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Howdy. Would you please open your Bibles to Genesis 19, 23? Our text today will be over chapters 18 and 18, 16 through chapter 19, verses 29. I want to start off here and start the point off here. The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.

Then the Lord rained brimstone of fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Lord from the Lord out of the heavens. So he overthrew those cities, all the plains, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. Verse 26 of 19. But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. And he looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain. And he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land that went up, like the smoke of a furnace.

And it came to pass when God destroyed the cities of the plain that God remembered Abraham and set Lot out of the midst of the overthrow. And he went and he overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt. When you stand before God on Judgment Day, do you look back at anything in this world?

Would you be discontent to leave this life here on earth? Some of you would want to live the rest of your youth before the Lord returns. Some of you may even want to get married before the Lord returns. Or some may even want to see your grandchildren before Christ returns on this day of judgment.

If you hold anything from this world, then please listen to these words of Moses because he speaks of God's grace in a place like Sodom and the folly of those who turn back on his good grace. And what did Sodom do to deserve God's judgment? Isn't God gracious, merciful?

Isn't God love? I want us to relive the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah so that you will see God's good character in this account and why it is foolish to turn back. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, thank you so much for your word, your goodness, God. Thank you so much for being that anchor of our salvation, God.

Thank you so much for being that way out of destruction, God. You are the only way, God. Please open our hearts tonight to love you, love your word more. And God, please be with me tonight. And forgive me if I mishandle your word, God. And give me strength to proclaim your word and do this for your glory, God.

In Jesus' name. So, we're going to reflect on five marks of a gracious judge. The five marks that we're going to look over today is: God is a gracious judge in how he remembers his promises involving Sodom, how he listens to the outcries of Sodom, how he considers those in Sodom, and how he delivers some from Sodom.

And he shows his grace even in how he eradicates the sin of Sodom. So, first mark of a gracious judge, starting in verses 18, 16. God's grace is seen in how he remembers his promises in the account of Sodom and Gomorrah. So, verses 18, chapter 18, verses 16.

Let's read. Then the men rose from there and looked towards Sodom, and Abraham went with them. To send them on the way. And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I'm doing? Since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.

For I have known him in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has spoken to him. For God promised a prophesied of a mighty nation.

He was gracious to give a wonderful promise to Abraham and his children and his descendants. What did he promise to him? He promised to him that he would have a great and mighty nation. Great and mighty nation. And sometimes we can see in verses 17 that sometimes God's promise, he promises, and the way how he delivers those promises can be in secret.

Take a look at 17. Shall I hide from Abraham what I'm doing? Abraham doesn't, may not see or hear this whole interaction between God and the men. But God was still remembering those promises that he made to Abraham. You remember when Sarah's response, when she heard this promise?

She laughed. She laughed. She couldn't see the plan of the promises of God. She couldn't see it all plan out. And she laughed. Abraham, not seeing the plan either, but God is faithful to fulfill his promises. He is gracious to fulfill his promises. And this promise is going to be something that we're going to go back to later in the night.

Because at the end of the passage, we go back to this promise and we remind ourselves of this promise. So, this is the first mark of a gracious judge. God's grace is seen in how he remembers his promises in the account of Sodom and Gomorrah. So, now we're going to look at the second mark of a gracious judge.

God's grace is seen in how he listens to the outcries of Sodom. God hears those who cry out to him, and he acts to better care for those oppressed in Sodom. Look back at verse 20. And the Lord said, Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very great, let's just stop right there.

Some translations even say, or very grave, say, exceedingly grave. The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah. God listens and he hears those who cry out to him. He listens and he hears those who cry out to him. Because look back in verse 20, he says, Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, God, how else could God hear these outcries if he wasn't listening?

And so, what were these outcries? There's this passage in Ezekiel 16. You don't have to turn there. Ezekiel 16:49. I'm going to read a little bit from that. And he says, Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom. She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, abundance, and idleness.

Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy. This was the outcry of Sodom right here. This is what Sodom was described as. Does this outcry seem something similar in your heart, your lives? Are you proud? Are you indulged in food? Are you idle? Are you ungracious?

