Genesis 18:23-32 – God’s Secret – Bible study

Genesis 18:23-32 Gods Secret God has a secret. Its not a very well kept secret but it is a secret, and with this secret, you can turn a quick and easy profit. If I were to tell you that I knew someone, someone in a position to know what a stock or option was going to do in the next few weeks, and that someone told me a secret about the market, you would probably think that to be a good thing. Knowing such a secret could make a quick and easy profit. Now imagine what you could do with Gods secret! So what is Gods secret? I. Gods secret is that He does not want to harm to any human being. A. Hear this well. 1. God is a God of love and mercy. 2. It is that truth that I wish to present to you today; yea, even to prove to you today. B. Some what ask, "Is there evidence that God is a loving and merciful God?" The answer is there is. 1. Notice the hesitance of God to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. a. Abraham knew Gods secret. b. \#23\ The entire conversation he has with God on that day hangs on the fact that God does not want to harm people. (1) It is NOT like God to destroy the righteous with the wicked. (2) By the way, it is the very truth that Abraham spoke of that makes me believe that Christians will not go through the tribulation. c. Notice how "easy" it was for Abraham to talk God down on destroying ANYBODY. (1) Abraham started asking if God would spare the righteous then moved to a smaller and smaller number of righteous! (2) 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, 10? (3) This was in a city that was given to wicked sin, homosexuality, a sin that God calls abominable. (4) This was in a city where decency and perhaps human life were of little value \#Ge 19:8\. (5) This was in a city where Gods Word and thoughts were apparently unwelcome \#Ge 19:9\. (6) This was in a city where men were so given over to their evil pleasures that they would not be stopped no matter what \#Ge 19:11\. (7) Judgment was Gods last resort in dealing with this city because He is so merciful! (8) I am not certain we understand the spirit of God any better than James and John did. Luke 9:51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, 52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy mens lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. (a) God is not interested in destroying the homosexuals but in saving them! (b) Perhaps if the church (and I mean to include myself in that number) had understood that truth, we would have had a better opportunity to win them to Christ. 2. \#Ge 19:16\ To see other evidence of Gods mercy, notice that even though the Lord could not find 10 righteous in Sodom, He was still merciful to the righteous He found! a. I use that term "righteous" in its loosest terms. b. Lot and his family, although saved, had moved into the town of Sodom. c. I dont think Lot ever approved of that lifestyle for the town was quick to judge him, but I think he was slow to condemn the lifestyle for his family followed the town into a compromising life. d. Yet, God spared all who would leave the time in obedience. e. Why? Because God does not want to judge! 3. Yet again, look at why Jonah refused to go to Nineveh. Jonah 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. Jonah 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. 2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. a. Jonah made it clear. He did not want to go to Nineveh because He knew God in His mercy would forgive them! b. Jonah was a righteous prophet with a history of serving God. (1) Jonah did know Gods mercy for he had seen it given to Israel, time and again. (2) Jonah also knew that God would punish willful disobedience for he had also seen that. (3) Yet, he chose the wrath of God upon himself, even death, rather than to even go to Nineveh to preach. (4) Why? (a) Because Jonah knew just how merciful God was. (b) He knew if only a few of Ninevites made an honest effort to turn to God, God was likely to forgive the whole city! (c) And he was right! God TOLD Jonah that He wanted to be merciful to Nineveh. Jonah 4:9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. 10 Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: 11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? 4. Need more evidence. Look at Peters understanding of Gods mercy. 2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. a. Peter confirms my opinion (or rather, I am agreeing with him!) b. Peter is discussing the very reason why the Lord does not fulfill His promise to come and to judge. c. And Peter nailed it. God is just too mercy to come to quickly. He does not want to perish. God wants everyone to come to Him! II. Understanding this characteristic of God explains Gods hesitance to keep His promises. A. We have many, many promises of Jesus return. Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 1. But He has not come! Now why is that? 2. The answer is Gods secret. When Jesus comes, it will seal the fate of the whole world! B. Again, there are so many promises from God that He will judge sin. Eze 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. Ecc 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Mt 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: Ac 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. 