neither were thankful, but became
vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools and changed
the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like a
corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping
things, wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through
the lust of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies
between themselves, who changed the truth of God into a lie and
worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is
blessed forever. Amen. For this cause, God gave
them up. unto vile affections. And even
their women did change the natural use into that which is against
nature. And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use
of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men
with men, working that which is unseemly, and receiving in
themselves that recompense of their error, which was meat.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,
God gave them over to a reprobate mind, a mind void of judgment
to do those things which are not convenient. Though they were blind, scripture
says they wearied themselves to find the door. They were blind to the things
of God, blind concerning God's goodness, mercy, compassion,
still in their blindness, given over to blindness. They wearied
themselves, still desiring those evil desires to get to the men. Here's the thing we know. God's
judgment doesn't change the corrupt nature. It takes an act of God's power
and mercy, the removing of an old heart, God's going to have
to take that heart out and give a new heart, a new mind. He's going to have to impart
his spirit. He's going to have to create
from above a new man. And when he does, that man will
then see with new eyes. He's going to hear with new ears.
He's going to speak with a new mouth. He's going to have a new desire.
These men, this is man. The men of Sodom, that's man
born in Adam. That's the fall right there.
If you want to know what it is, this is the fall right here.
If you want to know any hope of salvation, God's going to
have to send His Spirit and rescue the objects of His mercy out
of the depth of depravity and save them from themselves. And
He will. If He's pleased to do so, He
will. For His glory and our good.