The Weight of the Kingdom of God: Grace and Responsibility

Introduction

**We are in a difficult portion of scripture today and I’m going to try and get through this as succinct as I can. That being the case if you are the note taking type, if you find yourself not able to take notes fast enough, I would encourage you to put the pen down, absorb what you can, and then go back to the recording watching again and take notes that way.

**Also we are going to be touching on some PG-13 material briefly. We’re not going to spend a whole lot of time or be super graphic, but there is a mature theme as we get into the account of the two angels in Sodom.

**If you would like your child to go down and help in Sunday School this morning, we are willing and able to make that happen, and then you can decide if you want to take your child through this later.

The Kingdom of God is coming

If you have your Bibles or on your devices, please turn with me to Genesis 18:22-33. If you are willing and able, would you stand with me as I read our text this morning… This is the word of the Lord. Let us pray. Amen. You may be seated.

The Kingdom of God is coming

He has been working since the garden to bring us back into fellowship and relationship with Himself

Some will come and some will not… but the Kingdom is coming nevertheless

God in His goodness, generosity, righteousness, and His loving-kindness is welcoming us into this.

In order to pass through into relationship with Him, Jesus has made away by taking our sin (our rebellion) from us so that we might enter in clean and pure, holy.

This cost Jesus greatly. He suffered perfectly, wholly, and totally.

This is good news.

What if we reject that good news? What if we say, “God I’m going to live in such a way that your great and costly gift does not matter”?

We are subject to receive the perfect, just, and measured consequence of betraying a holy and just God.

When the Kingdom of God comes… it will either fall on us and it will crush us… or we will fall on it and be broken… this brokenness leads to salvation.

Matthew 21:43–44 ““Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.””

In the kingdom we discover how truly broken and sinful we are but are hope-filled because we are being made new, we are changing, we are becoming more like Christ. We will not escape that knowledge or our ever present need of Christ’s intercession on our behalf to change us, grow us, and make us whole.

The gift is unconditioned. The response to the gift is completely conditional.

This gift of the Kingdom of God is all throughout the Bible and is very clear in our text today.

God called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldes (Genesis 12). God told Abraham that through him all nations would be blessed

Genesis 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”” (present and future implications)

In Genesis 13, we see Lot and Abraham separate because their is so much abundance that they particular land that they are in can not sustain both of their families, livestock, and wealth. They separate. Lot chooses the Jordan plain as it was well watered like the garden of Eden

Genesis 13:10 “Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)”

Even then though, the people of Sodom were wicked

Genesis 13:13 “Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.”

Four kings from the East come and sack/pillage four other kingdoms of which Sodom and Gomorrah were a part of. They carry of their people and goods, along with Lot and his family. A man had escaped the battle, ran to Abraham and told him that his nephew had been taken along with the people and the tribes in the plain. Abraham and 318 of his trained men went, overcame, and won a great battle against these four invading kingdoms.

Abraham brings everyone and everything taken back to the region from which it was taken. The king of Sodom also wants to reward Abraham, but Abraham says, “No, not necessary.” I don’t need to be tied to you.

This is unconditioned grace. This is a wild example of God using Abraham to bless these people, restore them from evil, and give them an opportunity to live in this new found presence of this generous Almighty God who used Abraham to deliver them, something they could not do for themselves. They are a wicked people, they didn’t deserve it, but God showed this generous, lavish kindness to them through Abraham. And they knew it… Genesis 14:22–24 “But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Let them have their share.””

God takes the covenant further with Abraham in Genesis 15 and Genesis 17. Not only is it for him, but it is everlasting, and it will come through a son that Sarah will give birth through. Genesis 17 we see Abram’s name being changed to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah, because of what God will do. (UNCONDITIONED)

They have a responsibility though (CONDITIONAL). They are responsible for maintaining the sign of the covenant which is circumcision. They are to be loyal to YHWH. If they are not obedient and able to keep the condition of the covenant, then they will be cut off.

Genesis 17:14 “Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.””

Intimate Relationship

This is a beautiful story around how God comes to meet Abraham.

He’s on His way to accomplish His purpose (the Kingdom of God is coming upon Sodom and Gomorrah) but allows Himself to be interrupted and dwells a while with Abraham.

What a gift to be reminded that God loves to be interrupted by you. If you haven’t taken the time to notice or study, but read the gospels and how Jesus reacts to those who interrupt Him and want to be near Him. It’s beautiful. You are not a bother to God. You are joy that He delights to spend time with you as He does Abraham.

Abraham prepares this beautiful mean, Sarah is directly given the promise of her son Isaac. She laughs, she’s called out on her laughter (indicating disbelief), she lies… but notice again, God’s kindness and mercy even in the midst of this moment. The love here is beautiful. Just as maybe a child can’t believe in the kindness or generosity of a parent, so too Sarah is overwhelmed by the possibility of this hole in her soul being filled.

The Burden of a Prophet

The men get up to leave and make their way towards Sodom and Gomorrah.

