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March 19, 2021 8:00 am
Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ is not involved in became part of. We should be doing. We should be people who live differently and pray sincerely and have passionate. Remember when this all started, God told Abraham I withhold. If you find that's a principal joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana when Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word. Our world they were there and then they want just that kind of thing something else. It doesn't know if what was part of all he does know anything. God is totally wouldst not judge a city if there were 10. Apparently there weren't 10 kind of an interesting thing on his part.
You might be asking the question. You hold your place or are you sure what was a believer.
Yes it's amazing how despicable believers connect yes.
How do I know my scriptures which hold your place here and go with me to second Peter chapter 2 near the end of the New Testament in this whole section beginning in verse four Peter is talking about the eventual judgment of God when is total rebellion against them will pick it up in verse six he says if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter. This judgment is an example judgment. He says and if he rescued and there's how he describes him righteous lot of press by sensual conduct of unprincipled men.
Why is light, righteous same reason you are is a believer and God declares you righteous. If you're standing before God, not your behavior that's in mind here, he says, for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds and then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly.
He was taxed in what I think, though I bet he was a lot more bothered by their actions. When he first got there and the longer you stay the less bothered he was.
I mean after all this, the greater great material opportunity. I can be somebody I can expand my wealth. This is a great place to live. I think that's what what situation was now back to Genesis 19 we go to the final act, the first that God warns us that he will destroy the world because of its previous in the second act.
The influence of our world can be a warning to us but it's contemptible to God. The third act, God will preserve us from the destruction of our world and this is them to me the most tragic of it all. For fact the four factors this it's easier for us to be taken out of our world than it is to take our world out of us and this is so sad situation limits what happens lot one affirms OR any state in the mountains and his two daughters with him. What he was afraid to stay at. So are any statement KVM is two daughters. What was he afraid of now is afraid Marie hesitated when the Angels talking with you Freda two possibilities. One is he sees the judgment. He's thinking one of God judges are like that. I want to be there you what I think it is how many people survived Sodom and Gomorrah just three.
What is daughters were to show up. Zohar not even give you big and so are you be happy to see them getting the people back there would be happy as all these are the three people that survived.
They lived in that city and its gone now. They come the dryer city.
See, I don't think they made it easy for him at all. I think he was very much afraid of what would happen to mezzo or so he ends up. By the way it so reminds me of my life. Often give notice something that you often make a deal when you're praying with God and God's, God's ideas, I want you to go be an amount in a cave and you say no no Lord is my prayer request I want to be in a smalltime city whatever it is given notice. We end up my Medicaid but a lot of times God will let you have your request for somehow you end up the same place he had an idea about you anyway. That's what happens to him and now we see what happens.
The unthinkable than the firstborn said to the younger our father is old and there is not a man on earth to come into us after the man of the earth, let's make our father drink wine and let us lie with him that we may preserve our family through our father.
When an idea what this is. It's one more horrible plan in Genesis.
Think of these think of the plans that came about in Genesis.
Think of the Tower of Babel. There's a plant godsend dispersing a know we got a plan. One of the tower so I will walk and say hey it's great to see that didn't work at all.
Think of service plan with Hagar look that women have Abraham you can have this son in the sun's going to be the key to everything. So how about you take my handmade from Egypt, Hagar and Ishmael was born how that plan worked out. Now these girls come up with a plan.
There's no one there for us. He's gonna make us live up this cave forever and equipment to propagate our family that he's the only male available.
What a horrible plan. Verse 33 so they made their father drink wine would a man stand up. Please the daughters made their father drink wine in her. There's nothing worse than a passive male to do almost anything and so here is the daughters again and make him drink wine and he does it says in the firstborn when in and lay with her father and he did not know when she lay down her when she arose, how come his job. He's drunk coming. What good comes from drunkenness me. Please. The virtue of alcohol was beyond me. I just don't get it. Look what happens in this case is that it came about a on the morrow that the firstborn said to the younger, behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine and tonight he also and then you go in and lie with him that we may preserve her family through her father and they made their father drink wine that night. Also in the younger also arose and lay with him and he did not know where she laid down when she arose. Thus, both the daughters of lot were with child, mother, father guns, another conception is moving on this. This is what you want. This is your choice.
