Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Have you ever been terrified?

Last week Gracie was bored, played hide and seek with Vanessa

Gracie went first, was found in 8 minutes

Vanessa hid, and it went 35 minutes!

Show hidden picture

As they played, they took a video on their phones

I’m going to show you Vanessa’s

But first!

There’s something I want you to listen for...

Vanessa finally gets sick of waiting, and turns to scare Gracie

My favorite part is Grace’s second scream - she sounds like a stuck pig!

Show Gracie getting scared video

That is pure terror church!

Gracie was so terrified Vanessa thought there was something seriously wrong!

Here’s the best part - take a look at Gracie’s face!

Show Gracie’s screenshot

That is the look of someone who thinks they are about to die...

Now, that’s funny right there!

As funny as scared people can be, there is a serious side to fear

When we think of Sodom and Gomorrah, it’s easy to dismiss is as a story

YouVersion: A Lot of Trouble - Part 1

We’re in Genesis 19:1-22

Next two weeks we’re talking about Lot

You might think, “Wait, isn’t this series about Abraham?”

Yes, but this relates to Abraham in two important ways

This is what Abraham was negotiating with God about last week

Abraham is going to check out the damage at the end of all this

We’re here now, so we may as well study it!

Last week we ended with two men headed toward Sodom while Abraham talked with God

If God finds 10 righteous people, He won’t destroy the cities

Let’s see how this goes:

Genesis 19:1–3 (ESV)

1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom.

When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth 2 and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet.

Then you may rise up early and go on your way.”

They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” 3 But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house.

And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

For the first time, we get confirmation these two men are actually angels

Lot is in an interesting position

At first, he’s trying to follow God with Abraham

Then he leaves Abraham’s side and goes to Sodom

Then he’s kidnapped, but still chooses to go back

Now, he’s sitting at the gate

This is important - the gate of an ancient city was like city hall

Disputes would be heard, decisions on entrance (like customs), city meetings

Essentially, Lot was some sort of civic leader

Lot is torn between seeking the Lord, and being a part of this sinful city

How do we know?

2 Peter 2:7–8 (ESV)

7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);

Lot actually sets a good example for us here:

Be in the world, but not of the world

That’s our job

And it begins like lot, acknowledging and grieving sin

When we look at the world around us, we see tons of sin

When we see gratitude over broken marriages, sexual perversion being normalized, abortion being praised - that should grieve us

We’re tempted to say, “Oh well, you do you, I’l do me...” but we should actually grieve over it

Sin coming into the world is not good

Am I saying we should attack people over it, no… but we should be sad

And we should share hope with people who need to turn from their sin

John 17:15–16 (ESV)

15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

We are meant to live lives here, sharing hope with people, until the final day of judgement comes

We see a picture of that here now too

Smith Wigglesworth: The reason the world is not seeing Jesus is that Christian people are not filled with Jesus.

They are satisfied with attending meetings weekly, reading the Bible occasionally, and praying sometimes.

It is an awful thing for me to see people who profess to be Christians lifeless, powerless, and in a place where their lives are so parallel to unbelievers’ lives that it is difficult to tell which place they are in...

It’s our job to be little Christ’s in the world around us

We should look distinctly different because as we open ourselves to God so He can change us

We should look radically different from how we looked when the world was our beacon

Here, Lot sees these angels and invites them to his house

He’s kind, hospitable, concerned for their welfare

Is that how the rest of the city is?

Let’s find out...

Genesis 19:4–5 (ESV)

4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house.

5 And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight?

Bring them out to us, that we may know them.”

Let me make something absolutely clear: the men of sodom wanted to homosexually rape these angels

The bible makes it clear, homosexual conduct is a sin

Leviticus 18 and 20 both say it’s an abomination

And if you want to say the OT doesn’t count, check out Romans 1

Romans 1:26–27 (ESV)

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions.

For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

That’s pretty clear to me

Jesus also talks about it, but indirectly

In Matthew 15 Jesus discusses sexual immorality

That would be anything outside of what Jesus describes in Matthew 19

It’s clear that sex is meant to be between 1 man and 1 woman within the context of marriage ONLY

Anything outside that is sexual immorality

That includes homosexuality, rape, incest, bestiality, fornication, adultery, pornography, and so on

And I’ll say this, if you have homosexual feelings, I feel bad for you

I don’t know how it works with the nature versus nurture thing - were you born this way… but it doesn’t matter

Whether you’re gay or straight, we all have attractions we should not act on

That fact that you desire something sinful, whether it’s your fault or not, doesn’t mean it’s okay to act on it

If my wife came home and found me in bed with another woman… how well would it go if I said, “I can’t help it!

I was born with attractions to other women!”