1. Why hasnt God executed His judgment, especially with all of the evil that is going on today? 2. Again, I believe the answer is because God does not want to harm any human being! C. All of this is called MERCY. 1. Mercy is God delaying, for as long as possible, the judgments due to sinners. 2. From the first, God has delayed. a. It started in the Garden of Eden. God knew Adam and Eve sinned as they were doing it, but He delayed coming until after they had time to sew themselves some clothes! Hours must have passed! b. When the world was so evil that God knew the whole thing would have to be destroyed, He delayed 120 years so Noah could preach a message of salvation. c. God knew that the children of Israel would have to be judged but He waited hundreds of years before He turned them over to their enemies. d. And Jesus has been wanting to collect His bride for 2,000 years yet the Father still says, "Wait." 3. Why? MERCY! God does not want to harm any human being. D. Dont misunderstand. 1. God being a merciful God will not stop Him from keeping His promise to come and to judge. a. He will. b. \#Ge 19:24\ It rained fire out of heaven! 2. God being a merciful God will not stop him from keeping His promise to damn the lost. 3. God is just giving as many as possible as many opportunities as possible. III. So what does this mean? If God does not want to judge, what should we do? A. We know Gods secret. He does not want to harm any human. 1. I think we should exploit it. 2. I am serious. God is a merciful God and you should take advantage of it. 3. The Bible tells us some of the areas that we might exploit Gods grace. B. Man ought to exploit Gods mercy in the area of salvation. Psalm 85:7 Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation. Psalm 109:26 Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy: 1. In 1741, Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of Angry God." 2. In that message, the preacher used as his text. Deut 32:35 their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand. a. We are always exposed to destruction, like a foot on an icy surface. b. That destruction will come suddenly, without expectation. c. That destruction will come of itself. God does not need to aid it or hasten it. We are sinners condemned already. d. The only things which holds the destruction back is Gods mercy. 3. Understand, Gods mercy is the only thing that is keeping the wages of sin off of us. a. If you are lost, you are hanging by the thread of Gods mercy. b. It is a solid as iron for as long as God lets it abide, but you have no promise of it abiding for even a second more. c. WHEN (not if) God withdraws His mercy, you will fall headlong into the cauldron of His wrath and justice. C. We ought to exploit Gods mercy in the area of revival. Ezra 9:9 For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. 1. Consider this. There is almost nothing that God will not do to keep from having to judge a Christian! 2. Backslidden Christian, what might God do? a. He might forgive any sin in your past. (1) God would forgive any failure. (2) God would restore any quitter. (3) God would remove any past. (4) These are just some of the extremes God would go through to keep from having to judge us. b. He might lend you His power to overcome any sinful behavior. 3. Armed with this truth, we begin to see the reasoning behind many of Gods most amazing Bible verses. Ps 103:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Eze 18:22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Mr 3:28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: D. We ought to exploit Gods mercy in the area of help in trouble. Psalm 25:16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses. 1. Problems tend to lead to bad behavior, that is sin. a. When we have problems, humans tend to behave in sinful ways. b. Hence, it stands to reason that God would want to help us with any problems we have rather than leave us in troubleeven a problem we created for ourselves. Ps 91:15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. Ps 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. Isa 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. c. I am not saying that we will have no problems. d. But I am saying, if God does not want to judge us, then He does not want us to fail and He will do what- ever is necessary to see that we do not. 2. Again, that explains Gods willingness to lend us His great power to help us in our temptations. 1Cor 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. I do not want to be carnal in my presentation this morning, but I do want to point out that Gods dislike for judging us is a great benefit to everyone of us! It guarantees us help, forgiveness, restoration, solace, acceptancein short, MERCY. A person would be foolish not to avail himself of the benefits of this secret. It all hinges on you knowing the truth and then taking advantage of it. This morning, come to mercy of God.