The Original Hell-fire and Brimstone Sermon
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Intro:
Intro:
Good morning.
This morning, I want you to hearken back to some of the statements of Jesus, some of the statements of the N.T. authors, and O.T. prophets as well, and then we’re going to make application in a sermon I’m titling, “The Original Hell-fire & Brimstone Sermon.”
We often hear it said, “That was a hell-fire and brimstone sermon today, Preacher.”
(And sometimes those kinds of sermons are needed — I try to remain balanced and not preach them every Sunday — but occasionally we need them).
But where does the phrase come from?
Well, it comes from the events of Sodom and Gomorrah, which we will look at in a little bit toward the end of our sermon.
First, though, we want to look at some …
STATEMENTS MADE BY JESUS:
STATEMENTS MADE BY JESUS:
The first one we will look at is Matt. 10:15-20
Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city! “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
“It will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”
This is in the context of the Limited Commission — (Jesus sent His apostles to preach the Gospel to the lost sheep of the house of Israel).
And He tells them that if they reject the message, it will be better for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of Judgment than for them! (That’s a terrifying thought, because as we will see, it wasn’t good for Sodom and Gomorrah!)
Next, Matt. 11:23-24
And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”
What is Jesus saying?
He’s essentially saying, “Hey, if Sodom had seen the miracles that I’m performing, evidently they would have repented and would have remained until this day!”
But as for the city of Capernaum, they were not accepting the message of Christ (even while seeing His miracles), and Jesus again says it would be better for Sodom on the day of Judgment than for them!
Mark 6:11
And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”
Back to the Limited Commission again on that one.
Jesus repeats the same thing again in Luke 10:12 …
And then finally Luke 17:26-29 - dealing with the Second Coming:
And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
He goes on to say a few verses down in verse 32: “Remember Lot’s wife!” (We need to remember the acounts of destruction of sinful people’s in the O.T. and make adjustments to our lives accordingly).
STATEMENTS MADE BY N.T. AUTHORS:
STATEMENTS MADE BY N.T. AUTHORS:
Peter wrote in 2 Pet. 2:4-6
For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;
He goes on:
2 Pet. 2:7-8
and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—
2 Pet. 2:9-11
then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.
One more in the N.T.:
Jude 7
as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
What exactly was the sin of those in Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain?
(Well, hopefully we know! Jude 7 tells us — Sexual immorality, going after strange flesh!)
(Unfortunately, there’s an invalid argument that some people make when they look at the next text we are about to look at, but we need to make sure and understand that the next text from Ezekiel is just part of the complete picture).
STATEMENTS MADE BY THE O.T. PROPHETS:
STATEMENTS MADE BY THE O.T. PROPHETS:
Ezekiel 16:48
“As I live,” says the Lord God, “neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done.
Ezekiel is prophesying against the sinful Jews at Jerusalem in this context.
The verse before, verse 47, Ezekiel had said of Jerusalem: “You did not walk in their ways nor act according to THEIR abominations … (the abominations of Sodom, and Samaria, and the like) … but, as if THAT were too little, you became MORE CORRUPT THAN THEY in ALL your ways!”
So Sodom — Samaria — and others: They were evil — And Jerusalem had made themselves even more evil!
Again, verse 48, Ezekiel prophesies: “As I live,” says the Lord God, “neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done.”
Ezek. 16:49-50
Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.
Again, what was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah?
Here, we see 1) pride, 2) fullness of food (gluttony we might say), 3) abundance of idleness — In short, they were SO prosperous that they had a lot of idle time and … “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop!”
4) They did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy (didn’ help others/focused only on themselves/their own pleasure), 5) They were haughty, 6) They commited abomination before God!
Question — Do we see homosexuality explicitly mentioned in THIS text?
(Not explicitly — That is, not spelled out with 100% surety of this is what it’s talking about).
… BUT … It’s there, heavily implied, in the 6th one we just mentioned — “They committed abomination before Me,” says God!
How do we know that? (Because we’ve read the rest of the Bible and we know what the rest of the Bible says about the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah!)
Why is this important to take note of?
Because those of the LGBTQ agenda (which our culture is rife with, especially the month of June) will try to argue from this verse that Sodom and Gomorrah weren’t condemned because of their homosexuality, but the other things like pride and not helping the poor and gluttony.