We’re given a glimpse into their conversation and intentionality.

Genesis 18:17–19 “Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him (UNCONDITIONED), so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just (CONDITIONAL), so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.””

Blessable-covenantal partners are not only blessed but they bless others around them.

The evil of Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, God is heading down there to see if it be true. This is more for us than the reality of God knowing and not knowing. Think back to Genesis 3:9 where God says, “Where are you?”

Abraham knows what is going to happen. The Kingdom of God is coming and it is going to destroy them.

But the perfect heart of God is shown through Abraham. They engage in a discourse where Abraham pleads for the city… “50 righteous, will you spare the city?”, “Yes, I will spare the city.”

In your minds eye can you possibly see Abraham doing the math in his head… oh… 50, that’s a lot. I don’t know about 50… ok, what about…

45?

40?

30?

20?

10? What if there are 10 righteous… will it be spared? Yes it will be spared.

These are the people that Abraham risked his life and the lives of his people to save back in chapter 14, for sure Lot his nephew, but all the people that he rescued we’re made in God’s image. He knows the King. They were the recipient of God’s generous unconditioned gift of salvation from the enemy of the day.

The plea of our hearts should be for the people. Wicked and righteous alike.

Matthew 5:44 “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Mark 6:34 “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Abraham pleads for the people of Sodom.

But as we see in chapter 19, the lived as if the gift was never given or existed. We are reminded that there will be those who are recipients of UNCONDITIONED grace/generosity of God, but reject the responsibility (CONDITIONAL) that comes with it because not a lot unlike Adam and Eve, they usurp authority and power from God for their own benefit and suffer great consequences.

The Weight of the Kingdom of God

The two angels arrive into Sodom. They meet Lot at the gate of the city (Lot has gained some power and influence). Lot urges them not to stay in the city square over night (they are on a recon mission) but to come into his home.

He persuades them.

The rest of this chapter is very difficult to read because of the depths of the human depravity that is on display. We’re not going to go into detail but there are some things we must comment on.

There are those in the city who see the men/angels. I can only imagine they sense some sort of threat by them. Maybe its the way they are dressed (like ambassadors from a foreign land), maybe they are sensing they are spies who want to overtake their city, etc.

The Bible says Genesis 19:4–5 “Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.””

The Hebrew word ידע yadah means to know one sexually.

For many years now the church has used this story as a way to say that same sex relationships are evil. This story is where we get the word sodomy which is male on male sexual relations.

While the Bible does say sexual relations between the same sex is a disordered passion, and therefore sin, this is not what is taking place here. It’s important that we understand this.

In the ancient near east, as much as it is in certain parts of the world today, this type of sexual behavior is used to dominate and humiliate your adversary. This is about power and control. This has nothing do with intimate relationships.

God had been generous and gracious with Sodom and it’s neighboring city Gomorrah. Though they were a wicked city when we were first introduced to them in Genesis 14, God sent and used Abraham to rescue them from the Kings in the East. Not only did they receive their lives and freedom back, they also were restored the things that were taken from them. The king of sodom knew and saw this first hand. But it did not change them.

Though the generous gift was UNCONDITIONED, the responsibility of the gift was CONDITIONAL.

They acted as their own gods, as their own sovereigns, they sought to usurp God’s role which is solely His. Genesis 19 comes after Genesis 14… which means they experienced God’s generosity, kindness, and unconditioned grace… but they chose not to be responsible with it.

Ezekiel 16:49 ““ ‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”

The Kingdom of God came to Sodom and Gomorrah and they were found wanting. They would be crushed under its weight.

Lot was found to be righteous and so we see him escaping. Initially Lot’s wife fled, but she turned back and it was revealed that she was not righteous. She was consumed as well in the perfect, right, holy, and just judgement of God.

Jesus would comment on this in Luke’s gospel:

Luke 17:28–36 ““It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.””

To quote from last week, “Our invitation is a gift, but it is a costly gift.”

It will cost nothing short of our lives.

But I remind us of Jesus’ words:

Matthew 21:44 “Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.””

The Kingdom of God is coming. Will you fall on it or will it fall on you?

Conclusion

Today, we stand at the same crossroads as the people of Sodom. God's Kingdom is advancing – not with fire and sulfur, but with the overwhelming grace purchased by Christ's blood. This grace is a gift more precious than anything this world can offer, freely given but purchased at an infinite cost. Like Abraham's rescue of Sodom, God has already done the work of salvation through Jesus Christ. The question isn't whether God's Kingdom is coming – it is. The question is how you will meet it. Will you fall upon it in surrender, allowing yourself to be broken and remade by His grace? Or will you stand in pride, only to be crushed when it falls upon you? For those who haven't yet embraced Christ, today is your moment to receive this extraordinary gift. For those who know Him, let us never take this grace for granted or live as if it doesn't matter. Let us instead live as grateful recipients of undeserved mercy, bearing the weight of its responsibility with joy, and becoming channels of that same transforming grace to a world that desperately needs it.