The Justice and Mercy of God (Part 2)

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>The Justice and Mercy of God (Part 2)</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id488.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Justice and Mercy of God"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id491.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gods Mercy for our Great Need"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"The Justice and Mercy of God" (Part 2), Genesis 19, </B></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, November 27-28, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> <I>     </I>One the one hand, more than four out of every five Americans agree that "we all will be called before God at judgment day to answer for our sins," says a poll conducted for the Times Mirror company (National and International Religion Report).</div> <div> <I>     </I>On the other hand, many people think of God only as the kind grandfatherly type, who does whatever he can to make people happy. "The idea of hell and judgment are nowhere to be found in Betty Eadie's bestseller, <I>Embraced By The Light</I>, on the N.Y. Times bestseller list for more than 40 weeks, including 5 weeks as #1. In November 1973, Eadie allegedly died after undergoing a hysterectomy, and returned five hours later with the secrets of heaven revealed by Jesus. Eadie says that Jesus "never wanted to do or say anything that would offend me" while she visited heaven. Indeed, Jesus seems to be relegated to the role of a happy tour guide in heaven, not the Savior of the world who died on the cross" (Richard Abanes, in <I>Christianity Today</I>, March 7, 1994, p. 53, from Bible.org, "Judgment")</div> <div>      Many people prefer to focus on the love of God and ignore the judgment of God. We may ask, how could a loving God bring judgment on people, especially people who don't seem to be too "bad"? Others focus on the judgment of God, view him as immorally mean or unkind; they ignore any love or mercy he may show. Which view is right, or in there another way to look at it?</div> <div>      Please read <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Gen+19" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Genesis 19</U></A>.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>     God extends mercy to those who don't deserve it, but he will judge those who refuse his mercy, because of their evil deeds (as determined by his holy standards, not ours).</B></div> <bR> <div> 1. God destroyed Sodom because of her rebellion and evil, but he mercifully delivered Lot and his family.</div> <div>      Genesis 19:1-3 - The Lord's angels enter the city and are welcomed by Lot.</div> <div>      Genesis :4-11- The angels are directly confronted with the sins of Sodom. Lot rightly attempted to protect his guests, but he violated basic decency in his approach. While protecting his guests, he offered to allow his daughters to be violated. He said, "don't do this wicked thing," then proposed an equally wicked thing himself. So confused was his "morality." He was saved by the angels.</div> <div>      Genesis 19:12-16 - The angels, Lot and his family leave the city, which has now been doomed for destruction. Sodom was an anti-God society. There was no fear of God, and when there is no fear of God, there soon is no respect for others. The boundaries of others are violated. The sins of Sodom were many, of course, and the specific example of evil here was homosexual rape. This is a violation of God's natural principles of sexual relationships (Lev 18:22, Romans 1:24-27), as well as of the boundaries of other human beings. Lot <I>hesitated</I> in leaving, but he and his family were spared, <B>only by the mercy of God</B> (vs. 16).</div> <div>      Genesis 19:17-26 - Lot and his daughters flee to safety, while his wife turns back to her destruction. When Lot reached the little town, Sodom was destroyed (vss. 23-26). </div> <div>      I wonder if it was God's intention to lead Lot back to the company of Abraham. But Lot <I>insisted</I> on going to this little town, out of fear. He settled for little (the word "small" is emphasized by the text), when God probably had so much more in mind for him, under the blessing on Abraham. </div> <div>      Regarding Lot's wife, it seems that she left Lot and returned to the city (the fire did not fall until Lot reached the little town, at which point they probably watched). The instruction was that they flee and not "look back." They should keep fleeing to safety. She apparently gave up on the journey and headed back. She probably thought along the way that nothing was happening, so Lot was a fool, and she would see him when he got home. Her lack of belief cost her her life (see Luke 17:28-32).</div> <div>      Genesis 19:27-29 - Abraham watches from a distance. God remembered Abraham and thus delivered Lot (vs. 29).</div> <bR> <div> 2. God extends mercy to those who don't deserve it, but he will eventually judge those who refuse his mercy.</div> <div>      Comedian Jay Leno once said, "If God doesn't destroy Hollywood Boulevard, he owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology." One atheist said, "If there is a God, may he prove himself by striking me dead right now." Nothing happened. "You see, there is not God." Another responded, "You've only proved that He is a gracious God." (Bible.org, "God-Grace"). God owes no one an apology, and he judges when the time is right, but he is very patient. He offers his mercy to <I>anyone</I> who will accept it by faith.</div> <bR> <div>      Just before the death of actor W. C. Fields, a friend visited Fields' hospital room and was surprised to find him thumbing through a Bible. Asked what he was doing with a Bible, Fields replied, "I'm looking for loopholes." There is no loophole. There is a wide-open door, and it is the fact that God offers you mercy, because Jesus came into the world to die in your place. John 3:16-18 says,  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2004, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>