Think of what it's like to be lot you become a father and a grandfather the same moment with the same child she we talk about the abominations of Sodom and Gomorrah. What about the abominations of the believer in the cave don't talk much about that. You see what's happening here. The firstborn bore a son and called his name, Moab, that's great.
I mean, it sounds right.
Hey Moab is my little boy.
Moab Moab in Hebrew means from father she named her son from father every time she called his name, she said from father is Moab, and then it says. As for the younger.
She also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ami. He is the father of the sons of M under this day.
Ben-Ami means son of my kinsman son of my relative hugged like that for two names by the way what you think the consequences of this are unbelievable. This is the beginning of two great peoples Moabites and ammonites, and just read about they become a foreign Israel side a true enemy of visual for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years. This is just like Ishmael, they made a choice. It was a horrible choice never consulted God about all had no spiritual perspective at all and then you reap what you sow. It's easier for us to be taken out of our world that it is sometimes get the world taken out of us. You see, there are lessons concerning believers are you personable conviction, but there's something else here. How did this happen in Sodom and Gomorrah.
How does it happen. How does a culture become that bad that it gets judged by God. How does that work you know we really never see you the exact process until the New Testament and the apostle Paul explains it and bite your tongue with me to Romans chapter 1 in here the apostle Paul explains verse 18 Paul writes this for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Here's the first condition, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them.
For God made it evident to them.
Any citizen for since the creation of the world his invisible attributes, his eternal power's divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what was has been made, so they are without excuse. He says these people in that world are without excuse. God has given testimony to himself, one outwardly through creation. Stu inwardly through conscience. He simply suppress the truth and in their world. Often they say God didn't create anything. It was the moon got to see was the wind. It was something else in our culture were so much more sophisticated. We just say nothing, created anything at all just happen on its own. See suppress the truth we call it education pieces for even though they knew God, they did not honor him as God nor give thanks but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. They start thinking wrong about God and now it's affecting their heart, their soul, there will and he says, professing to be wise, they become fools is happens over and over again culture after culture, including ours, and they exchange the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man, and the birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. He said that's the way to do it. You exchange your loyalty from God to idols in their world was all kinds of violence, but Paul even elude stars all right a wizard and I do we Dr. worship a four-legged creature with a worship bus that's who we are, we worship ourselves. We worship in so that's what happens in the thinking now watch therefore because of that God gave them over. It said in the lust of their hearts to impurity. First they started thinking wrongly. Then they started acting wrongly so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. He says for the exchange the truth of God for a lie, they worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever pulses a man. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions. Notice the decline. He says for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural in the same way also. There, men abandoned their natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons. He says the due penalty of the year and just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave the motor depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper being filled with all unrighteousness.
Now the final step. He says wickedness, greedy, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice. They are gossips, landers, haters of God, insulin, arrogant and boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy. I'm loving and unmerciful, and although they know the ordinance of God what's right and wrong that those who practice such things are worthy of death. He says they not only do the same but they also give hearty approval to those who practice that's our culture that's American by way of biblical point of use. One point of view. Dr. Carl Zimmerman is a Harvard sociologist, not a Christian, not a Jew, not an ax to grind theologically, he decided to look at all the empires of the centuries, and to see if there's a common thread as an empire begins to decline it so he wrote a book called family and civilization, and he really believe that the family units became the key element for the decline of cultures and so he came up with five characteristics that all of these declining cultures, Roman, Greek, etc., all of them have in common, and here's what he wrote number one marriage lost its sacredness.