The sinful agendas are sneaky with this argument, so we have to know how to answer it!
Some other O.T. passages that mention Sodom:
Amos 4:11 - prophesying to Israel:
“I overthrew some of you, As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; Yet you have not returned to Me,” Says the Lord.
Zeph. 2:9 (positive for Israel; bad for their enemies Moab and Ammon)
Therefore, as I live,” Says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Surely Moab shall be like Sodom, And the people of Ammon like Gomorrah— Overrun with weeds and saltpits, And a perpetual desolation. The residue of My people shall plunder them, And the remnant of My people shall possess them.”
Isa. 1:9-10 - prophesying to the southern kingdom of Judah:
Unless the Lord of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah. Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah:
Isaiah goes on to tell Judah that God had had ENOUGH of their sacrifices, and did not delight in them because of their sin!
This is in the same chapter wherein Isaiah proclaims in verse 18 - “Come now, and let us reason together!” “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow!” “Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool!”
Jer. 23:14
Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: They commit adultery and walk in lies; They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
Lam. 4:6
The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people Is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, Which was overthrown in a moment, With no hand to help her!
Well, let’s go back now to the book of Genesis, and let’s study …
THE ORIGINAL ACCOUNT:
THE ORIGINAL ACCOUNT:
The account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is several chapters in the Bible.
We are going to look at the highlights of this account.
I would say that the story really begins way back in chapter 13 when Abraham and Lot part ways:
Abraham tells his nephew lot to choose which land he would like, and Abraham would take the other (Gen. 13:8-9).
Gen. 13:10-11 says ...
And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.
Just a couple verses later, Gen. 13:13
But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.
We will just mention this, but in the next chapter (ch. 14) Lot actually gets KIDNAPPED and Abraham has to rescue him!
Next, we fast forward to chapter 18:
After Abraham’s three guests tell him and Sarah that they would have a son, beginning in Genesis 18:20-22 we read:
And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord.
After this, we read in Genesis 18:23 ...
And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
This is when we embark on the search for enough faithful souls in Sodom and Gomorrah — enough “salt and light,” if you will — in order for God to spare the cities.
In the subsequent verses, Abraham asks God if he can find 50 righteous souls, would He spare the city? (God says He would spare the city for 50 righteous souls.)
He then asks, what about 45 righteous souls? What about 40? What about 30? What about 20? What about 10?
Each time, the Lord responds that He would spare the city if that many righteous souls were found.
Well, as we know, there were NOT 10 righteous souls to be found!
Let’s read now about Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction in Gen. 19:
Gen. 19:1-2
Now 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 he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”
Gen. 19:3-4
But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house.
Gen. 19:5-7
And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.” So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!
Gen. 19:8
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.”
Gen. 19:9
And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to 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.
Gen. 19:10-11
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, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.
Gen. 19:12-13
Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-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.”
Gen. 19:14-15
So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking. When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.”
Gen. 19:16-18
And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords!
Gen. 19:19-20
Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your 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. See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”
Gen. 19:21-23
And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this 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. The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
Gen. 19:24-27
Then the Lord rained brimstone 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. 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.
Gen. 19:28-29
Then he looked toward 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 the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.
(I would encourage you to look up the archaeological evidence for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah if you would like).
It’s in the area of the Dead Sea, and they have archaeological evidence of not only the fire of destruction, but also tons and tons of sulphur balls (brimstone) that still today can be lit on fire and will burn.
It’s pretty fascinating to look at.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Some questions as we wrap up:
What was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah? (Some say just the Ezekiel things — No! Those things that Ezekiel mentioned were included, but so was the abomination of homosexuality — [and Ezekiel does mention abomination and I think that’s what he meant even there])
Could there have been hope for Sodom and Gomorrah? (Certainly — They had a chance to repent — And essentially, if there would have been enough salt and light in the city, God would have spared them!)
But there wasn’t enough salt and light …
And the cities did NOT repent!
What will eventually happen to nations like Sodom and Gomorrah? (The same thing that always happens — They eventually are destroyed/taken over by someone else — Is there enough salt and light to prevent that for our nation? I would like to think so and I hope so, but we better be doing our jobs).
So there we have it — The original “hell-fire and brimstone” sermon!