To the poor? Do you take advantage of the poor? This sin in Genesis 20 says this is a very grave, exceedingly grave sin. Let this convict us. And so, and so, if you see that very grave, we're saying their sin is very grave seeing, circle that because we will come back to this verse later tonight.

So, he heard that their sin was great, and so this is, and so what? God is gracious to hear these outcries against Sodom and Gomorrah. That was the second mark of a gracious judge. First, God remembers his promises involving Sodom. He listens to the outcries against Sodom. And now we're going to look at the fourth mark.

God's grace is seen in how he considers the people of Sodom. This is in chapters 18, verse 21. Let's read chapter 18, 21. He investigates the outcry. I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against him that has come. Come to me.

And if not, I will know. This outcry that's exceedingly grave. I want to take a moment and marvel for a minute. How can God, being all-knowing, who knows all, all knowledge, there isn't knowledge out there that he doesn't know of. And yet, he decides to investigate. Look back in 21.

He says, I will go down now and see. I will go down now and see whether I have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know. How can God be all-knowing and seek out more knowledge? It's something I marvel at and I cannot explain because the God we serve is the God that we should worship.

God in Scripture is the God we should worship because His character is good. He doesn't fly off the handle like we do when He hears outcries. When we hear outcries against our loved ones, usually we answer in anger. We make rash decisions. Do you fly off the handle when you hear outcries against Your children against people you care about.

So he promises, so he investigates the outcry. And God also considers the people and how he protects the righteous. He makes a promise to protect the righteous. Let's continue on in chapter 18, verses 22. Then the men turned away from there and went towards Sodom. Abraham still stood before the Lord.

And Abraham came near and said, Would you also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were 50 righteous within the city. Would you also destroy the place and not spare it for the 50 righteous that were in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked.

So that the righteous should be as the wicked. Far be it from you. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Lord hears this question. He hears. Because you read in 26. So the Lord said, If I find In Sodom, fifty righteous within the city, I will spare it.

I will spare all the place for their sake. This is how we know God does not punish the righteous. He promises he will not punish the righteous. Let's continue on in verse 27. Then Abraham answered and said, Indeed, now, I, who am but dust and ashes, have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord.

Look at Abraham's heart posture when he approaches the Lord. When you ask before the Lord, is your heart posture similar? Verse 28, suppose there were less than the 50 righteous, would you destroy all the city for the lack of five? So he said, If I find 45 there, I will not destroy it.

God repeats his promise. He's patient. He repeats his promise. And he spoke to him yet again. This is Lot speaking again. Suppose there should be 45, 40 found there. Excuse me. So he said, I will not do it for the sake of 40. Then he said, Let not be the Lord angry, and I will speak.

Suppose 30 shall be found there. So he said, I will not do it if I find 30 there. And Lot said again, indeed now I have taken it upon me. Myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose 20 are found in there. You see, he keeps repeating this question, but he's seeing it, Lord, how low can you go?

And the Lord, he doesn't respond in anger. When you get the same question, it feels like the same question repeated to you multiple times. Are you patient? Are you slow to anger? And so, 31, I'm going to continue to read to the end of read till 33, end of the chapter.

And he said, Indeed, now I've taken it upon myself to the Lord. Suppose 20 shall be found there. So he said, I will not destroy it for the sake of 20. Then Lot said, Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak once more. Suppose 10 should be found there.

And he said, I will not destroy it for the sake of 10. So the Lord went his way as soon as he had finished speaking with Abraham. And Abraham turned to his place. So what does this have to do? So why is this narrative included in here? God will not destroy.

He will not punish the righteous. He's gracious to spare the righteous because it is not in his good character. Hold fast to God's grace, hold cling to God's grace, and rest in his promises. Be saved. So now we're going to move on to chapter 19. And we're going to see another way how God considers, God considers those in Sodom.

Now the two angels, chapter 19, verse 1. Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening. And Lot was sitting there in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, Hear now, my lords, please turn into your servants' house and spend the night and wash your feet, and then you may rise early and go on your way.