Divorce became commonplace and alternative forms of marriage were accepted to feminist movements, undermine complementary and cooperating roles as women lost interest in mothering and pursue personal power in the marketplace. Three. Parenting became increasingly difficult public disrespect for parents and authority increased in delinquency and promiscuity among teens became commonplace for adultery was celebrated, not punished people who broke their marriage vows were even admired five there was an increased tolerance for incestuous and homosexual sex. He says, which is an increase in sex-related crimes. By the way, Dr. Zimmerman wrote that in 1940s standing are cesspools overflowing.
Ruth Graham was pretty outspoken village life said this. If God doesn't think America will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. There may be some truth to as a warning to you and me as believers in Jesus Christ. That's what this is about to be spared from the final judgment of the world that with the Scriptures of Cleveland, but the question is we make an impact in this culture, as Christ asked us to a songwriter we like what do we have a faith of conviction or do we have a faith convenience.
I want to give you little test just for questions, see where you stand number one. Are you living by the same goals as the world around are you living by the same goals.
When you think of the goals of your life when you want to accomplish in your life you live by the same goals as the people around you do or say it this way is the pagans around Tom sign, who is an apologist and does a lot of work evil with barn and others poster says this.
The only difference I can find between Christians and their pagan neighbors is that we hang around church buildings a little more than made. That's a statement he's probably right.
Secondly, are you expedient when it comes to your ethics and morals. In other words, the you simply would play fast and loose with it. Based on the situation you find yourself at a certainly will like it. Thirdly, to the lost of the unsaved people respect you for your spirituality or you keep it a secret. CRU respected for your spirituality for your stance for your convictions and fourthly for parents. Are you taking full responsibility for instilling values and your children and I mean full responsibility. Chuck Swindoll said this barring a miracle. The church cannot resurrect what the home puts the death while you see one of the values come from no notice. This is seem like a little bit of a downer sermon. I understand that that's why was so reluctant to do with the text but I have one final thought. And it's not negative at all.
The apostle Paul said wherever sinners increase grace increases all the and even though the Moabites started out as a group of people to an incestuous relationship between a girl and her father and the Moabites became a perpetual enemy of Israel.
There was one Moabite was just a young girl her name was Ruth the Moabitess, and God so honored Ruth W. Read Matthew one and look at the lineage and genealogy of Jesus Christ. Guess who's there Ruth the Moabitess, she that's the grace of God. You see, no one is beyond the grace of God. The people Sodom and Gomorrah were not beyond the grace of God. The people of every culture are beyond the people of our culture are not beyond the grace of God at all.
She was always the same, or we the people who live out the reality of Jesus Christ in our lives and the way we live our lives. Are we really salt like our character and we have the opportunity to we give an account for the hope it's enough. You see there's two things we should be praying about when we think of this in Genesis 19.
One is this in my more like what are my more like for instance the apostle Paul who my more like the way I live. But secondly, we should be praying for the culture. You see there's no record of the lot ever papers culture at all. He didn't pray about it. He he just got involved in it he became part of it. That's what we should be doing.
We should be people who live differently and pray sincerely and have passion and compassion.
Remember when this all started, God told Abraham I withhold judgment.
If you find 10 righteous people. That's a principal. And it's a principle we should be dedicated to the spring father my prayer this morning is simply this vintage person here reads Genesis 19 on their own. In the days ahead and they pray through this instead of constantly shaking her finger and condemning the way the loss lived there. We need to identify with what one who knew you one whom you had blessed, and one who allowed himself to be so absorbed into a culture that he could make no spiritual difference. A man who could not lead nine others to you to save the judgment. Father I pray we have the conviction to be different than law. Christ bathroom never on the radio ministry of fellowship in the world. If you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just take a listen to the message one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio program, had Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make his broadcast possible with all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly with just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon that Pastor Bill delivered during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible church should visit our website SBC Nola.org that SBC and of LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds. Pastor Bill sermon.
You can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series you're looking for or you can search by title. Once you find the method you're looking for. You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listening and anchoring. And remember all this absolutely free of charge. Once again our website is SBC Nola.org forecaster Bill Gebhardt and Jason Denhardt.
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