Examples of Apostasy Pt. 3 "The Cities that were Turned into Hell"
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
We’ve been looking at the examples of apostasy for a couple weeks now. Jude gives us three examples and we’ve already looked at the first two examples.
Tonight, we will look at the third example he gives us.
Look back at our text (v.7) where it says, “like manner...”
This is like Israel (v.5).
And like the fallen angels (v.6).
Remember that apostasy means to depart, withdraw or go away from truth.
Sodom and Gomorrah had the truth, but they turned from it.
No story impacted the people of God like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
It is referenced one way or another more than twenty times in the Bible.
The devastation of these cities, and the cities about them, was so horrific they stand as a perpetual reminder of God’s just condemnation of sin, especially sexual sin.
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
Sodom and Gomorrah were known for their pride and disregard for the poor, their arrogance, injustice, and bigotry. But their sexual perversion marked them most of all. Finally a time came when God said, “Enough!”
Genesis 19 records the cataclysmic judgment as “…the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;” (Gen 19:24).
Jude is specific in his brief analysis of the judgment God brought.
Let’s look at three things tonight concerning these cities that were turned into hell.
The Cities
The Cities
Notice what the text says, “…Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them…are set forth for an example...”
We know from the Bible that there were a number of other cities around Sodom and Gomorrah that were destroyed.
23 And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:
I want you to know that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrha affected these other cities around them. - The thing about sin is - it doesn’t just affect those who are guilty, but it affects those closely connected also...
You think about Lot…Boy did he make a bad decision!
11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
This was certainly a terrible place to raise his family.
Bro. Allen Barker writes concerning this, “YOU ARE RIGHT NOW OR SOON WILL BE WHAT YOUR FRIENDS ARE.”
This became true in Lot's family.
They became just like the people in Sodom and Gomorrah.
Lot lost his finances, his family and his influence over a bad choice.
In verse 10 of Genesis 13, the Bible says:
10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
Did you notice that? Sodom and Gomorrah were located in a very luscious place…It was even compared to the Garden of Eden!
Sin did to Sodom and Gomorrah what it does to our lives!
It turned a place that was compared to the Garden of Eden into a barren and desolate area of the Dead Sea which would hardly be attractive to anyone.
The Conduct
The Conduct
“…giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh...”
They had not just committed fornication, but they had given themselves over to it.
This is a sin that not only defiles the soul, but the body also.
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
Most other sins imply an injury done to God, to others, or to our neighbors. But to sin against our body is to sin against that which God has provided to be the temple of the Holy Spirit.
The word “fornication” is used in the Scriptures to mean several different things, but generally, the meaning refers to every kind of illegal sexual intercourse, that is, any intercourse except that between a husband and wife.
When you combine the descriptions, you find that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities were ungodly, filthy, wicked, unlawful, unjust, and given over to fornication.
They did not occasionally commit unnatural sexual sins; they indulged in them and gave themselves over to the pursuit of lust.
It’s amazing how corrupt the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were...
Genesis 19 tells us of the two angels who came into Sodom and Gomorrah to examine the place and the people. The very night they came Lot insisted that they stay with him.
After dinner the men of the city, young and old, came to Lot’s door and wanted the two angels, which they thought were men to come out so that they could “know” them.
They wanted to have homosexual relations with these men. The men of Sodom and Gomorrah were so wicked and perverse that they were willing to do anything anywhere.
The people of Sodom and Gomorrah gave themselves over and God gave them up.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 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 recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
The second bit of conduct that we are told about is “…going after strange flesh...”
Strange flesh means “different flesh.” The bent of their life was constantly downward, indulging in unnatural acts, just as we’ve already mentioned - this just further explains the perversion we have already mentioned.
Sodom and Gomorrah was guilty of homosexuality, fornication, and all types of perversion. God judged those cities and God will judge all sexual indulgence. We live in a nation that has departed from the word of God and the ways of God. The USA is a nation that has given itself over to fornication and many have gone after strange flesh. Sex is running rampant in America!
America is a people where strange flesh is the norm and those who are godly are called strange.
20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; That put darkness for light, and light for darkness; That put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!
Jude tells us that in Sodom and Gomorrah sin was legal to practice and it was loved to practice.
John Phillips wrote, “In those cities a foul lifestyle was not only practiced but also permitted and promoted; it was not only permitted but also protected by law. Perverts have always practiced these foul sins … When a society passes laws to protect the ‘rights’ of people who are addicted to sodomy to practice their perversions, society becomes partner to their vileness and is, therefore, ripe for judgment.”
He goes on to say, “Sodomy is learned behavior. Homosexuals do not reproduce, they recruit. Society cannot afford to have indulgent views of this perversion. It carries everywhere the seed of corruption, contamination, and divine wrath. The degeneracy of a nation is well-nigh complete when its laws embrace the right of individuals to practice perversion and to integrate themselves into society.”
America is there already and the judgment day is coming.
The Condemnation
The Condemnation
What’s their condemnation?
“…suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
The people of Sodom have been experiencing fiery judgment ever since the day the cites were physically destroyed. They will continue to experience this judgment forever.
The cities are said to be “an example” of God’s judgment. Our land and our world, with their attitudes toward immorality and homosexuality, do not have a good future, for God’s vengeance will come upon them violently.
We need to remember here that the one thing all three examples of apostates here in Jude have in common is that they were judged for their turning away from the truth.
Turning away from God never has good results. Today is no different.
Conclusion
Conclusion
I’d like to close tonight with something positive.
We find the positive note in 1 Corinthians - If there were any city in the New Testament similar to Sodom and Gomorrah, it would be Corinth.
Corinth was full of idolatry, greed, pagan philosophy, and immorality.
God used Paul to bring them the Gospel, and we can find the result of that witness...
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Yes, God will condemn unbelievers, the rebellious, and the immoral. But he will also forgive them gladly if they are washed in the cleansing blood of the Lord Jesus.
What doe we need to remember?
We need to remember the danger of unbelief (verse 5)
We need to remember the dishonor of rebellion (verse 6)
We need to remember the destiny of the immoral (verse 7)
What can the church do?
Pray and Preach! - We need to be praying and preaching like never before!