And the Lord said, and they said, the two men, no, but we will spend the night in the open square. But he, Lot, insisted strongly, so they turned into him and entered his house, and then he made feast. As you see, as he sees the righteous hospitality of Lot, Lot was being, he welcomed the men into his house.

So, what? God has, he's considering, and he sees those in Sodom, and he sees this righteous man in Sodom. Remember God's promise? Will he wipe out Sodom? There's righteousness in there. God has seen the heart of Lot. And if Lord was rash to destroy Sodom, like many of us, then Lot would have experienced the judgment of God.

You see how it's so important for God to be gracious, slow to anger. It's so important. So be righteous and experience God's grace instead of his judgment. We're going to see another way he considers the righteous, but also he considers the wicked. Let's move on to verse 4.

19, verse 4. Now, before they laid down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, and all the people from every quarter surrounded the house. Just wanted to see this is a pervasion. This is the pervasiveness of the sin. Because everyone from every corner, from every part of the city, came to Lot's house.

And they called to Lot and said to him, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we may know them carnally. Carnally. This here is perversion because we know that God created man and woman in Genesis, and he created marriage with the design of one man, one woman.

And those who practice, those who practice such things outside of God's design, is perverting God's perfect design. That's what sin is. It perverts. So, how did Lot respond? Let's read in verse 6. So, Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, and said, Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly.

See, now I have two daughters who have not known a man. Please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish. Only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof. This is Lot's attempt of persuading the men to protect these men in this house.

Now, remember back in verse 20 and chapter 18, we talked about we're looking for grace in. In this episode, I don't know the best way to handle this, but. Two angels, they're of God. They can protect Lot. This is a rough situation Lot is in. But what I want us to point out, I want us to get out of this is that God's looking for grave sin, exceedingly great sin.

Wouldn't this be an example of exceedingly great sin that Lot would even think about offering his daughters up? Isn't this the exceedingly grave sin? Isn't this the sodom that matches the outcries? Let's continue. Let's hear more. Chapter or verse 9. And they said, stand back. This one came into a stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge.

Now we will deal worse with you than with them. So they pressed hard against the man Lot and came near to break down the door. But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them and shut the door. And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness.

They struck the men with the doorway with blindness. So both small and great. Small and great. So that they became weary trying to find the door. This is persistence. This is this sin is addiction. They are addicted to their sin. They are shackled. They live in the cyclical life where they always have to sin.

And if there's a doorway that's shutting me from sin, I will press hard against the door. I will find sin. Let this not be you. So, God, back in verse 18:20, when he says, Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very great, I will go down whether they have done all together according to the outcry that has come to me, and if not, I will know.

Well, what have we seen? How is God considering his people? What has God seen? He has seen Lot. He's seen the righteous man, he's seen the perversion of sexuality, he sees the pervasiveness of the sin back in verse 4, and he sees Lot trying to persuade them. They heard the rebuke.

They heard the rebuke. They heard him say, Don't act wicked. There's no excuse. What else have we seen? We've seen the blind chasing after sin. We've seen the persistence of the blind chasing after sin like an addiction. So, with this episode in light, God has all he needs.

We have all we need to know. It's very clear. The narrative is filled with God's graciousness. He gives Sodom a second chance. He went down to go see. He searched for righteous man Lot in the city. And he sought to learn more about the situation. It's without a doubt.

God has considered the deeds of Sodom like a criminal case without any loose ends. Without any loose ends. So this is our third mark that we just, third mark of a gracious judge. We've looked at God remembers his promises involving Sodom. And second, he listens to the outcries against Sodom.

Third, he considers those in Sodom. And now we're going to look at the fourth mark of a gracious judge. Fourth mark of a gracious judge. God's grace is seen in how He delivers people from Sodom. God's grace is seen in how He delivers people from Sodom. So let's read in 19, verses 12.

Then the men said to Lot, Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, take them out of this place. For we will destroy this place because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord. And the Lord has sent us to destroy it.

