Sermon notes from Limavady Independent Methodist Church
Sunday 26 July 2020 am
Genesis 18 verses 22 - 33
"Men ought always to pray and not faint." (Luke 18 verse 1) In Genesis 18 we read of Abraham`s prayer. We might faint in the Christian walkway. Paul took up that theme in Thessalonians when he said people ought to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5 verse 17). In Genesis 18 the angels came to Abraham`s tent, one was Jesus himself in human flesh. There was a 2 fold message - to announce the birth of a son to Abraham and Sarah. The second part of the message was to bring news of coming judgment to Sodom. God has seen the situation in Sodom and was coming now in judgment. God said to himself "shall I hide this thing from Abraham?" (verse 17) He knew Abraham was the type of person he was, he would be the foundation stone of the nation of Israel.
Abraham`s character. His character was known in heaven. God knew what was in Abraham. In Genesis 12 he called him from his homeland. He came to where Abraham was and told him he would give him a family, a nation and a land. The land Abraham lived in was Ur of the Chaldees. It was a prosperous place, a fertile land. We are given the impression that Abraham was a rich man but the people in that land were also given over to idolatry and false worship. God knew the man he chose, that he could not live among these people. He would have to come out from among the people. Is that not what Jesus teaches us - to come out from among the ungodly, to be separated unto God. God comes to Abraham and tells him to leave the land he is living in and he would take him to a land he would show him. He was to turn from everything and follow Christ. God expects nothing less of us today. We must trust the Lord as our own Saviour. He cannot save us any other way. He wants our all. God could trust this man Abraham. It is a wonderful thing when God can trust us. God could trust Abraham to pray for Sodom and Gomorrah. In 1 Kings 17 we read of the widow woman who helped Elijah. God took Elijah out of the king`s presence after telling him there would be no rain for 3 years. He took him to the brook Cherith and fed him there. That brook dried up but he didn`t have to worry, God was there before him. He told Elijah to go to a widow woman who would care for him. Elijah was someone God could trust. In that home the widow woman had nothing left but a cupful of flour. God knew she would put him first. That is what God wants us to do today. Think of Peter in the home of Cornelius who was seeking after God`s salvation. The angel told Cornelius to send for Peter in Joppa. God knows all about us today. He knows where we are at today. Can he trust us today? Can he lay a burden on our hearts? To pray through with the Lord today? When Peter came to Cornelius he told him words whereby he could be saved. God could trust Peter to bring that word to Cornelius, to show him the words he needed to hear. Can God trust us today to bring his word to others?
Abraham`s concern. When he began to consider the judgment that was about to fall he thought of those people who were living there. His own nephew was living in Sodom. He was concerned about every living soul living there. The men of Sodom were great sinners and wicked above all. Abraham knew this. He knew this, had heard the stories coming out of that city. He was grieved that his nephew was living in that place. How did Lot ever come to live there? After all the influence of Abraham on his life? He seen Abraham`s witness and his worship before God. When Abraham and Lot came out of Egypt they had so much wealth and herds and flocks that the land could not contain them. The herdsmen fell out among themselves. Abraham gave Lot a choice once day - Genesis 13 verse 10. Lot looked and saw a well watered land, a fruitful place for his flocks and herds. He never considered God. Verse 12 Lot pitched his tent towards Sodom. In Genesis 19 we find him sitting in the gate of Sodom. The gate was symbolic of power and authority. He was tricked and deceived. "The heart of man is desperately wicked and no man can know it." (Jeremiah 17 verse 9) This young man Lot grew up under the godlly influence of an uncle yet ended up in one of the most wicked places. Lot ended up here because of poor decisions and choices. Be careful about your slackness in worship, in your reading of the bible and your times of prayer. It is a slippery slope. Growing cold doesn`t happen overnight. Growing cold is a gradual thing. He looked, he pitched his tent near Sodom and eventually went to live in Sodom. Abraham was concerned about his nephew. These souls were living in a day when the judgment hand of God was about to fall. As we think of the prophecies we are reminded that one day God will come to the air with a shout and the trump of God will sound. The dead will rise first and we which are alive and in Christ will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 11 said "knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men." Paul was speaking about judgment. He has it on his mind, when God sits on the throne, the judgement seat and all the unsaved people are before him. He sees that great multitude turning their backs on God. You must stand and give an account why you rejected the Lord as Saviour, why you turned your back on his sacrifice of his own son on Calvary. Paul could see them going into the caverns of the damned for all eternity never more to see the light of day. We have people going out into a lost eternity today. Are we really concerned about them? In Acts 16 the Philippian jailer came to know the Lord as Saviour. He began immediately to think of his family. He brought the 2 preachers to his family to hear words whereby they might be saved. Have we that concern? Are we happy to go about our lives and have no concern for others?
Abraham`s commitment. He fell on his face before God. There was very little he could do about this situation but he had prayer. We can do the same today. The judgment of God is coming. Are we praying? He knew the righteous would not perish. Paul said when he could see the judgment of God he would persuade men to repent of their sin and turn to the Lord and be saved. He would go into the market place, in to the synagogues just to persuade men to be saved. Will we do the same? Do all in our power to see people come to Christ? Abraham could do nothing but get on his knees. That is all we can do today. We often pray that we cannot stir an anxious thought. Who will persuade our family to turn to Christ today?
Abraham`s continuance. His commitment did not wane. He stayed resolute in his task. He got before the God of heaven. He realised he was but dust and ashes yet he cared enought to get on his knees to plead and pray. We are told to come boldly to the throne of grace and in doing so we will find mercy in the time of need. Some times we start with great zeal then lose interest and fall apart. Lot was on his mind when he started to pray. He began to plead "if you find 50 will you save them Lord?" God gave his word that if he found 50 he would not destroy the city. Abraham didn`t stop there. He asked again for 45 and again the Lord said he would not destroy the city if he found 45 righteous there. Abraham continued to bargain down to 40, then 30 and 20 and finally 10. You see he was thinking of Lot and his family. Have we prayed and continued to pray for our family today? Are we resolute in our prayers today? Are we waiting for answers today? Moses when we went down into Egypt to bring God`s word to Pharaoh, he could see him hardening his heart. Moses kept going back again and again. We need men and women of Abraham`s character who have a great resolve to pray and seek God in these difficult and hard times.
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