Let's start with a word of prayer. Father, we thank you for salvation, so rich and free, and so comforting, Father. Oh Lord, where would we be without it? And Father, we ask that as we Go into this passage that you would teach us and remind us of your tremendous grace to us through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And so work in us and remind us and teach us and cause us to be ready to stand against the foes, we ask in Jesus' name, amen. In the book of Jude, and I want to read from verse three, chapter one, of course, only one chapter. So from verse three, beloved. That's a great term to be called, beloved, because the father said of the son, thou art my beloved son in whom I am well pleased, and now we're part of the beloved. Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons, who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness, and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now, I desire to remind you, though, you know all things once for all, that the Lord after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, first illustration, that the Lord after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, Exodus generation, Passover, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. That older generation from 20 years old and upward who, accepted the false teaching of 10 of the spies and were afraid and didn't trust God and didn't listen to Caleb and Joshua. They all died in the wilderness. That's an example of that God is against these these false teachers that are constantly there. You know, I was reminded of night after night, you know, over there in Vietnam, that we'd have a perimeter. And the enemy was continually probing, always looking for a weak place? Is there a place where nobody's paying attention? Some of the people where they were probing, they would just come up and they knew that we had these things called rock apes, and they would throw rocks at us from the trees and from outside the wire. The enemy knew that, so they would take rocks and they would throw like they were rock apes, but you didn't know. But they're constantly probing, constantly probing. And you say, what is he talking about that? Because that's what Satan is constantly doing. He has to find a weak place where people are not holding to the truth, and therefore he can interject some very subtle, but totally wrong thinking doctrine that then leads even the body of Christ astray. And I'll be blunt, it's going on today. It's not like we're not dealing with this, we are dealing with this, and this subject that we're gonna be looking at, so let me come down. It says this, verse six, and angels, we looked at that last week, and angels who did not keep their own domain, Genesis six, sons of God, daughters of men, all that went on there, and angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept an eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day. Now his third example, he says this, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them Since they in the same way as these, in other words, since the men of Sodom in the same way as those angels that cohabited with the daughters of men, they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh. men with men, women with women, are exhibited as an example. So here's the Holy Spirit through Jude saying, this is an example. This is something to pay attention. And what is it an example of? they are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. In other words, we're supposed to learn from the fire that fell, the fire and the brimstone, that's looking forward to the fire of damnation and being forever separated in the second death, separated from God. So here we are up against Sodom and Gomorrah. And this is the kind of thing when a pastor, any believer, supports what God's word says. You can be called hateful. I don't hate homosexuals. I can remember as a young man, there was another young man, he was a homosexual, but he knew the Lord and he wanted to talk to me. And I can remember going out to eat with this and people looking at me like... It was hard, but I just knew that this guy needs my savior. He needs to know there's another way. I love him. I have a really good friend that had this tendency. because of deliverance through Jesus Christ is married and raised kids and he's, I mean, this guy just loves the Lord and he's such a tremendous example of what the Lord can do. Okay, so let me start off by saying this, you know, I've heard all kinds of things. I've even heard, from people that have been here in this congregation that, well, the Bible doesn't teach that it's wrong. I don't know how you get there. Well, one of the things I read was what God was really upset about at Sodom was the violence. Well, I'm sure he wasn't pleased with the violence, but there was so much, and here's the thing that I love. How come we call it sodomy? Do you ever think of that? If it weren't for the Bible and what the Bible says, how could that term have, all down through history, how could that term be the term for today? Everybody knows what sodomy is. Where'd it come from? From the place of Sodom where this sin was going on. Okay, so let's go back to the passage. Let's start in Genesis chapter 18. Genesis chapter 18. And we're gonna come down to, we're gonna start in verse one. So here's this account. We're gonna be back here for a while. Now, the Lord appeared to him, this is to Abram, by the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. Can you picture this? It's a hot day and Abraham's out there and he sees what appeared to him to be three men. And when he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him. And when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth. You know, there's a wonderful thing that goes on in places in the Middle East. that had to do with hospitality. Oh, I wish I should remember this guy. The Navy SEAL, I think his name was Lucas, and there were three Navy SEALs out, and they got compromised, and his two friends were killed. But he ended up coming down the side of this mountain in a home, in a family there. They certainly weren't at all for him, but at the same time, they protected him. all these enemies would come and want to take him away from this guy that was running this household. And because of this strong thing for hospitality, he said, no. He came under my roof. He needed help. And I thought, well, I kind of see Abraham. Abraham's just like, look who's here. There's somebody here. And so here's what he says. And he said, my Lord, if now I have found favor, verse three, in your sight, please do not pass your servant by. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, and I will bring a piece of bread that you may refresh yourselves. After that, you may go on, since you have visited your servant. And they said, so do, as you have said. So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, quickly prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it, and make bread cakes. Abraham, what a meal. Abraham also ran to the herd and took a tender choice calf and gave it to the servant. And he hurried to prepare it. And he took curds and milk and the calf, which he had prepared, and placed it before them. And he was standing by them under the tree as they And then we're gonna skip this next part, but this is where the Lord promises to Sarah that next year at this time, she's gonna bear a son, and of course that son is gonna be Isaac in their old age. But then I want you to come down to, well, just for a minute, keep your finger there, in Genesis, go back to Hebrews chapter 13 and verse two, What a great verse. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers. For by this, some have entertained angels without knowing it. My own opinion is that's Abraham. It may have happened other places, but I think it's talking about Abraham, and what happened here on this day. Because these, it's gonna become apparent what's going on, but not initially. Abraham thinks these are three men, as far as I can understand it. That's what they, that's how they appear to him. Okay, so now back to Genesis, and chapter, and we're gonna come down to verse 16. And then the men rose up from there and looked down towards Sodom. And Abraham was walking with them to send them off. And the Lord said, isn't this great? Shall I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do? The Lord's being really gracious here because his family, Lot, lives in Sodom. And the Lord says, shall I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do? Since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. For I've chosen him in order that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice in order that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what is spoken about him. And of course, the Jewish people. You know, I constantly have this thought. How could these Jewish people be so predominant in history and be so predominant in our own day. It just goes back to these promises that God made that Jesus Christ would come through Abraham and all the things that God promised to the offspring of Abraham. At any rate, so here we go. Verse 20, and the Lord said, the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. I will go down now and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to me. And if not, I will know. Now we know the Lord knows his omniscient. Then the men turned away from there and went towards Sodom. While Abraham was still standing before the Lord, Now notice this, there's a good lesson here, and I know this is extensive, but there's so many good lessons here, it's just, don't wanna miss them, okay? So here's Abraham with the Lord, and certainly Abraham knows what's going on in Sodom. Okay, and he knows this is a serious, serious thing, and if the Lord has come down to deal with it. Verse 23, and Abraham came near and said, wilt thou indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Is that great? Lord, are you gonna, You're just gonna wipe the place out? You're gonna destroy the righteous? I'm sure he's thinking of a lot. All right. Suppose, verse 24, suppose there are 50 righteous within the city. This is his starting number, okay? Will thou indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the 50 righteous who were in it? I just love this from both sides. I love it that this is Abraham and he knows the Lord well enough to do this and that the Lord doesn't say knock it off, Abraham. You know, I know what you're doing, you're going down, down, down. The Lord listens to him, okay? Verse 24, suppose there are 50 righteous within the city, wilt thou indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the 50 righteous who are in it? Far be it, now notice, the character of God. Far be it from thee to do such a thing. to slay the righteous with the wicked so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from thee, shall not the judge of all the earth deal justly? I was reading one of the commentaries and they said something along the lines, this is the answer to so many questions that we have and that everybody has about And the answer is, shall not the judge of all the earth deal justly? Absolutely, okay. All right, so the Lord said, if I find in Sodom 50 righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account. That's an amazing thing, because this is an abomination, okay. And Abraham answered and said, now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, though I am but dust and ashes. Humble, Lord, I'm nothing, but I'm speaking to you about this. Suppose the 50 righteous are lacking five. Wilt thou destroy the whole city because of five? You see that argument? It's so good. I thought if we just took five away, that wouldn't be enough for you to do it, would it? Okay. And he said, I will not destroy it if I find 45 there. And he spoke