It is decided. God has given them over to their sins. There is nothing Sodom can do at this point. They are blind. They're probably still looking for more sin. They're probably still shackled. There's nothing they can do. And there's nothing they want to do. So, what did Lot do after he heard this instruction?

He spreads the word. Let's read in verse 14. So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, Get up, get out of the house. This place, for the Lord will destroy the city. His sons-in-law, but to his sons-in-law, he seemed to be joking.

They heard, but not listened. Because of their hardness and impenetrable heart, they were given over to the pleasures of their sin. Do not laugh at those who God has placed into your life. These men laughed at God's grace, laughed at God's grace, the instruction to get out of the city.

And for that reason, God has given them over to their faith. Verse 15. When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, Arise, take your wife and your two daughters, and who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city. This is a warning to Lot.

He was gracious to warn him again. He was to urge, put pressure. You hear the instruction more than once. Don't you think it's important to not be weary, to be hasty, to leave? Verse 16. And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, and his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and brought them out and set him outside of the city.

This is another way how we've seen God's grace. God being merciful to him. That's why I'm talking about God's grace in this passage so much. It's because Lot recognizes and talks about merciful, and also the narrative says, Lord being merciful. Lot and his wife and daughters were forced out of the city.

Since they lingered, they should have faced the punishment of God, but were spared because of the hand that pulled them out of their hometown, leaving their sons-in-law behind to be destroyed, given to their own sin. Verse 17. So it came to pass when they had brought them outside, he said, Escape for your life.

Do not look behind you, nor stray anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed. You see here, repeat of the instruction, do not look behind. Then the Lord said to them, Please know, my lords, indeed. Now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased in mercy, which you have shown me by saving my life.

But I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. In verse 19, we can clearly see Lot has acknowledged God's being merciful and saving his life. This is a mark of a believer, someone who recognizes when he's being saved. He's not like the blind men.

See now, in verse 20, see now, this city is near enough to flee to, and his little one, please let me escape there, and my soul shall live. Lot asked for, Lot asked God, he said, you know, I can't flee to the mountains, unless I'll die by your mountains.

I don't really think he was a mountain man, but he's kind of more of a city guy because he says there's a city nearby. Let me go to the city. In verse 21, and he said to him, See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow the The city for which you have spoken.

Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there. Therefore, the name of the city was called Zoar. Even in the midst of all this, of what's going on and the pressure, the emergency to leave, the evacuation. God was still granting, listening, and granting the wishes of Lot.

Don't we serve a wonderful God? Wouldn't it make sense to imitate him and glorify him? Lot didn't deserve to flee to Zoar, but God was gracious. So what? God was gracious to Lot. He was gracious to warn Lot and give him instruction. He was gracious to literally grab him, pull him out of the city, and he was gracious to remind him the instructions that he gave to Lot to get out of this place.

If you see the graciousness of God in this passage, you will love God. But if you do not see the graciousness of God in this passage, you will hate God forever. So we have looked at the marks where God remembers his promise involving Sodom. He listens to the outcries against Sodom.

He considers the people of Sodom. He delivers the people from Sodom. And now we're going to look at a fifth mark of a gracious judge. God's grace is seen in how he eradicates the sin of Sodom. God's grace is seen in how he eradicates the sin of Sodom.

Look at verse 19, 23. The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. And the Lord rained down rimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of the heavens. So he overthrew those cities. All the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

God spared Zoar in all this. He made a promise, and he said, you can flee to Zoar, and he spared Zoar. He didn't let him go to Zoar and then destroy Zoar. No. He let him go to Zoar and spared Zoar. Imagine, step into a city. Step into a city to where there's fire all around you, the judgment of God.

Doesn't this sound familiar? Like the Noah's Ark, where you're on a boat, there's water, the judgment of God. And water all around you. Well, Zoar is in the middle of this plain. It's surrounded by this fire, because it's not just Sodom and Gomorrah that are burning. It says in verse 25: He overthrew those cities, all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

There will be a day, there will be a day when God will destroy this world like He destroyed Sodom. So turn to Him. And God was gracious to give Abraham this promise that we talked about earlier on. This promise He promised to Abraham in what? Through Him the nations will be blessed.

What does this have to do with that promise? Well, this land, this land has no more Sodom, no more Gomorrah. And the ability for the city to influence the land is no more. You see how God is at work here? Blessing all the nations. It is crucial that He would bless the nations by eradicating the sin.

And Sodom's influence of sin on the land. So now we're gonna conclude in verses 26 and look back. I'm sorry, not look back. Verse 26. But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. Wow. But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Wasn't there an instruction to flee and don't look back? But even after God has shown his grace on display, and after the sin of Sodom has been on display, Lot's wife looked back on Sodom. I want you to remember Lot's wife. This is, I'm going to read from Luke 17, verses 32 to 33.

Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. She missed God's grace. She saw how sinful Sodom was and the lifestyle it created. What could possibly be in Sodom to cause her to turn back? Did she not see the sinful desire of the city to pervert sexuality?

Did she not see the blindness persistence of the wicked? Did she see the pervasiveness of the sin? There were so many people at her house. Didn't she see them reject Lot and threaten her own husband? What could possibly be in Sodom and Gomorrah to cause her to look back?

Didn't she see the angels that came to her house? Didn't she see the angels that protected her from the city? Didn't she see the hand that grabbed her out of the city? Didn't she see, couldn't she feel the heat from all that fire around her in the midst of being a city that was spared by God?

Her eyes were not on the grace of God. Her mind was not on the instruction of the Lord because her heart was still in Sodom. Remember Lot's wife. Do the work of the Lord and don't look back. She who looks back at the things of Sodom is not fit for a life without Sodom.

She who looks back at the things of Sodom is not fit. She's not fit for a life without Sodom. And so I think it would be appropriate to mention that Moses, why Moses? May have recorded this, wife looking back, Lot's wife looking back. Why is this in here?

Probably because Egypt, because Israelites, kept looking back to Egypt. And so, I think it's very fitting that this concept of looking back needs to be addressed to his people. Do you look back? Let's continue on in verses 27. And Abraham went early in the morning, the place where he had stood before the Lord, and he looked down towards Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land, which went up like a smoke of a furnace.

And it came to pass that when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham and sent out Lot in the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities which Lot had dwelt. Remember God's promise to Abraham back in the beginning? God is preparing a land that will bless the nations.

Now, let's, so Lot will, through Abraham, the nations will be blessed. But doesn't this sound familiar? Isn't that a blessing? Promise a man through one man, all nations will be blessed. Look to Jesus. Remember, Jesus, in him, all will be blessed, and has come to seek and save the lost.

Our eyes should be on Jesus. Our eyes should be on him. Hearts bowed down to him, mind renewed by him. I want to read from Hebrews 12. Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witness, let us lay aside every weight and sin which so easily ensnares us.

And let us run the race with endurance, the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, for who the joy of the Lord set before him, endured the cross, despising shame, and sat down on the right hand of God. He endured the Father's wrath, so we don't have to live in a place like Sodom anymore.

We are free from all addictions of sin. Nothing else should steal our devotion from him. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. Old things have passed away, and behold, all things have become new. Don't you want these old things to come to pass? All this material we have in this earth that we build here does not even come close to the treasures that we experience that God gives without bounds.

Today, I wanted you to see the grace of God, the vain lifestyle of Sodom in the heart of those who turn back to Sodom, so that you will respond to God's gracious gift of eternal life without turning back. So, I want to ask you: if you stand before God on Judgment Day, would you look back?

Let's pray. Lord Jesus, thank you so much for dying on the cross, God. Thank you so much for being our salvation, God. Thank you for your work that you've done. Thank you for giving us this passage. And I pray that, God, our devotion will be to you, to nothing else, God.

Whatever confuses our relationship with you, God, I pray that we will lay aside these things. I pray that we will let these old things that we cling to go, God. Because you, you are the God that we will serve, God. Be with us down, Jesus name Amen.