to him yet again and said, suppose 40 are found there. And he said, I will not do it on account of the 40. Then he said, oh, may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak. Suppose 30 are found there. Now he started off, he was going by fives, now he's going by tens. He says, the Lord said, I will not do it if I find 30 there. Then he said, now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord. Suppose 20 are found there. And he said, I will not destroy it on account of the 20. Then he said, oh, may the Lord not be angry. And I will speak only this once more. This is the last one. Suppose 10 are found there. And he said, I will not destroy it on account of the 10. Wow. So let's come to Chapter 19. So remember, there were three men. Turns out, as we study this, one was the Lord himself, okay? And then two of them were evidently angels because verse one of chapter 19, now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. And he said, picture this. And he said, now behold, my lords, please turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night and wash your feet. There's this hospitality again. And wash your feet that you may rise early and go on your way. They said, No, but we shall spend the night in the square. And of course, Lot knows that that's a disaster. And he's trying to protect them. Yet he urged them strongly, verse three, so they turned aside to him and entered his house, and he prepared a feast for them, there's this hospitality, and again, to strangers, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all people, all the people from every quarter. And they called to Lot and said to him, get this, where are the men who came in to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them. But Lot went out to them at the doorway and shut the door behind him and said, please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. Now behold, I have two daughters. I don't understand this. I don't know that I ever will. Now behold, I have two daughters that have not had relations with men. Please let me bring them out to you and do to them whatever you like. I can't imagine a father doing that. And I have no real explanation, unless he's just thinking, well, they won't be interested in them because they're homosexuals. But still, to put your daughters at risk, I don't know. And then he says, only do nothing to these men. Here's this thing in the Middle East. It should be everywhere. Do nothing to these men inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof. There's that principle of protect those who have come into my house. But they said, stand aside. Furthermore, they said, this one came in as an alien and already is acting like a judge. Now we will treat you worse than them. So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. But the men, who we know are angels, reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. Now get this. And they struck the men. These angels struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway. Even though they can't see, they're still pursuing this. All right, let me continue on. Then the men said to Lot, whom else have you here? A son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place. For we, we angels, two of them, you think angels are powerful? Oh my. For we are about to destroy this place. because their outcry has become so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent us to destroy it. And Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-laws who were to marry his daughters and said, up and get out of this place for the Lord will destroy the city. But he appeared to his sons-in-laws to be jesting. You know, I think about how We have a more urgent message of salvation through faith in Christ. And we're really saying, get out of this city before it's too late. Put your faith in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for your sins and rose again the third day. And then I have this sad phrase, but he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting. You know, so often our message falls on, oh, here's, I didn't know you were one of them, but okay. You know, just that, I want none of this, okay. And when the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, take up your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city. But he hesitated. He said, what is that? So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his daughters for the, I love this. Remember Abraham's prayer? For the compassion of the Lord was upon him, and they brought him out and put him outside the city. The Lord says, you are gonna be rescued, okay. But it goes on, it says, and it came about when they had brought them outside that one said, escape for your life. Do not look back. Do not look behind you. Do not stay anywhere in the valley. Escape to the mountains, lest you be swept away. Melot said, oh no, my lords. Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your loving kindness, which you have shown to me by saving my life. But I cannot escape to the mountains, lest disaster overtake me and I die. Now behold, this town is near enough to flee to. and it is small, please let me escape there. Is it not small that my life may be saved? And he said, behold, I grant you this request, also not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there, for I, get this, angel speaking, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there, therefore the name of the town was called Zor, or small. And the sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zor. Then the Lord reigned on Sodom and Gomorrah, brimstone and fire, which we read in Jude is what? A picture of eternal fire, okay. Separation from God and the lake of fire, the second death. Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the cities and what grew on the ground. But his wife from behind him looked back and she became a pillar of salt or ash. All right, let's go to Luke chapter 17. Interesting what the Lord said about this. Luke 17, we're gonna come to verse 29. And I'm gonna, before that, I'm gonna drop back to verse 26. And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall be also in the days of the Son of Man, when the Lord Jesus returns to reign on this earth. And he says this, they were eating, they were drinking, They were marrying and they were being given in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot. They were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planning, they were building, But on the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. And it says this, on that day, Let not the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house go down to take them away. And likewise, let not the one who is in the field turn back. Verse 32, remember Lot's wife. This is such a, the Lord's saying, don't go down into that house. There's evidently, I didn't know this, but there is evidently the housetops were connected and you could go all the way along the housetops and not go back down in the house, but you think about how, and I've thought about what, What if a small fire started? What would I go get? What would I go back into the house to grab? Or if they said there's a tsunami that's coming and we're 42 feet above sea level. what would you try to bring with you? And it's interesting, Lot's wife evidently had such a strong connection with that city that she looked back and disobeyed. And so the Lord says, Don't tarry, don't go down into the house, get out. Okay. I'd like you to go next to 1 Corinthians chapter 6. It's a great verse. Oh, how the world hates this. In fact, there's laws being made that you can't try to change somebody that is already on this course. And let me just say this. All of us were born with a sinful nature. And that sinful nature has a certain bent toward it. I don't know how all that works, but I know that for some people, men want to have sex outside of marriage, or men want to, are always looking at other women, and then there's men who are attracted to men, and women who are attracted to women, and it's part of that, and some people, that just have this strong desire to steal. And it's almost too much for them to walk past a car with an open window and a cell phone on the seat or whatever. That's just their area. But 1 Corinthians chapter six and verse nine, Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous. And by the way, you see yourself in here anywhere? You know what I mean? Are you on this list? Because notice, let me read it again. Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God, do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, ever stolen anything? Nor the covetous ever wanted what was somebody else's? Nor drunkards, nor revilers. You ever been a person that's shouting in somebody else's face? Swindlers, nor swindlers shall inherit the kingdom of God. But here's this great verse. Paul says to the Holy Spirit, speaking to the people at Corinth, and such were some of you. You were here. And God brought about a change. In the world, Satan is against that change. Satan does not want a person to come to faith in Christ and be changed. Whatever your area is, all of us are called on to mortify the flesh, to recognize that we died with Christ, and to not follow that sinful nature, okay? It's a day in and day out battle for us, okay. I want to end, now just let me give you these. Leviticus chapter 20 verse 13 says that this homosexuality is a detestable act, okay? Leviticus 20 verse 13. And Leviticus 18 verse 22 in the law says it's an abomination, okay? This is God's appraisal of it. But I want you to go to Luke chapter 10. And in Luke 10, I wanna come down to verse eight. Now the Lord has sent out 70 disciples, two by two, to go and to preach and to heal people and gives them all their instructions. And then he says this in verse eight, you can read that whole thing on your own, but it says, and whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you and heal those who are in it who are sick and say to them, the kingdom of God has come near to you. These are representatives of Jesus Christ. But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, even the dust of your city, which clings to our feet, we wipe off and protest against you. And yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near you. Now here's the amazing statement in verse 12. I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day, the day of judgment, the great white throne judgment, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city. Listen. Incredible statement. And here's where I go with that. How does that apply today to our place in this country where the word has been taught over and over and proclaimed and we own certainly billions of Bibles. where other places don't even have them. And so I say, we've been blessed and blessed and blessed. To him who's much is given shall much be required. It just makes me shudder. We can't think, you know, well, you know, it's the people of Sodom that didn't, and the Lord said it'll be more tolerable for them than for the place that had that teaching so powerfully given directly from the disciples of the Lord, and I just think, I don't know how to do it, but I say, there's a tremendous message here, I believe, for us in this country. We've been given it all. What can we say? We haven't been given. We've been given it all. And yet so much of the time we've squandered it. Okay. Father. Thank you for this tremendous grace and mercy that has been extended to us, and for our past, our history, and our founders, and the tremendous impact of the gospel of Jesus Christ on this nation, and of the word of God on this nation. Father, may we, oh, Lord. Be those who are thankful and revere and obedient and be obedient, Father, to the things that your word tells us. Work in us, Father, we ask in Jesus' name, amen.